Hoboken's Legendary Club Maxwell's to Close at End of July

Georgia Hubley and James McNew of Yo La Tengo at Maxwell's. The famed Hoboken club will close at the end of July.

Maxwell's, the little club that put Hoboken, NJ on the musical map and has kept it there for more than 30 years, will close at the end of next month. The news began to spread through Twitter this afternoon, with many comments referring to an article that appeared today on NJ.com.

Ironically, the reason is not an astronomical rent hike, as with so many other rock clubs in the NYC area. Instead, Maxwell's co-owner and booker Todd Abramson cites the city's changing demographics and the increasing difficulty in finding parking that customers, and bands, have found. Parking has always been tight, and it's gotten even more challenging in the last few years. A number of new high-rise apartment buildings have gone up in the uptown area of Hoboken where Maxwell's is located.

Maxwell's opened in 1978 and soon became known because of a number of up-and-coming bands that lived in or hung around Hoboken, including The Bongos, the dB's, and The Individuals.

This is obviously a huge loss for Hoboken and the NYC-area music scene. I started going to shows at Maxwell's in 1980, and can't even count how many shows I've seen there in the succeeding 30-plus years. In addition to the ones mentioned above, there was a rising Athens, Ga. band called R.E.M. (I saw them at Maxwell's in 1981, back when Michael Stipe still had hair).

They hosted many other bands that eventually became big stars; unfortunately, I missed them because I wasn't yet familiar with them. But folks who were more in the know than me were able to see Beck, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Soundgarden.

I did manage to see Throwing Muses, which played there many times (though unfortunately I didn't see them at Maxwell's until after Tanya Donnelly had left the band). In the last year or so I've seen bands there including Dum Dum Girls, Screaming Females, Trophy Scars, The Lemonheads, and the Psychedelic Furs (who played Maxwell's during their heyday in the 1980s).

And to kind of bring things full circle, last year I saw The Baseball Project at Maxwell's—a band that includes two former members of R.E.M.

Who else did I see at Maxwell's? I can't remember them all, of course, but some of the bands that stick out include The Fall, The Fleshtones, Japandroids, Lee Bains III and the Holy Fire, The Muffs, and of course Yo La Tengo (I may add more names as they come to me).

I'd already bought tickets to a few more shows at Maxwell's before I heard of the closing, including Rachael Yamagata and Titus Andronicus (whose one show became a two- and now three-night stand). I'll probably get tickets to a couple of more (sooner rather than later, since there may be a higher demand for the Last Shows Ever at the club).

Among the other acts appearing at Maxwell's in its last month-and-a-half: ChickFactor 21st anniversary show with The Pastels and Condo F*cks (June 15th), Sinkane (June 16th), Sky Ferreira (June 17th), The Trophy Scars performing "Goodnight Alchemy" (June 22nd), Os Mutantes (June 28th), The Feelies (July 4th, 5th, and 6th), The Flamin' Groovies (July 7th), and ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (July 23rd).

Many clubs have come and gone over the last few decades, and it's always sad to see a much-loved venue close. For me, this one hurts more than all the others combined. The good news is that there are still more nights of rocking to come at the legendary club at the corner of 11th and Washington.

[UPDATE, June 7th: More dates have been added, most of which (such as Ted Leo) quickly sold out. As of this writing, tickets for The Muffs are still available, as are those for Lee Ranaldo and The Dust.

Abramson has said that he plans to have the club go out the way it started, with a reunion of the band called "a" on July 31st (though the show does not yet appear on the Maxwell's website). That band, whose members went on to The Bongos and The Individuals, were the first act to play Maxwell's back in 1978.] 

Music Notes: Sandy Benefit with Springsteen, The Who, & Many Others; Yo La Tengo Tour; New R.E.M. Video; & More

Here's a smattering of recent music news concerning bands big and small:

* It's the mother of all Hurricane Sandy benefit shows: Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, and others will play the "12-12-12" concert at Madison Square Garden on, you guessed it, December 12th. Info on tickets, prices, etc. to come soon.

* Yo La Tengo announced a bunch of tour dates this week. If you got shut out of their eight nights of Hanukkah at Maxwell's, check these out to see when they're coming near you. (They'll play Town Hall in NYC on February 16th; no ticket info as of this writing.) The band's new album, "Fade," will come out on January 15th.



* Here's an odd thing that popped up this week: a new video by R.E.M. (who broke more than a year ago), starring Lindsay Lohan (above). It's for the song "Blue" from the band's last album, 2011's "Collapse Into Now." Oh, and it's directed by actor James Franco. We're hoping this is a sign that maybe the boys from Athens are thinking of reuniting for at least a few shows sometime soon.

* NPR did a fine story this week on the 50th anniversary of A&M Records, co-founded by trumpeter Herb Alpert. For decades it was the musician's label, putting out music by a wide range of artists without placing typical sales-oriented, corporate pressure on them.

Although A&M is no longer independent (and sadly has a more corporate approach to music), the label was the home to many great albums by everyone from Alpert's Tijuana Brass to Suzanne Vega, The Police, Peter Frampton, and Joe Jackson.

Music Notes: Adele's "Skyfall" Drops, Peter Buck Releases Solo Album, Titus Andronicus Tours, & More

There are random music notes from all over this week, from James Bond to Peter Buck to a mandolin player who's now half a million dollars richer. Read on...

* Adele's "Skyfall," the theme from the forthcoming James Bond movie of the same name, was released today. You can see the official video (with lyrics) below, and buy the single here at iTunes. It's a good tune, and a fitting theme song for a Bond movie. "Skyfall" opens in the U.S. on Nov. 9th.



* Titus Andronicus has released tour dates to support its third album, "Local Business," which drops Oct. 22nd. The band will play Maxwell's in Hoboken on December 1st, and the next night at Webster Hall in NYC.

* The first solo album by Peter Buck, R.E.M.'s guitarist for its entire history, comes out Oct. 5th. The self-titled album features vocals by "R.E.M. bandmate Mike Mills, friend/collaborator Scott McCaughey, Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker, The Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee, Lenny Kaye, and Bill Rieflin," according to Consequence of Sound (which has a previously released single from the album). Read Buck's post about the album on R.E.M.'s website. Note: though the album will be released Oct. 5th, Buck says it will be available at first only on a vinyl pressing of 2,000 copies.

* And finally, big congratulations are due to singer/songwriter/mandolin player Chris Thile, who this week was named one of the winners of the MacArthur Foundation grants. The former member of Nickel Creek, who is currently in the Punch Brothers, will get $500,000 dollars over a period of a few years to spend however he wishes.

The Baseball Project Hits It Out of the Park at Maxwell's

The sports-themed supergroup The Baseball Project played one of its occasional concerts Tuesday at Maxwell's, and they threw strikes all night. (Sorry for the baseball puns, but any mention of sports just seems to demand cliches.)

If you're not familiar with this group, it's a side project made up of veteran musicians who love baseball and write and perform songs about the game, and who have recorded two albums to date. The leaders are Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate, Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3) and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5), and the band currently includes R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Mike Mills and drummer Linda Pitmon (who plays in Wynn's Miracle 3).

Steve Wynn, Peter Buck, and Scott McCaughey at Maxwell's. (More photos at end of article.)

Baseball geeks will get a kick out of the lyrics, especially references to the game's bygone days and legends (such as Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, Ted Williams, Bill Buckner, and Curt Flood). But even non-fans will enjoy the music, which is straight-ahead rock and roll played by guys (and a gal) who have tons of experience and have a lot of fun playing these songs.

The Baseball Project's main set ran a generous one hour, 12 minutes, and then the band stayed on stage for a five-song encore. One of the highlights of the show was when Mike Mills took the mic to sing "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville"—it was great to see two R.E.M. members playing that song in Maxwell's, where I had seen the much-younger version of the band play in (I think) 1981.

The Baseball Project played songs from both of their albums, "Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails"and "Volume 2: High & Inside," and at one point Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo joined the band onstage to play a song.

Scott McCaughey.

The Baseball Project has another NYC area gig scheduled for tomorrow, April 13th; they'll be playing a set at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (yes, you heard that right) as part of "An Evening of Baseball History & Music." (Information and tickets here; tickets still available as of mid-day Thursday.) One fan I saw at the Maxwell's gig said that The Baseball Project would play a one-hour set on Friday, but the Met's description doesn't mention any kind of set length.

This band is a lot of fun to see live and it doesn't perform often, so if it sounds like something you'd be interested in, see them at the Met.

(Hear a live set The Baseball Project performed at WFMU the day of their Maxwell's show.)

Not R.E.M., but close: the band played "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville."

Opening for The Baseball Project at Maxwell's was the Birmingham, Alabama rock band Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires. I hadn't heard of them before, but they delivered a hot set that served as an ideal opener for TBP Their bio describes their music as "As much Wilson Pickett as Fugazi, as much the Stooges as the Allman Brothers," which is pretty apt. Yes, they play blues-influenced southern rock, but with a nice edge to it.

An interesting side note about the Maxwell's show: the appearance of the legends in The Baseball Project brought out a number of musical figures from Hoboken's past (and some present), including James Mastro of The Bongos; Kaplan and his fellow Yo La Tengo member, Georgia Hubley; and former Maxwell's owner Steve Fallon.

Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan joins in with some fuzzed-out guitar.

Mike Mills takes the mic.

Linda Pitmon.

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from The Bees, Los Campesinos!, & Jonathan Coulton; R.E.M.'s New Anthology; & More

The latest album by The Bees (a.k.a. A Band of Bees) is one of the new releases streaming this week.

I'm not familiar with many of the new albums that are available for online streaming this week, but there is one 800-pound gorilla in the batch: R.E.M.'s two-disc, sprawling career retrospective with the equally sprawling title, "Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982 - 2011."It sounds pretty much like a greatest-hits album with some non-hit album tracks, along with three new songs recorded after the release of the band's last album, "Collapse Into Now."

As NPR's Tom Moon notes in his commentary at the KCRW website, "the narrative of 'Part Lies' leans a bit too heavily on R.E.M.'s latter-day attempts to rock.... If the goal is to savor R.E.M.'s spectacular creative peaks and fierce experiments, know that, as [Michael] Stipe himself said, you can't get there from here. Part Lies only tells part of the story—the truth lies within the original albums."

Also streaming this week is the latest from the Welsh seven-piece band Los Campesinos!, who have two shows next week in New York (Bowery Ballroom on Nov. 16th; Music Hall of Williamsburg the next night)... the "new" album from the British group A Band of Bees (known simply as The Bees everywhere but the U.S.), which came out in 2010 but is just being released stateside Nov. 7th... and the latest collection from singer-songwriter (and former computer programmer) Jonathan Coulton, which features humor-laced tunes like "Je Suis Rick Springfield" and an ode to "rockin' 'The Stache.'"

Folk fans will be happy to see the pioneering singer-songwriter Judy Collins returning with a new album, "Bohemian," which includes cover tunes and original compositions.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011" by R.E.M. (streaming until Nov. 15th)
"Hello Sadness" by Los Campesinos! (streaming until Nov. 15th)
(both also streaming at NPR First Listen)

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Every Step's a Yes" by The Bees (A Band of Bees)
"Young Statues" by Young Statues
"Bear" by Bear & Moose
"Mannequin Men" by Mannequin Men

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Every Waking Moment" by The Dear & Departed
"Bohemian" by Judy Collins
"Never Out of Time" by Camille Bloom
"Porcelain" by Edward Rogers
"Artificial Heart" by Jonathan Coulton

R.E.M. Calls It Quits After 31 Years

Above: Video for "UBerlin" from R.E.M.'s latest (and last) album, "Collapse Into Now."

R.E.M., one of the most enduring and successful rock bands of all time, announced today that it was disbanding with a brief, simple statement on its website. Each of the three band members later added his own short reflection on the decision to end the band. (The R.E.M. breakup announcement now also includes a statement from its record label, Warner Bros.)

The initial announcement:
"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." R.E.M.

R.E.M. was one of a number of rock bands coming out of Athens, Georgia in the early '80s. With its jangly guitars and mysterious, usually indecipherable lyrics it became a favorite on the college-rock circuit from its first release, the EP "Chronic Town." Amazingly the band had the same lineup its entire existence, except for the departure of drummer Bill Berry in 1995, who left after suffering a brain aneurysm on stage during the "Monster" tour.

I've been a fan of R.E.M. from the time I first heard of them in 1980. I bought "Chronic Town" and the band's follow-up full-length, "Murmur," and saw them live when they played at Maxwell's in Hoboken in 1981 (back when Michael Stipe still had a full head of hair). I remember them putting on a great show, but I honestly don't remember a lot of details about the night. Had I known R.E.M. would become so famous and have such a long career, I would have brought a notebook with me and taken notes.


Above: R.E.M. performing "Radio Free Europe" on David Letterman in 1983, its first national appearance.

Although I bought nearly ever new album R.E.M. put out, I only saw them live a couple of times after that first concert at Maxwell's, the most recent time being November 2004 at Madison Square Garden. When they came out with a new album a couple of years later, they did one show at the Garden that soon sold out, and never scheduled another one.

The statements by the band members make it clear that they are parting as friends, so if there's any consolation for fans like me, it's that they may reunite for a concert sometime in the future. In the meantime, thanks for all the great music.

Great Live Music in Hoboken: Lemonheads Tonight; Ian Hunter & the Baseball Project Sunday; Thermals & Alejandro Ecovedo Next Week; More

Ian Hunter and band playing "Cleveland Rocks" in London, 2004.

There's been a lot of good live music in Hoboken recently, and there's more to come. Here's a look at what's coming up, including some shows in the next few months (which I'm listing because they're in the small confines of Maxwell's, and may sell out well in advance of the show date). Note: there are many other shows at Maxwell's besides the ones I've listed here, which are shows that may be particularly popular because they are rare small-club gigs for some of the artists.

Tonight, April 28 - The Lemonheads/The Canon Logic - Maxwell's, 8:30 p.m., $20

Sun., May 1 - Hoboken Arts & Music Festival: Ian Hunter & the Rant Band (former leader of Mott the Hoople) - 4:30 p.m.; The Baseball Project (featuring Peter Buck & Scott McCaughey of R.E.M., Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate, and Linda Pitmon of The Pretty Babies) - 3 p.m.; The Pretty Babies (Blondie cover band) - 2 p.m.; Bern & the Brights - 1 p.m.

Sun., May 1 - The Thermals/special guests - Maxwell's, 9 p.m., $15

Fri., May 6 - Alejandro Escovedo and The Sensitive Boys/Jesse Malin and The St. Marks Social - Maxwell's, 9 p.m., $22 adv./$24 day of show

Fri., June 3 - She Wants Revenge - Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m., $22

Fri., June 10 - NRBQ - Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m., $15 adv./$20

Fri., June 17 - James McMurtry - Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m., $15

Fri., July 1 and Sat., July 2 - The Feelies - Maxwell's, $24.99

Sun., July 24 and Mon., July 25 - Fountains Of Wayne - Maxwell's, $24.99

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Paul Simon, The Raveonettes, Vivian Girls, & More

Paul Simon's "So Beautiful or So What" (out April 12th) is one of the new albums now available for free streaming.

There's a lot I want to check out in this week's slate of albums for free online streaming. The legendary Paul Simon is back with his first album in five years, to start things off. In addition, there are new discs by the Vivian Girls, the Brooklyn-based Danish duo The Raveonettes, and UNKLE, a collective whose new EP features Liela Moss of the Duke Spirit and Nick Cave.

As always, what's listed here is usually only a sampling of what's available; see each station or service's website for the full listings.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Build a Rocket Boys!" by Elbow (streaming until May 3) — The fifth album from the Manchester, England band
"Euphoric / Heartbreak" by Glasvegas (streaming until May 3) — The Scottish band recorded this new album near KCRW's headquarters; the station wonders if the sunny climate was responsible for the album's more optimistic, less melancholy sound

NPR First Listen:
"So Beautiful or So What" by Paul Simon (streaming until April 12) — "Rhymin' Simon" is back with his first new album in five years
"Share the Joy" by the Vivian Girls (streaming until April 12) — The Brooklyn rock trio's third album
"Tomboy" by Panda Bear (streaming until April 12) — The much-anticipated solo album by the frontman of Animal Collective

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Blood Pressures" by The Kills
"Only the Lonely" by UNKLE
"Raven in the Grave" by The Raveonettes
"Love Notes / Letter" by The Submarines
"And I Feel Fine...The Best of the I. R. S. Years 1982-1987" by R. E. M. (reissue)
"2011" by The Smithereens

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from R.E.M., Mike Watt, Exene Cervenka, & More

 
Above: Video for "ÜBerlin" from R.E.M.'s "Collapse Into Now," which is streaming online until its release on March 8th.

There's a great selection of free album previews online this week, led by the first new R.E.M. album in years—and many are calling it their best in more than a decade and a half. Also: new albums by Exene Cervenka, Dropkick Murphys, and Minuteman co-founder Mike Watt.

Here's a sampling of what's streaming right now; as always, check out each site for the full selection of free album previews available.

NPR First Listen:
* "Collapse Into Now" by R.E.M. (streaming until March 8, its release date)—this is said to be their best release since "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," which was the last R.E.M. album that I enjoyed all the way through
* "All Eternals Deck" by The Mountain Goats (streaming until March 29)—I haven't liked everything this band has done, but am always willing to give them a try
* "Smoke Ring For My Halo" by Kurt Vile (streaming until March 8)—I've only heard a few songs from this singer-songwriter from Philly; this will be a good chance to listen to get a feel for his work

KCRW Album Preview: 

* "Different Gear, Still Speeding" by Beady Eye (streaming until March 24)—first album from the new group featuring Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and several other members of the band

* "The Excitement of Maybe" by Exene Cervenka (streaming until March 29)—the latest solo album from the co-founder of the legendary L.A. punk band X

Spinner.com's Listening Party has albums including:
* "Volume 2 - High and Inside" by The Baseball Project—the second album by the baseball-themed band that includes indie rock all-stars Craig Finn (The Hold Steady), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), and Ira Kaplan (Yo la Tengo).
* "Going Out in Style" by Dropkick Murphys—the latest effort from the Celtic-meets-punk band
* "Long Player Late Bloomer" by Ron Sexsmith—he's a singer-songwriter, but not always a folkie, and this new album is produced by Bob Rock (known for his work with Metallica)
* "The Valley" by Eisley—glad to see a new disc by this brothers-and-sisters folk/pop band
* "hyphenated-man" by Mike Watt—the latest album by the bassist and co-founder of The Minutemen and fIREHOSE

AOL Music Listening Party has album previews including: 
* "Original Sin" by INXS—the '80s and '90s hitmakers do an album of their own tunes as a tribute to their late singer, Michael Hutchence. Features guest vocals by Rob Thomas, Ben Harper, John Mayer, and more

Music Notes: Spotify Signs with Sony; New R.E.M. Single Released; Lineups Out for Coachella, Bonnaroo, SXSW, & Jazz Fest

* R.E.M. on Tuesday released "Mine Smell Like Honey" (video with lyrics above), the first single from its forthcoming album "Collapse Into Now" (which drops March 8th). You can also preorder a deluxe version of the new R.E.M. album here, which includes a video and three bonus tracks (live-in-studio versions of “Discoverer,” “Oh My Heart,” and “Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter").

* The music subscription service Spotify has signed a deal with Sony for U.S. distribution, All Things D writes. Spotify, which is now operating in Europe, will have similar terms stateside that it has across the pond: "A certain number of hours per month of free streaming music, with the ability to pay for an ad-free version, or a more popular one that lets users listen on mobile devices like Apple’s iPhone."

* The Spring festival season is warming up, and a number of big events have recently announced who'll be playing. See the SXSW Music lineup (March 16th - 20th), Coachella lineup (April 15th -17th), Bonnaroo lineup (June 9th -12th: not officially released, but here's a photo of the poster), and Jazz Fest (New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 29th - May 8th)

And, what would the week be without some dismal news from the record business:
* Digital music sales are slowing, the industry's trade group says. Revenues were up 6% for 2010 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, but in 2009 they were up 12% from the year before, and up 25% in 2008.

* Warner Music is keeping busy. The firm, one of the big four music companies, is looking to buy Britain's EMI, but has also hired Goldman Sachs to seek out potential suitors to buy it.

Cheap Music: Discount MP3 Albums at Amazon.com - Limited Time

Amazon.com has special deals every day offering discounts on MP3 albums (as low as $1.99), and while these usually only last one day, here are a few good deals that are still valid a few days later. (Note: prices are still effective as of 1 a.m. Eastern time, Monday, Nov. 16th.)

* Document (R.E.M. No. 5), R.E.M. - Although this album doesn't get the attention of some of the band's better-known sets, it contains some classic R.E.M. tunes you'd recognize, most notably "It's the End of the World As We Know It," "The One I Love," and "Finest Worksong."

* Candy-O, The Cars, $2.99 - Ah, the second album by The Cars... I listened to this LP (yes, LP) many, many times when it came out. Includes "Let's Go," "Dangerous Type," and the title track.

And don't forget Amazon's usual 50 MP3 Albums for $5,a monthly feature on the site. The November offerings include new-music favorites from Heartless Bastards, The Gaslight Anthem, Yo Gabba Gabba, The Decemberists, The Antlers, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Blitzen Trapper. For hip hop fans, Jay-Z's latest, The Blueprint 3, is also available for five bucks.

There are classic rock/pop albums from Johnny Cash, Heart, The Beach Boys, The Clash, The Band, The Steve Miller Band, and and Minutemen. For jazz and blues fans, there's Nat King Cole, Art Blakey, and John Coltrane.

Music (and Other) News: R.E.M. Dublin, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Thirtysomething DVD, J&R Music Fest

There's news this week on albums, software, and TV, as well as music.

R.E.M.'s "Live At The Olympia" album, which drops on October 27th, is a unique kind of project: the recordings are from the group's "working rehearsals" from their weeklong run at a theater in Dublin. According to the band's Web site for the project, www.remdublin.com, for the first time R.E.M. tested out new material before an audience before releasing them on record. It's a two-CD set, and a CD/DVD set will also be available. See the Web site for track listing of the 39 songs, videos, and more information.

Apple's long-awaited Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" release now has a new on-sale date: this Friday, August 28th. The version was first announced more than a year ago. The price to upgrade to Snow Leopard from OS 10.6 is $29. Mac Observer notes that, as of yesterday, the Apple Web site wasn't showing a price for a standalone version for Mac users who are not running Leopard already.

The groundbreaking late-'80s TV show "thirtysomething" is finally out today on DVD (the first season anyway). The Washington Post reviews it here (and says that the set was delayed because it took so long to secure music rights). Amazon.com is selling thirtysomething: The Complete First Seasonfor $38.49, and it's said to include many interviews and other extras featuring cast members.

If you're near downtown New York City, check out the free J&R Music Fest and Tech Expo (August 27th to 30th, a kind of block party near the store (situated near City Hall). Tech equipment makers will be there for demos, and there will be live performance of musicians from The Smithereens to Roy Hargrove. I'll post more on the performances in the next day or so.

R.E.M. News: "Accelerate" Streaming; NY Tour Dates

It's less than a couple of weeks until R.E.M.'s new album "Accelerate" comes out, and the band has announced that the entire album will be streamed free on the iLike Web site. Also, a free video of the video for their song "Living Well is the Best Revenge" is available for download from the iTunes Music Store. (This isn't the official video; it's an acoustic version from the "Take Away Shows" people, filmed playing in what looks like a van!)

Previously I announced R.E.M. has released its tour dates, but the venues for the two New York tour dates were not listed. These dates have now been supplied: according to the tour page on R.E.M.'s Web site, the June 14th date is at the Nikon Jones Beach Theater on Long Island, while the June 19th show is at Madison Square Garden.

R.E.M. Announces 2008 North American Tour

Hot on the heels of their new CD Accelerate, to be released in the U.S. on April 1st, R.E.M. has set the first group of dates for its North American tour.

Here are the dates R.E.M. has released so far:

Vancouver, 5/23 - DEER LAKE PARK

Los Angeles, 5/29 - HOLLYWOOD BOWL

Berkeley, 5/31 - THE GREEK THEATRE

Denver, 6/03 - RED ROCKS

Chicago, 6/06 - UNITED CENTER

Toronto, 6/08 - MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE

Raleigh, 6/10 - WALNUT CREEK AMPHITHEATRE

Washington DC, 6/11 - MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION

Boston, 6/13 - TWEETER CENTER

Long Island, 6/14 - JONES BEACH THEATER

Philadelphia, 6/18 - MANN CENTER

New York City, 6/19 - TBA

Atlanta , 6/21 - LAKEWOOD AMPHITEATRE

I'm curious about that where that 6/19 New York date is taking place... maybe it's an outdoor festival that's in the works and isn't ready to be announced (Randall's Island perhaps?)

Free Download: Tribute to R.E.M.'s "Automatic for the People"

It makes me feel really old to admit it, but it's been 15 years since R.E.M.'s classic album "Automatic for the People" came out.
Now the music blog Stereogum is offering a tribute album to "Automatic for the People" called "Drive XV."

The free album download includes songs covered by artists including the Meat Puppets, Rogue Waves, Dr. Dog, Jana Hunter, You Say Party! We Say Die!, and the Shout Out Louds.

Did I mention, it's FREE?

Hear New R.E.M. Song "Day Is Done," with Video

R.E.M. has a new song, "Day Is Done," and it has been made into a video that is being used to promote Anderson Cooper's CNN environmental documentary, "Planet In Peril." The video features images and film clips from the documentary with the R.E.M. song playing in the background

You can hear the song and view the video of the song with the documentary images here.

"Day Is Done" will be on the new R.E.M. album, which will be coming out in 2008.