Legendary drummer is vying for the title of "Hardest Working Man in Showbiz"...

By Blurt Staff

Tony Allen-best known for his work as drummer and musical director for Afrobeat kingpin Fela Kuti-makes his World Circuit/No nesuch debut with Secret Agent, on April 13. Following its European release earlier this year, Secret Agent has received generous critical praise. The Guardian proclaimed , "There is no question that Tony Allen is a genius, one of the greatest percussion ists in the history of popular music," while Observer Music Monthly said, "If you're wondering why Afrobeat is hip, start here."

Allen's been pretty busy of late, having teamed with Jimi Tenor for the album Inspiratio n Informatio n soon. Go here for details, along with a promo video clip on the project, and here for the BLURT review we recently published.

Together with Fela Kuti, with whom he played for 15 years, Allen co-created Afrobeat-t he hard-drivi ng, horns-rich , funk-infus ed, politicall y insurrecti onary style that became such a dominant force in African music and is now one of Africa's most popular styles among internatio nal listeners.

Allen produced Secret Agent, which was recorded with his touring band of musicians from Nigeria, Cameroon, Martinique and France. The music is four-squar e in the Afrobeat tradition- rhythmic tenor guitar, funky keyboards, call and response vocals, and full-throa ted horns-with a few twists (including keyboard player and arranger Fixi's accordion on some tracks). Allen's playing meanwhile draws on four different styles-hig hlife, soul/funk, jazz and traditiona l Nigerian drumming. At Afrobeat's heart is the beat, even more prominent now than it was in Fela Kuti's legendary Afrika ‘70 band.

Secret Agent is Allen's first solo release since he became a founding member of The Good, The Bad and The Queen (alongside Damon Albarn, Paul Simenon and Simon Tong). This associatio n has helped encourage a recent upsurge of interest in Afrobeat. Over the years Allen has appeared on dozens of albums and his continued relevance in 2009-fans of hip-hop, funk and jazz clamor for his recordings -speaks to the staying power of the Afrobeat music that he helped create in the 1960s.

Chris Cornell tweets the news, somewhat crypticall y, of a reunion underway by the grunge granddaddi es.

By Fred Mills

Hey, all you laimstains ! Ready for the grunge revival? Harboring a lurking suspicion that the recent Target-ret ailed Pearl Jam album was, like, a seriously harsh realm? It's been some time since you've been swingin' on the flippity-f lop in your kickers and wack slacks. How would a Soundgarde n reunion sound to you?

It's been 15 years since the release of 1994's mega-selli ng Superunkno wn, after which the band split up, in 1997. Aside from a few sorta-but- not-quite one-off deals, including a Matt Cameron-Ki m Thayil-Ben Shepherd performanc e last March in Seattle and Chris Cornell coming onstage at a Pearl Jam gig to do Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike," there hasn't been a peep outta the S-garden camp. What there HAS been is the underperfo rming Audioslave , featuring Cornell fronting ¾ of Rage Against the Machine, in which guitarist Tom Morello barely got out of with his dignity intact; and a string of underwhelm ing Cornell solo albums, including 2009's Timbaland- produced Scream, which spawned a raft of Cornell-Ti mbaland-re lated one-liners as well as more than a few withering Trent Reznor web postings and tweets.

But at exactly 9pm on December 31, Chris Cornell himself, who has over a million Twitter followers, tweeted the following news:

The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again! www.soundgarde nworld.com

There's not much at the Soundgarde n site at the moment other than a form where you can sign up to get email updates from the band. Billboard is citing "sources" who advise that "the group is weighing offers from several major U.S. and internatio nal festivals. But a tour routing is still a work in progress, due to [drummer Matt] Cameron's prior commitment s to play with Pearl Jam in the spring and summer of next year."

Billboard adds that it was at the Pearl Jam show Cornell turned up at that may have sparked the reunion, as Shepherd and Thayil were also present at the show, and the latter two have also been planning to put together a Soundgarde n boxed set.

All aboard, ladies and germs, the nostalgia train is boarding. First stop: Pavementvi lle. Score!

As a public service, we reintroduc e the Lexicon Of Grunge, so bone up on it if you don't want to be a total cob nobbler.

• bloated, big bag of bloatation - drunk
• bound-and- hagged - staying home on Friday or Saturday night
• cob nobbler - loser
• dish - desirable guy
• fuzz - heavy wool sweaters
• harsh realm - bummer
• kickers - heavy boots
• lamestain - uncool person
• plats - platform shoes
• rock on - a happy goodbye
• score - great
• swingin' on the flippity-f lop - hanging out
• tom-tom club - uncool outsiders
• wack slacks - old ripped jeans

Much admired guitarist for one of the original Native American rock band and crossover acts.

By Blurt Staff

Anthony Bellamy, guitarist and singer for the groundbrea king Native American ‘70s rock band Redbone, passed away on Christmas morning in Las Vegas.  The cause of his death was reportedly liver failure. Born Anthony Avila, he was 69.

In a statement, the Native American Music Awards (N.A.M.A.) organizati on said it was "deeply saddened to learn of the passing. Anthony, or Tony "T-Bone" Bellamy, who attended the 10th Annual Native American Music Awards and was inducted into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame with Redbone in 2008, was a Mexican-Am erican Yaqui Indian who became the lead guitarist, pianist and vocalist for Redbone. He was a beloved and endearing friend of the "Nammys" since its inception, and will be greatly missed."

Along with Albuquerqu e's XIT, which recorded for Motown, Redbone was considered among the first Native American rock bands to achieve any sort of crossover success during the early ‘70s - this was at a time when the image was still strictly one of drums, flutes and dancing. (Thanks a lot, Hollywood.) Redbone formed in 1969 with Bellamy, Pete DePoe and brothers Patrick Vasquez and Lolly Vasquez in Los Angeles, reportedly at the urging of Jimi Hendrix, who convinced them that a Native American rock band might have a shot during the then-thriv ing countercul tural milieu. Indeed, Redbone hit it big in 1974 with the Top 5 song "Come and Get Your Love," from the album Wovoka. The band's self-title d debut LP had been released four years earlier on Epic and they tasted early success with the singles "Maggie" and "The Witch Queen of New Orleans"; to this day, though, "Come and Get Your Love" remains a staple of oldies radio, and the tune has been covered by numerous other artists. The band's music was a compelling hybrid of blues, rock, soul, tribal, Latin and Cajun - a veritable melting pot that reflected the members' mixed-bloo d ancestry.

Prior to Redbone, Bellamy worked as a musician in the Bay Area, including with Dobie Gray and rock band Peter and The Wolves (the latter would morph into Moby Grape).

Redbone on MySpace (song samples, photos and more):

http://www .myspace.com/redbon emyspace

Just because you can't go on Celebrity Big Brother doesn't mean you couldn't clean houses for a living.

By Fred Mills

How did YOU spend your Christmas holidays? If you were Boy George - who has had what may be charitably described as "a shitty year" - you were busy petitionin g a British judge to let you appear on the tenth and final season of Celebrity Big Brother, but to no avail.

Everybody say, "Awwwwww....."

A court had squelched BG's plans to appear on the reality show (which would have paid him some serious dough, something he, er, needs to help pay off legal bills) on the grounds that he is still on probation for assault and false imprisonme nt - you know, that little deal that went down with the male escort awhile back. According to MTV News "Court officials worried that allowing George to appear on the show would undermine the probation system and would cause people to lose faith in the courts."

BG appealed the ban, suggesting that the court's elaboratin g, after the fact, upon the terms of his probation were unnecessar ily cruel. But a couple of days before Christmas a High Court judge dismissed the appeal.

Britain's The Sun reports, however, that BG is "refusing to let his Celebrity Big Brother dream die - telling fans he still hopes to be part of the show despite a judge banning him from entering the [Big Brother] house.... He hinted to fans on his Twitter page: ‘I still may do something on CBB, I just won't be in it!'"

 Fun fact: Boy George only has 29,000 Twitter followers. By contrast Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears each have over 4 million while Kim Kardashian and John Mayer each have almost 3 mil. Everybody say once again.... "Awwwwww......."

Massive 10 CD boxed set runs some serious voudo down... see video clip, below.

By A.D. Amorosi

Best known for essaying the indigenous sounds and habits of the rural South and the Appalachia ns Alan Lomax (1915 - 2002) was a preservati onist, curator, and conservati onist. Mostly though, as heard throughout the 10 CDs of Alan Lomax in Haiti (Hart Recordings ; www.harterecor dings.com), he was an ethnomusic ological spirit catcher whose revelation s captured Afro-Carib bean and African nuances decades before David Byrne and Moby set their samplers to warp speed.

We can now listen in to a pivotal era in Haiti's cultural history, when the country was throwing off U.S. imperialis m and embracing both its African roots and the coming influence of jazz and African-Am erican/Afr o-Caribbea n popular music and dance," states the producer's daughter Anna Lomax Wood in Haiti's formidable books of notes. Like a sonic version of Wade Davis's The Serpent and the Rainbow, these 1936-37 recordings maintain the raw sound of oppression , rage, freedom and sexuality that is the 287 song package. These are politicize d meringues, religious mambos, vodou parade tunes and priestly jazz dances. These are private moments captured in tiny clubs, yards, and tribal rituals. They are pop songs.

In reality the entirety of Haiti is one long treasure map with Lomax as the guy with the map and the mic - each worth their weight in gold. It might be hard to get through the box - it's distant and foreign in every way. But like every treasure hunt, the adventure is the key to its wealth.

Juno-winni ng multi-ling ual singer-son gwriter also worked with Tinderstic ks, Patrick Watson and others.

By Fred Mills

Canadian singer-son gwriter Lhasa de Sela - known simply as Lhasa to her many fans across the globe - died Jan. 1 at her Montreal home following a 21-month long battle with breast cancer. She was only 37.

She released her latest album, simply titled Lhasa, in 2009 and had continued to work during much of her illness, although her last public performanc es were in Iceland last May. She was forced to cancel a long internatio nal tour scheduled for autumn 2009 and a projected album of the songs of Victor Jara and Violeta Parra was never completed.

In a statement from her manager, David-Etie nne Savoie, "She faced [the illness] with courage and determinat ion. Throughout this difficult period, she continued to touch the lives of those around her with her characteri stic grace, beauty and humor."

Born in 1972 in Big Indian, NY (in the Catskill mountains) to a Mexican father and American mother, Lhasa moved around for much of her life, eventually settling in Montreal in the early ‘90s . She debuted in 1997 with the Spanish-la nguage La Llorona, which earned her a Juno award for Best Global Album. She toured heavily behind it and was a featured performer on the Lilith Fair festival. 2003 brought The Living Road, and along with the 2009 album she has sold, to date, over a million copies internatio nally.

In addition to many other awards, Lhasa was named Best Artist of the Americas in 2005 at the BBC's World Music Awards. She also sang with Britain's Tinderstic ks, France's Arthur H and Montreal's Patrick Watson.

Commented manager Savoie, "It is difficult to describe her unique voice and stage presence, which earned her iconic status in many countries throughout the world, but

some    Journalist s have  described it as passionate , sensual, untameable , tender, profound, troubling, enchanting , hypnotic, hushed, powerful, intense, a voice for all time.

"Lhasa had a unique way of communicat ing with her public.  She dared to open her heart on stage, allowing her audience to experience an intimate connection and communion with her. &nbs p; She profoundly affected and inspired many people throughout the cities and countries she visited."

Lhasa at MySpace (songs, and more): http://www .myspace.com/lhasad eselamusic

And KCRW-FM's got the details.

By Blurt Staff

Santa Monica's influentia l public radio station KCRW gets bragging rights this week to be the first to broadcast a stream of Vampire Weekend's sophomore release Contra in its entirety. It's to be part of KCRW's Album Preview series and will be available starting tomorrow, Jan. 5, at www.KCRW.com/albump review , through January 18. Also, KCRW's all music, online-onl y stream Eclectic24 will air the full album on January 11 at 8pm PST. (XL Recordings will release "Contra" on January 12.)

But wait, Weekend fans - there's more. Morning Becomes Eclectic host Jason Bentley will present a special live performanc e by the band, featuring a horn and a string section&nb sp; -- next Monday, January 11. If you're in range you can hear it at 89.9 FM or, like most of us, online at KCRW.com. The show should start that morning about 11:15 am PST.

Just in time for you to spend the last of that dough you got for Christmas...

By Fred Mills

Hey kids, tired of buying those favorite albums of yours a third, fourth and in some instances a fifth time when an expanded "deluxe edition" is released containing all the shit you already own plus bonus material and/or an extra disc (or two) containing shit the record label wants to convince you that you need to own?

UMe has a deal for YOU!

The Universal Music Group, along with several of its imprints including Motown, A&M, Island and Geffen, is releasing today, January 5, the somewhat-n ewly-chris tened "Rarities Editions" of a slew of much-loved artists that include Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Steve Earle, Motorhead, Gin Blossoms and Weezer.

What, you ask, are these, and do you need to fork over the $11 to $14 per disc it'll take to own them? Well, for starters, you may already own them: if for example you snapped up Steve Earle's Copperhead Road: Deluxe Edition in 2008, the one that contained a second disc of songs not on the original 1988 album, then you don't need Rarities Edition, as it comprises, specifical ly, Disc 2 of Deluxe Edition. But if you didn't buy that, and you already have Copperhead Road proper, then this disc's for you, bubba!

Likewise with the Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience , Weezer's Weezer (aka The Blue Album), Eric B. & Rakim's Paid In Full, Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Howlin' Wolf's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, Rick James' Street Songs, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Street Survivors, Diana Ross' Diana and Motorhead' s Ace of Spades.

Those first 10 installmen ts in the series will presumably be followed by many more (Bob Marley and Saint Etienne, for example), because who are we kidding here? Labels' back catalogs are what are keeping them afloat these days. And sure, these are retreads, but unless you're an unreconstr ucted collector you don't even need to consider buying them. For folks who balked at the cost of the two-disc reissues, this will give them a chance to have all the extra content. And while on occasion the bonus material has been of dubious quality and worth, most of the time (such as with the live concert on the second disc of the Earle set) it holds up.

For a look at the 10 titles along with an interestin g forum discussion about the UMe series, go to the Imwan.com board.

Stump the chumps, er, the celebrity panel, and win fabulous prizes! Or at least some snog time with Kitty Carlisle...

By Fred Mills

Now THIS is one of those unusual blasts from the past that makes YouTube a true national (internati onal?) treasure - why they can't monetize that sucker fully yet just boggles the mind.

Over the holidays some enterprisi ng blues fanatic tracked down an episode of TV panel show To Tell the Truth, presumably dating to the mid ‘60s , featuring harmonica legend and bandleader Paul Butterfiel d as the guest. It's worth watching just for the part at the end when Butterfiel d gets up and jams with the house band, and the video quality is surprising ly good for its vintage.

The main segment, though, is priceless. For those not familiar with To Tell the Truth - Wikipedia entry here - the format involved a four-perso n celebrity panel attempting to figure out which of the guests is actually who he/she claims to be. That actual "person" is pledged to answer the panel's questions truthfully , but the impostors are allowed to lie through their teeth. In its initial incarnatio n the show ran on CBS from 1956 to 1968, later going into syndicatio n and ultimately going through a series of revivals as well. For this episode the panel was made up of what a lot of viewers considered to be the "classic" lineup of Orson Bean, Peggy Cass, Kitty Carlisle (hot, very hot), and Tom Poston (yes, that Tom Poston, later of Newhart fame).

Here, Butterfiel d (as Number One) along with a college student (Number Two) and a salesman (Number Three) attempt to stump the panel; the salesman doesn't really fool anyone, but the four votes get split evenly between Butterfiel d and the student, and it's a whale of a lot of fun watching the panelists demonstrat e varying degrees of knowledge and ignorance of the blues and the then-conte mporary music scene.

Through it all, Butterfiel d has a kind of semi-bemus ed look on his face. This is a guy, after all, that has played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Mike Bloomfield and Howlin' Wolf. You can practicall y see the thought bubble over his head going, "Please God, don't let Orson, Peggy, Kitty or Tom hit me up for a backstage pass at tonight's show down at the Café ; Wha?..."

Fairly uninspired mashup of Nirvana and Gaga making the rounds of the Internet. Meanwhile, what about that "Best of Bootie 2009" mashup album?

By Blurt Staff

We're not quite sure why some bloggers are going ga-ga over the recent Nirvana-La dy Gaga mashup. As you can hear below, DJ Lobsterdus t hasn't exactly pushed the envelope with his remake/rem odel. For starters, why does everyone feel compelled to use "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in their mashups. And GaGa's "Poker Face" isn't exactly the standout track in her oeuvre.

But hey, anytime a DJ can combine those two hot-button names and get the press (like us) to report on it, it's a guaranteed elevated profile, at least for a short while. Check it out, below.

 Mean while, the New York Post recently, er, posted its list of the so-called best mashups of '09. In addition to the Nirvana-Ga ga track, some of the fave raves were "I Got More Than A Feeling" by Mad Mix Mustang (Boston and the Black Eyed Peas), "Chasing Cars That Way" by Dan Mel & Marc Johnce (Backstree t Boys and Snow Patrol), a positively inspired "My Life on the Crazy Train Sucks," also by Mel and Johnce (listed as Kelly Clarkson vs. Ozzy Osbourne vs. Pink vs. Daft Punk, no less) and several other Gaga entries, including mashups of her with Human League and Journey. The entire list can be found here, and they've even provided a download link so you can get the entire "album" - titled, somewhat alarmingly , "Best of Bootie 2009," free of charge.

Latest pick of cool emerging artist in our ongoing collaborat ion with Sonicbids.

By Fred Mills

The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the latest (December 2009) pick for our Blurt/Soni cbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Washington , DC-based the Public Good.

The band was formed a couple of years ago by John Elderkin and Steve Ruppenthal , a songwritin g team that had previously garnered national acclaim back in the early ‘90s as members of Chapel Hill's The Popes (a big college radio fave). After the demise of that band Ruppenthal and Elderkin worked together in Stumble, followed by the Lovely Lads, eventually going their own separate ways to pursue work and academic careers.

After they both wound up in DC they resumed the partnershi p and by the summer of 2009 had released their debut album No. 1. The record's stuffed to the gills with hi-nrg pop, from the Husker Du/Replace ments-wort hy "F-105" and the irrepressi bly jangly, Kinksian "(Imagine the Girlfriend s I'd Have) If I Still Had Hair" to the chiming/hu mming, buoyantly harmonious "Cigarette ". Suffice to say that the Public Good lives up to, and in many ways surpasses, the early musical promise demonstrat ed two decades ago by the mighty Popes.

The lineup:

John Elderkin - guitar, vocals

Steve Ruppenthal - bass, vocals

Sam Esquith - guitar, keyboards

Chris Garges - drums

We'll have an interview with the band posted to the site shortly. Check out the band's MySpace page for song samples, tour dates and more, as well as their official website.  And congratula tions to the Public Good. They're one of the, ahem, good ‘uns , trust us.

***

Bands, go to www.sonicbids.com/blurto nline to submit and have us review your materials for feature considerat ion.

>Our November ‘08 Best Kept Secret: The Handcuffs, from Chicago.

>Our December Best Kept Secret: Black Swan Green, from Brooklyn

>Our January Best Kept Secret: stephanies Ä­ ;d, from Asheville

>Our March Best Kept Secret: Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle, from England

>Our June Best Kept Secret: Wiretree, from Austin

>Our August Best Kept Secret: Bulletproo f Vests, from Memphis

>Our November Best Kept Secret: The Vivs, from Boston

This week, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD features the legendary Pete Droge (OMG!)... we are MASSIVE fans here at Outlandos. Hopefully you will be, too.

Incidental ly, for a refresher, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD is our guest post series where we invite musicians we are utterly nuts about to take over and write whatever they like. Three rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music, and the weirder the better. Fun stuff!

What I love about this post from Pete (and I hope I don't embarrass him too much) is that number one, he was a tad skittish, as a lot of folks are about publishing a blog, if blogging isn't your usual thing, perfectly human reaction (and its nice to know our idols are human). It's great though is that none of it has to be perfect, it just has to be genuine for me --- and for you --- to dig it. And Pete's got genuine in spades, as you can read below. But what's more is, this idea of his is quite smart... if you're going to dive into an iconic catalog, chronologi cally doesn't always make sense. This would make a good book actually, a guide to the best order in which to sift through iconic catalogs. You up for that Pete?

Thanks for letting me twist your arm to do this one!

Dear Music Fan Who Is Not up to Speed on JJ Cale, Leonard Cohen or Gram Parsons,

I find that where you enter an artist's catalog can make a huge difference on how they connect with you. Case in point, my friend who thought, "I really should check out this Bob Dylan cat that so many hipsters are into... hmm where to begin? How about his first album?" Seeing as Bob is so adored for his writing and his first record consists of mostly covers this is probably not the best place to enter his body of work (If you have not heard his version of Man of Constant Sorrow go get it right now... George Clooney, eat your heart out). I digress. I have many times served as mid wife in the birthing of a newborn Dylan fan. I am always shocked, outraged and ultimately jealous of anyone who is naive to all things Bob. Generally speaking, with Bob, I would point the newbie towards Bringing It All Back Home. Side One is Bob 101. Opens with Subterrane an Homesick Blues, need I say more? Side Two, Bob 201. Opens with Mr. Tambourine Man and closes with It's All over Now, Baby Blue, and in between those two, Gates of Eden and It's Alright Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding). After that, I would point them to more records from the 60s like Highway 61, Times They Are a Changin', and Blonde on Blonde before sending them out to other eras (Oh Mercy, Time Out Of Mind, Infidel, Planet Waves, Blood on the Tracks, Basement Tapes and so on).

Enough on Bob. I'm sure you are all up to speed already. Let's get to some folks that some of you may not be into.

JJ Cale. I remember the first time I heard JJ Cale... or John as his friends call him... yes, that's right, the name John Cale was taken (ok musical hipsters, John Cale was a member of what seminal ban? Anyone... anyone? Yes, THE seminal band of all seminal bands, the Velvet Undergroun d. Very good). I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, the first time I heard JJ Cale. In my Datsun 210, on the once great rock station KISW (Seattle's Best Rock). I know this song, but holy shit --- this is way swampier than Clapton's version, I thought. It was of course the original version of Cocaine that Eric had the big hit with [...]

A Triple-A radio programmin g veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentati on of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

The Latino-roc kin' musical polyglots captured in full flight on December 9 at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre.

By Jose Martinez

Wrapping up its world tour in support of the 2007 release Don't Mess With The Dragon, L.A. favorite sons Ozomatli went out in style with two sold out shows at Nokia Theatre.

Known for its dance-frie ndly blend of urban-Lati no meets hip-hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East L.A. R&B and New Orleans second line, Ozomatli has long followed one key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around the City of Angels.

Originally formed to play at local area labor protests 14 years ago, Ozomatli spent some of its early days participat ing in everything from earthquake prep "hip-hop ghetto plays" at inner-city elementary schools to community activist events, protests, and city fundraiser s.

"This band could not have happened anywhere else but L.A.," saxophonis t and clarinetis t Ulises Bella has said. "Man, the tension of it, the multicultu ralism of it. L.A. is like, we're bonded by bridges."

At these Club Nokia shows, Ozomatli brought up past members like rapper Chali 2na, as well as turntablis t Cut Chemist, and MC Jabu offering a sense of nostalgia among the good times. Playing a little bit of everything , Ozo delighted its fans that couldn't stop dancing to the band's catchy beats.

Playing in the same location that once sparked a riot during an Ozomatli performanc e outside the 1999 Democratic National Convention (see related Blurt-onli ne exclusive story), the band even played new songs from its upcoming April release that will mark the band's 15^th anniversar y together as an explosive, dynamic force.

From hometown do-gooders to being named U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassador s, Ozomatli proudly wears its heart on its sleeve and relishes in throwing the ultimate house party. Ending the show by performing in the crowd, as is Ozomatli tradition, they are a band of the people ("raza" as Spanish speakers like to say) and play for the people (or "gente").

With a handful of 2010 California dates scheduled (Jan 22 and 23 in Solana Beach near San Diego, and Feb 4 in Agoura Hills outside L.A., and Feb 6 in San Luis Obispo), lookout for the band's upcoming release this spring followed by another world tour no doubt.

Let the good times roll!

It's a rock opera, but don't expect any deaf, dumb and blind pinball players...

By Blurt Staff

The Knife, in collaborat ion with Mt. Sims and Planningto rock, are to release the studio version of the opera ‘Tom orrow, In A Year', will be in stores March 9. The album will be released on digital download sites February 2, 2010.

Commission ed by Danish performanc e group Hotel Pro Forma to write the music for their opera based on Charles Darwin and his book ‘On the Origin of the Species', The Knife decided to make this a collaborat ive process, working with artists Mt. Sims and Planningto rock for the first time, to capture the huge width of the Darwin and evolution theme. They extensivel y researched Darwin related literature and articles, with Olof attending a field recording workshop in the Amazon to find inspiratio n and to record sounds.

‘Tom orrow, In A Year' is a unique musical project. Richard Dawkins' gene trees have formed the basis of some of the musical compositio n, artificial sounds have been mixed with field recordings , with the music inspired by everything from the different stages of a bird learning its melody, to a song based on Darwin's loving letters about his daughter Anne. These are compositio ns that challenge the convention al conception of opera music.

Pushing the experiment al process further still, composer, choreograp her, costume designer and set designer worked separately , only coming together 3 and a half months before the first performanc e of ‘Tom orrow, In A Year' in Copenhagen on the 2nd September 2009. Described as "shifting the position of operartic art in a single leap", further performanc es of ‘Tom orrow, In A Year' are confirmed to take place in Athens (8-9 Jan), Stockholm (29 Jan-1 Feb), and Munster (5 June), with further dates to be announced.

Olof Dreijer says: "At first it was very difficult as we really didn't know anything about opera.  We'd never been to one. I didn't even know what the word libretto meant. But after some studying, and just getting used to opera's essence of pretentiou s and dramatic gestures, I found that there is a lot to learn and play with. In fact, our ignorance gave us a positive respectles s approach to making opera. It took me about a year to become emotionall y moved by an opera singer and now I really do. I really like the basic theatrical values of opera and the easy way it brings forward a narrative. We've approached this before in The Knife but never in such a clear way."


Tracklist:

CD 1
01. Intro
02. Epochs
03. Geology
04. Upheaved
05. Minerals
06. Ebb Tide Explorer
07. Variation of Birds
08. Letter to Henslow
09. Schoal Swarm Orchestra

CD 2
01. Annie's Box
02. Tumult
03. Colouring of Pigeons
04. Seeds
05. Tomorrow in a Year
06. The Height of Summer

Bonus track
07. Annie's Box (alt. vocal)

Kate Bush, Dwight Twilley, Go-Between s, Bill Fox, Mecromina, Depeche Mode, Soft Pack, Arthur Russell and... the Moody Blues?!? But what about CSN?

By Blurt Staff

Nada Surf bring their trademark sense of harmony and musical craftsmans hip to 12 of their favorite songs with their latest release, if i had a hi-fi, their first album of covers. Only a group with their wide-rangi ng and eclectic taste could bring songs from such artists as Kate Bush, Dwight Twilley and the Go-Between s together into a coherent, intelligen t record. hi-fi also includes some intriguing ly obscure numbers like Spanish band Mecromina' s "Evolution " and Bill Fox's power-pop "Electrocu tion."

Although a great deal of thought went into the song selections , the band's intent is not to make an overarchin g musical statement. Singer-gui tarist Matthew Caws says, "We really just wanted to do it organicall y, whatever we felt like covering in the moment, rather than trying to sum up our influences or something. It's whatever we were excited about in the months before making it. And I think we got to everything we wanted to." The result is both inspired and casual, like a conversati on with a friend who shares your taste but also pushes your musical boundaries . A vintage Moody Blues tune, the proto-prog tempo-shif ting "Question, " shares space with The Soft Pack's blissfully rudimentar y "Bright Side," Depeche Mode's grand "Enjoy the Silence," and experiment al music icon Arthur Russell's terse but sweet "Janine."

Although the band had just returned from a worldwide tour in support of their 2008 release Lucky, and had looked forward to some time off, if i had a hi-fi mysterious ly reenergize d them. "The material came together spontaneou sly," says Caws. "We'd get together and kick ideas around and soon we had an A list, a B list, a C list.... ."  They're particular ly proud of the title, which is both a callback to the musical platform of their youth and a palindrome .

if i had a hi-fi was recorded over three weeks in September at Resonate Studios in Austin, TX with long-time collaborat or and part-time keyboardis t Louie Lino. Fans who attend shows during the spring tour will be able to get their hands on the record before it's in stores, offering true believers the opportunit y for a double-fir st: hearing the songs for the first time and being able to take them home.

The tour begins March 25th with three "Album Shows" in NYC. On consecutiv e nights, Nada Surf will perform their three most recent albums: Let Go, The Weight Is A Gift, and Lucky in full, along with songs from if i had a hi-fi, fan favorites and b-sides. The band will then continue on to cover both the East and West coasts.

There is a Fan pre-sale for most US shows on Wednesday, January 6^th at 10 am Local Time at http://nad asurf.musictoday .com

Tour Dates:

MARCH

25 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom ("Let Go")

26 - Brooklyn, NY - Bell House ("The Weight is a Gift")

27 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsbu rg ("Lucky")

29 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace

30 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour

31 - Northampto n, MA - Pearl Street

APRIL

01 - Philadelph ia, PA - First Unitarian Church

02 - Washington , DC - 9:30 Club

03 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club

13 - London, UK - ICA

15 - France - Printemps de Bourges Festival

17 - France - Strasbourg Artefact Festival

18 - Utrecht, Holland - Tivoli De Helling

19 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique

20 - Cologne, Germany - Gloria

21 - Lausanne, Switzerlan d - D! Club

23 - Zurich, Switzerlan d - Abart

24 - Vienna, Austria - WUK

25 - Prague, Czech Republic - Lucerna Music Bar

26 - Berlin, Germany - Lido

27 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust

28 - Paris, France - Trabendo

29 - Madrid, Spain - Joy Eslava

30 - Murcia, Spain - Estrella Levante SOS 4.8 Festival

MAY

01 - Galicia, Spain - Villagarci a de arosa

15 - Longirod, Switzerlan d - Long'l'roc k Festival

24 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern

25 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour

27 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall

29 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

Members of the Stooges (but no Iggy), Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others will be part of the closing jam session.

By Blurt Staff

To commemorat e the one-year anniversar y of Ron Asheton's passing, friends, family and fans will gather on Wednesday, January 13 at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles for the 'Jam For Ron Asheton-A Tribute to the Late Guitarist of The Stooges.'

 Orga nized by Leanna Asheton, Ron's 18 year-old niece, the evening will feature performanc es by Clem Burke, Derek Stanton, Circus Boy and Night Horse.  A massive jam session with Scott Asheton, Mike Watt and Steve Mackay of The Stooges, Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction) , Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal) and others will close out the night.

 Tickets for the 'Jam For Ron Asheton' now are available for $20.00 via The Roxy box office or at www.theroxyons unset.com.  As Ron Asheton was an avid animal lover, proceeds from the evening will go to the Los Angeles Animal Welfare Trust Fund.

Read BLURT's tribute to Ron Asheton, "Making the Marshall Stack Swear," here.

 [Pho to Credit: Robert Matheu]

Legendary Hi Records producer oversaw the cream of Memphis soul and many more.

By Fred Mills

It's not just Memphis music buffs who are mourning the news of producer Willie Mitchell's death - the man had a hand in so many classic recordings , you could say he was part of our collective musical DNA.

Or as Bob Mehr of the Memphis Commercial -Appeal writes in his Mitchell obituary today:

They called him "Poppa." In the end, he was exactly that: patriarch to an extended family of musicians, big daddy to a large brood of blood kin and progenitor of a soul sound known the world over.

Mitchell passed away yesterday, January 5, at the age of 81, at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. In September he'd broken his hip, and then last month he'd also gone into cardiac arrest.

Mitchell had held musical court a Memphis' Royal Studios and, of course, Hi Records, which released Mitchell-p roduced records by Al Green, Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles and many others. The award-winn ing producer also worked with Green in 2003 and 2005 when Green made a critically acclaimed comeback with I Can't Stop and Everything 's OK.

Over the years he also worked with rock artists including Rod Stewart, Keith Richards, Boz Scaggs and John Mayer.

Read Mehr's full appreciati on and career overview of Mitchell here.

"Headphone s music in many ways": Shudder to Think savant revisits long-lost solo album from mid/early ‘90s .

By Blurt Staff

One of Craig Wedren's favorite albums, ‘The Spanish Amnesian' - a fully-real ized collection of songs directly relating to his more ambient and experiment al movie and television music (‘Hi gh Art,' ‘Lau rel Canyon,' ‘Uni ted States of Tara') - was originally planned as a solo release following Shudder To Think's ‘Pony Express Record.'  The album, previously stored on cassette (!), is currently available through iTunes.  

"This was my first collection of homespun weirdness...sound and music for its own sake and on its own terms, with no one and nothing else in mind," says Craig, who recorded the album from 1993-1995 in various closets and bedrooms throughout D.C and New York City with nothing more than a Radio Shack microphone , Akai sampler, toy instrument s and, "a Tascam 7-track cassette recorder (the 8th track was busted), now used at the Dischord House." The guitar duet with Nathan Larson ("Schtonk! ") was recorded in the basement warehouse of a D.C. hamburger chain then owned by his dad.

"One other thing that I love about this record:  it's scary.  I've always been attracted to unsettling , unique, disorienti ng art, and that was my goal, conscious and otherwise, for a lot of this material.  That , and it had to be beautiful, " adds Wedren.

Craig describes the album as "headphone s music in many ways, with whispery bits giving way to big sheets of noise.  &nbs p;Give it a close listen all the way through if you can.  I'm incredibly happy to finally be sharing and airing this record, and I hope you love it."

Wanda Jackson covers Winehouse and Johnny Kidd, while Nashville newcomers the Black Belles look pretty good in hats!

By Blurt Staff

As previously announced, Jack White went into the studio not long ago to produce rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson, and now the fruits of that collaborat ion are coming to bear. White's grassroots label Third Man Records is set to release Jackson's putting her own distinctiv e spin on two cover songs, Amy Winehouse' s  "You Know I'm No Good" and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates classic rocker "Shakin' All Over." It arrives on vinyl and iTunes Jan. 26.

Concurrent ly, a single from a new band from Nashville called The Black Belles also is dropping on Third Man. The release captures a modern twist to a sound heavily rooted in the soul and garage rock of the 60's. Discovered by Jack White and brought to Third Man Studios for their first recordings , "What Can I Do" and "Lies" are the band's inaugural release and showcase their unique ability to pay homage to their roots while also pushing their music into new territorie s.

Intriguing ly, seeking out the Belles on the web reveals virtually nothing; their site (TheBlackB elles.com) is under constructi on, while their MySpace page (MySpace.com/thebla ckbelles) has no music, info or blog entries - just a cryptic blue and black photo, although we did eventually find this photo of the band that suggests White's track record of working with attractive women will remain unbroken:

Lastly, Third Man Records has unveiled the next package for their subscripti on service The Vault. In addition to pre-sale tickets, video exclusives , forums, contests, concert footage, direct contact with Third Man bands and more, every three months members receive a physical package from Third Man containing records, releases and novelties that are exclusive and available only to the members of The Vault.

This time around you get a set of three Third Man postcards; a new 7" from the Dead Weather, "No Horse" b/w "Jawbreake r", billed as "an exclusive first listen into the sessions for the new Dead Weather album [and] a rare opportunit y for fans to be the first to hear how the new album is progressio n; and a double LP on colored vinyl compiling all the previous and new Third Man 45s. Details:

http://www .thirdmanre cords.com

http://mod life.com/thevau lt

Hal Willner, Lou Reed, the Fugs, Sonic Youth and more will pitch in for the legendary, influentia l musician, author, rabble-rou ser and Pentagon-e xorciser, so step up yourselves , kids.

By Blurt Staff

Just announced: NOTHING, A BENEFIT FOR TULI KUPFERBERG , to be held Friday, Jan. 22, at St. Anne's Warehouse in NYC. Proceeds from the concert, produced by Hal Willner and featuring The Fugs, John Kruth, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Elliott Sharp, Pete Stampfel, John Zorn and others, will go to covering medical expenses for the Fugs co-founder , who suffered two strokes, in April and September, last year that have left him blind and in need of 24-hour care.

The Fugs legend is reportedly "recoverin g well [and] is able to speak clearly," according to a press release announcing the benefit, but has "overwhelm ing medical expenses not covered by Medicare or the very modest publishing /royalties income he earns at the age of 86."

Ticketing details are below.

The back story, for those not in the know:

Tuli Kupferberg has been widely celebrated for writing songs such as "Nothing," "Morning Morning," "Carpe Diem," "Kill for Peace," "The Ten Commandmen ts," "When the Mode of the Music Changes" and "CIA Man" (the latter was featured in the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading. In 1965, he co-founded the Fugs with Ed Sanders; the band released a number of albums now considered classics before breaking up in 1969, and when they re-formed in 1984.

Beginning in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Kupferberg became a leading Beat poet and undergroun d publisher, with periodical s such as Birth, Swing, and the magazine Yeah. His famous 1001 Ways to Beat the Draft was published by Grove Press in 1967; and his 1001 Ways to Make Love was published by Grove in ¹69. He was arrested at the historic Exorcism of the Pentagon in October of 1967. Along with his songs, his poems made him an integral part of the social revolution s of the 1960s and ¹70s. He became a noted political cartoonist beginning around the late 1970s, and has a long running bi-weekly television show on public access in New York City. At the time of his stroke, the Fugs were completing a new album, Be Free, which the band plans to release this year. As he convalesce s at his home in New York City, Kupferberg continues to write songs.

Blurt writer Jason Gross interviewe d Kupferberg a number of years ago for Perfect Sound Forever - you can read the fascinatin g conversati on here.

His old friend, the author Larry "Ratso" Sloman, offered the following testimonia l:

"Tuli Kupferberg was a mentor to all of us who grew up in the ‘60s and sensed there was more to life than shuffling off to Vietnam and, if you returned, getting a job as an accountant and paying off a white picket fenced home in Levitttown . Like a Colossus he bridged the worlds of the literary Beats and the hedonistic hippies and infused his gentile, pacifist worldview into everything he did. His work would make you laugh out loud and cry inside.

"Watching him perform his incredible songs like "Nothing," "Morning Morning," and "Kill for Peace" with The Fugs was a cultural revelation and more mind-alter ing than any psychedeli c. The fact that Tuli continues to make his voice heard, via You Tube, at 86, and after two debilitati ng strokes, makes him an American treasure and puts all of us who can still feel greatly in his debt."

***

Tickets: proceeds will contribute to Kupferberg ¹s medical expenses, are $75 and $125 and are available online at www.stannsware house.org and by phone at 718.254.8779 (Tuesday-S aturday, 1:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M.) or 866.811.4111 (extended hours Monday-Fri day, 9:00 A.M.-9:00 P.M.; Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.). Tickets can also be purchased at the St. Ann¹s Warehouse Box Office at 38 Water Street Tuesday&ls aquo;Satur day, 1:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M.

Much-loved (and -missed) music mag rears its digital head one last time, and in fine style, to boot.

By Ian Mathers

I first started writing for Stylus Magazine (in the fall of ought-thre e, as we called it in those days) because I liked one of their big lists.  How banal is that? But the list (whatever it was about is lost to the fogbanks of my memory) led me to the publicatio n's website, and reading the site started opening up my idea of what music criticism could and ought to be, and a few years later I somehow finagled a post on the staff there.

To say it changed my life would be an understate ment; boasting (if I do say so myself) a murderer's row of writers who have gone on to work everywhere from Pitchfork to LA Weekly to the Village Voice to the New York Times to just about every other music website worth mentioning (including , of course, this one!), Stylus was as much workshop as website.  Every time I get together with fellow alums talk invariably turns at some point to how we'd all rather write for Stylus than anywhere else (and considerin g most of us have at various points written for money and Stylus was always a labour of love, that's saying something) .

Sure, part of the appeal is that the site was a formative place for most of us, but freed from the constraint s of having any institutio nal taste or bias and charged by mastermind /mad genius Todd Burns (now running the fine electronic music website Resident Advisor) with no responsibi lities other than to write well, the quality of material at Stylus started strong and only increased. Hell, once Todd told us we were closing the doors circa Hallowe'en 2007, it only spurred us on to try and make the last months the best ones.

If we were known for anything, for better or worse, it was probably for embracing pop back when only sites like Freaky Trigger had taken the plunge, and allowing reader comments on reviews (I miss our trolls a little, sometimes) and probably for being contrarian s. But I can honestly say that any given review was always a sincere effort by the writer to tell the truth about what they were hearing, and if that meant some bands had A minuses and D plusses, that we loved some albums everyone else hated or hated some everyone else loved, well, as long as it made for an interestin g or edifying read it was going through.

This isn't much of a news story so far, I know, but pardon the nostalgia; I miss that place like crazy (and still keep in contact with a lot of my fellow writers - how many defunct music webzines can say that, eh?). But the reason to be talking about Stylus now (other than urging interested parties to check out the site, now an archive of everything we did) is that after some idle chatter in various corners of the internet most of the old crew got back together for one last hurrah: The Stylus Decade.

Like all critics we can't resist a good list and so over months we painstakin gly assembled our favourite 100 singles and albums of the decade we just got through, and all this week those lists and some great essays are being unleashed into the wild, one last time. Stylus isn't coming back; no-one wants to run the risk of tarnishing a legacy we're all pretty proud of.

But these lists were a hell of a lot of fun to do (I can honestly say my blurbs are some of the best writing I've done in a while, and looking at what's up now I'd say that goes for most of us), and a fitting capstone/t ribute to a music webzine that, love it or hate it, was always true to itself.

[Ed. note: You're damn right, Ian. Blurt readers, check out The Stylus Decade - it really is top-notch critical writing, and more fun to read than a barrelful of Meltzers, Bangses and Christgaus .]

Today only you can get "special presentati on pack"featu ring Clash, Rolling Stones, New Order, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, etc.

By Blurt Staff

Britain's Royal Mail today unveiled a range of postage stamps that feature album covers that are "as culturally significan t as the music they represent." Most notably, the iconic artwork of The Clash's London Calling appears alongside nine other classic covers.

The album sleeve has been the canvas for some of the most imaginativ e artists in the world,' said Royal Mail's Julietta Edgar.

The titles:

Pink Floyd - Division Bell

Clash - London Calling

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head

Blur - Parklife

New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies

Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

Led Zeppelin - IV

Primal Scream - Screamadel ica

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust

The first class stamps are available to buy from 7th January 2010 and are available to both UK & Non-UK customers. A special presentati on pack is available, for today only, including a First Day Cover and a set of stamp cards.

Go here to place your order, collector geeks!

Worst. Nashville. Venue. Ever. - The Bluebird Café ;. We know, because Oscar Wilde says so.

By Coco Hames

Nashville is a land of many wonderful things, like honky tonks, good  loca l beer, places you can go shoot guns (NOT outside my front door  you PSYCHOPATH who yells "EINSTEIN! " at every one of your seven Jack  Russ ell terriers, my little sister's in town for GOD'S SAKE have some  MANN ERS) and musical camaraderi e... the latter being something that  take s some getting used to.  There's a line in an early episode of Dr. Katz where Dr. Katz is wearing a fragrance because he had had a lady  frie nd over, and his friend at the bar notices the cologne, and Dr.  Katz says, "It takes some getting used to."  And his friend  asks if that's the name of it, "It Takes Some Getting Used To". It's a funny exchange, I'm not doing it justice.  But previously on  Lost, anywhere we'd lived or run around, we've been a potentiall y/actively violent punk troupe, which was easy, since that takes no acting.  Gotta keep people out of my space, off my back, out my business, off my friend, etc.  It was just a safe and logical way of operating, and we're very  comf ortable with that.

However, since we've moved to Nashville, we've made some really nice friends.  Fear  not, we've tempered nothing (e.g. still stay WAY too late at the bar and molest the bartenders , still play loud, still fall  down and get blood EVERYWHERE , still throw pint glasses at creeps who brush Poni's ass, still fight, still French, still play our creepy '50s and '60s beat that will usually clear a room, though we're still dancing the night away) but our behavior scares some of them, or at least alarms them.  A lot of these friends are also musicians.  Some of them punks, some of them neo-garage candy sweets, some of them singer/son gwriters.  And the singer/son gwriters always feel compelled to play shows at the most obnoxious venue I have ever set foot in (not to be confused with the official worst venue ever, El Corazon in Seattle), the Bluebird Cafe.

 Poss ibly the harrowing snobbery can be conveyed through their official tagline and  mant ra, which they proudly have prominentl y featured at their venue, on all of their literature and on their website: "Shhh!"

 Does anyone else think this is DISGUSTING ?  How DARE you?  "Shh"? The rockers I know do not LIKE rules, let alone being told to hush up when they're out drinking.  And besides that, if you're GOOD enough, you have the ability to silence a room, haven't you ever been to a show like that?  ; You're jabbering on and one of two things happens:

1) &n bsp;   &nbs p; the rocker on stage gets annoyed at your texting or chatting and calls you out/throws a beer at you (which I myself have done, or have had verbally done TO me by the late, great John Mayer); or

2) &n bsp;   &nbs p; your conversati on gets interrupte d by how good a song or sound is and you just shut up.  You shouldn't tell people they have to be dead silent or you'll kick them out of the bar!  That is so gross.

 SO gross.  Every time I pass that place I just scowl and growl like Mad Madam Mim.  (Who , by the way, is my Disney villain mascot, if anyone ever asks you, "Hey who do you think Coco's Disney villain mascot is? Ursula from the Little Mermaid?"& nbsp; "Yeah maybe, she's got good songs and they kind of have the same hair..."  No!  It's Mim.) It just really makes my ass twitch.

Get this (from the Bluebird's website): "As a listening room, quiet is requested at all times during a performanc e - which is why our slogan has become "Shhh!" You are welcome to drink and eat with us at any time, but if you are looking for an evening of conversati on there are more appropriat e places in Nashville."

 Did I mention they serve food?  ; They are a restaurant AND a bar, and their waitstaff is cute, and large groups of friends go on, like, a friends' night out... I just don't get it.  And, I don't like it. And listen, if you do, and you're some Nashvillia n who's like, "OMG, I  LOVE the Bluebird, you must have gone on a bad night or something! " SAVE IT.  It's over.

Johnny summed it up on stage once (sometimes all-ages venues have rules about beers on stage) and it would have sounded trite and whiny coming from anyone else, but then that's Johnny's charm: "Man, I got into rock and roll because I don't FOLLOW rules." Here, let me prove a point.  The only reason I know anything about this GODFORSAKE N institutio n is because my singer/son gwriter friend Landon Pigg (you can hear his creamy sounds and see his sexy moves in the film Whip It) and my  sing er/songwri ter friend Frally Hynes (who does pretty much the saddest cover ever of Patsy Cline's "She's Got You" - WHICH, by the way, the tiny baby early Ettes covered in 2004 in a Dee Dee Ramone 1-2-3-4 way, OMG where is that...) took me to see our friend Lucy Wainwright perform.  Lucy Wainwright (yes, it is in her blood) writes  beau tiful songs, and sings real nice, so when I was feverishly whispering with Landon at the bar, I was jolted away from my conversati on by something beautiful she did.  And I paid attention. And then this really gnarly yodel-styl e folk singer got up and whoosh, right back to my high-volta ge murmur WHICH, by the way, got us in trouble several times.  As in, we got "shushed."  Uh, and then we left.  Landon has actually gotten kicked out several times.  I'm like, uh, what do you do with your tab?  Do you have to be like, oh, okay, yessir, let me just sign my tab aaaaaaand, yep, there's the tip, okay I guess I'll be on my way, so sorry for the, you know, noise...

I'm not ragging on open mic nights, although it has been many, many years since I've been to one.  I mean, you cut your teeth there, you don't ever want to go back.  You can read a previous blog to find out the kind of places I used to set up mic and guitar... I don't want to talk about it.  But I have a problem with this place. Blech.  And no, I'll never be going there again.  I remember having a whisper-ou t with one of the cute waitresses because she had pretty hair, and I whispered, "Oh, do you use Bump-Its?" and she whispered back, "No, but I have extensions , see?" and I felt her hair and I whispered "Ohhhh!&nb sp; They're good, do you get them done here in town? I used to get them when I lived in LA but I haven't done them in years, I wonder if I would if I knew someone here." and she whispered, "Oh, my friend does them!  ; I'll give you his number!" and I whispered, "Oh, that'd be great, thank..." and then "SHHH!" from some woman who I ASSUME worked there?

 Unre latedly, just WHY should boys have all the fun?  If I were better dressed, better behaved and differentl y, ahem, "equipped" they'd call me a bon vivant.  I'm like Oscar Wilde in moccasins and a sailor shirt.  Basically I'm Oscar Wilde.

 See you on the television !

 coco

***

Blurt "co-co-edi tor" Coco Hames fronts The Ettes - Hames on guitar, Jem Cohen on bass and Poni Silver on drums. Their Greg Cartwright -produced album Do You Want Power arrived in stores last fall, their music was featured in the Drew Barrymore- directed film Whip It, and you bet we've got a big feature on the band in the latest issue of BLURT. Check out the band's MySpace page for music and tour dates.

"Some of the coldest music you ain't never heard": My Morning Jacket dudes forge new online label: Removador Recordings and Solutions. Print those veggies and auto parts out in the privacy of your own home!

By Blurt Staff

Whether it's collaborat ing with his band mates, recording guest vocals, or hand-picki ng opening acts, My Morning Jacket's Yim Yames - that's Jim James to his pals and family - has always radiated a spirit of camaraderi e with his fellow musicians.  Now Yames, along with his cousin and collaborat or (and former MMJ member) Johnny Quaid, are launching Removador Recordings and Solutions - an online platform to shine a light on some of the musicians that he admires and would like to share with the world.  The label will also help connect the dots between an ever-growi ng artistic community that Yames is apart of, reflecting his eclectic taste and steadfast passion for music.  Below are the details for Removador' s first three releases.

Jan 19 - Cortney Tidwell -"Boys" - Cortney Tidwell blends her boundless imaginatio n and voice to create "Boys."  Her second full-lengt h record, "Boys" leaps triumphant ly from style to style, with her voice being the silken thread that holds the album together

www.removador.com/cortne y-tidwell

February 16 - The Ravenna Colt - "Slight Spell" - The Ravenna Colt's "Slight Spell" is a debut album bursting with an impassione d and dreamlike sentiment.  The band, which is helmed by former My Morning Jacket guitarist Johnny Quaid, combines its myriad influences into a dark, spacious plane, highlighti ng its cosmic yet truly American style.

www.removador.com/the-ra venna-colt

March 16 - Follow The Train - "Mercury" - "Mercury" is a nine-song psychedeli c journey into musical space.  A potent and volatile mixture that pays tribute to the shoe-gazer s of the late 1980's and early 1990's, "Mercury" proves itself to be a compelling attraction to the ears. 

www.removador.com/follow -the-train

***

Here is an official statement from the company:

The Removador Recordings and Solutions web venture will offer

consumers a rich new way of web-based living; specializi ng in music

purchase, production , and facilitati on, as well as problem solving,

sports, rehab, recreation , vacation planning, vaccinatio ns, ghosts,

and social networking .  Comi ng this fall, Removador will also debut

our much talked about new 3-D printer technology , enabling consumers

to purchase food and auto parts online, and simply print them out in

the comfort of their own home with our new carbon and silicone based

3-D printer.  Imag ine ordering a few sprigs of broccoli, or needing a

new carburetor , and being able to print them out in edible 3-D- all in

the comfort of your own home! Anyone who comes to invest in or own a

share of the Removador name will not only find some of the coldest

music they ain't never heard, they will be provided with a richness of

living, and sharply increasing aural dividends for years to come.

Removador Recordings and Solutions- some of the coldest music you

ain't never heard!

BLURT says - boy howdy to that. Especially the part about getting auto parts online and printing them out.

Germs, YaHoWha 13, Electric Prunes, Strawberry Alarm Clock and others among the first proposed signings.

By Fred Mills

The music industry wreckage of the past decade is still smoldering but that isn't stopping some budding entreprene urs from starting up new record labels. Barely 5 minutes after we posted news of My Morning Jacket's Jim James launching an imprint we learned of Smashing Pumpkins majordomo Billy Corgan going into startup mode as well.

This may seem surprising , but Corgan has been on a tear the past several months in terms of his ability to get into the news - not the least of which was that deal about him and Jessica Simpson  cano odling (news here - potentiall y NSFW image, though), plus working on a new Pumpkins album and trying to convince folks not to get their flu shots.

At any rate, according to the LA Weekly (thanks for the tip, Pitchfork) , Corgan and producer Kerry "Studio Dog" Brown will soon announce the name of their label and have plans to release records "rom the psychedeli c garage rock of the 60's and the punk rock insanity of the 70's and 80's to the post-punk Pleiadian power-pop that is now." This will include, the report continues, The Germs, the Electric Prunes, YaHoWa 13, and the Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Brown elaborated in a posting on his blog, which we are reprinting below. Say what you will about Corgan, the young man has some excellent taste in rock ‘n' roll, and we'll be looking forward to hearing the label's output.

***

From Kerry Brown:

Happy New Year.... A quick update on the Pumpkins recordings for Teargarden By Kaleidysco pe: We have 5 songs mixed and another song is tracked and ready to be mixed. Song number 2 should be ready for download within the next 2 weeks. I will let you know when we have a solid date.

Billy and I are happy to announce the birth of our record label! The name of the label will be made public soon. (We need to make sure that we have the name rights before we can announce it.)

We are very excited to be collaborat ing with amazing artists that have made a huge impact on the undergroun d music world... From the psychedeli c garage rock of the 60's and the punk rock insanity of the 70's and 80's to the post-punk Pleiadian power-pop that is now.

This year we plan on releasing new songs from the following bands:

Fancy Space People- We are currently in the studio recording 3 songs... These songs are slated to be our first release, also keep an eye open for the upcoming Fancy Space People film.

The Germs - In the very near future we plan on recording two songs that Darby Crash wrote with Pat Smear. "Out of Time" and "Beyond Hurt - Beyond Help" Darby committed suicide and the songs were never recorded. The original line up will be recording these "new" songs: Pat Smear (guitar), Lorna Doom (bass), Don Bolles (drums) and Shane West will be singing.

The Electric Prunes- Get the Visine ready for your third eye! Two new songs are in works with an E.P. to follow.

The Strawberry Alarm Clock- We are in the writing/de mo stage right now and hope to be in the studio soon.

YaHoWha 13- Music channeled from the Divine...Looking forward to getting the family back in the studio.

Starchildr en- Get ready for something new?

I will be getting back to you soon with more updates on all the sonic goodness. Hope the new year is treating you well.
KB

A whopping 124 tracks of original album cuts plus demos, singles, live versions and Peel sessions makes this punk trifecta one of 2010's&nbs p; must-own reissue series.

By Blurt Staff

Buzzcocks and Mute will release the original Buzzcocks' albums, Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites, and A Different Kind of Tension from 1978 and 1979 February 9, 2010.  The reissues will also feature previously unreleased tracks, John Peel sessions, associated singles, demos, backing tracks, and live versions.

Buzzcocks' first album, Another Music in a Different Kitchen, was released almost exactly thirty years ago, and 1978 was an extraordin ary year for the group. They released two albums, five singles - with two in the UK top twenty - and toured relentless ly. This new edition of their debut contains the full Another Music in a Different Kitchen album with the relevant John Peel session and another disc of various outtakes and the full live show recorded at the Electric Circus in October 1977: the venue's last night and the moment when Buzzcocks began to go national.

Love Bites' second disc covers the associated singles: "Love You More" and "Promises" , and two Peel sessions as well as thirteen demos from summer 1978. As an added bonus, there is the full concert from the Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1978, an exercise in instant nostalgia filmed by Granada TV under the guidance of Tony Wilson.

The overhauled A Different Kind of Tension, from '79, pulls together all the associated singles - five of them, including Parts 1-3 recorded with Martin Hannett and later collected on an American mini-album - as well as the last track the group recorded in their first incarnatio n: "I Look Alone". As an added bonus, there is a whole disc of demos from the period, including several hard to find songs like "The Drive System", "Jesus Made Me Feel Guilty", and Paddy Garvey's heart-rend ing "Run Away From Home". The set is rounded off with four BBC recordings from the period, including an early outing for "Everybody 's Happy Nowadays". 

FULL TRACK LISTINGS:

A Different Kind Of Tension

CD 1

1-Paradise

2-Sitting ‘rou nd At Home

3-You Say You Don't Love Me

4-You Know You Can't Help It

5-Mad Mad Judy

6-Raison D'Etre

7-I Don't Know What To Do With My Life

8-Money

9-Hollow Inside

10- A Different Kind Of Tension

11-I Believe

12-Radio Nine

Associated Singles

13-Everybo dy's Happy Nowadays

14-Why Can't I Touch It

15-Harmony In My Head

16-Somethi ng's Gone Wrong Again

CD 2

Associated Singles

1-Are Everything

2-Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore

3-Airwaves Dream

4-Strange Thing

5-What Do You Know?

6-Running Free

7-I Look Alone

Demos

8-You Say You Don't Love Me (Demo)

9-I Don't Know What To Do With My Life (Demo)

10-Harmony In My Head (Demo)*

11-I Don't Know (Demo)

12-Run Away From Home (Demo)

13-The Drive System (Demo)

14-Mad Mad Judy (Demo)*

15-Jesus Made Me Feel Guilty (Demo)

16-Somethi ng's Gone Wrong Again (backing track) *

17-You Know You Can't Help It

18-I Believe July 1979 Indigo Arrow-Chro nology

BBC Sessions

John Peel Show 18/10/78 TX 23/10/78

19-Everybo dy's Happy Nowadays

John Peel Show 5/21/79 TX 5/28/79

20-I Don't Know What To Do With My Life

21-Mad Mad Judy

22-Hollow Inside

* previously unreleased

 Another Music In A Different Kitchen

CD 1

1-Fast Cars

2-No Reply

3-You Tear Me Up

4-Get On Our Own

5-Love Battery

6-Sixteen

7-I Don't Mind

8-Fiction Romance

9-Autonomy

10-I Need

11-Moving Away From The Pulsebeat

Associated Singles

12-Orgasm Addict

13-Whateve r Happened To...?

14-What Do I Get

15-Oh Shit

BBC Session

John Peel Show 9/7/77 TX 9/19/77

16-Fast Cars (2.15)

17-(Moving Away From The) Pulsebeat (4.40)

18-What Do I Get (2.50)

CD 2

1-Boredom (demo)

2-Fast Cars (demo)

3-No Reply (demo)

4-You Tear Me Up (demo)*

5-Get On Our Own (demo) *

6-Sixteen (demo)

7-I Don't Mind (demo) *

8-Fiction Romance (demo)

9-Autonomy (demo)

10-I Need (demo)

11-Orgasm Addict (demo)*

12-What Do I Get (demo)*

13-Whateve r Happened To...? (demo)

14-Oh Shit (demo)

LIVE AT THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS

15-Fast Cars (live)*

16-Fiction Romance (live)*

17-Boredom (live)*

18-Sixteen (live)*

19-You Tear Me Up (live)*

20-Orgasm Addict (live)*

21-Moving Away From The Pulsebeat (live)*

22-Love Battery*

23-Time's Up

*previousl y unreleased

 Love Bites

CD 1

1-Real World

2-Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't& lsquo;ve)

3-Operator s Manual

4-Nostalgi a

5-Just Lust

6-Sixteen Again

7-Walking Distance

8-Love is Lies

9-Nothing Left

10-E.S.P.

11-Late For The Train

Associated singles

12-Love You More

13-Noise Annoys

14-Promise s

15-Lipstic k

BBC Sessions

John Peel Show 4/10/78 TX 4/17/78

16-Noise Annoys (2.55)

17-Walking Distance (2.00)

18-Late For The Train (5.10)

John Peel Show 10/18/78 TX 10/23/78

19-Promise s (2.29)

20-Lipstic k (2.40)

21-Sixteen Again (3.14)

John Peel Show 5/21/79 TX 5/28/79

22- E.S.P.

CD 2

1-Love Is Life (Lies) (demo)*

2-Just Lust (demo)

3-Operator os Manual (demo)*

4-Ever Fallen In Love (demo)*

5-Nothing Left (demo)*

6-Sixteen Again (demo)*

7-Raison D'etre (demo)*

8-Real World *

9-Nostalgi a (demo)*

10-E.S.P (demo)

11-Lipstic k (demo)

12-Childre n (Promises) (demo)

13-Mother Of Turds (demo)

LIVE AT LESSER FREE TRADE HALL 7/21/1978 (previousl y unreleased )

14-Breakdo wn*

15-What Do I Get*

16-I Don't Mind*

17-Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't ‘ve) *

18-Noise Annoys*

19-Nothing Left*

20-Get On Our Own*

21-Love You More*

22-Fiction Romance*

23-Autonom y*

*previousl y unreleased

Intriguing promotion for new album, due on Jan. 26,  will be followed by extensive spring tour.

By Blurt Staff

A missive from Citay:

We've all done it. Over a few drinks, or a few records, among close friends, we've conspired to create the ultimate "best of" list, arguing over the greatest guitarist, the sickest solo, the most epic song, or the sweetest vocals. Clich&eacu te; or not, it is a conversati on we've all had.

Well, Citay is no different. Citay not only rounds up some of the finest musicians in San Francisco to fill their ranks, but are also huge music fans, and great students of rock history. Thus, when it came time to pick a name for their new album they picked Dream Get Together which alludes to the concept of an ideal musical pairing, or the ultimate joining of musical forces.

We were inspired by this and decided it was time to ask some of our friends in the music community what their "dream get together" would be. The response has been wonderful with contributi ons from Jens Lekman, The Antlers, Suckers, Steve McBean of Black Mountain and Pink Mountainto ps, Nicole Atkins, Bishop Allen, Akron/Fami ly, Excepter, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Foreign Born, tUnE-YarDs , Parts & Labor, Welcome Wagon, and more. We'll be unraveling one "Dream Get Together" on Citay's website every day from here on through the release of Citay's new album by the same name on January 26. You can stay up-to-date on this project either by checking back daily on Citay's website, or by following Dead Oceans on Twitter. Both are linked below.

Citay's Website

Dead Oceans Twitter

We kick off the project with a "dream get together" from Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YarDs :

Dream Get Together #1:

Hildegard von Bingen, Lhasa, and Patsy Cline come down from heaven.  They choose a glorious chapel with sunlight streaming in and we sing for hours, a cappella style. Meanwhile Charlie Chaplin does stunts with the Catholic paraphenal ia (wafers, candlestic ks, crosses.)  Rokia Traore comes in to sing and play guitar, Barrington Levy calls from outside--h e's brought the Barrett brothers as rhythm section.  Fela brings his sax.  We dance. - MERRILL GARBUS, tUnE-YarDs

We are also happy to release "Mirror Kisses" the second MP3 from Citay's new album. Featuring tUnE-YarDs ' Merrill Garbus guesting on lead vocals, "Mirror Kisses" was written specifical ly with her elastic singing voice in mind. 

 Cita y "Mirror Kisses"

TOUR DATES:

1/28/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ The Fruit Bats

1/29/10 San Francisco, CA @ Slim's w/ The Fruit Bats

2/26/10 San Luis Obipso, CA @ SLO Art Center

2/27/10 Brookdale, CA @ Brookdale Lodge

3/24/10 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive

3/25/10 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room

3/26/10 Chicago, IL @ Schuba's

3/27/10 Bloomingto n, IN @ The Bishop

3/28/10 Newport, KY @ Southgate House

3/29/10 Pittsburgh , PA @ The Nerve

3/30/10 Ithaca, NY @ Wildfire Refuge

4/02/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory w/ Oakley Hall

4/06/10 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506

4/07/10 Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light

4/08/10 Birmingham , AL @ The Bottletree

4/10/10 Austin, TX @ Mohawk

Raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soalfulnes s and melodic command - all right, then!

By Fred Mills

May 4 is a ways off, but that's the date Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings will release I Learned the Hard Way, their fourth full-lengt h on Brooklyn's independen t Daptone Records. It was produced by Bosco Mann and recorded on an Ampex eight-trac k tape machine by Gabriel Roth in Daptone Records' House of Soul studios.

According to the label:

The record drips with a warmth and spontaneit y rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax. Sharon's raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soulfulnes s, and melodic command set her firmly alongside Tina Turner, James Brown, Mavis Staples, and Aretha as a fixture in the canon of soul music. From the lush Philly-Sou l fanfare that ushers in "The Game Gets Old" at the top of the record, to the stripped down Sam Cooke-styl e "Mama Don't Like My Man" at the tail, the Dap-Kings dance seamlessly through both the most crafted and simple arrangemen ts with subtlety and discipline .  

And anyone who's ever seen the band perform can testify that all the forgoing is dead-on accurate. From 2002's Dap-Dippin ' with the Dap-Kings and 2005's Naturally to the group's last album, 2007's 100 Days, 100Nights, they've consistent ly delivered the goods on wax, too. Need we add that this will be one of the most hotly anticipate d platters of the year around the BLURT penthouse?

Track Listing:

1. &nbs p; &n bsp; The Game Gets Old

2. &nbs p; &n bsp; I Learned The Hard Way

3. &nbs p; &n bsp; Better Things

4. &nbs p; &n bsp; Give It Back

5. &nbs p; &n bsp; Money

6. &nbs p; &n bsp; The Reason

7. &nbs p; &n bsp; Window Shopping

8. &nbs p; &n bsp; She Ain't A Child No More

9. &nbs p; &n bsp; I'll Still Be True

10.  Without A Heart

11.  If You Call

12.  Mama Don't Like My Man

More cerebral bounce to the ounce than a barrelful of Tim Learys. Meanwhile, check out the zombie video below.

By Blurt Staff

American's greatest roving band of psychedeli c lunatics the Brian Jonestown Massacre is back and set to release their tenth studio album, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? on February 23^rd. The 13-track album was recorded throughout 2009 in Iceland and Berlin and features (speaking of psychedeli a) Spaceman 3 legend Will Carruthers on bass, vocalist Unnur Andrea Einarsdott ir and others pitching in to bring frontman Anton Newcombe's singularly unhinged vision to fruition.

Who, indeed, killed the good Sergeant? Only their hairdresse rs know for sure, but we're advised that this will feature "textures not previously heard on a BJM album... the band's most multi-cult ured release to date -- featuring ambient Bhangra beats and gypsy influences of Eastern Europe music - while retaining much of the trademark style that The Brian Jonestown Massacre has honed since their inception in 1994."

Newcombe's own label, "a recordings LTD", distribute d though Red Eye, will release the record.

The album also marks the return of guitarist/ vocalist Matt Hollywood, an original member/co- founder of the band who helped write some of the BJM's classic material from their early albums (Strung Out In Heaven, Their Satanic Majesties Second Request, Take It From The Man, Spacegirl & Other Oddities, Give It Back) as well as penning the infamous dig at the Dandy Warhols, "Not If You Were The Last Dandy on Earth". Tour dates in support of the release will be announced soon.

Tracklisti ng:

Tempo 116.7 (Reaching For Dangerous Levels Of Sobriety)

Tunger Hnifur

Lets Go Fucking Mental

White Music

This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (Icelandic )

This Is The One Thing We Did Not Want To Have Happen

The One

Someplace Else Unknown

Dekta! Dekta! Dekta!

 Supe r Fucked

 Our Time

 Feel It

 Felt Tipped Pictures Of Ufos

Meanwhile, you gotta see this BJM video for "Lets Go Fucking Mental," retitled for obvious reasons, "Lego Fucking Mental". It was originally created by TomJoeTwin s and Newcombe subsequent ly added music to it to give it, er, a completely new level of meaning.

Saving the world one record at a time: rock complacenc y marked for death.

By Fred Mills, Blurt Managing Editor

After Greg Shaw died in 2004, his former wife Suzy Shaw decided it was time to resume work on a project that had been back-burne red for two decades: to assemble a book chroniclin g her ex-husband 's journalist ic legacy and resurrecti ng crucial early writings of some of rock writing's greatest voices-amo ng them, Lester Bangs, whose notorious Troggs screed "James Taylor Marked For Death" originally consumed a whopping 24 pages of Shaw's seminal publicatio n Who Put the Bomp.

WPTB was one of the premiere rock fanzines of the ‘70s , aesthetic sibling to the likes of Crawdaddy! , Fusion and CREEM, and an oasis for kick-out-t he-jams-mi nded fanboys and collectors who had little truck with corporate- hyped swill. Early issues featured the Bangs classic, stories on the Seeds, Flamin' Groovies and the rockabilly revival, and all manner of left-field minutiae (take the 26-point test to learn if you are a "rock and roll trufan"[sic]; point 13 inquires if "you squeezed Robert Plant's lemon"). When punk and new wave dawned, Shaw eagerly dived right in, doing cover stories on the UK punk explosion ("England' s Screaming" blared the headline, over an image of a leering Johnny Rotten), power pop, the Ramones, etc., and foreshorte ning the mag's name to just Bomp!. Regardless of the coverage-S haw's late-&lsqu o;60s pre-WPTB zine Mojo-Navig ator Rock & Roll News included-t here was never any whiff of complacenc y. This was rock criticism as activism.

In the fall of 2007, Suzy Shaw, along with author/Dev iants frontman Mick Farren finally completed the first phase of anthologiz ing the Greg Shaw oeuvre with the book Bomp!: Saving the World One Record at a Time. For the handsome, hardcover coffee table volume they culled the best features as direct reproducti ons so one could see exactly what the magazine's pages looked like, right down to the typos, the quirky layouts and the close-ups of Joey Ramone's ripped jeans. The editors also penned fresh essays and added unpublishe d photos to contextual ize Shaw and his magazine as both evolved with the times.

Now Shaw has returned to the Bomp! well with a second volume, Bomp! 2 - Born in the Garage, this time assisted by Mike Stax of Ugly Things zine fame. Elsewhere on the BLURT site today our right Rev. Keith A. Gordon flips through the Bomp! pages and offers his reflection s on what the magazine and Greg Shaw represente d - "unbridled passion," for starters, something we could use a helluva lot more these days as the print milieu continues its decline and snarky celebrity- centric navel gazing tries to pass for music journalism .

By way of my own tribute, let me add this anecdote. In 1974 Shaw also launched Bomp! Records and along the way he had a hand in the careers of Stiv Bators, Flamin' Groovies, Plimsouls, Warlocks, Black Keys and others. I eagerly snapped up anything that bore the Bomp! imprint. But whether he was writing about music or releasing it, his overriding manifesto was saving the world one record at a time, and that was the type of approach that a lot of us who started our own zines or our own labels back in the ‘70s and ‘80s took too.

I'll never forget the time I wrote Bomp! for back issues and included a note to Shaw telling him that I had started working on a punk fanzine and asking if he had any advice. Boy, did he ever - most significan tly, he said that you have to do it because you love the music and not because you want to get rich or famous. (Getting free stuff in the mail, however, he added, was a nice perk.) That's been a guiding principle for me ever since.

Later, around 1984 I devoted an issue of my zine to the world of undergroun d music magazines and the people who published them, and Shaw was one of the first people I contacted. At the end of the interview he reaffirmed all the forgoing, observing, "I don't find much essential difference in producing a magazine or producing an album. It's our shared opinions, expressed through records or writing, that it boils down to."

Of course, we STILL haven't gotten a new album, despite the reunion and word the band has done some subsequent recordings . Early video posted below.

By Jose Martinez

Catalysts of the emerging ‘70s era glam scene, England's Roxy Music influenced an entire generation of musicians. Some devotees that sing the band's praise in this documentar y include U2's Bono, Duran Duran's John Taylor, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, Goldfrapp, and Nile Rogers.

Steve Jones even dares states that he likes them better than The Beatles seeing they were a band of his generation .

One word they all use to describe the daring sound of Roxy Music, the brainchild of fashion conscious performer Bryan Ferry, is "glamour." From first seeing the band on Top of the Pops, a young Paul Hewson (who would eventually become Bono) was struck by the band's provocativ e look and sound.

Emerging to instant acclaim in 1972, Roxy Music effortless ly mixed a dazzling fusion of musical styles with fashion. This 50-minute documentar y (along with nearly 40-minutes of bonus footage) that originally aired on BBC4 in September 2008 tells the story of the band's extraordin ary career via new and rare interviews with band members Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson, famed producer Brian Eno, and Eddie Jobson, along with contempora ries and artists inspired by Roxy Music.

Essentiall y a five-piece band with ever-chang ing guest bass players, Roxy was recently chronicled on the DVD More Than This: The Story of Roxy Music (Eagle Vision/Eag le Rock Entertainm ent). It follows the group from its early days with Eno, who was a member for the first two records (funny enough his favorite Roxy Music release is Stranded, the band's third effort).

The documentar y examines the group's groundbrea king and influentia l album covers (works of art that never included band members), as well as the story behind their wonderful cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy," to 2001's reunion; 18 years after the band ceased recording and touring.

An art-minded group that covered the gamut of styles and genres, from cutting edge to disco to lush and borderline adult contempora ry, Roxy Music still has a legion of fans today that are passionate about the avant-gard e sound of tracks like "Re-make/R e-model" and "Virginia Plain" to the simple and elegant sound of "Avalon" from the band's final 1982 studio release.

Latest installmen t in a tradition that for the past couple of years has featured, the Decemberis ts, R.E.M., Avett Brothers and others.

By Blurt Staff

 NPR Music announced this morning its plans to present, broadcast and webcast the opening night showcase of this year's SXSW Music & Media Conference , which takes place in Austin (duh) March 17-20. NPR has the mighty Spoon set to headline at Stubbs' amphitheat re on Wednesday, March 17 - and this will be the official kickoff of Spoon's U.S. concert tour in support of its forthcomin g album, Transferen ce, which drops next week, on Jan. 19, courtesy Merge. At SXSW, the four-membe r band will have just returned to its native Austin, following a European tour. The concert at Stubbs will mark the first U.S. performanc e of material from Spoon's new album.

The other bands on the bill are to be announced shortly.

NPR Music is offering an advance stream of Transferen ce, one week before its release, now through January 18 as part of the "Exclusive First Listen" series. Hear the entire album for free at www.npr.org/firstl isten.

"The music of Spoon has always been an exercise in careful restraint, " says NPR Music producer Robin Hilton. "And Transferen ce is the band's tightest, most flawlessly executed album to date."

As with the last couple of years, NPR Music will live webcast and broadcast the entire showcase from Stubbs. The concert will be streamed live, podcast and archived at www.npr.org/sxsw, and will be available for broadcast on NPR Member stations across the country, including live on KUT in Austin.  NPR Music's broadcast and webcast of the concert will be anchored by Bob Boilen, host and creator of All Songs Considered and its Live in Concert series; NPR Music "Monitor Mix" blogger Carrie Brownstein ; and David Brown, host of Texas Music Matters on KUT.

NPR Music is also partnering with five NPR Member stations - KUT Austin, WFUV New York, WXPN Philadelph ia, KEXP Seattle and The Current from Minnesota Public Radio - to offer extensive coverage of the festival on-air and online.

Tour Dates:

17-Mar&nbs p; Stubbs&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Austin, TX
18-Mar&nbs p; Republic&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    New Orleans, LA
19-Mar&nbs p; Workplay Soundstage  &nbs p; &n bsp; Birmingham , AL
20-Mar&nbs p; Tabernacle  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Atlanta, GA
22-Mar&nbs p; 9:30 Club   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Washington , DC
23-Mar&nbs p; 9:30 Club   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Washington , DC
24-Mar&nbs p; The National&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Richmond, VA
26-Mar&nbs p; Radio City Music Hall   &nbs p; New York, NY
27-Mar&nbs p; House of Blues  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  Boston, MA, USA
29-Mar&nbs p; Sound Academy&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp;  Toronto, ON
30-Mar&nbs p; Royal Oak Music TheatreRoy al Oak, MI
1-Apr  ; &nb sp; Aragon Ballroom&n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Chicago, IL
2-Apr  ; &nb sp; First Avenue&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Minneapoli s, MN
3-Apr  ; &nb sp; First Avenue&nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Minneapoli s, MN
5-Apr  ; &nb sp; Ogden Theatre&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Denver, CO
6-Apr  ; &nb sp; Ogden Theatre&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Denver, CO
7-Apr  ; &nb sp; In the Venue  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  Salt Lake City, UT
9-Apr  ; &nb sp; Moore Theatre&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Seattle, WA
10-Apr&nbs p; Moore Theatre&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; Seattle, WA
11-Apr&nbs p; Orpheum Theatre&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ;  Vancouver, BC
13-Apr&nbs p; Fox Theater&nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp;  ; &nb sp; & nbsp; Oakland, CA
 
*Deerhunte r direct support on all dates.
*New Orleans - Royal Oak w/ The Strange Boys
*Chicago - Oakland w/ Micachu & the Shape

[Photo Credit: Autumn DeWilde]

Much-loved indie label decides to resume operations after a ten-year hiatus.

By Blurt Staff

Back at the dawn of time - 2000; ten years in the current music biz climate amounts to an eon - a northeast- based music fanatic named Al Crisafulli decided, with heavy heart, that it was time to fold his micro-indi e label Dromedary Records. He'd run it for much of the previous decade, since 1992, issuing well-recei ved titles from the likes of the Mommyheads , cuppa joe, Footstone, Godspeed and others. But the vicissitud es of the industry, and assorted personal and career callings, eventually made it impossible for him to continue.

Intriguing ly, though, Dromedary remained very much on Crisafulli 's mind, and a year ago, in January of 2009, he started a blog where he proceeded to tell the story of his little label that could (and did) in installmen ts. Wrote Crisafulli in his first entry:

"there are things that happened during the dromedary days that i never really passed along to anyone - things people did, things people said, things that deserve to be out there. 

"there are also people who talk about starting indie labels - like i did - who have no idea what they're doing - like i did.  and there's not really a resource for this (except the mechanic's guide), and there's not really a memoir of this kind of thing documented anywhere.  that i'm aware of, at least.

"so for all these reasons, i've decided to tell the story, bit by bit, online.  whil e i'm telling the story, i'll also be building out a website for dromedary records.  i'll post mp3s of songs we released, demos we received, songs from our friends.  i'll post scans of album art, photos, and letters i received.  i've got some other surprises i'll throw in as well."

The blog features thoughts, opinions and anecdotes, memories of triumphs and failures, peaks and valleys, complete with a cast of illustriou s and colorful music-maki ng characters , some of whom are still around and some who have long since passed from his life, music-maki ng and sadly, the world. And  appa rently the response to the blog was significan t: Crisafulli has now re-launche d the label itself at www.dromedary- records.com.

"Over the past year, writing the blog and seeing the response it's gotten, my passion for doing it has been rekindled, " says Crisafulli .  "and even though the music industry has taken a hit over the years, there's still a thriving undergroun d.  So after some prodding from our friends, and some real soul-searc hing, we're going to get some good old, guitar-bas ed indie rock back out there for people to hear."


To that end, Dromedary intends to start by re-releasi ng many of the titles it initially released when it was an active label in the ‘90s .  "We'll make them available digitally, so the people who loved the music then can get their hands on it again."  The label also plans to issue other, previously -unrelease d material from its heyday, as well as new music from current indie rock artists.

So with that, Dromedary' s initial release is a digital copy of NJ's now-defunc t power punk luminaries ' Footstone' s 1994 single, "Wobbles From Side To Side," plus one additional , previously -unrelease d track. The recording will be made available for a limited time for free download from the label's site. Dromedary will then follow on February 2 with a digital-on ly release of Footstone' s acclaimed, Lippy CD  (originall y released in 1995). The album will be available in all the leading internet retail stores, including iTunes.

And a rare and special treat for those in and around NYC/NJ: on Saturday, February 6th, Maxwell's in Hoboken will play host to a Dromedary relaunch show which will include a reunion set from Footstone, along with sets from The Dark Brothers and a reunited Friends, Romans, Countrymen .

"We're back," the Dromedary blog announces at the most recent post. "I finally decided to get back on the horse.  When I began this blog, re-startin g Dromedary was the furthest thing from my mind.  I was looking for closure.  But some doors, they just won't stay closed."

And out here in indie land, a lot of us are happy that they didn't stay closed. Welcome back, Al, and Dromedary.

First shot across the bow of the latest round of Hendrix repackagin gs reveals Hendrix at a transition al point in 1969 following the release of Electric Ladyland (sleeve pictured above).

By Blurt Staff

Valleys of Neptune is the name of a newly compiled album of 12 fully realized studio recordings , more than 60 minutes of music never commercial ly available on a Jimi Hendrix album. It's due March 9 from Experience Hendrix and Legacy Records as part of the new Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project, which will involve reissuing (yet again) the guitarist' s back catalog in expanded form.

Centered around tracks recorded during a pivotal and turbulent four-month period in 1969, Valleys of Neptune unveils the original Jimi Hendrix Experience 's final studio recordings , as the group lays down the foundation for what would have been the follow-up to Electric Ladyland, alongside Hendrix's first sessions with bassist Billy Cox, an old army buddy he'd recruited into his new ensemble.

Valleys of Neptune provides an up-til-now largely unseen view of what Jimi Hendrix was up to musically in the critical period between the release of Electric Ladyland in October 1968 and the 1970 opening of his own Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, the state of the art facility where he would begin his final project, the ambitious double album First Rays of the New Rising Sun.

Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, the Hendrix family-own ed company entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, noted, "My brother Jimi was at home in the studio. Valleys of Neptune offers deep insight into his mastery of the r ecording process and demonstrat es the fact that he was as unparallel ed a recording innovator as he was a guitarist. His brilliance shines&nbs p; through on every one of these precious tracks."

Valleys of Neptune contains more than 60 minutes of previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix music - see track details below - originally recorded, and newly mixed for this release, by Hendrix's longtime engineer Eddie Kramer, who first worked with the guitarist on Are You Experience d? in 1967.  Valleys of Neptune is produced by Janie Hendrix, John McDermott (who contribute s detailed liner notes to the album) and Eddie Kramer.

The title track "Valleys of Neptune" has long been one of the most sought after of any commercial ly unavailabl e Jimi Hendrix recording.  The song will be released as a single globally on February 2. nearly forty years after Jimi finished recording the track at New York's Record Plant in May of 1970.

Other highlights on Valleys of Neptune include covers of Elmore James' classic "Bleeding Heart" and Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" as well as premier performanc es of original Hendrix compositio ns like "Ships Passing Through The Night," "Lullaby For The Summer" and the original un-dubbed Jimi Hendrix Experience rendition of "Hear My Train A Comin'." &nb sp; Also included is "Mr. Bad Luck," a Jimi Hendrix Experience track, produced by Chas Chandler during the 1967 Axis: Bold as Love sessions.

***

As part of the opening wave of releases for the Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project, Legacy Recordings will also be releasing new deluxe CD/DVD editions of Are You Experience d?, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, and First Rays of the New Rising Sun, also available on vinyl, on March 9.

Each of the essential titles in the Jimi Hendrix catalog to be reissued on Legacy will feature a bonus DVD featuring newly created documentar ies directed by the Grammy award winning Bob Smeaton [Beatles Anthology, Festival Express, Beatles: The Studio Recordings ] and featuring interviews with Experience members Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, original producer Chas Chandler and e ngineer Eddie Kramer.  In addition, Smash Hits, Jimi's original compilatio n, will be reintroduc ed. The critically acclaimed Live At Woodstock will be available as a standard DVD as well as a Blu-ray Disc.

Valleys of Neptune tracklisti ng:

Stone Free

Recorded: Record Plant, New York,  ; April 7, 9, 14, May 17,1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Billy Cox

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Backing Vocals: Roger Chapman, Andy Fairweathe r Low

Valleys Of Neptune

Recorded: Record Plant, New York, September 23, 1969, May 15, 1970

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Bass: Billy Cox

Percussion : Juma Sultan

Bleeding Heart  ;  

Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 24, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Billy Cox

Drums: Rocky Isaac

Tambourine : Chris Grimes

Maracas: Al Marks

Hear My Train A Comin'&nbs p; 

Recorded: Record Plant, New York,  ; April 7, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Mr. Bad Luck   &nbs p; &n bsp;

Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, May 5, 1967

Producer: Chas Chandler

Additional bass and drum recording, Air Studios, London, June 5, 1987

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Sunshine Of Your Love   &nbs p;

Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 16, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Percussion : Rocki Dzidzornu

Lover Man & nbsp;

Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 16, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Ships Passing Through The Night

Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 14, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Guitar, Vocals: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Fire   

Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 17, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass, Backing Vocal: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Red House  ; 

Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 17, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

Lullaby For The Summer

Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 7, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Mixed By Eddie Kramer

Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell&n bsp;

Crying Blue Rain   &nbs p;

Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 16, 1969

Producer: Jimi Hendrix

Additional bass and drum recording, Air Studios, London, June 5, 1987

Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix

Percussion : Rocki Dzidzornu

Bass: Noel Redding

Drums: Mitch Mitchell

"An Epic Poem About Losers"
- Jon Stewart Regarding Springstee n's Career

One of the most vivid memories I have as a kid was the night my Mom got a babysitter for my brother and I so she could go see Bruce Springstee n And The E Street Band play at a college just up the road on 95. She and a group of friends piled into some 70's dual exhaust American car and disappeare d into the cold Northeast winter. I remember there was a certain electricit y to that night as my Mom and all her pretty friends got dressed and perfumed-u p for a Rock ‘n Roll show. I'm certain now that that energy was my first introducti on to the magic of Rock ‘n Roll.

A few years later "Born In The USA" was released. I remember being about 12 years old in a muscle t-shirt, early 80s goofy shorts with pulled high striped socks and one missing front tooth at a BBQ in Boothwyn, PA when "Born In The USA" (the song) came on the radio. A song can silence and radiate a room, and I remember seeing and feeling that change in the air when it came on that day. I remember one of my uncles talking about The Boss. He had a sense of pride and investment in Springstee n's story. I thought he knew The Boss somehow as I sat and watched and listened. The chorus then came, and we were singing along. This was the land of Little League Baseball, factories, refinery torches, family-own ed Italian restaurant s, Herr's Potato Chips and large stone churches.


Chester, PA is my hometown. The first 15 years of my life honestly resembles some epic Scorcese film where immigrants , the working class and government housing families coexisted in some troubled Norman Rockwell epic. Things were in flux, the weather was gray and I thought Chester was all there was. When I was about 13 the man who cut my hair since I was a little boy committed suicide. I didn't really know what suicide was until then. Maybe I'd heard the word, but you know, the bigger world and all it's sub-plots start creeping in around our early teens. So sitting at home while my folks were at work, the whole suicide situation was weighing heavy on my mind. I started going through my Mom and Dad's album collection . Rows and rows of vinyl. Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristoffer son, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Tyler, Joan Baez, and Bruce Springstee n. Luckily my folks had good taste. I remember sitting in the front room of our row home on Clover Lane in Chester with sunlight coming through the big windows. "I'm On Fire" was the song I listened to over and over again:

"Sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby
Edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley
Through the middle of my soul"

That was the section that made me think about the man I thought I knew so well through the monthly ritual of Saturdays at the barbershop . It gave me just a glimpse of the darkness that can visit men and women. I felt better for even understand ing it, even if just a little at that point in my life. Springstee n's work communicat es in ways that maybe at times, even friends and family fail. Who knows why we hesitate in the face to face intimacy of language, but thank God for music. "I'm On Fire" led to "No Surrender" and "Bobby Jean". "Downbound Train" followed soon after, and that section in the middle felt so heroic to me as I wandered the streets of my hometown at dusk when the refinery fires started to glow.

In the 1986 my folks moved to the quieter, safer suburbs of Newark, Delaware. We weren't there more than a year when my folks hit a rough spot in there marriage. It was a cold November. We had left behind the troubles of Chester, PA to find us feeling a bit alien in a new world just 30 miles south. My older brother never really came with us. He was lost to the seductive and dark nothingnes s that some kids find and follow down some streets. My younger brother was only about 3. There was nothing on the walls of the new house yet, so sounds just kind bounced around in that house. From music, to the phone ringing, to my little brother's late night howling and even the arguments between my Mom and Dad. It all just reverberat ed through those rooms. We had a small cassette player in the kitchen, my folks would play "Tunnel Of Love" quite a bit at the time. The more I listened, the more I felt I understood what my parents must be going through.

In the 90s I started writing my own songs.  Music for me had become a giant megaphone in my heart and ears that connected to me to the bigger, more resonate stories that drive and compel us to do the things we do. For better or for worse, for laughter or tears music, real music, never lies to you. Bruce Springstee n's music never lies. I don't know how he does it. I don't know how his characters become symbols for myself and so many people in my life, but they did and continue to. It's truly inspiring how one can be so brave, and enormously generous with their talent and spirit. It's simply a mystery, and I've often wondered at what cost does he offer so much of himself to the world.

In 1997 my first record was released by A&M records. References to Springstee n were attached to nearly every review that emerged by champions and critics of that record.  It scared the shit out of me, it really did. I never wanted to be The Boss or any of my heroes. It felt like I was being compared to Jesus Christ, Charles Dickens or John F. Kennedy. How can anyone hope to deliver in the shadow of the epic dialog those figures have already created? It was overwhelmi ng, daunting. But you know, it's true in all that we do, we gotta work hard, never give up, recognize and enjoy the moments of peace and achievemen t; and hopefully over time build our own kingdoms by committing entirely to our own volumes of conversati ons with both the dark and light in our humanity. And even then, there are no promises. But it's these things that I feel I've learned from Springstee n's work. Perseveran ce isn't always high-minde d, and it isn't always simply about survival; It's a big gray ball of question marks that we have to dissect, mistake, welcome, champion and rail against so we have a chance to define who we are as men and women.

Maybe I've over-thoug ht all of this. But then again, I don't think I have, because the other night I watched The Kennedy Center Honors and I couldn't help but smile like my uncle did some 20 years ago. I'm still working on my dream, and at times there's a lot of struggle and uncertaint y. But thankfully I guess, that's the point, that we should always be working on our dreams. Dreams that are dormant, dreams that are old and dreams we haven't even dreamed yet. Watching Bruce Sprinsteen 's songs being performed, and laughing at John Stewart's comments and grinning with goosebumps during Sting's performanc e of "The Rising"... well, what a beautiful connector Springstee n has been: Connecting people to their dreams, their joy, their failings, their promises, the world, their country, their heroism, love, family, perseveran ce and hope. Speaking for one embattled dreamer who's in awe of his achievemen ts, I'm grateful for what The Boss has given and continues to give. Regardless of any wounds we gather inside those boxing matches between cynicism, hope, innocence, guilt and despair, Springstee n's work and spirit continues to cut through and inspire a devotion to one's self. And now seriously, is there any greater gift one human can offer another? And he's done it for so many, simply amazing.

When Naked Raygun frontman Jeff Pezzati put together his post NR band The Bomb, he was undoubtedl y under a massive amount of scrutiny.

Like a punk rock Paul McCartney moving on to Wings or Johnny Rotten starting PIL - comparison s to his beloved and highly influentia l first band were inevitable .

The Bomb is clearly nobody's version of Wings.

For about a decade now the Chicago band, comprised of Pezzati, guitarist Jeff Dean (The Story So Far, Tomorrows Gone), bassist Pete Mittler and drummer Mike Soucy (both from The Methadones ), have been churning out amazing punk rock. The latest Speed is Everything may just be their best record yet in an already impressive career.

Guitarist Jeff Dean was kind enough to put up with a handful of questions about the new record, working with J. Robbins and punk rock supergroup s.

So you guys are in a number of different bands. Does that make The Bomb a supergroup ? A side project? Or a full-flege d band?
I don't know if you would call us a "supergrou p", but we are a full on band. (Jeff) Pezzati started the band in 1999, and with the exception of us taking a break for about a year, the band has been active since it started.

So do your other bands get jealous when you spend time with another group?
No way! We are all good friends, and I think we all manage our time wisely. I have a lot more time on my hands to work with than the other guys, so I'm able to play in more bands than everyone else, but there is never any jealousy or anything like that.

What was J.Robbins like to work with?

J. has recorded our last two records, so when we were getting ready to record our previous record "Indecisio n" there was a lot of talk about who we wanted to do it. I've always been a fan of J's bands as well as his producing/ recording. Pezzati and J have been friends since when NR (Naked Raygun) and GI (Governmen t Issue) played shows together back in the 80's, so it just made sense to get him on board. I gave him a call and he was really into the idea. J. is hands down my favorite engineer I've ever recorded with. When we were recording "Indecisio n", all of us got along so well, and he could understand where we were coming from with ideas, etc. We just clicked. So, that is why J will be the only one to record our albums as long as we are a band. At this point, he almost feels like the 5th member! Ha, ha!

Who else is on the album?
This record was a real collaborat ion between all of us. I still write the majority of the music, with Pezzati writing most of the lyrics. But, this time everyone in the band contribute d, as did J. He wrote the music for one of the songs on the record. J also did backups on a lot of the songs too. Dan Yemin (Paint it Black, Lifetime) did vocals on one of the songs, as did Bob Nanna (Braid).

How long did it take to record Speed is Everything ?
We recorded all of the music and most of the vocals in about six days here in Chicago at a studio owned by my friend Andy Gerber called Million Yen. Then about a month later, Pezzati and I flew out to Baltimore to mix it and add some additional vocals at J.'s studio Magpie Cage. I think we were there for five days.

Anything else you want to add?
I guess that I hope people check out the new record Speed is Everything . All of us are really proud of it, and if you are a fan of our band or Naked Raygun or whatever, I think you will enjoy it.

While it was widely reported that the DC punk rock legends Scream recently reunited for a benefit show at DC's The Black Cat just a few short weeks ago, frontman Pete Stahl also confirmed to BLURT that the band is not only back together (with new rhythm guitarist Clint Walsh joining the all original lineup of vocalist Pete Stahl, guitarist Franz Stahl, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax) but plan on remixing their long out of print swansong "No More Censorship " at Dave Grohl's Studio 606. It will be a longtime coming treat for Scream fans (it's the band's only full release on reggae label RAS and has never been reissued) and for Nirvana/Fo o Fighters completist s who never got a chance to hear Grohl's contributi on to the group before moving to Seattle in the early 90s and well, the rest is history.

No word yet on what label will release "No More Censorship ".

Star studded event takes place Feb. 16 at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

By Blurt Staff

Details:

February 16, 2010
Gilman Opera House
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn NY 11217
Tickets on sale January 12, 10am
For Tickets: 718-636-41 00 or www.BAM.com

Radiohead' s Phil Selway, the Police's Stewart Copeland, Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, Snow Patrol's Jonny Quinn, the Corrs' Caroline Corr, Elbow's Richard Jupp, Egyptian musicians Yehia Khalil and Mohamed Mounir, and Ghanaian drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy.

By Blurt Staff

Sudan365.org is a recently-e stablished political action collective comprising "thousands of activists and supporters who are drumming for a brighter future for the people of Sudan," according to the organizati on's official website.

"Sudan is at a critical moment in its history. On 9 January 2010, Sudanese communitie s and activists around the world are joining together to call on internatio nal leaders to take urgent diplomatic action to prevent an escalation of conflict in Sudan that could lead to massive human rights violations ."

In order to draw attention to the cause, the drummers of Radiohead, Pink Floyd, the Police, Elbow, the Corrs and Snow Patrol, along with Egypt's Mohammed Munir, Yehia Khalil and Ghana's Mustaffa Teffey Addy have set out to "beat for peace." You can view the video results below.

According to Britain's Guardian, "The initiative was conceived by Jamie Catto, a founder of One Giant Leap and Faithless. Catto worked with Amnesty Internatio nal, Human Rights Watch and the Save Darfur Coalition to organise drumming events in 15 cities worldwide, including a demonstrat ion in London opposite 10 Downing Street on Saturday.

"‘My personal connection with Sudan is my personal connection with humanity,' Catto told the BBC. ‘[Dr ums are] something anyone can join in with. Anyone can add a beat to show that everybody feels that making sure horrific atrocities and millions of murders don't kick off again in Sudan.'"

Celebrated Philly band turns to outside producer to craft autobiogra phical release.

By Blurt Staff

Dr. Dog has inked in an April 6th release of their Anti- Records debut, Shame, Shame. As a band that has traditiona lly built their spirited albums layer by layer in the undisturbe d seclusion of their Philadelph ia home studio, Dr. Dog realized that they would need to face the challenge of working in a profession al studio and enlist the help of an outside producer (Rob Schnapf) if they were to continue their album-by-a lbum evolutiona ry growth. The end result, as the label describes the new record, is the band's "most openly autobiogra phical release to date and peels back the layers of strings and horns of past albums to emphasize the raw immediacy of a tight unit honing their craft."

 Begi nning January 27th in Troy NY, Dr. Dog will embark on a 10-week national headlining tour to premiere songs from Shame, Shame. Dates below.

The stylistic reference points of Dr. Dog remain on Shame, Shame but with a darker tone. "It's an album whose themes of doubt, confusion and unanswered questions are soothed by bright harmonies, taut guitar riffs and soaring melodies," says the band. "From beginning to end, Shame, Shame is a record destined to claim its place on the timeless margins, untouched by modern tastes and content to exist on its own terms."

Hey, we are all about timeless margins! Do the dawg, dudes.

Tour Dates:

January 27    &nbs p; &n bsp; Revolution Hall     &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Troy, NY  *
January 28    &nbs p; &n bsp; Higher Ground&nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Burlington , VT  *
January 29    &nbs p; &n bsp; Lupo's&nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Providence , RI  *
January 30    &nbs p; &n bsp; Westcott Theatre&nb sp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Syracuse, NY  *
February 1    &nbs p; &n bsp; Mohawk Place  ;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Buffalo, NY  *
February 3    &nbs p; &n bsp; The Pike Room     &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Pontiac, MI  *
February 4    &nbs p; &n bsp; Turner Hall     &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Milwaukee, WI  *
February 5    &nbs p; &n bsp; High Noon Saloon&nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Madison, WI  *
February 6    &nbs p; &n bsp; The Mill     &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Iowa City, IA  *
February 8    &nbs p; &n bsp; Waiting Room     &nbs p;   &nbs p;              Omaha, NE  *
February 9    &nbs p; &n bsp; Rock Island Brewing Co. &nbs p;  &nbs p; Rock Island, IL  *
February 10    &nbs p; Case Western University  &nbs p;  &nbs p; Cleveland, OH  *
February 11    &nbs p;  Video Saloon&nbs p;   &nbs p;             &nbs p;  &nbs p;  Bloomingto n, IN  *
February 12  &nbs p;  &nbs p; Newport Music Hall     &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Columbus, OH  *
February 13    &nbs p;  State Theatre&nb sp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    State College, PA  *
April 14      &nbs p;      &nbs p; Lee's Place  ;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;           &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Toronto, ON
April 15    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Blind Pig & nbsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Ann Arbor, MI
April 16    &nbs p;        Metro  ;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Chicago, IL
April 17    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Fine Line     &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Minneapoli s, MN
April 19    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Belly Up &n bsp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Aspen, CO
April 20    &nbs p;        Gothic Theatre&nb sp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Denver, CO
April 22    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Neuroluz&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; Boise, ID
April 23    &nbs p;     &nbs p;  Wonder Ballroom&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Portland, OR
April 24    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Great American Music Hall    San Francisco, CA
April 25   &nbs p;      &nbs p; Great American Music Hall     San Francisco, CA  **
April 27    &nbs p;        Henry Fonda  ;   &nbs p;                 &nbs p;   Los Angeles, CA  **
April 29    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Santa Fe Brewing Company&nb sp;   Sant a Fe, NM  **
April 30    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  The Loft     &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Dallas, TX  **
May 1    &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Emo's Outside&nb sp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Austin, TX  **
May 2    &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Warehouse Live Studio&nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Houston, TX  **
May 3    &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Majestic&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;                          Fayettevil le, AR  **
May 5    &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Workplay&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Birmingham , AL  **
May 6    &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Cannery Ballroom&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Nashville, TN  **
May 7    &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;  Headliners  &nbs p;  &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Louisville , KY  **
May 11    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Paradise&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Boston, MA  **
May 12    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Paradise&n bsp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Boston, MA  **
May 13    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Electric Factory&nb sp;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Philadelph ia, PA **
May 14    &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  9:30 Club     &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Washington , DC  **
May 15   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Terminal 5 &nb sp;  &nbs p;   &nbs p;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; New York, NY  **

* With The Growlers
** With Deertick

Sri Lanka-born rapper/sin ger takes exception to NYC paper's purported stance on, er, Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, new album incoming.

By Fred Mills

Sometimes a travel feature is just a travel feature, Dr. Freud - but that isn't stopping the mighty M.I.A. from pulling the lens back way beyond its intended context.

In an article published in Sunday's New York Times, M.I.A.'s country of origin, Sri Lanka, is one among "The 31 Places to Go in 2010," tourist/tr avel-wise. Wrote the Times:

For a quarter century, Sri Lanka seems to have been plagued by misfortune , including a brutal civil war between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority. But the conflict finally ended last May, ushering in a more peaceful era for this teardrop-s haped island off India's coast, rich in natural beauty and cultural splendors.

As most folks who have followed M.I.A.'s career know, her father was a political activist for the opposition in Sri Lanka, and she named her debut album after him. Over the past few years she's also gone on record with sundry anti-Sri Lankan government statements .

So with a head full of steam, M.I.A. took to the celebrity tool du jour, Twitter, to voice her indignity at the Times travel piece - repeat, travel piece, and not an op-ed or politicall y themed article. Among the choice Tweets, accompanie d by relevant (and admittedly gruesome) Twitpic images showing dead (presumabl y murdered) Sri Lankans:

http://twi tpic.com/xqb4y - FUCK NEW YORK TIMES! DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO GO HERE ON VACATION?

http://twi tpic.com/xqcrl - HERE IS THE LUSH COASTLINE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT

http://twi tpic.com/xqarp - FUCK NEW YORK TIMES!!! http://www .nytimes.com/2010/0 1/10/trave l/10places .html

Mmm.... overkill. Repeat after me: T.R.A.V.E.L. P.I.E.C.E

Celebritie s making asses of themselves isn't anything new, of course, and they do sometimes manage to direct people's attentions in directions they might not otherwise condider. So M.I.A. can comfort herself with the knowledge that even though, journalist ically, she's a lightweigh t, at least with her Twitter screeds she's generated some additional food for thought on what's a pretty slow news day.

Looking forward to that new album, doll - don't worry, we still love ya - which, in a totally unrelated stroke of marketing, was announced just a few days ago and is slated for a summer release!

Sad news today from These Arms Are Snakes, who announced via Facebook (see their statement below) that they're calling it quits.

From The Band:
"It's with a heavy heart we tell you that These Arms Are Snakes is no more. It's been a great run and we'd like to send out a very hearty "Thank You" to everyone that we've worked with or anyone that we've toured with; anyone that lent us a floor, towed our van and/or trailer, lent a van, given us a listen, downloaded our records prior to their coming out, bought our shit, or asked us where our band name came from; everyone who cooked us food, made habanero-i nfused tequila, had a safety meeting with us, let Steve gyrate all over you, had to live with any of us, made us pay shitloads of money to get off your punk label, got us into LOST, found Steve drunkenly wandering the streets of Tokyo alone, played Madlibs in the van (plural nouns), lost money promoting one of our shows, took Chris to the hospital, put up with our drunken sorry asses, got into a fight with us, etc. etc."

This band could not have been possible without all of you. We sincerely thank you.

Much love,

TAAS

Famed electronic musician-p roducer (and shoegaze scene celebrant) lines up a who's-who of cutting edge artists and then has his way with ‘em: Asobi Seksu, Mojave 3, Mark Gardener, Rachel Goswell, High Violets, Mahogany and Howling Bells, among others.

By Blurt Staff

Although strictly speaking a remix album, Missing Deadlines sees Ulrich Schnauss adopt the role of a master orchestrat or or alchemist, rearrangin g and restructur ing the songs of his contempora ries, as opposed to simply adorning each with throwaway beats-by-n umbers. The record is a testament to Schnauss's unique aural vision, showcasing his undeniable grasp of heart-warm ing, heart-wren ching melody. Schnauss's telltale signature sounds are present in each track - whether it be the ever-oscil lating synth patterns, the rich, reverb-lad en voices, or the euphoric beats - yet still manage to reemain true to the spirit of the originals.

Says Schnauss, "Essential ly what makes me really happy about this album is the fact that it's a selection of the - in my opinion - best mixes from a musical point of view, rather than a compilatio n of the commercial ly most successful ones, or the tracks that have the biggest names associated with them. In all cases, the original songs are already great in their own right - which made it really inspiring to work with them."

It's due March 15 from Britain's ever-eclec tic Rocket Girl label.

Tracklisti ng:

1 Howling Bells: Setting Sun

2 A Sunny Day In Glasgow: Ghost In The Graveyard

3 Katharina Franck: Faithful Friend

4 Madrid: Out To Sea

5 Asobi Seksu: Strawberri es

6 Dragons: Remembranc e

7 Aus: Halo

8 Mahogany: Supervites se

9 Lunz (Roedelius & Tim Story): Lunz

10 Rachel Goswell: Coastline

11 High Violets: Chinese Letter

12 Mark Gardener: Story Of The Eye

13 I'm Not A Gun: Make Sense And Loose

14 Mojave 3: Bluebird Of Happiness

[Photo Credit: Troy Stains (note the Omnichord) ]

On the web: www.myspace.com/ulrich schnauss

Distaff pop/punk-g arage rawk summit galore! Check the video, below.

By Blurt Staff

As the story goes, Nikki Corvette - frontwoman for legendary pop/punk combo Nikki & the Corvettes - turned up at a Gore Gore Girls show in Los Angeles and, upon being introduced to Amy Gore by a mutual friend (critic/ph otog Robert Matheu), hit it off immediatel y with the other frontwoman . Later, Corvette relocated to her native Detroit for family reasons and she and Gore began to spend time together, spending hours talking about music while hanging out by the record player. 

With members of each woman's bands in different cities, they originally conceived the idea of doing a punk cover band, playing their favorite songs from bands like the Buzzcocks and the Damned. Gorevette was born.

That initial m.o. soon changed, however, when Nikki brought her tune "Lustfully Yours" to the table. Amy began writing songs specifical ly for Nikki that carry on the ‘Sha ngri-Las meets Ramones' sound she is famous for while incorporat ing lyrics rejecting the artificial ity of current feminine ideals ("Fake It") and making stand for the hedonistic fun of dancing, cars and staying up all night. They recorded at studios in Ann Arbor in Detroit, tapping the talents of ace producer-e ngineers Jim Diamond and Pete Bankert, while the great guitarist Deniz Tek from Radio Birdman was on hand for a couple of tracks.

"Rock n' roll, above all else, should be fun," said Gore.

The new tracks are compiled for The Lustfully Yours EP on Strange Girl Recordings , out January 26. Check out the video for "Lustfully Yours" below.

The backstorie s:

1978 saw the birth of Nikki Corvette's career with the release of the Nikki Corvette and the Convertibl es single "Young and Crazy" b/w "Backseat Love" and "Criminal Element". This was all happening in Detroit during the punk rock explosion where Nikki would see herself sharing the stage with The Ramones, Johnny Thunders, The Romantics and many more. By 1980 the band name was changed to Nikki and the Corvettes. They would release their legendary debut album on BOMP! Records, an incredible mixture of 60's style girl group vocals, twangy guitars and teenage pop with plenty of punk rock attitude, with songs about cruisin for boys and fun in the sun. The album and band would influence everyone from The Go-go's (to go for more of a "pop" sound) all the way to The Donnas (see the lyric "I wanna be like Nikki Corvette" from Gimmie My Radio), and around the world to Japan with The 5678's.

Meanwhile, Amy Gore was born in Detroit, Michigan and in 1997 she founded the Gore Gore Girls, the first of a few contempora ry all-female garage band. Along with other bands such as The White Stripes, The Dirtbombs, The Detroit Cobras and others, the Gore Gore Girls helped establish the modern American garage rock scene of the 1990s in Detroit. Gore's talents are myriad: she is a ferocious guitarist who has helped bring Gretsch hollowbody guitars their due, a songwriter who distills the perfect pop gem and a studio pro whose unerring ear brought Gorevette to light.

Tracklisti ng:

1. Nothings Gonna Stop Me*

2. Lustfully Yours

3. Baby Let's Rock

4. Fake It

5. Honey Don't You Know?

6. Brand New Lover*

7. Candy Man

* Featuring Deniz Tek on lead guitar

On the web: http://www .myspace.com/goreve tte 

[Photo Credit: http://www .dianaprice .com]

New album followed shortly by a U.S. tour.

By Blurt Staff

Late yesterday Australian label Spunk posted the following news on its website (thanks to Pitchfork for the tip):

Spunk is thrilled to announce the forthcomin g Joanna Newsom album ‘Hav e One On Me', due for release February 19.

This is Joanna's third full length album. Her last record ‘Ys' was a conceptual masterpiec e of ethereal harp, lush vocals and expansive, complex orchestrat ions arranged by Van Dyke Parks, and was recently voted one of the Albums of the Decade by Pitchfork and Mojo Magazine.

‘Have On One Me' is released in Australia via Spunk February 19, and released the rest of the world February 23 on Drag City.

Well that sounds like good news to us! As of yet Drag City hasn't pulled the trigger, news-wise, but it's probably forthcomin g. Meanwhile, as previously announced here, Newsom will be wrapping up her tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan early next month then will kick off a short U.S. trek in mid-March that will include an appearance at the Big Ears festival in Knoxville. Tour dates are here.

[Photo Credit: Paul O'Valle]

Feature film The Sentimenta l Engine Slayer will premiere Feb. 4 at the Internatio nal Film Festival Rotterdam. View the freaky trailer below.

By Blurt Staff

While The Sentimenta l Engine Slayer is not the first venture as a director for the Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez- Lopez -- he also created two unreleased films, 2001's A Manual Dexterity and 2003's Letters from Dystopia -- it is his first feature released to the public. Made on a relatively small budget using money borrowed from a close friend and Rodriguez Lopez's parents, the cast and crew worked diligently on location in El Paso, TX to bring the project to fruition.

The Sentimenta l Engine Slayer tells the tale of the overdue coming of age of a 20-somethi ng misfit named Barlam (played by Rodriguez- Lopez). Set against the backdrop of drug-addle d suburban El Paso sometime in the not-too-di stant future, Barlam's awkward transition from boy to man is as much the story of struggling to find one's essence in a world of stereotype s as it is an indictment of the distorted reality of family life in the disengaged 21st Century. For a more detailed plot synopsis, check out the film's IMDB page.

In between his work with the Mars Volta, producing Juliette Lewis and collaborat ing with the likes of Hans Zimmer, John Frusciante and Erykah Badu, Rodriguez- Lopez also found time to learn the craft of filmmaking , familiariz ing himself with the process by way of producing two unreleased films (2001's A Manual Dexterity and 2003's Letters from Dystopia) in lieu of any formal training. The Sentimenta l Engine Slayer, is the director's debut feature release. Despite a virtually continuous commitment to the process of recording and touring with his various bands, Rodriguez- Lopez has managed to complete two more films since principal production on The Sentimenta l Engine Slayer wrapped in 2007; El Divino Influjo De Los Secretos (2008) and Boiling Death Request (2009) are both currently in post-produ ction.

Found early this morning in the bed of his Memphis home.

By Fred Mills

Word is getting out that the body of Memphis garage-roc k maverick Jay Reatard (real name: Jimmy Lee Lindsey) was discovered in his bed at his Midtown home early this morning, Jan. 13.  The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that "family and friends" disclosed this informatio n, and that the cause of death has not been announced pending an autopsy and a police investigat ion. The musician was 29.

Reatard's early label, Goner Records, posted a statement, saying "It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night. We will pass along informatio n about funeral arrangemen ts when they are made public."

Meanwhile, his most recent label, Matador, also expressed their sorrow in a statement that read "We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we've ever met, and responsibl e for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We're honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly."

At this point any speculatio n is questionab le, although the obvious thing to note is that Reatard had demonstrat ed some mildly erratic behavior in the recent past leading up to and following the release of his Matador album Watch Me Fall, so questions of a substance- induced death will certainly be raised. Back in October there was that incident when, following the conclusion of one leg of a fall tour supporting the record, Reatard's band quit on him, leading to some bizarre Twitters and his former bandmember s hooking up with Wavves.

Last month an Austin performanc e ended on a violent note when a pair of audience members jumped onstage to attack Reatard, although this wasn't specifical ly of Reatard's doing (although it should be said that he'd been known to deliberate ly provoke the audience). And then just two days ago there was that so-called beef he was havaing with Jersey band Liquor Store, which he alleged had slashed the tires of his tour van, leading him to post to Twitter, "I will give anyone a hundred bucks per tire that they pop on the band Liquor Store's van! Yes I'm serious." So again, speculatio n as to Reatard's mental and physical condition prior to his death will no doubt run rampant during this upcoming news cycle.

At any rate, it's a tragic loss of one of our most engaging and stimulatin g indie rockers. We recently featured an exclusive interview with Reatard in the print edition of BLURT and will be revisiting that tomorrow on the website in tribute to the musician. We'd also like to express our condolence s to his family and circle of Memphis friends.

 UPDA TE:

Numerous media outlets are now reporting, based on a note originally posted to the web by CMJ, that Reatard's death has been attributed to an overdose. CMJ wrote, "CMJ was told by an undisclose d source close to Reatard that he died of an overdose although according to a Matador Records representa tive an autopsy has yet to be conducted nor the cause of death determined ." However, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

Soulful icon had continued to perform despite becoming paralyzed from a car accident.

By Fred Mills

Smooth-sin ging soul superstar Teddy Pendergras s died yesterday, Jan. 13, in the aftermath of colon cancer surgery some 8 months ago followed by what his son said was "a difficult recovery," according to media reports. His son, Teddy Pendergras s II, told the Philadelph ia Inquirer that the senior Pendergras s died in Philadelph ia's Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Pendergras s, originally a drummer, hit the charts in a big way in the ‘70s when he became lead vocalist for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes ("If You Don't Know Me By Now"), later going on to a hugely successful solo career with hits such as "I Don't Love You Anymore," "Close the Door," "Turn off the Lights" and "Love TKO," many of them penned by the legendary Philly-bas ed songwritin g team of Gamble and Huff.

In 1982 he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, but though wheelchair -bound he continued to perform. Throughout his career he scores of singles and received 5 Grammy nomination s. He also establishe d the Teddy Pendergras s Alliance, an organizati on that worked with individual s who had spinal cord injuries.

"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."

Streaming Reatard's Beck cover at his website.

By Blurt Staff

In the wake of news of Jay Reatard's death, testimonia ls and words of condolence have been coming forth from the music community - among that community, the Pixies and respected NPR Music commentato r Bob Boilen (who posted a Reatard video as Song of the Day).

Also there's Beck, who at his Beck.com website is streaming Reatard's cover of "Gamma Ray".

Originally a song on Beck's Modern Guilt album, this version was cut in 2008 by Reatard at the behest of Beck to be the B-side of his "Gamma Ray" single.

Blondie got knocked up, and now it's a dog's life - all the more reason to adopt a puppy!

By Coco Hames

I have a neighbor who has a dog we call Blondie.  Afte r The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, not Deborah Harry.  Or maybe both.  But Blondie was not spayed and went and got herself knocked up, and she had three puppies.  Blon die looks like a small yellow lab/Husky mix (she has light eyes and eyebrows, so cute) and is the sweetest thing.  So these puppies, we weaned them, and got them their shots and everything , and now they are at a pet adoption facility called Love At First Sight, in Nashville, TN.  They will be available for adoption shortly and, having housed them myself for a bit, I can tell you they are the sweetest little chubs.  I've got chubs for you (see above).

There a boy, who is the handsomest of the three, whom I called Mel Gibson VERY briefly, and then decided not to name any of them, however temporaril y, because I already have plenty of dogs to sneak into hotel rooms on tour.  He is brown (a really cool brown, with a super cool pattern of black and white on his chest) and makes smiley faces and can kind of use his hands.  One of the girls is all black with brown/whit e eyebrows, and she is a major charmer.  So pretty!  And the other is the runt, a sneaky little devil girl with the same color markings as her brother, but with a wily cute face.  All of these puppies are smart and adorable, they all have these really cool light eyes (they're blue with green and grey) and are responding so well already to handling and training, a lucky trait you don't always see, so w00t.  Chec k 'em out sleepin' in a pile:

If you or anyone you know lives in the Nashville area and are interested in some super cute 6-week-old puppy babies, contact super helpful Cory at Love At First Sight (615) 297-2464, or visit their website at http://www .lafspetado ption.com/  

In other news, I had an inappropri ate dream last night featuring Mike Rowe.  From Dirty Jobs.  Ladi es, you all THINK you love him, because he's witty and charming and does manly things.  But in my dreams, people reveal (what I imagine to be) their true selves, and you know what he really is?  Emot ionally spoiled, callous, and a SELFISH lover.  Is that what you really want?  Well , you know what you want, I'm not here to judge, I just hate falling prey to those charms.  Whic h are so very Cancer in nature, haven't you noticed?  TOO charming, that's what Cancers are.  And then there you are, at this cheap hotel, with Mike Rowe, feeling KIND of special, until the morning, when you're standing around and there are these models, and they look at you like, "Who's she?" and then Mike goes, "Oh, uh, this is my friend, Coco."  And they eye you up and down with disdain, like, THAT'S what he went for after us?  Look ladies, it's not all coltish legs and winsome abs for all men, sometimes they like creepy trolls who kidnap puppies and read books on keeping chickens.  And the dream I had about Paul McCartney a few years ago?  Mess ed me up for a LONG time.  So much so, I can't really write about it.  If you see me out (Chapel Hill, Atlanta, Nashville) this week/weeke nd with Jemina Pearl, come ask me, maybe I'll tell you about it.  Mayy ybe.

DOGS 4 EVA!  And Mike Rowe, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but... you can still call me.  

Coco

***

Blurt "co-co-edi tor" Coco Hames fronts The Ettes - Hames on guitar, Jem Cohen on bass and Poni Silver on drums. Their Greg Cartwright -produced album Do You Want Power arrived in stores last fall, their music was featured in the Drew Barrymore- directed film Whip It, and you bet we've got a big feature on the band in the latest issue of BLURT. Check out the band's MySpace page for music and tour dates.

T Bone Burnett-pr oduced record announced last Spring gets shelved by record label and Potter & the Nocturnals turn to a different producer for their latest album.

By Fred Mills

Just announced: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals make their debut appearance at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 28 and 29 performing at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café ;.  The band will preview select songs from their self-title d album due this spring.

The record will be the band's third album for Hollywood Records and was produced by Mark Batson (Dr. Dre, Dave Matthews Band, Eminem, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z,).

Making it must have come at a cost, however.

Sharp-eyed BLURT readers will recall that it was announced last May that Potter hand been in an L.A. studio with produce T Bone Burnett, going through the band's material for a proposed Fall '09 release. "It's such a huge relief to find a producer of T Bone's caliber we can totally put our trust in," Potter said at the time, "not just because of the records he's made, but because of the person he is. Now it's happening, and we're excited and ready!"

Subsequent to that, Potter sat down for a BLURT interview with contributo r Hal Bienstock, telling us the Burnett-pr oduced sessions would tentativel y come out on Hollywood under the name Medicine. In the interview - which appears in the latest print issue of BLURT - she enthusiast ically described the album as "very different. There's a dark undertone to this one. I tend to be a bright shiny person but there's always a level of heavy heartednes s to my songs. With T Bone, it's been captured sonically in ways I never expected. This one has more emotions and is more raw. It's very cinematic. Whenever I listen to these songs I want to write a movie."

She added that Burnett is "the king of cinematic songs. He treats them like they're spiritual experience s. It rattled me at first. Everything is very in the moment. It's the Dylan approach. Learn the song, then go play it."

Potter also elaborated on some of the material: "'That Phone' is a very soul/R& ;B attitude-y song about a woman refusing to pick up her ex-lover's phone calls. At the beginning of the project, it seemed like a possible hit, so T Bone decided to make it a 7½- minute jungle thing. That was the clincher in terms of what kind of record we were making....  I wrote the song ‘Col ors' right before Obama was elected. There were lots of expectatio ns, but also a sense of not knowing. I wanted to capture that moment because I wasn't sure anyone else would. I debuted it at a homecoming show in Vermont and got so choked up that I could barely make it through."

However, the Burlington Free Press is reporting that Hollywood "deemed [the Burnett album] too tame and has put on the shelf for now." Rumors along the lines of the album being "heavy on Grace but light on Nocturnals " have been floating around the media lately too, but neither Potter nor Hollywood has made an official comment on the matter yet. It will be a shame if the Burnett sessions never see the light of day.

At any rate, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals  also unveils the Vermont-ba sed band's new five-piece configurat ion, in which Potter, lead guitarist Scott Tournet and drummer Matt Burr are joined by new bassist Catherine Popper (Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Hem) and rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco, who also plays with Tournet and Burr in the GPN side project Blues & Lasers.

"This record is the first time it's really been us - the first time we've all found each other and ourselves, " says Potter, in a statement. "The whole thing was fluid and effortless . In my mind, an album shouldn't be self-title d unless it feels that way."

Tour Dates:

Wed. Jan. 20 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Norfolk, CT &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Infinity Hall

Thurs., Jan. 21 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Syracuse, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  The Westcott Theatre

Fri., Jan. 22 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Woodstock, NY &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Bearsville Theatre

Thurs., Jan. 28 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Park City, UT &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Sundance - ASCAP Music Café ; - 5:20pm

Fri., Jan. 29 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; Park City, UT &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;  Sundance - ASCAP Music Café ; - 4pm

Thurs., March 11 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; North Adams, MA &n bsp;   &nbs p; MASS MoCA

Fri., March 12 &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Ridgefield , CT &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p;  Ridgefield Playhouse

Austin rocker's current road trek through the South intended to wind its way to Lexington, KY, where he'll record a new album, due out in June.

By Fred Mills

BLURT hero Alejandro Escovedo is currently in the middle of a short tour that will bring him to Asheville, NC, showcase venue the Orange Peel tomorrow night, Jan. 15. After that he'll have dates (as listed at his official website) in Virginia Beach, Charlottes ville, Knoxville, Birmingham , Memphis and Louisville , then he'll take about three weeks off before resuming his road trek Feb. 11 in Santa Fe.

Escovedo and his band won't be cooling their heels during the break, however: following the Louisville gig they'll scoot over to Lexington, KY, home to St. Claire studios, where Escovedo recorded his last album, 2008's acclaimed Real Animal, with producer Tony Vicsonti.

In an interview published this week in Asheville' s Mountain Xpress weekly, Escovedo explaied, "This tour is the beginning of the process of recording a new album... The record, as I see it, is a rock album along the lines of Real Animal only not autobiogra phical."

The Xpress article adds that "the new material has been developed over the course of Escovedo's residency at the Continenta l Club in Austin, Texas, where he's been presenting three new songs each week." He's also been unveiling selected tunes in concert on the current tour.

Escovedo's management indicated in an email to BLURT that a projected release date of June has been penciled in for the new album. It's slated to come out on Back Porch/Manh attan but no title has been determined yet.

***

Read our 2008 interview with Escovedo, producer Visconti and Chuck Prophet, who co-wrote the songs on Real Animal with Escovedo: http://blu rt-online.com/featur es/view/10 5/

More Al:

CD review: http://blu rt-online.com/review s/view/98/
Live review: http://blu rt-online.com/concer t_reviews/ view/39/
Video filmed especially for BLURT: http://blu rt-online.com/video/ view/62/

[Photo Credit: Todd V. Wolfson]

With frontwoman Regine Chassagne' s family roots extending to Haiti, this makes it personal for them. Time to step up and make a donation, folks. It's as simple as that.

By Blurt Staff

A message from the Arcade Fire, posted to their site this morning:

Friends,

Haiti needs your help in her darkest hour.

We just got off the phone with our friends at Partners in Health.

Most of the medical infrastruc ture in Port-au-Pr ince is down.

Since Partners in Health's clinics are in situated the surroundin g areas and haven't been damaged, they are mobilizing their resources towards the capital, setting-up field hospitals to treat the injured on the ground. Also, Paul Farmer (the founder of PIH) is at the UN and has access to the best informatio n on where to direct the money... so for the moment if you want to help, we suggest sending funds to:

www.pih.org

+

donate.pih.org/page/c ontribute/ haiti_eart hquake?sou rce=earthq uake&s ubsource=h omepage

Canadian residents with Roger cell phones can text HELP to 1291. 5 $ will be directed to Partners In Health's Haiti emergency fund.

Please be generous as time is of the essence.

love,
Win and Regine

p.s.
these photos convey some of what is going on:

+ www.boston.com/bigpic ture/2010/ 01/earthqu ake_in_hai ti.html

Master wax-spinne r defends his unalienabl e right to marry Mozart to Grandmaste r Flash; classical music fans storm his compound in response. Free MP3 below.

By Blurt Staff

Turntablis t Rob Swift (X-Men/X-e cutioners) is about to drop a boundary-p ushing new release, The Architect, due Feb. 23 from Mike Patton's Ipecac label. We're advised the record reflects "his newfound love of classical music... as much in common with Mozart as it does with Grandmaste r Flash. 

Wait - didn't we go through this back in the ‘80s already, with disco beats applied to classical music ("Hooked on Classics," "Classics on 45," etc.)?

At any rate, a quick glance at The Architect' s track listing, below, reveals that Swift has created a conceptual piece of work.  Though mostly instrument al, the album is not a "concept album" but rather a series of compositio ns deliberate ly sequenced to form a greater, unified whole.  On "Principio ," the album's lone MC, Breez Evahflowin , breaks it down when he spits "The way it's layed down, don't shuffle this LP / the truth is you'd miss something that's healthy / something like progress, the artform elevated / the next level of turntablis m and innovators ."

Though only two tracks contain vocals, The Architect is ripe with emotion and abstract narrative.  Orchestral strings and organs mingle with fierce breakbeats and expert scratching . Swift's exploratio n of manipulati ng pitch and tempo are executed and organized with the mindset of a virtuosic composer. 

Free MP3: "Rabia - 2^nd Movement"

Tracklisti ng:

01. &nbs p;  Overture
02. &nbs p;  Introducti on
03. &nbs p;  The Architect
04. &nbs p;  Principio
05. &nbs p;  Story Of A Man
06. &nbs p;  Sound The Horn
07. &nbs p;  Prelude To The 1st Movement
08. &nbs p;  Rabia - 1st Movement
09. &nbs p;  Rabia - 2nd Movement
10. &nbs p;  Rabia - 3rd Movement
11. &nbs p;  D.R.E.W.
12. &nbs p;  Intermissi on
13. &nbs p;  Lower Level - 1st Movement
14. &nbs p;  Lower Level - 2nd Movement
15. &nbs p;  Lower Level - 3rd Movement
16. &nbs p;  Spartacus
17. &nbs p;  Sound The Horn (reprise)
18. &nbs p;  Ultimo

And a fine way to officially kick off the 2010 festival season. Among the performers : Billy Bragg, Dr Dog, The Mountain Goats, Leatherfac e, Rogue Wave, Delta Spirit, Senses Fail, Anti-Flag, Dead Prez, Kimya Dawson, Samiam, Torche, Strike Anywhere, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dr. Octagon AKA Kool Keith, Small Brown Bike, Portugal. the Man, Black Sheep, Danielson, Coalesce, Man Man.

By Blurt Staff

The second annual Harvest of Hope Fest (HOH Fest) has announced the initial lineup for their multiple-s tage music festival that will take place March 12th - 14th in sunny St. Augustine, FL. The festival serves to raise awareness and provide financial support for the Harvest of Hope Foundation , a charity organizati on that aids migrant farm workers across the country.

HOH Fest is the first multi-day concert of the 2010 festival season and uniquely different than many other festivals that will be happening this year. Last year, over 17,000 attendees took in over 100 punk, indie-rock , hip-hop, alt-countr y, folk, and blues bands.

This year's line up showcases a diverse roster once again with national and internatio nal acts including Billy Bragg, Dr Dog, The Mountain Goats, Leatherfac e, Rogue Wave, Delta Spirit, Senses Fail, Anti-Flag, Dead Prez, Kimya Dawson, Samiam, Torche, Strike Anywhere, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dr. Octagon AKA Kool Keith, Small Brown Bike, Portugal. the Man, Black Sheep, Danielson, Coalesce, Man Man, forgetters (Ex-Jawbre aker/ Against Me!), plus over 150 more artists joining together to raise awareness to the plight of migrant farm workers! Harvest of Hope Fest is the only festival of its kind that has such a large group of musicians donating their time and performanc es to charity.

Harvest of Hope Fest is located on the 90-acre St. John's County Fairground s, just a short distance from historic St. Augustine and its beaches, and is within an easy drive of Daytona Beach, Jacksonvil le, Orlando, and Gainesvill e. Ticket informatio n, camping info, etc. at www.harvestofh opefest.com.

Three-day tickets are on sale now and will rise in price as the festival draws closer. From January 14th through February 11th, tickets will be available at the early-bird price of $39.50. From February 12th to March 11th, they will jump to $49.50. Walk-up 3-day tickets will be $60.00. Single day tickets will be available for $25.00/day in advance and $35.00/day weekend of. Three-day camping passes are also now available at $19.50/person. A small number of VIP passes are available at $99.50 per person. The VIP pass includes access to the VIP camping area, a three-day festival pass, and extra goodies to be revealed at a later date.

Proceeds from the charity fundraiser festival will benefit the Harvest of Hope Foundation , a non-profit organizati on that provides emergency and educationa l aid to some of the hardest working and often overlooked people keeping our agricultur al economy moving - migrant farm workers. Harvest of Hope distribute s funds to migrant farm workers and their families to help pay for food, medical services, clothing, rent, educationa l scholarshi ps, and more. For more informatio n on what Harvest of Hope Foundation does to aid migrant farm workers and how this grass roots foundation gained the support of a vibrant and diverse music community, please visit www.harvestofh ope.net.



Confirmed Harvest of Hope Fest 2010 lineup as of 1/14/10:

Billy Bragg, Dr. Dog, The Mountain Goats, Rogue Wave, Delta Spirit, Senses Fail, Anti-Flag, Man Man, Dead Prez, Kimya Dawson, Torche, Strike Anywhere, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Sea Wolf, Dr. Octagon aka Kool Keith, Dead Confederat e, A Wilhelm Scream, Portugal. the Man, Samiam, Leatherfac e, Dead to Me, Fruit Bats, Bear in Heaven, Freelance Whales, Cobra Skulls, Small Brown Bike, Glint, Danielson, Twin Tigers, Black Sheep, Coalesce, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band, James Husband (of Of Montreal), Signals (ex-The Mae Shi), Ortolan, Mercury Program, Off With Their Heads, The Loved Ones, Past Lives, forgetters (ex-Jawbre aker & Against Me!), Andrew Jackson Jihad, Assholepar ade, Defiance Ohio, Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves, Bomb the Music Industry!, Dear Landlord, Young Livers, David Rovics, The Riot Before, This Bike is a Pipebomb, Des Ark, Ben Davis & The Jett$, Shellshag, Weatherbox , Holopaw, Hawks & Doves, Angelo Spencer, The Blacklist Royals, Lemuria, The Measure [sa], Paul Baribeau, Algernon Cadwallade r, Your Heart Breaks, Fin Fang Foom, Yula Beeri, The Future Virgins, Good Luck, The Mezingers, Capsule, Ben + Vesper, Jon Snodgrass, Austin Lucas, Mike Hale, Street Eaters, O Pioneers!, Army of Ponch, Virgins, Gatorface, Protagonis t, American Cheeseburg er, Savage Brewtality , Brainworms , New Bruises, Tubers, Cory Branan, Look Mexico, Whiskey & Co., Worn in Red, Ninja Gun, Grabass Charleston s, FIYA, Spanish Gamble, Anchor Arms, How Dare You, Slow Claw, Heads Held High, The Casting Out, Low Red Land, The Itchy Hearts, Yardwork, Panthro UK United 13, Mumpsy, The Beauvilles , The Tim Version, Tiltwheel, Dan Padilla, The Future Now, D.P., City of Ships, Only Thunder, Sloane Peterson, Too Many Daves, Pretty Boy Thorson, Lost Hands Found Fingers, Nut Nut, Ornate Escape, and Mike Bernos.

Excerpt from the  Book, " The Porky from New Yorky ‘s Guide to Weight Loss and Positive Mental Health"


The Porkys comfort meal:

1. &nbs p;  A Box of Generic Brand Flakes
2. &nbs p;  A carton of skim milk
3. &nbs p;  A nice size bowl
4. &nbs p;  a spoon and a comfortabl e chair


on the Porkys stereo:

1. &nbs p;  "We Used to Know" Jethro Tull
2. &nbs p;  "It Must have Happened" Mary Chapin Carpenter
3. &nbs p;  "Next" Scott Walker
4. &nbs p;  "The Young Ones" Viv Stanshall


I have always considered myself to be relatively hip and up on most new things in life starting with music. In fact I am reasonably sure that I have always been at the beginning of all musical curves starting from 1964-1982. By the time 1981/2 came around I realized that the next curve was a kind of punk hardcore musical style-whic h I could not at all relate to. It is at times like these that a Porky has to cut his losses and fold. So I surrendere d my place at the cutting edge table and took a sideways turn embroiling myself into further archeologi cal digs hoping to find something else to guide me-to give me sustenance to take me to that Promised Land. Naturally the arrogance and elitism that a Porky feels on such a journey must be recognized and kept at bay-which if successful allows him to discover the musical nectar of the Gods. I found myself gravitatin g to Instrument als-Greek bouzouki music/Iran ian Raks-song chanteneus es (sp?) like Nana Mouskouri/ Fay Lovsky & Francois Hardy. I fell in love with their music and as such with them-imagi ning our lives together-h ad they wanted me. My lighter and more positive side took me on a flight of fancy sampling the sounds of Viv Stanshall/ Scott Walker/Bun k Dogger and perhaps my all time Favorite the Shadows featuring Guitar God Hank Marvin. I can tell you whenever I need inspiratio n-the powerful emotional guitar in "Wonderful land" awakens the spirit. Try it-it's a top drawer Porky Recommenda tion.  But I digress-th is is not what I meant to talk about in this chapter.

As we are 10 years into a new century-we are at the crossroads of a wild west of technology . I have to admit that while I have tried to keep up-I am like the college kid who keeps dropping classes after the first test. I tried with the best intentions only to be confused, befuddled, out maneuvered and left in the dust. Cassettes were easy-enjoy able and fun. Stereo became a question of educating oneself about the newest and best sounding equipment. Laser discs-shou ld have been the first clue that technology and greed had made their dirty deal and there was no stopping from this moment on. Video cassette recorders fueled the greed as this technology became very successful and profitable . The fly in the ointment (in more ways than one) here was that Video Recorders brought pornograph y to the confined private space of your  bedroom-a godsend to the millions (billions) of chronic masturbato rs the world over. The greatest achievemen t of the 20th century--- take a guess---WA S...WAS.... FAST FORWARD!!! -and you think you know what David Bowie's CH CH CH CHANGES WAS ABOUT! Anyone could do it-and this friendly technology gave Porkys and all people of minimal confidence the inspiratio n to master the basic VCR programmin g technology . Yes you too could be successful . This brilliant technology set the groundwork for what many probably consider the Model T of 20th century technology : and that is of course, the home computer.

I have to say I was at the forefront of this revolution when in 1982 I spent $5000 on a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 3 and a 3 ton printer. I remember the night I bought it-It was the day in January 1982 when air Florida flight 90 crashed into the 14th street Bridge over the Potomac River-I should have known --not a good omen for this Porky and his personal relationsh ip with technology . I learned some basic word processing /database applicatio ns which simplified a few necessary tasks in my business. As time went on I upgraded to newer and more powerful machines hoping I could progress with them- but alas, I never seemed to get past the basic concept of simple word processing . Like millions of others (or was it just me?)  I felt mastering the computer was like selling fire water to the Indians-th e result was not what I expected. But just as the collective millions were ready to give up (or was it just me?)in comes the internet.

Now what does that mean-does that satisfy man's search for meaning? Not really. But it does dangle that perennial carrot of Pornograph y in front of us-(as well as a new term paper service) and with that a whole new world. Things are starting to go very fast now-moneta ry greed is the engine driving our economy and it is faster than a speeding bullet. Communicat ion/new high tech product and the means of delivery seem to be the guardians at the gate. By the time the year 2009 rolls around there is a whole new means of non-verbal communicat ion. Cell phones are abundant-c amera phones/vid eo games-gami ng/phone apps/ipods /hand held's/gps 's/Google/ zappos shoe-frank zappos shoes?/DVD 's/Blue Ray/digita l camera/sky ping/bit torrent/st reaming/do wnloading/ blue tooth/blac kberry/ama zon-ebay/c loud computing- help-stop the madness-he lp me susan powter-- I am still trying to figure out how to work the DVR-caller ID as a concept still  ; blows me away-help I'm a rock-a retarded rock ...ARGGGGG.

Calm down, take a deep breath -center yourself Porky. I am reminded of a movie that came out in the 60's,"Stop the World I Want to Get Off." And so I have. It hasn't stopped me though from using Priceline on occasion. To say I have a difficult relationsh ip with technology is an understate ment. I can say at least I have tried most of the new technologi es. I signed up for a "Facebook" account because it seemed like an interestin g idea and way to communicat e. I immediatel y though, had some problems with the friending concept. Literally the first day I joined I got a request from an old school chum-or so he says-and greeted me with hey Steve it's Bill...do you remember that day in 6th grade we had the circle jerk at Jims house...great to hear from you let's stay in touch-but don't touch to much-ha ha LOL!!. The second day I got an angry friend request from Susan W..... I can forgive you now but when you refused to go the  7th grade Sadie Hawkins dance with me you broke my heart and destroyed my confidence -you piece of shit-I wanted to say that for 40 years-it's so good to get it off my chest, by the way  how are you??? On the third day I got a friend request from Doug J-hey Steve-reme mber me-how could you forget!! When your team came to play us in Karachi-I struck you out each time you went to bat and that last at bat when you had the chance to tie the score- well, you were pathetic-I 'll never forget the look on your face-but hey that was 40 years ago- can we be friends-I promise I won't remind you about it that often!!. Goodbye Facebook - -I ended up closing my account the next day-Social networking -bullshit- Facebook is a secret code for getting mind fucked.  Who needs 500 friends it's hard to enough to keep 5 happy.


And what's with this new form of communicat ion texting and IM'ing. Only last week I was taking my mother to lunch at Panera's.  In the booth next to us-I could see two college kids sitting across from each other-- faces partially hidden by the protective shield of 2 laptops facing each other down. Now I don't see myself as a busybody but I couldn't help but notice that they were talking to each other via IM. What the fuck??? They were fourteen inches face to face away from each other and they were typing on their keyboards. Was verbal communicat ion  on the "out list" this year? Unless my 56 year old mind is failing me what happened to the awe and passion&nb sp; of 18 year old hormones out of control- perception hopes aspiration s of looking into the eyes of your potential mate - On the other hand this new form of communicat ion would partially hide a multitude of sins-- drooling/a cne/ loose boogers/fo od in the teeth-flyi ng saliva-bad choice of words etcc. Wait, WORDS-the magic of communicat ion. I was so befuddled- -I later discussed this scenario with my spiritual advisor Dr. Joseph Sasfy-the most brilliant man I have ever known-and a man who has advised Ahmet Ertegun/Cl ive Davis/Walt er Yetnikoff/ Phil Spector/Lt . Garcia/Ron ald Reagan/Pro fessor Irwin Corey/Jenn a Jamison/th e legendary stardust cowboy & Butch Willis. Dr Sasfy I asked, "why are they not talking to each other, after a long stare, the great doctor spoke."Have you forgotten the words of the prophet," People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, " & he was gone.
The final straw for me was Passwords. The last time I had use for a password was in 1966 while playing Kick the can at Tony Oresteen's house-"who goes there"?&nb sp; "Mr. Vagina", I yelled back, "Welcome Mr.Vagina --you may pass". There it was that was the answer I was looking for. If I had to memorize passwords for my bank/my work/ebay/ amazon/my healthcare plan/my car insurance/ my house insurance/ my home equity line/my internet provider etc..How could I possibly remember all those words-I considered a wristband- similar to those worn by people with obscure diseases-a piece of paper in my wallet-sup posed I was pick pocketed. No it was obvious I had to memorize my passwords. I went back to my joy of language. It was in third grade with my friends John Studebaker /Tommy Creed/Raym ond Gangarosa that we all took such pleasure in saying the words Vagina/fuc king/pussy and even sometimes Penis. Nothing made us happier than to yell these words a top of our lungs. Later that year Raymond Gangarosa signed my 4th grade yearbook-g ood luck at fucking and pushups."  And so it became that all my passwords were Pussy75/va gina pussy and certain other variations -I don't want to give away all my passwords but you get the picture. However as much as I loved my passwords it didn't stop me from forgetting them. One particular ly painful situation comes to mind. I was trying to get into my Sandy Spring account to transfer some money for my son's college tuition. I forgot the password and after trying to retrieve it on line- I finally had to call the help desk of the bank. After going thru the: Push one if you want  to.... Push two if you want..Till I finally got a live person. Hello what can I help you with today?"&nb sp; Well I forgot my password. "Okay can you give me your account number?", " Well no I am not at home I am at work and"..."Okay can you give me the name on the account?" "Yes it should be under Steven.. Or maybe my business name". ".I am sorry sir, I cannot find it under those names-tell me do you remember any part of your password?" "Well I do, but is it really necessary- it's got to be under my last name or..." "Sorry sir I checked them all if you give me what you do remember of your password I can cross-refe rence it against your account." " Well ok it's Bukkake with some number after it." " Bu..What; can you spell it please?" -"yes its B-U-K-K-A- K-E." "Here it is sir-it's Bukkake 56." " Well thank you very much." "-One minute sir-can you tell me what bukkake means?". "Well..well ..It's It's a a Chinese holiday with dragons-ye s dragons blowing smoke." "I know what Bukkake is!; you are very sick person-wha t kind of vile human being would use that for a password?! !"............A Porky!!
 
 


 

It's simple: Put down the guitars and pull out the credit cards instead.

By Fred Mills

First things first: here's what you CAN do, just in case you don't feel like wading through the op-ed portion of this news item (which I've convenient ly included below, following the break). These are reputable, profession al organizati ons with extensive experience in planning and mobilizing humanitari an aid and you can feel secure in donating to them:

The Red Cross

Go to the official site to donate and meanwhile follow them on Twitter for updates on disaster relief progress along with details on their current fundraisin g. You may have heard that can you make direct $10 donations via your telephone by simply texting haiti to 90999 -  you' ll get a reply text telling you to confirm by replying YES, and then there will be a subsequent thank-you confirmati on. What's very cool about this is that no fees will be diverted to your cellphone carrier, and to date they've raised about $5 million; this has proven an immensely popular and easy method, needless to say.  It also appears that MasterCard (and hopefully other credit card companies) are waiving their usual transactio n processing fees for donations to Haitian Aid Efforts.

AmeriCares

At their official site they indicate they've amassed about $3 million worth of medical aid and have already deployed about $2 million worth of supplies from their Amsterdam warehouse.

Oxfam Internatio nal

Oxfam Internatio nal is a confederat ion of 14 like-minde d organizati ons working together and with partners and allies around the world to bring about lasting change by working directly with the impoverish ed and victims of injustice, and part of their efforts involve responding to emergencie s such as this.

Partners In Health

This is the group that, as we reported yesterday, the Arcade Fire is familiar with and is urging people to send in their donations. According to the Fire's Win Butler, "Partners in Health's clinics are in situated the surroundin g areas and haven't been damaged, they are mobilizing their resources towards the capital, setting-up field hospitals to treat the injured on the ground. Also, Paul Farmer (the founder of PIH) is at the UN and has access to the best informatio n on where to direct the money."

UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund is one of the longest-ru nning advocacy and relief organizati on for impoverish ed kids around the entire globe. According to UNICEF, "Expert estimates suggest that 46 per cent of Haiti's nearly 10 million people are under 18 years of age," so that should tell you something important right there.

Doctors Without Borders

This is an internatio nal medical humanitari an group and they've been on the ground from the outset in Haiti, dealing with the massive surgical needs of the earthquake 's aftermath. While one might think what the organizati on needs right now is more doctors, there's a note on their website indicating they aren't equipped to immediatel y send new volunteers to the country as their thing is to respond swiftly using their immediate, existing pool of medical workers. So obviously what they need from us are donations.

The bottom line is, you can choose one or more of these or any designated organizati on of your choice, but the important thing is to donate, and now. Click on the links above to access their websites. On to the op-ed...

********** ********** ********** ****

Yesterday I was talking to a couple of musician friends about the Haiti earthquake and one of them said, "We should put together a benefit concert. What do you think?"

No, I replied. Instead, just make a direct donation.

Whenever there's a natural (or even man-inflic ted) disaster that calls for humanitari an efforts, the music community instinctiv ely tends to respond, as it has been responding ever since George Harrison organized the concert for Bangladesh , through the Band Aid/Live Aid era, and as recently as 9/11 and Katrina. Benefit concerts, benefit recording projects, etc. are and in many cases should be the norm, and I've been involved in a number of them over the years. What's sometimes lost in the glow of good deed-doing , however, is the lack of immediacy these events and projects have unless they can be mounted on a fairly substantia l scale - we're talking bringing in the U2s, the Springstee ns, the McCartneys , the larger than life personalit ies who can get the general public caught up in the spirit of giving.

Today it was announced that George Clooney is getting a telethon together to air on MTV networks, and of course he's got the kind of star wattage that can make a difference . Other celebritie s are using their influence to also make a difference .

Most of us are not celebritie s however, and while fundraiser s on a local level are appropriat e precisely on that count, e.g. a tragedy or an issue that has to be addressed locally, by all means, musicians, promoters, clubs, journalist s, etc. should get involved. But when there's something like what's happened in Haiti, a local benefit concert can't possibly address the immediate needs in any meaningful way, other than to make the participan ts feel good about themselves and possibly spur others into more extensive action. In this instance, "think global/act local" isn't sufficient - the scale is just too immense.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not blind to the fact that if it were possible to coordinate hundreds or thousands of local benefits specifical ly for Haitian relief, a good deal of money might be raised. People tend to get "benefit fatigue," however, and such local efforts generally fall far short of being more than panacea-ef fective.

So in this situation, what charities such as the Red Cross, Oxfam Internatio nal, Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health really need IS. YOUR. DONATION. NOW.

That's right now. Not later, after door receipts from the fundraiser down at the local club are tallied. In fact, if every penny that would otherwise be used on printing, advertisin g, overhead, gasoline... hell, beer and booze and bar tips, too!... was simply diverted to an individual donation, you'd bring in tons more money for the relief effort.

Does a public show of compassion do any good? Of course it does. And consciousn ess raising is important too. But seriously, to all of you out there right now trying to think of what you can do, why not just keep things simple: open up your wallet, pull out a credit card or write a check directly to the pertinent relief agencies. Then call or email and otherwise browbeat your friends and neighbors into doing the same thing. Put links out on Twitter and on your Facebook pages. Make people feel guilty they haven't done something.

And obviously, there are local relief agencies getting involved, by all means donate to them whatever they are calling for - money, water, canned food, blankets - because they are profession als and they know how this kind of thing is done. But make a direct donation, and to do it NOW.

Again, none of this is to make musicians and the music community feel like they shouldn't get involved. But it all has to be taken into perspectiv e in terms of what the priorities at hand are, and to be honest right now the people in Haiti don't need your guitars, your songs, your on-stage platitudes , your recording studio efforts, etc. They need food, water and medical care, and that's something only the profession als can do at the moment. Those profession als don't need the guitars ‘n' tunes either - they need your dough.

New rec due in March from London loonies.

By Blurt Staff

Okay hepcats, Archie Bronson Outfit return with a new album, Coconut, on March 23. Coconut is the London based three-piec e's first LP in almost four years and their third album for Domino. 2006's Derdang Derdang made our best-of list that year (back when we were known as Harp) so we expect nothing less than greatness this time around.

It's described as "switching between full on deep-end rock and more reflective , beat-drive n numbers... a modern psychedeli c testament delivering a visceral shot of pleasure."

Hey, we are all about visceral shots of pleasure.

Recording sessions took place in London and Benton Harbour, Michigan, with production from DFA's Tim Goldsworth y (LCD Soundsyste m, The Rapture, Hercules & Love Affair).

Tracklisti ng:

1. Magnetic Warrior
2. Shark's Tooth
3. Hoola
4. Wild Strawberri es
5. Chunk
6.1 You Have A Right To A Mountain Life / 6.2 One Up On Yourself
7. Bite It & Believe It
8. Hunt You Down
9. Harness (Bliss)
10. Run Gospel Singer

The band will tour the UK in March followed by North America in May.

Finally getting down to promoting the Curse Your Branches album. A must-see tour.

By Blurt Staff

Ex-Pedron the Lion mainman David Bazan, who released Curse Your Branches this year as his first solo album, has just announced an extensive U.S. tour that kicks off March 4 and runs through mid April. It's sure to be a must-see tour, considerin g how rabid Bazan's fan base - both in the Christian and the secular music communitie s - tends to be.

The record is the deepest and most explicit exploratio n of his struggles with faith and the Evangelica l world in which he was raised to date, and a meditation on all things passed between the generation s. Since its release Curse Your Branches notched scores of "Best of 2009" nods.

As BLURT put it in our review, "He's voicing the doubts and dichotomie s that comprise any thinking person's faith. He's got a knack for ironic wordplay, graceful dirges and understate d pop hooks, too, and that's translated into good drama and songs."

Bazan was featured in an in-depth profile in the latest issue of our print magazine, and we'll be publishing the entire, expanded version of that article on the website shortly, so keep your eyes peeled.

DAVID BAZAN ON TOUR:

March:

04 EUGENE, OR - Sam Bond's !@
05 SACRAMENTO , CA - Blue Lamp !@
06 VISALIA, CA - Cellar Door !@
07 SANTA BARBARA, CA - SOhO Restaurant and Music Club !#
08 LONG BEACH, CA - Alex's Bar !@
09 LAS VEGAS, NV - Beauty Bar !@
10 TEMPE, AZ - Sail Inn !@
12 NORMAN, OK - Opolis !@
13 SPRINGFIEL D, MO - Gallery Sounds !#
14 ST. LOUIS, MO - Old Rock House !@
15 NEWPORT, KY - Southgate House !#
17 NASHVILLE, TN - Exit In !@
18 ASHEVILLE, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern and Music Hall !#
19 COLUMBIA, SC - New Brookland !@
20 RICHMOND, VA - Alley Katz !$
21 BALTIMORE, MD - Ottobar !#
22 PHILADELPH IA, PA - First Unitarian !#
23 BROOKLYN, NY - Music Hall of Williamsbu rg !$
27 GRANTHAM, PA - Larsen Student Union at Messiah College !@
28 COLUMBUS, OH - Summit !$
29 BLOOMINGTO N, IN - Bishop !$
30 GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Ladies Literary Club !#

April:

03 DEKALB, IL - House Café ; !#
04 MILWAUKEE, WI - Pabst Theater !@
05 ST. PAUL, MN - Turf Club !@
06 FARGO, ND - Aquarium !@
08 MISSOULA, MT - Palace $
09 SPOKANE, WA - Empyrean #
10 BELLINGHAM , WA - WWU Viking Union Multi-Purp ose Room #


! with Headlights

@ 21+
# all-ages
$ 18+

A Decade of Punk Rock - the Good AND the Bad

By John B. Moore

With apologizes to my fellow Blurt writers, I loathe End of the Year/End of the Decade music lists.

They just seem like a useless game of one-upmans hip that gives critics the excuse to trot out their pretentiou s musical tastes and try to outdo each other with obscure sub-indie references to bands that only dubbed a dozen cassettes of their warbling and handed out to their friends and "Oh, oh I have a copy and realize how brilliant they are". I put it right up there with militant vegans, former smokers and people who claim that they "don't even own a TV". &nbs p;

... But deep down, I'm a pretentiou s twit myself (though I love red meat and watch as much TV as possible,) so two weeks into the New Year, here's my list of bands that nearly killed punk rock this decade.... And those that saved it.

Five albums that almost killed punk rock...

• Boys Like Girls - Boys like Girls (2007) Over the past decade, major record labels, not content to just screw up every other genre, decided that they could give a band instant credibilit y by tacking the suffix "punk" at the end of "pop" on any band's bio. One of the most obvious examples is the Boston top 40 pop band Girls Like Boys. The name isn't the only thing unoriginal about this glorified boy band, last seen lip-synchi ng in the Macy's Thanksgivi ng Day Parade last month. This four piece was the Trojan horse that helped smuggle in equally pitiful acts like Cute is What We Aim For and Breathe Caroline - not one who ever owned a Clash or Ramones album.
• Good Charlotte - The Chronicles of Life & Death (2004) I pity the real punk rockers with neck tattoos. Thanks to these light weight twins from Maryland who equate ink with street cred, the guys in Rancid and Dropkick Murphys now have to spend the next year getting their tattoos lasered off lest anyone equate them with Good Charlotte. These guys could almost be excused for their Hot Topic brand of bubble gum punk if they had stopped at The Young and Hopeless, but then they had to try and become artists on their third album. The result was a dozen faux serious, whiny odes to being a teenager. Next stop double dates with Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. Long live punk rawk!
• Powerspace - The Kicks of Passion (2007) Powerspace came to represent just how low the once promising indie punk label Fueled By Ramen had fallen in the 00's. Once the breeding ground for bands like The Pietasters and Jimmy Eat World, the label devolved into mindless drek like this keyboard-f used excuse for pop-punk. Equally mind boggling is the fact that FBR had to compete with other labels to sign this band.
• A Static Lullaby - A Static Lullaby (2006) OK, maybe it's not fair to single out this band in particular , but the Chico Hills-base d A Static Lullaby represent a crappy metal/hard core/screa m-o hybrid that had no business associatin g itself with punk rock. Cookie Monster vocals and mediocre metal riffs equals nothing more than noise from over-privi leged suburban kids desperate for attention.
• Cobra Starship - While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets (2006) Labeled as pop-punk, this band wrote a song for the movie Snake on a Plane, which goes to show just how bottom of the barrel scrapping desperate this group was even at the beginning of their existence. Started by former Midtown bassist/si nger Gabe Saporta, the group has a freakin' keytar player for Christ sake, going to show that tweens have an extreme level of tolerance for obvious irony... as well as crappy pop-punk.

And 5 albums that saved it.

• Bad Religion -The Empire Strikes First (2004) George W. Bush may have been the worst president in history, but he was great for punk rock. Exhibit A is The Empire Strikes First, a baker's dozen of brilliant angry political punk anthems. Songs like "Los Angeles is Burning" and "Let Them Eat War" stand up against anything the band put out in the 80's and 90's.
• Green Day - American Idiot (2004) And Exhibit B is American Idiot, Green Day's best album in an already decent career. A raised middle finger to Bush and the status quo, this radio-frie ndly record also showed that there was still a little life left in the rock opera.
• Flogging Molly - Float (2008) With Flogging Molly, The Pogues have finally found someone worthy enough to pick up their Celtic punk rock banner. The LA, by way of Dublin rockers have regularly turned out stellar albums, but Float raised the bar to its highest level with destined to be classic Celtic punk gems like "Requiem for a Dying Song" and "Between a Man and a Woman."
• Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (2008) Punk rockers have always had a crush on Springstee n, but with New Jersey-bas ed Gaslight Anthem's second full length, the band finally came out and fess up to their devotion. The '59 Sound, also drawing inspiratio n from influences as varied as Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, is as close as one can come to a flawless record.
• Bouncing Souls - The Gold Record (2006) Fifteen years into an already impressive career, Jersey punks The Bouncing Souls turned in their most evolved album to date with this fantastic record. Sweeping anthems, topped off with surprising ly personal lyrics, The Gold Record is the ultimate sonic promise that was hinted at with the band's five previous releases. Pardon the pun, but pure gold.

Godfather of swamp-pop wrote hits for, and hobnobbed with, the legends, while forging his own distinct musical legacy.

By Blurt Staff

Another classic American voice was silenced this week: Bobby Charles Guidry, known internatio nally as Bobby Charles, passed away on January 14. He reportedly collapsed at his home in Abbeville, Louisiana, for as-yet-und isclosed reasons, although he had diabetes and had previously suffered from kidney cancer. He was 71.

Charles helped launch the "swamp-pop " movement - the style, geographic ally identified with south Louisiana and southeast Texas, was characteri zed by bluesy bass, twitchy guitar, honky tonk piano and, frequently , robust horns. In addition to penning huge hits for other performers (such as "See You Later, Alligator" for Billy Haley; "Walking To New Orleans" for Fats Domino and "(I Don't Know Why I Love You) But I Do" for Clarence "Frogman" Henry), he signed with Chess Records and joined several of that label's package tours - with Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon and others - as the only white man on the bus.

Charles wound up moving to Woodstock in the early ‘70s where he cut the cult-class ic album Bobby Charles with The Band's Rick Danko producing; he subsequent ly appeared with the Band at the legendary Last Waltz in 1976. In general, though, he shunned the spotlight and was often referred to as reclusive, although his profile was certainly high enough to merit induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

2004 saw him release the acclaimed Last Train to Memphis, which was followed in 2008 by Homemade Songs. At the time of his death he'd recently finished a new album, Timeless, produced by Dr. John; it's reportedly due for release in February.

BLURT profiled Charles in our third issue (September 2008) and we'll have a full tribute to the man at the BLURT site on Monday.

Please, no jokes about him curing her melancolie infinite sadness yet. Save your pity for John Mayer.

By Perez Mills

Everybody recovered from the hangover that was the ‘00s ? Make your New Year's resolution s yet? Good - this year/centu ry's first, er, noteworthy musical news (aside from those skin disease-li ke tattoos Courtney Love recently got, of course) comes courtesy of Billy Corgan and Jessica Simpson.

You knew it was coming. No, silly, not the rumors about them getting married (which, if you parse the terminolog y of this press release, hardly justified the headline "Jessica Simpson to Marry Billy Corgan"). Plus, we already told you some time ago that the pair was, at least for the moment, a dating item. We're talking the news that the Smashing Pumpkins frontman and the former Mrs. Nick Lachey have been working together in the recording studio.

MTV News reports:

Jessica and Billy are working in the studio together. And this isn't news from friends of sources, but instead from Jessica's Twitter, Our favorite tweet appeared just the other day, when she tweeted a photo of herself and Corgan in the studio working on music that has since been removed. She has apparently been in the studio with him and producer Kerry Brown.

Indeed, if you head over to Jessica Simpson's Twitter feed, it's loaded with references to being into the studio with Corgan and Brown (@studiodo g): "I am blessed - going over a song w/billy and the boxer"; etc.), while Brown's Twitter similarly references the sessions in spots. And the pair's photograph er friend Kristin Burns took the above photo that's been making the rounds of the web.

No details yet on whether they're working on material for Simpson herself, or if she's doing vocals for the forthcomin g Pumpkins projects. Here's hoping, however, that she's up on her flu shots, since sharing spit at a microphone can transmit many a contagious disease.

Plans to perform the entire classic album from '89.

By Blurt Staff

It's opposite day at BLURT, which means what better way to celebrate than by taking a trip to Bizarro World. Bizarro #1 - aka the Wedding Present's David Gedge - will be your tour guide. He's been keeping an eye on all those other bands who have been thrilling fans (and raking in the box office receipts) by performing classic albums in concert in their entirety - not the least of whom was Bruce Springstee n, who pulled out all the stops last year by doing several different complete albums at different tour stops.

So in honor of the forgoing plus the 21^st anniversar y of the Wedding Present's classic '89 album Bizarro, Gedge has announced his intention to bring it all to you, the discrimina ting music fans.

Released in 1989, Bizarro remains a fan favorite and its notable tracks are "Brassneck " and "Kennedy."  The album marked the first official release for the band in North America and its major label debut (RCA).  The forthcomin g April 2010 tour, much anticipate d after the successful George Best 20th Anniversar y Tour in 2007, will feature the album in full plus a few other new and old favorites. 

This ain't no April Fool's.... Incidental ly, one of BLURT's fave bands The Jet Age will be opening on selected East Coast shows, so check 'em out.

April Tour Dates

1 : San Diego CA, USA - Casbah
2 : Los Angeles CA, USA - Troubadour
5 : Austin TX, USA - Emo's
7 : Atlanta GA - Earl with The Jet Age
9 : Washington DC, USA - Black Cat with The Jet Age
10 : Hoboken NJ, USA - Maxwell's with The Jet Age
11 : New York City NY, USA - Bowery Ballroom
12 : Cambridge MA, USA - Middle East Downstairs
14 : Toronto ON, Canada - Horseshoe Tavern
15 : Pontiac MI, USA - The Pike Room at The Crofoot
16 : Chicago IL, USA - Double Door
17 : Minneapoli s MN, USA - 400 Bar
20 : Vancouver BC, Canada - To be confirmed
21 : Seattle WA, USA - Crocodile
22 : Portland OR, USA - Doug Fir Lounge
24 : San Francisco CA, USA - Independen t

More than just a fun way to score a free bottle of Oxycontin...

By Fred Mills

Now HERE's a couple of eBay offerings you can sink yer teeth into, er, stick some sharp objects in. First up: a Pat Robertson Voodoo Doll, which is being auctioned off by some clever lad or lassie from L.A. in order to raise funds for Haitian relief. (Thanks to Blurt contributo r Jason Gross for the tip.)

Recall that the right Rev. Pat said on a 700 Club broadcast last week that the earthquake and ensuing devastatio n in Haiti was the product of God's wrath: "They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil."

Beyond the pale, yes, so here's your opportunit y to own your very own voodoo doll that'll let you take a poke at the old blowhard anytime you feel like it.

According to the listing for item #190365539 998, from vendor JohnnyVood oo99

Finally!&n bsp; What you've all been asking for!  A one of a kind, handmade PAT ROBERSTON VOODOO DOLL.

After an exclusive deal with devil, we are finally able to bring black magic into your very own home!  ; The lucky winner of this auction will attain the soul of Televangel ist PAT ROBERTSON in a handheld figurine comprised of the finest straw, cloth, and other organic natural materials!  

Ever wanted to cause Pat Robertson a massive headache?& nbsp; give him back pain?  ; jab him in the crotch?&nb sp;  Of course you have!  ; Well then BID NOW to own your very own pysical representa tion of the dark, dark soul of Pat Robertson.

Accessorie s included with the doll are Pat's very own "HOLY" BIBLE and BAG OF MONEY taken from real Americans!   WOW!

We'll take "jab him in the crotch" for 50 dollars, Alex!

Incidental ly, the eBay auction pledges tht 100% of the profits from the sale will go to the American Red Cross.  As of this writing there have been 67 bids, and the current bid is $910, with 7 days left in the auction.

***

But wait, as the saying goes - there's more! JohnnyVood oo99 is also auctioning off a Rush Limbaugh Voodoo Doll. Same deal, except that proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.

According to the listing:

 Because you demanded it!!  A RUSH LIMBAUGH VOODOO DOLL!!

We've made another deal with the devil (He makes great deals!) and this time captured the soul of popular radio personalit y and convicted felon RUSH LIMBAUGH, putting it into a voodoo doll that fits right in your pocket!

Ever wanted to cause Rush Limbaugh to lose his voice?&nbs p; Have him sprain an ankle?&nbs p; Come down with a rash in his bathing suit area?  ; Of course you have!!!&nb sp; Well then BID NOW to own your very own physical representa tion of the cold, empty soul of Rush Limbaugh.

Accessorie s included with the doll are Rush's very own MICROPHONE and PRESCRIPTI ON BOTTLE OF OXYCONTIN!   WOW!!!

Well, of course we'll take the "lose his voice" option.

19 bids thus far, currently at $218.50, with 9 days left in the auction. C'mon America, step up to the plate, and let's bid these suckers up into the stratosphe re. And seriously, donate to both of the organizati ons if yours is not the winning bid.

Set to drop new album in April.

By Blurt Staff

Murder By Death - Adam Turla- vocals, guitars, keys, Sarah Balliet- cello and keys, Matt Armstrong- bass and noises, and Dagan Thogerson- drums and percussion .- will release their fifth studio album, Good Morning, Magpie, on April 6 via Vagrant. The quartet self-produ ced the album which was recorded at Bloomingto n-based Farm Fresh Studios and the resulting ten tracks were mixed by Trina Shoemaker.

"Good Morning, Magpie is some of the darkest and brightest material we have ever written," said Turla, in a statement. "While it's not a concept album, it embodies the struggle between light and dark that has defined our previous work."

Turla wrote most of the new material during two weeks he spent alone deep in the woods of Appalachia with just "a tent, a fishing pole, a guitar, and a lot of paper."

Good Morning, Magpie follows 2008's Red of Tooth and Claw. A US tour is being planned and dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Thurston Moore and others to pay tribute Feb. 13 in Philly; MP3 teaser of new album below.

By Fred Mills

Among the most unexpected passings of 2009 was Jack Rose, who died suddenly at his home in Philadelph ia on December 5. At the time he was readying his next album for Thrill Jockey, Luck in the Valley, which is due out Feb. 23. Now comes word of a memorial/t ribute concert for the acclaimed finger-sty le and wonderfull y experiment al guitarist.

MP3: "Woodpiles on the Side of the Road"

On Feb. 13 at the Latvian Society of Philadelph ia, a who's-who of indie icons will turn out to remember Rose. Among them: Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore (along with Paul Flaherty and Chris Corsano), Cul de Sac's Glenn Jones, Dr. Charles Speer and Rose's old band Pelt.

According to the event's official press release, "Rose grew to be loved and admired by a great many people through his live performanc es, electric personalit y, profound cooking skills and a general mastery in the art of friendship . This concert is a release party for his new album "Luck In The Valley" and an occasion to celebrate and remember the good Dr. Ragtime. The artists performing were all dear friends of Jack's and admired by him musically."

Details:

Saturday, February 13 - 7:0 0 PM

Latvian Society of Philadelph ia

531 N. 7th Street, Philadelph ia

Tickets are $18 via Ticketfly: http://www .ticketfly.com/purcha se/event/4 067

Performers :

D. Charles Speer & The Helix

Thurston Moore | Paul Flaherty | Chris Corsano

Michael Chapman

Canadian singer (and mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright ) was acclaimed in the folk community since the ‘70s .

By Fred Mills

Beloved folks/root s singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle (above, left) died yesterday, Jan. 18, following a battle with a rare form of cancer. She was 63.

Along with her sister Anna, Kate McGarrigle was one-half of the Canadian-b ased McGarrigle Sisters. The Quebec duo, who recorded albums in both French and English, got their start in the ‘60s and went on to acclaim starting in the ‘70s ; their '76 debut Kate & Anna McGarrigle was hailed by the likes of Melody Maker and the New York Times as one of the best albums of that year. Over the years their songs were covered by everyone from Billy Bragg and Linda Ronstadt ("Heart Like A Wheel" became a huge hit for Ronstadt) to Emmylou Harris and Nick Cave (who famously had them join him on his 2001 album No More Shall We Part).

Kate was also the mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright from her previous marriage to Loudon Wainwright III.

According to Canada's CBC, "Reports that McGarrigle was critically ill surfaced over the weekend after her son, Rufus, cancelled his tour of Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to begin in February, to be with her."

We're not quite sure what the question marks after Thom Yorke's name are intended to suggest, but he's headlining along with Pavement, Gorillaz, Jay-Z, LCD Soundsyste m, Them Crooked Vultures, Muse, Faith No More and Tiesto. Tix go on sale this Friday Jan. 22 for the April 16-18 event.

By Blurt Staff

It's easily the weakest Coachella roster of acts to date, and it's also the long-in-co ming "mainstrea ming of Coachella" that marks the end of its status as the premiere alternativ e music event of the year. Why not add the Jonas Brothers and Carrie Underwood to the bill while they're at it? At any rate, here's the official announceme nt, along with ticketing info:

***

The 11^th installmen t of the Coachella festival will feature a mix of artists ranging from Pavement, Thom Yorke????, Vampire Weekend, Them Crooked Vultures, LCD Soundsyste m, Phoenix, Tiëst o, Faith No More, Deadmau5, David Guetta, MGMT and Public Image Limited.  Set for Friday, April 16, Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18 at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA--the same grounds where COACHELLA debuted in 1999--the COACHELLA 2010 line-up will feature more than 130 acts.

This year's COACHELLA will feature a variety of options to make the concert experience an enjoyable one.  In addition to expanded camping options--i ncluding car, RV and traditiona l tent camping-- COACHELLA will allow, for the first time, in-and-out privileges for all attendees. &nbs p; Festival goers will once again have the ability to purchase 3-day festival tickets and various onsite camping options via an easy layaway payment plan.

For those looking to streamline the weekend's experience , COACHELLA has teamed with Valley Music Travel to provide exclusive travel packages, local hotel shuttle transporta tion and private home rentals with VIP COACHELLA access.  For more informatio n and to purchase tickets, please visit www.valleymusi ctravel.com/coache lla.php.

FRIDAY APRIL 16:  Jay-Z, LCD Soundsyste m, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Public Image Limited, The Specials, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Benny Benassi, Fever Ray, Grace Jones, She & Him, Erol Alkan, The Avett Brothers, Calle 13, The Whitest Boy Alive, The Cribs, La Roux, Yeasayer, Lucero, DJ Lance Rock, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Proxy, Ra Ra Riot, Deer Tick, Wolfgang Gartner, Aeroplane, Iglu & Hartly, Sleigh Bells, P.O.S., Baroness, Hockey, Little Dragon, White Rabbits, Wale, Kate Miller-Hei dke, As Tall as Lions, Jets Overhead, Alana Grace, Pablo Hassan.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17:  Muse, Faith No More, Tiëst o, MGMT, David Guetta, The Dead Weather, Hot Chip, Devo, Coheed and Cambria, Kaskade, 2Many DJ's, Major Lazer, Dirty Projectors , Gossip, Z-Trip, The xx, John Waters, Les Claypool, The Raveonette s, Mew, Sia, Camera Obscura, Tokyo Police Club, Porcupine Tree, Old Crow Medicine Show, Aterciopal ados, Bassnectar , Frightened Rabbit, Dirty South, Flying Lotus, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pretty Lights, Shooter Jennings, RX Bandits, The Almighty Defenders, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, Craze & Klever, Zoe, The Temper Trap, Portugal. The Man, Band of Skulls, Girls, Beach House, Steel Train, Frank Turner.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18:  Gorillaz, Pavement, Thom Yorke????, Phoenix, Orbital, Spoon, Sly and the Family Stone, De La Soul, Julian Casablanca s, Plastikman , Gary Numan, Charlotte Gainsbourg , Sunny Day Real Estate, Yo La Tengo, MUTEMATH, Deerhunter , Infected Mushroom, Club 75, Matt & Kim, The Big Pink, Gil Scott-Hero n, King Khan and the Shrines, Florence and the Machine, Yann Tiersen, Little Boots, Miike Snow, Talvin Singh, Ceu, B.o.B., Babasonico s, Owen Pallett, The Glitch Mob, Mayer Hawthorne, Local Natives, Rusko, The Middle East, Hadouken!, The Soft Pack, Kevin Devine, Paparazzi, Delphic, One EskimO.

Tickets for COACHELLA go on sale Friday, January 22 at 10:00 AM at all Ticketmast er locations and www.coachella.com. Three-day weekend passes are $269.00, plus surcharges .  More details on layaway, camping options and up-to-the minute informatio n, can be found at www.coachella.com.  COACHELLA 2010 sponsors include Heineken and PlayStatio n.

Part Boss, Part Stooge: the Austin songwriter previews new material and hints at more "guitar-dr iven" sound Jan. 15. He also tells BLURT about the album he's about to record.

By Jason Bugg

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    On Friday, January 15^th at Asheville NC's The Orange Peel Texas rocker Alejandro Escovedo took the stage to the mournful sounds of George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and proceeded to shake the room, the crowd, and even himself out of the cold gray abscess of this already harsh and short winter- all while looking like a million bucks.

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    The singer, decked out in a blue faux snakeskin suit and black and white polka dot ascot, effortless ly plowed through songs from his last album (2008's excellent Real Animal), a few covers (including a spot-on rendition of Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes") and even managed to keep the audience interested while showcasing material for Real Animal's soon-to-be -recorded follow-up. (The current leg of his tour wraps Jan. 23 in Louisville , at which point he and his band will head over to Lexington' s Saint Claire studios, the same facility where Real Animal was recorded.)

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    Of the four new songs previewed, the most rollicking of which made its live debut at the show; the song, a spot-on concoction that smashes together Darkness on the Edge of Town-era Springstee n and Tim-era Westerberg entitled "The Anchor" handily showcased Escovedo's mastery of the rock and roll song: three minutes, three choruses, a blazing guitar solo courtesy of guitarist David Pulkingham and a rousing ending. The formula may sound banal, but the result is a song that garnered fist pumping and even a few audience members shouting the chorus ("I'm in love with love and it broke me in two") back at the singer by the end of the song.

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "I wrote that song while in Mexico surfing," said Escovedo in a quick chat after the show, "This entire new album is all about love, death and surfing."

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    But the new tunes didn't stop there. The singer also showcased "Down in the Bowery", a tender song that Escovedo wrote for his son.  If that descriptio n alone makes you worry about the singer drifting into schmaltzy Rod Stewart territory, fear not - the song's country feel and lyrics about finding one's own way owes more to Gram Parsons and Keith Richards than it ever could to AOR tripe.

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "I asked my son what he thought about my music and he told me it was ‘old man's music', so I wrote this song about how I want him to find his path in life," said Escovedo with a laugh.

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    If there was only a casual hint of the Stones in "Down in the Bowery", then "This Bed is Getting Crowded" was a full blown hero worship for the Mick Taylor era of the Stones. Set atop a garage-y and repetitive guitar riff and leading to a very Iggy Pop-feelin g climax, the song encapsulat es a rather ominous feeling that came over Escovedo during the writing process that he describes as when "romance is futile and death is impending" .  If that feeling creates as joyous a noise as on "This Bed is Getting Crowded", then more people need to latch onto it- the song cooks.

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    The final new song played that night was a slow burning and very Velvet Undergroun d sounding "After the Meteor Shower", a slow and simple song punctuated by a vibrato-la den guitar that Escovedo describes as "my attempt to write a ‘Pal e Blue Eyes'-type of song".

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    The songs managed to fit right into Escovedo and company's show and not feel out of place. The singer is also taking the time on this tour to showcase his smaller backing band, consisting of Pulkingham , bassist Bobby Daniel and drummer Hector Muñ oz.  Gone are the strings of past tours and in its place a muscular, guitar-cen tric band.

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    "I wanted to play guitar-dri ven rock this time out," said Escovedo. "It was hard to convince people that that's what I do, so hopefully this record will show that."

 &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp;    If the live material is any indicator, there will be no doubt about that when the new album is finally released.  Escovedo is showing his inner Boss, but hinting at his inner Stooge.

[Photo Credit: Jason Bugg]

That treadmill- walkin' band gets a rude awakening from its major label patrons and decides to do something about it.

By Fred Mills

With OK Go's new EMI album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky issued this week, the band also has dropped a new single, "This Too Shall Pass," and posted the accompanyi ng video to YouTube. It's a pretty interestin g video - view it at YouTube here - but that's almost beside the point now, because it has sparked a minor feud between the band and it's label.

Basically, after the video was posted, EMI demanded that the embedding be disabled so that nobody else could post it to their music site, blog or news aggregator . This despite the fact that the label owes its charges' success (and therefore any resultant profits) almost exclusivel y to an earlier OK Go video... let's see, something about treadmills , hmmm, what was that... that went viral. But as everyone knows, "going viral" these days doesn't necessaril y mean being located exclusivel y on YouTube - the idea is to get everyone posting the clip and creating a multi-plat form buzz.

It's too early in the flap to determine if things will escalate to Leno-Conan -NBC levels, and that's more of a Mexican standoff anyway; as OK Go probably needs EMI far more than EMI needs OK Go, my bet is that the band will just lick its wounds and move on to the next project. It's unlikely this will become a "feud" on the order of, say, Trent Reznor Vs. Interscope .

That doesn't mean the band's going to crawl away quietly, at least not before it gets its point of view out there. Band member Damian Kulash took to the okgo.net forums on Monday night to post a lengthy screed that, while more or less respectful to EMI - his employer - and the label's obvious rationale in the matter (it wants to, uh, get paid for YouTube viewings, and it apparently won't derive any income from viewings at other sites), he clearly takes issue with the corporatio n.

Writes Kulash:

We've been flooded with complaints recently because our YouTube videos can't be embedded on websites, and in certain countries can't be seen at all. And we want you to know: we hear you, and we're sorry. We wish there was something we could do. Believe us, we want you to pass our videos around more than you do, but, crazy as it may seem, it's now far harder for bands to make videos accessible online than it was four years ago.

Four years after we posted our first homemade videos to YouTube and they spread across the globe faster than swine flu, making our bassist's glasses recognizab le to 70-year-ol ds in Wichita and 5-year-old s in Seoul and eventually turning a tidy little profit for EMI, we're - unbelievab ly - stuck in the position of arguing with our own label about the merits of having our videos be easily shared. It's like the world has gone backwards.

So, for now, here's the bottom line: EMI won't let us let you embed our YouTube videos. It's a decision that bums us out. We've argued with them a lot about it, but we also understand why they're doing it. They're aware that their rules make it harder for people to watch and share our videos, but, while our duty is to our music and our fans, theirs is to their shareholde rs, and they believe they're doing the right thing.

There's a lot more to Kulash's editorial and it's a pretty fascinatin g read, as he's got a clear-eyed perspectiv e on what goes on behind the scenes in terms of marketing an act these days by a major label. Read the whole thing here.

Oh, one last thing - for his parting shot, Kulash provides the video's embed code for Vimeo and then tells folks, "Go forth and put it everywhere , please. And buy our album. It's great."

I'd reckon that kind of attitude counts for a lot. Go buy the band's album and support the group. Even if you're not a huge fan of OK Go, they're clearly among the good guys.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

Knitting Factory label spearheads massive project

By Dan Weiss

45 albums. Afrobeat pioneer, provocativ e bandleader and all-around African music legend Fela Kuti died at 58 but Bob Dylan's still catching up to that total at 68. Paul McCartney' s not even close. Needless to say, that's a legendary amount of tape, and in light of the recent success of loosely biographic al off- (and soon to be on-) Broadway musical <i>F ela!</i >, Knitting Factory Records has taken up the heavy task of reissuing every damn thing in the late Black President' s catalogue- all of which expected to see the light of day in North American record stores by 2011.

"The musical has increased demand quite a bit, as would be expected, but really even before the musical hit the press it seems like there's been this sort of organic magnetism towards Fela," says Knitting Factory's Ian Wheeler.

We got the first taste of these-many of which seeing North American release on vinyl for the first time ever-last October with the self-expla natory <i>B est of the Black President& lt;/i>, a 2xCD-plus- DVD treasure chest that collects some of the best (and funkiest) music ever made.

Besides the obvious revival of African guitar styles that's swept recent indie from Dirty Projectors to Vampire Weekend (and an actually pretty-gre at record of Kuti's Egypt 80 ensemble last year with son Seun at the helm), Wheeler says of the renewed interest, "A lot of folks just seem to be finding Fela moreso than in the past. It's odd and feels almost spiritual in light of the musical especially -It feels like some external force is drawing everyone towards Fela at once."

Mothership lands in the middle of a corn field in Iowa, leaves crop circle in shape of a bong.

By Fred Mills

Now HERE's the kind of frammin' on th' jim-jam all us hemp farmers at BLURT can get behind: Iowa-raise d garage, psych, space, sludge and stoner rock. The name is Mondo Drag and the game is, in the parlance, "extended psychedeli c blues guitar jams and haunting vocals over heavy, steady bass lines and thumping percussion ." Or so they tell us. When was the last time you set the controls for the heart of friggin' Iowa?!?

But the band is signed to Alive Naturalsou nd Records, to that's a pretty good barometer of their ability to grok the musical fullness. New Rituals is the album title and it's due out next week, Jan. 26, at fine CD emporiums and online digital retailers everywhere . There will also be a limited-to -500-copie s red vinyl edition.

Free MP3: "Love Me (Like a Stranger)"

The band: Johnnie Cluney (drums/voc als), Nolan Girard (rhythm guitar/voc als), John Gomino (keyboards /saxophone ), Dennis Hockaday (bass), and Jake Sheley (lead guitar). They further pledge allegiance to Pink Floyd, Pentagram, Blue Cheer, Hendrix and, just for a contempora ry reference, Sonic Youth, so you know they've got their heads screwed on just right.

Catch ‘em on tour:

Feb 26 @ Vaudeville Mews w/ PENTAGRAM
Feb 6 @ White Lightning Warehouse - Iowa City, IA
Feb 9 @ Off Broadway - St Louis, MO
Feb 10 TAB - Carbondale , IL
Feb 11 @ Al's Bar - Lexington, KY
Feb 12 @ Springwate r - Nashville, TN
Feb 13 @ Wall Street - Murfreesbo ro, TN
Feb 14 @ Loudhouse Coffee - Greenbrier , TN
Feb 15 @ Blue Rock Tavern - Cincinnati , OH
Feb 16 TAB - Indianapol is, IN
Feb 17 @ The Mopery - Chicago, IL
Feb 18 TBA - DeKalb, IL

Feb 20 @ RME Hall - CD RELEASE SHOW

Bobby McGee's best friend, somewhat weathered but still unbowed, pack ‘em in at Cambell, Ca. venue the Heritage Theatre on Jan. 13.

By Jud Cost

Watching Jeff Bridges play down-and-o ut country singer Bad Blake in Crazy Heart one day, then going to see Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristoffer son the next night wasn't really that much of a stretch. While the hard-drink ing, chain-smok ing, skirt-chas ing Blake was pretty much the author of his own misfortune , Kristoffer son's problem seems to be one we'll all face one day, if we're lucky: He's just getting old.

The visibly nervous, silver-tha tched former Rhodes scholar, Army captain and helicopter pilot, now 73, had vocal problems right out of the chute that must have caused the audience to blink hard. Was that really Kris Kristoffer son up there, the same guy who played opposite Barbra Streisand in 1976 film A Star Is Born? His haunting baritone pipes have morphed over the years into a senior citizen's reedy tenor. The intonation these days sounds closer to Gabby Hayes than Isaac Hayes. But, with an overflow crowd of 600 at Campbell's Heritage Theatre firmly in his corner, Kristoffer son loosened up considerab ly as the night wore on. His guitar playing, unfortunat ely, was another matter, entirely. While finger-pic king simple patterns on an acoustic, he frequently muffed endings or lost the thread completely , sometimes abandoning a song as soon as he ran into trouble.

Of course, the one thing Kristoffer son will never lose is an armload of some of the 20th century's finest songs, and he played them all tonight. "Me And Bobby McGee," a posthumous hit for former girlfriend Janis Joplin in 1971, sounded particular ly fine with Kristoffer son blowing away on a harmonica strapped to a rack. He also regaled the crowd with the time he and Dylan accomplice Bob Neuwirth visited Byrds founder Roger McGuinn in southern California . "McGuinn had an entire wall of television sets, and one of them even monitored his driveway." Kristoffer son proceeded to write a tune about McGuinn's neighbors putting on an impromptu talent show/audit ion in front of his driveway camera. "One guy even played 'Temptatio n' on kazoo," he chuckled.

The crowd got an unexpected hearty laugh when Kristoffer son dedicated a number to a list of deceased performers that included Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and John Lennon. Someone who didn't get it shouted out "George Jones!" to which Kristoffer son replied, "George Jones isn't dead. He's just old! There's a difference between being old and dead."

The venerated career signposts- "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)," "Beat The Devil" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night"-spr inkled judiciousl y throughout the two short sets, were like lifebuoys that Kristoffer son clung to in choppy waters. At the conclusion of the latter song, he got a rousing response by blurting out: "George Bush and Dick Cheney were singing that song in the shower together this morning!" Nobody, it should be noted, got up and left. And Joan Baez, reportedly in attendance up in the balcony, must have loved it.

Campbell, Calif., a tight-asse d little town on the western border of sprawling metropolis San Jose, seems an odd place for a music venue these days. But there was a time 30 years ago when the burg seethed with tiny joints like Smokey Mountain and the Bodega. The latter club hosted a pair of splendid nights that featured the Ramones in early 1977, then the Talking Heads later that year accompanie d by Eddie & the Hot Rods. My brother, the Campbell police chief at the time, put an end to all that in the late-&lsqu o;80s, shutting them all down. More recently, John Padilla has presented a handful of intimate living-roo m shows in Campbell by the Posies, John Doe and Paul Collins.

The Kristoffer son song that made everything right in Campbell tonight (and signaled the beginning of the end of the evening) was his ace in the hole, "Sunday Morning Coming Down." His original version, cut almost 40 years ago, was so perfectly rendered it even topped a fine cover by Johnny Cash: "Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt/And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad so I had one more for dessert/Th en I fumbled through my closet for my cleanest dirty shirt/And I shaved my face and I combed my hair and stumbled down the stairs to meet the day."

The best songs of the Nashville- based songwriter who once penned country hits for Dave Dudley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Faron Young and Roger Miller are full of finely-cra fted lyrics that light up the night sky, they're so good. Lines like "just enough silence to breathe" stay with you long after the show has ended. A short version of "For The Good Times"-a career-def ining 1970 smash Kristoffer son wrote for Ray Price-ende d the night on a high note.

As I stumbled back to the car I noticed a tin can lying in the gutter outside the theatre. I thought about kicking it, but I cussed it instead, left it for the next kid who comes along and went home and fried some chicken. 

Gearing up once again to bring you yesterday' s technology tomorrow...

By Fred Mills

Did Man or Astro-Man? tour in the 1990s more than any other band? Some say yes, while others contend that the group cloned itself and sent those faux-MOAM outfits on the road - kinda like that early ‘70s pre-Buckin gham/Nicks touring iteration of Fleetwood Mac that bamboozled American audiences, only in this instance way cooler and more undergroun d. At any rate, the stats speak for themselves : 49 states and over 30 countries, 10 years of nonstop journeying in some form or another.

However, today the band has announced its return:

"After 10 years of relentless ly exploring the earth, it became obvious that their research on humanity was complete and they could finally take a long-need cellular rejuvenati on in their undergroun d cryogenic center, deep in the lower levels of the A labama&nbs p;bedrock.

"Now the slumber is over and Man or Astro-Man? must see what has become of earth in the wake of their absence. So indeed, for all of humanity, 2010 will be the year of contact, or, at least re-contact with the original space cadets themselves : Starcrunch , Birdstuff, and Coco. In addition to all the scientific experiment s and live music demonstrat ions, MOAM? will host a variety of benefits and charities for earth specimens, predominan tly in the human or animal form."

First stop: Birmingham , Ala. Then it's off to Austin and SXSW, which takes place March 17 - 21. Be there or be Astro-squa re.

Photos, sound samples, and some highly entertaini ng (though somewhat old) blog entries at the band's MySpace page: http://www .myspace.com/manora stroman

Out ‘n' about in the City of Angels with Blurt's roving shutterbug (12/15 - 1/15).

By Scott Dudelson

(pictured above) Mew (singer Jonas Bjerre) - Live @ The Henry Fonda Music Box (www.henryfonda theater.com) - 12/14/09

50 Cent - Live @ Universal Amphitheat re - 12/17/09

T-Pain - Live @ Universal Amphitheat re - 12/17/09

Billy Cobham - Live @ The Guitar Center Drum Off (gc.guitarcent er.com/drum-off-2009/ ) - 1/8

Max Weinberg (of The E-Street Band)  ; - Live @ The Guitar Center Drum Off (gc.guitarcent er.com/drum-off-2009/ ) - 1/8

Danny Carey (of Tool) & Brann Dailor (of Mastodon) - Live @ The Guitar Center Drum Off (gc.guitarcent er.com/drum-off-2009/ ) - 1/8

Chad Smith (of Red Hot Chili Peppers) - Live @ The Guitar Center Drum Off (gc.guitarcent er.com/drum-off-2009/ ) - 1/8

Chino Moreno (of The Deftones) - Live @ The Guitar Center Drum Off (gc.guitarcent er.com/drum-off-2009/ ) - 1/8

Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore) - Live @ The Wiltern - 1/9

Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore & Kim Gordon) - Live @ The Wiltern - 1/9

Al Kooper - Live @ McCabes (www.mccabes.com) - 1/10

Anna Rose - Live @ Ron Asheton Tribute Show - The Roxy (www.theroxyons unset.com) - 1/12

Scott Asheton (of The Stooges) - Live @ Ron Asheton Tribute Show - The Roxy (www.theroxyons unset.com) - 1/12

Living Things (singer Lillian Berlin)&nb sp; - Live @ Ron Asheton Tribute Show - The Roxy (www.theroxyons unset.com) - 1/12

Mike Watt (of The Minutemen / Stooges), Stephen Perkins (of Janes Addiction) & Scott Thurston (of The Stooges / Tom Petty & The Heartbreak ers) - Live @ Ron Asheton Tribute Show - The Roxy (www.theroxyons unset.com) - 1/12

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photograph er based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Now that's what they call marketing! Acclaimed band has a new video, a new EP and some new shows.

By Blurt Staff

Cold War Kids have their new video "Audience" currently premiering at Aol/Spinne r. It's part of the promotion for the new EP Behave Yourself released this week in stores. Watch BLURT very soon for an exclusive interview with the band.

They've also announced a handful of tour dates:

1/22 The Wiltern, Los Angeles
1/23 The Fillmore, San Francisco
1/28 BK Music Hall, NY
1/29 Terminal 5, NY (sold out)
1/30 Vic Theatre, Chicago

Well, it's only the middle of January... but we're just sayin'...  "This is gonna be 2010's Shins or Band of Horses, so mark these words."

By Jonah Flicker

Straight out of Palm Beach, Florida shoots the sure-as-sh it contender for best album of this nascent new year, Surfer Blood's Astro Coast (Kanine). This is gonna be 2010's Shins or Band of Horses, so mark these words. Yes, it may be a little early for such proclamati ons, but these boys make lofty postulatio ns like this easy. It's safe to assume the members of the band were raised on a steady diet of Weezer, The Pixies, Built To Spill, as well as various influences in the outer regions of indie rock. But they've managed to absorb all of this and more and regurgitat e something all their own.

From the beginning chords of the album's opening tune, "Floating Vibes," the band makes its intent clear. Simple guitar lines augmented by bright and thick production will be employed, melodious and mellifluou s vocals will ensue, and breezy themes of California dreams will occur. No tricks, no gimmicks will obscure the music (well, for the most part - "Take it Easy" tips its hat to Vampire Weekend, but only fleetingly ). The song you've probably heard from this album already, "Swim," a barrage of power chords and reverb-coa ted vocals ecstatical ly urging you to "Swim to reach the end," is a great track, but it's really not all that representa tive of the magic found on the rest of the record. "Harmonix, " after a brief guitar intro, builds into a restive number constructe d sparingly of strummed harmonics (get it?) and yet another insanely catchy vocal refrain. "Twin Peaks," as lush and expansive as anything else on Astro Coast, sports a nifty chorus of matching guitar chords and vocal melody before launching into a syncopated chorus that sounds more like a party than a songwritin g convention . The record's themes seem to revolve around personal experience s, references to band members' relationsh ips, and exploring the farther reaches of the United States. Yet the appeal of Surfer Blood's music transports you right along, not an easy task for any band.

So how does this young band do it? Take a listen to "Anchorage " to fully understand what they are up to. A simple idea is made interestin g through excellent recording and production - no shitgaze, this - and executed by an effusive bunch of rock musicians more concerned with quality than scoring scene points. They've got the chops to back up the hype, now let's see how they handle their first year in the spotlight.

In a manner of speaking, at least...

By Blurt Staff

One thing we've been diggin' a LOT lately is this recent Jerry Lee Lewis biography by author Joe Bonomo (who did a pretty swell Fleshtones bio awhile back too). Titled Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found and published by the good folks at Continuum, it's reviewed by BLURT contributo r David Greenberge r here.

Meanwhile, though, since it's always a good day at BLURT  ; when we can drop the name of the mighty Jon Langford, we'd just like to point out that the Bonomo book front cover art for the Killer is derived from the above Langford rendering, which is swell all by itself. Check the book review link to compare 'em.

And for all you SXSW attendees, don't forget you can own a piece of Langford yourself if you pop into the Yard Dog Gallery down on South Congress in Austin: he's always got original pieces of art displayed and available for sale to the discrimina ting art aficionado ....

Also on the bill: Heartless Bastards.

By Fred Mills

Yeah, that's BLURT cover boys the Avett Brothers above, appearing on the front of our most recent issue for an in-depth profile by staffer A.D. Amorosi. Shameless plug, we know, but still... We dig the band, period.

Anyway, this Saturday, Jan. 23, on PBS series Austin City Limits the Avetts will be the main act, doing songs from I and Love and You.

"One of the most popular acts to play the 2009 ACL Festival, the Avetts are on a fast track right now, but without losing their honesty or spontaneit y," said series executive producer Terry Lickona. "Their songs are very modern but authentic at the same time, and their lyrics can deliver an emotional punch but in the most gentle way. One of my favorite shows of the year!"

Also on the same show will be another BLURT fave, the Heartless Bastards, fronted by guitarist/ vocalist/p ianist Erika Wennerstro m. We profiled that group awhile back at BLURT as well. "They may be transplant s from Ohio, but Heartless Bastards are now one of the shining lights of the Austin music scene...and beyond," said Lickona. "I love Erika's one-of-a-k ind voice - she covers all the bases!"

Below see the entire lineup for this, the 35^th season of ACL. Coming up are Steve Earle and Them Crooked Vultures, while shows already aired will start to repeat in the spring.

October 3, 2009 Dave Matthews Band
October 10, 2009 Ben Harper and Relentless 7
October 17, 2009 Kenny Chesney
October 24, 2009 Andrew Bird / St. Vincent
October 31, 2009 M. Ward / Okkervil River
November 7, 2009 Elvis Costello / Band of Heathens
November 14, 2009 Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel
November 21, 2009 Pearl Jam
January 9, 2010 Allen Toussaint
January 16, 2010 K'NAAN / Mos Def
January 23, 2010 The Avett Brothers / Heartless Bastards
January 30, 2010 Steve Earle / Kris Kristoffer son
February 6, 2010 Esperanza Spalding / Madeleine Peyroux
February 13, 2010 Them Crooked Vultures

New album due May 4 on Matador.

By Fred Mills

"You don't need us to tell you the album is great... but we'll say it anyway. It's amazing, more varied, deeper, and broader than its predecesso rs. Please just look forward to extreme enjoyment."

Whoah - a record label telling us a forthcomin g release is great? Get outta here! At any rate, that's exactly what Matador is floating, and since they're talking The New Pornograph ers, we might be inclined to take the bait.

According to Matador:

"Coming on May 4: the new album from The New Pornograph ers, entitled Together. Their fifth full-lengt h was produced by the band and Phil Palazzolo, and recorded in Vancouver, Brooklyn, Woodstock, and Catskill, NY. The album is comprised of 9 A.C. Newman songs and 3 Dan Bejar numbers, and features the full eight-pers on lineup of Carl, Dan, John Collins, Neko Case, Kurt Dahle, Kathryn Calder, Todd Fancey and Blaine Thurier. Additional musicians include Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Zach Condon (Beirut), Will Sheff (Okkervil River), and the Dap-Kings Horns, among other talents."

Well, all right then! Full details incoming on the album, which will be the long-overd ue followup to 2007's Challenger s. Meanwhile, over at the band's official website they apparently have posted a slew of photos about the album and the sessions (like the one above) so you may want to bide your time thumbing through those.

Record due April 27 on Saddle Creek; features guests on loan from Bright Eyes, Cursive, Azure Ray and These United States.

By Blurt Staff

One of the most lamented breakups of the past few years must have been DC's Georgie James, an indie pop combo based around the nucleus of partners John Davis (ex Q and Not U) and Laura Burhenn. They split in 2008 and Burhenn started working on her own material, several examples of which can be found at her somewhat-i nactive MySpace page.

Now, drawing upon the gospel, old soul, and rock n roll records that she grew up with, Burhenn will unveil What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood (April 27, Saddle Creek), her debut album as The Mynabirds. 

In the spring of 2009, she crafted a new batch of songs and enlisted singer-son gwriter/pr oducer Richard Swift to help the material come to life in the studio.  The Mynabirds, inspired by the name of a forgotten Motown Records band that included Rick James and Neil Young, is the project that emerged from these sessions.

Free MP3 of "Numbers Don't Lie"

Burhenn shells out an enormously rich and husky voice on her new album.  Her vocals color the vivid imagery of her lyrics, many of which were inspired by a Zen look at ideas of loss and recovery.  Whether upbeat or introspect ive, Burhenn remains soulful and honest at her core.  She simultaneo usly harnesses the charm of contempora ries Cat Power and  Feist, as well as the fervor and magnitude of iconic influences Nina Simone and Grace Slick.

The album also includes some notable guest artists.  Tom Hnatow (These United States) played pedal steel, Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes) arranged the horns on the album and backing vocals were provided by Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) and engineer/p roducer AJ Mogis (Monsters of Folk, Cursive, Tilly and The Wall).

[Photo Credit - from Burhenn's MySpace page, by Shervinfot o]

Mega-telet hon tonight to be followed by auction-on ly Radiohead event Sunday in L.A., wherein even Ticketmast er gets into the spirit of giving.

By Fred Mills

Tonight's the night, and we're not talking Rod Stewart, either, so how about tearing yourself away from that new episode of iCarly or that scheduled Xbox Live session and tuning in to more than a dozen network and cable channels starting at 8 pm EST for the "Hope For Haiti" telethon.

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past week you may have heard about it. "Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" was put into motion by George Clooney two days after the Haitian earthquake ; the actor lined up Springstee n, Bono, Sting and Wyclef Jean and partnered with MTV Networks, and from there it snowballed . Set to perform during the course of the two-hour telethon are those artists along with Beyonc&eac ute;, Madonna, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Kid Rock, Keith Urban, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, Justin Timberlake , Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Taylor Swift, from stages in New York, Los Angeles and London.

In fact, pretty much everyone but Kanye West will be playing - as announced yesterday, West was pointedly NOT invited. According to a report at Popeater.com, a source disclosed that the general consensus was that "after what [West] said on the Katrina telethon and the way he behaved at the MTV Video Music Awards, everyone agrees it's just best that he does not participat e. Kayne has to make everything about himself. He will do anything to steal the spotlight and, well, this night it's just not about him."

Heck, folks should thrown in some extra cash with their donations by way of saying "Thanks!" for the non-inclus ion of West!

Funds raised during the telethon will go to Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation , so come on, folks, and open up your wallets.

Don't forget that money is the most important thing you can donate, and you should do it as directly and as immediatel y as possible. As we noted last week, organizing your own benefit concert and doing other things on a local level is all well and good - and it gives you a feel-good glow too, of course - such efforts, in the face of the sheer scale of destructio n and misery in Haiti, don't really do much good compared to the direct donation strategy.

You can tune in tonight to CNN, BET, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central and other stations. Meanwhile, you can make direct donations to:

www.hopeforhai tinow.com

877-99-HAI TI (or text RGIVES to 50555)

At some point after the telethon, recordings of performanc es themselves will be available to purchase as downloads from iTunes, with proceeds going to the relief organizati ons.

***

Meanwhile, announced yesterday at the Radiohead website: the band will be performing at a special Haiti benefit Sunday night at The Fonda in L.A. The twist is that they are auctioning off the tickets via Ticketmast er, and as the current minimum bid (as of this writing) is clocking in at $250.00 per ticket, better check your credit card balances before bidding, and the auction closes tomorrow, Saturday morning at 11 am PST

According to the Radiohead site:

Radiohead for Haiti

We're doing a show this Sunday (24th January) to raise funds for the relief effort in Haiti. The venue is The Music Box Theatre at The Fonda in Los Angeles, doors at 7pm. All proceeds are going to the Oxfam Haiti relief fund. We're trying to raise as much money as possible, so tickets will be sold by auction at this site from 8pm tonight until 11am Saturday (PST):

http://www .ticketmast er.com/event/ 09004434FC 1C86AC

We're in the middle of recording at the moment, so you'll be catching us on the fly.... but if you're up for it, then we are too.

Just to clarify times for ticket sales

Auction starts Thursday 21st January 08.00 pm PST
Auction ends Saturday 23rd January 11.00 am PST

Well, that's all clear now....

Worth noting: a message on the Ticketmast er page indicates that all proceeds including ticket fees will be donated. So for once, just this time, we won't refer to the organizati on by its preferred nickname, Ticketbast ard.

Was he the REAL fifth Beatle? We say yeah, just maybe...

By Fred Mills

Sure, this news item is just an excuse to run the way-cool photo above. But we're also gonna go out on a limb and say that one of the most criminally overlooked recent releases has to be Voormann & Friends: A Sideman's Journey, an all-star session put together by bassist/gr aphic designer/p roducer Klaus Voormann. Yeah: THAT Klaus Voormann, best pal to the Beatles. You may have heard of him.

At any rate, the Journey album is a real delight, featuring a wealth of rock oldies, among them songs penned by members of the Beatles, and additional ly boasting guest spots from Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and Cat Stevens, among others. Our resident Voormann expert A.D. Amorosi serves up his thoughts on the album and the man's career to date, suggesting that rather than George Martin or Billy Preston (or even Pete Best), perhaps Voormann deserves the honor of being known as "the fifth Beatle." You can see what Amorosi has to say here.

The estimable Mr. Starr performs and takes questions at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles this past week, Jan. 19.

By Jose Martinez / Photos by Becky Sapp, Wire Image

Time spent with a Beatle is as close as us mere mortals on this side of the Atlantic can get to royalty or a true rock & roll deity. There are rock & roll stars and then there are Beatles, and now there are only two of them left. It just doesn't get any bigger that that.

So imagine the electricit y in the air as the GRAMMY Museum was preparing to host its Evening With Ringo Starr last night. Having hosted many of these intimate sessions with some of the world's most famous and popular musicians and icons (think Brian Wilson, Annie Lennox, Clive Davis) there was a buzz about the place as a record-set ting sold out crowd of 200, tickets for the evening's event were gone in less than eight minutes, anxiously awaited Ringo.

Celebratin g the release of his most recent effort, Y Not, Starr was in fine form during a Q&A session with GRAMMY Museum executive director Robert Santelli. Phrases like "big night" and "historic evening" were bantered about during the artist introducti on. When talking about Y Not, the first solo record that Starr produced himself, he quipped, "It was the first time I could tell a guitarist what to do. I haven't had so much fun making a record."

Teaming up with former Beatle Paul McCartney on two tracks ("Peace Dream" and "Walk With You"), Starr shared stories of "that band I was in during the ‘60s ." Talking about his All Star Band that includes the likes of Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart, Edgar Winter (in attendance , along with Max Weinberg), Starr joked, "They're great, but I'm the greatest."

A fan of "only American music" growing up in Liverpool, Starr, who has been a solo artist now for 40 years, confessed to being a musical "thief" always tempted to steal from his own material.

Joined onstage by Ben Harper, the discussion continued about the pair's collaborat ion on Y Not. "I keep saying don't wake me up," a very humble Harper gushed about his time working with Starr.

Then it was time to play and Starr and Harper and the Relentless 7 took on "Photograp h," an early Starr solo hit, followed by the new track "Walk With You." Then Harper and his band played "I Will Not Be Broken" and "Up To You Now" with such powerful emotion it was mesmerizin g.

Rejoined by Starr they played another new track, "The Other Side of Liverpool" which the affable singer/dru mmer had to stop and restart after singing the wrong line. "That's why [playing] live is great," he declared.

Finishing off with "A Little Help From My Friends" and a jam version of "Boys" the audience knew they had just witnessed something extremely special. Every once in a while you get that feeling that we're lucky to live in L.A., besides when the rest of the country is buried in snow and we're playing at the beach, and this was definitely one of those moments.

The Grease Band - Grease Band

By Carl Hanni

The Grease Band: you've probably heard them, whether you know it or not. At least, if you listened to any British rock & roll in the 1970s. 

The Grease Band's self-title d debut was released in 1971, on Leon Russell's Shelter Records imprint, home to Freddie King and JJ Cale among others. A second one came out in 1975; I've never heard it, or even seen a copy. They were five Brits, vocalist and guitar ace Henry McCullough , guitar player Neil Hubbard, bass player Alan Spenner, drummer Bruce Rowlands and keyboard player/arr anger/prod ucer Chris Stainton, for some 70s reason listed as "Phil Harmonious Plunk" on the credits. Stainton also shares production credits on the record, along with the band and Nigel Thomas. 

By the time of this release The Grease Band had been working as Joe Cocker's back up band, appearing piecemeal on his debut With A Little Help From My Friends, wholly on his classic second release Joe Cocker!" and backing him up at his famous Woodstock appearance . Stainton was also a key member of Cocker's legendary mega band/trave ling circus Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour and album in 1970. Furthermor e, the band, minus Stainton, were the principal players on the original release of Jesus Christ Superstar, a musical footnote that seems mysterious ly lost in the mists of time (no mention in All Music, etc.). 

Like many records of the time, The Grease Band is an uneven release, with at least one more or less forgettabl e number, a few mid-range ones and a few killer tracks. Why should you care, or why should I spend any time trying to make you care? Because on at least four or five of these tracks The Grease Band shows How It's Supposed To Be Done, and because The Grease Band had Henry McCullough and Chris Stainton, a pair of true adepts.   

And because The Grease Band fully embody That Sound: that early ‘70s , warm, fabulously rich (here it comes...) ANALOG sound that folks are still trying to get back to. That sound is evident on the first track, a funky vamp on Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" that sidles in and stands around for a few moments before suddenly picking up speed and wrapping itself around McCullough 's ragged voice. But what you want out of this track is McCullough 's knotty solo, a few short moments of biting, swooping blues-rock guitar candy with a brutal tone to turn others to stone. This little bit of guitar grease puts McCullough right in there with the other British blues-rock guitarists of the time, at least the likes of Rory Gallagher, Kim Simmons, Peter Green and Alvin Lee, if not quite Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page. 

McCullough 's acoustic-b ased numbers like "Mistake No Doubt," "Let it be Gone" and "All I Wanna Do" are solid and well worth repeat listens, especially the ghostly chorus on "Mistake No Doubt." And the lovely gospel-fol k "To The Lord" should have/could have run in the end credits to an episode of "Deadwood." But what The Grease Band really excel at is an original take on methodical , mid-tempo rocking, and  "Willie and the Pig"  "Laugh at the Judge" and "Jessie James" nail it to the barn door. "Willie and the Pig" is all snaky, buzzing guitars, multi-trac ked keyboards and McCullough 's na sally voice married to a sexy, flat beat.  "Jessie James" is a blues rocker w/a country undercurre nt that sounds something like a kissing cousin to Fleetwood Mac's "Hi Ho Silver" that came out the year before on Kiln House. But "Laugh at the Judge" is the real ringer, a truly funky rocker that takes the famous Chuck Berry guitar riff, spins it on its ear and puts a funky groove and Stainton's rhythm organ underneath . By the end Stainton's top shelf/lead organ steals the show, hitting notes on the outro as high as any I've ever heard. The album ends w/the beautiful acoustic lament "The Visitor," with Stainton's organ (or maybe harmonium) again taking the lead.

Throughout the record Spenner and Rowlands' rhythm section is flexible, providing intuitive accompanim ent to whatever comes their way. There's a cohesivene ss evident from the time spent touring and recording together that really shows in how generally relaxed and together the band sounds. There's real joy in how they play together, also evident in the cover photos; these guys are obviously loose and having a good time.

McCullough went on to play in Wings w/Paul McCartney and record with Spooky Tooth, Roy Harper, Marianne Faithful and others. Spenner and Hubbard later played on records by Roxy Music; Stainton is a widely travelled player, playing on numerous releases by Eric Clapton + more by Cocker, Pete Townsend and many more. 

The Grease Band. Yes, they were. 

***

You can leave comments below or e-mail them to me directly at modmedia@t heriver.com .

Carl Hanni is a music writer, music publicist, disc jockey, book hound and vinyl archivist living in Tucson, AZ. He hosts a monthly concert and film series at The Screening Room in downtown Tucson, and spins records wherever and whenever he can. He believes that in a better (all analog) world all records would be released on vinyl, but takes good music from wherever he finds it--even on CD. He currently write for Blurt, Tucson Weekly, Goldmine, Examiner.com and (occasiona lly) Signal To Noise.

Blurt pays tribute to Joe Cocker's backing group - who weren't so bad on their own, either.

By Carl Hanni

The Grease Band: you've probably heard them, whether you know it or not. At least, if you listened to any British rock & roll in the 1970s. 

The Grease Band's self-title d debut was released in 1971, on Leon Russell's Shelter Records imprint, home to Freddie King and JJ Cale among others. A second one came out in 1975; I've never heard it, or even seen a copy. They were five Brits, vocalist and guitar ace Henry McCullough , guitar player Neil Hubbard, bass player Alan Spenner, drummer Bruce Rowlands and keyboard player/arr anger/prod ucer Chris Stainton, for some 70s reason listed as "Phil Harmonious Plunk" on the credits. Stainton also shares production credits on the record, along with the band and Nigel Thomas. 

By the time of this release The Grease Band had been working as Joe Cocker's back up band, appearing piecemeal on his debut With A Little Help From My Friends, wholly on his classic second release Joe Cocker!" and backing him up at his famous Woodstock appearance . Stainton was also a key member of Cocker's legendary mega band/trave ling circus Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour and album in 1970. Furthermor e, the band, minus Stainton, were the principal players on the original release of Jesus Christ Superstar, a musical footnote that seems mysterious ly lost in the mists of time (no mention in All Music, etc.). 

Like many records of the time, The Grease Band is an uneven release, with at least one more or less forgettabl e number, a few mid-range ones and a few killer tracks. Why should you care, or why should I spend any time trying to make you care? Because on at least four or five of these tracks The Grease Band shows How It's Supposed To Be Done, and because The Grease Band had Henry McCullough and Chris Stainton, a pair of true adepts.   

And because The Grease Band fully embody That Sound: that early ‘70s , warm, fabulously rich (here it comes...) ANALOG sound that folks are still trying to get back to. That sound is evident on the first track, a funky vamp on Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" that sidles in and stands around for a few moments before suddenly picking up speed and wrapping itself around McCullough 's ragged voice. But what you want out of this track is McCullough 's knotty solo, a few short moments of biting, swooping blues-rock guitar candy with a brutal tone to turn others to stone. This little bit of guitar grease puts McCullough right in there with the other British blues-rock guitarists of the time, at least the likes of Rory Gallagher, Kim Simmons, Peter Green and Alvin Lee, if not quite Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page. 

McCullough 's acoustic-b ased numbers like "Mistake No Doubt," "Let it be Gone" and "All I Wanna Do" are solid and well worth repeat listens, especially the ghostly chorus on "Mistake No Doubt." And the lovely gospel-fol k "To The Lord" should have/could have run in the end credits to an episode of "Deadwood." But what The Grease Band really excel at is an original take on methodical , mid-tempo rocking, and  "Willie and the Pig"  "Laugh at the Judge" and "Jessie James" nail it to the barn door. "Willie and the Pig" is all snaky, buzzing guitars, multi-trac ked keyboards and McCullough 's na sally voice married to a sexy, flat beat.  "Jessie James" is a blues rocker w/a country undercurre nt that sounds something like a kissing cousin to Fleetwood Mac's "Hi Ho Silver" that came out the year before on Kiln House. But "Laugh at the Judge" is the real ringer, a truly funky rocker that takes the famous Chuck Berry guitar riff, spins it on its ear and puts a funky groove and Stainton's rhythm organ underneath . By the end Stainton's top shelf/lead organ steals the show, hitting notes on the outro as high as any I've ever heard. The album ends w/the beautiful acoustic lament "The Visitor," with Stainton's organ (or maybe harmonium) again taking the lead.

Throughout the record Spenner and Rowlands' rhythm section is flexible, providing intuitive accompanim ent to whatever comes their way. There's a cohesivene ss evident from the time spent touring and recording together that really shows in how generally relaxed and together the band sounds. There's real joy in how they play together, also evident in the cover photos; these guys are obviously loose and having a good time.

McCullough went on to play in Wings w/Paul McCartney and record with Spooky Tooth, Roy Harper, Marianne Faithful and others. Spenner and Hubbard later played on records by Roxy Music; Stainton is a widely travelled player, playing on numerous releases by Eric Clapton + more by Cocker, Pete Townsend and many more. 

The Grease Band. Yes, they were. 

[Carl Hanni blogs for Blurt. Read his column "Sonic Reducer" here.]

Fifth time around's definitely the charm.

By Blurt Staff

MusicNOW Festival celebrates its 5th year of presenting exciting contempora ry music in Cincinnati , Ohio, with three evenings of performanc es in the intimate 600-seat venue, Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street)

The festival opens Tuesday, March 30^th with arresting harpist and songwriter Joanna Newsom (pictured) . She will perform a handful of US concerts to celebrate the release of Have One on Me, her first release in four years.  Wednesday, March 31^st, St Vincent, led by composer, singer and guitar virtuoso Annie Clark, will present works from their widely acclaimed latest release, Actor, as well as new works venturing deeper into chamber arranging and compositio n. The same evening dynamic and engaging new music ensemble, Ymusic, will premiere the festival commission written by Clark. Inventive vocalist and multi-inst rumentalis t Justin Vernon, best known for his work with Bon Iver, presents a rare solo concert which is to be one of his few 2010 dates, to close the festival on April 1^st.

MusicNOW began in 2006 and was founded by Cincinnati native, Bryce Dessner (the National and Clogs) who continues to serve as the festivals' artistic director.

Festival Schedule:

Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 8pm:  Joanna Newsom

Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 8pm: St. Vincent

Thursday, April 1, 2010, 8pm:  Justin Vernon&nbs p;  &nbs p; &n bsp;   &nbs p; &n bsp; 

Tickets are $20 for each concert. A $50 festival pass is available for all three evenings.

Tickets are available at the MusicNOW Festival website or by phone at 800-838-30 06

[Photo Credit: Paul O'Valle]

Comedians and musicians including Zach Galifianak is, Janeane Garofalo, Britt Daniel and Justin Vernon.

By Blurt Staff

In addition to that Haiti fundraisin g telethon tonight and the Radiohead benefit we already told you about, word now arrives via Brooklyn Vegan that another rapidly-as sembled benefit will be taking place this weekend. The Brooklyn-b ased music blog, in conjunctio n with Bowery Presents, is putting on "A Night of Comedy and Music to Benefit Haiti."

It takes place Saturday night (that's tomorrow, Jan. 23) at the Music Hall of Williamsbu rg starting at 8 pm. It will feature performanc es by Zach Galifianak is, Britt Daniel (of Spoon), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), St. Vincent, Janeane Garofalo, Wyatt Cenac (of the Daily Show), the live debut of John Shade (ex Dave Godowsky) and "possibly more TBA."

Go to the Brooklyn Vegan site for more details, including ticketing info; tickets went on sale today at noon. According to the site, "100% of the proceeds will be split between an orphanage in Haiti (that Zach chose) and the Red Cross."

Incidental ly, Pitchfork has a nice roundup of other goings-on around the world in relation to Haitian benefits. You can check out their report here.

"The Poor Boy Can't Dance" taken from excellent new album.

By Blurt Staff

Portland singer-son gwriter Barton Carroll became a mainstay of AAA radio with his album The Lost One, issued in January '08 by Skybucket Records. He's just released his second Skybucket album (and fourth overall) titled Together You and I, and the first video from the record, for the song "The Poor Boy Can't Dance," has just arrived. Check it out, below.

Of the album, a cynical narrative runs through it, but Carroll's sardonic wit is coupled with lightly shuffling horns, making for happy sounding songs instead of a somber ones. His tone and sleight-of -hand songwritin g skill gained him critical acclaim for The Lost One, from BLURT predecesso r Harp, Pitchfork, American Songwriter and more.

A North Carolina native who now lives in Seattle, Carroll's songs are structured in folk traditions he grew up with, but he trades in standard instrument ation for the west coast horn sound of Craig Flory, and the production of jazz bassist, Matt Weiner. The three bonded over a love of the Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond records of the 1960's, and the influence comes through. He also sings his first duets with Seattle singer Anna Lisa Notter.

Kieran Hebden's latest entry, There Is Love In You, arrives as an early candidate for year-end best-of lists.

By Dominic Umile

Before he swapped sound files with dubstep heavyweigh t Burial for their early 2009 Wolf/Moth Club single, London's Kieran Hebden had been a member of revered post-rock project Fridge, he'd collaborat ed on a number of occasions with jazz drummer Steve Reid, remixed everyone from Madvillain to Black Sabbath, issued a monstrous DJ Kicks contributi on, and took on an opener slot for a Radiohead tour. Not unlike his rapidly accelerati ng eleven-yea r career, Hebden's output as Four Tet has splintered across the horizon in a dizzying multitude of musical directions .

The production s bearing Kieran Hebden's name have run the gamut from meditative , acoustic/l aptop blends to dayglo-fle cked dance music, and have included all of the eclectic and drum-heavy styles in between. On his fifth full-lengt h solo album, Hebden explores more of the refined and understate d house and techno that characteri zes his 2008 Ringer EP, with a generous bundling of the organic elements that have so often enriched his work.

Crackling atmospheri cs, unrelentin g locked grooves, and layers of immaculate ly organized, cascading accompanim ent - There Is Love In You (out this week on Domino) stirs and sweeps, its loop-centr ic tapestries as lively and as affecting as its uncoiling electronic flourishes . Like much of Ringer, the sensual pre-There Is Love single "Love Cry" holds fast to Hebden's affinity for a slow build. Everything repeats ad nauseum here, but not in the manner that wallpaper- styled minimal techno does. "Love Cry" springs from a solemn percussive place of dry snares and zipped-tig ht hi hats, but it opens up eventually , with the producer pushing synth bass and a wondrous, disconnect ed pattern of reverse dial tones just ahead of its mystifying ly live-sound ing drum set. "Circling" is a less frantic nod at Ringer's "Ribbons", with arpeggios trickling out of every source possible. It gets even better toward the end; when stuttering guitar lines curl around "She Just Likes To Fight", the track falls thankfully far short of embodying the aggression intended, even amid all of that kitchen-si nk percussion .

When the Four Tet-Burial partnershi p yielded a striking, much-discu ssed twelve inch, the potential for an ongoing project between the two audiofiles garnered ample speculatio n. In the meantime, Kieran Hebden serves up melodies and ideas again on his own that captivate just as easily via There Is Love In You, be those far more decorative and high-spiri ted compared to his work alongside Burial. And if there's a Wolf/Moth Club follow-up in the cards, it's likely Hebden will find the time to make it happen. He tends to do that.

Blurt fave van Etten will open shows for two of her biggest fan. Read exclusive interview excerpts, below.

By Jennifer Kelly

Ed. note: we're sending longtime contributo r Jennifer Kelly to see the Sharon van Etten-Damo n & Naomi show in Cambridge this weekend. As a lead-in, she interviewe d van Etten by phone, and we'll be publishing the full interview along with a firsthand report from the concert in the very near future. - FM

Match.com look out. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Galaxie 500 founders Damon & Naomi were lauding newcomer Sharon van Etten right here on this site.  Now the two artists have hooked up for a two-show, two-city stand, at NYC's 92Y Tribeca on January 30 and Cambridge' s Brattle Theater  on January 31^th.

Van Etten's Because I Was In Love, released late last spring on Greg Weeks' Language of Stone imprint, was one of last year's surprise favorites at Blurt, garnering the songwriter comparison s to Cat Power and a very respectabl e 36 ranking, just ahead of Tom Waits.

What's so special about Because I Was In Love? Well, for one thing, Van Etten's voice is pure and extremely beautiful, with a little of Joni Mitchell's dreamy clarity, a bit of Kath Bloom's tremulous slides. She's sung in choirs nearly all her life, starting in elementary school, but her voice has a simplicity that belies formal training. That makes sense since she says PJ Harvey, another very capable singer who sometimes throws formal technique to the winds, was one of our her primary inspiratio ns. She particular ly likes the demos where Harvey is at her bluntest and least premeditat ed. "She just lets go and doesn't add too much," said Van Etten in a recent phone interview. "It's raw and real. It made me realize that you can know how to sing and know how to play and still be yourself. "

On her first record, Van Etten performs nearly the all the parts (producer Greg Weeks added a few synths, one woodblock and a bit of guitar on "It's Not Like"), including the lush, eerie harmonies that embellish songs like "Some Dream" and "Keep." Her lyrics are mostly couched in ordinary, day-to-day language, without much reliance on metaphors or flowery descriptio n. "I know that my lyrics are not overly poetic," said Van Etten. "That's on purpose. I want to have a regular conversati on, being really direct without having to go overboard on imagery. "

Van Etten wrote her songs over a six-year period dominated by one difficult romantic relationsh ip, so there's a fair amount of heartbreak in these achingly beautiful songs. Even "Consolati on Song," written after she'd moved back East from college (and her unsupporti ve, emo-kid boyfriend) , reflects a wary frustratio n with social life in Brooklyn, where she now lives.  &nbs p;"That song is about going back into the dating world and meeting real New Yorkers that just have no attention span," she said. "You know, people that are always waiting for someone better to come around. It was me learning how to deal with that after a six-year relationsh ip."

Van Etten has been touring lately - she was getting ready for a show in Milwaukee when we spoke - so she hasn't had much time to write. She's got lots of ideas, though, she says, and plans to concentrat e on new material after her tour.  She' s thinking about old-time country music she says, and maybe even some pedal steel.

In the meantime, there are those dates with Damon & Naomi (and also Michio Kurihari from Ghost). Asked if she sees any similarly between Damon & Naomi's music and her own, Van Etten says, "Not now - they're more polished than I am - but I would one day like to be more like them. I really like the love that they have for each other and for the people that come to their shows. I like the really subtle instrument ation that they do and the focus on the lyrics."

[Photo credit:&nb sp; Dusdin Condren&nb sp; www.dusdin.com]

New album will arrive via 4AD some time in May. Tix onsale tomorrow.

By Blurt Staff

The National have confirmed their first shows of the new decade. Highlights include their biggest headlining shows to date in NYC and London at Radio City Music Hall and Royal Albert Hall respective ly, a performanc e with Pavement in Paris, and additional US dates on both coasts with more to be announced soon.

Prior to the kick off of the tour the band will make a special appearance at the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, TN on March 26-28. The festival is being co-curated by The National guitarist Bryce Dessner, who is also curating the MusicNow festival in his hometown of Cincinnati , OH, set for March 30- April 1.

On all the dates below, The National will perform songs from their as yet untitled new album to be released in May on 4AD.

Pre-sale for the tour starts tomorrow, Jan. 26. Go to this website for details, including the password (hint: it's BloodBuzz) .

Tour Dates:

MAR 26-28: Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival

APR 22-23: Richmond, VA @ The National Theater
MAY 6: London, England @ Royal Albert Hall
MAY 7: Paris, France @ Le Zenith (w/Pavemen t)
MAY 9: Berlin, Germany @ Astra
MAY 22: Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
MAY 23: San Diego, CA @ Spreckels Theater
MAY 27: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
JUN 02: Boston, MA @ House of Blues
JUN 5: Philadelph ia, PA @ Electric Factory
JUN 6: Washington DC @ DAR Constituti on Hall
JUN 8: Toronto, Ont. @ Massey Hall
JUN 16: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall

Debut album arrives next month along with a national tour with Pretty And Nice plus Ted Leo & the Pharmacist s.

By Blurt Staff

Just a few days ago we brought you word of how ex-Georgie James member Laura Burhenn was resuming performing and recording under the name Mynabirds, with a debut album due in April. Not to be outdone, Burhenn's former partner in Georgie James, John Davis (also late of Q And Not U) has just announced his return to the boards. He's calling the project Title Tracks, and in a preemptive move the debut full-lengt h It Was Easy arrives Feb. 23 via Ernest Jenning, two months before Burhenn's.

We'll eschew speculatio n over the respective timings of these new releases, and anyway, Davis had apparently started writing for the project way back in early 2008, a number of months prior to the Georgie James breakup. It contains nine original songs and two covers (Bruce Springstee n's "Tougher Than The Rest" and The Byrds' "She Don't Care About Time"). The originals run the spectrum from the taut, angry "Every Little Bit Hurts," "Found Out" (both of which, in different recordings , were released as a single on Dischord Records in April 2009) and "Piles Of Paper" to the sunnier "Hello There" and "Steady Love" to the melancholy "At Fifteen," "No, Girl" and the title track.

Other than a turn from guest saxophonis t Kriston Capps on "No, Girl," Davis plays all of the instrument s on the record, a skill gained from his years as a drummer in Q And Not U and a guitarist/ singer in Georgie James. Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura guests on two songs as well, "No, Girl" and "Tougher Than The Rest."

It was recorded and produced by Nick Anderson along with Davis and Chad Clark at Brookland Studios and Silver Sonya Studios in the early months of 2009. Touring will follow throughout the spring of 2009 and on into the year, including stops in Austin for SXSW. For live shows, John is joined by his friends Nick Anderson on guitar, Michael Cotterman on bass and Andrew Black on drums.

Tour Dates:

2.11.10 Washington DC Black Cat w/ Pretty & Nice
2.14.10 Pittsburgh , PA Brillobox w/ Pretty & Nice
2.15.09 Dayton, OH South Park Tavern w/ Pretty & Nice
2.16.10 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room w/ Pretty & Nice
2.18.10 Chicago, IL The Hideout w/ Pretty & Nice
2.19.10 Madison, WI Der Rathskella r at Wisconsin Union w/ Pretty & Nice
2.20.10 St. Louis, MO The Firebird w/ Pretty & Nice
2.21.10 Memphis, TN Hi Tone Cafe w/ Pretty & Nice
2.23.10 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves w/ Pretty & Nice
2.24.10 Austin, TX The Mohawk w/ Pretty & Nice
2.26.10 Tallahasse e, FL Club Downunder w/ Pretty & Nice
2.27.10 Orlando, FL Will's Pub w/ Pretty & Nice
2.28.10 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn w/ Pretty & Nice
3.1.10 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 w/ Pretty & Nice
3.2.10 Richmond, VA Gallery 5 w/ Pretty & Nice
3.3.10 Baltimore, MD Golden West Cafe w/ Gary B & The Notions, Pretty & Nice
3.4.10 Philadelph ia, PA Kung Fu Knecktie w/ Pretty & Nice
3.5.10 Cambridge, MA Middle East Upstairs w/ Pretty & Nice, Gary B & The Notions
3.6.10 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall w/ Pretty & Nice, Gary B & The Notions
3.7.10 NY, NY Cake Shop w/ Pretty & Nice
3.11.10 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacist s
3.12.10 Pontiac, MI The Crofoot w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacist s
3.13.10 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacist s
3.14.10 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacist s
3.15.10 Minneapoli s, MN First Avenue w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacist s
3.17-20.10 Austin, TX SXSW

As we await the long-playi ng followup to Merriweath er Post Pavilion, let's dip back to the point where the Baltimore/ Brooklyn band started to get our attention.

By Ron Hart

With the success of their universall y creamed-up on 2009 release Merriweath er Post Pavilion and its subsequent Grateful Dead-sampl ing EP Fall Be Kind, Animal Collective bid farewell to the ‘00s in a hailstorm of happy hype.  So what better time than now to revisit one of the great lost gems of the group's catalog.

Originally released in 2003 on their own Catsup Plate vanity imprint, Campfire Songs, newly reissued on Paw Tracks, serves as the turning point in the Animal Collective story where Panda Bear, Avey Tare and co. transcende d the electronic ally enhanced squalls of noise that overpowere d much of their early material like 2001's Danse Manatee in favor of a stoned soul picnic of mellow modality. Recorded on a porch in the band's native Maryland utilizing nothing more than some acoustic guitars and mini-disc players (remember those??) capturing the atmospheri cs of their surroundin gs like chirping birds, insects and trees blowing in the wind, the five tracks here meditative in nature and Holy Modal Rounders-e sque in their chant-like , devotional tone as the group is captured aiming to become one with the environmen t that envelops them.

Campfire Songs is one of the great products of the early ‘00s "freak-fol k" movement and a telltale precursor to the Collective 's true masterpiec e, 2004's Sung Tongs. It's great to see it back in print.

[Photo Credit: Benjamin Corrigan]

Studio-obs essed indie rockers celebratin g the start of a new decade with the release of their seventh studio album.

Travellers in Space and Time just may be Apples In Stereo's most hi-fi and hook-laden production to date. Described by frontman Robert Schneider as "retro-fut uristic super-pop, " the album is the official follow-up to 2007's New Magnetic Wonder, and the band's second release for Elijah Wood's Simian Records. The album will be released on April 20 via Yep Roc/Simian /Elephant 6.

Travellers  cont ains sixteen piano-driv en tracks, bubbling over with vocoder harmonies and sci-fi sound effects, like 70's AM radio filtered through a UFO; including the robotic first single "Dance Floor", the four-on-th e-floor dream-scap e "Hey Elevator", the Hall and Oates-ting ed "Told You Once", and the epic, yearning "Dream About The Future," among many instant hits. The musical theme heard in these songs is strung throughout Travellers : intense pop hooks and electronic sounds, mixed with a pumping, get-up-and -moonwalk beat.

"I wanted to make a futuristic pop record, to reach out to the kids of the future," Schneider relates. "It is what I imagine their more highly-evo lved pop might sound like: shiny soul music with robots and humans singing together, yet informed by the music of our time. So we are sending a pop music message through time, hoping they will decode it and be into it."

It is the first studio album from The Apples in stereo to feature new drummer John Dufilho, lead singer of Dallas indie rockers The Deathray Davies; and sees Bill Doss (Olivia Tremor Control, Elephant 6) and John Ferguson (Ulysses, Big Fresh), longtime Schneider collaborat ors, as full-time keyboardis ts in the band, alongside veteran members John Hill (guitar) and Eric Allen (bass). Original drummer Hilarie Sidney left the band in 2006.

Anyone familiar with The Apples in stereo's career will know Schneider' s ever-evolv ing production process is as intricate as the recordings he generates. Engaging the same primary engineerin g team used to record New Magnetic Wonder, most notably Bryce Goggin (Trout Studio's vintage recording wizard), as well as many studio-sav vy friends and cohorts, the band spent well over a year in the studio recasting their signature pop sounds in chrome-pla ted futurism, all while adding a dance-driv en vibe channeling ELO, Barry Gibb, Wild Honey-era Beach Boys and Off The Wall-era Michael Jackson.

With  Travellers in Space and Time, Schneider continues experiment ing with his recent invention, the Non-Pythag orean musical scale based on the logarithm, a mathematic al function. Schneider is a passionate student of mathematic s, and recently composed music based on prime numbers for a play written by world-clas s mathematic ian Andrew Granville, performed at the hallowed Institute for Advanced Study (home of Albert Einstein) in Princeton, New Jersey. Travellers includes "C.P.U.," the first pop song ever to incorporat e this novel scale.

In addition, the album features songwritin g contributi ons from all of the other Apples, including "Wings Away" (Bill Doss/John Ferguson), "Next Year At About The Same Time" (Eric Allen), "No Vacation" (John Ferguson/R obert Schneider) , "Floating Away" (John Dufilho), and "Dignified Dignitary" (Robert Schneider/ Bill Doss/John Hill).

The 2007 hit album, New Magnetic Wonder, spawned late night performanc es on Conan and Colbert, commercial placements for The Apples' music (Pepsi, New Balance, Samsung, and numerous others), invitation s to perform at many prestigiou s festivals and venues (All Tomorrows Parties, Pitchfork, Primavera Sound, R.E.M. Charity Tribute Concert at Carnegie Hall), and a world tour that took the band as far away as Taiwan - not to mention a polished performanc e of their hit song "Energy" by the contestant s on American Idol.

Since then, the band has been increasing ly busy, gaining ownership of their spinART Records back catalog and readying the albums for re-release , compiling the best-of&nb sp;#1 Hits Explosion, and releasing Electronic Projects for Musicians, an album of rarities. Schneider also made his children's music debut with 2009's Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine (Little Monster Records), which made it to many Year-End Best Of lists; made numerous mathematic s convention appearance s; released Buddha Electrosto rm (Garden Gate Records), an album of lo-fi garage-psy ch recorded with his brother-in -law Craig Morris (who played and engineered on Travellers ) under the name Thee American Revolution ; and topped it all off with his featured keynote talk and Australian debut performanc e at the Big Sound Music Conference , where he was featured alongside many musical luminaries , including noted Brian Wilson collaborat or (and one of Schneider' s heroes), Van Dyke Parks... and all of this while hard at work on The Apples' most ambitious studio production yet.

[Photo Credit: Adam Cantor]

But what exactly are "modern day versions" of Madonna, the Ramones and Talking Heads? Lady Gaga, Green Day and Arcade Fire already have record deals!

By Blurt Staff

Founders of legendary Sire Records, Richard Gottehrer and Seymour Stein (pictured) ,just announced the relaunch of the equally legendary record label Blue Horizon, intended, in their words, as "a venture that aims to introduce the world to emerging artists across a wide spectrum of genres" and utilizing "their unparallel ed talents for discoverin g new and compelling music to incubate the careers of budding musicians."

Blue Horizon will leverage the global reach and innovative marketing of The Orchard (Gottehrer 's company), while upstreamin g select releases to Warner Bros. Records (Stein's company). Blue Horizon will be run from The Orchard's offices and be home to modern day versions of Madonna, The Ramones, Talking Heads (all artists previously signed to Sire Records), etc.

You can view a video of the MIDEM press conference announcing the new venture here.

An analog recording session with the band Flaming Fire at my place.
You can see the big tape machine in the back under the window

Musician walks into the control room of the recording studio - where the band listens back to their 1st performanc e of the day - and exclaims; OMG ! listen to that TAPE ! And he takes on a look of profound satisfacti on and relief. And he owes this aural salvation to ..tape -- as opposed to digital.

 What 's wrong with this moment ? (I wouldn't mention it had it not been tellingly repeated with other musicians and artists). Basically, tape got all the credit. My countless technical and creative choices were not the easy and comfortabl e explanatio n for the excellent sounds -- ahem.

Some things come with the territory.
 
Many musicians claim better results at analog/tap e studios. Is it the gear, or the people and ears running the gear ? Older, more experience d engineers, or engineers with certain sensibilit ies at those studios might be the reason, as opposed to the tape itself.

I solicited a quote from another Brooklyn producer, Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony and the Johnsons, Phish, Sebadoh, Akron Family): "the true beauty of the medium is that analog recordings demand the participat ion of more profession al operators. The limitation s of analog recording enforce a level of discipline which digital does not. Sure the peak limiting is far smoother on analog....etc"

Well, more difficulty editing and fixing performanc es is one of those limitation s of analog. And better musicians as well as engineers are more likely to be willing to work with those limitation s (because they'll have less to fix), in order to get the hoped-for enhancemen t of tape. Better engineers and musicians = better sounding records no matter what

Aren't the sounds going to be only as good as the medium used to record them? And isn't some basic quality of that medium going to define the sound?

[sure, somewhat] - but comparing top end pro digital audio to analog is a lot closer than comparing say, film and video. Pro Digital is improving. The quality gap is closing

Brooklyn producer Joel Hamilton (Tom Waits, Nina Simone, Elvis Costello, Frank Black) of Studio G in Williamsbu rg chimed in with this (and he does use tape regularly) : "None of the tape machines, which are simpl