Get you beer out and your cigarette voices ready
to shout. The Hold Steady are bringing their
booze laden party back for a spring time clean-up
across America. The band will be returning
from the uptight shores of the UK and ready to
tailgate with the likes of indecent Yanks
everywhere. And their from the South too!
Hold Your Own Tour:
04-26 Eisner and Lubin Auditorium - New York, NY
05-12 Abbey Bar - Harrisburg, PA
05-13 Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
05-14 Southgate House - Newport, KY
05-15 Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
05-16 Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
05-17 Miramar - Milwaukee, WI
05-18 Orpheum Stage Door - Madison, WI
05-20 Sokol Underground - Omaha, NE
05-22 Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
05-23 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
05-24 Neurolux - Boise, ID
05-26 Sasquatch! - George, WA
05-28 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
05-30 Slim’s - San Francisco, CA
05-31 El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
06-02 Brick House - Phoenix, AZ
06-16 Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN
Who's Beck? That's what you'll be wondering when
you pick up California based Limbeck's upcoming self
titled release. The bands third attempt takes
a drastic turn from alt-country to indie pop.
Of course, since the band is so well known for their
tour craze that includes the likes of banjoes and
ukuleles, the new sound should feel right at home.
The album is set to hit shelves on April 10th but
you can download the first offering off the release
'Big Drag' below.
Track Listing:
01 Trouble
02 Big Drag
03 Let Me Come Home
04 Bird Problems
05 Keeping Busy
06 Reading The Street Signs
07 Wake Up
08 Let's Get Crazy
09 Your Story
10 Friends
11 Sunset Limited
Speaking of touring, though, the band will be on
the road in April and May with a fifth member added
to beef up the live sound. Check them out
around your hood and beyond.
No Turntables Tour:
04-04 Club Infinity - Buffalo, NY *
04-05 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH *
04-06 Magic Stick - Detroit, MI *
04-07 Subterranean - Chicago, IL *
04-08 Varsity - Minneapolis, MN *
04-09 Maintenance Shop - Ames, IA *
04-11 Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO *
04-12 Club Sound - Salt Lake City, UT *
04-13 The Venue - Boise, ID *
04-14 El Corazon - Seattle, WA *
04-15 Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR *
04-17 Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA *
04-18 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA *
04-19 Troubadour - LA, CA *
04-20 SOMA Sidestage - San Diego, CA *
04-21 Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ *
04-23 Emo's - Austin, TX *
04-24 The Door - Dallas, TX *
04-25 Warehouse Live - Houston, TX *
04-27 Rays Downtown - West Palm Beach, FL *
04-28 The Social - Orlando, FL *
04-29 Orpheum - Tampa, FL *
05-01 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA *
05-02 Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC *
05-03 Otto Bar - Baltimore, MD *
05-04 Northstar - Philadelphia, PA *
05-05 Bamboozle - E. Ruthorford, NJ
05-06 Webster Underground - Hartford, CT *
05-08 El Mocambo - Toronto, ONT *
05-09 Cafe Dekcuf - Ottowa, ONT *
05-10 Cafe Lambi - Montreal, QUE *
05-11 Higher Ground - S. Burlington, VT *
05-12 Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA *
05-13 Bourbons - Porthouse, NH
05-16 The Nite Owl - Dayton, OH
05-17 Casa Cantina - Athens, OH
05-19 The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE
05-30 UC Riverside Quad - Riverside, CA
Not long ago, Dirty was all there was as
far as pure grunge rock was concerned in my book.
Sonic Youth's classic nineties manifesto was played
more times than a fat chick with a need for
attention. So, leave it to Ruby Isle to
someone trump my beliefs and throw them head first
into a electronica pop bliss in the form of a cover
of the SY classic 'Teenage Riot'.
The song is pulled from their upcoming EP Into
The Black.
Minnesota just don't know! Tapes 'N Tapes -
the indie machine that could defy all blogs and
premature write-ups of the band are getting things
set for their Spring Tour. The boys have added some
more dates including a stint in Phoenix and Santa
Cruz at The Attic.
But what gets our panties out of a bind is the
news that the new album is going swimmingly along.
In fact, as if one was part of the other, the band
plans on introducing new material on their April and
May Spring Tour. Recently back from a show in
Mexico, the band plans on practicing new material
for the tour.
Taped Up Tour:
04-16 Blue Note - Columbia, MO *
04-17 Creepy Crawl - St. Louis, MO *
04-18 Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN *
04-20 Granada Theater - Dallas, TX *
04-21 Emo's - Austin, TX *
04-22 Numbers - Houston, TX *
04-25 The Brickhouse - Phoenix, AZ *
04-27 Coachella - Indio, CA
05-01 The Attic - Santa Cruz, CA *
05-02 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
%*
05-04 Dante's - Portland, OR %*
05-05 Neumo's - Seattle, WA %*
05-06 Plaza Club - Vancouver, BC %*
05-09 Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO %*
05-10 Sokol Underground - Omaha, NE %*
05-11 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA %*
05-12 The Abbey Pub [2 Shows] - Chicago, IL %*
05-14 Barrymore's - Ottawa, ON %*
05-15 Le National - Montreal, QC %*
05-16 Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON %*
05-17 Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY %*
05-18 Irving Plaza - New York, NY %*
05-19 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA %*
05-22 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH %*
05-23 The Basement - Columbus, OH %*
05-24 Southgate House - Newport, KY %*
One of the horrendous side affects of SXSW is not
only the hangover that seemingly lasts several weeks
after you return home - but also just getting home
is part of the problem. Great Northern knows
what we are talking about. After ripping it up
on stage at this years South By Southwest in Texas,
the band decided to figure its way back thru the
great West on a short tour into April. The
band will be joined by Division Day on the road.
The band is also prepping their May release of
Trading Twilight for Daylight - scheduled for
release on the 15th via Eenie Meenie Records. For
now though, you can sample the goods with a free mp3
of 'Home' off the upcoming album.
Choice Sounds
Great Northern 'Home'
Great Scott Where's Home Tour:
03-27 Starline - Fresno, CA *
03-29 Fat Cat - Modesto, CA *
03-31 Art Bar - Las Vegas, CA *
04-05 Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA *
04-06 The Alley - Fullerton, CA
04-07 Plush - Tucson, AZ *
04-08 Paper Heart - Phoenix, AZ *
As if they were on the same wave-length (or would
that be different) as Pensatos, the boys of Spoon
today announced the titled of their upcoming album.
If you want to peruse below, we gave you the 411 on
the track listing for the (then) untitled effort.
But we are here to enlighten you with the the most
mature album title ever: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.
...and we shit you not.
For track listing and more info, check out
yesterday's story below and get ready for baby talk.
Avant-garde is back, but not in the Grindhouse
way that we may all expect. Trans Am's latest
video for the single 'Conspiracy of the Gods' is a
time jump that makes Pulp Fiction look like a PBS
special on water coloring. The Ben Hansford
directed piece jumps around and slows down more than
an eighty year old driver. Enough metaphors?
Then drive your ass to hit play!
For those of us suffering through Kill Rock Kid’s
rendition of ‘I Turn My Camera On’ and the oft radio
played ‘The Book I Write’ from Will Farrell flick
Stranger Than Fiction will be happy to know that
Spoon is putting the final touches on their much
anticipated follow up to 2005’s Gimmie Fiction.
The as of yet titled album is scheduled to release
July 10th on Merge Records. See full track listing
below. The bands sixth album release will be
surrounded by a series of East Coast events and
appearances including the Sasquatch and Bonnaroo
Festivals. The band is expected to announce a full
fall tour later in the summer.
Track Listing:
01 Don't Make Me A Target
02 The Ghost Of You Lingers
03 You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
04 Don't You Evah
05 Rhthm And Soul
06 Eddie's Ragga
07 The Underdog
08 My Little Japanese Cigarette Case
09 Finer Feelings
10 Black Like Me
Forgoing the usual love affair with the old, Bloc
Party ran a gambit of new material with only a few
nods to their debut and much loved Silent Alarm
when they appeared in front of a packed Congress
Theatre in Chicago last Friday. But if the show did
anything to its increasingly youthful following, it
proved that while A Weekend In The City may
not have been a critical success nor more than a
yawn and a safe bet, it can definitely turn heads
live.
The band took stage and filled the air with their
brand of intensity and whimsical notes. Driven by
drummer Matt Tong and his fueling beats, opener
‘Songs for Clay’ was a thumping riot that surly
highlighted the newer material. Forgettable album
notes like ‘Hunting For Witches’ played much
stronger than expected live along with ‘The Prayer’
and a slick ‘SRXT’ encore. ‘So Here We Are’ played
flawlessly to a wanting crowd who bellowed each
lyric with Kyle Okereke despite him apologizing for
the Bears loss to the superior Colts during the
Super Bowl. I saw tears.
The concert itself facilitated an ease for my
growing anxiety that the band had lost touch with
its punk-dance influential beginnings. Where as
‘Like Eathing Glass’ and ‘Helicopter’ could and did
tear any group in attendance into rabid screaming
minions of Okereke religion, most of the recent
efforts of their sophomore album left me feeling
like they went pop implosion instead. And yes, some
of the offerings like ‘Sunday’ and ‘Uniform’ were
less than their counterparts, but still played
stronger than the studio versions when on stage.
Take solace in the fact that Bloc Party is a rare
breed of musical sincerity that can connect not only
with the energy of a crowd, but respond to their
critics (like myself) with convincing versions of
otherwise dull and trite songs to somehow make them
sizzle live.
Someone once told me that the 90’s would come
back. I say bring it on as long as we start and stop
in the first half of the decade. Thankfully, it
seems like the recent reinvigoration of musical
undertone from the decade is setting a path for some
of its original benefactors to stage a comeback.
Case in point: The Faithless. The duo of Rollo
Armstrong and Sister Bliss who gave us the
unforgettable tune ‘Insomnia’ are back to help turn
on Coachella this year. They will share the stage
with the likes of other icons from the same decade
like Sonic Youth and Bjork. In an almost surreal
fashion, the bands will be playing alongside
Klaxons, Lily Allen and The Rapture – who have these
bands to thank for their influence.
But the London duo are far from done after
Coachella. Currently in the studio, Faithless plan
to release a new album in the fall. Details are
scarce but knowing the history between the two and
their love hate for each other’s music styles, it
will be great to hear them team up once again on a
studio recording. We’ll keep you posted.
Lyrical rap maestro Sage Francis is hitting the
road this summer in support of his soon to be
released sophomore effort Human The Dance Death.
The album, to be released by Epitaph will hit stores
on May 8th and followed with a coast to coast
venture that will see a two night stint in New Yorks
beloved Bowery Ballroom. Sage will also be joined on
the road by Buck 65, Alias, and Buddy Wakefield.
Click Clack Tour:
05-23 Middle East - Boston, MA
05-24 Middle East - Boston, MA
05-25 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
05-26 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
05-27 Crazy Donkey - Long Island, NY
05-29 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
05-30 Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
05-31 Rock and Roll Hotel Theater - Washington, DC
06-01 Cat's Cradle - Chapel Hill, NC
06-02 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
06-04 Firestone - Orlando, FL
06-06 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
06-07 Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
06-08 Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
06-09 Emos - Austin, TX
06-11 Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
06-12 Clubhouse - Phoenix, AZ
06-13 Congress Hotel - Tucson, AZ
06-15 Henry Fonda Theater - Los Angeles, CA
06-16 Glass House - Pomona, CA
06-17 Soma - San Diego, CA
06-19 Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
06-20 Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
06-22 Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
06-23 Showbox Showroom - Seattle, WA
06-24 Night Light Theater - Bellingham, WA
06-25 Pavillion - Bend, OR
06-27 The Venue - Boise, ID
06-28 In The Venue - Salt Lake City, UT
06-29 Gothic Theater - Denver, CO
06-30 Gothic Theater - Denver, CO
07-02 Sokol Hall - Omaha, NE
07-03 Picadero - Iowa City, IA
07-05 First Ave - Minneapolis, MN
07-06 The Abbey - Chicago, IL
07-07 The Abbey - Chicago, IL
07-09 Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
07-10 Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
07-11 Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA
07-12 Lupo's - Providence, RI
Spring is a sad tease to summer and rock outfit
Califone knows this. That’s why the band will be
extending their spring tour into the summer. The
band had previously announced May tour dates but
mums was the word on anything further – until now.
The band will hit up the Midwest and East Coast in
June as part of their Summer O-fester. The tour is
part of a support effort for their 2006 release
Roots and Cowns.
Califonicated Tour:
05-03 Malibu Performing Arts Center - Malibu, CA
05-04 The Attic - Santa Cruz, CA
05-07 The Green Room - Reno, NV
05-09 The Grove - Bend, OR
05-10 Sam Bond’s Garage - Eugene, OR
05-11 Mission Theater - Portland, OR
05-12 Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
05-13 The Nightlight - Bellingham, WA
05-18 High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
05-19 Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI
06-01 Stuart’s Opera House - Athens, OH
06-02 Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
06-03 Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY
06-05 Iron House - Northampton, MA
06-06 Middle East Upstairs - Cambridge, MA
06-07 Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
06-08 Johnny Brenda’s - Philadelphia, PA
06-09 Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington, DC
And you thought the Bloc Party love for the day was
over – wait till you see their tour schedule. As if
to avoid responsibility way into summer months, Bloc
Party will be traveling around the world after they
wrap up their US tour this week – then only to
return on our soil for a brief jaunt of dates and
radio shows. Then, like a one night stand, they are
back overseas until the fall months.
In other BP news events – like you need more than
we’ve given you today – the band is prepping their
new single ‘I Still Remember’ for release to the
masses. The single will hit stores on April 9th in
three formats each with their own b-side love.
C-Bloc’d Tour:
03-27 Metropolis - Montreal, Quebec ^
03-28 Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA ^
03-30 United Palace Theatre - New York, NY ^
03-31 United Palace Theatre - New York, NY ^
04-14 Academy - Glasgow, Scotland #
04-15 Civic - Wolverhampton, England #
04-16 Pavilions - Plymouth, England #
04-18 Empress Ballroom - Blackpool, England #
04-19 Brixton Academy - London, England #
04-20 Brixton Academy - London, England #
04-21 Bourges Festival - Bourges, France
04-23 Le Carriere - Nantes, France
04-24 Aeronef - Lille, France
04-25 AB - Brussels, Belgium
04-27 Olympic - Paris, France
04-28 Music Centre - Utrecht, Netherlands
04-30 Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark
05-01 Cirkus - Stockholm, Sweden
05-02 Sentrum Scene - Oslo, Norway
05-04 Columbiahalle - Berlin, Germany
05-05 Gasometer - Vienna, Austria
05-06 Schlachthof - Dresden, Germany
05-08 E-Werk - Cologne, Germany
05-09 Tonhalle - Munich, Germany
05-10 Metropolis - Lausanne, Switzerland
05-12 Estragon - Bologna, Italy
05-13 Alcatraz - Milan, Italy
05-14 Transbordeur - Lyon, France
05-15 Razzmatazz - Barcelona, Spain
05-17 Riviera - Madrid, Spain
05-18 Coliseum - Lisbon, Portugal
05-27 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre - Pompano Beach, FL
$
05-28 USF Sun Dome - Tampa, FL $
05-29 UCF Arena - Orlando, FL $
05-31 Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA $
06-01 House of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC $
06-03 DAR Constitution Hall - Washington, DC $
06-05 Tower Theatre - Philadelphia, PA $
06-06 WFNX Radio Show - Boston, MA $
06-07 Convention Hall - Asbury Park, NJ $
06-09 Live 105 Radio Show - San Francisco, CA $
06-11 Uptown Theatre - Kansas City, MO $
06-12 Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO $
06-13 Palms Casino Hotel - Las Vegas, NV $
06-16 Concerts in the Park - San Diego, CA $
07-01 Open'er Festival - Gdynia, Poland
08-03 Festival Hall - Melbourne, Australia
08-04 Hordern Pavilion - Sydney, Australia
08-25 Reading Festival - Reading, England
08-26 Leeds Festival - Leeds, England
^ with Albert Hammond Jr., Sebastien Grainger
# with Mahogany
$ with the Maccabees, the Noisettes
Seattle newcomer Christopher Blue is ready to strum
his lullaby notes for the masses with his upcoming
release Room Tones on April 17th. We’ve been
enjoying the album for some time now but feel it
imperative to give you the proverbial nod of musical
knowledge on this buzz on this artist. Case in point
is the first single ‘Ghost in the Night’ that shows
his flicker of guitar powerless – not far from that
of Jack Johnson at times. Lyrically he stands a step
above.
Track Listing:
01 Ghost in the Night
02 After All I’ve Heard You Say
03 Such Love
04 Equanimity
05 The Moon I Dream Of
06 These Thoughts
07 Good Time Baby
08 Alone
09 What You Need
10 Mandrake
11 Outtake
12 Disquietude
13 Scarecrow
Ghostly Tour:
04-18 John Richards A.M Show - Live on KEXP
04-18 Sunset Tavern - Seattle, WA
05-04 Tangier - Los Angeles, CA
