Sly and the Family Stone Schedule U.S. Shows

Look alive, fella: there's a riot goin' on. Funk-soul legends Sly and the Family Stone have scheduled a pair of shows-- early and late-- December 7 at New York City's B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.

These are the first proper gigs Stone has played in the States in quite some time, and-- apart from an appearance at the 2006 Grammy Awards, a brief, troubled European tour this summer, and a couple cameos here and there-- among the only chances fans of the Fam have had to see the band in the decades since their artistic apex.

The shows will feature much of the Family Stone's early 1970s lineup, including Sly, Rose and Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson, and Pat Rizzo. No word on whether the gigs are part of a larger tour, but if the performances from this past summer's North Sea Jazz Festival we Forkcasted a little while back are any indication, when he's in the right frame of mind, Sly's still got plenty to sing about.

Decemberists, Death Cab, Lily Allen on XRT Live Comp
Plus: Johnny Marr, Calexico, Pretenders, Snow Patrol, Warren Zevon

93XRT (WXRT) is, after all, Chicago's finest rock (this is their claim, anyhow). So who better than they to put some of the finer rock and pop acts together in service of charity and, you know, general rockingness?

For the tenth volume of ONXRT: Live from the Archives-- their ongoing compilation series collecting live performances from the XRT studios and around the Chicago area-- newish recordings from the Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Calexico, Lily Allen, and Snow Patrol rub elbows with a trio of archival entries from the Pretenders, a pre-Modest Mouse Johnny Marr, and the late Warren Zevon.

All that eclecticism is in service of a good cause or two: proceeds from sales of the disc will go to support the Little City Foundation and the Greater Illinois Chapter of the MS Society. ONXRT 10 is available now through 93XRT's website and at Chicagoland Starbucks locations. [MORE...]

The Pipettes Kick Off Rescheduled Tour

Remember when the Pipettes postponed all those North American tour dates and how heartbroken you were that it would be forever before you got a chance to see the well-patterned ladies in person, only to have your sense of right restored when they quickly rescheduled them?

Well, now's your chance to forget the incident ever happened, as the Pipettes commence their North American takeover tonight, October 25, in Los Angeles. Armed with a new color scheme to complement their trusty polka dots, they'll tour here for a month before hopping over to Japan and, later, Australia for some intercontinental live action.

NOTE: The San Diego show has been canceled due to the fires. [MORE...]

Mac McCaughan Discusses "Future of Radio" in Senate

As evidenced by the cover of the most recent Portastatic record, Mac McCaughan can rock a suit even in the most adverse conditions. And while his appearance yesterday, October 24, in Congress was hardly Armageddon, he still performed stylishly under pressure.

The Superchunk/Portastatic frontman and Merge label head spoke to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at a hearing called "The Future of Radio" (unrelated to the House of Representatives' Girl Talk-referencing copyright hearing). According to the Committee's website, the purpose of the hearing was to "assess the state of innovation and competition in the radio market."

McCaughan's testimony stressed the important role non-commercial radio has in introducing independent musicians to wider audiences, citing Merge cases like the Arcade Fire and Spoon, both of whom had albums debut in the Billboard Top Ten this year. He also touched on the power of the internet and the need to maintain network neutrality so that commercial and technological experimentation can continue.

Toward the end of his testimony, McCaughan urged the Committee to resist corporate pressure to loosen ownership restrictions in order to avoid a potential media monopoly: "It's been widely reported that the FCC is considering altering the media ownership rules again and loosening the local ownership caps to allow major radio groups to buy even more stations in each market. No matter what your tastes in entertainment or news, if you value localism, competition and diversity, Congress and the FCC must recognize that further deregulation is not the answer."

He concluded by saying, "Artists who thrive outside of the commercial realm depend on and deserve open access to public platforms such as the airwaves and the internet. Likewise, communities and citizens should have access to localized and diverse media. This is not just a means of doing business, but also an important facet of American life that needs to be nurtured and protected."

The testimony is available in PDF format here and as a streaming video here; we recommend checking the whole thing out, even if only for fashion tips.

Xiu Xiu Reveal New Album Details

Photo by Kathryn Yu

Boy sopranos and sad pony guerilla girls, rejoice: Women As Lovers, the latest LP from the weirdest of all warblers Jamie Stewart and his Xiu Xiu, can be yours January 29 from Kill Rock Stars.

The Lovers sessions were held between what has of late become the definitive Xiu Xiu lineup: Stewart of course, longtime collaborator Caralee McElroy, Ches Smith on drums, and Devin Hoff on bass. The disc-- which features previously mentioned contributions from Deerhoof's John Dieterich, Swans/Angels of Light's Michael Gira, and saxophonist Howard Wiley, plus mixing from Deerhoof's Greg Saunier-- purports itself to be "more approachable or communicative on a basic human level" than any Xiu Xiu banger that's proceeded it, which we're guessing means at least a 15% increase in the "empassioned yelp" quotient. Should be fun!

In other Xiu Xiu news, that Polaroid book of theirs just got bumped back to next month. Can't rush art, I suppose. [MORE...]

OiNK Founder: "I Haven't Done Anything Wrong"

Tuesday, we reported that 24-year-old Middlesborough, England resident Alan Ellis-- founder and key operator of the recently terminated music torrent portal OiNK-- had been brought in for police questioning regarding his involvement in the site, which directed users to untold amounts of illegal and, in some cases, pre-release music files.

Ellis, out on two months' police bail following his arrest and detainment on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and copyright infringement, spoke to Britain's The Daily Telegraph newspaper about the recent charges (via Idolator). Though Ellis declined to comment on the donations he accepted from OiNK users, he insisted, "I haven't done anything wrong. I don't believe my website breaks the law. They don't understand how it works." He added, "When I set up the site I didn't think I was doing anything illegal and I still don't," and that, since "there is no music sold on the site," it shouldn't be a target of investigation.

Ellis went on to mention that "people who download music also buy CDs as well. A lot of people download music on the internet to get a taste of it and then later buy the CD. But I don't sell music to people, I just direct them to it. If somebody wants to illegally download music they are going to do it whether my site is there or not." He went on to forecast that "if this goes to court it is going to set a huge precedent. It will change the internet as we know it."

On a roll, Ellis continued. "My site is no different to something like Google. If Google directed someone to a site [where] they can illegally download music, [Google is] doing the same as what I have been accused of. I am not making any OiNK users break the law. People don't pay to use the site."

As for any former OiNK users wondering whether to start sleeping with one eye open, well, perhaps. Sadly, Ellis' quote above indicates he may be suggesting that, yes, OiNK users are breaking the law but he himself is merely a middleman. A message on the OiNK homepage reads "A criminal investigation continues into the identities and activities of the site's users." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Cleveland (England) police-- who handled Ellis' case-- told the Telegraph that "it is too early to tell if we will go after individuals, it all depends on what we find."

Goldfrapp Wrap LP; Gregory, Portishead's Utley Collab

Just in case you'd gotten to worrying Goldfrapp rode a white horse off into the sunset, put those fears to rest; they may not have graced the Pitchfork news pages in a little while, but truth told, the pair has been hard at work on their fourth LP, the follow-up to 2005's Supernature. And guess what? C'est fini!

But don't take our word for it. Here's the band, via MySpace: "We have finally emerged from our beavering hole in Somerset and have an album! Hooray! Feels really good to have finished it and we can't wait for you to hear what we have been doing.

"It's very different to Supernature, so it might come as a bit of a shock to some of you. We had fun making it and loved doing something that is in complete contrast to the last album, even though sometimes it took a bit of courage to steer as far away as we did on some of the tunes. It's come from the heart and was made with love so we hope you will be into it too."

Considering the stylistic miles between Felt Mountain and Black Cherry, think we can handle a few more "shocks" and "complete contrasts" from these guys.

No more details just yet, but Goldfrapp do promise a website update soon, so keep clicking. And, while you're at it, check this: Goldfrapp's Will Gregory has put together an original score for Victor Sjöström's 1924 film He Who Gets Slapped and rallied together some special friends to premiere it.

Portishead's Adrian Utley and others will join Gregory for two December events showcasing the new score; catch those with but a click. [MORE...]

"Severe Illness" Tanks Underworld Tour

2007 hasn't been terribly kind to Underworld. While this year has allowed the UK electronic duo to release its latest opus and first album proper in five years-- Oblivion With Bells-- it also left member Rick Smith injured in a riot, and has now dealt the band another fateful hand: according to a statement from Underworld, the remainder of their European Oblivion tour is off.

"It is with great regret that we have had to pull out of the European leg of the current Underworld tour due to severe illness in the band," reads the statement. "More details will follow, but in the meantime, we appreciate your patience and understanding."

It is unknown at this time whether the "severe illness" in question is connected to Smith's riot injury.

The cancelled dates, recounted below, would have begun October 26 in Munich and wrapped up November 10 in Ghent, Belgium. A run of late November dates in Asia is still on for the moment. [MORE...]

Tapes 'n Tapes' Grier Checks in From the Studio
Band recording sophmore album with Dave Fridmann

Tapes 'n Tapes with Dave Fridmann. [Photos by Liz Hart]

To follow up a debut record like the The Loon-- a rickety, rambling rave-up indomitably awash in influence and promise-- takes focus, pluck, and one hell of a good drum mic. With all that (and a boatload of affability to boot) in their corner, Tapes 'n Tapes hunkered down in esteemed producer Dave Fridmann's Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, New York to record their second album.

Pitchfork got Josh "Tapes 1" Grier on the phone from Tarbox to chat about the recording process, the new tunes, and, of course, blogging.

Fans can get a taste of the new material when Tapes 'n Tapes play their only scheduled show at the moment: November 30 at the Triple Rock in their hometown of Minneapolis.

Pitchfork: So what's the biggest difference between the recording of this album and the last one?

Grier: The last one we recorded in a friend of ours' unfinished basement studio, and this one we're recording in a proper studio. I guess that's the biggest difference.

Pitchfork: Does that lend a certain professionalism to the proceedings?

Grier: It's cool to be able to be at a studio where you're living there and work on stuff all day and mess around with it and work on stuff all night if you want to. But after the first couple weeks of doing it, I was definitely ready to be done in the studio for a little bit. I was like, "How many more times can we go through these songs and mess around with stuff?"

Jeremy Hanson hits the synthesizers
[MORE...]

Charalambides Ready Likeness LP, Tour

We've been led to believe (by the press release) that Likeness, the new Charalambides LP, is going to sound just a bit different than its predecessor, 2005's A Vintage Burden. Gone is the "warm psych" of the last LP, replaced by the "lush and layered vocal strata" of Christina Carter's more recent solo LPs, and a "chillier, more abrasive" guitar tone throughout.

Lyrically, the disc takes a left turn, too, as it mines American public domain tunes, reconsituting the words to fit current political themes. Honestly, from this lot, anything short of an hour-long cover of "Gimme More" won't cause us to bat an eye. Likeness is out October 29 on Kranky.

Charalambides have also lined up a sizable tour with Alasdair Roberts, which kicks off November 2 in Somerville, Massachusetts. Before that, however, Tom and Christina will walk separate paths. Tom plays a trio of shows later this week, while Christina-- along with Heather Leigh Murray, as Scorces-- is following some guy around for a little while. Or is it the other way around? [MORE...]

The Valerie Project Reveal LP Details, More Dates
Dear the Valerie Project, please do Bill & Ted next!

The members of Espers, Fern Knight, Fursaxa, and the other Philly folkies who join them in the Valerie Project will release their self-titled debut via Drag City on November 20.

The Valerie Project translates to double LP and single CD the group's previously reported live soundtrack to 1970 Czech film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. The film is only the first the group plans to tackle, and they will continue to accompany it live this fall at a handful of performances. Those begin October 28 in New York City. [MORE...]

Ex-Fugazi Roundup: Evens Tour, Joe Lally Tour/LP

Recent web rumors of Ian MacKaye's demise proved graciously premature (thanks, Reaper!), and in the spirit of not being among the spirits, Ian and Amy Farina-- the Evens, when coupled as such-- will set out on a fall tour next month.

For a couple weeks, they'll take those knotty melodies from one coast to another before scooting back home to D.C. A few dates are TBA at the moment, but Dischord's tour page tends to be quite vigilant about updates; bookmark it.

Alas, the trek home's more of the plant-watering variety, not the Fugazi-reuniting variety I wish I were writing about. Of more than a little consolation is a tour from MacKaye's fellow ex-Kill Taker Joe Lally, who's taking his band for a spin around Italy right now. He'll embark on a journey along the West Coast of North America in early November.

Lally's dates fall around the release of Nothing Is Underrated, his second "solo" album, due November 19 from Dischord. Solo in quotes because like last year's There to Here, this one features a bunch of guests, including MacKaye and fellow ex-Fugaziperson Guy Picciotto (these two also produce). So where's Mr. Canty? Busy with Burn to Shine, one supposes. [MORE...]

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)