T.V. Eye: September 18-23, 2007

Live music on TV this week:

Tuesday, September 18:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Steve Earle (rerun)

Wednesday, September 19:


CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Against Me! (rerun)
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: LCD Soundsystem
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Rogue Wave

Thursday, September 20:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Gogol Bordello (rerun)
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Cold War Kids

Friday, September 21:

NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Editors
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Zap Mama

Saturday, September 22:

FOX: Fearless Music TV: Illinois, Great Lakes Myth Society, World/Inferno Friendship Society
NBC: Saturday Night Live: The Shins (rerun)

Photos: Qui [Seattle, WA; 09/15/07]

Photos by Michael Alan Goldberg

L.A.'s Qui are almost finished with the first leg of their gigantic late summer/fall/winter tour, wreaking havoc on the West Coast all the way up into Canada as they support their new Ipecac album Love's Miracle.

On Saturday, they blew the roof off of Seattle's Crocodile Cafe. As usual, legendary frontman David Yow (you know, Scratch Acid, Jesus Lizard, blah blah) was unable to stop his chest from seeking freedom from the restrictive confines of his shirt.

The rest of Qui's gazillion tour dates are listed below. Watch out for body hair.






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DJ Shadow Spins at Cali Record Store for Entire Month

While the rest of us stocked up on notebook paper, No. 2 pencils, and Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers (or simply continued to stare at computer screens for eight hours a day), DJ Shadow has spent back-to-school season returning to his record-spinning roots.

Specifically, he has spent a few hours of every day in September spinning live at Village Music in Mill Valley, California-- over on the million-dollar-median-house-price side of the Bay. What's more, he will continue to do so until September 30, when there will be a bigger party commemorating the store's closure after 50 years of operation (also the explanation for Shadow's residency).

Today, Shadow hits Village Music at 4 p.m. with Cut Chemist.

Thanks to reader David Garland for the tip.

Sex Pistols Reunite Again
Sigh

The Sex Pistols were a punk band that formed in London in 1975. Despite cutting only one record and breaking up a mere three years later, their influence cannot be underestimated. They are the reason that guy who works at Hot Topic spends two-and-a-half hours on his hair every morning.

According to NME.com, original Sex Pistols members John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock (filling in for the late Sid Vicious, who initially replaced Matlock in the lineup) will reunite under the name the Sex Pistols. They did this before in 2003, and also in 1996.

The quartet will perform at London's Brixton Academy on November 8. The occasion for this latest reunion is the 30th anniversary of the release of the Pistols' one and only album, Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols, which came out back in 1977.

As Lydon-- who was famously attacked by ostriches on the British television program "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!"-- told NME.com, "There would be no Sex Pistols without dear old London town...See you all at Brixton with proper feelings and proper people all around. From London Bridge to The Rose and Crown, all of Britain is welcome so come on down." How cute, he made it rhyme.

The reluctant Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will also reissue classic track "God Save the Queen" on seven-inch vinyl, in the hopes of finally taking the single to number one in the UK. The song was allegedly kept from topping the charts back in 1977 so as not to mar Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Now if you'll pardon me a moment, I must go flog the horse skeleton out back.

Modest Mouse Announce More Dates With Man Man
Man Man add a bunch of their own dates too

Modest Mouse and Man Man must have really hit it off this past spring. We peeked at the recent tourmates' calendars today and discovered they have hot dates planned for pretty much every night in early November. Not your typical night out at the Steak 'n Shake either-- these two lovebirds will rendezvous in such exotic locales as darling Des Moines, Iowa, and sexy Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Playing third wheel, then, are constant companions Love as Laughter, who join all those M's for this latest stretch of shows in support of Modest Mouse's 2007 LP We Were Dead Something Something Ship Something. Right. It all kicks off on Halloween in Spokane, and wraps up a few weeks later in St. Louis.

Man Man have gigs galore before that, however, the first of which is the previously reported benefit for Bottom of the Hudson on September 20 in Philadelphia. They've snuck in quite a few shows since our last report, so be sure to click these bold red letters here. [MORE...]

FCC Holds Media Ownership Hearing, FMC Hosts Party
Party for your right to fight

Hosting a party on the eve of an important public hearing-- on a topic as hot as media diversity-- might seem a bit weird. But not when the host is the Future of Music Coalition, and the soirée in question-- the Rock the Media Party-- is designed to raise awareness about the issues at stake and get folks psyched for the next day's symposium.

First, the hearing: On September 20, the Federal Communications Commission will host the fifth of six hearings on media ownership, with the intention of fostering a dialogue on the attendant issues. Among the more contentious topics: media consolidation, particularly that stemming from laws such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which helped clear the path for huge corporations like Clear Channel to gobble up media outlets left and right. This hearing will take place at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago, beginning at 4 p.m. (central time).

Anyone may come by, but those who wish to make their voice heard at the hearing must sign up in advance by emailing fcc504@fcc.gov.

Whether this is the moment you've dreamt about for months, or you're relatively new to the debate, all are invited to the FMC's Rock the Media Party, popping off September 19 at Delilah's in Chicago. Heck, Jon Langford will be there, so why shouldn't you? Brush up on all the details surrounding the party, the hearing, and more here.

In related FMC news, don't forget the Future of Music Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. is going on right now.

Photos: Shudder to Think / A Camp [New York, NY; 09/17/07]

Photos by Kathryn Yu

We shudder to think of the regret fans are feeling if they missed the Shudder to Think reunion show last night at New York City's Mercury Lounge. It was the first time frontman Craig Wedren, guitarist Nathan Larson, and drummer Kevin March shared the stage since the band's collapse in the late 1990s, and as of right now, there are no plans for it to happen again.

Wedren opened the set with a mix of solo material from his 2005 LP Lapland and a forthcoming follow-up called Wand, joined by Time of Orchids bassist Jesse Krakow and Gosling's Mark Watrous on guitar. Soon, Larson jumped in mid-song, and it blossomed into a full-on STT gig.

The Cardigans' Nina Persson was on hand, opening the show with her side project A Camp, which also featured Larson. Persson joined Wedren and company on vocals for their last few tunes.

SHUDDER TO THINK

A CAMP

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Man in Skates Climbs NYC Globe Statue, Throws a Bunch of Black Lips Fliers, Eats Orange, Gets Arrested
UPDATE: The band responds!

Photo by Ade in New York, via Gothamist

The boys in the Black Lips would be the first to tell you what bad kids they are. But when they become a toxic influence on their fans, well, we may have an epidemic on our hands. According to a story in The New York Times yesterday...

A 57-year-old man wearing in-line skates climbed atop the large metal globe outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle and threw out confetti and fliers promoting a rock band before being arrested, the police said. The man, identified as Richard Fredette of East 10th Street, climbed into the globe at 1 Central Park West shortly before 2:30 p.m. Witnesses said Mr. Fredette then climbed to the top, pulled an orange out of his pocket and held it aloft. "Then he started eating it," said Sarah Shenfeld, 24, of Bushwick, Brooklyn. After throwing the fliers, he descended voluntarily, with help from officers. Mr. Fredette was charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct, the police said. Asked what the police believed to be the motivation for the stunt, a lieutenant said, "Publicity."

Although the band's label, Vice, claims to have had nothing to do with this, they were able to confirm that the band in question was, indeed, the Black Lips.

The Black Lips play a few times in NYC today and tomorrow, though we suspect legal reasons may keep Fredette away. Shame. We think he would have particularly enjoyed the "Black Lips Circus and Bad Kids Parade", which starts at the Williamsburg record store Sound Fix and ends at the band's gig at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, a few blocks away.

Perhaps he-- and you-- can catch those Black Lips elsewhere as they wreak havoc on tour for the next month or so. Dates after the jump.

UPDATE: The Black Lips posted the following message on their MySpace blog this afternoon: 

"We, the Black Lips, would like to send our love to this super fan. We would like to add that He, Richard Fredette, will be added to the Black Lips guest list for both New York Shows if he'd like to come out. 

Bowery Ballroom- Sept. 18
Music Hall of Williamsburg- Sept. 19

We've never met or talked to Richard before, but we now hear his cry and are beginning to understand his appreciation for the Black Lips.  Although we don't condone risking your life on roller skates to help promote our shows, we do think doing it on top of the world is pretty cool!

Luv, Black Lips" [MORE...]

Rage's Zack de la Rocha Completes Solo Album

Quick! Time to get a new algebra notebook, because you'll soon have a whole mess of new lyrics to scrawl all over the margins!

That's right: today comes news, via Billboard.com, that ex-ex-Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha has finished his very first solo record, a labor of love Zack has been attacking since Rage initially split back in 2000.

De la Rocha collaborated with Golden stickman and one-time Mars Volta/Royal Trux drummer Jon Theodore on the LP and recorded some of it at a studio belonging to acousti-surfer-dude Jack Johnson. Zack doesn't have a title for the record and is still considering his release options, so no word yet when he'll rally 'round your family with this pocket full of new songs.

It's also unclear whether post-millennial de la Rocha collaborations with DJ Shadow, ?uestlove, and Trent Reznor will make the LP. Billboard.com, however, quotes a source saying that Zack's first solo foray sounds like a mix of "Led Zeppelin and Dr. Dre. Some of it has the power you'd expect from him in Rage." So there's that.

Witness this so-called power as the reunited Rage rock a pair of festivals in late October. [MORE...]

British Sea Power Issue Krankenhaus? EP, Tour
Reminder: Tomorrow is International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Can't wait to hear what those nautical nuts in British Sea Power have up their sleeve for their forthcoming LP? You're gonna have to wait 'til early next year to find out for sure. But the ship of new BSP jams hasn't sailed just yet; no way, no how. The band has a new EP titled Krankenhaus? on the way that should tide you over.

Says BSP's Yan (yes, just Yan), via a press release: "The title of the EP is Krankenhaus?, which is German for hospital. This could equally allude to the healing and/or life-saving qualities of indie rock music, or perhaps the vast quantities of pharmaceuticals associated with both of these. The green cross adorning the front could be the one used to locate a chemist's, or maybe a symbol of a new ecological religion. The answer is up to you."

Krankenhaus? will be released digitally in the UK October 8 on Rough Trade, and the next day in the U.S. and Canada via Rough Trade/World's Fair. And, should North American types care to exercise their patience all the way 'til November 20 (or buy it twice, I guess), that's when the CD will be released, with a pair of videos attached. (Though UK fans won't be able to buy the CD in stores, they're welcome to order it from the band's website.)

The EP was recorded with the help of ex-Arcade Fire drummer Howard Bilerman and Godspeed/Silver Mt. Zion's Efrim Menuck, so, uh, if you like Canadian musicians from big bands, Krankenhaus? might just be your thing.

To celebrate, British Sea Power will head out on a brief U.S. tour in October, as well as a lengthier UK tour. The UK leg culminates in a performance at "From the Earth to the Moon" at the Scala in London on November 10. That show also features "DJs and vaudeville and cabaret acts." [MORE...]

Photos: Bjork [Atlanta, GA; 09/17/07]

Photos by Ashley Williamson

Fresh off a date with the recording studio, Björk and her dynamic live band have returned to the road to close out the year with another brief bit of adventuring in support of Volta. Last night found the living icon and her entourage-- including the oh-so-colorful Wonderbrass hornblowers-- working their magic at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. Brooklyn-based Spank Rock associate Santogold warmed up the crowd.

Björk has but two North American dates remaining on her tour; she then takes a trip across the equator in late October, where I hear she twirls counterclockwise instead of clockwise.

BJÖRK









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Animal Collective Fete Guy Fawkes With "Fireworks" 10"

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

There's a plot afoot, and while this one doesn't exactly involve gunpowder, it does involve that photogenic band Animal Collective smuggling even more records into your collection.

On November 5-- known to our UK brethren as Guy Fawkes Night-- the Domino-signed crazies will enact the next phase in the Strawberry Jam revolution with another UK single, as confirmed by our spies*. In most appropriate fashion, the track will be "Fireworks", and it will come on a (flammable?) 10" slab of vinyl with the tune on the A-side, and a lovely etching on the flip. Or exercise your freedom and opt for the digital download. Can't beat that, eh?

Conveniently enough, Animal Collective will find themselves in the UK when the new single drops; for now though they have dates aplenty across the U.S. and some televisions to blow up.

* i.e., their publicist [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.)