|
07/04/09
Wireless Festival London
See Also
07/08/09 Vibe Bar London 07/12/09 Loop Festival Brighton 02/25/09 Truck Festival Oxford 08/01/09 Field Day Festival LONDON 08/08/09 Boardmasters Festival Newquay 08/14/09 Summer Sundae Leicester 08/15/09 Bloom Festival Gloucestershire |
FANFARLO
fanfarlo.com ♥ myspace.com/fanfarlo
This band shot straight up my priority list because you only have FOUR more days to get Fanfarlo's Reservoir album for $1 USD. And for your information, I did buy it for $1, via paypal and it was quick, painless, and easy, just the way I like it. The download for the fifteen tracks was quick and comes with the image of their album on the unrestricted MP3s (949 pixels). This is a pretty nice deal because there's actually four extra tracks that's not on the vinyl or CD.
The extra tracks are: "Kist of Whistles", "Hands (demo)", "Drowning Men (acoustic version)" and "Acoemeti". Even if you've already purchased their special edition of Reservoir, these four tracks are definitely worth $0.25 each surely?
Apparently the promotion is doing the group some good as they moved 500 copies of their album as "Record of the Week" from Rough Trade in the UK (in fact, it's completely sold out). As for a release date for the US, I thought I read it wasn't even schedule until September!
Fanfarlo's music reminds me of a trend in UK alt-folk movement of late. As far as I'm concern, we seem to get a lot of that type of music going around these days: Laura Marling, Jay Jay Pistolet, Kill It Kid, etc.
Anyway, I just wanted to quickly get this article up prior to the expiration date of July 4th, so excuse the lack of detail on examining the album. What I can tell you is that it's folksy. There's clapping, there's clarinets, there's strings. The singing is wimpish, sensitive, and hey, he probably wears glasses. And you know what? Despite all that, it sounds alright!
The track that they seem to like is "Luna", but I didn't like it as much as "Fire Escape".
Reservoir will be the best $1 you've spent this summer. Go for it.
PS, the cover artwork is creepy. It reminds me of A Tale of Two Sisters.
R.E.M.
remhq.com ♥ myspace.com/rem
I know I've already reviewed Reckoning: Deluxe Edition, but we finally got the actual product in house. So think of this as the packaging review.
I have long suggested to musicians that music fans like myself still prefer to actually own a physical product. Compared to the endless amount of jewel case albums, it's definitely worth it to make your CDs more attractive and unique. Case in point: those awesome 2-disc "Deluxe Packages". I've previously praised Deluxe Editions for that very reason.
To start off, the clear plastic sleeve are interchangeable with other Deluxe series. The liner notes unfolds to reveal a poster of the album artwork. On the reverse are credits, random "aged" photographs, and a long introduction written by Tony Fletcher. The Fletcher article basically sums up R.E.M.'s first few years up touring for Reckonining. It also document the craziness of how songs were basically thrown together. Recordings were produced in very short amount of time with the rhythm section (Mike Mills & Bill Berry) catching on quickly as a result of being marching band partners and understanding each other's works.
Basically songs were recorded because "either you got it, or you didn't.".
The article is also printed in tiny, tiny, font, and I suspect only hardcore R.E.M. fans will likely read it. Bring a magnifying glass.
As expected and predicted, the package is very similar to Murmur. See picture of that previous package. You can pick up Reckoning Deluxe Edition at most places, like Best Buy - but amazon has it cheapest ($17.99).
MISCELLANEOUS
news.weheartmusic.com ♥ myspace.com/weheartmusik
What's on my radar? Here's a few that we've recently receive - that looks interesting. I'm especially drawn to Italy's Father Murphy (I think of Peter Murphy for some reason!) and K Records' The Pine Hill Haints. I heart K (so does Kurt Cobain). They recently signed up on twitter and I followed them immediately.... even though as of this writing they haven't exactly "tweated".
fanfarlo.com ♥ myspace.com/fanfarlo
This band shot straight up my priority list because you only have FOUR more days to get Fanfarlo's Reservoir album for $1 USD. And for your information, I did buy it for $1, via paypal and it was quick, painless, and easy, just the way I like it. The download for the fifteen tracks was quick and comes with the image of their album on the unrestricted MP3s (949 pixels). This is a pretty nice deal because there's actually four extra tracks that's not on the vinyl or CD.
The extra tracks are: "Kist of Whistles", "Hands (demo)", "Drowning Men (acoustic version)" and "Acoemeti". Even if you've already purchased their special edition of Reservoir, these four tracks are definitely worth $0.25 each surely?
Apparently the promotion is doing the group some good as they moved 500 copies of their album as "Record of the Week" from Rough Trade in the UK (in fact, it's completely sold out). As for a release date for the US, I thought I read it wasn't even schedule until September!
Fanfarlo's music reminds me of a trend in UK alt-folk movement of late. As far as I'm concern, we seem to get a lot of that type of music going around these days: Laura Marling, Jay Jay Pistolet, Kill It Kid, etc.
Anyway, I just wanted to quickly get this article up prior to the expiration date of July 4th, so excuse the lack of detail on examining the album. What I can tell you is that it's folksy. There's clapping, there's clarinets, there's strings. The singing is wimpish, sensitive, and hey, he probably wears glasses. And you know what? Despite all that, it sounds alright!
The track that they seem to like is "Luna", but I didn't like it as much as "Fire Escape".
Reservoir will be the best $1 you've spent this summer. Go for it.
PS, the cover artwork is creepy. It reminds me of A Tale of Two Sisters.
remhq.com ♥ myspace.com/rem
I know I've already reviewed Reckoning: Deluxe Edition, but we finally got the actual product in house. So think of this as the packaging review.
I have long suggested to musicians that music fans like myself still prefer to actually own a physical product. Compared to the endless amount of jewel case albums, it's definitely worth it to make your CDs more attractive and unique. Case in point: those awesome 2-disc "Deluxe Packages". I've previously praised Deluxe Editions for that very reason.
To start off, the clear plastic sleeve are interchangeable with other Deluxe series. The liner notes unfolds to reveal a poster of the album artwork. On the reverse are credits, random "aged" photographs, and a long introduction written by Tony Fletcher. The Fletcher article basically sums up R.E.M.'s first few years up touring for Reckonining. It also document the craziness of how songs were basically thrown together. Recordings were produced in very short amount of time with the rhythm section (Mike Mills & Bill Berry) catching on quickly as a result of being marching band partners and understanding each other's works.
Basically songs were recorded because "either you got it, or you didn't.".
The article is also printed in tiny, tiny, font, and I suspect only hardcore R.E.M. fans will likely read it. Bring a magnifying glass.
As expected and predicted, the package is very similar to Murmur. See picture of that previous package. You can pick up Reckoning Deluxe Edition at most places, like Best Buy - but amazon has it cheapest ($17.99).
MISCELLANEOUS
news.weheartmusic.com ♥ myspace.com/weheartmusik
What's on my radar? Here's a few that we've recently receive - that looks interesting. I'm especially drawn to Italy's Father Murphy (I think of Peter Murphy for some reason!) and K Records' The Pine Hill Haints. I heart K (so does Kurt Cobain). They recently signed up on twitter and I followed them immediately.... even though as of this writing they haven't exactly "tweated".
Father Murphy - And He Told Us to Turn to the Sun (8/4/09)
06/30/2009 20:53:58 ♥ vu (
)
♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
|
07/17/09 Dawson City Music Festival
Discography
07/18/09 Dawson City Music Festival 07/19/09 Dawson City Music Festival 02/21/10 South America Cruise Ship 02/22/10 South America Cruise Ship 02/23/10 South America Cruise Ship 02/24/10 South America Cruise Ship 02/25/10 South America Cruise Ship 02/26/10 South America Cruise Ship
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"I have
sinned, yeah I have been around. I have cried, cried, cried a pretty
sound. Your heart breaks my heartache, I will pay for my mistakes. No
more will I make, a girl can dream." sings US-born, Canadian singer Melissa McClelland on her latest studio album, Victoria Day (released domestically in the US, today June 30th).
What strikes me about this album is that its inspiration seems to lies in an old-fashion dixieland-style music, as if all the music instruments and technology are from this alternate 1950s era. This is kind of interesting because a few years ago, her song "Rooftop", from Stranded in Suburbia, was included on the soundtrack for television teendrama series, Degrassi: The Next Generation... which doesn't exactly scream blues/americana music to me.
Victoria Day was produced by McClelland's husband, Luke Doucet, who also co-wrote "A Girl Can Dream". The music sounds very organic, with traditional piano & acoustic guitars, plus horns (sax, trombones) and strings (violins, cellos).
The track that people will likely be drawn to on Victoria Day will probably be "Seasoned Lovers". This is because the male vocals on this song is by none other than Ron Sexsmith. While the presence of Sexsmith doesn't hurt the song, I just felt the gentle love song was too forgettable to spotlight.
The title track and name of the album, "Victoria Day" is worth listening to. The song comes in two parts: April and May Showers. The song is also cut into two distinct section, as the song shifts to a different tone on May Showers... but I felt the song needed to be consumed as one full song.
It looks like McClelland's next few appearance are at the Dawson City Music Festival and most interestingly on a Cayamo Cruise Ship through South America. Although prices are expensive, starting at $799, it will be a nice six-day vacation with sleep quarters (includes meal?) and the chance to catch some of your favorite artists (Lyle Lovettt, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Brandi Carlile, Rachael Yamagata) on a very intimate setting.
You can buy Victoria Day today through Six Shooter Records - who's motto is "life is too short to listen to shitty music"
What strikes me about this album is that its inspiration seems to lies in an old-fashion dixieland-style music, as if all the music instruments and technology are from this alternate 1950s era. This is kind of interesting because a few years ago, her song "Rooftop", from Stranded in Suburbia, was included on the soundtrack for television teendrama series, Degrassi: The Next Generation... which doesn't exactly scream blues/americana music to me.
Victoria Day was produced by McClelland's husband, Luke Doucet, who also co-wrote "A Girl Can Dream". The music sounds very organic, with traditional piano & acoustic guitars, plus horns (sax, trombones) and strings (violins, cellos).
The track that people will likely be drawn to on Victoria Day will probably be "Seasoned Lovers". This is because the male vocals on this song is by none other than Ron Sexsmith. While the presence of Sexsmith doesn't hurt the song, I just felt the gentle love song was too forgettable to spotlight.
The title track and name of the album, "Victoria Day" is worth listening to. The song comes in two parts: April and May Showers. The song is also cut into two distinct section, as the song shifts to a different tone on May Showers... but I felt the song needed to be consumed as one full song.
It looks like McClelland's next few appearance are at the Dawson City Music Festival and most interestingly on a Cayamo Cruise Ship through South America. Although prices are expensive, starting at $799, it will be a nice six-day vacation with sleep quarters (includes meal?) and the chance to catch some of your favorite artists (Lyle Lovettt, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Brandi Carlile, Rachael Yamagata) on a very intimate setting.
You can buy Victoria Day today through Six Shooter Records - who's motto is "life is too short to listen to shitty music"
06/30/2009 03:20:20 ♥ vu ()
♥ melissamcclelland.com
♥ myspace.com/melissamcclelland
|
06/30/09 Belfast, IRE Odyssey Arena
Discography
07/02/09 Dublin, IRE RDS Arena 07/04/09 Glasgow, Scotland Hampden Park 07/07/09 Birmingham, England NIA 07/08/09 Birmingham, England NIA 07/11/09 Manchester, England MEN 07/12/09 Manchester, England MEN 07/16/09 Hamburg, Ger Colorline Arena 07/18/09 Arnhem, Netherlands Gelredome 07/21/09 Madrid, Spain Sports Palace 07/22/09 Lisbon, Portugal Atlantico Pavilion
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I sure love the Eagles'
song "Hotel California". It's one of those long song that tells the
story of a man driving through the Californian deserted road and
finding himself checking into a strange hotel. The song soon turn into
a nightmarish horror film, where "you can check in anytime, but you can never leave".
What's kind of interesting was that the Eagles formed out of basically
being session musicians for Linda Ronstadt. They played backup to
Ronstadt and on her self-titled 1972 album. I suppose the band knew a
good thing when they saw one and recorded their own songs that same
year. By the time 1976 rolled around, they clearly had a certified hit
with the album and title track "Hotel California".
Of course, by the time I was listening to Eagles on "oldies" radio station, they had already broken up. Don Henley was going strong on his solo albums, particularly with his third, The End of the Innocence, in the late 80s/early 90s. Incidentally, I did pick up the album on the strength of strong singles "New York Minute", "The Heart of the Matter", and "The End of the Innocence", via the now-defunct BMG club.
I was happy to find that Don Henley just released a special greatest hits album called The Very Best of Don Henley (released on June 16th on Geffen Records/Universal). Fans who waited a week will want to get the deluxe CD with DVD for a few extra dollars (totally worth it).
Although the track listing is pretty similar to his earlier greatest hits album, Actual Miles (in fact, the first 10 songs are exactly the same order), what set The Very Best of Don Henley apart is that all the tracks have been remastered. And trust me, "The Boys of Summer" and "Dirty Laundry" will never sound better than this. You can clearly hear every beat and sound effects of the 80s music technology!
Nearly 10 years have passed since Henley's last album, Inside Job, three if you count Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden (a six-year project!), so it's really nice to hear some of Henley's best songs collected in one CD. Relive your childhood hits of the 80s and 90s. For the (newer) generation that's not familiar with Henley or Eagles, it's an attractive starter compilation.
As for the DVD, besides from the six music videos ("The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do is Dance", "The Last Worthless Evening", "The Heart of the Matter", "Everything is Different Now", and "For My Wedding"), there are four bonus "DVD audio". I find these dvd audio to be kind of useless for the average consumer, because we normally don't listen to audio on the DVD player. But for the music collector, it's actually nice that they were able to squeeze on some of the lesser-known songs like "Love Rules" and "Through Your Hands".
The music videos are great, but sometime are too artsy and it comes off as rolling-my-eyes cheesy. I was disappointed to not see "The End of the
Innocence" video, I suppose "Heart of the Matter" made up for it, as it came from
the same era. Still, I was very happy to revisit some of these classic
videos that I haven't honestly seen these in nearly 20 years. Thank you
Geffen Records for making my weekend.
Currently, Henley is playing some stadium dates through Europe with the Eagles. Hell is still frozen, I guess.
Of course, by the time I was listening to Eagles on "oldies" radio station, they had already broken up. Don Henley was going strong on his solo albums, particularly with his third, The End of the Innocence, in the late 80s/early 90s. Incidentally, I did pick up the album on the strength of strong singles "New York Minute", "The Heart of the Matter", and "The End of the Innocence", via the now-defunct BMG club.
I was happy to find that Don Henley just released a special greatest hits album called The Very Best of Don Henley (released on June 16th on Geffen Records/Universal). Fans who waited a week will want to get the deluxe CD with DVD for a few extra dollars (totally worth it).
Although the track listing is pretty similar to his earlier greatest hits album, Actual Miles (in fact, the first 10 songs are exactly the same order), what set The Very Best of Don Henley apart is that all the tracks have been remastered. And trust me, "The Boys of Summer" and "Dirty Laundry" will never sound better than this. You can clearly hear every beat and sound effects of the 80s music technology!
Nearly 10 years have passed since Henley's last album, Inside Job, three if you count Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden (a six-year project!), so it's really nice to hear some of Henley's best songs collected in one CD. Relive your childhood hits of the 80s and 90s. For the (newer) generation that's not familiar with Henley or Eagles, it's an attractive starter compilation.
As for the DVD, besides from the six music videos ("The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do is Dance", "The Last Worthless Evening", "The Heart of the Matter", "Everything is Different Now", and "For My Wedding"), there are four bonus "DVD audio". I find these dvd audio to be kind of useless for the average consumer, because we normally don't listen to audio on the DVD player. But for the music collector, it's actually nice that they were able to squeeze on some of the lesser-known songs like "Love Rules" and "Through Your Hands".
Currently, Henley is playing some stadium dates through Europe with the Eagles. Hell is still frozen, I guess.
06/29/2009 09:43:26 ♥ vu ()
♥ donhenley.com
♥ eaglesband.com
A little backlog seems to be building up in my earpod recently... but now it is time... to spread some love. The love i'm spreading today is for a group of english boys and one of Sydney's favourite ladies.
Favours For Sailors
It's definitely not your poncey indiepop, which is kinda of odd, because when i imagine giving favours to sailors..... no Sally, don't go there.
Not arriving on my radar until recently, it seems again, I am one of the last to know. According to their MySpace page, Favours For Sailors
are attracting quite a lot of the right sort of attention from a number
of notable British radio personalities (Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq)
and magazines (Uncut and Clash). What I have here is a delightful
set of songs from a particular radio session.... of unknown date
or relevance, but anyway..... all the same they're a set of songs with well rounded sounds, ripe for a sing
along and a little jig session. Profound lyrics? No, not really. But
still, very catchy indeed. I Dreamt That You Dreamt That I Loved You In My Dreams .... good to hear everyone has odd dreams occasionally.
So who are they? The word is Favours For Sailors are a group of four, four boys, four English boys, some from Cornwall, some from London. Meeting somehow, somewhere and there you have it. A band is born. One point I've read that gets me more interested is that Scottish band Dananananaykroyd (another band to belatedly hit my radar) handpicked Favours For Sailors to tour with them on the southern leg of their recent tour. Rumour has it that the boys are currently recording the follow up to their debut mini album ‘Furious Sons’.
If
you head back over to their MySpace page, you'll notice a few live
dates coming up. It might be an idea that eyes and ears are kept peeled
for word on these guys because, in my opinion, we'll be hearing more
from Favours From Sailors at some point in the near future.
A lovely young lady with an amazing voice, based in Sydney, well worth a listen or three. I wont spend a lot of time talking up Miss Blasko, I'll save that for another time. What I have to share with you now however, is a little listening treat. If you click here you will be transported to a place where you can get.... FOR FREE.... a track, No Turning Back , off the new album by the lovely Sarah Blasko. I wont say much. Just listen.
Also, if you'd like to hear more (and quite a few live shows coming up to keep track of), this is where you need to go: http://www.myspace.com/sarahblasko
Until next time.
Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com
|
07/11/09 Ventura, CA Mai's Cafe
See Also
07/12/09 LA, CA Echo 07/13/09 SF, CA Knock Out 07/15/09 Sacramento, CA Blue Lamp 07/16/09 Portland, Oregon Backspace |
Summer Cats – Songs for Tuesdays
Unless you are on a whirlwind vacation or the hero of a highly unlikely action movie, chances are, your summer is not exactly a hotbed of excitement. Along with the crappy summer job or required class at the local community college, there is the heightened chance of dying of heat stroke. Not very cinematic. Thankfully, most of the time, all you need to lift your spirits is the perfect summer soundtrack, and Summer Cats’ debut LP, Songs for Tuesdays, is just that.
Right from the start, with full-throttle opener, “Let’s Go,” you get the general feel of the album: relentlessly catchy, cheerful pop. But unlike a lot of today’s indie pop, the guitars are trenchant enough to hold their own against the sugary melodies and sing-along choruses. Not to mention there is nary a glockenspiel heard throughout the album, which is a rare thing among pop bands these days.
It’s worth noting that they managed to put together a sunny pop album without it being oversaturated with cuteness. Even a twee glutton like me can get sick of cutesy girl-boy harmonies after a while, but the lyrics have just the right amount of neurosis to keep things amusing. Songs like “In June” and “Wild Rice” are a bit more low key, but they provide the perfect balance of melancholy and sweet that bring to mind the Field Mice and the Lucksmiths at their catchiest.
Striking up contrasts is the key to keeping an indie pop album interesting, and Summer Cats do it remarkably well by infusing their infectious melodies with musings on heartbreak and rejection. It’s an age-old formula, but they do it with a sharp sense of humor. On one of the album’s many sadsack anthems, singer Hugh Owen begs his girl to “chuck [him] in the ‘maybe’ pile,” a concession that is sure to ring true for a legion of dejected pop fans. But all the gloominess is skillfully handled in a tongue-in-cheek manner, as seen in tracks like “Lonely Planet,” where “I love you” is sung in eight different languages, only to be followed with the chorus, “eight different ways which you won’t say to me.” It may be harsh, but it’s the kind of sentiment best served with a side of jangly guitars and ample ooh la la’s.
With its adherence to grim reality and undeniably catchiness, Songs for Tuesday is a fitting soundtrack for anyone stuck with a lackluster summer, one that is completely devoid of big explosions or robot uprisings. It may not have the expected subject matter one would expect from a fun summer album, but it still offers plenty of entertainment, all the while keeping your IQ level perfectly intact.
Unless you are on a whirlwind vacation or the hero of a highly unlikely action movie, chances are, your summer is not exactly a hotbed of excitement. Along with the crappy summer job or required class at the local community college, there is the heightened chance of dying of heat stroke. Not very cinematic. Thankfully, most of the time, all you need to lift your spirits is the perfect summer soundtrack, and Summer Cats’ debut LP, Songs for Tuesdays, is just that.
Right from the start, with full-throttle opener, “Let’s Go,” you get the general feel of the album: relentlessly catchy, cheerful pop. But unlike a lot of today’s indie pop, the guitars are trenchant enough to hold their own against the sugary melodies and sing-along choruses. Not to mention there is nary a glockenspiel heard throughout the album, which is a rare thing among pop bands these days.
It’s worth noting that they managed to put together a sunny pop album without it being oversaturated with cuteness. Even a twee glutton like me can get sick of cutesy girl-boy harmonies after a while, but the lyrics have just the right amount of neurosis to keep things amusing. Songs like “In June” and “Wild Rice” are a bit more low key, but they provide the perfect balance of melancholy and sweet that bring to mind the Field Mice and the Lucksmiths at their catchiest.
Striking up contrasts is the key to keeping an indie pop album interesting, and Summer Cats do it remarkably well by infusing their infectious melodies with musings on heartbreak and rejection. It’s an age-old formula, but they do it with a sharp sense of humor. On one of the album’s many sadsack anthems, singer Hugh Owen begs his girl to “chuck [him] in the ‘maybe’ pile,” a concession that is sure to ring true for a legion of dejected pop fans. But all the gloominess is skillfully handled in a tongue-in-cheek manner, as seen in tracks like “Lonely Planet,” where “I love you” is sung in eight different languages, only to be followed with the chorus, “eight different ways which you won’t say to me.” It may be harsh, but it’s the kind of sentiment best served with a side of jangly guitars and ample ooh la la’s.
With its adherence to grim reality and undeniably catchiness, Songs for Tuesday is a fitting soundtrack for anyone stuck with a lackluster summer, one that is completely devoid of big explosions or robot uprisings. It may not have the expected subject matter one would expect from a fun summer album, but it still offers plenty of entertainment, all the while keeping your IQ level perfectly intact.
06/28/2009 22:52:34 ♥ kateg (
)
♥ myspace.com/summercats ♥ slumberlandrecords.com
|
W♥M047: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour W♥M048: Honey Claws II [download (12 mins)]
|
Please visit our website for more information, podcast.weheartmusic.com, subscribe to our show at gcast.com (RSS).
Again, I know these are long overdue. These were recordings from SXSW.
Again: I'm not very happy with the audio quality, I was recording it using a built-in mic on the recorder. On retrospect, I should've bought along a professional mic and plug it into the input. So apology for the poor audio once again.
THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR
theasteroidsgalaxytour.com ♥ myspace.com
I talked to: Lars Iversen
Again, lots of background noise. We moved to a quieter area in the interview.
Lars had never played "Tap Tap Revenge 2", so I had him play on his own song: "Around the Bend".
The band is still doing quite well in the UK, currently touring. They seem really excited to support Katy Perry for their show in Luxembourg.
honeyclaws.com ♥ myspace.com/honeyclawsmusic
On the interview: Thomas Sahs and Jon Von Letscher
Download the original interview last year.
This year, the interview was conducted in a car, listening to their EP, Healer. At one point Tom got distracted by "the twins".
Their song of choice, "Beat Of The Wet Eve", is about being in Costa Rica. Tom showed me his stingray bite and oooh it was nasty.
I try to make it to their show that night, but the (tiny) venue was packed full of people. It looked pretty awesome and everyone was having a great time.
Currently, it looks like Jon is in Sweden.
Again, I know these are long overdue. These were recordings from SXSW.
Again: I'm not very happy with the audio quality, I was recording it using a built-in mic on the recorder. On retrospect, I should've bought along a professional mic and plug it into the input. So apology for the poor audio once again.
THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR
theasteroidsgalaxytour.com ♥ myspace.com
Again, lots of background noise. We moved to a quieter area in the interview.
Lars had never played "Tap Tap Revenge 2", so I had him play on his own song: "Around the Bend".
The band is still doing quite well in the UK, currently touring. They seem really excited to support Katy Perry for their show in Luxembourg.
- 07/04/09 Eurockeennes De Belfort Belfort, FR
07/05/09 Metropolis Festival Rotterdam, NL
07/06/09 Rockhal Luxembourg
07/11/09 Terres Du Son Festival Monts
07/16/09 Dour Festival Dour
07/17/09 Montreux Jazz Festival Montreux
07/18/09 Latitude Festival Henham Park, Southwold
07/24/09 Secret Garden Party Huntingdon, East
07/25/09 Les 3 Elephants Festival Laval
07/29/09 Cabaret Vert Festival Charleville-Mézières
honeyclaws.com ♥ myspace.com/honeyclawsmusic
Download the original interview last year.
This year, the interview was conducted in a car, listening to their EP, Healer. At one point Tom got distracted by "the twins".
Their song of choice, "Beat Of The Wet Eve", is about being in Costa Rica. Tom showed me his stingray bite and oooh it was nasty.
I try to make it to their show that night, but the (tiny) venue was packed full of people. It looked pretty awesome and everyone was having a great time.
Currently, it looks like Jon is in Sweden.
06/28/2009 03:03:02 ♥ vu ()
♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
It's that time of year again... Glastonbury! Unless they've already been done, I might get some Ting Tings up, but for now I'm gonna complain about the Glasto organizer's plug pulling
on N*E*R*D's set. I mean geez, 25 minutes late? That's two hours early
compared to any gigs I've been to. It's not like the whole thing ain't
gonna run late anyway, is it? Just get Lilly Allen and Lady Gaga
to stop flashing their bits and changing costumes and you'll free up 25
minutes easy. But alas, two thirds through their set and N*E*R*D,
having arrived just a little late for their slot, had their lead vocals
cut and that was that, only the BBC highlights remain.
Even if you've not heard of N*E*R*D (that's "No one Ever Really Dies"), you'll likely know of founding member R&B producer Pharrell Williams. N*E*R*D are a collaborative effor between Pharell, Chad Hugo, Shay Haley and whoever they manage to drag in to band duties, and are pretty much the only band I've ever known to try and combine R&B style lyrics in to Hip-Hop / Rock tunes whilst trying to pass themselves off as an Indie / Rock band in the likes of metal mag Kerrang!. If it was anyone other than Pharell, I'm sure it'd crash and burn, and they've deffinately got their fair share of critics (especially for the lyrics), but the result is at least one extremely catchy album - Fly or Die - from which I've included the track Breakout but you really should check out the rest if you've not already.
- Chris"f*ck glas"topher
Even if you've not heard of N*E*R*D (that's "No one Ever Really Dies"), you'll likely know of founding member R&B producer Pharrell Williams. N*E*R*D are a collaborative effor between Pharell, Chad Hugo, Shay Haley and whoever they manage to drag in to band duties, and are pretty much the only band I've ever known to try and combine R&B style lyrics in to Hip-Hop / Rock tunes whilst trying to pass themselves off as an Indie / Rock band in the likes of metal mag Kerrang!. If it was anyone other than Pharell, I'm sure it'd crash and burn, and they've deffinately got their fair share of critics (especially for the lyrics), but the result is at least one extremely catchy album - Fly or Die - from which I've included the track Breakout but you really should check out the rest if you've not already.
- Chris"f*ck glas"topher
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07/03/09
Heineken Opener Festival Gdynia
Discography
07/04/09 MainSquare Festival Arras 07/04/09 Beauregard Festival Caen 07/05/09 Furia Festival Cergy 07/08/09 Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred 07/10/09 Les Ardentes Liege 07/11/09 Musilac Festival Aix les bains 07/13/09 Razzmatazz Barcelona 07/15/09 Spaziale Festival Turin 07/17/09 Melt Festival Gräfenhainichen 07/18/09 Garden Nef Party Angouleme 07/19/09 Latitude Festival Suffolk 07/21/09 Paleo Festival Nyon 10/09/09 Terminal 5 New York, New York
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I've been listening to The Gossip
since I heard "Dressed in Black" from their self-titled original EP on
a compilation my friend Celeste made for me (she felt she owed me for a
Sleeper b-side compilation I made for her a while back). There was a
few I liked right away, like ESG's "Dance", Anna Oxygen, and, of
course, The Gossip's "Dressed in Black" and "Red Hott".
I got a hold of their debut album, That's Not What I Heard, from one of my favorite label, Kill Rock Stars, a few years later... by that time they had dropped the "the" part of their name and became simply Gossip, starting with their 2002 EP Arkansas Heat.
Ever since I discovered Britpop, I have been keeping an eye on UK pop music, and I can tell you that Gossip is huge in the UK. This was quite evident with their last album, Standing in the Way of Control, which had a huge buzz overseas, where their song, "Standing in the Way of Control", became the theme song of the British show Skins. The album instantly hit #1 on the UK Indie Charts.
With mass appeal,especially in the UK, the band recently signed with major label Sony Music (under the Music With a Twist umbrella). Their major debut is called Music for Men and it was released last Tuesday on CD and digital in the UK. As for the US, you can legally purchase the album last Tuesday - but the physical CD won't be available in the US until October 6th on Columbia Records. I am assuming around that time, you'll get to see the band on their promotional tour dates. As of this writing, there is one sole New York date.
So what is it about this three piece from Olympia, Washington, that's so appealing? I will ask you: what's not to love?
First off, their lead singer, Beth Ditto, is unabashedly lesbian, proud of her weight, and unapologetically outspoken. To be honest, none of that really matters to me, because I just enjoy hearing her vocals.
Second, backed with bassist (but will occasionally play guitars), Brace Paine, and drummer, Hannah Blilie, their songs comes off as raw, but always with a jerky dance groove.
Compared to Gossip's earlier work (especially on their first few EPs), they have gone from a sort of rockabilly soul to simply disco soul. I also felt Music for Men to be very polished and each sound can be heard loud and clear. This is possibly due to that the majority of the album was written and recorded at the Shangri-La studio in Malibu, a first-class studio that Ditto admitted "the first time we ever had access to a studio like that".
I think it's a great direction for the band, because it gives us the opportunity to hear more of Ditto's soulful pipes and hear every bass and drum beat. Also, I felt that the disco/synth plays a more important role in Music for Men, compared to their earlier works.
Some stand-out tracks is the love song "Love and Let Love" (I just really love hearing "It's a long way until February") and "2012". I don't know if you knew about the end of the world, but according to the Mayans, they seem to think it ends on December 21st, 2012. This will shed some light on Gossip's song "2012", which sings and dance and celebrate as if the year is 2012.
I don't know what the Gossip's next single will be, but I would guess it would be something poptastic and easy as "Pop Goes The World" since "Heavy Cross" was released as the lead-single for the album.
If you're in the UK, you're in luck as the album is available to buy right now and that, also, they're doing all the major festivals. For US fans, just wait a little bit longer - or if you're impatience, the MP3s are available on iTunes and amazon (both stores sells the full album for $8).
I got a hold of their debut album, That's Not What I Heard, from one of my favorite label, Kill Rock Stars, a few years later... by that time they had dropped the "the" part of their name and became simply Gossip, starting with their 2002 EP Arkansas Heat.
Ever since I discovered Britpop, I have been keeping an eye on UK pop music, and I can tell you that Gossip is huge in the UK. This was quite evident with their last album, Standing in the Way of Control, which had a huge buzz overseas, where their song, "Standing in the Way of Control", became the theme song of the British show Skins. The album instantly hit #1 on the UK Indie Charts.
With mass appeal,especially in the UK, the band recently signed with major label Sony Music (under the Music With a Twist umbrella). Their major debut is called Music for Men and it was released last Tuesday on CD and digital in the UK. As for the US, you can legally purchase the album last Tuesday - but the physical CD won't be available in the US until October 6th on Columbia Records. I am assuming around that time, you'll get to see the band on their promotional tour dates. As of this writing, there is one sole New York date.
So what is it about this three piece from Olympia, Washington, that's so appealing? I will ask you: what's not to love?
First off, their lead singer, Beth Ditto, is unabashedly lesbian, proud of her weight, and unapologetically outspoken. To be honest, none of that really matters to me, because I just enjoy hearing her vocals.
Second, backed with bassist (but will occasionally play guitars), Brace Paine, and drummer, Hannah Blilie, their songs comes off as raw, but always with a jerky dance groove.
Compared to Gossip's earlier work (especially on their first few EPs), they have gone from a sort of rockabilly soul to simply disco soul. I also felt Music for Men to be very polished and each sound can be heard loud and clear. This is possibly due to that the majority of the album was written and recorded at the Shangri-La studio in Malibu, a first-class studio that Ditto admitted "the first time we ever had access to a studio like that".
I think it's a great direction for the band, because it gives us the opportunity to hear more of Ditto's soulful pipes and hear every bass and drum beat. Also, I felt that the disco/synth plays a more important role in Music for Men, compared to their earlier works.
Some stand-out tracks is the love song "Love and Let Love" (I just really love hearing "It's a long way until February") and "2012". I don't know if you knew about the end of the world, but according to the Mayans, they seem to think it ends on December 21st, 2012. This will shed some light on Gossip's song "2012", which sings and dance and celebrate as if the year is 2012.
I don't know what the Gossip's next single will be, but I would guess it would be something poptastic and easy as "Pop Goes The World" since "Heavy Cross" was released as the lead-single for the album.
If you're in the UK, you're in luck as the album is available to buy right now and that, also, they're doing all the major festivals. For US fans, just wait a little bit longer - or if you're impatience, the MP3s are available on iTunes and amazon (both stores sells the full album for $8).
06/27/2009 00:00:36 ♥ vu ()
♥ thegossipmusic.com
♥ myspace.com/gossipband
♥ twitter.com
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06.26.09 Nutty’s – Sioux Falls, SD
Discography
06.27.09 O’Leaver’s Pub – Omaha, NE 06.28.09 Jerry’s Bait Shop – Lenexa, KS 06.30.09 Whitewater Tavern Little Rock, AR 07.01.09 Two Stick Sushi – Oxford, MS 07.02.09 The Saint – New Orleans, LA 07.03.09 Govn't St Grocery Ocean Spr, MS 07.06.09 Jackrabbits – Jacksonville, FL 07.07.09 Back Booth – Orlando, FL 07.08.09 New World Brewery – Tampa, FL 07.09.09 SoHo – Columbus, GA 07.11.09 Tin Roof w/ Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets – Charleston, SC 07.12.09 Slims w/ Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets – Raleigh, NC 07.13.09 The Rock Shop w/ Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets – Fayetteville, NC 07.14.09 The Cave w/ Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets – Chapel Hill, NC 07.15.09 The Garage w/ Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets – Winston Salem, NC 07.17.09 V-Club – Huntington, WV 07.18.09 Dantes – Frostburg, MD 07.19.09 Fennario’s w/ Riverwinds – West Chester, PA 07.22.09 The Dover Brick House w/Riverwinds – Dover, NH 07.24.09 Pianos – New York, NY 07.27.09 The Bug Jar – Rochester, NY 07.28.09 The Strutt – Kalamazoo, MI 07.30.09 Martyr’s w/ Steepwater – Chicago, IL 07.31.09 Up and Under w/ Steepwater – Milwaukee, WI 08.01.09 Ballyhoos w/ Steepwater – Merrill, WI 08.05.09 Cicero’s – University City, MO 08.07.09 The Basement – Nashville, TN 08.12.09 Stafford Main Street – Bryan, TX 08.13.09 Trophy’s – Austin, TX 08.14.09 Rudyards – Houston, TX 08.15.09 Bill’s Records (Instore) – Dallas, TX 08.15.09 The Chat Room – Fort Worth, TX 08.18.09 Casbah – San Diego, CA 08.19.09 The Hemlock w/ Stone Foxes – San Francisco, CA 08.20.09 Old Ironsides – Sacramento, CA 08.21.09 Cattleman’s – Rogue River, OR 08.27.09 Concert on the Dock – Port Townsend, WA 09.04.09 The Tractor – Seattle, WA 09.18.09 Ash Street Saloon (MusicFEST NW) – Portland, OR
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It's kind of weird to see The Lonely H
playing at bars, especially because, according to their biography,
three of the band members are underage. The band's been around since
2000, released three albums (their latest is Concrete Class, released June 6th on The Control Group), and have played over 200 shows! They stopped in Minneapolis last night to play mostly new songs from the new album at Lee's Liquor Lounge.
I've never been to this venue before, it's basically a bar with a half-wall that divides the stage and drink area. It's deceivingly longer than it is wide, and looks pretty spacious. Also, the atmosphere was pretty relaxed, and the turnout of local patrons and friends and music supporters were surprisingly busy for a work-day Thursday.
I haven't seen Gabe from Four on the Floor (possibly do not have a myspace) since SXSW, and I did not recognize him as he's now 90% beard. It's like an enchanted forest! Haha.
The highlight of the show was their cover of "Beat It". It would turn out to be sort of a Michael Jackson tribute night as each of the three band pay tribute to him. A Night in the Box (myspace) even did a pretty great rendition of "The Way You Make Me Feel" (followed by another cover, Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour").
Most of my driving day, I spent listening to Lonely H's Concrete Class
to get an idea of what to expect. They sound like a mix of country rock
and classic rock.
What I wasn't expecting was how absolutely tall singer Mark Fredson is. He towers over the other band members, Fredson looks kind of awkward leaning down when he plays his Yama"ha".
The band are all in cowboy wear (embroidered button shirts, leather boots, jeans), plus they all have really long hair, making them look like they're in a hard-rock or hard metal band. I also quite like the idea that they have this giant "H" that lights up with them on all their shows. Unfortunately the lights did an epic fail half way into their opening song, "Going out West".
They didn't play some of my favorite songs from the new album, "Girl from Jersey", "Take Care" and "Singer". I suppose it's understandable those songs are pretty mellow (compared to the rest of the album), but they made it up with rock-out version of "Diggin' a Hole" and "Cold Blues". The highlight of the show is probably their cover of Tom Petty's "Anything That's Rock N' Roll".
The Lonely H is playing a ton of dates for 2009, so they'll probably most likely be playing in your town. If not, their music is quite cheap (all albums are priced at $10, some with bonus DVDs).
I've never been to this venue before, it's basically a bar with a half-wall that divides the stage and drink area. It's deceivingly longer than it is wide, and looks pretty spacious. Also, the atmosphere was pretty relaxed, and the turnout of local patrons and friends and music supporters were surprisingly busy for a work-day Thursday.
I haven't seen Gabe from Four on the Floor (possibly do not have a myspace) since SXSW, and I did not recognize him as he's now 90% beard. It's like an enchanted forest! Haha.
The highlight of the show was their cover of "Beat It". It would turn out to be sort of a Michael Jackson tribute night as each of the three band pay tribute to him. A Night in the Box (myspace) even did a pretty great rendition of "The Way You Make Me Feel" (followed by another cover, Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour").
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What I wasn't expecting was how absolutely tall singer Mark Fredson is. He towers over the other band members, Fredson looks kind of awkward leaning down when he plays his Yama"ha".
The band are all in cowboy wear (embroidered button shirts, leather boots, jeans), plus they all have really long hair, making them look like they're in a hard-rock or hard metal band. I also quite like the idea that they have this giant "H" that lights up with them on all their shows. Unfortunately the lights did an epic fail half way into their opening song, "Going out West".
They didn't play some of my favorite songs from the new album, "Girl from Jersey", "Take Care" and "Singer". I suppose it's understandable those songs are pretty mellow (compared to the rest of the album), but they made it up with rock-out version of "Diggin' a Hole" and "Cold Blues". The highlight of the show is probably their cover of Tom Petty's "Anything That's Rock N' Roll".
The Lonely H is playing a ton of dates for 2009, so they'll probably most likely be playing in your town. If not, their music is quite cheap (all albums are priced at $10, some with bonus DVDs).
06/26/2009 02:09:28 ♥ vu ()
♥ myspace.com/thelonelyh
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It's been widely reported that Michael Jackson died today, originally from TMZ.
As soon as the story of Michael arriving at the hospital in Los Angeles
as a result of a cardiac arrest, the gossip website updated the story
in a matter of minutes. It's amazing how breaking news spread across twitter, wikipedia and online newspaper.
When I first heard of the news, I actually did not believe it... but I suppose it's the truth.
I grew up in the ghetto in Sacramento, and we were pretty poor. Our color television was probably the most valuable thing we'd own. I don't know how it came into our possessing (probably a find at the Goodwill), but we had this one-hour NBC documentary via VHS on The Jackson Five. At the end of the documentary, it shifted focus on Michael Jackson.
It was brilliant, they showed his performance at the Apollo Theater, unveiling his "Moon Walk".
By 1987, I bought one of my first album, Michael Jackson's Bad on bootleg cassette at the local flea market. Hey, did I mention I was poor ? I played the crap out of that thing, I loved "Man in the Mirror".
I actually didn't end up buying the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, until the mid-90s. I lost it/lend it to someone, but it's okay because I recently re-purchased the album when the 25th anniversary edition came out in 2007. I'm happy to report that the new version contain a DVD of the "Billie Jean" performance with that Moon Walk!
Sadly, the king of pop is dead, long live the king.
When I first heard of the news, I actually did not believe it... but I suppose it's the truth.
I grew up in the ghetto in Sacramento, and we were pretty poor. Our color television was probably the most valuable thing we'd own. I don't know how it came into our possessing (probably a find at the Goodwill), but we had this one-hour NBC documentary via VHS on The Jackson Five. At the end of the documentary, it shifted focus on Michael Jackson.
It was brilliant, they showed his performance at the Apollo Theater, unveiling his "Moon Walk".
By 1987, I bought one of my first album, Michael Jackson's Bad on bootleg cassette at the local flea market. Hey, did I mention I was poor ? I played the crap out of that thing, I loved "Man in the Mirror".
I actually didn't end up buying the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, until the mid-90s. I lost it/lend it to someone, but it's okay because I recently re-purchased the album when the 25th anniversary edition came out in 2007. I'm happy to report that the new version contain a DVD of the "Billie Jean" performance with that Moon Walk!
06/25/2009 18:52:24 ♥ vu ()
♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
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