...more like an explosion.  The Miami based Bang! Festival has released the artist lineup for their upcoming November 11th show at the city's Bicentennial Park.

The one day event will host Daft Punk, Modest Mouse, Gnarls Barkley as well as hip-hop acts like Common and Thievery Corporation as well as many more lesser known sensational indie acts over five stages. Full lineup listed below.

The festival will also see the return of Duran Duran who recently received help on their latest work from underground fusion sensation Soulwax.

Duran Duran
Daft Punk
Tiesto
Gnarls Barkley
Modest Mouse
Roger Sanches
Common
Thievery Corporation
Kinky
Yerba Buena
Los Amigos Invisibles
Kevens
George Acosta
Christopher Lawrence
Markus Schulz
Sebastian Ingrosso
Steve Angello
Mistress Barbara
Cedric Gervais
4 Strings
Edgar V
Tom De Neef
Ivano Vellini
Filo & Peri
Big Bang Radio
Austin Leeds
Patrick M
Truth
Matt Martinez
Haiku
Icey
Hyper
Baby Anne
Jen Lasher
Monky
Merlyn
Spacemen
Hydraulix
Devine & Emilyplay
Galaxy Girl
Kinesis
Speechless
Hirofumi Ohta
Seasunz
Gerry Cuesto
Jimmy Joslin

For tickets and lineup details check out http://bangmusicfestival.com

Lily Allen will smoke you if you aren't careful.  That cute smile and girly voice are mirrors to what she's all about; pop domination.  The British sensation is heading to the States on September 26th care of her first EP Smile.

The EP will feature Three new songs and a remix of the title track.  The EP is just a precursor for Lily-Land dominance.  She will follow up in January with her debut Alright, Still; her first full length effort.

Track List:

01 Smile
02 Cheryl Tweedy
03 Absolutely Nothing
04 Smile [Gutter Mix]

As the trifecta piece, Allen will also play two shows in the States this year:

F-You Pete Doherty Tour:

10-14 Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
10-16 Double Door - Chicago, IL

I Fucking Shot That With A Cell Phone: The Shins Edition is in pre production, but not in the way you might expect.  Taking a digital cue from the Beastie Boys, alt pop house The Shins are asking attendees to the Austin City Limits Festival to film their performance via their digital phone cameras.

The band will reportedly be playing new material from their forthcoming album Wincing the Night Away at the festival on September 16th.  The band will instruct the audience when to begin filming.  After which, the fans are expected to upload the footage to an as of yet disclosed location.  Fans can go to the band's MySpace page: www.myspace.com/StareAllYouWant for the 411.

The footage will be used for a future video off the upcoming album scheduled for release on January 23rd. 

Let the revolt begin - the Decemberists are coming! The five piece group from Portland is readying their first major label release with The Crane Wife due to hit shelves on October 3rd.  The album will feature the bands signature instrumental ballad numbers as well as their alt pop flare.

We've been enjoying our copy for some time here at Pensatos and must say - it will be worth the wait and hype. We're not rubbing it in, just preparing you for the Japanese tragicly grand tale.

The album was produced by Tucker Marine  (of Long Winters and Mudhoney fame) and Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie).

Track List:

01 The Crane Wife 3
02 The Island
03 Come and See
04 The Landlord's Daughter
05 You'll Not Feel the Drowning
06 Yankee Bayonet [I Will Be Home Then]
07 O Valencia!
08 The Perfect Crime #2
09 When the War Came
10 Shankill Butchers
11 Summersong
12 The Crane Wife 1 and 2
13 Sons and Daughters

The band will also shortly after launch a nationwide tour to appease their growing fan base:

10-17 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
10-18 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
10-19 Warfield Theater - San Francisco, CA
10-21 The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
10-22 Rialto Theater - Tuscon, Az.
10-24 Stubb's, Austin
10-25 Gypsy Ballroom - Dallas, TX
10-26 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
10-27 Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
10-29 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.
10-30 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.
10-31 Calvin Theater - Northampton, MA
11-01 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
11-03 Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY
11-04 Orpheum Theater - Boston, MA
11-05 Metropolis - Montreal, CAN
11-04 Kool Haus - Toronto, CAN
11-07 Clutch Cargo - Pontiac, MI
11-09 Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
11-10 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion - Columbus, OH
11-11 Riviera Theater - Chicago, IL
11-12 First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
11-14 Paramount Theater - Denver, CO
11-16 Wilma Theater - Missoula, MT
11-17 Paramount Theater - Seattle, WA
11-18 Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, WA

The haunting voice of Tiny Vipers' Jesy Fortino is about to move out of the coffee houses across America and onto the music racks in your neighborhood stores.  The Tiny Vipers singer/songwriter has signed with Seattle label Sub Pop in her home town.

Some may know her from the praise she's received from her mySpace climb and if you were lucky enough, you obtained her stellar self recorded EP; complete with radio interference on the low budget recording.

The acoustic guitarist will have new songs ready for the label in the coming weeks.  We'll keep you posted.

How do you overcome a potential breakup when your longtime bassist jumps ship? You rock the fuck on is what you do! Shortly after Chris Cohen parted ways from Deerhoof back in May, the band retorted by releasing a nine song and touring to exercise any remaining demons.  And what was originally to slow down is now picking up even more steam.

Deerhoof is heading back out onto the road once again. This time with the help of The Flaming Lips and Fiery Furnaces to usher in a new audience. But even grander news is the word that a new LP is in the works! Kill Rock Stars, responsible in part for making acts like the Decemberists who they are today will release Friend Opportunity on January 23rd next year.

We Don't Need No Stinking Basist Tour:

09-10 Bank of America Pavilion - Boston, MA &
09-12 Pavilion - Charlottesville, VA &
09-13 Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA &
09-15 Zoo Amphitheatre - Oklahoma City, OK &
09-24 Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY &
10-18 Lupo's - Providence, RI *
10-19 Toad's Place - New Haven, CT *
10-26 Wexner Center - Columbus, OH ^
10-27 Andy Warhol Museum  - Pittsburgh, PA ^
10-28 Showplace Theater - Buffalo, NY ^
10-30 Opera House - Toronto, Ontario *
10-31 Le Tulipe - Montreal, BC *
11-01 Higher Ground  - Burlington, VT *
11-11 RIOTTT! Festival - San Francisco, CA *

* with Fiery Furnaces
^ with Fog
& with Flaming Lips

›› News: Deerhoof Lose Base Player

Arguably one of the most influential mainstayers of the hip hop underground, DJ Shadow plans to represent on tour this fall.

According to reports from Billboard, Shadow will be joined on stage with guest artists like Q-Tip, David Banner, Lateef, and more possibly as he trecks around the globe well into the winter months to help promote his upcoming release The Outsider.

09-19 Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, British Columbia
09-20 Showbox Theatre - Seattle, WA
09-22 Greek TheatreBerkeley, CA
09-24 Avalon - Los Angeles, CA
09-25 TBA - Los Angeles, CA
09-26 House of Blues - San Diego, CA
09-28 House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV
09-30 Gypsy Ballroom - Dallas, TX
10-01 Stubbs BBQ - Austin, TX
10-03 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
10-04 Roxy - Atlanta, GA
10-06 Pageant - St. Louis, MO
10-09 House of Blues - Chicago, IL
10-10 Eagles Club - Milwaukee, WI
10-11 House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
10-12 Kool Haus - Toronto, Ontario
10-13 Metropolis Gillett Entertainment - Montreal, Quebec
10-16 Theatre of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
10-17 Webster Hall - New York, NY
10-18 TBA - New York, NY
12-02 Octagon - Sheffield, England
12-03 University - Liverpool, England
12-04 Academy - Birmingham, England
12-07 International Centre - Bournemouth, England
12-08 UEA - Norwich, England
12-09 Academy - Manchester, England
12-12 Rock City - Nottingham, England
12-13 Academy - Bristol, England
12-15 Brixton Academy - London, England

Sometimes in life, you get a second chance.  For Swedish punk house favorite Love Is All, they are getting the second chance to find a larger audience.  The adored debut Nine Times That Same Song is getting a larger distribution than its initial release care of What's Your Rapture Records and we couldn't be more ecstatic to finally talk with two other people in the states who know of this fantastic group.

Better yet, the quintet are working on a new single to be released in the UK through Parlophone on October 2nd.  Make Out Fall Out Make Up will feature the title track along with b-sides of 'Kiss Kiss Kiss' and 'Lost Thrills'.

And even bestest [we are our own lexicon], Love Is All will be hitting the US and Canada in October on a short and select tour.

10-24 Starlight Ballroom - Philadelphia, PA $
10-25 Black Cat - Washington, DC $
10-27 Knitting Factory - New York, NY
10-28 Main Hall - Montreal, Quebec $
10-29 Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Ontario
10-30 Neumos - Seattle, WA
10-31 Pat's Pub - Vancouver, British Columbia
11-02 Popscene - San Francisco, CA ^
11-03 The Echo - Los Angeles, CA

$ with Tilly and the Wall
@ with Amy Sedaris
^ with Voxtrot

Bask in the glory that are the Decemberists and their model potential! Well, judging by the video the troop posted below of a photo shoot taken in preparation for the upcoming release The Crane Wife on October 3rd, they may want to stick with being a band first and potential top models second.

As if that wasn't enough to get you pumped, the group also released their first single 'Summertime' - just in time for fall.  Click here or check out the link below.

The band is also hitting the road in October to spread their sea chanting ways across American and parts of our neighbors north.

Major Label Tour:

10-17 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
10-18 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
10-19 Warfield Theater - San Francisco, CA
10-21 The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
10-22 Rialto Theater - Tuscon, Az.
10-24 Stubb's, Austin
10-25 Gypsy Ballroom - Dallas, TX
10-26 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
10-27 Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
10-29 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.
10-30 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.
10-31 Calvin Theater - Northampton, MA
11-01 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
11-03 Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY
11-04 Orpheum Theater - Boston, MA
11-05 Metropolis - Montreal, CAN
11-04 Kool Haus - Toronto, CAN
11-07 Clutch Cargo - Pontiac, MI
11-09 Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
11-10 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion - Columbus, OH
11-11 Riviera Theater - Chicago, IL
11-12 First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
11-14 Paramount Theater - Denver, CO
11-16 Wilma Theater - Missoula, MT
11-17 Paramount Theater - Seattle, WA
11-18 Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, WA
11-19 Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, WA

›› Streaming: The Decemberists 'Summersong'
›› News: Decemberists Tour

The tell-it-like-it-is world of hip hop artist Busdriver is pulling up to a location near you.  In preparation for his debut on Epitaph in January of next year, Busdriver is hitting the road for a month long tour with Pigeon John and Boston underground rising star Akrobatik.

09-16 Mighty - San Francisco, CA
09-17 Club Underground - Reno, NV
09-18 The Library - Sacramento, CA
09-20 Mazotti's - Arcada, CA
09-21 Berbati's - Portland, OR
09-22 Chop Suey - Seattle, WA
09-23 Mike Krock's Birthday Celebration - Spokane, WA
09-24 Club Ego's - Salt Lake City, UT
09-25 Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
09-26 The Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO
09-27 The Bluebird Theatre - Denver, CO
09-28 Foundation - Minneapolis, MN
09-29 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IO
09-30 Stone Fly Brewery - Milwaukee, WI
10-01 Club Inferno - Madison, WI
10-02 Abbey Pub - Chicago, IL
10-03 The Record Bar - Lawrence, KS
10-04 Emo's - Austin, TX
10-05 Kingston Tycoon Flats - San Antonio, TX
10-06 House of Rock and Roll - El Paso, TX
10-07 Solar Culture - Tucson, AZ
10-08 Chasers - Scottsdale, AZ

As previously reported, his upcoming single 'Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia is the Sport of Now)' will drop on October 10th.

›› News: Busdriver's New Single 'Kills'

The New Orleans born Mute Math are taking their DJ Shadow/Bjork hybrid music to the masses soon. After garnering a solid underground following, the groups is putting the final touches on their self titled debut. The album is scheduled to drop later this month on September 26th. A Special Limited Edition will also be available which will include a live 2006 performance.

Track List:

01 Collapse
02 Typical
03 After We Have Left Our Homes
04 Chaos
05 Noticed
06 Plan B
07 Stare At The Sun
08 Obsolete
09 Break The Same
10 You Are Mine
11 Control
12 Picture
13 Stall Out
14 Reset

Limited Edition Live Copy:

01 Collapse
02 Typical
03 Chaos
04 Control
05 Noticed
06 Break The Same

There's no rest for the weary as well. Hot off the festival route of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Warped and V Festival, the band is also hitting the road to support their album well into the month of November.  The tour will see them hit both coasts and everything in between.

Coast + Coast = Long Tour:

09-19 Showbox - Seattle, WA #
09-20 Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR #
09-21 Slim's - San Francisco, CA #
09-22 The Underground Cafe - Roseville, CA #
09-24 Soma Mainstage - San Diego, CA #
09-25 Henry Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA #
09-27 Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM #
09-29 Club Sound - Salt Lake City, UT #
09-30 Bluebird Theatre - Denver, CO #
10-01 Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS #
10-05 Park West - Chicago, IL #
10-06 Ascot Room - Minneapolis, MN #
10-07 Ascot Room - Minneapolis, MN #
10-08 Creepy Crawl - St. Louis, MO #
10-10 Sticky Fingers - Little Rock, AR #
10-11 Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK #
10-13 Gypsy Ballroom - Dallas, TX #
10-14 Numbers - Houston, TX #
10-15 Stubbs - Austin, TX #
10-19 The Norva - Norfolk, VA #
10-20 Starr Hill - Charlottesville, VA #
10-21 Cat's Cradle - Raleigh, NC #
10-22 Tremont - Charlotte, NC ^
10-24 Watt - Athens, GA ^
10-25 The Handlebar - Greenville, SC ^
10-26 Zydeco's - Birmingham, AL ^
10-27 The Roxy - Atlanta, GA ^
10-28 Voodoo Festival - New Orleans, LA ^
10-29 New Daisy - Memphis, TN ^
10-31 20th Century Theater - Cincinnati, OH ^
11-01 CMJ Music Marathon - New York, NY
11-02 930 Club - Washington, DC ^
11-03 TLA - Philadelphia, PA ^
11-05 Axis - Boston, MA ^
11-06 Webster Underground - Hartford, CT ^
11-07 Main Hall - Montreal, QC ^
11-09 El Mocambo - Toronto, ON ^
11-10 The Basement - Columbus, OH ^
11-12 City Hall - Nashville, TN ^
11-14 Martinis - Jacksonville, FL ^
11-15 The Social - Orlando, FL ^
11-16 The Social - Orlando, FL ^
11-17 The State Theatre - Tampa, FL ^
11-19 Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL ^

# with Shiny Toy Guns and Jonezetta
^ with The Whigs and Jonezetta

The Arctic Monkeys continue to make all the right moves.  After snagging the prestigious Mercury Prize [read here] earlier this week, the band has opted to donate the £20,000 prize money to an undisclosed charity.  Departed bassist Andy Nicholson and the band released a statement regarding the award and their decision to give it back to the community:

"We had a fantastic night and we're really chuffed with winning the award. It was unexpected but it means a lot to us as the competition was from other musicians we really respect.

"We strongly believe in the ethos of the Nationwide Mercury Prize in that it is about the music and not everything else that goes with it and are therefore really flattered by the decision.

"Regarding the £20,000 cheque, we are going to donate it to a worthy charity which we would prefer to keep private. We have discussed it with Andy, who played an equal part in the making of the album, and he is happy with our choice.

"As for the near future, we are really looking forward to taking a break to continue writing our new album."

›› News: Arctic Monkeys Grab Mercury

Say goodbye to the mascara but hello to dark imagery.  The Killers have hooked up with Tim Burton to direct the video for their second single 'Bones' from their forthcoming album Sam's Town.

Although the video was shot back in August, the post production work is where the juice is at, as Burton's design team is working on creating a town and cast of characters. Apparently the well known director of oddity is keeping the band in the dark on the final outcome of the project and the scope of which until all is said and done.

The first single, 'When You Were Young' is just around the corner on September 18th but the album won't hit store shelves until October 2nd.  For more album info, including the first video from the album check out our link below for full track listings and more.

›› Video: Killers 'When You Were Young'
›› News: Killers Debut 'Sam's Town' in NYC
›› Pensatos News: Killers Confirm Album Tracks
›› Pensatos News: New Killers Album Info
›› Pensatos News: Killers Relocate To Finish Album in London

Folk fun Patrick Wolf has spilled the 411 for his upcoming single 'Accident & Emergency'.  The artist has confirmed that Edward Larrikin of Larrikin Love will make an appearance on the single.

The single will be part of his upcoming release The Magic Potion which isn't scheduled for release until early 2007.  The track will be available for release on October 23rd in several formats including CD [with additional tracks 'Underworld' and 'Adder'], download [which will include another track 'Ari's Song'] and 7" [featuring a live version of 'The Childcatcher']

Paris Hilton just can't catch a break.  From leaked porn videos to albums she wished would leak just to get attention, the million-heiress has now been covered by Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse without her consent. 

The DJ and Producer worked with Blur collaborator Banksy on a bootleg version of Paris Hiltons recently released debut Paris. Danger Mouse remixed the original tracks and had the album sneakily replaced in several HMV stores across the UK - some 400 reported copies.  The cover artwork reportedly had a doctored nude photo of Paris with a dog's head.  As if that wasn't enough, even the track names were altered.  New track names included 'Why Am I Famous' and 'What Am I For?' all of which are pictured below care of Spin.com.

Danger Mouse is well known for remixing unauthorized works.  His initial claim-to-fame before the success of Gnarls Barkley was a bootleg of Jay Z's Black Album that was sensatiabley combined with the Beatles White Album - cleverly entitled The Grey Album. The album was released on file sharing systems around the world and quickly garnered him underground status.  So much so that the Gorillaz looked to him to help produce their 2005 smash Demon Days.

There's been no word from the Hilton camp in response but rest assured, there will be.

Photos are provided by Spin.com:

And so continues the rise of the Arctic Monkeys and the distaste of every middle-aged band on the planet.  The young Sheffield quartet snagged this year's Mercury Prize in London today for album of the year. 

The remaining members beat out the likes of Muse, Scritti Politti, Editors, and Hot Chip for the coveted British award that is likened to the Grammies in the US.

In late August, the band continued its underdog success going platinum in Australia.

The Mercury Award and its panel of judges have been grossly criticized in the past for overlooking the populous choice in favor of more obscure artists; forgoing sales for innovation. This time around they seemed to be able to find their median as the band has garnered success from the download file sharing scene and crossed over to cult success in the states.

Indie darlings and Seth Cohen obsession Death Cab For Cutie are heading out onto the road to please their coffee house fans everywhere.  The band will be working with awesome opening acts such as Ted Leo + Pharmacists and OK for the majority of the stint well into December.  The tour will take the band across the states and part of Canada providences. 

10-26 Tower Theatre - Upper Darby, PA ^
10-27 Auditorium Theatre - Rochester, NY ^
10-28 Ottawa Civic Centre Theatre - Ottawa, ON ^
10-30 Massey Hall - Toronto, ON ^
11-01 Metropolis - Montreal, QC ^
11-02 The Opera House - Boston, MA ^
11-04 Providence  Performing Arts - Providence, RI ^
11-06 Constitution Hall - Washington, DC ^
11-08 Theatre at the Garden - New York, NY ^
11-10 Norva - Norfolk, VA ^
11-11 Ice Garden Arena - Belle Vernon - PA ^
11-13 Promo West Pavilion - Columbus, OH ^
11-14 Murat Theatre - Indianapolis, IN ^
11-15 Louisville Palace Theatre - Louisville, KY ^
11-16 Alabama Theatre - Birmingham, AL ^
11-17 Fox Theatre - Atlanta, GA ^
11-18 Littlejohn Coliseum - Clemson, SC ^
11-19 U Of Central Florida - Orlando, FL ^
11-20 University of Miami - Coral Gables, FL ^
11-16 Eagles Ballroom - Milwaukee, WI #
11-27 The Pageant - St. Louis, MO #
11-28 Orpheum Theatre - Memphis, TN #
11-29 Republic New Orleans - New Orleans, LA #
11-30 Hobby Center - Houston, TX #
12-02 Mesa Amphitheatre - Mesa, AZ $
12-03 The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
12-05 Bren Events Center - Irvine, CA $
12-06 Arlington Theatre - Santa Barbara, CA $
12-09 Key Arena - Seattle, CA $

^ with Ted Leo + Pharmacists
# with OK Go
$ with Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

In more Death Cab related love for you, the band recently release the video for 'I Will Follow You into the Dark' - the newest single off of their current album Plans. It eerily reminds me of my first apartment but that hole in the floor gave me a birds eye view into my unemployed neighbor and all 10 Bebe's kids running amok.

The British invasion continues on but we are getting less glam this time and more punk care of Leed's own ¡Forward, Russia! In anticipation for ¡Forward Russia!'s upcoming release Give Me A Wall [September 19th], we here at Pensatos are counting down the time in style.  Today we offer you a clip from their upcoming album entitled 'Thirteen' - a rock jam if must say so - which we do. 

In even more FR news, the band is readying their US tour with just a few shows but plan on announcing even more shortly.

10-25 Crocodile Cafe - Seattle, WA
10-26 Dante's - Portland, OR
10-28 Spaceland - Los Angeles, CA
10-30 Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, CA

Check out our Pensatoscast next week for an interview with the band as well as more tracks from their upcoming album.

›› .MP3: ¡Forward Russia! 'Thirteen'
›› Audio: Pensatos Audio Section - Bestest Unheard Music

While the rest of the US was celebrating Labor Day, Pete Doherty was avoiding hard labor. The repeat-o-fender who faced possible jail time for drug possession including crack, heroin, and marijuana received a deferred sentence in large part due to his drug rehab program and it's current progress.

The Babyshambles front man is currently at London's Priory Clinic in which he's no bewbie to.  Doherty checked himself into the clinic back in 2004 but shortly ditched the program.

More on his long list of drugs stints this year:

›› News: Doherty at Priory
›› Pensatos News: Doherty Cancels Show For Rehab
›› Pensatos News: Doherty Gets Implant; Judge Loosens Up

Who would have thought after the depressing nature of Band of Horses last video 'Funeral' that we'd see an upbeat summer romp. Hope and you shall receive. The boys of BoH have released the video for 'The Great Salt Lakes'; easily one of the best live songs we've had the pleasure of witnessing this year on the road. Yeah, we're groupies...

›› Feature: Band of Horses Interview

Wonder twins unite! Form of: two stellar cross oceans indie acts! The Baltimore duo Beach House are hitting the road with New Zealand born Over the Atlantic for one hell of a fall tour. Beach House will see it's self titled debut hit stores on October 3rd while the kiwis of Over the Atlantic will have their debut Junica land on September 19th.

Both acts have songs posted in our Audio Section for your personal discovery.

Wonder Twins Tour:

10-26 Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA
10-28 H and H Building - Baltimore, MD
11-01 Cake Shop - New York, NY
11-02 The Lily Pad - Cambridge, MA
11-03 TBA - Montreal, QC
11-04 Tanzac - Toronto, ONT
11-05 Garfield Art Works - Pittsburgh, PA
11-06 TBA - Chicago, IL
11-07 Big V's - Minneapolis, MN
11-08 Aquarium - Fargo, ND
11-11 Pat's Pub - Vancouver, BC
11-12 Towne Lounge - Portland, OR
11-14 Hemlock Tavern - San Francisco, CA
11-16 The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
11-18 TBA - Dallax, TX
11-19 Emo's - Austin, TX
11-20 The Proletariat - Houston, TX
11-21 One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA
11-22 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
11-24 Nightlight - Chapel Hill, NC
11-25 The Red and the Black - Washington, DC
11-26 Tonic - New York, NY

Santa, you know I haven't been a good person this year but I promise you large jolly dividends in return for paying it forward this year by delivering me the greatest gift of all: a 5 disc Christmas Box Set from Sufjan Stevens.

That's right, the work-a-holic Stevens is putting together the final touches on a five - yes five disc box set stuffed full of Christmas favorites from years past Sufjanized as well as all new material from the talented artist.  Who doesn't want to hear original yule tide carols like 'Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)'?  I know we do!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Sufjan Stevens gave to me  five individually packaged EP's, five Christmas stickers, short stories from Stevens, an original holiday Rick Moody essay, an animated music video and comic strip from Tom Eaton, songbook with lyrics sheet and chord charts, and an original Christmas Family Portraaaaaaaaait.

Apparently Stevens has been recording these carols for the greater part of this decade around the holiday season and sent them off to select friends and randoms.  But now, on November 21st, everyone will enjoy the X-Mas love.

Track List:

Noel: Songs for Christmas, Vol. I (recorded December 2001)
01 Silent Night
02 O Come O Come Emmanuel
03 We’re Goin’ To the Country! *
04 Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming
05 It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad! *
06 Holy Holy, etc.
07 Amazing Grace

Hark!: Songs for Christmas, Vol. II (recorded December 2002)
01 Angels We Have Heard on High
02 Put the Lights on the Tree *
03 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
04 I Saw Three Ships
05 Only at Christmas Time *
06 Once in Royal David’s City
07 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
08 What Child Is This Anyway?
09 Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella

Ding! Dong!: Songs for Christmas, Vol. III (recorded December 2003)
01 O Come, O Come Emmanuel
02 Come on! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance! *
03 We Three Kings
04 O Holy Night
05 That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! *
06 Ding! Dong! *
07 All the King’s Horns *
08 The Friendly Beasts

Joy: Songs for Christmas, Vol. IV (recorded December 2005)
01 The Little Drummer Boy
02 Away In A Manger
03 Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time! *
04 The First Noel
05 Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!) *
06 The Incarnation *
07 Joy To The World

Peace: Songs for Christmas, Vol. V (recorded June 2006)
01 Once in Royal David’s City
02 Get Behind Me, Santa! *
03 Jingle Bells
04 Christmas in July *
05 Lo! How A Rose E’er Blooming
06 Jupiter Winter *
07 Sister Winter *
08 O Come O Come Emmanuel
09 Star of Wonder *
10 Holy, Holy, Holy
11 The Winter Solstice *

* Originals by Sufjan Stevens

Kings of Leon are currently working on and off in the studio on their upcoming 2007 album Because of the Times.  Although no date is set in stone, the group is looking to release it by March of next year.

The rocking foursome are also on the road supporting the likes of Bob Dylan this autumn.

Because Of The Times Are Changin' Tour:

10-11 Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC
10-13 Key Arena - Seattle, WA
10-14 Memorial Coliseum - Portland, OR
10-16 Bill Graham Civic - San Francisco, CA
10-17 Bill Graham Civic - San Francisco, CA
10-18 ARCO Arena - Sacramento, CA
10-20 The Forum - Los Angeles, CA
10-22 Cox Arena - San Diego, CA
10-25 Pershing Auditorium - Lincoln, NE
10-27 Sears Centre - Chicago, IL
10-28 Sears Centre - Chicago, IL

MSTRKRFT - that's 'Master Craft' for those who never watched Bumper Stumpers - is readying their Autumn domination. Comprised of Toronto native Jesse F. Keeler, and AI-P, the duo are quickly becoming underground sensations with their witty remixes of Wolfmother, NIN, and more.

The dynamic duo recently release their first studio recording The Look which has been likened to "Daft Punk in bed with The Clash."

Cover Boy Tour:

09-08 Don Hills - New York, NY
09-09 Click Medusa Lounge - Philadelphia, PA
09-10 Islands Park [Virgin Festival] - Toronto, ON
09-14 The Club Firestone - Orlando, FL
09-15 Factory People - Austin, TX
09-16 A38 - Houston, TX
09-22 The War Room - Seattle, WA
10-12 Bills Bar - Boston, MA
10-13 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
10-14 Mjq Concourse - Atlanta, GA
10-20 Chop Suey - Seattle, WA
10-21 Holocene - Portland, OR
10-27 The Warehouse - Calgary, AB
10-31 Safari Sam's - Los Angeles, CA #
11-01 Mezzanine - San Francisco, CA #
11-04 Smart Bar - Chicago, IL

# with Justice

Middles school friends Marco Benevento and Joe Russo are taking their two man show on the road to support their recently released album Play Pause Stop. Think Mates of State but with less pop and more psychosis rock. Their popularity is continuing to spread and artists and fans alike are taking note on the duos talent.  The powerhouse team received a personal invite by ex-Phish Trey Anastasio to perform on his solo album and also on the road. If that don't garner you a new breed of groupies, nothing will.

Without A Net Tour:

09-01 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR *
09-02 Neumo’s - Seattle, WA *
09-03 W.O.W. Hall - Eugene, OR *
09-04 Ciao - Reno, CA *
09-06 Crystal Bay Club - Crystal Bay, NV *
09-07 The Independent - San Francisco, CA *
09-08 The Independent - San Francisco, CA *
09-09 The Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA *
09-10 The Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA *
09-11 House of Blues - San Diego, CA *
09-12 Plush - Tucson, AZ *
09-15 Austin City Limits Festival - Austin, TX
09-15 Stubb’s - Austin, TX *
09-26 University of Massachusetts - Amherst, MA
09-30 The Grotto - Saratoga Springs, NY
10-05 The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN #
10-06 The Annex - Madison, WI #
10-07 The Park West - Chicago, IL #
10-08 Mojo’s - Columbia, MO #
10-10 The Granada - Lawrence, KS #
10-12 Sokol Underground - Omaha, NE #
10-13 Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO #
10-14 Bluebird Theatre - Denver, CO #
10-16 Sticky Fingerz - Little Rock, AR #
10-17 Blueberry Hill - St. Louis, MO #
10-18 Headliner’s - Louisville, KY #
10-19 Blue Cat’s - Knoxville, TN #
10-20 The Loft - Atlanta, GA #
10-21 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC #
10-27 The Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
10-31 The Music Farm - Charleston, SC

* with Apollo Sunshine
# with Chris Harford’s Band of Changes

Jam bands are finally taking the turn and out of the shadows of space freaks like Phish and rockin' out; Guster is no exception.  The rock troupe, off the hot heals of their praised release Ganging Up On The Sun, are heading out on the road and featured in some rather heavy festival lineups including the Austin City Lights and Vegoose Festival.  They will hook up with the likes of Nada Surf on the way as an added bonus.

The guys plan on ending with a bang in the new year on the much ballyhooed Ships and Dip Cruise where fans can get intimate with the band on a five day cruise in the Atlantic.

Ship With No Port Tour:

09-14 Gypsy Tea Room - Dallas, TX @
09-15 Austin City Limits Festival [Day] - Austin, TX
09-15 Austin City Limits Festival [Night] - Austin, TX
09-16 Verizon Wireless Theatre - Houston, TX @
09-17 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA @
09-19 Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK #
09-20 The Blue Note - Columbia, MO #
09-22 City Market - Kansas City, MO #
09-23 City Lights Pavilion - Denver, CO #
09-27 Rialto Theatre - Tuscon, AZ *
09-28 SDSU Open Air Theatre - San Diego, CA #
09-29 The Wiltern LG - Los Angeles, CA #
09-30 Berkeley Community Theatre - Berkeley, CA #
10-03 Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA #
10-04 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR #
10-06 University of Iowa [Free Show] - Iowa City, IA
10-09 JMU Convocation Center - Harrisonburg, VA
10-27 In The Venue - Salt Lake City, UT
10-29 Vegoose Festival - Henderson, NV
10-31 Sokol Auditorium - Omaha, NE
11-03 State Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
11-04 Lilly Center Gymnasium - Greencastle, IN
11-07 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI
11-10 The Eagles Club - Milwaukee, WI
11-15 Smith Opera House - Geneva, NY
01-16 Ships and Dip Cruise - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
01-17 Ships and Dip Cruise - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
01-18 Ships and Dip Cruise - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
01-19 Ships and Dip Cruise - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

@ with Tristan Prettyman
* with Nada Surf
# with Nada Surf and Tristan Prettyman

And you thought it would never arrive.  The confusion that surrounded the part one of Bonnie Prince Billy's 'The Letting Go' video (see the link below) is nothing compared to its equally odd conclusion.  Death by mini-bar:

›› Video: Bonnie Prince Freebie Tour

Their music may be poetic hierocracy, but the videos are straight forward fun. Tapes 'N Tapes have released their new single and video to 'Cowbell' from their current album The Loon (review link below).  The single is available from Rough Trade as well as iTunes.  But you can catch the video for free, loves, below.

›› Review: Tapes 'N Tapes - The Loon