Hold Steady's Nicolay Auctions off Love Song

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

The Hold Steady's Franz Nicolay is-- to put it lightly-- a dreamboat. That moustache! Those ivory-tickling hands! That moustache! The man's hunkiness is simply not up for debate. What's more, he's also an accomplished composer, which, when coupled with the last sentence (and the fact that he's in the Hold Steady), adds up the full package.

Who wouldn't want a well-rounded fella like Franz serenading them just in time for Valentine's Day? Lonely, helpless sorts, that's who.

On Friday, February 8, Nicolay will participate in the third annual Cupid on Demand benefit auction at the Parlour in New York City. To the highest bidder will go an original love song, which the winner can dedicate to the object of his/her eye (though if we were the winner, we'd make Franz write the love song about us). The tune will be written in just one hour, and then recorded and performed by Mr. Nicolay that very night. Swoon city, man!

Other songwriters offering their services that evening are Clare Muldaur-Manchon of Sufjan buds Clare and the Reasons, Ollabelle, and Erin McKeown. Proceeds from the auction will go to the New Sounds Theatre and Beth Morrison Projects.

If you can't afford to dish out the big bucks for an original Nicolay composition, you can grab a piece of Franz-- though you'll have to share-- when he performs solo at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg February 2. Or, perhaps, check the Hold Steady on one of their UK appearances scheduled between recording sessions for their new album. Or you could catch a glimpse at this May's ATP vs. Pitchfork festival, which the Hold Steady will hold down. [MORE...]

Blood on the Wall Take to the Road

Trad-indie Liferz Blood on the Wall have a new record blowing up store shelves, and, consequently, eleven brand new reasons to rock the hell out on stage. And so they shall, getting even awesomer than Awesomer (which oughta be pretty damn awesome) as they barrel through the U.S. for a few weeks starting January 29 in Lawrence, Kansas.

As we mentioned before, the band will spend a little of their spell on the road trading stoner jam for "Stoner Jam" with the likes of Black Mountain. Don't forget the dryer sheets, kids.

Liferz is out now thanks to The Social Registry. [MORE...]

The Dodos Issue Visiter on Frenchkiss, Tour

On March 18, Frenchkiss Records will welcome a brand new Visiter. At least, that's the ruse songwriter Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber have used to get in the door with the second LP (and first for Frenchkiss) crafted under their preferred moniker, the Dodos.

Care to take a peek at the elusive Dodos for yourself? They'll be, well, live at a handful of gigs over the next few months, including a few stops at SXSW. The Dodos will trade the Columbidae family (if we're talking biology) for the Akron/Family when they join the band for their set at Coachella. [MORE...]

Bowerbirds Sign to Dead Oceans
Tour with Phosphorescent

Photo by Derek L Anderson

North Carolina trio Bowerbirds have signed to steadily rising Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar offshoot Dead Oceans, where they'll join a roster that includes Dirty Projectors, Bishop Allen, Evangelicals, Phosphorescent, the Explorers Club, White Hinterland, and Citay. Kudos to the label for assembling one of the strongest collections of indie/folk weirdoes out there, and kudos to the band on their new home.

Bowerbirds' first release for Dead Oceans will be an expanded edition of last year's Hymns for a Dark Horse, originally issued on Pitchfork staffer Grayson Currin's Burly Time label. It will feature two bonus tracks and will be released on CD as well as vinyl.

The 'birds will head out on tour this winter with new labelmate Phosphorescent, supporting his own 2007 album, Pride. [MORE...]

Nellie McKay Tours, Does "A Prairie Home Companion"

Amidst the chatter of the above-average children and the talk of Powdermilk Biscuits pouring out of your radio this Saturday evening, you may just hear a voice even more familiar to you than the gentle baritone of Mr. Garrison Keillor.

Kooky crooner Nellie McKay will perform as part of a broadcast version of Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" tomorrow night (January 26) in St. Paul, Minnesota; she'll also take part in an un-broadcasted concert with the troupe tonight. Joining Garrison and Nellie will be BR549 frontman Chuck Mead, bluegrass belter Becky Schlegel, humorist Roy Blount Jr., and, as ever, a bunch of jokes only middle-aged Midwesterners find funny.

McKay has a ton of other dates to attend to over the coming months, including quite a few in similarly unorthodox spots. In addition to performances at a Family Planning Advocates Conference in Albany, a couple arts museums, and a record shop, she'll appear with comedy writer/producer Ben Karlin's "Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me" stage show twice. Wacky, sure, but that's the McKay way. [MORE...]

Guillemots Seeing Red on New LP, Single, Live Dates

Guillemots! It's a name to which you can't help but annex an exclamation point, given the exuberant, over-the-top pop these ambitious Londoners specialize in. And joy of joys, we'll get another heady dose of the stuff come spring, when Guillemots unleash their sophomore album, Red.

Red follows up 2006's Pitchfork Recommended Through the Windowpane and collects 11 adventurous tracks. Look for it March 24 in UK shops via Polydor, with a U.S. release tentatively slated to follow this autumn.

Prior to Red's unveiling, Guillemots have a little advice for us in the form of first single "Get Over It". That one hits the British Isles March 17, though a final tracklist has not yet been determined. Keep an eye out for a "Get Over It" video as well.

Migratory birds by nature, Guillemots will take to the skies on the eve of spring and alight in a few venues around their native Great Britain. Um, yay! [MORE...]

Willie Nelson Celebrates Birthday With Box Set, Tour

To celebrate his 75th birthday on April 30, country legend Willie Nelson is piling on the presents...for us. Legacy has a whole year of releases planned, starting with a four-CD, 100-song box set called One Hell of a Ride.

Featuring tunes from across Nelson's five-decade-spanning catalog, One Hell of a Ride will come out on April 1 with liner notes from Joe Nick Patoski. Patoski's biography of Nelson, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, will also come out this spring via Little, Brown.

Then on April 29, Legacy will release #1s, a single-disc collection of Nelson's country and pop chart-toppers.

Even more Willie Nelson releases on Legacy have yet to be announced, but for now, we have this: a big long tour starting in February. [MORE...]

Sera Cahoone Serves Up Sophomore Album on Sub Pop

Relatively recent Sub Pop signing Sera Cahoone has worked in cahoots with Band of Horses and Carissa's Wierd in the past, but it's her solo star that shines on the drummer- turned-frontlady's forthcoming sophomore offering (and debut for Sub Pop).

Only as the Day Is Long arrives March 18 and follows up Cahoone's self-titled first disc from 2006. Nestled amid the CD's holographic rainbows are 10 tracks, noted (in the press release, anyhow) for their quiet intensity.

Look for Cahoone at SXSW in March, although she'll first join S (aka Jenn Ghetto) and labelmates Grand Archives for a pair of shows February 20 in Seattle. Hey, that's practically one Bridwell short of a straight up Carissa's Wierd reunion! Nudge, wink, etc. [MORE...]

Diplo Preps Many a Mad Decent Release, Tours
Diplo EP, collaborations with Santogold and Benzi brewing

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Quite a few days have passed since we last peeked under the many hats Diplo wears, so consider this story right here your one-stop Diplo digest dispatch. At least until the next week or so, when dude does ten dozen more things.

Diplo the happening DJ guy will, as previously reported, take to the road with Justice and some other happening folks beginning in March. Before that, however, he has two Canadian engagements and a trio of gigs in the American Midwest, a region that can never have enough opportunities to dance.

Diplo the happening label-running guy, meanwhile, has mad quantities of new releases in the works for his Mad Decent imprint. Where do we even begin? Well shit, how about here: there's the "Shake It to the Ground" remix EP from Blaqstarr and The Mix Up EP from South Rakkas Crew, both due February 19. South Rakkas crew also unleash the "Mad Again" 12" in March.

Beyond that we can look forward to a new 12" EP from Diplo himself in April, Blow Your Head, as well as a couple Diplo pair-ups. Fear and Loathing in Hunts Vegas brings together Diplo, A-Trak, Flosstradamus, Benzi, and others with Alabama's Paper Route Recordz crew in April, while an as-yet-untitled mix from Diplo and Santogold should also emerge soon. The Paper Route collaboration will be heralded by a "Rollin" 12" due in February. Finally, watch out for a Diplo-produced twelve from Baltimore teen rapper Ms Streemz, "Watch Dem Broads", in March.

Diplo the kinda sorta rather prolific remixer guy, finally, is at it again. Most recently he reworked a track by multinational quintet Sunny Day Sets Fire. The Mad Decent remix of "Brainless" will appear on SDSF's Stranger/Remix EP, due February 26 on I Am Sound Records. [MORE...]

R.E.M. Reveal Accelerate Tracklist
Band spotted taping music video in sex shop

R.E.M. are all set to put the rapid back in rapid eye movement with Accelerate, the celebrated trio's previously reported 14th studio LP.

Accelerate now has a tracklist, according to Billboard.com, featuring such tunes as first single "Supernatural Superserious", the possibly threatening "I'm Gonna DJ", and "Mansized Wreath" (not to be confused with "Mansard Roof"). Check the whole thing below, or just flip the case over when Accelerate arrives April 1 (March 31 in the UK) via Warner Bros.

A separate Billboard.com report notes that the mom-friendly R.E.M. recently shot scenes from a forthcoming video for "Supernatural Serious" at a "sex toy emporium" on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They were also filmed at a nearby Italian restaurant, which is sort of like a sex toy emporium that sells food instead of sex toys.

The band's NinetyNights.com, meanwhile, continues to roll out the daily video snippets. Most recently we've been treated to discussions of and live clips from R.E.M.'s summer 2007 residency in Dublin.

Finally, look out for R.E.M. in the flesh at SXSW and the Langerado Music Festival. [MORE...]

Liars, No Age Kick off Joint Tour Tonight
No Age add spring dates

What's a busted-up back when there's rock and gosh-darned roll to attend to? Nothing, it turns out, to Angus Andrew, who's not going to let his unfortunate recent run-in with a pillow stand (crouch?) in the way of the tour that Liars and No Age are set to embark on starting tonight in San Francisco.

In a MySpace blog posted today, the band notes that Angus, "having been 'adjusted' by Beverly Hills most established chiropractors and plastic surgeons... can now tenderly walk, and smile, to some extent." They add that, though they're happily steaming ahead on the tour, "performing will be tough and likely unorthodox." As opposed to all those totally normal Liars gigs of the past.

Uninjured and sonically injurious as ever, No Age will fill their opening slots with plenty of Nouns, which hits Sub Pop May 6. Both No Age and Liars have a date with All Tomorrow's Parties once May rolls around, with No Age playing the ATP vs. Pitchfork fest May 9-11 in Rye, England and Liars performing the following weekend in Minehead at the Explosions in the Sky ATP.

No Age have tacked on a bit of a UK tour surrounding their ATP appearance as well. (Via AngryApe.) [MORE...]

Cadence Weapon Brings Babies on Tour
Born Ruffians change diapers

Rollie Pemberton will put on his Cadence Weapon costume (high-tops and a Charles Barkley jersey, last time we checked) and venture out of Edmonton this winter and spring on a tour with fellow Canucks Born Ruffians.

The jaunt is in support of the former Pitchfork scribe's sophomore full-length, Afterparty Babies, which comes out March 3 in Europe (Upper Class/Big Dada) and March 4 in the U.S. (Upper Class/Anti-/Epitaph) and Canada (Upper Class/EMI). "House Music", the record's first single, will hit digital retailers on February 12.

Currently, all of Cadence Weapon's dates are in North America, but a short UK and European tour is planned for mid-February. [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.)