Here's a collection of musical tidbits from far and wide:
* CMJ has announced a second round of artists for its 2012 music schedule (Oct. 16th - 20th), including AraabMUZIK, Savages, and Hey Rosetta!. Bands already announced include Mountain Goats, DIIV, and The Walkmen, among many others.
* Amanda Palmer attracted much derision when she called for musicians to come play on stage with her during her current tour—despite raising more than $1 million through Kickstarter for her current album (which is streaming online this week). Palmer insists that it would be too expensive to hire the string quartet, horns, etc. for the tour, and notes that participating musicians will get the experience of playing before her enthusiastic fans, and getting "beer and hugs." And hey, no one's forcing musicians to play with Palmer.
* Could Pussy Riot go free soon? Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said that the three imprisoned members of the punk rock performance group should be let out of jail, and there are hints that this could happen after their appeal comes up on Oct. 1st. (via Spinner)
* Bonnaroo has announced the dates of its 2013 festival. The long-running Manchester, Tennessee shindig will take place June 13th - 16th. (via Consequence of Sound)
* Madonna has announced a second Madison Square Garden show, which will take place on Tues., Nov. 13th. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Fri., Sept. 14th at 10 a.m. Her Nov. 12th show is sold out, although sometimes extra tickets are placed on sale later.
* Canada's CBC Music has announced several new online streams in the continuing upgrade of its music website, which was totally revamped and relaunched several months ago. There's a stream of new-wave music that went live today, with songs hand picked by DJ and talk-show host Jian Ghomesi, and new offerings devoted to electronic dance music (EDM) and other genres as well as specialty streams dedicated to k.d. Lang and one-hit wonders.
* Finally, Brooklyn band Leda (fronted by Amy Klein, formerly of Titus Andronicus) released a new video (above) on Klein's Tumblr yesterday. It's a live performance of a song called "You Are the One," and Klein says more videos are coming. Based on the the tunes I've heard from Leda so far, I'm looking forward to hearing their debut album, whenever it comes.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Now Streaming: New CDs from Aimee Man, Dinosaur Jr., Amanda Palmer, Band of Horses, & More
The Fall parade of hot new albums streaming continues this week, headlined by releases from Aimee Mann, Dinosaur Jr., Band of Horses, The Raveonettes, Amanda Palmer, Grizzly Bear, The Sea and Cake, and more. [JUST ADDED: the new album by the Corin Tucker Band, the second release by the former Sleater-Kinney member.]
It's good to see a new release from Aimee Mann, and the video for the title track from "Charmer" (directed by Tom Scharpling, above) is lots of fun, starring Laura Linney as a Mann body double that the singer sends out on tour.
As you've no doubt heard, Amanda Palmer's "Theatre Is Evil" is the release she funded by raising more than a million dollars on Kickstarter. If you signed up, you may be getting all kinds of swag from Palmer, or (like me) you just kicked in one dollar, which nevertheless gets you a free digital download of the entire album. So what's it sound like? Find out by listening on Spinner below.
As always, check the individual sites for more releases (especially from Spinner, which typically has at least a couple of dozen new albums each week).
CBC:
"Mirage Rock" by Band of Horses
Stereogum:
"Kill My Blues" by the Corin Tucker Band
KCRW Album Preview:
"The Runner" by The Sea and Cake
NPR First Listen:
"Charmer" by Aimee Mann
"I Bet on Sky" by Dinosaur Jr.
"Shields" by Grizzly Bear
Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Theatre Is Evil" by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
"Observator" by The Raveonettes
"Negotiations" by The Helio Sequence
"Palindrome Hunches" by Neil Halstead
"Butter" by Turbo Fruits
"Scorpion" by Will Johnson
"A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart" by Black Prairie
"We Were Always Loyal to Lost Causes" by The Dandelion War
"Grow Up" by Mister Loveless
"Inner Classic" by Snowblink
It's good to see a new release from Aimee Mann, and the video for the title track from "Charmer" (directed by Tom Scharpling, above) is lots of fun, starring Laura Linney as a Mann body double that the singer sends out on tour.
As you've no doubt heard, Amanda Palmer's "Theatre Is Evil" is the release she funded by raising more than a million dollars on Kickstarter. If you signed up, you may be getting all kinds of swag from Palmer, or (like me) you just kicked in one dollar, which nevertheless gets you a free digital download of the entire album. So what's it sound like? Find out by listening on Spinner below.
As always, check the individual sites for more releases (especially from Spinner, which typically has at least a couple of dozen new albums each week).
CBC:
"Mirage Rock" by Band of Horses
Stereogum:
"Kill My Blues" by the Corin Tucker Band
KCRW Album Preview:
"The Runner" by The Sea and Cake
NPR First Listen:
"Charmer" by Aimee Mann
"I Bet on Sky" by Dinosaur Jr.
"Shields" by Grizzly Bear
Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Theatre Is Evil" by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
"Observator" by The Raveonettes
"Negotiations" by The Helio Sequence
"Palindrome Hunches" by Neil Halstead
"Butter" by Turbo Fruits
"Scorpion" by Will Johnson
"A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart" by Black Prairie
"We Were Always Loyal to Lost Causes" by The Dandelion War
"Grow Up" by Mister Loveless
"Inner Classic" by Snowblink
Friday, September 07, 2012
Photos & Review: Bob Mould Plays "Copper Blue," Hüsker Dü, & More in Williamsburg
Bob Mould and his band ripped through a set of songs old and new
tonight at Williamsburg Park, a show that Mould and his cohorts seemed
to enjoy as much as the audience did. They performed the Sugar album
"Copper Blue" in its entirely to mark its 20th anniversary, then played a
number of tunes from Mould's latest solo album "Silver Age" (released
this week on Merge Records) with a helping of Hüsker Dü songs for good measure (see setlist added below).
We'll
write more about the show later, [see below] but just wanted to get some photos up
tonight. Suffice to say that the concert rocked, and the touring trio of
Mould, Jason Narducy on bass, and Superchunk's Jon Wurster on drums are
tight and put on great show.
Mould puts on a fine solo show, and I've seen him several times just accompanying himself on his Stratocaster. But many of his songs are rockers and were meant to be played by a full band. Which for Mould means a trio, since that's the configuration of Hüsker Dü, Sugar, and his current touring band.
On Friday Mould and band stormed through "Copper Blue" with minimal breaks between songs. I figured they would take an intermission after that, but following a brief chat with the audience, Mould started playing selected tunes from "Silver Age," starting with the album's opening track, "Star Machine."
After finishing the regular set, the band returned for encores, the first featuring Craig Finn of The Hold Steady singing Hüsker Dü's "Something I Learned Today." Finn was clearly psyched to be singing a Hüsker Dü song on stage with Mould; the always animated frontman was bouncing all over the stage most of the song (the photo below is the only one we got that isn't a total blur).
The show finished with another Hüsker Dü classic, "Makes No Sense At All," which often turns up in Mould's shows. After the show ended Mould stood on stage for a bit, smiling from ear to ear, soaking up the adulation.
He's said at past shows that he's surprised people still remember and want to hear his old songs, so he was clearly pleased by the enthusiastic reception "Copper Blue" got at Williamsburg, with many fans singing and pumping their fists to the lyrics. And he's no doubt happy that the crowd enjoyed the tunes from his just-released "Silver Age," his first album of all-new material since "Life and Times" (2009) and his debut on his new label, Merge.
Mould and band are just beginning the U.S. leg of their "Copper Blue"/"Silver Age" tour, with more East Coast stops coming up, then Midwest and West Coast dates. (See all the tour dates here.) If you're a fan of Bob Mould's music in any of its incarnations, you'll want to see this show.
We're hoping he'll fit in another gig in New York on this tour.
Bob Mould at Williamsburg Park, Sept. 7th - Setlist (via Setlist.fm):
"Copper Blue":
"The Act We Act"
"A Good Idea"
"Changes"
"Helpless"
"Hoover Dam"
"The Slim"
"If I Can't Change Your Mind"
"Fortune Teller"
"Slick"
"Man on the Moon"
"Silver Age":
"Star Machine"
"The Descent"
"Round The City Square"
"Hardly Getting Over It" (Hüsker Dü)
"Could You Be The One?" (Hüsker Dü)
"I Apologize" (Hüsker Dü)
"Chartered Trips" (Hüsker Dü)
"Keep Believing" (Hüsker Dü)
Encore:
"Something I Learned Today" (lead vocals: Craig Finn) (Hüsker Dü)
"In a Free Land" (Hüsker Dü)
Encore:
"Makes No Sense At All" (Hüsker Dü)
New York's Cymbals Eat Guitars opened the show:
 |
| Jason Narducy, Jon Wurster, and Bob Mould at Williamsburg Park. |
Mould puts on a fine solo show, and I've seen him several times just accompanying himself on his Stratocaster. But many of his songs are rockers and were meant to be played by a full band. Which for Mould means a trio, since that's the configuration of Hüsker Dü, Sugar, and his current touring band.
On Friday Mould and band stormed through "Copper Blue" with minimal breaks between songs. I figured they would take an intermission after that, but following a brief chat with the audience, Mould started playing selected tunes from "Silver Age," starting with the album's opening track, "Star Machine."
After finishing the regular set, the band returned for encores, the first featuring Craig Finn of The Hold Steady singing Hüsker Dü's "Something I Learned Today." Finn was clearly psyched to be singing a Hüsker Dü song on stage with Mould; the always animated frontman was bouncing all over the stage most of the song (the photo below is the only one we got that isn't a total blur).
The show finished with another Hüsker Dü classic, "Makes No Sense At All," which often turns up in Mould's shows. After the show ended Mould stood on stage for a bit, smiling from ear to ear, soaking up the adulation.
He's said at past shows that he's surprised people still remember and want to hear his old songs, so he was clearly pleased by the enthusiastic reception "Copper Blue" got at Williamsburg, with many fans singing and pumping their fists to the lyrics. And he's no doubt happy that the crowd enjoyed the tunes from his just-released "Silver Age," his first album of all-new material since "Life and Times" (2009) and his debut on his new label, Merge.
Mould and band are just beginning the U.S. leg of their "Copper Blue"/"Silver Age" tour, with more East Coast stops coming up, then Midwest and West Coast dates. (See all the tour dates here.) If you're a fan of Bob Mould's music in any of its incarnations, you'll want to see this show.
We're hoping he'll fit in another gig in New York on this tour.
Bob Mould at Williamsburg Park, Sept. 7th - Setlist (via Setlist.fm):
"Copper Blue":
"The Act We Act"
"A Good Idea"
"Changes"
"Helpless"
"Hoover Dam"
"The Slim"
"If I Can't Change Your Mind"
"Fortune Teller"
"Slick"
"Man on the Moon"
"Silver Age":
"Star Machine"
"The Descent"
"Round The City Square"
"Hardly Getting Over It" (Hüsker Dü)
"Could You Be The One?" (Hüsker Dü)
"I Apologize" (Hüsker Dü)
"Chartered Trips" (Hüsker Dü)
"Keep Believing" (Hüsker Dü)
Encore:
"Something I Learned Today" (lead vocals: Craig Finn) (Hüsker Dü)
"In a Free Land" (Hüsker Dü)
Encore:
"Makes No Sense At All" (Hüsker Dü)
 |
| Guest vocalist Craig Finn. |
New York's Cymbals Eat Guitars opened the show:
Thursday, September 06, 2012
NYC Concert Notes: Tickets for K'Naan, Fun., David Johansen On Sale Friday
Here are links to tickets for a few upcoming concerts in New York City that are going on sale Friday, Sept. 7th. (And if you're in the New York area, a reminder that you can see Bob Mould and Cymbals Eat Guitars FREE at Williamsburg Park in Brooklyn that night.)
Some of the interesting shows going on sale Friday:
- Fun. at Irving Plaza, Tues., Oct. 30th (on sale: 12 Noon)
- K'Naan at Highline Ballroom, Thurs., Nov. 1st (on sale: 12 Noon)
- David Johansen at Highline Ballroom with The Last Bison, Los Texmaniacs, and Eliana Burki, Sun., Jan. 13th (on sale: 12 Noon)
Although Port Chester isn't very close to me (unless I'm visiting friends in Westchester or Connecticut), it's great to see another music venue opening in the greater NYC area. For a long time in New York, you only heard about clubs closing down; it's good to hear of new ones coming online.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Stream Bob Mould's New Album; See Him Live FREE in Brooklyn on Friday
Bob Mould and band performing "The Descent" on Letterman last night (via Stereogum).
Rolling Stone is streaming Bob Mould's new album "Silver Age," and you can listen to it here. The album dropped on Sept. 4th. (RS has apparently had this up since Aug. 27th; don't know how I missed it, but the stream still works.) I got the album the other day and it definitely rocks; this isn't one of Mould's albums of quiet, introspective songs. It should be great to hear these songs live.
Speaking of which: If you're a Mould fan in the New York area, you'll want to catch his free show this Friday, Sept. 7th at the Williamsburg Park, at East River State Park (see their Facebook page). It's address is listed as 50 Kent Avenue and North 12th St.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and Cymbals Eat Guitars has been added to the lineup.
As previously mentioned here, Mould and his band (Jon Wurster and Jason Narducy) will play Sugar's classic album "Copper Blue" in its entirety to mark its 20th anniversary. The concert is now being billed as "Bob Mould Plays Copper Blue and Silver Age," so you can expect to hear much of the new album. And, no doubt, some tunes from the catalog of Hüsker Dü and Mould's solo career.
If you're a Bob Mould fan (like me) this is a great week, especially if you're in New York. In case you're not in the NYC area, Mould appears next in Washington, D.C. (Sept. 8th), Boston (the 10th), and Philadelphia (the 11th). See all Bob Mould tour dates here.
Monday, September 03, 2012
Now Streaming: New CDs from David Byrne and St. Vincent, Dave Stewart, Ian Hunter, & More
This Labor Day is a happy one indeed, with plenty of tasty, high-profile new albums up for streaming. One of the most anticipated is "Love This Giant," the collaboration between David Byrne and Annie Clark, the singer-songwriter-guitarist better known by her stage name, St. Vincent.
This latest musical odd couple doesn't sound quite as unusual as the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss collaboration, but I'll definitely be interested in hearing what these two have come up with in the studio. They're out on tour now, so if you like the album, by all means check them out live.
Video for "Girl in a Catsuit" by Dave Stewart, featuring Orianthi.
Also new this week: the latest solo albums by two veteran British artists, Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter and Eurythmics member Dave Stewart; and brand-new collections by Two Door Cinema Club, The xx, Azure Ray, Jens Lekman, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Sheepdogs, and Black Mountain (the soundtrack for the post-apocalyptic film, "Year Zero").
And there's a new album by Tanita Tikaram, the British singer best known for the haunting 1980s hit "Twist in My Sobriety." She's back with her first new release in seven years.
You also get second chances to hear the new albums by Stars, Deerhoof, and the Avett Brothers.
Summer may be over, but that means the Fall crop of record releases is coming on strong. Happy listening, all.
NPR First Listen:
"Love This Giant" by David Byrne and Annie Clark
Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"When I'm President" by Ian Hunter
"The Ringmaster General" by Dave Stewart
"Year Zero: The Original Soundtrack" by Black Mountain
"Beacon" by Two Door Cinema Club
"As Above So Below" by Azure Ray
"The North" by Stars
"Breakup Song" by Deerhoof
"Bootlegs" by Sondre Lerche
"I Know What Love Isn't" by Jens Lekman
"The Sheepdogs" by The Sheepdogs
"Paperback Lover" by Karlie Bruce
"Rattle Them Bones" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
AOL Music Listening Party:
"Magic" by Smash Mouth
"Sweat Like The Old Days" by Holy Ghost Tent Revival
"The Sky Road" by Jessie Kilguss & Radio Gold
"Can't Go Back" by Tanita Tikaram
KCRW Album Preview:
"The Carpenter" by the Avett Brothers
"Coexist" by The xx
This latest musical odd couple doesn't sound quite as unusual as the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss collaboration, but I'll definitely be interested in hearing what these two have come up with in the studio. They're out on tour now, so if you like the album, by all means check them out live.
Video for "Girl in a Catsuit" by Dave Stewart, featuring Orianthi.
Also new this week: the latest solo albums by two veteran British artists, Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter and Eurythmics member Dave Stewart; and brand-new collections by Two Door Cinema Club, The xx, Azure Ray, Jens Lekman, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Sheepdogs, and Black Mountain (the soundtrack for the post-apocalyptic film, "Year Zero").
And there's a new album by Tanita Tikaram, the British singer best known for the haunting 1980s hit "Twist in My Sobriety." She's back with her first new release in seven years.
You also get second chances to hear the new albums by Stars, Deerhoof, and the Avett Brothers.
Summer may be over, but that means the Fall crop of record releases is coming on strong. Happy listening, all.
NPR First Listen:
"Love This Giant" by David Byrne and Annie Clark
Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"When I'm President" by Ian Hunter
"The Ringmaster General" by Dave Stewart
"Year Zero: The Original Soundtrack" by Black Mountain
"Beacon" by Two Door Cinema Club
"As Above So Below" by Azure Ray
"The North" by Stars
"Breakup Song" by Deerhoof
"Bootlegs" by Sondre Lerche
"I Know What Love Isn't" by Jens Lekman
"The Sheepdogs" by The Sheepdogs
"Paperback Lover" by Karlie Bruce
"Rattle Them Bones" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
AOL Music Listening Party:
"Magic" by Smash Mouth
"Sweat Like The Old Days" by Holy Ghost Tent Revival
"The Sky Road" by Jessie Kilguss & Radio Gold
"Can't Go Back" by Tanita Tikaram
KCRW Album Preview:
"The Carpenter" by the Avett Brothers
"Coexist" by The xx
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