70 posts tagged “news”

As usual, check with news.weheartmusic.com for even more news and announcements.

RAKES BREAKS
www.therakes.co.uk

I got a note from the Astralwerks band Free Energy saying that some of their shows were canceled due to the fact that the Rakes broke up. That was a bit of a shocker, considering that I thought the Rakes, along with Bloc Party, were a really successful band with top 40 singles.

Here is an excerpt from the statement from the band, dated October 22^nd:

The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100% to every gig we’ve ever played. If we can’t give it everything then we won’t do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one. After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can’t give it 100% anymore and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day.

A total of 10 dates were canceled by Free Energy, but here is the new dates (note: Minneapolis is canceled):

FREE ENERGY TOUR DATES:
10/24: London, UK @ Cargo (DFA Night)
10/26: London, UK @ Barfly
10/27: London, UK @ Rough Trade Records (Hoxton) In-Store
(Early Show)/Waterats (Late Show)
10/28: London, UK @ Windmill
11/11: Boston, MA @ Great Scott
11/19: Dallas, TX @ The Cavern
11/20: Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
11/21: Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
11/22: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11/23: Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
11/24: Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
11/25: Washington, DC @ DC9, set TBA
11/27: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11/28: New York, NY @ Santos Party House

IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU
lilyallenmusic.com

Speaking of splitting, Lily Allen will be splitting from her record label, EMI. Allen, who recently had that insert-mouth-in-foot moment when she had nothing but disdain her fans for sharing her music, is to set up her own record label. She's currently has no plans on touring or promoting her latest album, It's Not Me, It's You and have pretty much abandoned being on the internet.

Quote:

I've thrown away my laptop and I haven't got a Blackberry. I've cut myself off and it's been brilliant so far.

Ironic since her career started because of her fame on myspace.

MIS-SHAPES, MISTAKES, MISQUOTES (or alternate title, EVEN FURTHER COMPLICATIONS)
jarviscocker.net

Not breaking up, Jarvis Cocker was recently quoted by People Magazine as having said:

Glastonbury means an awful lot to me, I would love to play there again. We've talked about it, there we go, there'll be a band reunion.

That sparked a slew of rumors that Pulp were reforming for Glasto 2010.

Unfortunately, as quick as the rumor started, it was also swiftly put to an end when Jarvis came out to say that "Pulp have no plans to get back together".

Someone asked me if I fancied playing at the 40th anniversary of Glastonbury, I said yes, they twisted that into a 'Pulp reform' story. It's not true.

THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE
www.itsmorrisseyworld.com

Speaking of further complications: It's widely reported that Morrissey collapse on the floor on the opening song, "This Charming Man" at Oasis Leisure Centre, due to breathing difficulties.

Although, NME said Morrissey to resume tour in London following onstage collapse, I suspect there will be even more cancellations in the future. Morrissey's has always been notorious for cancelling shows, due to illness and/or unexplained circumstances. I have seen Morrissey live before, but my original ticket to see him in somewhen 1994 was dashed when he canceled that show in Los Angeles. I believe we ponied up $75 per ticket (that was like a billion dollars back then).

Of course, none of this compare to the fan outage of Denny offering free burgers to fans who bought tickets to see Morrissey. Morrissey, as you know, is famous for being an advocator of vegetarianism.

This week's news theme is movies & television. As usual, please check with news.weheartmusic.com for all the latest press announcements.

MAD MAXINE
eonline.com

E Online is reporting that Charlize Theron is ready to go beyond Thunderdome.

I was in a bit shock to read that, simply because the last thing I heard about Mad Max 4 was that the movie would take place with Mad Max's son (Mel Gibson to play the aging father). If the Theron rumor is true, does that also mean that Mad Max 4: Fury Road have been re-written? Tom Hardy (who incidentally shares the same name as my favorite depressing writer, Thomas Hardy) is to play the villain.

Well, one thing is certain is that the movie will be written and directed by the original creator, George Miller. Perhaps a great release date would be December 2012, you know the year the world ends?

BILL COSBY RELEASES ALBUM
billcosby.com

I saw this announcement and was very intrigued by it. Bill Cosby has a music album? What? Does he rap? The answer is: "Cosby does not rap or sing on the album".

Still, I'll be looking further into it. In the meantime, I have downloaded his title track, "State of Emergency" for free off his website, billcosby.com.

Looking at the merchandise, I see that the best deal seems to be CD with digital tracks and book for $24.99. The extra deluxe edition seems kind of expensive for all of the above plus a "16 page artwork booklet" and 12 x 16 giclee album artwork poster. Still, it may be worth it if you consider that Bill Cosby autographed the poster. All physical items will be shipping November 24, 2009 - just in time for Christmas.

You can watch Bill Cosby on ustream.tv/billcosby and twitter fans can add @BillCosby.

GLEE
fox.com/glee

Columbia Records announced that they are releasing the soundtrack for Fox's Glee for November 3^rd. I will have to admit that as much hype surrounding this show, I have not really gotten into it - based on my viewing of its pilot episode.

Still, as a cover lover, I am interested in some of their covers (particularly "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Bust a Move". Full tracklisting:

1. “Don’t Stop Believin’”
2. “Can’t Fight This Feeling”
3. “Gold Digger”
4. “Take a Bow”
5. “Bust Your Windows”
6. “Taking Chances”
7. “Alone”
8. “Maybe This Time”
9. “Somebody to Love”
10. “Hate On Me”
11. “No Air”
12. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
13. “Keep Holding On”
14. “Bust a Move”
15. “Sweet Caroline”
16. “Dancing with Myself”
17. “Defying Gravity”

If you are based in the US and want to check out the show, see it on Hulu. Foreigners, you guys might want to check into proxy servers.

BATMAN: THE MUSICAL!
newline.com

Starting today October 23^rd, Cartoon Network will be airing Batman: The Brave & The Bold's “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” which features the voice and singing talent of Neil Patrick Harris as the Music Meister.

In conjunction with the aired episode, the soundtrack, Batman: The Brave & The Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister! will also be made available digitally on amazon and iTunes.

The music news of the world, courtesy of news.weheartmusic.com.

ATLAS SHRUGGED
myspace.com/bradfordcox

I got this note that Atlas Sound is heading out on tour next week -- with Broadcast! Since we haven't written about Broadcast in, like, 2007, it's good to hear about them recently.

Unfortunately, they're not coming near Minneapolis (I've visited Northfield before - it's a bit isolated!), otherwise I would love to do some coverage on them.

The tour information:

10/15 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/16 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
10/17 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/18 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/20 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
10/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/22 Boston, MA @ The Paradise
10/23 Montreal, QC @ Le National
10/24 Toronto, ON @ Lees Palace
10/25 Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center
10/26 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
10/27 Northfield, MN @ The Cave
10/30 Vancouver, BC @ Richards On Richards
10/31 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
11/01 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
11/03 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
11/04 Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
11/05 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
11/07 Denton, TX @ Hailey's

THE SHOW'S THE THING
kylie.com

Chicagoans, please note that tomorrow's Kyle Minogue's sold-out show at the Congress Theatre has been upgraded to the UIC Pavilion (University of Illinois at Chicago: 525 S Racine Ave., Chicago, IL 60607-3303). According to the announcement, this is being done because of "the sheer scale of the production".

All the tickets that fans have purchased for the Congress Theater will be good at the UIC Pavilion. However, because of the upgraded venue, more seats/tickets are available for purchase (it went on sale October 4^th, so I'm assuming it's probably already sold out). Good luck anyway, check with ticketbastard if you still have hope to attend.

MEAT IS MURDER
transformers.com

Since Christopher can't get enough of Morrissey and the Smiths, I thought I'd offer this: did you know the Smiths is in Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen? I know this may sound trivial, but I think it's cool.

Shia LaBeouf's character evolved from loving The Strokes & Green Day, to The Smiths, apparently.

TRANSFORMERS: Megan Fox hiding

TRANSFORMERS 2: Meat is Murder poster

PHONING IT IN
nuclearoreilly.com

Nuclear O'Reilly describes themselves as:

A music duo disguised as male escorts for librarians

The world's first iPhone album, Phoning It In, by Nuclear O'Reilly is available on their website for free. I think it's a good promotion for both Apple and its software, by Intua Software (which costs $19.99). Both platform and music software is powerful enough to produce this electronic album.

I did quickly listen to the album, it sounds a bit like a video game. If you think there are no vocals, you're wrong, you can hear some mumbling on "Creamatorium", which I'm assuming they used the iPhone's mic to record it. It's kind of a gimmick, but since it's free, why not check it out? Maybe they can be the next Guitar Zeros, or even worst, iBand.

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER
olympusamerica.com

For years now, I've been using my pocket Sony T7 Camera, which I've been quite happy with - for daytime shooting. If you are interested in a credit card-sized camera, T7 is a great camera for you. Image quality is great, but sensor is slow (as with all compact camera), but you can get around this by taking small 640x480 shots. The bigger the size, the worst it looks. Plus for night shots, see example, you tend to lose details. And you can forget about "fast-action" shots, the sensor is not fast enough to capture frame-by-frame.

The $400, I originally paid for the T7 in 2005, have been totally worth every penny. But in the day of technology growing in leaps and bounds, especially in the digital camera market, my T7 is a dinosaur!

I've placed an order for the Olympus PEN E-P1 Camera. Based on reviews I've read, comparing image quality with other standard SLR camera in its class, I am impressed with the Pen Camera. It particularly did really well with low-light situations, which is what I was looking for. It also shoots 1080 HD movie files, which I think will become more useful in the future. The only complaint people have said is that is a bit expensive (base camera starts at $800), and I've also read that it's slow on the SLR class - but slow they indicate as much as three seconds to startup the camera. Three seconds is not slow! I can live with three seconds!

The tracking number said I'm receiving the camera on Thursday, just in time for Friday's show: Asobi Seksu, Lonely Dear, and Anna Ternheim.

If it all works out, we should have some fantastic pictures from the show. Sadly, I'll still have a perfectly working Sony T7. Should I sell it? Any offers? It's probably most likely going in the bin of other retired electronics, like my all my old iPods, Palm PDA, and MiniDisc players!

PS, Hooray, we're listed as a neighbor on team.vox.com.

As usual, these news are from our news website, news.weheartmusic.com

Tour Dates 11/29/09 Seattle, WA @ Paramount 11/30/09 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre 12/02/09 Oakland, CA @ Paramount 12/04/09 Indio, CA @ Fantasy Springs 12/05/09 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint 12/07/09 Pomona, CA @ Fox Theatre 12/08/09 San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall 12/10/09 Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre 12/11/09 Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre Read More Morrissey http://weheartmus... Being a huge Morrissey/The Smiths fan, people often ask me: "What's your favorite Morrissey song?" My absolute favorite song is "Jack the Ripper". Casual fans might not be hip to this song, as it's somewhat of a rare song. So, it's time the tale was told on "Jack the Ripper"! The song originall... 1 comment

YOU CAN'T SPELL SWORDS WITHOUT WORDS
itsmorrisseysworld.com

Heaven knows Morrissey doesn't need the promotion, but being a loyal fan, I thought I'd at least mention his forthcoming B-Sides album, Swords out on November 3^rd in the US (UK residents will receive the album early on October 26^th).

The thing I like about B-Sides is that for some artists, is that they can let their hair down. Sometime they take some risks, for instance one of my favorite B-Side is "Girl Least Likely To" which was co-written by ex-Smiths Andy Rourke. It was quite rare to see Rourke doing the writing chores... but when he did, it was usually a B-Side. Incidentally, Rourke also provided the music for another favorite B-Side called "Get Off the Stage" (who says Morrissey doesn't have a sense of a humor?)

Hardcore fans will probably own all the singles, but the reason why they would pick up Swords is that it's just very convenient. Instead of compiling your own CD-R, this will do all the work for you and includes a new cover artwork. And as usual, it's definitely worth getting the limited version for the bonus disc.

Here's the tracklisting:

Good Looking Man About Town Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me Ganglord My Dearest Love The Never-Played Symphonies Sweetie-Pie Christian Dior Shame Is The Name Munich Air Disaster 1958 I Knew I Was Next It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small Teenage Dad On His Estate Children In Pieces Friday Mourning My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye Drive-In Saturday Because Of My Poor Education

Limited edition bonus disc: Black Cloud I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris I Just Want To See The Boy Happy Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby Life Is A Pigsty I'm OK By Myself

Tour Dates 10/05/09 Esplanade Concert Hall 10/08/09 Fremantle Arts Centre Fremantle 10/11/09 Palais Theatre Melbourne 10/13/09 Wrest Point Entertainment Centre Hobart 10/14/09 Palais Theatre Melbourne 10/15/09 Royal Theatre Canberra 10/17/09 Enmore Theatre Sydney 10/18/09 Convention Centre Brisbane Read More Elvis Costello http://weheartmus... I've been waiting for Universal to release all of Elvis' catalogue - and I was pleased to see that This Year's Model (the album with Pump it Up) was released a few months ago. My Aim is True (1977) is the first in the reissues, and it's a good start, because it was the first Costello album. Ove...

PUTTING THE "EL" IN ELVIS
elviscostello.com

I guess I'm pretty old. I have a lot of music-stories.

I've seen Elvis Costello at the Berkeley Theater before. I was there to cover Sleeper, the opening band. We had pretty awful seats, I had brought some friends along. They wanted to leave, but not until he played "Veronica" (one of the girl's name in our group). So he played it about half way into his set and we started walking out.

Outside the venue, there was a whole family sitting outside the venue's wall, listening to Elvis Costello. They were somewhat offended that we were leaving the show - "What's the matter? Why are you leaving?" they asked.

To be honest, I would've liked to say for the whole Costello show. I would've love to hear "Pump It Up" live, which I suspect probably would've been encore material.

So what's my point? Next Tuesday, as part of the "Costello Show" series, Live At The El Mocambo, comes out on Hip-O Records, according to amazon.

I got a chance to preview it, and I'll have to say that the recording is clean, probably was originally recorded from the soundboard for radio broadcast. The show was originally recorded in 1978 and released to Canadian radio stations only. As usual, fans got a hold of it, and it was heavily bootlegged. It eventually got an official release in 1993, but only as part of the 2½ Years boxset. Cheapskates will be happy to know that you can now buy Live At The El Mocambo as a standalone release soon.

Read More Michael Jackson http://weheartmus... 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 t...

IS THIS IT? THIS IS IT!
thisisit-movie.com

Too soon?

UK tickets for the highly anticipated Michael Jackson film, "This Is It", goes on sale today, September 27^th. If I were a betting man, I would think that tickets will probably sell out - so I suggest if you really want to see it, buy the tickets early.

Here's the kicker, the movie will only be available for two weeks, starting Wednesday, October 28^th. I did check for tickets in my area, there is an HD showing near me for $14, which is a little more expensive than I had hope. Remember when movies only cost $4.50 for matinee ?

While some may argue that the movie-going experience is worth it, I say for about the same amount, I'll get the DVD or Bluray version when it comes out. Which I'm almost certain it will come out.... after all, the soundtrack is available for pre-order.

Here's the official details of the MJ film:

Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson's creative partner and the director of the stage show is also directing the film, which is being produced by Randy Phillips, Kenny Ortega and Paul Gongaware. Executive producers are John Branca and John McClain. The film will be distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Releasing. Tickets for the limited two-week engagement of the film go on sale beginning September 27.

Hey guys, just a few 'news' item to run through before I leave the house to see a concert. Since coming back from holiday, I've been finding it hard to get back into the writing/work mentality (I'm sure you know what I mean).

What I've been forward to new seasons of television shows! You can watch many of these shows on hulu (boo to their disabling PS3 browsers), including my anticipated "Flashforward" about the day everyone blacked out and saw visions of their future. It looks apocalyptic and co-star John Cho (the Harold in Harold and Kumar).

I'm also loving the Fringe Season One Bluray, which you'll want to get the Best Buy version to get the free comic book by Wildstorm/DC Comics.

Looking through news.weheartmusic.com, I see there are quite a few bands announcing fall/winter tour dates, except for that "it's all yellow" band, Coldplay (official/myspace). They're giving away a nine-track live album called Left Right Left Right as a free download at coldplay.com/lrlrl/lr.html.

No reason, they're not touring or in need of promotion. I think it was just a thankyou gift to their fans.

Decemberists (official/myspace) are playing a few shows:

Sept. 23 Norfolk, VA The Norva
Sept. 24 Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville Pavilion*
Sept. 25 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium*
Sept. 26 Athens, GA The Classic Center*
Sept. 27 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium*
Sept. 29 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheater*
Sept. 30 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live*
Oct. 2 Houston, TX House of Blues*
Oct. 3 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct. 4 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom*
Oct. 6 Lexington, KY University of Kentucky, Lexington*
Oct. 7 Columbia, MO Ninth St. Fall Fest*
Oct. 8 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre*
Oct. 9 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre*
Oct. 18 San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Music Festival
Oct. 19 Los Angeles, CA UCLA Royce Hall
Nov. 18 London, UK Forum
Nov. 19 London, UK Coronet
Nov. 21 The Hague, Netherlands Crossing Border Festival

(w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames)

While I would like to attend, although I think they've long outgrown me as a band. Still, I'll always have their Kill Rock Star days, no? I also don't have their new album, The Hazards of Love, for review, but I suspect it was written on parchment paper in 1886.

Daniel Johnston (official/myspace) is also on tour. I'll admit to smiling to myself when I read his tagline: "hundreds of songs, and dozens of fans". He's got more than a dozen.

If everything falls into place, we'll have a review of his New York show. Shame he's avoiding the midwest altogether.

10/02/09 Austin City Limits Austin, Texas
10/13/09 9:30 Club Washington DC
10/14/09 Highline Ballroom / Irving Plaza New York
10/15/09 Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts
10/16/09 UK Fed Montreal, Quebec
10/17/09 Mod Club Toronto, Ontario
10/22/09 Regency Ballroom San Francisco, California
10/23/09 Caines San Diego, California
10/24/09 Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, California
11/01/09 Concorde Brighton, South
11/02/09 Union Chapel London
11/03/09 Town Hall Manchester, Northwest
11/04/09 Queens Hall Edinburgh, Scotland
11/05/09 The Sage Gateshead
11/06/09 Brudenell Social Club Leeds
11/07/09 Brudenell Social Club Leeds
11/08/09 Trinity Arts Center Bristol, Southwest
11/11/09 W2 Den Bosch, Noord-Brabant

Finally, barefooted Nico Vega (official/myspace) have announced that they are on tour with, guess who? The Manic Street Preachers! I don't know how they do it! They've opened up for loads of great bands, and I'm sure along the way manage to convert a few fans!

Here are the MSP tour dates with Nico Vega:

9/22/09 - The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
9/24/09 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
9/25/09 - The Avalon, Los Angeles, CA
9/28/09 - The Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
9/30/09 - The Varsity Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

Here is the weekly music news from the wonderful world of news.weheartmusic.com.

TALK ABOUT POP MUSIK
robinscott.org ♥ carbonzeromuzik.org ♥ unionsquaremusic.co.uk

Remember M? No, not M People, just that annoyingly-impossible to google "M". Even if you don't know who Robin Scott is, you've likely heard his song "Pop Muzik" on 80s radio station - that and "My Sharona" by the Knack.

You'll have to remember that by the early 80s, it was recovering from a decade of disco, and MTV was warming up to an invasion of New Wave music. From my understanding, "Pop Muzik" was a statement about bad pop music.

Guest what? In a press release last week, Union Square Music announces a 30th anniversary compilation, coming out in November. I rarely chase stories, and/or music request, but I had to ask about this.

The remix album compiles a variety of versions of song (original, demos, remixes) - one very interesting note is that there was a commissioned remixes by U2. I'm very keen on hearing that and the Devo remix!

Here is the complete track listing of the CD/DVD release.
 

TRACK LIST

1. Original Mix (4:55) -- From 1979, US #1, UK #2
2. 1989 Remix (4:04) -- From 1989, UK #15
3. Rob Quickenden Remix (3:41) -- 132bpm breaks remix
4. Original 1978 Demo (3:20) -- Robin's Scott's  original home demo
5. Dub Pistols Radio Edit (3:28)
6. Dub Pistols Remix (6:19) -- Commissioned by U2
7. Junior Vasquez Remix (7:13) -- Commissioned by U2
8. Sunshine State Remix (3:50) -- 150bpm trance remix
9. Olmec Heads Remix (7:59) -- From Moby/Perfecto/React collaborators
10. Rhumba Calzada cover version (4:16)
11. Steve Osbourne/U2 Remix (3:52) -- Commissioned by U2, Pop Mart's opening anthem
12. Devo Remix (3:16) -- Yes, 'the' Devo!
13. Devo's Darkside/MM Remix (3:40) -- Devo
14. Original 1979 Video (4:55) -- Directed by Malaney & Grant

TALK ABOUT A REVOLUTION
thebeatles.com

Here is Best Buy's advertisement for tomorrow's Beatles remastered catalog. If you're a Beatles fan, you probably own these albums - but these are semi-reasonably priced so it's a bit tempting. Well, I'll probably pick up Beatles for Sale because it's one of the albums I'm missing.

The Beatles Rock Band also comes out tomorrow, 09/09/09, and also the big rumor on the Apple iPod front is that they will unveil The Beatles on iTunes. Personally, I am waiting for an Apple Tablet of some sort, or maybe a special Beatles iPod with all the Beatles music on it - like that U2 iPod (see how it all relate to each other?)

The other rumor, which I believe, is that the iPod will get a camera, which I think is really cool... Well by the time you read this, you'll know all the facts right.

TALK ABOUT HOT TOPIC
thealmost.com ♥ myspace.com/thealmost ♥ twitter.com

Tooth & Nail's recording artist, The Almost, are quite popular with the kids. Their debut album, Southern Weather sold over a quarter of a million units and scored a #7 Modern Rock single with "Say This Sooner".

Their second album, Monster, will probably be well-received (to be release November 3^rd), and in anticipation, you can get a Limited Edition five-track Monster EP on October 6^th only at Hot Topic store. If you live outside of the US, Hot Topic, are a trendy mall store (the clienteles are usually of the goth, pierced/tattooed, death-obsessed teenagers in different shades of black).

For The Almost collectors, the EP will come in a two-disc digipack with five, count 'em, FIVE different covers. You're probably wondering, "two-disc"? Yes, the second disc is a CD-R with instructions on how to download their full length when it comes out.

They are touring (see full tour listing) and according to the announcement, they are making some stops at selective Hot Topic stores to do signings.

Here are some music news from the wonderful world of news.weheartmusic.com for this week.

NIRVANA
hereisnirvana.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ twitter.com

Corporate rock sucks. Zombie Kurt Cobain recently made an appearance on ROCK BAND 5, which some fans are saying that it's "too soon" and how the music franchise is just interested in money.

Not to be left behind, Geffen Records is hopping on the bandwagon by announcing the release of Nirvana Live At Reading, out on various formats: Limited Edition CD/DVD, DVD only, CD only, and 2LP. All available on November 24^th (the Limited edition comes out November 3^rd), just in time for that mad-shopping craze known as Black Friday.

Fans will cheer knowing that the official release is taken from the soundboard source, in glorious 5.1 surround sound, and they can finally toss out their crappy bootleg of this show.

Interestingly enough, this is the concert where Cobain came on stage in a wheelchair and played the entire show in a hospital gown. Hmm, foreshadowing something, are we?

Can't wait for November. In the meantime, enjoy this live version of their hit song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.

LYNHURST
lynhurstmusic.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ twitter.com

I can't claim to actually be all that hipster when it comes to Minneapolis bands (there are so many of them!), and I've definitely never heard of Lynhurst. To be fair, they've spent most of their time in Los Angeles, where they've been writing/recording/performing in the concrete city.

So, we have here three siblings: Mari, Matt, and Jake. All under 23 years old, the youngest being the singer, Mari. My first impression of their album, Field Day (released July 21^st on DKE/Anatomic Records), is that it's weepy soft pop with young sassy vocals and lots of lyrics.

If you like what you heard, you can download a free track of "Exactly" from the official website. The song is radio-friendly, with a hint of guitar plucking and orchestral. It's cute and non-threating.

So the good news is that they're back in the Twin Cities. They have a CD signing thing at Cheapo Records in Uptown tomorrow (Friday, September 4^th). Then on Saturday to be on KARE 11 Morning Show, followed by a show at the Fine Line Cafe.

09/04/09 KSTP TV channel 5 - Twin Cities Live Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minnesota
09/04/09 Cheapo Records In-Store Performance Minneapolis, Minnesota
09/05/09 KARE 11 Morning Show Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minnesota
09/05/09 Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, Minnesota
09/07/09 Lake Harriet Bandshell- Labor Day Minneapolis, Minnesota
09/11/09 The Evening Muse Charlotte, North Carolina
09/12/09 Tosco Music Party Charlotte, North Carolina

If you don't live near a Cheapo, then there is always the download option ($6.99 on amazon).

ROCKAPELLA
rockapella.com ♥ myspace.com

Remember Rockapella? You know, they were the house band from the original "Where In The World is Carmen San Diego?" kids program? For some reason, I always think of that one-time joke of Saturday Night Live's parody of "Where in the World is San Diego?" - in which most contestants would already know it's in south California.

So, I got a note that the band is auditioning new tenor/baritone singer. They are looking for someone over the legal age of 18 and under 49. You can send your submissions to the senior-hating group to audition[a]rockapella.com with biography/resume, photos, audio/video. Alternatively, there is the snail mail method (details on their website).

Deadline is September 15^th, so hurry. In the meantime, who wouldn't enjoy hearing that song one more time?

Rounding out the news is Maximo Park cancelled North American Tour, Brendan Benson debuts on the #1 Billboard Heatseeker chart, and hard-rockers Slayer announces "World Painted Blood".

Sad as the cancellation of Maximo Park, here's a band that's starting their US tour dates: Batrider (batrider.com / myspace), the band that Sally calls "Sad and beautiful".

BATRIDER US TOUR OCT/NOV 2009
01-Oct-09 Union Pool Brooklyn, NY
02-Oct-09 The Charleston Brooklyn, NY
03-Oct-09 New Brunswick House New Brunswick, NJ
05-Oct-09 The Annex New York, NY
06-Oct-09 Ottos Shrunken Head New York, NY
07-Oct-09 The Saint Asbury Park, NJ
09-Oct-09 The Stomping Grounds House Lancaster, OA
10-Oct-09 House of One Accord (DIY) Harrisburg, PA
13-Oct-09 Labyrinth Press Co. Jamestown, NY
15-Oct-09 BJ's Fredonia, NY
16-Oct-09 Lucky's Cortland, NY
17-Oct-09 Larry's Danbury, CT
18-Oct-09 PA's Lounge Boston, MA
19-Oct-09 Eleven's Northampton, MA
24-Oct-09 Smiling Moose Pittsburgh, PA
25-Oct-09 Brown Town (diy house) Athens, OH
26-Oct-09 Monster House Columbus, OH
27-Oct-09 Soggy Dog House (DIY) Lakewood, OH
28-Oct-09 Trumbull Plex Detroit, OH
29-Oct-09 Ramalama Records Toledo, OH
30-Oct-09 Courtyard Cafe Urbana-Champaign, IL
02-Nov-09 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IO
03-Nov-09 The Pistol Kansas City, MO
04-Nov-09 Opolis Norman, OK
05-Nov-09 The Blue Lounge Wichita, KS
06-Nov-09 One Eyed Jack's Denver, CO
11-Nov-09 Cretin Hop Spokane, WA
12-Nov-09 Comet Tavern Seattle, WA
13-Nov-09 The Voyeur Olympia, WA
14-Nov-09 The Know Portland, OR
16-Nov-09 Steyberg Gallery San Luis Opisbo
18-Nov-09 Echo Curio Los Angeles, CA
19-Nov-09 The Smell Los Angeles, CA

Here are some news from news.weheartmusic.com for this week.

BICYCLE DIARIES
davidbyrne.com ♥ penguingroup.com

While fans will know David Byrne from his music from Talking Heads in the 80s and his solo work, people rarely know that Byrne is a huge bicycle enthusiast. Byrne's bicycle is his main mode of transportation around his home in New York and when he's out on his world tour (throughout Sydney, Manila, San Francisco, etc). He kept a diary and Penguin Books is publishing his book, Bicycle Diaries, on sale September 21, 2009.

Fan will take note that Byrne is recording and reading his own book for the audio book version, although from his journal, it did not go too well the first week:

Did my second audiobook reading of the Bicycle Diaries NY chapter today. My first attempt, last week, was marred by maybe a combination of nerves and a wonky lower lip, as the braces had just gone in and were scraping the inside of my mouth. (I smashed a guitar into my bottom teeth about a week before the tour ended.) There’s less of that slurring and slushing going on now, and perhaps I am more confident and relaxed as well.

What will make this audio book a treat is that Byrne, always the experimentalist, will be incorporating sound recording he's made from the streets and noise in the book.

Look for Bicycle Diaries in September (preorder information), and you can find out more about Byrne's auctioning of his folding Montague bike for the London Cycling Campaign at Byrne's Journal.

ARTIST MUSIC JOURNALS
soundscreendesign.com

Speaking of books, Soundscreen Designs is releasing the third installment of its ongoing Arist Music Journals series, featuring musician/artist Daniel Higgs, former singer of the post-hardcore Lungfish.

About the series:

Artist Music Journals are an ongoing, monthly, limited edition small book series. Each month, a visual artist or musician is asked to create a 24-page book of artworks, drawing inspiration from their connection to music. The different ways in which each artist chooses to represent their connection to music is what makes this ongoing series unique, intriguing and diverse.

Each book is limited to 1,000 copies, printed on thick stock, offset, box-scored and saddle stitched, and comes packaged in a 10" jacket. The jackets for each edition will be identical, keeping the collection's overall outward design aesthetic consistent. However, there is a distinct letterpressed sticker wrapping the opening of the jacket for each installment featuring a replication of the artist's signature, the volume, installment number, and edition.

Information on how to purchase the book is located here ($17). Special thanks to AAM for sending this in.

PARAGRAPHS
myspace.com/paragraphsband ♥ twitter.com

Paragraphs, or vowels-hating "prgrphs", is very excited to play the 7^th Street show this Friday, August 28^th, with Ice Palace and Wheat (hopefully, we will get that much-delayed Wheat review up soon).

Paragraphs describes themselves as "a Minneapolis trio that plays music featuring a lot of delay pedal, toy Casios", followed by "drummer with a goofy smile".

They have a few other shows coming up, including one with Austin's The Calm Blue Sea.

08/28/09 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
09/03/09 Big V’s St. Paul, MN
09/19/09 Applefest - Abnet Field La Crescent, MN
10/03/09 Augsburg College Minneapolis, MN

Here are some news from news.weheartmusic.com for this week.

Fan-favorite Manic Street Preachers will be back with Journal for Plague Lovers, which all of the UK critics (Mojo, Q Magazine, Uncut, Sunday Times, The Guardian) have unanimously agreed that this is their best album yet.

Title of the new album is named after Richey Edwards' journal, whose lyrics and notes have written the entire Journal for Plague Lovers album! Yes, Edwards disappeared in 1995 (people have pronounced him dead as a possible suicide). I believe he drowned himself in River Severn, however conspiracists thinks he's still alive - like Elvis is alive.... Anyway, I remember even before his death, he guy was crazy! He often cut and scar his arms and not too shy about it either.

Well, if you pre-order the album, you'll get it by 9/15/09 - however, the digital version of the album, you will get right away if you want to hear the album now. The $10 digital order also comes with a bonus digital remixed album, available 9/15.

Of course, they're be on tour to promote the album in the US. I believe the album's already out in the UK.

September Mon -21 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
Tue- 22 Vancouver, Canada @ The Commodore Ballroom
Thu-24 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Fri- 25 Los Angeles, CA @ The Avalon
Mon-Sep-28 Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theatre
Wed-Sep-30 Minneapolis, MN @ The Varsity Theatre

October Thu-01 Chicago, IL @ The Metro
Fri- 02 Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre
Sun- 04 Toronto, Canada @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre
Tue- 06 Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
Wed- 07 New York City, NY @ Webster Hall
Thu- 08 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

Since I don't have the new album for review (yet), enjoy this previous Edwards song, "Motorcycle Emptiness" from their debut album Generation Terrorists.



"The most revered and feared celebrity blogger" Perez Hilton apparently loves music. Other people I've spoke with at SXSW (where Perez Hilton hosted his own shows), have remarked to me that he tends to like "pop shit" - such as help made Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Mika, into stars.

Well Perez Hilton have gathered a few artists on an upcoming tour, all the details are on perezhiltonpresents.com. For critics who calls it 'pop shit', the lineup will prove them wrong, especially because we love the co-headliners Ladyhawke and Ida Maria.

Here are the dates of the upcoming Perez Hilton tour:

September 10th Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
September 12th Washington, DC 9:30 Club
September 13th Philadelphia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts
September 14th Boston, MA House of Blues
September 16th New York, NY The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza
September 17th Toronto, ONT Opera House Concert Venue
September 19th Chicago, IL Metro
September 21st Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Café
September 22nd Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
September 23rd Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club
September 25th Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
September 26th Salt Lake City, UT Club Sound
September 28th Seattle, WA The Showbox @ The Market
September 29th Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
September 30th San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
October 2nd San Diego, CA House of Blues
October 3rd Hollywood, CA Avalon

I'm am assuming Hilton will be there to MC the event/introduce the band - so if you're a celebrity blogger trainspotter, you should check out a show.



Finally, I spotted our W♥M twitter with: "New Radiohead Song: 'These Are My Twisted Words' - FREE DOWNLOAD - http://tr.im/wysC" from 11:45 AM Aug 17th. Sure enough, it's a new Radiohead song, for free.

Jonny wrote this, via radiohead.com:

So here's a new song, called 'These Are My Twisted Words'.

We've been recording for a while, and this was one of the first we finished. We're pretty proud of it.

There's other stuff in various states of completion, but this is one we've been practicing, and which we'll probably play at this summer's concerts. Hope you like it.

Download the audio here or torrent here.

Here's some music news that's come across news.weheartmusic.com. Are you interested in having your press release/announcements published there? Please email me for our contact information. If I find a music-related new interesting, I will compile them in my weekly news roundup here.

Har Mar Superstar's "Dark Touches"
harmarsuperstar.com ♥ myspace.com/harmarstar

Har Mar Mall - I mean Superstar - is back, after five years of absent since 2004's The Handler... Which did extremely well in the UK (check out the free track, "DUI", from The Handler album).

Even though he's been gone, he's actually been doing behind the scene sort of thing by writing music for other people: The Cheetah Girls, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Osbourne, and Ben Adams. When one of his song, "Tall Boy" was rejected by Britney Spears' management, he decided record and release it under his own album.

Vu and Har Mar Superstar, circa 2000

So, Dark Touches will be out October 13^th on Dilettante Recordings. I am happy to let you know we have a review copy in house, and I will be making sure it gets reviewed prior to the release date.

In the meantime, here is a drawing of the first time I saw this 90% naked man on stage, sweating, crying, thrusting his pelvis in my direction.

PS, I have here also that Har Mar will be in a Hollywood movie starring Ellen Page (Juno) and Ali Shawkat called Whip It, directed by Drew Barrymore (who also happened to produce one of my favorite movie called Donnie Darko).

Nico Vega - Cocaine Cooked the Brain (guns n bombs remix) Nico Vega Discography [2006] Choose your words poorly [2007] Cocaine Cooked the Brain [2007] No Child Left Behind [2009] Nico Vega

Nico Vega to Tour with Placebo
nicovega.com ♥ myspace.com/nicovega

I saw Nico Vega near the end of 2007. They were first of three bands, which I wrote was "the best (performance-wise)", simply because they had such energy and showmanship. Particularly impressed with Aja's leotard outfit and her barefooted-ness.

I knew they were going to be special, but who would figure they will be doing so much (and so well!)? The latest report I have is that they are going to be opening up for Placebo, plus on top of that, their song "Beast" featured in the horror movie called "The Collector" (I hope it's not based on the book by John Fowles I read when I was younger).

Tour Dates

Tour Dates 08/29/09 Nebraska State Fair Lincoln, NE 08/30/09 Paramount Theater Denver, CO 09/02/09 Nokia Theater Los Angeles, CA 09/04/09 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA 09/05/09 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA 09/07/09 Rodney Strong Vineyard, CA 09/09/09 Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ 09/11/09 Morongo Casino & Resort, CA * as Hall & Oates Daryl Hall Discography [1980] Sacred Songs [1986] 3 Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine [1993] Soul Alone [2003] Can't Stop Dreaming [2004] Live in Philadelphia

Daryl Hall and Smokey Robinson
livefromdarylshouse.com ♥ smokeyrobinson.com

I took a look at Hall's website, he's really got this "internet thing" down to an art. I just subscribed to his podcast and generally really impressed he's producing such great content.

So, with the 22^nd episode of Live from Daryl's House, Daryl Hall (you know of Hall & Oates) teams up with Smokey Robinson to play a nine-song set. Some of the song listed will be “Sara Smile,” “Tears of a Clown” and “Ooh, Baby Baby.” Not really that much to add here, I guess be sure to catch the pair on August 15^th, that's this Saturday, at www.livefromdarylshouse.com.

Hey Daryl, they're watching you, they see your every move...