Now Streaming: The New CD from Redd Kross, an Indie Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, & More

Once again there's a small selection of new albums streaming online this week, but there are a couple of big ones for fans of rock and pop: "Researching the Blues," the first album in 15 years by L.A. band Redd Kross, and "Just Tell Me That You Want Me," a tribute album to Fleetwood Mac by some of the biggest names in indie music, such as The New Pornographers, Lykke Li, MGMT, St. Vincent, and The Kills.

Redd Kross is back and rocking with "Researching the Blues."

That's a stellar line-up, and it's certainly not the list of usual suspects you'd expect to find on a tribute album by a multi-platinum-selling pop band. But then it goes to show the influence that The Mac has had on popular music for more than three decades now (and that's just going back to their Buckingham/Nicks formation).

With the new Redd Kross album and tour, the band's Steven McDonald becomes the second member of his family to return to the road after a decade and a half. His wife Anna Waronker and her band That Dog played their first East Coast shows in 15 years earlier this year, and hinted that some new tunes might be forthcoming from the band.

I missed Redd Kross when they played the inaugural CBGB Festival a couple of months back, but I'm hoping they'll come this way again. "Researching the Blues" sounds great based on the few songs I've heard, and I can't wait to dig into the whole thing. The album hits the stores August 7th.

And for something completely different streaming this week: NPR and KCRW have the new record by 22-year-old London pop singer Lianne La Havas, and KCRW has the latest by Brazilian trio Bonde Do Role, which KCRW DJ Travis Holcombe says deftly blends "traditional Brazilian music, surf rock, synth pop and punk rock."

NPR First Listen:
"Researching the Blues" by Redd Kross
"Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac" by various artists
"Is Your Love Big Enough?" by Lianne La Havas

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC" by Toadies
"Farewell Catalonia by Russ Rankin
"Afar" by Ice Choir
"Coast to Coast" by River City Tanlines
"Wild Quiet" by Junk Culture

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Drink. Sing. Live. Love." by Versus the World
"Pool Party" by Ponderosa

"O' Be Joyful" by Shovels and Rope

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Tropicalbacanal" by Bonde Do Role

Danny Boyle's Olympic Opening Ceremonies Magical Musical Mystery Tour

As devoted music fans, readers of this blog who watched Friday's opening ceremonies of the London Olympics no doubt took particular interest in the musical selections used. Film director Danny Boyle has made good use of rock music in his works, so it was no surprise that his opening ceremonies  noted Great Britain nation's role in that genre.


London's Olympic Stadium, site of Friday's opening ceremonies, in April 2012. Photo: jeffowenphotos (051_ V gold  Uploaded by Kafuffle) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

There were dozens of rock and pop songs used in the portion of the ceremonies that centered around a pair of young lovers featured in a popular TV show, and one site sought to list them all, along with the other music used in the London 2012 opening ceremonies. Many of these brief sound clips were used with film and TV excerpts, and it was noted that Boyle used clips from his own films.

Boyle is the director of movies including "28 Days Later," "Sunshine," "Trainspotting," and the Oscar winner for best film, "Slumdog Millionaire."

You can see the list, called "The Danny Boyle 86 Song Olympic Playlist," here. The selections range from British classical composers Handel and Elgar to the Kings, Beatles, The Who, and the Rolling Stones to David Bowie, Muse, the Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and New Order, according to the list. And, as fitting for the London Olympics, the theme from the film "Chariots of Fire."

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any Spice Girls tunes, although David Beckham, whose wife was in the pop group many moons ago, was prominently featured.

(As I found out Sunday, there is indeed an album containing 37 of the songs used in the London opening ceremonies; you can see the track listing and buy the album download on Amazon.com. The album is called "Isles Of Wonder: Music For The Opening Ceremony Of The London 2012 Olympic Games," and I heard of it because the official London 2012 website noted that it was currently the best-selling album in England and other parts of Europe, and had reached number five on the U.S. charts. Note: many of the pop hits heard during the ceremonies are not included on the disc; there are a number of tracks by the electronic band Underworld.)

Performing live at the ceremonies were the Arctic Monkeys (doing the Beatles' "Come Together") and Sir Paul McCartney, who closed out the proceedings with "The End" and "Hey Jude."

Although there was, as always, plenty of griping about the opening ceremonies, I enjoyed it and especially liked the focus on rock and other popular music. Considering that such pageants always have to serve many purposes, putting together one that's halfway enjoyable seems to be an accomplishment in itself, and this one combined great tunes with humorous touches (the James Bond/Queen Elizabeth routine; Mr. Bean's appearance), a number of live musical performances (Arctic Monkeys, McCartney, Mike Oldfield), and a dazzling fireworks show to cap it all off.

This Weekend: Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, Girl Talk, & Many More at Catalpa NYC Festival

The inaugural Catalpa NYC festival takes place this weekend.

There's a new festival in town, and it takes place this weekend: the Catalpa NYC Music Festival, featuring The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, TV on the Radio, Matisyahu, Umphrey's McGee, Matt & Kim, and many more. The event takes place on Randall's Island, site of many other multi-day music events. And as you'll see from the lineup, Catalpa NYC blends rock, hip-hop, reggae, blues, and electronic music into one festival.

There are four stages, including a reggae stage that offers live music throughout the day. See the Catalpa NYC event info page for FAQs, full lineup, directions, venue map, and much more. Here's the lineup for the three main stages of Catalpa NYC:

Saturday, July 28th:
The Black Keys - 9:30 to 11 p.m.
Felix Da Housecat - 9:30 to 11
Umphrey's McGee - 8:30 to 9:30
TV on the Radio - 7:45 to 8:45
JDH+Dave P - 7:30 to 8:30
Umphrey's McGee - 6:45 to 7:45
Hercules and Love Affair - 6 to 7
Paul Favretti - 6 to 6:45
The Sheepdogs - 5 to 6
DJ Paul C - 4:15 to 5
Zola Jesus - 4 to 5
The Demos - 3:30 to 4:15
The Aviation Orange - 3 to 3:30
My Pet Dragon - 2:15 to 3
Q1043 winner - 1:30 to 2:15
The Rebel Light - 1 to 1:30

Sunday, July 29th:
Snoop Dogg (performing "Doggystyle") - 9:45 to 11 p.m.
Hellfire Machina - 9:45 to 11
A$AP Rocky - 8:45 to 9:45
Polish Ambassador - 7:45 to 8:45
Girl Talk - 7:45 to 9
AraabMusik - 6:45 to 7:45
Matt & Kim - 6 to 7
Hook N'Sling - 6 to 7
Matisyahu - 5:15 to 6:15
Cold War Kids - 4:30 to 5:30
Alex English - 4:15 to 5:15
Dirty Heads - 3:45 to 4:45
Paul Raffaele - 3 to 4
City and Colour - 3 to 4
The Big Pink - 2:15 to 3
Aunt Martha - 2 to 2:30
The Airplane Boys - 1:30 to 2
Bury Me a Lion - 1 to 1:30

Tickets are $100 for each day, or $180 for both. There are additional fees for ferry and parking options, but you can also take an MTA bus there (the X80 special event bus, $5.50 roundtrip, or less if you transfer from subway or bus with a pay-per-ride MetroCard). You can also walk or ride your bike across the bridge to Randall's Island.

I'll be going at least one of the days, thanks to the folks at the Village Voice (I won a Twitter contest about the Voice-sponsored 4 Knots festival). There are no heat waves, hail storms, or tornadoes forecast for this weekend, so the weather should be good to go. (Might be a little rain, but that's nothing compared to the stuff we've had to deal with so far this summer in the NYC area.)

If you're going to Catalpa NYC, enjoy and leave your comments below on how you liked it.

Now Streaming: New CDs from Alberta Cross, Lawrence Arabia, & More

It's slim pickings in the album-streaming department this week, with fewer titles than usual on offer. But there are still some interesting releases out there. One example: the three-disc set "Out Of Many: 50 Years Of Reggae Music" (streaming on NPR Music), is a compilation that commemorates the half-century since Jamaica gained its independence with one hit song from each year, beginning in 1962.

The collection is from VP Records and features only artists who recorded for that label (so you'll find names such as Yellowman and Shabba Ranks, but not Bob Marley), but that may make it interesting for exposing listeners to figures who aren't the most famous ones in the genre.


Video for "The Processional" by Woodpecker!

Also streaming on NPR is a new album by a band called TheNewNo2 (pronounced "the new number two"). That name may be as unfamiliar to you as it was to me, but you'll recognize one of its members: Dhani Harrison, the son of late Beatle George Harrison. Note: don't expect music that's a chip off the old block; from what I've heard of thenewno2, it sounds nothing like the Beatles or any of the elder Harrison's solo work.

On the Americana/folkie end of the spectrum, there are new albums by Alberta Cross (which, despite its name, is not Canadian), The Illegitimate Sons, and Woodpecker!, which I first heard on NPR Music but whose album is streaming on Spinner.

You'll also a second chance to hear the new Passion Pit album, "Gossamer," which is streaming over at Spinner this week.

Maybe with fewer albums streaming this week, I'll actually be able to listen to all the ones I want to hear.

NPR First Listen:
"Out Of Many: 50 Years Of Reggae Music" by various artists
"Thefearofmissingout" by TheNewNo2

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Gossamer" by Passion Pit
"Songs of Patience" by Alberta Cross
"The Sparrow" by Lawrence Arabia
"Unearth" by Grasscut
"Drunk Is the New Sober / Stupid Is the New Dumb" by Dots Will Echo
"Union" by Saint Saviour
"Art of Losses" by The Blakes
"Thanks Anyway" by Woodpecker!

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"I Am a Moth" by Ryan Darton
"American Music" by The Illegitimate Sons
"Cardiology" by Sara Jackson-Holman

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Voyeur" by Saint Motel

2012 St. Ann's Italian Festival in Hoboken: On Now Through July 26th

Now that the rain and heat waves have subsided in the New York metro area, it's a a great time to take in some live music and street fairs. The St. Ann's Italian Festival in Hoboken, which has been running for more than 100 years now, always draws big crowds to see the live music and eat the Italian goodies such as sausage-and-peppers heros, zeppoles, calzones, and cannoli.

The festival takes place near the church, which is at 704 Jefferson St. in Hoboken (see map). It began yesterday, but most of the festival is yet to come. Festival hours are: July 21st and 22nd: 1 to 11 p.m.; July 23rd through 25th: 6 to 11 p.m. [corrected]; July 26th: 12 Noon to 11 p.m.

Here's the live music for the the rest of the St. Ann's Feast (as the festival is also known). Bands begin at 8:15 p.m.

• Sat., July 21st: Cristina Fontanelli & Orchestra
• Sun., July 22nd: Harold Melvin's Blue Notes
• Mon., July 23rd: The Nerds
• Tues., July 24th: Brass Transit (playing the music of Chicago)
• Wed., July 25th: Steve Lippia Sings Simply Sinatra with the Jordan Thomas Orchestra
• Thurs., July 26th: The Bronx Wanderers (playing songs by Dion, etc.) 

Crowds at the festival can be rather large, especially on weekends, and this year should be no exception. The good weather should contribute to a big turnout. I generally go to the festival on weeknights when the crowds aren't as large and the lines aren't as long. Hey, the food tastes just as good.

Concert Notes: Coachella Cruises; The Who, Dylan Go on Tour

There are a couple of tours to talk about in this edition of Concert Notes, as well as a much more unusual kind of performance: the first-ever Coachella Cruises. Odd? Yeah, but at least all the endless jokes about the Coachella Cruise will distract us here in the U.S. from all the presidential election talk.

Here's what's news on the concert scene:

It may sound like a gag, but the S.S. Coachella is for real.

* Coachella Cruise to set sail: Building on the popularity of its first two-weekend festival this year, the folks behind the Coachella festival are sponsoring two rock-fueled floating parties. The "S.S. Coachella" will sail to the Bahamas this Dec. 16th to 19th and to the Bahamas Dec. 19th to 23rd.  Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific. Pricing starts at $500. See the Coachella Cruise FAQ for more details.

The lineup for both cruises features Pulp, Hot Chip, Yeasayer, Girl Talk, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem (doing a DJ set) Sleigh Bells, Simian Mobile Disco, DJ Harvery, El-P, Black Lips, Grimes, and Cloud Nothings, among others.


Above: Townshend and Daltrey held a lengthy interview to announce the "Quadrophenia" tour.

* The Who to tour playing "Quadrophenia": Love live rock! The Who are getting back on the road after four years off to play "Quadrophenia" live in its entirety. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will play The Who's 1973 rock opera in more than 30 North American cities starting in November. Each show will conclude with some of the band's classic tunes. 

The NYC area will host five shows:  Brooklyn's Barclays Center (Nov. 14th), Madison Square Garden (Dec. 5th), Prudential Center (Dec. 6th), and Nassau Coliseum (Feb. 21st, 2013). There will be a presale July 20th; the public on-sale date is July 27th. (Link to The Who tickets.)

Related: There will be one-night-only screenings of a film on the making of the "Quadrophenia" album on July 24th. "The Who: Quadrophenia: Can You See the Real Me?" will be shown at theaters around the country, including AMC's Empire and Kips Bay in Manhattan and Edgewater and Secaucus in NJ. (See complete list of theaters here.)

* Bob Dylan announces more tour dates: Fresh off announcing his forthcoming album, "Tempest" (due Sept. 11th), Dylan has booked dates for some additional gigs in the Fall, with Mark Knofler. The only one in the NYC area is at the Barclays Center on Nov 21st; other dates not too far from the metro region are Bethel Center for the Arts (near the Woodstock site) on Sept. 2nd and the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Sept. 8th. (See all Bob Dylan tour dates here.)