National, TVOTR Members Play Brooklyn Next Fest
Also: My Brightest Diamond, Excepter, Travis Morrison

The Brooklyn Academy of Music's Brooklyn Next festival, now in its second year, "celebrates Brooklyn’s groundbreaking diverse music scene." And what a scene it is. When the fest descends upon the New York City borough next month, it will bring with it performances by the National, Travis Morrison Hellfighters, My Brightest Diamond, Excepter, Laura Cantrell, White Rabbits, Favourite Sons, Death Vessel, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Ola Podrida, Effi Briest, DJ Spinna, Takka Takka, Skeletons and Kings of All Cities, Death Vessel, Tony Conrad, Dragons of Zynth, former Del Fuegos lead singer Dan Zanes and friends, as well as a birthday tribute to Johnny Cash and a two-man set from Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio.

And that's hardly the whole lineup. In fact, over the course of February 15-16 and February 20-24, 17 Brooklyn venues will feature more than 175 performances, not to mention a few art exhibits and workshops.

Asthmatic Kitty Reveals Encyclopedia DVD Tracklist

Photo from DVD menu, designed by Zack and Gala Bent

For an encyclopedia, this thing may seem short on words. But do the math on Asthmatic Kitty's forthcoming Encyclopedia Asthmatica DVD and the matter comes into perspective: 32 videos x approximately 4 minutes in average length x 60 seconds per minute x 30 frames per second x 1,000 words per frame/picture = we're looking at a 230,400,000-word volume. Eat that, Encyclopedia Britannica!

Lest you think we're just having fun with numbers for the hell of it, know there's a reason behind this here dispatch. The previously reported Encyclopedia Asthmatica now has a tracklist, chalk full of all the usual AK suspects: Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond, Castanets, Rafter, the Curtains, Shapes and Sizes, Bunky, Half-Handed Cloud, and Liz Janes.

From SXSW showcases and live performances to official music videos to a piece by the Think/Dance Collective, there's a sumptuous two-hour feast of visual material for you to devour here, and it can all be yours come March 4. For the especially anxious, Asthmatic Kitty began taking pre-orders today. [MORE...]

Feist Announces Spring American Tour

Perhaps inspired by her new association with the Olympics, Leslie Feist is taking on some almost superhuman feats of agility and endurance when it comes to scheduling her time in 2008. In between her previously reported Australian tour dates and a late spring tour of Europe, Feist will carry that torch through a couple weeks' worth of gigs in the U.S. in April. Pace yourself, dudette!

As for the rest of the Feist rundown, a version of "Honey Honey" from a BBC session will appear on the forthcoming Green Owl environmental benefit compilation, and her "My Moon My Man" will get a digital UK single February 11 from Polydor.

Oh, Feist will perform at this weekend's Grammy telecast, where she may well receive any number of the four awards she's up for. You may wind up "Best New Artist" to the powers that be, Ms. Feist, but you and us go wayyyyy back. [MORE...]

School of Language Plans North American Tour
Plays dates in UK, Ireland besides

Former (for now) Field Musician David Brewis will launch his debut solo tour of North America this March, one month after he issues his School of Language debut Sea From Shore via Thrill Jockey tomorrow (February 5).

Filling out the School of Language touring band will be bassist Doug McCombs (Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day, Brokeback) and drummer Ryan Rapsys (Euphone, Ambulette).

Prior to his North American jaunt, Brewis has a handful of UK and Irish solo dates this month. [MORE...]

Robert Wyatt Guests on First Billy Bragg LP in Six Years

It's hard to believe that with everything that's been going on in the last six years, there's been no Billy Bragg album to rail against it. Bragg's last full-length, England, Half English, dropped back in the comparably normal 2002. But things being what they are in the incomparably weird 2008, Billy couldn't keep his big mouth shut. That's awfully good news.

Cooking Vinyl will release Bragg's Mr. Love & Justice March 3 in the UK, while Anti- serves up the North American edition April 22. So what's Billy on about this time? Well, love and justice, of course, and the relationship between beloved television personalities and cancer causing agents, if "The Johnny Carcinogenic Show" is any indication. Also: politics and stuff.

Billy will be joined on vocals by fellow elder statesman Robert Wyatt for album opener "I Keep Faith", while Small Faces ivory-tickler Ian McLagan contributes a little organ and piano as a member of Billy's backing band, the Blokes. What's more, there are two versions of Love & Justice on the way: one is a single disc of Bragg backed by his Blokes, while the other is double-disc set with the Blokes LP and Billy performing the same songs by his lonesome.

Billy's got one more Australian tour date to attend to before heading back to the UK for a couple more. He'll then make his way to the U.S., dropping in at the Anti- label SXSW showcase. A few European dates and a return to the UK will follow. [MORE...]

Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid Team for African Album

Legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid and jack-of-all-electronic-trades Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) have collaborated once again. The Steve Reid Ensemble's new album Daxaar comes out tomorrow, February 5, via Domino.

Reid, Hebden, and keyboardist Boris Netsvetaev traveled to Dakar, Senegal in January 2007 to record the album with a group of African musicians, including guitarist Jimi Mbaye (a member of Youssou N'Dour's band), bassist Dembel Diop, trumpeter Roger Ongolo and percussionist Khadim Badji. The album's title comes from an historical spelling of Dakar.


Reid and Hebden visited Domino's East Village Radio show today to talk about Daxaar and yet another record they are recording in New York next week. A podcast of the show is available online at eastvillageradio.com. A documentary about their trip to Africa can be viewed here. [MORE...]

Black Kids Sign to Almost Gold Outside North America
Prep single, think about possibly maybe getting to work on that debut

Photo by Mike White

Black Kids almost signed to Almost Gold Recordings when they linked with parent company Quest Management last fall, if you take "almost" to mean "not really at all." Flash forward a few months to now, though, and we find the ascendent quintet has in fact signed to Almost Gold for real-- but only outside North America. A record deal for the Jacksonville crew's home continent is still coming together.

Almost Gold will kick off the new relationship by treating UK audiences to a single for Pitchfork's 68th favorite track of 2007, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You", on April 7. Long before that, however, Black Kids will treat the UK to a hearty helping of themselves. Having wrapped up a run of dates with Friendly Fires and Ipso Facto, BK will link up with Sons & Daughters later this week and come face to face with droves of Kate Nash fans come late February. After that it's Coachella or bust.

But oh wait, that's right, Black Kids don't even have an album yet (just that EP). That should change at some point in 2008, as the Kids have plans to hit the studio in March, with eyes on a fall release for the moment. We can look forward to a couple more singles between now and then. [MORE...]

Peter Moren to Take Tycoon on the Road This Spring

First it was a title. Then a tracklist. Then some handsome photos. And now, a full stop American tour. All the signs are there, and our P4K command center's intelligence estimates suggest the threat is looming.

The question remains: What are you doing to prepare for the Peter Morén invasion set to hit this spring? Are you stockpiling canned goods? Erecting a shelter? Or simply cleaning out those ears in preparation for what has to be the most non-combative attack ever? Yeah, go with that one. The guy seems pretty nice.

As you may have noticed, the Peter Bjorn and John member's solo debut, The Last Tycoon, is due April 8 on Quarterstick. A month after a stint at SXSW, Peter will take off on a North American tour, as reported by CMJ and confirmed by his label.

With these dates scheduled, is Morén's takeover complete? Or are there untold depths to his diabolical plot to make the world just a little more tuneful? Hard to say at this point, really. But I'm told the warning sign will come in the form of an infectious whistle. [MORE...]

T.V. Eye: February 4-10, 2008

Live music on TV this week:

Tuesday, February 5:

ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Hot Chip

Wednesday, February 6:

NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Dillinger Escape Plan

Thursday, February 7:

OVATION: Live From the Artists Den: Crowded House

Friday, February 8:

FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Rogue Wave
Syndicated: The Ellen DeGeneres Show Lupe Fiasco

Saturday, February 9:

PBS: Austin City Limits: Etta James
FOX: Fearless Music TV: Hot Chip, Fujiya & Miyagi, Datarock, Silversun Pickups, Two Gallants

Sunday, February 10:

CBS: Grammy Awards: Feist, Beyonce, Rihanna and the Time

The Hold Steady's Tad Kubler Playing Gig for Kids
Band mixing LP4, growing beards

Photo by Michael Alan Goldberg

Drunkenness, debauchery, fudging on bedtimes: each helps provide the grist for the rock'n'roll mill owned and operated by the Hold Steady. So why in the world is Hold Steady axe slinger Tad Kubler gigging just after lunchtime for folks with flasks full of chocolate milk?

To raise the next generation of Hold Steady fans, we guess. On Sunday, February 10 at the Living Room in New york City, Tad (and "friends"), along with Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles will peform a 1 p.m. set as part of the KiDROCKERS series. These KiDROCKERS gigs contain a special provision, however: every adult must be accompanied by a kid, and vice versa.

Though just which "friends" Tad will bring along to the Living Room remains to be seen, his well-known pals in the Hold Steady are chugging right along on LP4. A recent MySpace bulletin suggests they're already at the mixing stage, and photos from their website suggest the band's "beard off" is nearly a month in the making. Though drummer Bobby Drake appears to have disqualified himself after a run-in with the razor and babyfaced bassist Galen Polivka seems to have opted out of the proceedings altogether, the rest of the band are looking pretty gnarly. Even producer John Agnello is in on the action. But let no ungainly soul patch stand in the way of the tuneage, gents!

Tad's not the only one taking a little break from his bearded brethren soonish, as keyboardist Franz Nicolay will serenade the highest bidder at the Cupid on Demand auction this Friday. And the band have a handful of UK appearances later this month, and yet another one come May at the ATP vs. Pitchfork festival. [MORE...]

Love Is All Name New Album, Gain Member, Plan Shows

Photo by Wyatt Cusick

Love Is All sure love their numbers, as evidenced by the title to the forthcoming follow-up to 2005/2006's sassy, sax-y, spunky, spendiferous Nine Times That Same Song. A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night is what they're calling it, and we have every reason to believe it'll be worth losing sleep over.

While the band indicates A Hundred Things has been completely recorded, they have no idea just yet when they'll release it. A demo version of a song from the new album called "New Beginnings" and an untitled extra from the recording sessions are both available now at the Love Is All MySpace.

In the meantime Love Is All have at least three things to keep us up at night: a trio of shows over the next three months in three different cities, venues TBA. The first one pops off February 22 in Stockholm. Good thing we also have that remix record to provide a Love Is All fix until then; Mixed Up is out now on Parlophone.

Should you happen upon one of these gigs, keep an eye out for latest Love Is All recruit Åke (aka James Ausfahrt). He'll be rocking saxophone, keyboards, and "some weird handclap machine we haven't yet seen," according to the band's MySpace blog. Gosh, I hope it's one of these. [MORE...]

R.I.P. Sean Finnegan, Drummer From Void

Sean Finnegan, drummer from Washington, D.C.-area hardcore band Void, passed away Wednesday, January 30 of an apparent heart attack, according to a press release. One of the first acts associated with Dischord Records, Void appeared on the label's 1982 Flex Your Head compilation. They made their proper debut with a 1982 LP split with fellow D.C. locals Faith.

Void parted ways in 1983. At the time of his death, Finnegan was working on the HBO television show "The Wire". He was 43 years old.

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.)