Free Music: Sleigh Bells Streaming Tonight; 50-Foot Wave Gives Away Its Tunes; & More

If you're looking for some new tunes to listen to, you'll have plenty to keep you busy this weekend. From a live streaming concert to a new set by F*cked Up to Soundgarden's frontman covering Dolly Parton (and Whitney Houston), here's what's happening:

* Watch Sleigh Bells performing live tonight at New York's Terminal 5. The show is sold out, but you can watch it at 10:30 p.m. Eastern at www.youtube.com/bowerypresents.

* 50-Foot Wave, the trio led by Kristin Hersh, has released its latest EP, “With Love from the Men’s Room,” and its entire catalog, for free download. The zip file is 1.35 GB. This is a logical step for Hersh, who for years has made her music (solo work, as well as tunes by 50-Foot Wave and Throwing Muses) available on a pay-what-you-wish basis.

F*cked Up is still celebrating the Chinese zodiac, and you can celebrate by streaming it free.

* Canadian punk band F*cked Up has issued "Year of the Tiger," the latest in its series of Chinese zodiac recordings. You can stream the set at the link; it includes F*cked Up frontman Damian Abraham performing a duet with Annie-Claude Deschênes, the singer for fellow Canadian band Duchess Says.

* Dum Dum Girls have posted a couple of hand-picked compilations on their website this week. Or rather their leader Dee Dee has. "Get Lost" was done for Rough Trade features songs from Morrissey, Jesus and Mary Chain, Kurt Vile, and others, and runs 71 minutes.

The second mix, called "Stoned in Love," is a set Dee Dee says she and her husband (Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles) put together. As you'd expect from this couple, it's an eclectic box of Valentine's Day chocolates, with tunes from Slade, the Soft Boys, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Serge Gainsbourg, Primal Scream, and Leonard Cohen. It runs 42 minutes.



* Finally, above you'll find a video that's been bouncing all over the blogosphere recently: Soundgarden's Chris Cornell performing "I Will Always Love You," written by Dolly Parton and, of course, made famous by the late Whitney Houston.

Music Notes: Bangles on "DWTS" Tonight, Wild Flag in Town, Throwing Muses Played NYC (Photos)

The Bangles will play a medley of their hits on "Dancing with the Stars" tonight.

From concerts to TV appearances, this is a "women who rock" edition of Music Notes. Here are a few music news items of interest:

• The Bangles appear on TV tonight on "Dancing with the Stars," where it's said they will play a medley of their hits. This is a timely gig for Susanna Hoffs and the band, who are currently on tour to support "Sweetheart of the Sun," their first new album in eight years (which was streaming recently). (Update: You can find videos of the Bangles doing "Eternal Flame"/"Walk Like an Egyptian" here, and "Manic Monday" from "DWTS" here. If those videos get removed, you watch the entire "'80s Night" episode featuring the Bangles here.)
  
  
• Wild Flag plays Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night in the second half of the New York leg of its inaugural tour. The band played Brooklyn's Bell House on Sunday. Both shows sold out long ago, but there might still be a handful of tickets on StubHub or other ticket sites. Eleanor Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces opens both shows. (Read rock writer Caryn Rose's review of Wild Flag's Bell House show.) Note: Wild Flag's self-titled debut album is only $3.99 at Amazon.comtoday, Oct. 17th.
  
  
• Throwing Muses returned to New York last night for a show at Bowery Ballroom. Although not sold out, the show had a large crowd of enthusiastic Muses fans. (Ticket sales may have been affected by the fact that the band hasn't released a new album in eight years, unlike when it played in town back then.)
  
  They played a a selection of songs from their long career, including "Bea," "Devil's Roof," "Shark," "Limbo," "Start," "Shimmer," and "Bright Yellow Gun."
  
  The band next heads off to Europe for a slate of shows. Below are a couple of photos from last night's Throwing Muses show at Bowery Ballroom.

Kristin Hersh opened the show by playing a few songs solo.

 

Throwing Muses: Hersh, Rob Ahlers, and Georges Bernard.

Free Album Previews: Wild Flag, Tom Morello, & More; Throwing Muses Tix On Sale

Above: Album trailer for Wild Flag's self-titled album. Preview it free at the link below.

Just in time for their Fall tour of the East Coast, Wild Flag's self-titled album is available for free preview this week (its release date is Sept. 13th). This much-anticipated album features the talents of longtime indie rock women Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney and Quasi), Mary Timony (Helium and her solo work), and Rebecca Cole (The Minders).

Wild Flag will be playing in the New York City area in October at the Bell House, Maxwell's, and the Bowery Ballroom (all dates sold out). Other new albums available for free online streaming this week including what may be the last new release by Glen Campbell (who recently announced that he has dementia), albums by indie rockers Blitzen Trapper and Cymbals Eat Guitars, and a new release from Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine.  

(Also of interest to indie rock fans: Throwing Muses will be returning to New York for a show at Bowery Ballroom on Oct. 16th. Tickets went on sale Sept. 1st at noon; get Throwing Muses Bowery Ballroom tickets here. See the full list of current Throwing Muses/Kristin Hersh tour dates.) 

NPR First Listen:
"Wild Flag" by Wild Flag
"We are the Tide" by Blind Pilot

KCRW Album Preview: 
"American Goldwin" by Blitzen Trapper
"Ghost on the Canvas" by Glen Campbell

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"World Wide Rebel Songs" by Tom Morello
"Coastal Grooves" by Blood Orange
"Lenses Alien" by Cymbals Eat Guitars

Spinner.com's Listening Party:

"Emperors Nightingale" by Stereo MCs
"If You're Young" by The Static Jacks

YouTube Guitarist Performs Throwing Muses' "Freeloader"

Here's a fun video I came across the other day: a version of the Throwing Muses song "Freeloader" performed by a British guitarist who goes by the name of Daniel Earwicker. He is shown playing a number of different guitars during in the video and is apparently singing all the layered vocals as well (you can also hear an unseen drummer in the song, presumably also Earwicker).

I wasn't familiar with Daniel Earwicker, but his YouTube site has cover versions of a number of songs, including The Smiths, Blur, and the Talking Heads, as well as what seems to be his own one-man Internet band, The Primrose League.  I like his version of "Freeloader," and apparently so does the person who wrote the song: I discovered this version because Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh tweeted a link to it last week.

Below is Hersh doing a solo performance of the song, recorded live (with non-professional equipment and technique, unfortunately). "Freeloader" appeared on the 1996 Muses album "Limbo."

New Throwing Muses Song "Bluff/Blurry" Posted Online

Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses have been recording new tracks lately that you can stream and download. Photo:  Seattlequest.

Throwing Muses founder Kristin Hersh announced today through her Twitter account that a new song by the band has been posted online. You can stream the new Throwing Muses song "Bluff/Blurry" here, and also at the Throwing Muses website, where you can download the song and make a contribution to pay for the download. You can also stream and download other recent Throwing Muses songs.

Hersh has been recording new material with the band over the last couple of months, at least. This is good news for fans of the influential band, which had broken up a number of years ago because of a lack of funds to keep going as a band. (Speaking of which, Kristin Hersh gives an interesting interview here in which she talks about record labels, getting funding from fans, and related issues.)

It's kind of amazing that Kristin Hersh has found time to record with the Muses, considering all the other irons she has in the fire: she recently came out with a memoir, "Rat Girl," and has been making appearances to promote it, in addition to her solo recordings and performances. She also came out with a recent album, "Crooked," which was released as a book.

Live This Week: Sarah Harmer, Kristin Hersh, The Posies, Roky Erickson, Care Bears on Fire & More

Every week is a good week for live music in the New York area, but this one has something that piques my interest almost every night. Here's the rundown on my selected list of gigs:

Wed., Nov. 10: Sarah Harmer and Hey Rosetta!, Gramercy Theatre, 8 p.m. - You may remember Harmer from her breakout hit "Basement Apartment" back in the 1990s, but she's put out a lot of great folk-pop-rock music since then. She's at the Gramercy to support her latest album, "Oh Little Fire."

Fri., Nov. 12: Roky Erickson, The Above, and The Happen-Ins, Maxwell's, 9:30 p.m. - Erickson is a legendary pioneer of psychdelic rock, best known for his work with 13th Floor Elevators. He disappeared for years due to mental illness, but has made a comeback in recent years.

Fri., Nov. 12: Kristin Hersh, 92nd Street Y Tribeca, 8 p.m. - Known as the leader of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave and for her extensive solo work, Hersh will play music at this gig as well as read from her recently released memoir, "Rat Girl."She's been one of my all-time favorites since the 1980s.

Sat., Nov. 13: Brendan Benson, The Posies, and Aqueduct, Highline Ballroom, 6:30 p.m. - Many people may know Brendan Benson, who is a member of Jack White's project The Raconteurs, but older rock & roll fans will jump at the chance to see The Posies. This band, led by Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, has been crafting great pop music for more than two decades. Amazingly, this show is not yet sold out (as of Wednesday afternoon). (Check for Posies/brendan Benson tickets here.)

Sat., Nov. 13: Richard Barone, Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m. - The former leader of Hoboken's own The Bongos returns to the club where it all began for them. Barone has a number of solo albums under his belt; his latest album is "Glow."

Sun., Nov. 14: Care Bears on Fire, Jack Skuller, and Indian Rebound, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, 2 p.m. - The Brooklyn teen pop-punk trio plays a record release party to celebrate its new EP, "Girls Like it Loud." I missed them at the recent Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, but look forward to catching them at Rockwood.

Kristin Hersh Holds Online Chat About her Memoir "Rat Girl" Tonight

Kristin Hersh, co-founder of the highly influential band Throwing Muses, has never been one to take the conventional path in her musical career. She came out with a memoir a few weeks ago and, not surprisingly, it's not your conventional rock-and-roll autobiography.

In fact, "Rat Girl"looks at just one year in Hersh's life, but it was a critical one: she was 18 years and and Throwing Muses was starting to get noticed, but Hersh was suffering with systems of bipolar disorder -- and had gotten pregnant. Her psychological condition led her to create lots of amazing, creative music, but also took a huge toll on her day-to-day life.

I've been a big fan of Hersh ever since I first heard of Throwing Muses in the mid-1980s, and have always enjoyed the twists many her music has taken over the years, whether with the Muses, her solo albums, or her most recent band, 50 Foot Wave.

I haven't read "Rat Girl"yet, but hope to soon. In the meantime, I hope to check out an online chat she's doing today at the website of Penguin, her publisher. The Kristin Hersh online chat will be at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Hersh continues to put out music in various forms. She still records songs with 50 Foot Wave, regularly releases new songs and demos on her website, and last week said on her Twitter feed that she had been recording new Throwing Muses material.

If you're not familiar with Kristin Hersh or Throwing Muses, I'd definitely recommend checking out their music.

I was out of town when Hersh did a reading and appearance for "Rat Girl"at Barnes & Noble in New York the day the book was released (Aug. 31st), but hope to catch her when she returns to New York for a book tour event on Oct. 28th. (See Kristen Hersh "Rat Girl" tour dates at the Penguin website.)

Read the Introduction and first three chapters of "Rat Girl"
Listen to a Kristen Hersh interview about "Rat Girl" on NPR (also includes an excerpt from the book).

Concert News: English Beat, Kristin Hersh, Kate Voegele, Regina Spektor

Lots of concert news in the New York area...

First off, the English Beat is following up its NYC shows from a few months back with three shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken. Tonight's show is a $75 benefit (tickets still available), but tomorrow's show is $25. Friday's show at Maxwell's is sold out.

Young singer-songwriter Kate Voegele returns to the area to promote her new album, "A Fine Mess," due out May 18th. She's at the Highline Ballroom in NYC tonight, and at the School of Rock in South Hackensack, NJ on May 15th.

Some upcoming shows from a couple of other female singer-songwriters that are favorites of mine: Brooklyn Vegan notes that Regina Spektor is coming to the Beacon Theatre for a show on June 17th. A pre-sale began this afternoon, and Warner Bros. is giving away two free song downloads from Spektor's upcoming album "Far" with each ticket purchased.

BV also mentions that Kristin Hersh is going on the road this week, touring Europe for the second half of May. There's one gig scheduled in June, in Brooklyn at The Bell House (a venue I'm not familiar with) on June 18th. Hersh is also doing a couple of shows in Europe with her old mates, Throwing Muses. As Hersh noted on her Twitter account, there was some tense last-minute wrangling to get band member Bernard Georges into the UK, but all has been resolved.

The Donnas greatest hits CD and tour dates mentioned here a few days ago have now been confirmed by the band. More on that later.