Superblast!

Stream the new Verve album

Seriously, stream it. Here.

Georgie James breaks up

This is a huge bummer: The infant band Georgie James is breaking up. The duo posted this on their website earlier today:

After three years, Georgie James is calling it a day. We're proud of the album we made and everything else that we were able to do during our time together. We are both working on our respective solo projects...and hope to have albums out early next year. Thanks to everyone that helped our band over these past few years. And thanks to those who've listened to the music and come out to the shows. It is greatly appreciated. See you around soon.

Holy crap, look at this

 

Look at that mammajamma. So amazing. This is Aaron Horkey's poster for BORIS' current U.S. tour. Limited to 500 prints. The problem is, it doesn't seem to be available at any of the shows! Nor is it on BONA's site... But I found one on stupid eBay for $105! What the hell? Are these being sold directly to dealers???

Silver Jews set North American tour

The once-elusive Silver Jews, led by the once-enigmatic, now just really cool David Berman have announced a pyramid load of N.A. dates. The Set List has got the deets.

R.E.M., NIN, STP, DCFC headline Voodoo Festival. Also DJTTNORABFWQ

Get yr beads ready and leave yr bras at home, N'awlins is bringing a pretty solid lineup to the annual Voodoo Festival, Oct. 24-26.

Better than gumbo:

R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Erykah Badu, Dashboard Confessional, Shudder to Think, Death Cab For Cutie, DeVotchKa, The Gutter Twins, Cold War Kids, Wyclef Jean, Panic At the Disco, King Britt Tribute to Sister Gertrude, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Reverend Horton Heat, Lupe Fiasco, Walter Wolfman Washington, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers, Marc Broussard, Ozomatli Reunited w/ Chali 2na, Rebirth Brass Band, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Blind Boys of Alabama, Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Marva Wright, Joss Stone, Man Man, Thievery Corporation, Ghostland Observatory, Manchester Orchestra, Old 97's, Joseph Arthur, Colour Revolt, Tokyo Police Club, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Cowboy Mouth, The Iguanas, Bonerama, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Deacon John’s Tribute to New Orleans R&B featuring Wardell Quezerque, Marva Wright, Soul Rebels, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and a whole lot more...

And don't let all the spooky "voodoo" talk scare you into not going. R.E.M. has anti-black magic powers.

Street Scene fest nabs Beck, Black Crowes, Atmosphere

This year's Street Scene lineup has been revealed. On 9/20 and 9/21, go ROCK yourself, San Diego!

Beck
Atmosphere
Black Crowes
The National
Spoon
Cat Power
Justice
TV on the Radio
X
Teagan and Sara
Hot Chip
The Hives
Vampire Weekend
Cold War Kids
New Pornographers
MGMT
Tokyo Police Club
Man Man
Does it Offend You, Yeah?
DeVotchKa
Del the Funky Homosapian

Where's all the hip-hop? The last few years have featured dudes like Kanye Snoop, Mims, Wu-Tang, etc... This year is Atmosphere and Del?

Stream Bonnaroo performances (Metallica! Cat Power! BSS! etc!)

Can't make it to Bonnaroo? You baby. You can watch it all streaming here.

Today:

Raconteurs (6 pm), Swell Season (7:30), Les Claypool (8:30), Metallica (10)

Saturday:

1:45 PM Two Gallants
2:45 PM The Wood Brothers
3:00 PM Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
4:15 PM Ozomatli
5:00 PM Gogol Bordello
6:30 PM Against Me!
7:30 PM Iron & Wine
9:00 PM Cat Power
10:00 PM Mastodon
10:30 PM Ben Folds

Sunday:

1:30 PM Abigail Washburn & Sparrow Quartet
2:45 PM Donavon Frankenreiter
3:45 PM Robert Randolph's Revival
4:45 PM Yonder Mountain String Band
6:15 PM Rogue Wave
7:00 PM Broken Social Scene
8:30 PM Sigur Ros
10:00 PM Death Cab For Cutie

All times Eastern.

For good ol' fashioned moblogging, Rock Daily has some kick ass coverage. Kick ass.

R. Kelly acquitted on child pornography charges

How about that? R. Kelly is innocent! Weird, right?

BarkerRant: In Its Entirety

By Andrew Barker, of course.

Liz Phair recently announced a brief summer tour, in which she'll be playing her masterful debut l.p., "Exile in Guyville," in its entirety. Some of those dates may overlap with Public Enemy doing likewise with their masterpiece, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." This comes shortly after Roger Waters played "Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety at Coachella, not to mention several times last summer  -- a summer that also saw tours from GZA doing "Liquid Swords," Sonic Youth revisiting "Daydream Nation," and Lucinda Williams replaying her entire discography on successive nights (a clever scheme pulled off several years back by Cheap Trick). To this list we can also add Built to Spill, Deep Purple, Echo & the Bunnymen, Ash, Jay-Z (who at least showed some initiative by playing his "Reasonable Doubt" in reverse order), the Lemonheads, Mission of Burma, Alanis Morisette, Slayer, Queensryche, the Black Crowes, Metallica, Dio*, Elton John, the Zombies, and Lord knows how many others.

There are several things about this trend that make me uncomfortable -- the premature reversion to nostalgia, the transparency of the intention to boost ticket sales, the mere presence of the Black Crowes and Roger Waters on the list above -- but in this particular case, it's the fact that Phair's tour amounts to an admission that her later work hasn't been up to snuff. Liz has, of course, spent the last decade endeavoring to piss off her indie fan base and attract mainstream pop radio attention, succeeding most brilliantly at the former. I despise her music from this period, personally, but I had to admire her cojones for extending such an unambiguous "fuck you" to her fans' need to pigeonhole her. Now she's come crawling back, and it's not entirely pleasant to see. The same goes for the once mighty P.E. -- formerly known as "dangerous, revolutionary agents of social upheaval," now known as "the band with that skeezy old guy from VH1." 

It must take a substantial toll on a performer's ego to go through with this, to go from artist to pure entertainer, to shuck off all illusions of autonomy and just give the people what they want. As ably demonstrated by BTO on the Simpsons, heeding Homer's heckling and preceding straight to the "workin' overtime" part, there's a fine line between showing fans respect and simply indulging their every whim. At a Mountain Goats show I saw in March, this dilemma raised its head rather awkwardly, as frontman John Darnielle seemed unsure how to respond to the cheers that greeted his announcement: "This is an old song."

(He recovered brilliantly, however, mentioning that "a lot of my old songs were really bad. Wouldn't it be funny if I played one of those?")

On the other hand, there's also something strangely subversive about the "in its entirety" movement, considering that The Kids These Days don't listen to (or buy) whole albums anymore. In that way, forcing audiences to swallow records whole is something of a throwback -- "hey, you little punk, you're supposed to listen to this shit all the way through. Now sit back down and back back away from the skip button."

One could argue that some records do have that sprawling, cinematic scope, and to cut them up and shuffle bits around would be like watching a Martin Scorsese highlight reel instead of "Raging Bull" -- you'd get the point that he's a good director, but you wouldn't quite understand why. That was definitely how I felt after seeing Sonic Youth do "Daydream Nation" at the Greek last year. It wasn't just a great concert, it was something of an epiphany -- taking an album that I already loved and deepening my connection to it, expanding its parameters in all different directions. I probably listened to that record a good dozen times the week after the show, continually rediscovering it.

But that was a special case.

Generally speaking, what is so sacrosanct about the album, anyway? It's become something a truism to say that a great album must be experienced exactly in the way its creator intended, and there are certain records that absolutely should be**.

But most records? Nah. Not even the great ones.

Case in point, my single favorite album of all time, "Sandinista." Not only does it stand up brilliantly to reorganization, it pretty much demands it with its Tolstoian length. Since high school, I've probably made well over a dozen "personal abridgements" of the triple-album (on both cassette and CD), and the track listing on every one is radically different from the one preceding and following. I'm always amazed by how many different records can be made from the songs on "Sandinista" -- the angry punk record, the coked-up dance record, the ambient dub record, the children's songs novelty record...

It can be an instructive exercise -- try taking your favorite record and scrambling the order, whether randomly or schematically. Put your favorite song first, put two wildly dissimilar tracks next to each other, take out your least favorite track, etc. The new version might be better, might be worse, but your understanding of the material will change. (More often than not, I think, you'll realize that there was nothing particularly definitive about the record at all, and that there are any number of ways it could be improved. That may be heretical to say, but it's true.)

Fundamental to the joy of going to see an act you love play is the suspense of the unknown setlist. A great live show can play with your emotions exactly like a great mixtape -- forcing you to hear old songs in new contexts, skipping over your favorites and pissing you off, framing a tune you'd never really paid attention in such a way that it becomes your new favorite. What better feeling is there than the roar of recognition from the crowd when the first few notes of a beloved tune trickle out? Or the hysterical fanboy next to you screaming to his friend, "omigod, omigod, they never play this!"

That's all lost in these "entirety" engagements. There's no mystery, no challenge, no excitement. The performer plays what they know you want to hear, and you reward them for openly pandering to you. It's like Steve Martin's last stand-up tour in the late '70s, where he realized that the crowds didn't want to hear new jokes and laugh. They wanted to hear old jokes and applaud.

 

 

* At least the album in question was "Holy Diver," which has the best cover art of all time.

 

** "Sticky Fingers," "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx," "Innervisions," "Daydream Nation" and -- yes -- "OK Computer" come immediately to mind. And though I'll happily accept further suggestions, anyone who mentions "Sgt. Pepper" clearly hasn't listened to "Lovely Rita" in a while.

By Andrew Barker, of course. 

Led Zeppelin members jam with Foo Fighters in London

Even though the Foo Fighters are pretty lame, it's hard to dislike Dave Grohl. After all, he's displayed his unfiltered, unrivalled love of rock countless times -- by sitting in with legends like Tom Petty, filling in on drums for Queens of the Stone Age and teaming with all of his favorite '80s underground metal icons for his Probot side project. The Foos were hand-picked to open for the Police last year. Plus, there was that whole Nirvana thing.

And last night in England, the Foos were joined onstage by half of Led Zep. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played "Ramble On" and "Rock and Roll" with the Foos in front pf 86,000 peeps at Wembly Stadium (Robert Plant was touring the U.S., John Bonham is still, sadly, dead). Grohl played drums on "Rock and Roll". It was surely a dream come true for the Grohl.

So, the question of the day is when the frak is Led Zeppelin gonna announce a real reunion tour?

More importantly, who knew that 86,000 (!) people would show up to see the Foo Fighters -- in 2008 no less?

The New Pornographers Present The Stanley Park Singing Exhibition

From the band's email:

"What is that you might ask? The Stanley Park Singing Exhibition is a two day outdoor musical event being held on August 31st and September 1st at the Malkin Bowl in the middle of the beautiful Stanley Park in Vancouver BC. The festival will feature a host of bands lovingly hand picked by us, the New Pornographers. These bands represent a small sampling of what we consider some of the best groups from not only Vancouver, but the rest of the world."

Hmmmm, think globally, act locally. I like it!

I also lik the line up:

August 31st: Neko Case, Destroyer, Andrew Bird, Deerhoof, The Evaporators

September 1st: The New Pornographers, Stevie Jackson of Belle and Sebastian, The 1900s, Visqueen + Special Guest

Liz Phair returns to 'Guyville' on brief U.S. tour

Liz Phair -- everyone's former favorite mom, who was later despised for "Selling out" -- is now sort of loved by everyone again because she's playing her old stuff. To be exact, she's playing her landmark debut Exile in Guyville all the way through on these dates:

6/23 - San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
6/24 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
6/25 - New York, NY - Hiro Ballroom
6/26 - New York, NY - Hiro Ballroom

She & HIm on North American rampage

After thrilling audiences allover the Los Angeles metro area, She & Him are taking their cutesy blue-eyed everything on the road this July.

7/23 - Toronto, ONT - Opera House
7/24 - Northampton, MA - Academy of Music
7/25 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
7/26 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
7/28 - Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
7/29 - Atlanta, GA - Varsity Playhouse
7/30 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
7/31 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
8/2 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival
8/5 - Chicago, IL - Park West
8/7 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
8/8 - Madison, WI - Barrymore
8/10 - Washington, DC - Virgin Fest

HOLD STEADY TOUR!!!!

"When they say 'Great White Sharks,' they mean the kind in big, black cars..."

7/17 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
7/18 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
7/19 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
7/21 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theater
7/23 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
7/26 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theater
7/27 - Seattle - Capitol Hill Block Party
7/28 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
7/29 - San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
7/30 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
8/02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
8/03 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
8/05 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
8/06 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
8/08 - Oxford, MS - Proud Larry’s
8/09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt
8/10 - Charleston, SC - TBA
8/12 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
8/13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva

Also, Hold Steady gets an "F" for their tour announcement email. All the dates and venues were fucked up and they spelled "Portland" and "Carrboro" wrong.

Review: Metallica @ the Wiltern

5/14/08, Los Angeles: Rumor had it that they were going to be playing two sets: Master of Puppets all the way through, followed by their soon-to-be-released new album all the way through. This was not the case. It was pretty much 'tallica 101. All old tunes, only one was from the post-"Black Album" era. Strictly old skool. Flea joined the dudes for "Fight Fire With Fire," and hearing him shred that thunderbroom next to Metallica's "new guy" Rob Trujillo was apocalyptically awesome. That sound is faster than light. That Einstein guy was way off. "One" was another intense highlight, complete with the harrowing combat noises from the studio version and some well-timed strobes. Other than that, the group's stage set-up was lean and mean -- no inflatable props or video screens or confetti or what have you. Plus, by playing cordless instruments (and using surprisingly few pedals), the stage is virtually bare.

It was pretty amazing, even up in the balcony (except a bunch o peeps were sitting down! What is this -- Sufjan Stevens?). It was all for a good cause -- the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Singer James Hetfield seemed genuinely tickled to be playing such a relatively small joint for the first time in a loooong time (Wiltern fits maybe 2,500 human beings). At the end, the group threw enough guitar picks into the crowd to start another conservatory of music. Hetfield even got a few as far as the balcony! He exited with "...and THAT'S why we're in a band!"

After finishing a really difficult tax return, do CPAs stand up, lean out the window and yell "...and THAT'S why I'm an accountant!"?

I was super late (missed at least twenty minutes!), but I only missed four songs. Here is the complete setlist (set list?) from METALLICA's show at the Wiltern Theater in L.A. tonight:

Creeping Death
Fuel
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
…And Justice For All
Sad But True
Disposable Heroes
One
Master of Puppets
Battery
Last Caress/Green Hell (Misfits cover)
No Remorse
Enter Sandman
Fight Fire With Fire (w/Flea on Second Bass!)
Seek and Destroy

Tom Waits sets a few U.S. dates

The T-Man in the Dirty South.

My Morning Jacket touring U.S. and A.

ere be your tourdates, mateys:

06/20 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
08/16 - Louisville, KY - The Great Lawn at Louisville Waterfront Park
08/18 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
08/19 - Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Cove
08/21 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
08/23 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
08/24 - Austin, TX - Stubbs
08/27 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre-Atlanta
08/29 - Miami, FL - The Fillmore Miami Beach
08/30 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
08/31 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
09/02 - Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
09/03 - Washington, DC - Constitution Hall
09/05 - Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier - Penn’s Landing
09/06 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
09/19 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
09/21 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
09/23 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
09/24 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
09/25 - San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theater
09/27 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Edgefield
09/28 - Seattle WA - McCaw Hall
10/02 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
10/03 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
10/04 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
10/09 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
10/10 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre

Review: Breeders @ Glasshouse

4/29/08, Pomona: MMMMM...Breeders. Playing to an all-ages joint that was only about 3/4 full, and dealing with some pretty significant sound issues, Kim and Kelley Deal and their partners in crime still softly kicked some ass at the Glasshouse on Tuesday.

Playing selections from all of their full-lengths (Pod only repped two songs though), they seemed gun-shy about playing new tunes until the end of their set and the encore. New single "We're Gonna Rise" sounds awesome, with it's slow, smokey qualities and "German Lessons" was a hoot with Kim Deal singing in Deutsch. They wrapped their warped pop sensibilities around two covers: Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun" (found on Pod) and Guided By Voices' "Shocker in Gloomtown" (issued as a single in, what, 1993?).

About halfway through, during "No Aloha" and again on "Pacer," the sound went kablooey, with Kim Deal's guitar and mic cutting out. The audience (sort of) filled in on vocals on both songs before the band took a little break. During that time, Kelley Deal cracked some jokes to the peeps in the first few rows, until the sound was fixed and things came roaring back to life.

Good times, especially "Divine Hammer" and set-closer "Saints."

Poster of the Week: Raconteurs by Lil Tuffy

The Raconteurs @ SF, 4/29/08. Art by Lil Tuffy.

Boris playing in-store at Amoeba Berkeley

People in the Bay Area have no idea how lucky they are. From Amoeba's site:

"On June 22, legendary Japanese heavies BORIS will play an exclusive after-hours show at Amoeba Berkeley in celebration of their new release Smile! For this EPIC event, Amoeba Berkeley will actually be closing its doors early, teaming up with Southern Lord Records to host a private after-hours show with BORIS."

The only way in is to buy Smile at Amoeba Berkeley (you'll get a wristband for access). 

As of now, the only other U.S. date on Boris' itinerary is the Pitchfork Music Fest in Chicago July 17-19. They're playing the shit out of Europe though.

Photo of Boris by Chinapixie.