Photos: David Byrne With Senior Citizens Choir [New York, NY; 10/07/07]

Photos © Mark Tusk 2007

David Byrne was hardly the only one sporting some lovely silver locks this past weekend at NYC's Paris Bar in the National Arts Club. The former Talking Head turned up for a surprise guest appearance with Young @ Heart Chorus, a spirited choir comprised of indie-savvy septuagenarians and octogenarians (perhaps you're already aware of their Sonic Youth-covering ways?).

Mr. Byrne joined the sonorous senior citizens for a rendition of Talking Heads classic "Heaven" and a new Byrne song called "One Fine Day". This also marked Young @ Heart's first full-length concert in NYC, as well as Byrne's first performance as part of the intimate, parlor-rocking Paris Bar series.

Byrne, as previously reported, has bundled his opera-intended Knee Plays for late October CD/DVD release via Nonesuch. He'll also chat up such diverse topics as biology, culture, sex, beauty, genes, and creativity at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art tomorrow (October 10).








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Death Cab, Shins, Spoon, Cure on Darfur Benefit Comp
Also: Animal Collective, Bright Eyes, Bloc Party

A heap of the biggest names in the indie universe have answered Waxploitation's call to contribute tracks to the first installment of the label's Causes series. Causes 1 will feature rare and exclusive tunes from Death Cab for Cutie, the Shins, Animal Collective, Spoon, Bright Eyes, the Cure, Bloc Party, the Black Keys, Cornelius, David Sylvian, and more.

This first compilation takes the Darfur conflict as the object of its aid, and 100% of the proceeds from sales of the comp will go to one of three non-profits: Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam America.

Causes 1 comes out November 27. It will be available on iTunes for only 90 days, in order to highlight the urgency of the situation in Darfur. Waxploitation will also issue a limited edition CD, which is available for pre-order by signing up here.

Even more artists have partnered with Waxploitation for another Darfur support initiative: a charity auction through MissionFish, eBay's non-profit partner. Very soon, the label will auction signed guitars and other rare items from TV on the Radio, Björk, the Flaming Lips, Common, Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, Deftones, and...um, Nickelback. Hey, it's a good cause! [MORE...]

Tunng Issue Comments in the U.S., Tour

We begin our Tunng update with a bit of old news: the UK act's latest LP Good Arrows is out pretty much everywhere now, having been released in the U.S. late last month on Thrill Jockey.

But there's Tunng that remains unheard in these parts; Tunng like Comments of the Inner Chorus, released last year in their native UK but never quite seaworthy enough to make it across the Atlantic without some water wings and a beefy import tag. That is, until now. Thrill Jockey, the band's new U.S. label, will release Comments in the U.S. October 23. No bonus tracks or anything like that: just some pure, uncut Tunng. Thanks!

And, hey, while Tunng's sending stuff to the States, they must've figured they might as well come along themselves. Following their shows this week in the UK, they'll do a couple weeks over here amongst the Yanks. [MORE...]

Website Set Up to Help Defendant in RIAA Case

Jammie Thomas-- the Minnesota woman who recently became the first person in the U.S. convicted of music sharing copyright infringement in a jury trial-- is appealing the decision of the Minnesota federal court, which sentenced her to a fine of $222,000 after handing down its verdict.

In a YouTube video stating her plea, Thomas makes clear that she doesn't plan to back down from the faceless RIAA: "I will be a thorn in their sides for the rest of my life."

And appropriate to the Web 2.0 era, Thomas wants your help in solidarity with her thorniness. A MySpace supporter of hers has started a site, FreeJammie.com, where sympathizers can make donations to Thomas' legal fund. So far, the site has raised almost $4,000 through PayPal donations.

However, Thomas says in the aforementioned YouTube video that the money isn't the important part, it's the awareness raised: "My goal is to get this information out to everyone as fast as possible and to show the RIAA that I am not going anywhere."

Yo La Tengo Kick Off "Freewheeling" Tour Tonight
Look, Ira's freewheelin' already

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

Loose, limber, and ready to lay it all out, the venerable New Jersey institution known as Yo La Tengo will lope their way around North America on their Freewheeling Yo La Tengo tour, which kicks off this evening in Pittsburgh.

For a month, the band will play shows of an unstructured nature, using last year's righteous ...Beat Your Ass LP as the jump off, but with nary a musical diversion too far out, nary an anecdote too rambling and incoherent. Their website describes the tour like so: "A little bit 'Storytellers', a little bit 'Unplugged', with a soupçon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience."

Freewheeling, see? That's just how they're gonna roll. [MORE...]

Panda Bear DVD Snafu Resolved With Free Download

While Panda Bear's mind has turned to more Collective pursuits recently, the previously reported DVD of the psychedelic mammal's very brief summer tour has experienced some distribution hang-ups.

After receiving a much higher volume of requests for the free DVD than he originally expected, Eattapes.com's Mike decided to start charging five dollars per order to cover costs. This raised legal issues regarding payment for publishing, what with Mike making any kind of money off of a Panda Bear product. (Read the full explanation here.)

But thanks to Mike and Panda Bear's diligence, they found a solution that still allows people to see the footage and to do so for free, making legal concerns moot. That solution? Offer the DVD as a free download thanks to the wonders of the internet. The download comes in a variety of formats, explained by Mike here. As for the costs Mike accrued putting together the DVD, Panda Bear is covering all of them. What a gentle giant.

Those who already shelled out a hard-earned fiver for the DVD will receive refunds shortly, if they haven't already.

Animal Collective still have quite a few tour dates left this year. Their next show is in Stockholm on October 15. [MORE...]

Radiohead's In Rainbows Premieres on Xfm Radio

Consider this a chance to try before you (don't?) buy: tomorrow (October 10), London-based radio station Xfm will broadcast Radiohead's seventh and latest opus, the much-chattered-about In Rainbows, in its entirety. The on-air unveiling begins at noon UK-time, which translates to sometime in the wee hours of the morning for Radiohead's fans in North and South America. Xfm claim to have the "world radio exclusive" on this one, and who are we to argue with a press release?

Even if you don't live in one of the several British Isles locales where Xfm broadcasts on the airwaves, you can always turn to the webwaves to catch the station disseminating that red hot new Radiohead digitally (Windows Media compatible only, boo).

Tomorrow, of course, is also the day Radiohead make In Rainbows available for download, via their site, for the fair price of whatever the heck you want to pay for it. Not that you need reminding, but there's also the deluxe discbox due in December and the regular CD release (label status: still nebulous) slated for early next year.

Voxtrot Cancel Shows Due to Surgery, Add Euro Dates

They've scheduled the thing, de-scheduled the thing to link up with fellow fresh-faced youngsters Arctic Monkeys, then rescheduled the thing. But now, Voxtrot's fall tour has hit yet another snag.

Just a week after the last reshuffling, they've been forced to cancel a pair of dates: last night in Hamilton, Ontario, and tonight's gig in Toronto. Their excuse-- posted in a MySpace bulletin yesterday afternoon-- explains all:

Sorry everyone, but Voxtrot is canceling off of tonight's show at Club Absinthe in Hamilton, ONT. If you've seen the band in the last couple days, I'm sure you're aware that Ramesh has been a bit under the weather. He was taken to the hospital after last night's show in Philly, and underwent minor surgery this morning. Thankfully he's okay.

Rest up, Ramesh! Again, tonight's Toronto show definitely isn't happening, as the band has amended the itinerary on their MySpace to include "CANCELLED" behind that Mod Club date.

As a consolation for you jet-setting Canadian types, the band have quickly followed the announcement of cancelled gigs with a couple weeks in Europe. [MORE...]

Sufjan Stevens Speaks at Literary Event November 28
NERD ALERT

Despite his occasional (okay, still frequent) musical dabblings, it can sometimes seem like Sufjan Stevens is applying for a staff job at The New Yorker. Whether he's writing intros to nonessential books, exploring his thoughts on friend rock, or even associating with those lovable bookworms at the Believer, the guy's more Sedaris than Springsteen sometimes. (Though I'd gladly hear a record/read a book by either.)

In keeping with his dual role as literary celeb and ornate singing guy, Sufjan will appear at a "PENultimate Lit" event, put on by the longstanding literature advancement group PEN American Center. Sufjan will speak with fellow songsmith Wesley "John Wesley Harding" Stace at an evening hosted by Ice Storm author Rick Moody. The trio will convene at Brooklyn's Southpaw club November 28. Doesn't look like there'll be a performance from either of the two gentlemen, but you still get to watch Sufjan stand (or perhaps sit in a chair) on stage.

In other Sufjan news a bit closer to the musical category, he's covering Dylan, still getting those Franciscans pumped all this month, and his Brooklyn-Queens Expressway work is still set to premiere at the beginning of November.

Once again, thanks to Sufjan fan site All Good Naysayers. 

Elvis Costello to Play Hillary Clinton's Birthday Bash

Hillary Clinton-- presidential candidate, New York Senator, and former First Lady-- will celebrate her 60th birthday in style, with a bash taking place October 25 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The celebration, which is also a fundraiser for her presidential campaign, will feature a performance by legendary English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello.

The party is being thrown by Hillary's husband, former President Bill Clinton, as well as New York Senator Chuck Schumer, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, and New York Congressman Charles Rangel.

Special guests are promised, and if last year's Bill Clinton 60th birthday celebration at the Beacon is any indication, they will probably be pretty high-wattage. (Bill's party featured a performance by the Rolling Stones with appearances from Buddy Guy, Jack White, and Christina Aguilera, and the whole thing was filmed by Martin Scorsese.)

We're guessing the evening will end with an all-star sing-along to "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding".

The event is open to the public and tickets are on sale now.

Elvis Costello is currently on tour with Bob Dylan, playing solo for the first time in over a decade. [MORE...]

Output Says Goodbye With Retrospective Set, Remixes

About a year ago, we said goodbye to Output Recordings, the hyperprogressive UK dance label helmed by Trevor Jackson. Output had a fine run in its day, making ten years' worth of strange sounds well-suited for both dance floor shaking and chin-stroking-- sometimes both at the same time!

Output's new output might've dried up, but they're back to say goodbye with one last hurrah. Selections from the Output discography have been compiled and reissued as I Hate Music: A Compilation of Output Recordings 1996-2006, double CD/single DVD set the label will release November 12.

The CDs gather 30 tracks from the Output catalog, including gems by Four Tet, Fridge, Mu, Black Strobe, and Jackson's own Playgroup. The DVD collects 37 videos from the same crew.

Noticeably absent are cuts from the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem; the press release for the compilation explains that this is "due to 'monsters' and major label bullshit." Monsters? Ah, that would be a reference to Jackson's statement that one of the reasons he shuttered the label was "I saw people I thought were my friends turn into monsters." Yikes.

I Hate Music is the last release from Output; the companion remix 12" I Hate... Remixes is the first release from new label Process Recordings. It features Output tracks by Colder, Kreeps, Dempsey, and Lopazz, remixed by Optimo, Mungolian Jet Set, Tomas Almgren and Nutaike, respectively. It also lands November 12. [MORE...]

Trio of Sun City Girls Records Reissued

Photo by Catherine Lewis

Ever taken a glance at the Sun City Girls section of your local record emporium? Or, perhaps, pored over a printout of their discography with your jaw planted firmly on the floor? Guess it helps to be a troupe with a thing for improv, but goshdang, in their nearly 25 years making music together, brothers Alan and Sir Richard Bishop and the late Charles Gocher sure did put out like nine billion records.

And even with all the gaping out-of-print holes in their catalog, them dudes made a lot of jams. Three of 'em from their characteristically fertile mid-period-- 1994 and 1995-- are due for the first time on CD from Abduction in the coming months.

1994's Juggernaut, recorded live to four-track by the Girls, was the soundtrack to a forgotten movie of the same name, while 1994's Piasa... Devourer of Men was inspired by a film that was never made, with a plot about "the legend of a giant pre-historic flying reptilian terrorizing an early 1800s Indian tribe in Midwest America" according to a press release. Both of those albums are due tomorrow, October 9. 1995's Jacks Creek, considered a particularly difficult (and particularly rewarding) Sun City Girls release is due November 6.

In other Sun City Girls news, Sir Richard has his second LP of the year coming soon, with a tour to boot. Only two albums this year, Richard? C'mon, get on it! [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.)