Blitzen Trapper Announce Giant North American Tour
Photo by Jade Harris
The much-ballyhooed boys of Blitzen Trapper won't make it too difficult to catch up with them on their upcoming North American tour. It begins in Seattle in February, lands in Portland in mid-April, and draws doodles across a map of the continent in between. They'll hit pretty much every major city (and quite a few non-major ones) north of Mexico, highlighted by a set at the Langerado Festival and a stop or several at South by Southwest. Along the way, they'll be joined at times by Beach House, Papercuts, Menomena, Grand Archives, as well as woodland friends and tourmates Fleet Foxes.
While they work on their Sub Pop debut, Blitzen Trapper will leave fans wanting more with a tour-only EP containing six brand new songs. [MORE...]
R.E.M., MMJ, Robyn, Jens Lekman, Bun B Do SXSW
So do the Black Keys, Blitzen Trapper, Vampire Weekend, My Brightest Diamond, Lindstrom
It won't be long now 'til South by Southwest, the annual culture festival/spring break for gangly people in black jeans. In fact, it's just a couple months away, with the musical portion spreading roughly a billion bands over the five glorious sun-soaked, Shiner-swilling days of March 12-16.
We've already mentioned a few well-prepared folks who'll make their way to Austin for this year's festivities, including the Breeders, Man Man, and A Place to Bury Strangers, while White Williams, the Kills, Lightspeed Champion, Sons & Daughters and These New Puritans will hit up the Domino Records showcase. Not to mention talks given by Thurston Moore, Lou Reed, Daryl Hall, Steve Reich, Seymour Stein, and a bunch of other wisdom-imparting elder statespeople.
To that end, then, the newest crop of South by Southwest additions is highlighted by a group who could just as easily drop some worldly knowledge and run down the template for post-punk: R.E.M. will be there to preview tracks off their new one, Accelerate. Bun B will perform, though sans his longtime partner, the late, great Pimp C. My Morning Jacket will be pleased they're keeping those manes of theirs a little trimmer of late as they strut around in the heat. Vampire Weekend will show the folks of Austin just what all that buzz is about. Jens Lekman will appear to melt his Swedish hind in the hot Texas sun. And his countrywoman Robyn will be there, bringing her awesomeness to North American on a rare U.S. stop.
As is always the case with SXSW, there's plenty more where that came from, with Blitzen Trapper, My Brightest Diamond, the Black Keys, Frightened Rabbit, Bowerbirds, Foreign Born, the Raveonettes, Ralph "Soul" Jackson, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, Ra Ra Riot, the Von Bondies, Hanne Hukkelberg, the Heavy, Daniel Lanois, DeVotchKa, Sia, Uffie, MGMT and Tech N9ne all making themselves known throughout the long weekend. There'll also be a Smalltown Supersound showcase with
Kim Hiorthøy, Lindstrom, Tussle, Bjorn Torske, Arp and KXP.
Just when and where each band will appear remains to be seen on most counts. But gorging one's self on barbecue, stumbling into a dimly-lit club and running into Mike Mills is at least half the fun of SXSW, innit?
Spiritualized's Spaceman Scores Harmony Korine Film
Soundtrack due on Drag City
Mister Lonely tells the tale of a young drifter who gets his kicks impersonating Michael Jackson. This ersatz King of Pop stumbles into a community of like-minded mimics-- everyone from Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Temple, Madonna, and the Three Stooges to Abe Lincoln, the Pope, and the Queen of England. Sounds like a total trip, so who better to soundtrack it than a guy who's made a 25+ year career out of otherworldly audio excursions?
Enter J. Spaceman (aka Jason Pierce) of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3 fame, whose compositions from the cosmos make up a fair part of the score to the film, the latest from controversial director Harmony Korine (Kids, Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy).
Mister Lonely made the festival rounds last year, while a soundtrack release is on the way via Drag City, according to the Spiritualized website. Sun City Girls feature on it as well, according to Drag City.
The film itself, boasting a cast that includes Samantha Morton, revered director Werner Herzog, and magic guy David Blaine, should see wider release this year.
And that new Spiritualized album we were supposed to see last year? J. Spaceman explains all in his latest website dispatch: "We've been sittin' on a finished (and mastered) record here for months now while Universal try to sort out their shit[.] so with luck it should be resolved early this year and you can have it."
J. also alludes to a couple final Acoustic Mainlines gigs in the coming months (nothing confirmed as of yet), and "after that we're going electric." (!) The shows just might take place in "Vancouver down to Palm Springs in a few months." Hmm... Palm Springs in a few months... Coachella anyone?
Finally, Mr. Pierce has collaborated with free jazz guy Matthew Shipp on an upcoming release, titled, yes, Spaceshipp, on the UK's Treader imprint.
Justice Announce World Tour, Dates With Diplo
Justice mix allegedly rejected by Fabric
Nothing quite does French Touch duo Justice justice like the live setting. And come this March, Justice will be served to adoring audiences across North America, as the dance giants behind Pitchfork's 15th favorite album (†) and 8th favorite track (the ubiquitous "D.A.N.C.E.") of 2007 hold court on a month-long tour.
The jaunt-- billed as the spring MySpace Music Tour-- will pair Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé with quite a few like-minded practitioners of Music You Can't Help But Dance To, including the mighty Diplo, Ed Banger bros DJ Mehdi and Busy P, NYC's Chromeo, and fellow countryfolk Fancy. It all begins March 3 in Austin, and for another lovingly foot-noted guide to just who is playing when, peek on past the jump.
But wait! Long before they reach the shores of North America, Justice will show kids from Osaka to Hamburg just what they're made of. Those gigs kick off January 23.
Apparently not everyone is hip to Justice's dance-doing ways, however. Over the holidays the pair sat down for an interview with Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen, wherein they revealed that a mix they had put together for the famed Fabriclive series had been rejected by the Fabric folk themselves.
According to a translation from interviewer Bernt Erik Pedersen, de Rosnay told Dagsavisen, "We didn't want to do just another boring mix, so we put together a selection of tunes we absolutely love, mainly weird disco tracks and French novelty acts. But Fabric turned it down. They weren't ready for something like this. Maybe we'll put the mix out ourselves. People should really hear it, they'd be surprised."
Judge for yourself: An unconfirmed tracklist for the Justice Fabriclive mix has been making the interweb rounds, and we've reprinted it below for your convenience.
Fabric, meanwhile, have not yet responded to requests for comment. [MORE...]
Son Lux Signs to Anticon
Works with Beirut, My Brightest Diamond, Castanets
Ryan Lott is just shy of the three-decade mark in years, but in that time, he has lived in a handful of locations (Denver, Cleveland, Atlanta, California, Connecticut, NYC), trained in composition and piano, and organized several multimedia art shows. So, naturally, he joined the Anticon roster to release his full-length debut under the name Son Lux.
At War With Walls and Mazes is an Anticonesque beat-and-hook-filled mish-mash of genres, and the label will release it on February 26. Son Lux will follow the album's release with spring dates supporting Why?
In the meantime, Lott is keeping himself busy by starting work on the next Son Lux album and a slew of other projects. He's remixing Beirut and Castanets, collaborating with My Brightest Diamond, and working on a large-scale piece with the Gina Gibney Dance company for a third time. [MORE...]
Sub Pop Responds to Arrest of Shins' Crandall
Detail from photo by Brian TamborelloAs reported yesterday, Shins keyboardist/utility man Marty Crandall and his now former girlfriend, model Elyse Sewell, both found themselves in a Sacramento County jail this weekend facing domestic abuse charges following a scuffle in a hotel Friday night.
Sewell was released Saturday on bail; Crandall followed suit yesterday. A post on Sewell's blog explaining the incident and cited in our previous story, meanwhile, has since been removed. "I've decided to heed the advice of many commenters (lawyerly types) and friends," wrote Sewell yesterday, "[and] lock my last entry about the legal foibles between me and my ex-boyfriend."
Today the Shins' label Sub Pop came forward with a statement regarding the arrests. It reads as follows:
Marty Crandall and his ex-girlfriend Elyse Sewell were both arrested over the weekend following an argument at a Sacramento hotel which resulted in hotel staff calling the police.The Crandall case goes before a judge tomorrow, January 8.
They were both taken into police custody and released over the weekend.
There will be no further comment at this time and we would appreciate their privacy being respected.
Slowly, slowly, things are starting up again:
Monday, January 7:
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: RZA, Ian Hunter
Tuesday, January 8:
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Buzzcocks
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: MGMT
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Rogue Wave
Wednesday, January 9:
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Panthers
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Lupe Fiasco
Friday, January 11:
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Spoon
Saturday, January 12:
FOX: Fearless TV: Paramore
PBS: Austin City Limits: Kings of Leon, Roky Erickson
Vampire Weekend Plot North American Tour
Album release pushed up to this month in UK/Europe
As you attempt to shake the cobwebs from your head following your own blood-curdling, stomach-churning respite from the working world, sink those Monday fangs into this: nifty new New Yorkers (and, full disclosure, our buddies) Vampire Weekend have plotted tour dates enough to wear down even the starchiest Dockers.
Following a lone date in London late next week, the band will feast on North America as January comes to a close. The dates stretch on practically into April, so if you haven't been bitten by the Vampire Weekend bug yet, your chance is nigh. I guess you could say there's a lot at... stake... on this tour! Okay, okay, enough.
They'll share bills-- and, it occurs to us, a similar fashion aesthetic-- with the Walkmen on a smattering of dates in early March.
Also, good news for Vampire fans the world over: the band has moved the UK/European XL Recordings release of their debut full length from March 3 to January 28, the day before the disc hits U.S. shelves. And good news for anyone with a few minutes to kill and a working clicker-finger: the band's very Wang Chung video for "A-Punk" just made its way to Forkcast a little earlier today. [MORE...]
Dan Deacon's Ultimate Reality Tour Kicks Off
Deacon announces new single: "Slience Like the Wind"
Surely you noticed the change when you woke yesterday morning. Your eyes were crusty and your worldview bleary, but you could still feel it: the reality you've known all your life had changed. Heightened, if you will. Or, perhaps, simply become more... ultimate?
Chalk that fresh feeling up to the efforts of two fellows, Dan Deacon and Jimmy Joe Roche, both of Baltimore's storied Wham City collective. The two are taking Ultimate Reality-- the DVD they jointly created and recently released via Carpark-- out for a spin, with the proceedings ultimately kicking off last night in Chapel Hill. Danny Boy and Jimmy Joe will dole out their version of reality throughout the rest of the month of January, joined on the drums by Videohippos' Kevin O'Meare and Ponytail's Jeremy Hyman.
And when he's not heightening reality with a few old friends, Dan's doing his damndest by his lonesome on a handful of non-Ultimate Reality gigs over the next few months, including a trip to Australia and a trip to Langerado.
Deacon also recently revealed to the blog Cone Toaster that his next single from Spiderman of the Rings will be live fave "Silence Like the Wind". (His publicist confirmed this as well.) DOH! "Silence Like the Wind" isn't on Spiderman of the Rings!
In other Dan Deacon news, I wouldn't expect a Deaconized cover of "The Wheels on the Bus" anytime soon. [MORE...]
Photo by Sanchez and Kitahara
Sure, Mirrored grabbed the #8 spot on Pitchfork's 2007 year-end albums list and "Atlas" came away as our #2 track of the year, but Battles aren't about to rest on their internet-provided laurels. Instead, they're hitting the road to conquer Australia. Starting January 18, the band will play a couple weeks' worth of shows on the continent (and New Zealand), most of which are Big Day Out festival dates.
Also, for the ultimate Battles obsessive in your life, Mirrored lyrics!! [MORE...]
The Cool Kids Line Up Winter Dates
All set to conquer 2008 by actually releasing their freakin' album already (via new label Chocolate Industries), the Cool Kids have hatched a plan to tour North America this month. Shortly thereafter, they'll bunny hop across the pond for shows in the Old Countries.After that, the Obama-backers head Down Under, and they'll keep those passports handy for a return to Europe in March. [MORE...]
Drive-By Truckers Brighten 2008 With Album, Tour
Band also reissues back catalog on vinyl
The Truckers have already offered a taste of the record with a digital EP, also called Brighter Than Creation's Dark, featuring album tracks "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife", "3 Dimes Down", "The Righteous Path", and "The Purgatory Line". The EP is available now via digital retailers, and if you get any of its tracks on iTunes, the purchase will knock a bit off the cost of the album, as part of the Complete My Album program.
After releasing the album, DBT will kickstart "The Home Front 2008 World Tour" with a bunch of North American dates in February and March (European dates are still forthcoming). And since they seem to like teasers so much, they'll preview both the album and the tour with three dates in Athens, Georgia. The first of the Athens dates will find them playing Brighter Than Creation's Dark in its entirety as part of their annual Nuçi's Space benefit.
Additionally, the band will give a good chunk of its back catalog vinyl reissues on February 5 via New West. The limited edition 180-gram vinyl pressings include reissues of Gangstabilly, Pizza Deliverance, Decoration Day, The Dirty South, and A Blessing and a Curse. For a bunch of these albums, this marks their first vinyl releases. [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.)
Thu: 01-10-08: 01:15 PM CST
Radiohead to Take Over BBC Radio 1 Airwaves
Thu: 01-10-08: 12:45 PM CST
Thermals Kick Out the Jams for Live Band Karaoke
Thu: 01-10-08: 12:15 PM CST
Low Tour, Retribution Gospel Choir Prep Debut LP
Thu: 01-10-08: 11:45 AM CST
Islands Return to the Road
Thu: 01-10-08: 10:55 AM CST
Morrissey Reveals Greatest Hits Details, Bonus CD
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- Xiu Xiu Announce Spring Dates
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- Xiu Xiu Announce Spring Dates
- Serena-Maneesh Compile Early Tracks, Rarities
- Bodies of Water, Sons & Daughters Announce Joint Tour
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- No Age Come up With a Few Good Nouns for Sub Pop
- Nada Surf Get Lucky With Ben Gibbard on New Album
- Radiohead (Sorta) Announce North American Tour!
- Spoon Head Down Under
- Black Kids Tour With Sons & Daughters, Kate Nash
- Jay Reatard Signs to Matador, Plans Singles Barrage
- Sufjan, MBD, Asthmatic Kitty Roster on New DVD
- Malkmus' Real Emotional Trash Album Cover Revealed
- Men [ft. Le Tigre's Samson, Fateman] Play Shows
- Marty Crandall Domestic Abuse Case Dismissed
- Jens Lekman Announces Spring Tour
- Von Bondies Return With Album, EP, Tour
- Baltimore's Wye Oak Sign to Merge, Issue Debut
- Hold Steady Work on LP4, Line up UK Tour
- Black Heart Procession Head Out on Short Tour
- The Black Keys Reveal Danger Mouse-Produced Album
- Kenyan Extra Golden Members Need Your Help
- Silver Mt. Zion Lend Tune to "Lost" Ad
- Blitzen Trapper Announce Giant North American Tour
- R.E.M., MMJ, Robyn, Jens Lekman, Bun B Do SXSW
- Spiritualized's Spaceman Scores Harmony Korine Film
- Justice Announce World Tour, Dates With Diplo
- Son Lux Signs to Anticon
- Sub Pop Responds to Arrest of Shins' Crandall
- T.V. Eye: January 7-13, 2008
- Vampire Weekend Plot North American Tour
- Dan Deacon's Ultimate Reality Tour Kicks Off
- Battles Storm Australia
- The Cool Kids Line Up Winter Dates
- Drive-By Truckers Brighten 2008 With Album, Tour
- Bill Callahan Tours the South
- Echo & the Bunnymen, Orchestra Play Ocean Rain Live
- Six Organs of Admittance Set to Hit the Road
- Band of Horses, McCombs Play Halfway to Forecastle
- Caribou Announces Huge World Tour
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- A Place to Bury Strangers Announce Spring Tour
- Daft Punk, Hot Chip, Pipettes, T.I. Design Playboy Shirts
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- Silver Jews' David Berman Talks Lookout, Outlook
- Facing Lockup, Rapper Prodigy Turns Video Blogger
- Belle & Sebastian's Jackson, Oakley Hall Do Guitar Fest
- Flipper Recording New Album With Krist Novoselic
- Radiohead Manager Explains Amplive Remix Snafu
- Califone, Fugazi Members Soundtrack Brent Green Films
- MMJ, Wrens, Mekons Folks Aid New Orleans Musicians
- The Go! Team Tour Away Winter Languor
- Walkmen, White Williams, Bon Iver Play Chicago Fest
- The Streets' Skinner Retires the Beats Label
- Raveonettes Plot Tours of North America, Italy
- Robyn Announces U.S. Tour Dates!
- Jose Gonzalez Goes Green for North American Tour
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- While We Were Out
- Radiohead Celebrate New Year With Webcast
- Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam Presidency
- R.I.P. Oscar Peterson, 1925-2007
- Kim Deal Talks New Breeders Album, Pixies, German
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AngerLawsuitTotally Sweet Music Festival - Okkervil River Drop Free Covers Mixtape, Add Gigs
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