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USC Band CD Feat. Recording With Radiohead, Wolfmother And More

2009-12-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

40 tracks include hits by Avenged Sevenfold, Wolfmother, System of a Down, The Offspring, Breaking Benjamin, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, & Black Eyed Pead

It’s an album truly 40 years in the making. The Trojan Marching Band’s newest double CD album Trojan Legacy: 40 Years of Dr. Arthur C. Bartner and The Spirit of Troy will be released on November 14 at the University Bookstore to coincide with USC’s homecoming.

Trojan opponents may scoff that The Spirit of Troy only knows one song but 40 tracks on two discs – including a special never-before-released recording of 15 Step with Radiohead – prove otherwise. The album encompasses the “Then” and “Now” of Dr. Bartner’s 40-year tenure at the university. The first disc features TMB standards that have filled the Coliseum for decades – including Frankenstein, Heartbreaker and Tusk – performed by the original Trojan bands. Many of the tracks are released to the public for the first time.

The “Now” disc features the band’s newest hits from the exciting Pete Carroll era of USC Football showcasing musical genres from hard rock and punk to hip hop and gospel/soul. The TMB covers The Offspring (3 tracks), System of a Down (2 tracks), Breaking Benjamin (2 tracks), Black Eyed Peas, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, and Wolfmother, to name a few. Also featured is the band’s YouTube hit Almost Easy from the popular alt metal group Avenged Sevenfold.

Rounding out both discs are special bonus tracks that will only be released on CD, including the full 10‐minute Drumline Cadence and the band’s recording of Hit That by The Offspring, debuting in the U.S. here for the first time.

The highlight of the album, though, is a rehearsal recording of 15 Step with Radiohead. Taped at Sony Studios’ Stage 25 only two days before their acclaimed collaboration on the 2009 Grammys, this groundbreaking track is a must‐have for Radiohead and Trojan Marching Band fans alike.

Complementing the discs is a fully-illustrated 24-page booklet detailing the evolution of the band’s music during Dr. Bartner’s tenure. For a sneak peak of “Woman” by Wolfmother from the album, go to the band’s YouTube channel.

Trojan Legacy: 40 Years of Dr. Arthur C. Bartner & The Spirit of Troy Track Listing:

Then:
1. Tribute to Troy (1970s)
2. Fight On! (1970s)
3. The Star Spangled Banner
4. Stars & Stripes Rock
5. Frankenstein
6. All Right Now
7. Dance to the Music
8. Animal House/Shout
9. Tusk
10. In the Stone
11. Heartbreaker
12. Sing, Sing, Sing
13. Power
14. Tower of Power Medley
15. Get Down Tonight
16. William Tell Overture
17. All Hail (Alma Mater)
18. Conquest! (1970s)
Bonus Tracks:
19. Carry On
20. Olympic Fanfare & Theme

Now:
1. Fanfare
2. Tribute to Troy
3. Fight On!
4. The Kids Aren’t Alright
5. Crawling in the Dark
6. Toxicity
7. Follow
8. Brooklyn
9. Aerials
10. Blow Me Away
11. Pump It
12. Deliver Me
13. Woman
14. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
15. Almost Easy
16. SoCal Spellout
17. Conquest!
Bonus Tracks
18. 15 Step w/Radiohead (Rehearsal)
19. Hit That
20. Drumline Cadence

CCR Lends A Helping Hand

2009-11-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

Doug “Cosmo” Clifford and Stu Cook of the legendary American musical group Creedence Clearwater Revival are pleased to be a part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s charity CD Hope For The Holidays - Rockin’ Christmas for a Cure. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rhythm section (drums and bass respectively) with their latest project Creedence Clearwater Revisited contributed a version of the Christmas classic "Run Rudolph Run" for inclusion on the compilation CD which serves to benefit the JDRF. The 27 track collection also includes holiday recordings from Weezer, Collective Soul, The Beach Boys, Jon Anderson of Yes, and others. "Run Rudolph Run," written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie, was first recorded by Chuck Berry in 1958. Creedence Clearwater Revisited's fresh take on "Run Rudolph Run" is one that gives the holidays a rousing, classic rock, swampy flair. The track can be heard in its entirety here.

Juvenile diabetes (Type 1) is a devastating auto immune disease which can strike children and adults suddenly, but lasts a lifetime. Approximately 24 million Americans have diabetes and this number is on the rise. Evidence suggests that 1 in 3 Americans born in 2000 may develop some form of diabetes in their lifetime and, to date, there is no cure.
Hope for the Holidays is currently available at national retail outlets including Best Buy and can also be found on www.Amazon.com and is available for download on iTunes. All profits will benefit the JDRF.
About Creedence Clearwater Revisited:
Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford may not have initially intended it, but their band Creedence Clearwater Revisited has taken on a startling life of its own. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rhythm section (bass and drums respectively) from the legendary group Creedence Clearwater Revival launched the Creedence Clearwater Revisited project in 1995 to once again perform live Creedence Clearwater Revival hits touchstones of a generation. Creedence Clearwater Revisited has since performed up to 100 shows a year and released the RIAA certified CD Recollection.

About JDRF:
JDRF is the leader in research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes in the world. It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal. Until a cure is found, people with type 1 diabetes must test their blood sugar and receive insulin injections multiple times each day, every day of their lives. Even with intensive care, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008, the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants in laboratories, hospitals, industry and fellowships in 22 countries.

MXPX To Release Christmas Album

2009-11-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

First Single, “Punk Rawk Christmas” Will Premiere On Band’s MySpace Page on Friday, November 27

MxPx, the notorious punk rockers out of the great Northwest are digitally releasing a 14-track Christmas album titled Punk Rawk Christmas through their label, Rock City Recording Company on December 1. This special holiday offering has been over 10 years in the making; one punk-carol classic released each year (sometimes two) to their PxPx Fan Club for over a decade has now been packaged along with one new original track, “Punk Rawk Christmas” and the soon-to-be-classic punk cover of “Auld Lang Syne.”

This year marks the band’s 17-year anniversary and in celebration they have already released an album of covers, On The Cover II in addition to an EP, Left Coast Punk, their first original release in more than two years. Lead singer/bassist Mike Herrera explains the bands decision on now adding in a full-length Christmas album, “This year there was just enough songs to make for a nice, robust holiday album. Any more would be too much, any less would be…well, you get the idea.” Longtime fan favorites such as “Christmas Day,” “You’re The One I Miss” and “It’s Christmas and I’m Sick” are wrapped up alongside the previously unreleased “Punk Rawk Christmas”. About the title track, Herrera says, “I was sitting at the studio writing and thinking of how bad the economy was. Then I came up with the idea of Christmas itself being broke and ‘on a budget’ hence, Punk Rawk Christmas was born.” Adding to the Christmas list of hits, MxPx has added their version of, “Auld Lang Syne”, because, “we wanted to do at least one cover, but didn't want it to be too weird and cheesy. ALS seemed perfect. It was fun and we did it in one afternoon; what I call the punk rock 101-style of recording.”

As a bonus, MxPx will be releasing a RED version of the album available only through Amazon on Demand, which features a physical copy of all 14 tracks, but alternative artwork from the version sold on the bands website. The RED version will be available on December 1. Also available on the same day the band will be releasing a collector’s dream, a limited edition marble-colored 7” vinyl featuring the bands first Christmas track ever written, “Christmas Day” and their most recent track, “Punk Rawk Christmas” in their original form on side A, and acoustic versions on side B. The 7” vinyl is a limited run of 500 and is only available through the bands website: www.mxpx.com. Also only available through the website is the ‘Limited Edition’ version, known as the GREEN version. This edition includes all 14 tracks, plus two bonus tracks, a previously unreleased original song called “Coal” and an unreleased original demo track, “Questions” in addition to an expanded photo pull-out cover and will be available one week after the digital release on December 8.

Pre-sales are available for the ‘Limited Edition’ only, for fan club members first on December 1 with a public pre-sale launching on December 3, both through www.mxpx.com.

MxPx is Mike Herrera (bass/vocals), Tom Wisniewski (guitars) and Yuri Ruley (drums). In the span of 17 years, the band has sold over 2.5 million records world-wide and is ready to continue that success as they release this special Christmas album.

MXPX - PUNK RAWK CHRISTMAS CD (Digital)
Release Date: December 1, 2009
*Available at most online retailers

1. PUNK RAWK CHRISTMAS (previously unreleased) (2009) (new)
2. CHRISTMAS DAY (1998)
3. CHRISTMAS ONLY COMES ONCE A YEAR (1999)
4. COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (2000)
5. YOU'RE THE ONE I MISS (THIS CHRISTMAS) (2001)
6. CHRISTMAS PARTY (2002)
7. CHRISTMAS NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (2003)
8. SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS? (2003)
9. IT'S CHRISTMAS AND I'M SICK (2004)
10. 2005 (2005)
11. LATE GREAT SNOWBALL FIGHT OF 2006 (2006)
12. GIMME CHRISTMAS (2007)
13. ANOTHER SONG ABOUT CHRISTMAS (2008)
14. AULD LANG SYNE (TRADITIONAL) (previously unreleased) (2009) (new)

Cake Release "Federal Funding" Ringtone

2009-11-22T00:46:00.000-08:00

Cake, one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant, and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock--will debut their second ringtone of the recently recorded song titled “Federal Funding” today.

The multi-platinum iconoclasts are currently in the midst of recording their sixth studio album and sharing the results with their listeners first, via a series of six free ringtones. Each ringtone is based on a song from the group’s upcoming album and is only released to Cake listeners who are members of the band’s mailing list. Every six weeks, a new ringtone from a recently recorded Cake song will be sent out to all of the group’s mailing list members up until the new album launch during Spring 2010. To sign up and download the new music, visit: http://cakemusic.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/cakeusa2/.

Says trumpeter Vince DiFiore: "The next ringtone that we are offering comes from the song 'Federal Funding.' We approached this song at a time in the album process when we were fired up and joining forces most vigorously." Adds lead vocalist John McCrea, "’Federal Funding’ is a song we had lying around for quite a while. Now seemed like a good time to release it."

Cake’s new project is being written, rehearsed and recorded entirely with solar power. The group--who were recently honored as one of the top 10 “greenest” bands on the planet in a special issue of Billboard--teamed with Borrego Solar to convert their entire Sacramento recording studio into solar power. The innovative group documented their break away from the city’s energy grid, as illustrated by this video of Cake’s solar conversion: www.cakemusic.com/solar.html. The group’s decision to record their forthcoming album entirely with solar power was made for both artistic and environmental reasons.

Anyone Ever Been To Madison Square Garden?

2009-11-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't!!!! But... If you have, check this out:

"With more than 6 million votes tallied, the TOP 10 concerts of the '80s have been chosen for the "100 Best: Vote Down to the Greatest Garden Show of All Time”and the results may SURPRISE you! Click here to check out the rest of the top 10 and for more details on Round 2 Voting, which starts on Dec. 3rd! Check out where your favorites ranked:

This week's polls for Round 1 feature the BEST of the '90s. YOU VOTE for the best show of the '90s with artists from The Spice Girls, Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, Mariah Carey, and many more! So far it looks like Phish is taking the cake with a few other surprising acts close behind!

Click here to check out the competition, exclusive photos, and to place your vote for the best MSG show of the '90s:

Polls for the '90s decade, Round 1 End on Wednesday, November 25th so get as many votes in as you can NOW and add a comment letting us know if you were at the show and to share your experiences with other readers!
More details about the vote down:
Each week, you will get the chance to place your vote and advance your favorite artist/musical group from each decade to the next round of the competition! From rock legends Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Elton John to today's top acts John Mayer, Alicia Keys, The White Stripes and tons more from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s! Stay tuned each week to see what lineup is revealed for the next decade and if your favorite concert made it to the polls! Fans can vote every day, all day leading up to the February finale, in which MSG will reveal the WINNER of the the greatest Garden performance of all time!

Click here for more details about the VOTEDOWN

Also, Feel free to follow MSG on Twitter to get up-to-date info."

New Motion City Soundtrack Video

2009-11-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

Motion City Soundtrack – Justin Pierre, Josh Cain, Matt Taylor, Tony Thaxton and Jesse Johnson – are gearing up for their major label debut – My Dinosaur Life – due out January 19th on Columbia Records. In anticipation of the new album, the band released their first new song “Disappear” from the album on October 20th and today they are premiering the video for “Disappear” on MySpace!

In addition, if you haven’t already heard about the “Dino Trail” yet go to www.mydinosaurlife.com and follow the one and only Justin Pierre as he continues his adventures across the US – busking, hanging with fans, playing in dorm rooms, visiting radio stations, jamming with bands, etc. There are some great photos and video clips, so once you’ve checked out the new music video – check out the Dino Trail clips!

And if you want to see the band live, catch them in December when they join up with Weezer for a handful of dates or check them out on one of the 2010 headlining dates just announced earlier this week!

Motion City Soundtrack - "Disappear"

Motion City Soundtrack | MySpace Music Videos

Maynard James Kenan's New Venture

2009-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Vineyard owners Maynard James Keenan and Eric Glomski plan stops in Tucson, Las Vegas and Santa Barbara this December

Arizona Stronghold Vineyard vintners Maynard James Keenan (Caduceus Cellars/Merkin Vineyards owner and front man for Tool and Puscifer) and Eric Glomski (Page Springs Cellars) will host, in conjunction with Whole Foods Market, three bottle signings in the Southwestern U.S. kicking off with a Dec. 6 date at Whole Foods in Tucson.

The announcement follows a year in which the pair did over three dozen signing events at Whole Foods locations throughout the U.S.

Glomski and Keenan’s quest to bring the wine industry to Arizona’s Verde Valley is the subject matter behind a documentary currently in post-production with a planned February 2010 theatrical release.

Dates and locations for the signings are:

December 6 2:00 – 5:00 pm Tucson, AZ (3360 E. Speedway Blvd.)
8 5:00 – 8:00 pm Santa Barbara, CA (3761 State St.)
9 5:00 – 8:00 pm Las Vegas, NV (6689 Las Vegas Blvd.)

About Arizona Stronghold Vineyards:
ASV lies at the eastern edge of Sulfur Springs Valley, in Cochise County (alongside the Wilcox Playa) in a small, unincorporated area known as the Kansas Settlement. The vineyard site is 80 acres with 66 acres currently under vine. Co-owned by Eric Glomski (Page Springs Cellars) and Maynard James Keenan (Caduceus Cellars/Merkin Vineyards), ASV’s mission is to present affordable top quality Arizona wine made by passionate Arizona based winemakers. Keenan says of the vineyard, "One of our many goals here in Arizona is to establish a cornerstone around which locally owned and operated, sustainable and organic industries can thrive."

Alkaline Trio: Back to 'Punk Upbringing' On New Album

2009-11-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

It's been 11 years since Alkaline Trio released their first full-length album, 'Goddamnit.' In that time, they've been signed to three different labels and expanded their sound beyond their original straight-ahead punk style, incorporating more melody and production. Now, with the pending release of their seventh album on their newly formed Heart & Skull label -- a joint venture with Epitaph -- the Chicago rockers are heading back to their roots.

"This record is a rock record but our punk rock upbringing definitely shines through, more so than our last few records," singer/guitarist Matt Skiba tells Spinner. "The vibe is similar to our humble beginnings. It's a step forward but I also think it has glimmers of our past in it."

To recapture the sound of the early days, Skiba says the band took a simpler approach to recording the album, which will feature 11 tracks and be released in February. While Skiba says there's a little bit of synth on the record and one trumpet solo in the style of Neutral Milk Hotel, not ska-punk, the band mainly kept things straightforward. "We went with a less-is-more approach on this record. A lot of it is just one guitar rather than overdubs or three or four guitars," he says. "We wanted a record that we could easily play live. For the most part, it's pretty bare bones while still sounding full and big."

But that's not the only way Alkaline Trio is getting back to their origins. "Another thing that makes it resemble our earlier records, especially our first record, is that it's really personal," Skiba says. "A couple of us have gone through some pretty serious life changes. We had a good friend of ours pass away since the last record. There's a song on the record, 'Dorothy,' that was really influenced by the film 'Blue Velvet' but it's a metaphor for someone and something else. Everything on the record is stuff that definitely hits close to home for us and we tried to communicate that in the songs."

That said, Skiba also takes on politics, though it's still within the traditional dark themes of Alkaline's best work. "There is a song on the record called 'The American Scream' that is political," he says. "For a long time we were afraid to write overtly political songs but I read this article about a US soldier that came back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and blew his head off on his mother's grave and I wrote a song about that."

Skiba is currently approving the final artwork for the album -- the title of which is still being kept under wraps -- and says he can't wait for fans to hear it. "We're really excited to get back on the road and see everybody. We've been playing some of these songs live but most of them nobody's heard so we're really excited," he says. "We're very, very proud of the record and we hope that everybody digs it."

Brian Welch Signs With WMEE

2009-11-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

It was announced today that William Morris Endeavor Entertainment has inked an international representation agreement with ex-KoRn guitarist BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH. The initial term of the agreement is for three years. Ember Rigsby Tanksley of WMEE will be principally responsible for spearheading representation duties from WMEE’s Nashville, TN office.

The addition of HEAD to its existing powerhouse music division continues to fulfill WMEE’s post-merger goal (with Endeavor) of adding marquee names to its roster. Although based out of Nashville, Tanksley will also work with and take advantage of WMEE’s offices and agents in its Los Angeles, New York, and London offices. Tanksley also handles duties for such top Christian acts as Flyleaf, Emery, and Switchfoot. WMEE’s traditional recording artist roster includes Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Ozzy Osbourne, Tool, Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd and the Goo Goo Dolls, to name a few.

Tanksley’s reaction to the signing was filled with excitement and optimism: "We are very excited to be part of HEAD's team. He has an authenticity in his ministry that will speak to people in a different way. We are looking forward to sharing in his accomplishments and great success!”

Earlier this year, HEAD announced that he had chosen his bandmates—Michael Valentine (bass); Scott Von Heldt (guitars); Ralph Patlan (guitars); Brian Ruedy (keyboards, programming) and Dan Johnson (drums). The band toured lightly in 2009; but is ready to hit the road full time in 2010.

Currently, HEAD and his band are in Nashville recording HEAD’s next album with Grammy®-nominated producer Rob Graves (RED, Pillar). The album is targeted for completion February 2010, with a release shortly thereafter on his Driven Music Group label (with distribution through Ryko/Warner Music Group).

Reached at the Nashville recording studio, HEAD commented about the WMEE deal: "I’m really excited about my deal with William Morris Endeavor, and I’m honored to be on the roster of one of the largest and most storied agencies in existence. I would like to publicly thank Ember Rigsby Tanksley and her entire team at WMEE for their belief in what I am trying to do. I feel like this is the final piece in the puzzle that we have been working on to take us to the next level.”

“The production on our new record is going awesome with Rob Graves,” he continues. “Our goal is to get the record completely mixed and mastered by the first part of February, and released immediately thereafter. My band is together, helping with the recording, and we will be ready for a full U.S. tour beginning early next year.”

HEAD helped found the nu-metal band Korn. While with KoRn, HEAD received six Grammy® Award nominations, winning two, while selling over 30 million records worldwide. In early 2005, HEAD rocked the music world by announcing his resignation from KoRn. At the time, HEAD was committed to moving away from the crazy KoRn life to continue to care for his daughter, Jennea, as a single father. Additionally, HEAD committed his life to Christ with the goal of touching people’s lives and giving back to those most desperately in need.

In 2007, HEAD penned a New York Times best-selling (non-fiction) autobiography, “Save Me From Myself” (Harper Collins). HEAD’s debut album, also entitled SAVE ME FROM MYSELF, was released on September 9, 2008 with Driven Music Group, through Ryko Distribution/Warner Music Group, Word Entertainment (Christian market), and Warner Music International (ADA Global—Canada). The album debuted at #13 on Billboard’s “Top Hard Rock Albums” chart, and continues to impact the market. The album has been described as a “heavy metal epic, with a positive message.”

www.brianheadwelch.net
www.myspace.com/brianheadwelch
www.drivenmusicgroup.net

Owl City Returns To #1 On Billboard Charts

2009-11-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

Debut Single “Fireflies” Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

New York, NY – Universal Republic Records’ basement launched phenomenon Owl City reclaimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart this week after originally hitting the #1 position two weeks ago with the smash hit “Fireflies.” The song continues to break boundaries at radio as it is top 10 at both Top 40 and Hot AC formats along with impressive showings at Alternative, Triple A, and Rhythm Crossover making it one of the most requested songs in the US. “Fireflies” also sold an amazing 200,000 digital singles this week bringing sales totals over a million. Combining an impressive radio story, huge sales, a #1 song, a sold out tour in the U.S as well as sold out shows in Asia this month are all parts in making Owl City the artist development story of 2009.

A self-described ‘shy-kid’ who first arrived on the music scene in 2007, Universal Republic Records has successfully translated Young’s hypnotizing songscapes into mainstream captures of everyday life, connecting with radio, digital and video audiences across the U.S. Owl City’s magical mix of lively-digital rhythms and lush melodies first hatched in the basement of his parent’s house is perfectly portrayed in his debut video for “Fireflies,” which depicts the affable singer performing the song in dreamy basement environment. The video is closing in on an incredible 13million views on YouTube, and surging in X-LARGE rotation on VH-1, and other video and digital platforms.

With Ocean Eyes on its way to gold status Owl City just wrapped a highly-praised sold-out U.S. tour – ‘Imagine if Nine Inch Nails traded dark for light…’ raved Livedaily.com about Young’s recent Hollywood show. ‘If such a remarkable transformation took place, it would sound, look, and feel a lot like Owl City.’ People who missed this past U.S. tour can catch Young’s energizing show next year when Owl City hits the road again in January before touring Europe in February and then Australia and New Zealand in March.

Hailing from the small Minnesota town of Owatonna, Minnesota, (population 22,000), Young’s songs convey a singular simplicity that has rocked the 24/7 non-stop-chatter of an ultra-competitive music world. Calling his homemade-basement studio ‘the cave,’ other songs on the new album include “Vanilla Twilight,” which is also climbing up the iTunes singles chart and “Cave in,” “Umbrella Beach,” “Dental Care,” among others.

Pixies To Record Doolittle Tour Shows

2009-11-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

With their sold-out European "Doolittle Tour" complete and a similar standing-room-only U.S. leg just underway (which features a complete performance of their 1989 classic Doolittle each night), the Pixies are giving fans a unique opportunity to take the night's performance home with them. Starting on the first night of the group's four-performance stand in New York City (Monday, November 23), fans can purchase a CD of that night's show about 10-minutes after the Pixies walk off stage. And for those attending shows before the 23rd, no need to fret - you can purchase recordings of earlier 2009 U.S. tour stops via the website, www.doolittlelive.com

The company Abbey Road Live is recording every Pixies show from the November 8 show all the way through the end of the tour in Washington, D.C. on December 1. The shows will be offered as limited edition, high quality CD sets - each CD set having two discs in it, and each CD set being individually numbered. The two-CD sets will sell for $25 each, and will be mixed and mastered every night - resulting in full, multi-track mixes, not board mixes. The CDs are strictly limited edition - only 1,000 will be made per night for each show. Also being offered are commemorative USB wristbands for $15 each. With each wristband, fans will get four songs recorded from the European leg of the tour, as well as five Pixies videos as bonus content. And if you buy the USB, you also get a $5 discount code which will result in a download costing $10 (rather than its normal $15 price). The quicker you place your order at www.doolittlelive.com the better, because they're certain to go fast.

Also near completion is an exclusive Pixies iPhone App which is being developed by BlueHaze for Abbey Road Live and the Pixies, and will feature plenty of "social media features" in it. For instance, all of the band's official Twitters, MySpace and Facebook blogs will come through the App. Additionally, you can click on a tab to see the full Pixies catalog, and by hitting a button, will be led to iTunes. Another link will also lead fans to an area where you can pre-purchase any of the live products being sold, while another link allows fans to have the ability to take pictures and share them with other fans and interact at shows.

"It's a great pleasure to be working with the Pixies once again," says Zach Bair, head of Abbey Road Live in the Americas (formerly CEO of DiscLive, the company that recorded the Pixies' shows during their 2004 U.S. tour, and CEO of Immediatek, Inc. (OTCBB:IMTK), parent company of DiscLive). "We're excited to be able to offer these limited edition products so that the Pixies' fans can take something home that's really memorable and special."

For more information, long onto:
www.doolittle.com
www.abbeyroad.com/live

Cloud Cult Releases Double-Disc Album 12/8/2009

2009-11-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

First National Release of "They Live on the Sun" (2003) and "Aurora Borealis" 2004

Cloud Cult will release a double-disc of two of the band's first records for the first time on a national level: "They Live on the Sun" (2003) and "Aurora Borealis" (2004) remixed, remastered and with bonus tracks.

Although the albums were originally released on the band's homemade label, predominantly on a local level, and on a shoe-string credit cardbudget, the music brought the band national attention as the album topped major label bands on the college radio charts, including taking over Radiohead's "Hail to the Thief" top charting slot in cities like Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Boston.

Lead singer/songwriter Craig Minowa created the albums during an 18 month long stint of seclusion at his Northern Minnesota organic farm after his two-year-old son passed away unexpectedly in 2002. The band has gone on to sell more than 30,000 copies of its follow-up releases, despite turning down major label offers.

The albums, previously distributed by hand by the band to a small handful of local Minnesota record stores, will now be available nationally as a special double-disc package. In typical Cloud Cult fashion, the albums are 100% postconsumer recycled material, printed with soy inks and tha band powered the mastering with wind energy (purchasing green energy credits). Cloud Cult has planted over a thousand trees to absorb pollutants from album releases and touring.

"A sweeping indie epic. Records this casually monumental are rare indeed!"
Pitchfork review of "They Live on the Sun"

"Deserves all the adjectives befitting a classic album. Genius. Sincerely groundbreaking indie rock."
Pop Matters review of "Aurora Borealis"

Tracklist:

They Live on the Sun
On the Sun
Moon's Thoughts
Turtle Shell
It
Da Dum
Man on the Moon
I'm Not Gone
Time
Radio Fodder
It's Gay
Best Friend
Shortenin' Bread
Took You For Granted
Back Again P.ii
Your Love Will Live Forever
Sleeping Days P.ii

Aurora Borealis

Breakfast With My Shadow
Alone at a Party in a Ghost Town
All Together Alone
Chandeliers
And It's Good
Grappling Hook
Northern Lights
The Sparks and Spaces Between Your Cells
Lights Inside My Head
Beautiful Boy

Saint Motel Sells Out Roxy

2009-11-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Tim Bannock

Read Tim Bannock's review of Saint Motel here.

Download "Dear Dictator" by Saint Motel

Saint Motel painted the world famous Roxy Theatre black and white with a jam-packed, sold-out performance on Saturday. The show, presented by KROQ Locals Only and BeatCrave.com, was attended by Los Angeles' hippest crowd dancing the night away to their explosive, indie-pop sound.

Saint Motel ignited the night with crowd favorites "Butch," "Dear Dictator," and "Eat Your Heart Out" which meshed perfectly with new delectably decadent songs "At Least I Have Nothing" and "Feel My Wrath". Their performance was preceded by other local favorites Rumspringa, Red Arrow Messenger, and Army Navy who kept the crowd heated in anticipation for Saint Motel's fiery show.

Additionally, the Saint Motel's keen visual sensibility has yielded an array of stunningly original videos that accompany songs from their debut EP ForPlay, released via the band's record label, On The Records. All six music videos are included on the EP, available now.

MXPX To Release New EP - Nov 17th

2009-11-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

After a wildly successful 17th anniversary summer, complete with a fan “favorites” live broadcast performance, the punk-pop gurus of Bremerton, WA are back at it again. Now, MxPx are set to release Left Coast Punk, their latest EP (the band’s first in five years), through their very own label, Rock City Recording Company.

MxPx has always been the harder-and-faster variety of punk playing bands, the band coined the phrase “Left Coast Punk” as a simple way to describe their sound, and those similar, residing from the Left Coast. It is that particular sound that is evident within the new tracks and MxPx vocalist and bassist, Mike Herrera felt the name just seemed to fit, “It just made sense to use the term, it’s been around awhile, something I believe we coined, but it perfectly describes the clash of pop sensibility with the fast and hard playing that we are known for.”

That clash of sounds is what hardcore MxPx fans will get; however the band did add in a melodic soft touch on a couple of tracks including the first single, “End,” a tribute to some great punk and rock shows of the past. Using a style of play not performed by the band very often, melodic and fast, mid tempo and powerful, but fans will notice the signature MxPx sound. Other tracks, like “Broken,” carry a more serious, personal tone, a rhythm that drives the lyrics - peering deep into feelings of being, well, broken inside. And then there’s “Desperate to Understand” featuring classic MxPx style lyrics about lifting each other up and by sound alone, “One Step Further” kick starts the EP with its fast tempo, while the lyrics delve into becoming a better person.

Left Coast Punk is the band’s fifth EP, but the first to be released through the band’s own label, Rock City Recording Company. The band admits there is more work at hand, but Herrera puts it all into perspective, “It was about time we took this leap into the darkness, after all, we're musicians, there's no retirement in punk rock.” With that new leap of faith, the band will be releasing the standard 6-song EP through major online digital retailers. As a bonus the band will be releasing a limited edition physical version of the EP as a 10-track CD, which includes an additional 3 instrumental tracks (a first for the band) and “On a String,” a previously unreleased demo track. With only 500 in the limited edition run, each copy will come with an autographed poster, and will only be available on the band’s website: www.mxpx.com.

First single, “End” will debut on Friday, November 13 on the band’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/mxpx at 9 am PST.

MxPx is Mike Herrera (bass/vocals), Tom Wisniewski (guitars) and Yuri Ruley (drums). In the span of 17 years, the band has sold over 2.5 million records world-wide and is ready to continue that success as they release this EP as well as their special Christmas album, set to be released this holiday season.

MXPX-LEFT COAST PUNK EP (Digital)
1. One Step Further
2. Desperate to Understand
3. Broken
4. Shanghaied in Shanghai
5. Hopeless Case
6. End

MXPX-LEFT COAST PUNK ENHANCED EP (Physical)
**Includes all the tracks listed above, plus the below

7. One Step Further (instrumental version)
8. End (instrumental version)
9. Broken (instrumental version)
10. On a String (previously unreleased demo from LCP sessions)

MXPX Online - Website - Myspace - Facebook - Twitter

Motion City Soundtrack Reveal Details of "My Dinosaur Life"

2009-11-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Motion City Soundtrack have revealed the details of their major label debut – My Dinosaur Life – through a post on their web site www.motioncitysoundtrack.com today. It’s official, the album – produced by Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and mixed by the legendary Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Kaiser Chiefs) – will be released on January 19th, 2010 on Columbia Records. In addition, they have released the final track listing for the new album (see below) and revealed the incredible cover art by renowned collectible toy artist Joe Ledbetter (www.joeledbetter.com) – also responsible for the entire album art.

My Dinosaur Life is the exciting next chapter for Motion City Soundtrack. The band – Justin Pierre, Joshua Cain, Matt Taylor, Tony Thaxton, and Jesse Johnson – first jumped onto the scene with their 2002 debut I Am the Movie (Epitaph). They followed this up with 2005’s Commit This to Memory (Epitaph). Also produced by Mark Hoppus, Commit This to Memory debuted at #72 on the Billboard 200 and has gone on to sell more than 300,000 copies. It garnered raves from Spin, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Blender among others and found Motion City Soundtrack making their late night TV debut on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In 2007, MCS released Even If It Kills Me (Epitaph), a markedly poppier endeavor that found them working with producers Adam Schlesinger, Eli Janney and Ric Ocasek. This third release debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200 and once again, the critics weighed in favorably – Alternative Press featured them on the cover of their “Most Anticipated” issue, the New York Times claimed “they made an album that sounds like one long sugar rush, and so long as the rush lasts, it sounds pretty great” and SPIN proclaimed the album as “near perfect pop.” In the Fall of 2008 Motion City Soundtrack further showcased their talents when they released alternative versions of five songs off Even If It Kills Me as an iTunes exclusive. The culturally acclaimed hit TV series Gossip Girl featured the alternative version of “Fell In Love Without You’” in their season premiere that fall.

Enter 2010 and Motion City Soundtrack are poised to take another giant step forward with the imminent release of My Dinosaur Life – 12 new songs that are lyrically contemplative, poignantly honest, and cleverly and culturally astute. The music harkens back to early Motion City Soundtrack with is grit and hooks while employing the musicianship and maturity the band has gained over the past seven years. During these years they’ve accomplished quite a bit – including headlining Warped tour, Bamboozle and the mvtU Campus Invasion Tour to playing Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock Festival and Honda Civic Tour. They’ve won two mtvU Woodie Awards – in 2005 the Breaking Woodie for Best Emerging Artist and in 2008 the Best Video Woodie for “It Had to Be You.” Motion City Soundtrack has worked incredibly hard over the past seven years for everything they’ve achieved and they’re excited about the next chapter.

My Dinosaur Life Track Listing:
1. Worker Bee
2. A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)
3. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
4. Disappear
5. Delirium
6. History Lesson
7. Stand Too Close
8. Pulp Fiction
9. @!#?@!
10. Hysteria
11. Skin And Bones
12. The Weakends

Bang! Bang! Eche!'s New Album

2009-11-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Written By: Paul Losada

Your new soundtrack for trying to fuck cute hipster girls, while talking about cocaine as if you actually do it, has arrived! But I'm willing to overlook both maturity AND authenticity in Bang! Bang! Eche!'s case because these overblown, electro-dance-punk melodies are pretty bangin'--especially if that's the only thing going on in your life right now.

I don't think getting sleazy and shallow has been this fun, or even innocent in a while. It's pure young, dumb, and ready to cum adrenaline caught on magnetic tape--and not without some recent influences. Opener "Fist Full Of Dollars" takes me back to that time when The Faint dropped Dance Macabre on white kids' newfound dancing shoes, which really isn't as much of a backhanded complement as you'd think. I likED (extra, extra emphases on -ED) The Faint at the time because I was learning how to shake my ass and shop at some new store called "Urban Outfitters" too. As I listen to the rest of the Sonic Death Cuntttt EP I can't help but smile and feel like some kind of weird, creepy old man as I observe exactly how cyclical life can be.

Kids need music from their own generation to get truly and totally down to, and I can turn my head the other way at artistic value if a good time is at least achieved. Judging by the hyper dance beats and spazzed up guitar noodling arranged just cleverly enough, this band probably doesn't have any higher aspirations at the moment, and that's perfectly okay. Even if Bang! can keep it together long enough for a future full-length, it probably won't completely take over the reigns LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, and Death From Above 1979 held before it, but I could see some sort of loyal fan base standing by.

Let kids be kids with this one.

Party @ The CWG Mansion a Smashing Success!!

2009-11-04T23:39:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, October 31st 2009 – It was 10:00PM on Halloween night, as patrons, free-loaders, fans of Shiloe, and people dressed in a variety of costumes (our favorite being the guy in the full Gumby suit), stood in line halfway down the side of the canyon surrounding our mansion.

They had come for the party of a lifetime – a chance to see Shiloe streamed live over the internet for CWG Magazine’s first-ever live concert series, and of course the opportunity to party until 4AM in a secluded mansion in the Hollywood Hills. After half of the people in line funneled in, the mansion was over capacity and people were turned away.

Party-goers as far as the eye could see funneled through the mansion’s front door, down three flights of stairs, and out onto the lower balcony (our mansion had 4) for the kegs, full bar, and scheduled performance.

Anticipation grew, as the sound engineer running the live stream fussed over the sound check; he wanted everything to sound perfect, and it did. The audience was half-lit, as the band finally ripped into their opening song; an hour later than scheduled. The stream went off without a hitch, and the crowd exploded, dancing through Shiloe’s whole set. As Shiloe attempted to put their instruments down, a guy dressed in a full Gumby suit grabbed the microphone and demanded the band do an encore. The crown roared in approval. Shiloe put their instruments back on and rocked the crowd for the rowdiest encore in Halloween history.

After a short meet-and-greet with fans, Shiloe packed up, and the crown funneled back into the mansion for drinks and all-night music from three of L.A.’s best local DJs.

Apologies to the over-flow crowd that couldn’t get in, feel free to come to our next event.

For the on-demand performance of CWG TV Live (featuring Shiloe), please visit: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cwg-magazine-episode-test

Shiloe Live @ The CWG Mansion (Full Set)

Shiloe Live @ The CWG Mansion (Encore)

CWG Partners With Rattlebox

2009-11-03T01:30:00.000-08:00

We're proud to announce our brand-spankin' new strategic partnership with Rattlebox.

They’re edgy and they have attitude. They're sexy and sarcastic. They're Rattlebox videos, a new generation of entertaining e-cards that are cutting-edge, cool and anything but ordinary.

Rattlebox is not your mother's e-card site – it was created and launched in 2008 as an alternative to boring and maudlin e-card sites. Rattlebox's dicey, alternative e-cards are perfect for every conceivable sentiment. From traditional occasions such as birthdays to telling someone "F you" or "I love you," Rattlebox fills the void for people who wouldn't be caught dead sending out traditional e-cards.

Click over now and you’ll find a whole selection of honest-to-goodness, very funny e-cards. Using a vast library filled with classic cartoons, vintage movie clips, campy public service ads and professionally produced videos, Rattlebox lets you play the part of media producer and custom design your own messages by changing all or any part of the text throughout every Rattlebox e-card.

Sometimes what you want to say just can't be captured with a single image. Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, the video e-cards at Rattlebox are priceless. Regardless of the occasion, Rattlebox has a video e-card that's a perfect match, with subjects that cover love, dating, holidays, anniversaries, It’s 4:20, birthdays, apologies, invites, insults and announcements, to name a few. Check out two top favorites by clicking on the links that follow: The Happy Stripper, featuring a happy stripper and Tonight’s the Night, featuring acoustic rock favorite, Secondhand Serenade.

Rattlebox is completely free to use and has thousands of cards to choose from across dozens of categories. The cards can be emailed, posted on blogs and networking sites and even sent via IM using an embedded code.

Don’t pay for cards that suck when you can send a Rattlebox for free.
Rattlebox - e-cards that don’t suck.

Check them out at - Rattlebox.com

The Happy Stripper:

The Happy Stripper:

Tonight's the Night:

Rob Zombie Ditches Geffen For Roadrunner

2009-11-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

In a sudden and unexpected move, multi-platinum hard rock artist Rob Zombie has inked a new worldwide deal with leading rock label Roadrunner Records through its Loud & Proud imprint.

This shocking announcement comes as Zombie exits his former label of eighteen years, where he sold fifteen million records as a solo artist and with his former band White Zombie. Zombie’s new album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, previously set for release on 11/17 will now be released by Roadrunner / Loud & Proud Records in early 2010.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy decision to make after all this time, but it had to be done,” states Zombie, “I love this new record and wanted to surround myself with an excited new group of people who can reignite my enthusiasm for working within a hard rock record label. Roadrunner seems to be the perfect place.”

“Roadrunner is thrilled to be involved with Rob Zombie on a worldwide basis as he is a multiple-threat artist whom we’ve admired for many years,” said Roadrunner president Jonas Nachsin.

Tom Lipsky, founder and president of Loud & Proud echoed Nachsin’s sentiment, “Rob Zombie hits hard on Hellbilly Deluxe 2 and the fans expect nothing less. We are excited about the monster mayhem that he is certain to create!”

The first single from the new album, “What?” recently launched at all rock radio formats and is quickly climbing the charts. This latest album marks the follow-up to 1998’s triple platinum Hellbilly Deluxe.

The track listing is as follows:

1. Jesus Frankenstein
2. Sick Bubblegum
3. What?
4. Mars Needs Women
5. Werewolf, Baby!
6. Virgin Witch
7. Death and Destiny Inside The Dream Factory
8. Burn
9. Cease to Exist
10. Werewolf Women of the SS
11. The Man Who Laughs

In support of this release Zombie, will kick off his first headline tour since 2007 in Phoenix, AZ on October 29th. Shows in Las Vegas, NV on the 30th, and a very special Halloween event on October 31st in Hollywood, CA are set to follow. Zombie will be accompanied by his longtime band mates - guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

Visit www.RobZombie.com for Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour updates, including the official blog, Twitter feed, photos, and videos directly from the road. Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour tickets are on sale now; tour dates are as follows:

TOUR DATES:
Oct 29 Dodge Theater Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 30 The Pearl - Palms Concert Theater Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct 31 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California
Nov 1 The Grove Anaheim, California
Nov 3 San Jose Events Center San Jose, California
Nov 5 The Great Salt Air Magna, Utah
Nov 6 The Fillmore Auditorium Denver, Colorado
Nov 8 The Brady Theater Tulsa, Oklahoma
Nov 10 Austin Music Hall Austin, Texas
Nov 11 Verizon Wireless Theater Houston, Texas
Nov 13 Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Nov 14 Uptown Theatre Kansas City, Missouri
Nov 15 The Pageant St. Louis, Missouri
Nov 16 Murat Theater Indianapolis, Indiana
Nov 17 Akron Civic Center Akron, Ohio
Nov 19 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nov 20 Roy Wilkins Auditorium St. Paul, Minnesota
Nov 21 Val Air Ballroom Des Moines, Iowa
Nov 22 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, Illinois
Nov 24 Broadbent Arena Louisville, Kentucky
Nov 25 The LC Pavilion Columbus, Ohio
Nov 27 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, Michigan
Nov 28 The Sound Academy Toronto, Ontario
Nov 29 Metropolis Montreal, Quebec
Dec 1 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, New York
Dec 2 House Of Blues Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 3 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, Connecticut
Dec 4 Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 5 9:30 Club Washington, DC

Owl City Hits #1 On Billborard Charts

2009-11-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

Photo By: Pamela Littky

Universal Republic Records’ basement launched phenomenon Owl City scored the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart this week, following up his #1 single score on iTunes last week with the smash hit “Fireflies.” The song is breaking boundaries at radio as it forges toward the upper tier at Top 40 and Hot AC formats along with impressive showings at Alternative, Triple A, and Rhythm Crossover. Combining this impressive radio story, a #1 song in North America, a sold out tour and huge sales are all parts in making Owl City the artist development story of 2009.

The near-platinum “Fireflies” also sold an amazing 200,000 digital singles this week, serving as a multi-genre calling card for Owl City/alias Adam Young giving him a 12 point leap into the Top Ten of the Nielsen Soundscan Top 200 Albums Tally via his Universal Republic debut album Ocean Eyes (jumping from #20 to #8).

A self-described ‘shy-kid’ who first arrived on the music scene in 2007, Universal Republic Records has successfully translated Young’s hypnotizing songscapes into mainstream captures of everyday life, connecting with radio, digital and video audiences across the U.S. Owl City’s magical mix of lively-digital rhythms and lush melodies first hatched in the basement of his parent’s house is perfectly portrayed in his debut video for “Fireflies,” which depicts the affable singer performing the song in dreamy basement environment. The video is closing in on an incredible 8.5 million views on youtube, and surging in X-LARGE rotation on VH-1, and other video and digital platforms.

With Ocean Eyes on its way to gold status (rolling past its 9th consecutive week of sales momentum in a listless album sales climate), Owl City is also winding down a highly-praised sold-out tour – ‘Imagine if Nine Inch Nails traded dark for light…’ raved Livedaily.com about Young’s recent Hollywood show. ‘If such a remarkable transformation took place, it would sound, look, and feel a lot like Owl City.’ The tour is hitting Austin, TX on October 30th and skidding into Houston, TX, on Halloween night.

Hailing from the small Minnesota town of Owatonna, Minnesota, (population 22,000), Young’s songs convey a singular simplicity that has rocked the 24/7 non-stop-chatter of an ultra-competitive music world. Calling his homemade-basement studio ‘the cave,’ other songs on the new album include “Vanilla Twilight,” which is also climbing up the iTunes singles chart and “Cave in,” “Umbrella Beach,” “Dental Care,” among others.

Breathe Electric - New Tour, New Album

2009-10-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

Breathe Electric is wrapping up time in the studio where the Chicago band has been recording new tracks. Their next single, “Electronic Lover” will be available via iTunes in the next few weeks.

Gearing to tour throughout the rest of the year, the band kicks off a slew of club dates beginning Halloween at Mojoe’s in Orland Park outside Chicago. On November 15 in Seattle, the band will hit the road with Brokencyde and The Ready Set, followed by dates as direct support for Jeffree Star beginning December 2 in Baltimore.

Breathe Electric was formed in 2007 as the brainchild of Grant Harris. The electro-pop outfit released its self-produced debut EP Honestly and quickly gained momentum with extensive touring playing alongside bands like Never Shout Never, The Secret Handshake, and Automatic Loveletter, in addition to dates on this past summer’s Vans Warped Tour transforming each show into a non-stop dance party.

Within a year, Honestly would sell over 20,000 single downloads from iTunes and 5,000 physical copies independently through touring, online retailers including Smartpunk.com and Hot Topic locations across the country. After garnering recognition from various established music webzines including Absolutepunk.net and being noted as a “Buzz Seeker” artist on The Daily Chorus, Harris entered into the studio with Producer Ian Kirkpatrick to record the latest installment of infectious pop that would become the Emotion EP.

See www.myspace.com/breatheelectric for more info

Mojo Nixon Surpasses One Million Downloads

2009-10-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

On October 6th, in support and celebration of the release of Mojo Nixon's latest album "Whiskey Rebellion", The Orchard, a full service media company specializing in the distribution of music and video entertainment, announced that Mojo's entire catalog would be available to download at no cost, exclusively from Amazon MP3. Since this announcement, the promotion has led to more than one million downloads of Mojo's music. As an innovative promotional tool to expose new and existing Mojo fans to his vast body of work, the free downloads are available at www.amazon.com/mojo until October 28th.

"The successful execution of this pioneering promotion has generated tremendous awareness for Mojo," said Brad Navin, EVP and General Manager of The Orchard. "This is a showcase of how The Orchard, as a nimble and forward-thinking company, has the ability to orchestrate trendsetting promotions for our clients. The success of this promotion will be measured by its long-term benefits, not the short-term risks, and our expectation is that it will generate sales momentum."

Mojo Nixon's current catalog includes 11 albums and 144 tracks. The downloads for this music during the two weeks of the Amazon promotional period amounted to a 23,000% increase from paid downloads across all digital retail networks in the United States during the first half of 2009.

BigChampagne, a technology-driven media measurement company that analyzes the trends of popular entertainment media, reported that the number of users and corresponding volume of files stayed pretty consistent overall on P2P sites during the two week Amazon promotion that began October 6th. In August and September, the average volume of files on P2P networks was 35,000 and in the first week of the promotion, there was 13% increase on the networks, but this fell back down to around 35,000 the following week.

"The success of this promotion is demonstrated by the numbers," commented Eric Garland, CEO of BigChampagne. "As a result of the giveaway, Mojo's online popularity is spiking across key indicators. It's also worth noting that there has been no concurrent increase in piracy of Mojo's material. Free Amazon MP3 downloads now completely dwarf the unauthorized flow of his catalog."

Mojo Nixon, remarking on his career and lack of digital marketing skills, said:
"Great googley moogley. I'm almost speechless. A million Mojo songs stirring up trouble across this great land. I'm a cult artist and apparently I've grown the cult and made the cult happy. A little blast of joy in these dark and desperate times. A retired lunatic with no Facebook, no Twitter, no MySpace or tour. Not even an e-mail list. Never underestimate the power of the Mojosity. The true sound of the American nutjob is forever. You can't kill rock 'n roll. The question is--did I lose a million dollars or gain a million fans?"

Juliana Hatfield's "Peace And Love" Set For Febuary Release

2009-10-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Peace And Love, Juliana Hatfield's latest album, will be released on February 16, 2010 on Ye Olde Records. Hatfield, of course, has a long history of DIY endeavors - from her trailblazing days with Boston indie band the Blake Babies to her recent releases on Ye Olde Records, the label she founded in 2005 - but with Peace And Love she reaches a new level of independence. She produced and engineered the album herself and played all the instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars, piano, harmonica and drum machine.

"I've produced records before but I was always in a studio with professional engineers. So it was definitely a learning process for me," says Hatfield, who was ready to strip things down after her critically acclaimed 2008 album, How To Walk Away, which was a full studio production. "I always like to try things I've never done before and I'd been yearning to record myself."

Hatfield had just purchased her brother's eight-track digital recorder and moved into a Cambridge apartment with a back room that had excellent natural acoustics, so the time was right. "I was able to follow every instinct without worrying that anyone was going to think it was a kooky idea," she recalls. "I just wanted to do something simple."

The result is an incredibly intimate collection of songs, expertly capturing the loneliness and collateral damage borne of broken relationships yet adamantly refusing to remain broken. In the liner notes, Boston Phoenix music editor James Parker gives it a name: "Survivor-music - because even at their most palpitatingly fragile, your songs have always been built to last. Well-made, strong-boned, fit to be played on streetcorners and station platforms."

Just as Hatfield stripped down the recording process, the characters that populate Peace And Love are ready to shed their convoluted lives. The lilting "Why Can't We Love Each Other" answers its own question by acknowledging that love is a choice: "we can make our lives a song/will it be a blues or a hymn/a dirge or a psalm/it could be so simple." But there's the rub, of course: it could be so simple...if it weren't for our propensity to muck things up.

From the plucked Elizabethan chords that introduce the opening "Peace And Love" and the feedback-drenched "What Is Wrong" to "Unsung," Hatfield's first-ever instrumental, and the closing "Dear Anonymous," written from the point of view of a victim who finds empathy for her stalker, the collection is both compelling and surprising. "Faith In Our Friends" celebrates those who "think you're just right the way you are" while Hatfield gains fresh perspective on her complex relationship with longtime friend Evan Dando on the exquisite, ethereal "Evan."

Peace And Love is Hatfield's 11th solo album and follows last year's How To Walk Away, which was hailed as "rueful and gorgeous," by Entertainment Weekly, which gave the album an A-. "After 20 years, the songstress still packs a wallop on her 10th album, featuring edgy tales of heartbreak sung with that classic sweetness," said Newsweek, naming it a "Checklist" pick of the week upon its release while Spin pronounced it "vital," awarding it three out of four stars. Her autobiography, entitled When I Grow Up, was published by Wiley & Sons in September 2008.

Hatfield first came to prominence in her teens as a founding member of the Blake Babies. After four independent albums with the group, she signed to Atlantic as a solo artist and had a string of modern-rock hits (including "My Sister," "Spin The Bottle" and "Universal Heartbeat"). She left the label in 1998, signing to Zoe Records (a Rounder Records imprint) and releasing four well-regarded albums, including 2004's In Exile Deo, named as one of that year's 10 best albums by The New York Times' Jon Pareles. In 2005, Hatfield came full circle, returning to her independent roots and founding Ye Olde Records.

The track listing for Peace and Love is as follows:

1. Peace and Love
2. The End Of The War
3. Why Can't We Love Each Other
4. Butterflies
5. What Is Wrong
6. Unsung
7. Evan
8. Let's Go Home
9. I Picked You Up
10. Faith In Our Friends
11. I'm Disappearing
12. Dear Anonymous

Motion City Soundtrack - New LP/Free MP3

2009-10-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Get Your Free Download of "Disappear"

They're back. It's official. Today you can listen to our first new studio recorded song in over 2 years!

They've posted "Disappear" from their forthcoming album My Dinosaur Life for you to download, to listen to, and hopefully if you like it, to pass it onto others.

Check motioncitysoundtrack.com all the info!

Live illScarlett Performance & Video Chat Tonight At 8PM EST

2009-10-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

At 8PM ET tonight illScarlett will be streaming a live acoustic set at www.illscarlett.com. After their set, you can send the band questions on twitter by addressing @illscarlett and they'll respond live on the video stream. So get your Q's ready, follow @illscarlett and we'll see you at www.illscarlett.com at 8PM est!

Take This, Disney!

2009-10-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Hahahahahahahah!!!!!!!

Ho-White? This is by far the coolest ad I've ever seen in my life.

As an ad, it’s exceptionally great, and very edgy. As a PR stunt, it’s even more magnificent. Australia’s Jamieson Brewery created an ad showing Snow White enjoying a post-sex cigarette as she lies naked in bed with the seven dwarves, or.... Whorves.

It was intended to go online, in liquor stores and on bar coasters, to promote the company’s rasberry ale. The tagline: “Anything but sweet.”

Of course, there’s just one problem: Jamieson doesn’t own the rights to Snow White. They belong to Disney, which is highly litigious when it comes to its IP rights. Disney, remember, is the company that persuaded Congress to change the law in order to give it 120 years of copyright protection over Mickey Mouse et al.

As as special CWG bonus, you'll win a free CD if you can guess which one's Humpy.

Two Nights of Shiloe

2009-10-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

As the press, we try not to play favorites, but L.A.'s Shiloe are one of our favorite local bands. They're performing two nights in Los Angeles, one at our Halloween party @ The CWG Mansion (see front of page for address and directions) and one @ the Troubador the following night.

Shiloe's performance at our Halloween party will be streamed live on the internet via Ustream.com (for those of you not in L.A.)

The following night, Shiloe are set to open for Girl in a Coma atthe Troubadour, one of Hollywood's most prestigious clubs, on Sunday, November1st.

Shiloe, who are currently at work on their debut full-lengthto be released in early 2010, have been making waves with their new single,"By the Daggers in Your Eyes." The song, which combines a drivingbeat and pulsing distorted bass line with instantly memorable lyrics and vocalmelodies, has been described as "the ideal anthem for the edgiest movieJohn Hughes never made." The track entered the Triple A SubModern radiocharts at #11 - the highest debut for any self-released single that week - andcontinued in the Top 25 for several subsequent weeks. Prominent localsupporters include KROQ's Kat Corbett and KCRW's Nic Harcourt. Shiloe was alsorecently selected as the Deli Magazine's "Band of the Month" in anonline reader's poll.

An all-girl three-piece hailing from San Antonio, Texas,Girl in a Coma count Morrissey, Tegan and Sara and Joan Jett among their many fans. The trio are signed toJett's record label, Blackheart Records, which recently released theirsophomore album, Trio B.C. Joining them on tour are the Brooklyn-based duoBlack Gold, who are currently set to open one of the upcoming Pixies shows atthe Hollywood Palladium.

The Troubadour show, which is expected to sell out, will include a Dia de los Muertos themed set by Shiloe to honor the post-Halloween Mexican holiday. Tickets are available from the venue or via Ticketmaster.

By The Daggers In Your Eyes.mp3 (from upcoming full-length, title TK)
The Death Of Madame Mustache.mp3 (from ...And Now the Screaming Starts EP)

Antennas Up Announce 3 Tracks in iTunes' Tap Tap Revenge 3 Game

2009-10-19T02:50:00.000-07:00

Antennas Up are pleased to announce that three tracks from their self-titled debut are included in ITunes’ Tap Tap Revenge 3 video game; they share company with likes like AFI, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Ben Harper, No Doubt and Dave Matthews Band! Tap Tap Revenge is the most popular iPhone videogame, with over 6 million downloads. Essentially, the game is a portable Guitar Hero, in which players tap their fingers as scrolling blobs speed down in time to the music. It is an ideal placement for a band who are obsessed with such pastimes.

When learning of a band who wears their fascination with spaceships, videogames and assorted results of hyper-accentuated technology on their sleeve as Antennas Up does, one might make the assumption that their obsession is a reflection of a rather cold persona. Thank God, their debut album is now available and any pre-conceived notions of frigid, scientific vibes are swept away by dance floor-worthy grooves that share loyalties to funk, neo-soul and electro-robot rock. The songs on this self-titled debut are incredibly inclusive, with hypnotic rhythms weaving in and out of infectious melodies, drawing listeners closer. Innovative studio techniques bring a modern edge to tunes that are guaranteed to fill the dance floor, generating collective joy between the audience and band. This kind of accessibility is not contrived but a direct reflection of three extremely extroverted guys who bonded together to make intelligent music that is also a lot of fun.

The songs on the album address a broad range of subjects, from the down-to-earth issues of relationships (“Don’t Wait Up”), to otherworldly accounts of time travel and spaceship romance (“5P4C35H1P”). Taking wildly disparate subjects and elaborate recording techniques and weaving a unified album is where the band’s talent shines – their allegiance to all that is dance-friendly provides the glue.

Unlike most indie bands, Antennas Up tour with an entire multimedia production that includes an interactive light and music show. Their tech-centered show started with a slight obsession with guitar effects pedals and morphed into a mini-mountain of effects and lights connected by over 1000 feet of cable. The band controls audio backing tracks, lights and video through one central box. Akers explains, “Of course the live show's cornerstone is the music. But to us, the show is about more than just what songs we perform. We want to set our show apart from what you would typically expect to see going to a club on a random Friday night. When people walk in and see a band with full stage production, it makes an impact. And what's great is, we bring our entire setup with us, and are able to duplicate it in every room across the country."

Antennas Up carved out their own musical realm, a domain in which the chillier aspects of technology are offset by the warmth and good humor emanating from this trio of musicians.

Listen to Antennas Up here: http://www.myspace.com/antennasup

The Kinks Choral Collection In Stores Nov 10th

2009-10-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

After massively successful career spanning more than 40 years, Ray Davies, the legendary lead singer of The Kinks, is back with creative and unusual interpretations of songs from his extensive catalogue. Often referred to as "almost indisputably rock's most literate, witty and insightful songwriter," Davies had the ambitious idea to collaborate with the 65-strong Crouch End Festival Chorus at the 2007 BBC Electric Proms in London to create The Kinks Choral Collection. This masterful CD will be in stores November 10th on Decca with a nationwide tour scheduled to coincide with the release. (U.S. dates to be announced soon.)

Produced by Davies himself and with uplifting, sometimes epic, choral arrangements by David Temple, Steve Markwick and Davies, this union casts a fresh light to some of The Kinks’ timeless compositions including striking new versions of classics such as “You Really Got Me”, “All Day And All Of The Night”, “Waterloo Sunset” and many more. Ray said of his Crouch End vocal colleagues; “With a song like ‘Waterloo Sunset’, I feel as if the people I wrote it for are singing it”. And they display an ingenious palette of choral techniques. Hearing ‘See My Friends’ recast as an acappella gospel hymn is instantly striking, hugely magnifying the impact of Ray’s life-after-death lyrics.

A fascinating feature of the program includes a six-song suite from the 1968 album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. Although not as well known as some of the bigger hits, this collection is now widely regarded as The Kinks’ masterpiece, with songs like “Do You Remember Walter?” which is a poignant memoir of a vanished childhood world.

Overall this inspirational new album offers so much to explore and admire from fans who own the entire Kinks catalogue on vinyl or to complete newcomers. This is a great introduction to Davies’ idiosyncratic, delightful world. A slice of pop history revived: “Thank you for the days . . . Days I’ll remember all my life”.

Tracklisting:
1. Days
2. Waterloo Sunset
3. You Really Got Me
4. Victoria
5. See My Friends
6. Celluloid Heroes
7. Shangri-La
8. Working Man’s Café
 
Tracks 9-14 Village Green Medley:
9. Village Green
10. Picture Book
11. Big Sky
12. Do You Remember Walter?
13. Johnny Thunder
14. Village Green Preservation Society
15. All Day and All Of The Night

Rammstein - Holy F*ck That's A Crazy Box Set

2009-10-15T02:18:00.001-07:00

**Editor's Note: WOW!

With the release of Rammstein’s new studio album, LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA, rapidly approaching the German sextet have announced plans for a very unique limited edition version of the 11-track release.

Available later this fall, following the Oct. 20 release date for the album, will be a flight case packaged with a LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA CD, six sex toys (numerically corresponding to the number of band members), handcuffs and lubricant.

Availability, pricing and release date to be announced shortly.

New EP from The Lawrence Arms Out Oct 27th

2009-10-15T00:41:00.001-07:00

Hot Dog! The Lawrence Arms have wiped their blurry eyes and have recorded a brand new EP titled Buttsweat and Tears to be released on vinyl and digitally via ITUNES on October 27th. In the meantime, check out what Brendan Kelly had to say about the EP:

"When my band, the Lawrence Arms, first started, we had this idea for a seven inch. We had the title picked out and we even knew what the cover was gonna be. We promised ourselves that our first seven inch would have this name and this cover. Well, we never did a seven inch (except for one that was part of a label series, which meant that the cover and the title were sort of more beholden to the big picture rather than our dumb ideas) and the whole thing kind of languished, and now, ten years later, in conjunction with our ten year anniversary show and subsequent West Coast run (the first run in over 2 years), we’ve got our first real seven inch on our hands. And guess what? We fucking named it the name that we thought up ten years ago. That’s right, assholes. When we decided what our first seven inch was gonna be called, ‘a digital release’ sounded like some sort of futuristic way to blow your load using your computer, and yet this fucking record is gonna be released digitally with an extra song. That’s, again, right, asshats. You guys wanna know what it’s called? Do you? It’s called Buttsweat and Tears. Why? Well, for one thing, they’re the two most secreted liquids from the three of us over the last decade, but of course we didn’t know that would be the case when we thought up the title. We just thought it sounded tough, you know?"

Nirvana's Never-Released 1992 Reading Concert Set To Debut November

2009-10-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ranked #1 in Kerrang Magazine’s “100 Gigs That Shook The World” and voted as “Nirvana’s #1 Greatest Moment” by fans in an NME poll, Nirvana’s historic August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at the UK’s Reading Festival is one of the most bootlegged concerts in the annals of rock n roll. Now, fans will have an opportunity to own a pristine copy of that entire performance -- color-corrected video from the original film with audio sourced from the original multi-track masters. Nirvana Live At Reading will be issued in a limited edition CD+DVD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only, CD-only configurations on November 3, 2009, followed by a 2LP version on November 17, 2009.

While the show’s centerpiece was a performance of nearly the entire Nevermind tracklist, also noteworthy were early performances of three as yet unrecorded songs which wouldn’t be released until 2 years later on In Utero: "All Apologies,” “Dumb,” and in its first ever public performance, “Tourettes." The career-spanning setlist also reached back to the band’s 1989 Sub Pop debut album, Bleach, for “Blew,” “About A Girl,” “School,” “Negative Creep” and first single “Love Buzz,” and even further back to the mid-‘80s for “Spank Thru.” Other songs from the Reading set would appear in studio form on the Incesticide compilation later in the year: “Aneurysm,” “Been A Son” and “Sliver.” Additionally, the band played a pair of beloved covers by two bands that helped shape the formative Nirvana sound – “The Money Will Roll Right In” by Fang and “D-7” by The Wipers.

Only 2 of the 25 performances on the DVD have ever been released before.

Nirvana Live At Reading DVD:
1. Breed
2. Drain You
3. Aneurysm
4. School
5. Sliver
6. In Bloom
7. Come As You Are
8. Lithium
9. About A Girl
10. Tourette's
11. Polly
12. Lounge Act
13. Smells Like Teen Spirit
14. On A Plain
15. Negative Creep
16. Been A Son
17. All Apologies
18. Blew
19. Dumb
20. Stay Away
21. Spank Thru
22. Love Buzz*
23. The Money Will Roll Right In
24. D-7
25. Territorial Pissings
* not included on CD/LP

Charlotte Heatherly Wants You To Discover Her New Worlds

2009-10-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Download "White"

For all the lip service paid to spontaneity in rock music, it's a quality that manifests all too rarely in contemporary rock, indie or otherwise. At some point, the image of the tortured genius pulling out hair over murky mixing-board wizardry dug into the public's consciousness and became part of the rock 'n' roll myth, but if we think about it, we eventually realize that no matter what digital wonders the new year brings us, some part of us will always hunger for raw clarity and simplicity in our music. Look no further than Charlotte Hatherley, who will release her U.S. debut New Worlds October 13th on Minty Fresh.

New Worlds is about "stripping away layers and trying to get to the heart of things". With this inspiration in mind, Charlotte Hatherley recorded New Worlds in one frenzied week in London - no demos, no overdubs and no time to spare. In her own words: "I wanted to get away from the elaborate and laborious studio record... I wanted something that would hit you in the face straight away". With her back to the wall, Charlotte created an album that finds revolutionary truth in colors, art and scenes of emotional honesty, and she channeled her jaw-dropping guitar chops into a visceral work that reverberates through the primal parts of your synapses.

After touring with U.K. Rockers Ash since age 17 and departing for a solo career in 2005, New Worlds marks the point where Charlotte Hatherley truly comes into her own as an artist. "The full lyrics to 'New Worlds' include 'we can make, such bright such great, new worlds' and that's exactly what I want to do through my music, create amazing, bright and inspiring New Worlds." She has succeeded.

Watch for Charlotte Hatherley to tour the U.S. soon, (you may have already caught her playing guitar for Bat For Lashes over the summer). Natasha Khan is only one of Charlotte's more recent converts - Andy Partridge of XTC and David Bowie have already given her glowing reviews.

The Script Set To Open For David Cook On Tour

2009-10-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

After just wrapping a very busy few months out on the road which included a string of dates opening for Legendary Paul McCartney, fellow Dubliners, U2 and their first official headlining tour of the U.S., The Script are gearing up to head back out on the road this fall in support of American Idol alum, David Cook.

The tour will kick off early November with The Script opening for rocker David Cook through early December. A string of confirmed dates are listed below with remaining dates set to be announced shortly.

The Script are Dubliners Danny O'Donoghue (keys and vocals), Mark Sheehan (guitar) and Glen Power (drums). This extremely talented trio's debut has already spawned numerous hit singles abroad, including the band's first official U.S. single, "The Man Who Can‚t Be Moved" which reached #1 in 5 countries and broke into the Top 20 at Adult Radio stateside with no signs of stopping. THE SCRIPT is currently 3x platinum in the UK, 8x platinum in Ireland, and is a story of both tragedy and triumph, struggle and survival - the epic journey of 3 Dublin boys from the wrong side of the tracks.

2008 proved to be an extremely successful year for The Script. With the release of their debut album in the UK landing them the #1 spot on the UK album chart, receiving The Best Irish Band Award at the World Music Awards, performing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, as well as selling out their first UK headlining tour in under 24 hours - The Script has taken America by storm. Since the U.S. release of THE SCRIPT, the band has performed on The Today Show, The View, Jimmy Kimmel to name a few, been hand-picked as VH1's powerful "You Oughta Know" artist, and have seen their tracks featured in the CBS hit show The Ghost Whisperer as well as throughout the entire season of VH1's Sober House. Most recently the band appeared on MTV's The Hills. Their current single, "Breakeven" is at radio now and soaring up the charts. Up next for The Script are appearances on the new hit CW show, 90210 airing this evening, The Ellen Degeneres Show airing October 14 and The Late Show with David Letterman scheduled for November 17.

For more information on The Script please visit: www.thescriptmusic.com

Never Shout Never Nominated For MTVU Breaking Woodie

2009-10-08T01:35:00.000-07:00

The Breaking Woodie – mtvU is where new developing artists are test driven for the first time by the toughest critics around: college students. One of this year's newest artists will win the coveted "Breaking Woodie."

All winners are determined by online voting. Let’s win this!!!

Vote for Never Shout Never.

It’s fall and that means Woodies time. MTV’s 24-hour college network, mtvU, today announced the nominees for the “2009 mtvU Woodie Awards”- the only music awards show dictated by the college audience. For the sixth year in a row, students and music fans from all over the country have nominated their favorite artists to vie for mtvU Woodies awards including Wale, Death Cab For Cutie, Kings of Leon, MGMT, Matt & Kim, Asher Roth, Drake, Kid Cudi, Silversun Pickups and 30H!3. The “2009 mtvU Woodie Awards” will air on Friday, December 4 at 10:00pm ET on mtvU, MTV, MTV2 and Palladia. mtvU will announce performers and presenters on a later date.

Nominated for the highly coveted “Breaking Woodie” are some today’s most buzzed about artists including Wale,Grizzly Bear, Never Shout Never, La Roux, Friendly Fires and Passion Pit. Asher Roth, Drake, MGMT,Silversun Pickups and Kings of Leon received nominations for “Woodie of the Year” while Death Cab For Cutie, Matt and Kim, Dead Weather, Anjulie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kid Cudi will battle it out for “Best Video Woodie.” Once again, the “mtvU Woodie Awards” will feature students in front of the camera and behind the scenes as they present and introduce the artists who inspire them the most.

On November 18, 2009, the historic Roseland Ballroom in New York City will be crammed with passionate music fans for the ultimate live event featuring musical performances, special appearances and winners receiving their piece of Woodie history. Performers who have graced the Woodies stage in previous years include Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Santigold, Gym Class Heroes, Lykke Li, All Time Low and Imogen Heap.

Voting begins today at woodies.mtv.com and runs through November 16.

College students established the “mtvU Woodie Awards” in 2004, propelling some of their favorite acts to the next level of their careers – including surging record sales, headlining tours and accolades at other award shows such as the MTV Video Music Awards. Since the first “mtvU Woodie Awards,” artists such as Fall Out Boy (Streaming Woodie ’04), the Killers (Breaking Woodie ’04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie ’05), Plain White Ts (Breaking Woodie ’06), Gym Class Heroes (Woodie of the Year ’07) and Paramore (Woodie of the Year ‘08), have enjoyed mainstream success after winning big at the Woodies.

Best College Radio Station and Best Music On Campus Woodie Award

Once again, mtvU is honoring 25 pioneering college radio stations committed to bringing students the latest indie and emerging music. Lauded for championing artists before they achieve mainstream success, these student-run radio stations represent the new music vanguard long since abandoned by traditional FM radio. The top stations are chosen based off accolades from CMJ College Radio acknowledgements, Princeton Review Nominations, on line votes and independent questionnaires completed by a cross-section of record labels. This year mtvU utilized RateMyProfessors.com to let students narrow down the nominees via online voting at the site.

For the third year in a row, mtvU is teaming up with www.bestmusiconcampus.com to recognize the student artists who resonate most with their peers nationwide. Voting is open to all college artists currently registered on bestmusiconcampus.com. Of the eligible nominees, one artist or group will take home the “Best Music on Campus Woodie,” capturing a $5,000 cash prize, and will be featured on mtvU.

The nominees for the 2009 “mtvU Woodie Awards” are:

Woodie of the Year – (Artist of the Year)
The artists who made the biggest splash on mtvU and the college music scene this past year.

Nominees:
Asher Roth (SRC/Universal Mowtown/Schoolboy)
Kings of Leon (RCA)
Drake (Universal Republic/Young Money)
MGMT (Columbia/Red Ink)
Silversun Pickups (Dangerbird Records)

The Breaking Woodie – (Best Emerging Artist)
mtvU is where new developing artists are test driven for the first time by the toughest critics around: college students. One of this year’s newest artists will win the coveted “Breaking Woodie.”

Nominees:
Grizzly Bear (Warp Records)
Never Shout Never (Warner Bros./Loveway Records)
Wale (Allido/Interscope)
La Roux (Interscope/Cherytree)
Friendly Fires (XL Recordings)
Passion Pit (Columbia/Frenchkiss Records)

Left Field Woodie – (Most Original Artist)
They are genre-busters. They resist classification. They came out of left field, and we are still not sure what section of the record store to find them.

Nominees:
Amanda Blank (Downtown Records)
Janelle Monae (Bad Boy Records)
Major Lazer (Downtown Records)
Jay Reatard (Matador Records)
Tech N9ne (Strange Music Inc)

Best Video Woodie – (Best Video of the Year)
The music video that is so incredible, we would watch it even without the music.

Nominees:
Matt & Kim "Lessons Learned" (Cornerstone/Fader)
The Dead Weather "Treat Me Like Your Mother" (Warner Bros./Third Man)
Death Cab for Cutie "Grapevine Fires" (Atlantic)
Anjulie "Boom" (Hear Music)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Heads will Roll" (DGC/Interscope)
Kid Cudi "Day N Nite" (G.O.O.D Music/Fool's Gold/Universal Motown)

Performing Woodie – (Best Tour)
For those artists who take to the road and never let up, always giving that memorable live performance.

Nominees:
Green Day (Reprise/Warner Bros.)
Phoenix (Glassnote)
3OH!3 (Atlantic/Photo Finish)
Animal Collective (Domino)
POS (Rhymesayers)

The Good Woodie – (Greatest Social Impact)
The award for the artist whose commitment to a social cause has effected the greatest change this year.

Nominees:
John Legend (Columbia Records) – Show Me Campaign
John Legend founded the Show Me Campaign to help end poverty through sustainable development at the individual, family, and community levels. H is organization works closely with Millennium Promise and the people of Mbola,Tanzania to implement practical solutions to poverty including cle an water, improved health care and education, higher-yielding agriculture, and internet connectivity.

Wyclef Jean (Columbia Records) – Yele Haiti
Wyclef Jean has been active in his support of his native country and created the foundation Yéle Haiti to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Haiti. Yéle Haiti is a non-political organization intended to empower the people ofHaiti and the Haitian diaspora to rebuild their nation.

Kenna (Interscope Records) – PlayPumps
Kenna began working closely with PlayPumps at the beginning of 2009 in an effort to bring 100 PlayPumps water systems to Africa. PlayPumps' goal is to provide access to clean drinking water to ten million people. Kenna also started his own organization, called Summit on the Summit, with the intent to promote safe water drinking worldwide and to teach the importance of setting and attaining goals – physically and emotionally – by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and documenting his experience.

Jamie Tworkowski – To Write Love on Her Arms
Jamie Tworkowski founded To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

Ra Ra Riot (Barsuk Records) – John Ryan Pike Memorial Foundation
When the band's 23-year-old drummer, John Pike, passed away tragically, his family and the band formed the John Ryan Pike Memorial Foundation, to encourage and promote music and the performing arts.

Alicia Keys (J Records) -Keep a Child Alive/AIDSactivism
Alicia Keys is a devoted AIDS activist and philanthropist. In 2003, she co-founded Keep a Child Alive (KCA), a people’s movement that provides life-saving AIDS medicine and surrounding care to children and families in Africa andIndia. KCA also provides support to AIDS orphans left behind to keep the most vulnerable children out of harms way.

Alizé Announces National Bus Tour "Alizé Academy"

2009-10-08T01:25:00.000-07:00

9 week national promotional tour hits 48 markets across 13 states featuring live music, casting calls for Season 2 of the hit online reality show Concrete + Cashmere and features highly buzzed MC Izza Kizza as host

Alizé, a premium liqueur imported from France, is pleased to announce the launch of their national bus tour, Alizé Academy. Trailblazing original entertainment for Alizé, the tour fuses exclusive access to a must see live performance from critically acclaimed MC Izza Kizza, casting for the online reality show Concrete + Cashmere, VIP swag & signature Alizé Sno Cones on a huge 40-foot party bus. Stopping at 48 markets across 13 states (full routing below), each city will live the Alizé lifestyle to the fullest for one night.

Reflecting the uniqueness and diversity of tastemaker’s cosmopolitan lifestyle, the Alizé Academy will serve as a natural union of music, fashion & contemporary culture. Consumers will experience the Alizé lifestyle first hand by offering access to an Alizé lounge, the opportunity to sample exotic cocktails & mouth-watering Alizé Sno Cones and entry into the hottest nightlife scenes their respective city has to offer. For 3 months, the Alizé Academy will satisfy the high-demand requests of these trendsetters.

"With the launch of the Alizé Academy tour, Alizé continues to push the envelope with creative content development, while sticking to grass root components that touch consumers,” says Alizé Brand Manager, Cheryl Talley. "Alizé strives to keep its consumers enjoying life as its meant to be; organically, passionately & creatively. We can only do that by setting an example, and the Alizé Academy tour does just that.”

Keeping the excitement at top speed, highly buzzed Decon Records’ own Izza Kizza will serve as master of ceremonies for the Alizé Academy tour. Rolling Stone Magazine named him Top 10 CMJ Bands to perform and SPIN Magazine calls his sound “a cozy vibe of an old-school Saturday afternoon jam with a visionary spaciness…” amongst being heralded by URB, Paste & Fader Magazine. After working with high energy acts like Grammy Award winning singer/MC Missy Elliot, Colin Munroe & 88-Keys for his acclaimed Wizard of Iz Mixtape, his debut album Saturday Morning releases early 2010.

After overwhelming response to Season 1 of the web-based reality show Concrete + Cashmere, Alizé is gearing up for Season 2 hosting castings along the road at each Academy stop. Season 2 will be all about music and is in search of music lovers, dancers, DJs, songwriters, producers, musicians…anyone with a passion for music. The first season of Concrete + Cashmere follows 8 fashion upstarts as they try to establish themselves in the competitive fashion industry. The contestants have made the ultimate pilgrimage to the Mecca of Fashion, New York City, to live under one roof as roommates and competitors, each striving to win the ultimate $10,000 Grand Prize and Career Polishing Pack. Contestants are joined by a cast of guest judges including Christian Siriano (Bravo’s “Project Runway”), Erin Lucas (MTV’s “The City”), Angel Chang (Bravo’s “Fashion Show”), Dee & Ricky (Fashion Designers), DJ Rashida ( MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew”) and Anjulie (Music Artist) amongst others.

Alizé Academy is the next step in lifestyle programming and cultural entertainment brought to consumers by Alizé, and once again reminds us that Life Is More Colorful When You Mix It Up!

Tour Dates:

9/17 Boulder, CO
9/18 Fort Collins, CO
9/22 Macomb, IL
9/23 Peoria, IL
9/24 Normal, IL
9/25 Urbana, IL
9/27 East Lansing, MI
9/28 Detroit, MI
9/29 Detroit, MI
9/30 Ann Arbor, MI
10/2 Buffalo, NY
10/3 Syracuse, NY
10/4 Ithaca, NY
10/5 Albany, NY
10/6 Amherst, MA
10/8 Montclair, NJ
10/9 New Brunswick, NJ
10/10 Baltimore, MD
10/11 Philadelphia, PA
10/12 Philadelphia, PA
10/14 Camden, NJ
10/15 Newark, DE
10/16 Dover, DE
10/17 Norfolk, VA
10/18 Fairfax, VA
10/19 Hampton, VA
10/21 Chapel Hill, NC
10/22 Greensboro, NC
10/23 Washington D.C.
10/24 Washington D.C.
10/26 Columbia, SC
10/28 Gainesville, FL
10/29 Tallahassee, FL
10/31 Baton Rouge, LA
11/1 Grambling, LA
11/3 Dallas, TX
11/4 Houston, TX
11/7 San Diego, CA
11/8 Los Angeles, CA
11/10 Santa Barbara, CA
11/11 Santa Barbara, CA
11/12 San Luis Obispo, CA
11/13 San Luis Obispo, CA
11/14 Fresno, CA
11/15 Santa Cruz, CA
11/17 Sacramento, CA
11/18 Sacramento, CA
11/19 Chico, CA

Tegan And Sara To Release New Album "Sainthood"

2009-09-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

One of the most celebrated and Beloved forces in modern music, Canadian pop-rock icons Tegan and Sara will release their eagerly awaited sixth studio album, entitled "Sainthood," on October 27th on Sire/Vapor Records.

"Sainthood" was produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla (who also produced 2007’s critically applauded "The Con") and Howard Redekopp (who produced 2004’s groundbreaking effort "So Jealous") and mixed by Grammy Award winner Dave Sardy (Oasis, Primal Scream, Marilyn Manson).

The follow-up to 2007’s "The Con," "Sainthood" addresses secular themes of devotion, delusion, and exemplary behavior in the pursuit of love and relationships. The songs, Tegan and Sara say, were “inspired by emotional longing and the quiet actions we hope may be noticed by the objects of our affection. "Sainthood" is about obsession with romantic ideals. In the service of relationships we practice being perfect. We practice our sainthood in the hope that we will be rewarded with adora tion. As we are driven to become anything for someone else, we sometimes become martyrs for our cause.

Love, like faith, can never be held in an individual’s hands. But the story of a great love affair – especially one that is unrequited or has ended too soon – can be woven like scripture or a bedtime story. And so the themes of "Sainthood" are tied together by this simple title, borrowed, with great respect, from the lyrics of the Leonard Cohen song ‘Came So Far For Beauty’: ‘I practiced all my sainthood / I gave to one and all / But the rumors of my virtue / They moved her not at all.’”

Tegan and Sara began recording "Sainthood" in May at the legendary Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA, where Tom Petty, Nirvana, and Fleetwood Mac have all recorded. They finished laying down tracks at Seattle’s Two Sticks Audio, owned by Death Cab drummer Jason McGerr.

Tegan and Sara have also recently completed their first ever set of books, titled "On, In, At". The three-book set chronicles different time periods in writing and photographs from the past year of Tegan and Sara's lives: their 2008 US national tour, their 2009 Australian tour, and a joint writing session in New Orleans for the new album. The books are being released in conjunction with the "Sainthood" pre-sale.

To celebrate the release of "Sainthood," Tegan and Sara will perform four very special shows: October 25th and 26th at Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theater, and October 30th and 31st at New York City’s Town Hall. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now.

Also confirmed: Tegan and Sara will perform live on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Nov 2. Check local listings for details. Plans for a full U.S. tour in February 2010 in support of "Sainthood" will be announced soon. Canadian tour dates have just been announced.

The track-listing for SAINTHOOD:
Arrow
Don’t Rush
Hell
On Directing
Red Belt
The Cure
Northshore
Night Watch
Alligator
Paperback Head
The Ocean
Sentimental Tune
Someday

For info, tour dates, merch, personal blogs and much more,
visit: www.teganandsara.com

Tegan and Sara meet ON IN AT from Tegan and Sara on Vimeo.

Caecilie Trier Releases Solo Project 'Chimes & Bells' On Minty Fresh

2009-09-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Download "Into Pieces of Wood"
by Chimes & Bells
Off "Into Pieces of Wood"

MP3 Courtesy of Minty Fresh Records

Chimes & Bells is the brainchild of 26 year old Danish singer and cellist Caecilie Trier.The classically trained multi-instrumentalist has long been a major part of the Copenhagen indie scene, performing with several renowned bands including the highly acclaimed Choir Of Young Believers. However, with Chimes & Bells, she submerges into her own songwriting for the first time. Formed in 2008, Chimes & Bells was quickly signed to local Copenhagen indie label Tigerspring and the debut EP "Into Pieces Of Wood" was released today on Minty Fresh.
The music of Chimes & Bells defies formal genre definitions, but contains elements of noise rock, art pop, shoegazer and r&b. On "Into Pieces Of Wood" slow, brooding and circular song structures are seamlessly intertwined with dark, gleaming "diamond-in-the-rough" pop melodies and climatic explosions of melodic noise rock.

Caecilie's deep, booming, soulful voice almost a force of nature in itself - combined with the shuffling, gritty and organic groove of the band, creates a hauntingly beautiful and highly alluring soundscape, centered around layered vocal harmonies, cello, organ, guitar, bass and drums. While "Into Pieces Of Wood" focused on arrangements and melodies growing out of a single note from a cello or keyboard, resulting in a hypnotic, almost meditative style, new and upcoming material embraces pop structures and catchy melodies to a new degree, and introduces elements of roots r&b and a ramshackle, almost bluesy minimalism.

Caecilie will be performing with Choir Of Young Believers on their U.S. tour that kicks off October 18th in Seattle and ends in Chicago on October 26th. If you would like to set up an interview or attend the show please contact me.

www.myspace.com/chimesandbells

Strung Out Offer Full Album Stream

2009-09-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Veteran punk outfit Strung Out are releasing their 7th studio album, "Agents of the Underground," this week.

The folks at Spinner.com are streaming the album in its entirety.

Stream Strung Out's new album, 'Agents of The Underground.'

OK Go To Release New Album In January

2009-09-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

The mind-bending band that gave us what is largely considered the decade's most viewed music video (even the Simpsons parodied it), the treadmill-manned "Here It Goes Again" is back. Never content to rest on their laurels, OK Go is preparing to tread anything but familiar territory with their upcoming new album, Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky releasing on January 12, 2010 on Capitol Records.

The 13-track opus is the long-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed Oh No, which spawned the 2007 Grammy-award-winning video hit "Here It Goes Again" (setting numerous viewing records as it helped transform the then-fledgling YouTube into a household name)." Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is currently primed to kick off 2010 as one of the new year's most buzzed-about releases. According to lead singer, Damian Kulash, the new album springs from a different departure point than previous OK Go releases. "It's not so much that we headed in a new direction. I think we've just expended the guitar-rock ideas from our teens and we're starting to get at more root-level influences. There's a lot of Purple Rain on this record - an album I haven't stopped listening to since I got it when I was eleven."

Kulash added that record's title comes from an 1876 book promoting the erroneous theory that blue light cures all ills. As fits a record influenced by Prince and crackpot 19th century arm-chair scientists, the record is both danceable and contemplative; it's introspective, with a vein of surrealism running through it. There's a song that considers the earth before it was round, one sung by a man who's traded places with his reflection, and plenty of heartbreak and (attempts at) hope, mostly hung on a groovier backbone than we've heard from OK Go before. "We started these songs with a groove," Damian says. "They started as base feelings, not chord progressions or lyrical ideas, and then we layered." After 2005's Oh No, recorded nearly live with minimal overdubs, and their swaggering 2008 EP You're not Alone, backed by the trombone band Bonerama (a benefit for musicians displaced by hurricane Katrina), this new sound comes as something of a departure.

Funk-edged songs such as "Skyscrapers," "All Is Lost," "White Knuckles," and the Prince-inspired, odd-time-signature hip shaker "WTF?" embody the album's heady flow of adventurous undercurrents. "This album is the most layered production we've ever done," says Damian. Produced by ex-Mercury Rev member David Fridmann (Flaming Lips, MGMT), Damian acknowledges that Fridmann's singular production style and secluded studio environment in Fredonia, NY ('you have to drive fifteen minutes for a cup of coffee' he notes) added to the CDs emotive heft. "We were there to work, and for weeks on end it snowed and we just lived in the bubble with our songs." Amazingly, the band's original pool of song ideas numbered more than a hundred, with the group eventually narrowing the choices down to manageable double digits.

Kulash has also kept himself busy with an assortment of activist endeavors - he testified in support of internet neutrality before a Congressional Special Task Force. He and bandmate, Andy Ross, met with leaders on Capitol Hill in the spring of 2008 to advocate for the same. The band also met with then-candidate, Barack Obama, about the specter of access-limiting online practices, and other issues, with the group eventually appearing in ads in support of Obama. OK Go also took time from their non-stop touring regimen (31 consecutive months over five continents) to raise money in support of New Orleans' music culture in the wake of Katrina. The band's efforts with Bonerama raised more than half of the money for soul legend Al "Carnival Time" Johnson's new home in New Orleans.

Damian and the rest of the band look forward to full-fan reaction to Of the Blue Colour of the Sky come January. "I think it sounds more like us than anything else we've done," he says. "Its more like the music that's in the back of my head, just out of reach, that I've been trying to get to for so long. And it embodies contradiction in a way I feel connected to. It's both the saddest and the most hopeful music we've made, and both the danciest and most thoughtful."

Bodega Girls - Apparently They Bring The Party... Tell Your Friends!

2009-09-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Download "She's Into Black Guys"

BODEGA GIRLS, a band of tricksters, hedonists and good-for-nothings whose morals defy even the most perverted of human beings. BODEGA GIRLS Only an audience so bloodthirsty and sex starved as they could take pleasure in the world of bra-busting, pants-dropping debauchery they have to offer. BODEGA GIRLS A musical troupe performing acts of sexuality and persuasion with their own God-given instruments, turning on the already depraved, as well as the naive. .. BODEGA GIRLS A sick cinematic slew of sweaty skimp and callous kink.

An unadulterated penetration into the gaping hole of the sicko's soul...

BODEGA GIRLS The human id - illustrated in flesh and guitar strings. Hourglass figures and experienced fingers prance and wriggle their way across the stage, screen and into your psyche. An orgy of sleaze, desire, and rock and roll music - brought to life in bouncy, jiggly technicolor... BODEGA GIRLS Hedonistic purveyors of Soul, too well endowed and too world renowned to be confined to lo rent clubs and white bred soundstages – look for their sonic ebony to explode at a party near you. BODEGA GIRLS
Dance. Fuck. Sweat. Dance some more. BODEGA GIRLS

The Used To Release Music Video Collection

2009-09-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Reprise Records artist, The Used, have announced the release of The Beginning: The Used Music Video Collection. The limited edition DVD contains the complete archives of The Used’s professional music videos, in chronological order. The Beginning will be available only at www.theused.net starting September 22, 2009.

The Used are out now supporting the release of their fourth studio album, Artwork, which is in stores now. After a European run they will return home to begin a nationwide headlining fall tour. The month-long run kicks off October 9th in Las Vegas, NV and runs through November 13th in Seattle, WA. The Almost and Drive A will be supporting.

Critical acclaim for the Matt Squire-produced Artwork has been effusive. Outburn (which the band currently graces the cover of) praised its "humbling ability to sound scrappy and raw while being perfectly polished and huge," while Alternative Press states "The Used have delivered not only the definitive album of their career but arguably one of the best records you'll hear in 2009. 4 ½ stars."

The band’s legions of fans are responding as well. The first single, "Blood On My Hands" premiered on iTunes with over 5k downloads in the first day, the highest digital debut in the band's history. The video for the song debuted on MySpace and shot directly to the #1 spot, with 200,00 views in the first 24 hours. The Used performed “Blood On My Hands” to a sold out crowd on Jimmy Kimmel Live September 11, 2009.

Tracklisting for The Beginning: The Used Music Video Collection:
A Box Full of Sharp Objects
The Taste of Ink
Buried Myself Alive
Take It Away
All That I've Got
I Caught Fire
The Bird & The Worm
Pretty Handsome Awkward
Blood On MY Hands

LoveHateHero - Full Album Stream All This Week

2009-09-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles rock band LoveHateHero is currently streaming America Underwater, its new release in stores September 29 on Ferret Music, all over the Worldwide Web via Myspace, Facebook, Purevolume, iLike, Last FM, as well as on Ferret's iPhone App so you can listen while you are away from your computer.

The band’s third full length release focuses more on its well-developed vocal melodies and cleanly polished hooks, clearly showing a band that has matured and hit its stride.

"Everyone's better at what they're doing so we were able to get more creative," singer Pierrick Berube explains. "The album still holds true to the band's sound but adds so much more depth, while at the same time being a more care free album.”

Receiving 3 ½ stars from Alternative Press, the tastemaker magazine wrote of American Underwater: “Bursting with strong melodies…their choruses are the kind that can only be removed from your brain by surgery or a bullet.”

If storming the Internet with 10 brand new anthems isn’t enough, LoveHateHero has also released its brand new video for the title track off America Underwater. Shot in Lake Mohave, AZ this past summer, the clip was directed by Spence Nicholson (Hollywood Undead, Hit the Lights, The Devil Wears Prada).

Stream America Underwater and watch new video at:
http://www.myspace.com/lovehatehero
http://www.ilike.com/artist/LoveHateHero
http://www.reverbnation.com/lovehatehero
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ferret+Music/songs
http://www.purevolume.com/lovehatehero
http://www.facebook.com/ferretmusic
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/LoveHateHero/9989801524

One Republic - New Single

2009-09-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Check out OneRepublic's new single "All The Right Moves."

The powerful, drum-heavy track will appear on their forthcoming album, Waking Up, which is due out on November 17th.

Visit OneRepublic.net for more info and upcoming tour dates with Rob Thomas.

Octopus Project Re-Release First Two Albums

2009-09-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

On the heels of a new EP and recent North American tour, Austin group The Octopus Project are returning to the studio to record their next full-length. To tide fans over in the meantime, the band's first two albums have been reissued on vinyl and are available in stores now. The band's haunting debut, Identification Parade, was originally issued by Peek-A-Boo Records in 2002, and deftly combines the experimentation of progressive post-rock, the blips and bleeps of electronic music and the raw, human ROCK of rock. Recorded and assembled over several years while the band was still mostly a recording project, Identification Parade is far more etherial, hypnotic and atmospheric than subsequent albums, and has been best described as "ambidextrous equipment failure junk-tronica."

Several years and many tours later, the 2005 sophomore album, One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, captured the barely-controlled chaos of The Octopus Project's live performances in a rich, surround sound, 3-D, technicolor studio amalgamation injected with the wild energy they felt in noisy, tightly-packed clubs. It was this album that caught the attention of Rolling Stone Senior Editor David Fricke, who described the band's sound as "an outtake of the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' with Mogwai as the studio band" and "tightly composed bundles of synthesized whoop and circus-calliope cheer... like Stereolab with happy feet."

Identification Parade has never appeared on vinyl until now. One Ten Hundred Thousand Million was originally released on vinyl in a very limited edition of 500 copies with alternate hand-screened cover artwork. Peek-A-Boo Records is very excited to finally make both of these stellar albums available for vinyl enthusiasts.

New Found Glory Tour Contest

2009-09-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

A message from Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory):

Support Your Local Scene!

Before NFG head out on tour with Dashboard Confessional this fall we will be doing a limited amount of smaller intimate club shows. For the past few years NFG have not been able to hook up local bands due to a full traveling line up. We know how important it is to support local bands and local music scenes. That is how NFG got our start. We use to open locally in South Florida for bands like MxPx, the Get Up Kids, Unwritten Law,Bane etc. Playing those shows helped build our band and build our local scene. This tour will give us an opportunity to finally help out a little.

We ask you to "Tweet" @xchadballx and @steveisdareason some suggestions for local bands to open up the NFG show in their town. Please check http://www.myspace.com/newfoundglory for all the tour dates. Make sure you request bands only for our own headline shows, Not the shows we will be playing with Dashboard Confessional.

We do not want to piss any one off or discourage any bands so NFG will not be picking the specific band. We are just compiling a list of bands that we get the most requests for and submitting it to the local promoter to pick.

Also on all of these shows will be a fellow Floridian band called Fallen From The Sky and Pennsylvania's TITLE FIGHT!

thanks so much and we hope to see you all this fall!

Mishka Spiro Trio Releases Awesome In New York

2009-09-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

eMusic | Napster

Old School goes to New School with The Mishka Spiro Trio. Their blend of classic and modern jazz sensibilities is perfectly embodied by the title of their EP CD, "Awesome in New York."

Technically headquartered in Los Angeles, the group is led by Tel Aviv song stylish Mishka Spiro, whose own gigs as a solo artist frequently swing her around Europe. Songwriting and guitar for the The Mishka Spiro Trio is provided by Scott Fivelson, who co-wrote and produced a film about the music business, "American Reel," starring David Carradine, Michael Maloney, and Mariel Hemingway. He's also a published novelist, with his satirical "Tuxes" (BeachSide Press).

Highlighting the jazz trio's sound is the incredible Zane Musa, considered by many to be one of the new shining lights of the L.A. jazz scene. Zane's own solo work can be enjoyed at
www.zanemusa.com.

Yeah, they like L.A., but The Mishka Spiro Trio's going to be "Awesome in
New York."

Foo Fighters Greatest Hits - Tracklist Revealed - Out Nov. 3

2009-09-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Career-Spanning Collection With Two Newly-Recorded Tracks - Out Nov 3.

The track listing and contents of Foo Fighters' Greatest Hits have
been confirmed, for both a 16-track standard edition as well as a
deluxe version featuring a DVD encompassing a select videography of
the band's classic clips as well as live performances captured at
Wembley Stadium, Hyde Park, the intimate Skin + Bones theater tour and
more--not to mention a few possible treats for Easter egg hunters. The
deluxe edition will also include a 28-page bound book featuring
numerous never before seen photos chronicling the band's 15-year history.
Both the standard and deluxe configurations, as well as a collectors 180
gram vinyl edition, will be released November 3 on Roswell/RCA.

In addition to the dozen-plus anthems that have charted the band's
rise to Grammy winning, multi-platinum, arena and stadium headlining
status the world over, Foo Fighters' Greatest Hits features two newly
recorded songs available only on this compilation: The new single
"Wheels" and "Word Forward"--both recorded especially for this
collection at the band's own fabled 606 studio complex with producer
Butch Vig. "Wheels" is also the subject of the latest soon to be
classic Foo Fighters video, appropriately included on the deluxe DVD
and reuniting the band with director Sam Brown who lensed the
unforgettable clip for "The Pretender."

Greatest Hits covers every phase of the 15-year-and-counting run that
began with 1995's Foo Fighters, with its classic singles "This Is A
Call" and "Big Me," and has since yielded six platinum-plus records
and as many Grammys . The double-platinum The Colour & The Shape,
originally issued in 1997 and since reissued in a deluxe 10th
anniversary edition is recalled here not only by "Monkeywrench,"
"Everlong" and "My Hero," but by the first ever studio recording of
"Everlong (acoustic)." Consecutive Best Rock Album Grammy winners
There Is Nothing Left To Lose (1999) and One By One (2002) are
represented by two pairs of classics respectively: ""Learn To Fly" and
"Breakout," and "All My Life" and "Times Like These," while 2005's two-
disc electric/acoustic 10th anniversary opus In Your Honor yields the
perennial FF final encore "Best Of You." The intimate 2006 acoustically
augmented theater tour documented on the Skin + Bones album and DVD
is commemorated here by that collection's title track.
Greatest Hits is completed by "The Pretender" and "Long Road To
Ruin," a double shot from 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,
which earned the Foos their third Best Rock Album Grammy and set off
the band's biggest ever headlining tour, which peaked with a two-night
stand at London's Wembley Stadium attended by 165,000 fans-setting the
venue's two-night attendance record-and immortalized on the 18-song
Foo Fighters: Live At Wembley Stadium DVD.

FOO FIGHTERS: GREATEST HITS
All My Life
Best Of You
Everlong
The Pretender
My Hero
Learn To Fly
Times Like These
Monkeywrench
Big Me
Breakout
Long Road To Ruin
This is a Call
Skin and Bones
Wheels
Word Forward
Everlong (acoustic)

Tokyo Police Club Sign Deal With Mom + Pop

2009-09-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

SOPHOMORE ALBUM OUT EARLY 2010

Tokyo Police Club, the Newmarket Ontario quartet hailed by Rolling Stone as "poised to become the biggest Canadian export since Molson," have signed an exclusive U.S. recording deal with mom+pop. The band is currently recording its second full length album, with an expected release projected for early 2010.

Tokyo Police Club is made up of Greg Alsop (drums), Josh Hook (guitar), David Monks (vocals, bass) and Graham Wright (keys/percussion). The band formed in 2005 and released its debut EP A Lesson In Crime the following year to instant and universal acclaim, with Entertainment Weekly raving "we can hardly wait for the full length." One more EP, a digital-only single and a few laps around the world later, Tokyo Police Club's debut album, Elephant Shell was released in April 2008. Elephant Shell's release was preceded by multiple sold out shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto, and followed by appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and, oddly enough, Desperate Housewives. Critical response to the full length was even more enthusiastic and diverse, with the likes of GQ ("Strokes-caliber catchiness"), Elle ("a smart, furiously played sugar-rush debut") and Men's Health ("an aural adrenaline rush all the way") all lavishing praise. The band toured relentlessly to support Elephant Shell, appearing in the U.S. as recently as the August 2009 All points West Festival.

mom+pop was formed in 2008 by Cliff Burnstein, Peter Mensch and Michael Goldstone. Burnstein and Mensch are the owners of Qprime, one of music's most respected management firms, with a roster featuring the likes of Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, Muse, Silversun Pickups, and The Mars Volta, among others. Goldstone is a veteran A&R exec whose most recent tenure at Sire saw him sign Regina Spektor and Tegan and Sara. In August 2008, he inked Joshua Radin as the first artist on the mom+pop label. Radin's album, Simple Times, released 21 days later on September 9, has since sold over 100,000 units and 400, 000 tracks. Other mom+pop artists include An Horse, signed to the label by Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara. mom+pop is a fully staffed label distributed independently by RED.

Beastie Boys Re-Release "Hello Nasty" September 22

2009-09-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

Classic "Sabotage" Video Receives Retroactive Honors at 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

The last installment of the deluxe, remastered, expanded and altogether awesome Beastie Boys catalogue reissues has been confirmed: The multi-platinum 1998 opus Hello Nasty will be given the 2-CD/vinyl box set/multi-format treatment featuring 21 bonus tracks and rarities, including 10 never before released items (tracks/skits). Pre-order/digital release begins September 15 at Beastie Boys.com, followed by a September 22 physical release on Capitol Records.

Preceded by the universal smash "Intergalactic," Hello Nasty crashed into the #1 spots of charts worldwide upon its July 1998 release, with first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. alone. Buoyed by the launch of the 360 in the round tour, Hello Nasty would yield B Boys classics "Body Movin'," "Three MCs and One DJ," "Remote Control," "Super Disco Breakin'" and more, win two Grammys, see the band presented with an MTV Video Vanguard lifetime achievement award, and ultimately sell some 7 million copies worldwide.

Hello Nasty will be available in a variety of configurations ranging from a basic digital download of the original album and b-sides to a 43-track 2-CD set to limited edition deluxe package of four 180-gram vinyl LPs featuring the deluxe remastered album, 21 bonus tracks and rarities, a Hello Nasty Collectors Edition PATCH in an 8-panel gatefold package enclosed in a hardcover "coffee table book" case. The deluxe vinyl version will be strictly limited to 1500 pieces. For a full rundown of configurations and combinations thereof, see BeastieBoys.com. In other news, the classic Spike Jonze/Nathanial Hornblower video interpretation of "Sabotage" finally received its due at this weekend's 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, where it was awarded Best Video (That Should Have Won A Moonman) honors.

Beastie Boys historians will no doubt recall the fracas that ensued when "Sabotage" was robbed at the 1994 VMAs, prompting Adam "MCA" Yauch's intoxicated uncle to rush the stage and demand a recount.

Olafur Arnalds To Release 'Found Songs' On Erased Tapes

2009-09-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

In April 2009, Iceland's neo-classical export Ólafur Arnalds created the 7-song series 'Found Songs' - recording a song a day for 7 days and instantly making each track available via Twitter. With artwork contributions from fans via Flickr, this modern release awakens memories of a tradition that seemed lost in the digital age we live in. Ólafur's 'Found Songs' will now see a proper North American release on cinematic pop label Erased Tapes on November 10.

Born in 1987, Ólafur hails from the suburban Icelandic town, Mosfellsbær, just a few kilometers outside of Reykjavík. He has immersed himself completely in a world of delicate symphonic compositions generating near weightless orchestral pieces. Arnalds explores the crossover from classical to pop by mixing chamber strings and piano with discreet electronics which makes him a perfect fit for Erased Tapes. His motivations are clear: "The classical scene is kind of closed to people who haven't been studying music all their lives. I would like to bring my classical influence to the people who don't usually listen to this kind of music...open people's minds."

This young artist is steadily gaining recognition worldwide since his 2007 debut 'Eulogy for Evolution'. The 2008 follow-up EP 'Variations of Static' earned Ólafur acclaim from both the contemporary and classical field - transcending a traditional divide by uniting their ideals. After filling London's world-famous Barbican Hall, fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós invited Ólafur to open their most recent European shows, playing to an audience of over 5,000 per night.

So far more than 100.000 people downloaded the 'Found Songs' series via foundsongs.erasedtapes.com. Each track inspired a wealth of artwork from his fans - submitted via Flickr. Hosting this project on their official website, Erased Tapes Records watched the collaboration between Arnalds and his online audience flourish and found it fitting to combine the music and artwork into one complete work. A re-mastered physical and limited edition will now be released in as a CD, 10" Vinyl and high-quality Download.

But 'Found Songs' hasn't just inspired 2-D work. Esteban Diácono - a young motion graphic artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina - created an astonishing animation video for 'Ljósið', which found its way into the hearts of over 400,000 people within 2 weeks via Vimeo and YouTube.

'Found Songs' Track Listing:
1. Erla's Waltz
2. Raein
3. Romance
4. Allt varð hljótt
5. Lost Song
6. Faun
7. Ljósið

Jawbox Announce Re-issue of 1994's "For Your Own Special Sweetheart"

2009-09-17T01:26:00.001-07:00

Seminal DC post-punk band JAWBOX will reissue their consummate release, For Your Own Special Sweetheart, on November 24th. The album, which was originally released on Atlantic Records in 1994, sees the band returning to their roots at the renowned Dischord Records as well as their own DeSoto label, which will work together to release this reissue. JAWBOX was one of the cornerstones of the pivotal DIY punk label, in good company with bands such as Fugazi, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring and Shudder To Think.

With the help of Dischord and engineer Bob Weston (Pixies, Jawbox, and member of Shellac), For Your Own Special Sweetheart is meticulously remastered and will be re-released on both CD and vinyl. And, according to bass player, Kim Coletta, "it just sounds a whole lot better." The collection will include the entire original song line-up along with three additional tracks that appeared on the Savory +3 EP released by Atlantic in 1994. The vinyl version will include a coupon redeemable for free digital download of all songs including the bonus tracks.

Of For Your Own Special Sweetheart, Pitchfork Media raved, "it's one of the greatest slabs of angular guitar throb that the District of Columbia produced during the 90s, which is saying something." They called single "Savory" "the weirdly sexy guitar tangle that remained a cool-kid mixtape staple for at least a decade."

JAWBOX arose from the primordial pond of DC's raucous, vibrant underground in 1989, bringing with them a loud, fast and spirited brand of punk rock that brought zealous fans into the pit in droves. JAWBOX played their first show opening for Fugazi in 1989; For Your Own Special Sweetheart recalls the latter's hardcore leanings. After two releases on Dischord they captured the attention of Atlantic Records, with whom they released For Your Own Special Sweetheart, widely considered to showcase the band at its peak. The combination of heavy rhythms, guitar-driven soundscapes and hooky melodies both hark back to and distinguish the band from their roots among Dischord's finest underground offerings, the boundaries of which they constantly pushed.

JAWBOX is J. Robbins (guitar, vocals,) Kim Coletta (bass,) Bill Barbot (guitar) and Zach Barocas (drums.)

Track Listing:

1. FF=66
2. Savory
3. Breathe
4. Motorist
5. LS/MFT
6. Cooling Card
7. Green Glass
8. Cruel Swing
9. Jackpot Plus!
10. Chicago Piano
11. Reel
12. U-Trau
13. Whitney Walks
14. L'il Shaver*
15. 68*
16. Sound On Sound*

(* = tracks not on original release)

90210 Soundtrack - Out October 13th On CBS Records

2009-09-17T00:55:00.000-07:00

Collection Features Brand New & Exclusive Tracks From Some Of Music’s Most Popular Artists - All Songs Set For Placement In This Season’s Episodes

CBS Records will release a specially produced soundtrack for the hit television series 90210 on Tuesday, October 13. Soundtrack 90210 features 14 brand new tracks from some of music’s biggest names, including Adele with The Raconteurs, N.E.R.D. featuring Santigold, JET, Anberlin, MuteMath, Owl City, OK Go and Parachute, all set for placement in 90210 episodes during the 2009 - 2010 season.

Last night’s episode of 90210, “To Sext Or Not To Sext” featured a brand new song from OK Go, “I Want You So Bad,” which marked the first placement in an episode of a song from the forthcoming soundtrack.

90210 executive producer Rebecca Sinclair and music supervisor Scott Vener listened to dozens of submitted tracks before choosing the ones best suited for the show’s upcoming storylines. Soundtrack 90210 stands apart from television show soundtrack which merely compile a selection of songs that were heard in a series’ previous episodes. Instead, this collection features all brand new and previously unreleased tracks that will be integrated into upcoming episodes and make Soundtrack 90210 a true representation of the show’s music sensibilities throughout the current season.

As Sinclair explains, “The music that we are using this season on 90210 reflects the show; it's fresh, eclectic, passionate and fun. I'm thrilled with the wonderful artists who have given us all these great songs and excited to share the soundtrack of the show with everybody.”

90210 airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. / 7 p.m. central on The CW.

The complete track listing for Soundtrack 90210 is as follows:
Adele with The Raconteurs “Many Shades Of Black”
N.E.R.D. featuring Santigold “Soldier”
JET “One Hipster One Bullit
Mute Math “Valium”
OK Go “I Want You So Bad”
The All-American Rejects “Sierra’s Song”
Anberlin “A Perfect Tourniquet”
Owl City “Sunburn”
Will Dailey “You’re So Cold”
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus “Love Seat”
Parachute “One Small Step”
Sarah Solovay “Hearts Collide”
Darrelle London “Understood”
Stars Crashing Cars “City Girl”
John E. Davis “90210 Main Title (2009 Remix)”

OneRepublic Unveil Waking Up Album Cover

2009-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

OneRepublic have unveiled the cover to their highly anticipated sophomore album "Waking Up." The follow-up to their "Dreaming Out Loud" debut is due out on November 17th, and features the powerful new single "All The Right Moves." OneRepublic broke records with their mega-hit "Apologize" which became the most legally downloaded song in US digital history.

In anticipation of the album's release, the Colorado-based quintet is heading out on tour with Rob Thomas. Visit Myspace.com/OneRepublic to listen to "All The Right Moves" in full and view the upcoming tour schedule.

In 2007, after seven years together as a band, OneRepublic took the world by storm with their debut release Dreaming Out Loud. The album included the smash first single "Apologize" which shattered digital sales and airplay records worldwide, and along with second single "Stop And Stare" propelled the album to platinum plus sales. Now the boys from Denver are back with a new set and a fall tour! Waking Up will be released November 17th on Mosley/Interscope Records. First single "All The Right Moves" will go for adds at radio September 22nd.

In support of their new release OneRepublic will join Rob Thomas on tour beginning September 23rd at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL.

OneRepublic recorded Waking Up in their home town of Denver, CO. Tedder, an accomplished producer in his own right, and one of the most sought after songwriters of today, has penned and produced hit singles for the likes of Leona Lewis, Beyonce, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez and Natasha Bedingfield and is currently working with Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Adam Lambert and Rascal Flatts. Naturally he was up for producing duties on his band's new album.

OneRepublic is Ryan Tedder (songwriter/vocals/keyboard), Zach Filkins (guitar), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle (bass, cello), and Eddie Fisher (drums). In addition to their success here in the states, OneRepublic also has tremendous international success achieving gold record status in 12 countries. They have shared the stage with acts such as Lenny Kravitz, The Verve, and Muse at various music festivals around the world.

Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley Teams Up With HArley-Davidson For So-Cal E.T.I.D. Bike Run

2009-09-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

In celebration of their forthcoming album, New Junk Aesthetic (out Sept 15), Every Time I Die wants you to "whip out your hog" and ride along with frontman Keith Buckley from Los Angeles to San Diego then from San Diego back up to Pomona on the "Easy Tigers In Denim" bike run on Sept 18.

ETID is asking fans with motorcycles to show up with to Epitaph's parking lot at 11:00 AM PT on Friday, September 18 on their motorcycle and join Keith as he hits the road on a Harley-Davidson Iron 883 TM motorcycle down to San Diego (about a 2+ hour drive) for the band's show at SOMA (taking part in the ride does not mean you get a free ticket to the show). After the show, ETID will be staying at a KOA in Chula Vista, about 20 miles outside of San Diego, and the following morning everyone will ride back up to Pomona. Participating fans will have the opportunity to hang out with Keith and the band as well as be part of the video footage for the next ETID full length DVD. Limited edition "Easy Tigers In Denim" Tee-shirts will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

"Having an opportunity to travel through California the way God intended is something I've dreamt of doing ever since I was a teenager when I read Jack Kerouac and wrote awful poetry," says Keith Buckley. "Now with the help of Harley-Davidson, my band, Space Monkey Studios and hopefully a good amount of fellow riders looking to recapture the human spirit that was unforgivingly crushed beneath the weight of adult responsibilities, it's all actually happening. God bless America."

The bike run celebrates the release of ETID's fifth studio album, New Junk Aesthetic, which will be released on Sept 15, and upcoming US tour with labelmates Bring Me The Horizon.

"Whip out your hog" and join ETID on the journey of a lifetime.

Twin Atlantic's debut album "Vivarium" out today

2009-09-16T00:16:00.000-07:00

Glaswegian rockers Twin Atlantic release their debut mini-album Vivarium stateside today, September 15th.

After sharing stages with the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, Circa Survive and Taking Back Sunday on top of impressive performances at Download Festival and T in the Park, the band has already received an enthusiastic response from fans and critics alike. The band will tour the US this fall, dates to be announced soon.

Stream/buy the album and read our review here.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club reveals tracklisting, artwork for LIVE DVD

2009-09-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club today reveal the tracklisting and cover art for their previously announced three-disc Live DVD due out November 10, 2009 on Abstract Dragon/Vagrant. The band is also giving away a free remix of "Not What You Wanted" to fans today via their website; www.blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com.

The DVD features over two hours of live concert footage from three sold out shows in Berlin, Dublin and Glasgow. The footage documents the end of the band's 2007 tour in support of Baby 81, their most recent full-length release and was directed and edited by Tessa Angus with live audio mixed by BRMC's own Peter Hayes.

The second bonus DVD features over ninety minutes of intimate, behind-the-scenes footage as well as additional performance footage. The package is rounded out by a bonus audio CD featuring 14 songs from the concert film and a 48-page photo booklet.

The Los Angeles, CA-based group is currently at The Station House studio in Hollywood finishing work on their fifth studio album. The as-yet-untitled album is expected to have a March 2010 release.

BRMC is: Robert Levon Been - bass, vocals, Peter Hayes - guitar, vocals, Leah Shapiro - drums.

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB LIVE DVD
Berlin
Weapon Of Choice
Rise Or Fall
666 Conducer
Ain't No Easy Way
Weight Of The World
Stop
All You Do Is Talk
Red Eyes and Tears
As Sure As The Sun
American X
Spread Your Love
Love Burns
Mercy
Dirty Old Town
Promise
Six Barrel Shotgun
Whatever Happened To My Rock n' Roll (Punk Song)
Fault Line
Took Out A Loan
The Show Is About To Begin
Heart & Soul

LIVE CD
Weapon of Choice
Rise or Fall
666 Conducer
Ain't No Easy Way
Berlin
Red Eyes and Tears
Love Burns
Mercy
Dirty Old Town
Promise
Six Barrel Shotgun
Spread Your Love
Took Out A Loan
Whatever Happened To My Rock N' Roll (Punk Song)

BONUS FEATURES
Howl Studio Sessions
Making of "Weapon of Choice" Video
"Devil's Waiting" (Somerset House)
"Rifles:" Live at T In the Park
American X: Short Film
BBC Radio Sessions Birmingham Interview
"Feel It Now" Jam
Bonus Concert Footage

Rammstein Reveal Album Cover

2009-09-15T02:18:00.000-07:00

After months of speculation, Rammstein have confirmed the name of their sixth studio album to be LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA (U.S. release on Oct. 20 via Universal Music Germany through a marketing and distribution deal with Vagrant Records).

The album art, with painting-like photography created by Eugenio Recuenco, features a multi-panel storyboard incorporating band members in what is sure to carry on the controversy that surrounds Rammstein and their visual imagery.

Commenting on the themes addressed in LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA drummer Christoph Schneider said, “The overriding theme, I would say, is extreme forms of love…” Rammstein keyboard player, Flake Lorenz added, “Love can be interpreted in many different ways; for example, sometimes unreciprocated love can lead to tragic situations – mass murders, school shootings, terrible events like that. Hate is the negative form of love, like hot and cold…”

Continuing the Berlin band’s tradition of creating 11-song albums, the track listing for LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA is:

1. Rammlied
2. Ich Tu Dir Weh
3. Waidmanns Heil
4. Haifisch
5. B********
6. Frühling in Paris
7. Wiener Blut
8. Pussy
9. Liebe ist Für Alle Da
10. Mehr
11. Roter Sand

As previously announced, the first single is “Pussy” with B-side “Rammlied.” The single will be available exclusively via iTunes on Sept. 22. An accompanying video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, has been completed and will premiere at www.visit-x.net/rammstein on Oct. 16 at 4 pm eastern/1 pm pacific.

Brand New Gear Up For New Album, "Daisy"

2009-09-13T23:00:00.001-07:00

Brand New are gearing up for the release of their new full-length album, Daisy, out September 22nd, featuring the first single "At The Bottom." The album, which promises to be another boundry breaking assault, is the follow-up to The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, an album that earned critical acclaim from SPIN, Blender, NY Times, LA Times and Billboard, among others.

With The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, and early works Your Favorite Weapon and Deja Entendu already in the books of Brand New's storied career; the band is set to take fans down another path with their defiant new album, Daisy. The new record features a collection of songs produced by longtime friend Mike Sapone and mixed by Dave Sardy (Rage Against the Machine, Cold War Kids, Slayer). Brand New continues to break the mold and, in true Brand New form, they delve into new musical territory that will astonish both critics and fans alike.

In support of their forthcoming album, the band will embark on an extensive tour across the United States culminating in an epic headlining performance at Nassau Coliseum on November 28th in Uniondale, NY. The band will be joined by a slew of distinguished guest artists they handpicked to share this special occasion with them, including a performance by friends and fellow Long Islanders Glassjaw. Other stops on the tour will also feature Manchester Orchestra, Thrice, and Crime In Stereo among others.

Novoselic/Grohl Pissed About Cobain Guitar Hero Likeness

2009-09-11T02:30:00.000-07:00

This is a statement regarding Nirvana, Guitar Hero and the likeness of the late Kurt Cobain:

"We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game. The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate - we have no control whatsoever in that area.

While we were aware of Kurt's image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn't know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in "re-locking" Kurt's character so that this won't continue in the future.

It's hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists' music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better."

-Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl

In Fear And Faith To Tour With In This Moment

2009-09-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

San Diego's IN FEAR AND FAITH is preparing to hit the road alongside In This Moment as part of the Revolver Magazine-sponsored “A Winter To Remember Tour” kicking off November 6 in Anaheim, California at Chain Reaction. The U.S. tour will hit 28 cities before winding down December 17 in Las Vegas.

IN FEAR AND FAITH is currently on tour supporting the band A Day To Remember. That tour runs through October 17 finishing off in Ocala, Florida.

IN FEAR AND FAITH, a sextet consisting of singers Cody Anderson and Scott Barnes, guitarists Ramin Niroomand and Noah Slifka, bassist Tyler Mcelhaney, and drummer Mehdi Niroomand, has been hard at work touring and making a name for itself since Day One. The band’s self-released EP has sold over 30,000 songs on iTunes and its current Rise Records release, Your World On Fire, has already sold over well over 15,000 copies since its release earlier this year.

The band’s non-stop touring over the past year includes runs with A Skylit Drive, Emarosa, Attack Attack!, and Sky Eats Airplane, helping to build a growing and dedicated fan base.

While playing in Tampa, Craig Owens of Chiodos happened to be at the show and was so impressed with the band’s stellar live show that he asked to do guest vocals on the band’s new release. So, Rise Records flew Craig to the studio and he laid down some amazing guest vocals on the track “The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions.” Craig will also appear in the band’s music video for the song.

For more info see www.myspace.com/infearandfaith.

L.A.-Based Shiloe Release New Single

2009-09-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

By The Daggers In Your Eyes.mp3 (from upcoming full-length, title TK)

The Death Of Madame Mustache.mp3 (from ...And Now the Screaming Starts EP)

Popular Los Angeles-based post-punk group Shiloe have released the debut single from their new album, due in early 2010.

The song, which combines a driving beat and pulsing distorted bass line with instantly memorable lyrics and vocal melodies, has been described as "the ideal anthem for the edgiest movie John Hughes never made." It begs the question, What if Ally Sheedy had decided to stay goth at the end of The Breakfast Club instead of accepting Molly Ringwald's makeover? Essentially, it's a three-minute love letter to anyone who's ever been proud to be different.

After releasing three successful EPs, both on their own and through San Francisco-based indie upstart New & Used Records, anticipation is running high for the band's first ever LP. The trio, who have been compared musically to bands ranging from the Cramps to the Pixies, have built their reputation on the songwriting prowess and onstage intensity of founding members Ken Ramos (vocals/guitar) and Melissa Pleckham (bass). While many bands boast a couple at their core, these two have taken their romantic relationship to new heights with their symbiotic songwriting style: Ramos writes the music, while Pleckham focuses largely on crafting the lyrics he will sing.

The two are joined onstage and in the studio by their two drummers, Dan Moore and Daniel Clifford, who enhance the songs with their powerful rhythmic styles to complete the Shiloe sound. The music, which has made its reputation in Los Angeles for being both unapologetically dark and unrelentingly loud, combines the driving force of Sleater-Kinney with the atmosphere of Interpol, tied together with the roughness of the punk bands that Ramos grew up listening to in his native Orange County.

Shiloe has already caused a stir among some of the most influential tastemakers in music, including KROQ, Indie 103.1, Spin magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and Filter magazine, who recently chose to feature the band on a compilation CD alongside such artists as Portishead and Great Northern, as well as the BBC and the Mexican station RadioAlterno, who flew the band to Mexico City to perform for fans.

Veteran musicians are also taking notice: In June of 2009, Shiloe was personally invited to co-headline Sonic Youth's official West Coast record release party for The Eternal at Origami Vinyl in Echo Park, where they played alongside former Sonic Youth tourmates Pocahaunted. The band has also shared bills with notable performers including the Henry Clay People, Gliss, War Tapes, Mike Watt, Giant Drag, and Pretty Girls Make Graves, among others.

Shiloe's as-yet-untitled debut full-length is currently in production in Los Angeles.

Rammstein - First Single From Forthcoming Album

2009-09-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

Rammstein will release “Pussy,” with B-side “Rammlied,” on Sept. 22 as the first single from their forthcoming album on Oct.20.

The single, available exclusively via iTunes, is the first new music to come from the Berlin-based band in over four years. Having sold three million albums in the U.S. alone (and over 14 million worldwide), anticipation for the new album, whose title has been a closely guarded secret, is high with rumors running rampant worldwide as to the theme and contents of the new release. The album will be released in the U.S. via Universal Music Germany through a marketing and distribution deal with Vagrant Records on Oct. 20.

A post on from the band’s website this morning heralded the news of the first available music via the “Pussy” single: “Carried by a gigantic wave of testosterone, Rammstein unsheathes its sword and presents what makes man an animal. So start your engines. With pedal to the metal on the Autobahn of German clichés, where homage is paid to the hand-to-hand battle between the sexes with words like Bratwurst, Blitzkrieg, and Mercedes-Benz … to destinations abroad, past Heidi with her burgers and away from the German Fräuleinwunder.” An accompanying video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund,; premiere information coming soon.

Pre-production for the new album was done at Castle Beesenstedt in eastern Germany’s Halle/Saale while the bulk of the recording was done in late 2008 at Northern California’s Sonoma Mountain Studio. As with the band’s previous releases, the new album was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hellner in Stockholm.

KEXP Names Bang Bang Eche "Fist Full of Dollars" Song of the Day!

2009-09-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Download "Fist Full of Dollars"

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is “Fist Full of Dollars” by Bang Bang Eche from their forthcoming self-released Sonic Death Cuntttt EP.

A year ago, we broadcasted Bang Bang Eche live from CMJ Festival and put their heavy hit single “4 To The Floor” into our on-air rotation. Since then, this self-made and self-released group headed by T’Nealle Worsley and hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand have been hard at work touring and producing the abrasive and unabashedly misspelled “Sonic Death Cuntttt EP”.

Equal parts abrasion and body moving rhythms, “Fist Full of Dollars” is one track from this EP that you can’t possibly miss. It’s the sort of song that comes out of the gate at 200 kph and doesn’t quit until its last measures. There’s no petering out at the end and no compromises in the middle as it barrels towards you like a Kraftwerkian New Order. Sawtooth synths, telephonic vox, and never-say-die drums & guitars are the main ingredients in this high octane single and if the rest of the EP is full of this much gusto then you can count me in as a fan and an attendee at their next Seattle appearance.

You’ll have to wait until November 3 for the full EP to come out, so enjoy this preview. Currently, Bang Bang Eche are touring through Australia with dates through October in Christchurch (09/17), Auckland (09/19), Wellington (09/25), Hamilton (10/02), and Dunedin (10/09). Following that, they return to the U.S. for the CMJ Music Marathon on 10/20 to reprise what many people remember as one of the best performances of the festival. If you want to find out anything more about the band, head over to their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/bangbangeche.

http://blog.kexp.org/blog/category/song-of-the-day-podcast/

Taryn Manning to appear on The CW's Melrose Place on 9/22: Debuts New Solo Track

2009-09-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

Combining her love for music and acting Taryn Manning will be appearing as herself, a singer/songwriter, in the third episode of The CW's Melrose Place airing Tuesday, September 22 (9:00/8:00c). She plays a singer whose music video is directed by aspiring filmmaker Jonah (Michael Rady).

Taryn in fact has been in the studio working on material for her upcoming solo album. With only two tracks completed, buzz is already starting to build as "So Talented", the first song written for the album with producer Linney (Darkchild Entertainment) will be featured within the episode.

Aside from her solo efforts, Taryn is the lead singer of the band Boomkat, with her brother Kellin. The band released their sophomore album A Million Trillion Stars earlier this year and recently released their latest single, "Stomp", co-written by Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Jay Z).

Website - Twitter - Myspace

New Robert Earl Keen Album Due Out September 29

2009-09-03T02:51:00.000-07:00

On September 29, Lost Highway will release "The Rose Hotel," the new album from highly-acclaimed singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen. The Rose Hotel is Keen's first studio album in four years and the 15th release for one of the Americana movement's true pioneers. Keen comes from a long tradition of Texas songwriters, of which he has become one of the Lone Star State's most respected and adored.

Keen is a master storyteller and wordsmith who can maneuver effortlessly from a poignant, heart-felt love song to a roof-raising barroom anthem, and in true Robert Earl Keen fashion, all things in between. His repertoire is overflowing with Southern-styled vignettes inspired by everyday life and The Rose Hotel is a prime example.

The Rose Hotel is a collection of 11 songs, including cove rs of Townes Van Zandt's "Flying Shoes" and Greg Brown's "Laughing River" (a duet with Brown). Keen's unique sense of irony, satire and wit is felt throughout The Rose Hotel particularly on the tracks "10,000 Chinese Walk Into A Bar" (featuring vocals by Billy Bob Thornton) and the cynical "Wireless In Heaven". At the core of Keen's music have always been the stories, a unifying theme throughout his 20+ years of recording. The Rose Hotel continues that tradition right from the beginning with the opening title track and "The Man Behind The Drums", an homage to another Americana legend, former Band drummer Levon Helm.

Manning the boards for The Rose Hotel is Lloyd Maines, the acclaimed producer, pedal steel/steel guitar/dobro player who has worked with everyone from The Dixie Chicks to The Flatlanders.

Nike SB Blazer Elite Quick Strike Sub Pop Records

2009-08-28T01:16:00.000-07:00

Nike has teamed up with the legendary record label Sub Pop Records to create a new quick strike SB. The shoe was made to go along with the Sub Pop Single Club 3.0s first release Gebel Barkal b/w (Version) from the band OM.

The record label is most known for first signing Nirvana, Sound garden, Mudhoney and many other bands. This is a great shoe for any SB or record collector.

This is 100% deadstock and considered pure heat! Please note that the other pair is discolored and has writing on it. This is a one of one pair.

For more info, check out Osneaker.com

Lights To Release "The Listening"

2009-08-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: Caitlin Cronenberg

Warner Bros Records is proud to announce the October 6, 2009 release of The Listening, the debut full-length album from LIGHTS.

The Toronto singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist crafts her own brand of sparkling, otherworldly electro-pop that is, in her words “soft, but not pussy-soft, you know?” LIGHTS’ songs have already garnered almost 16 million plays on MySpace, and she has racked up a #1 hit on MuchMusic, inclusion in a series of Old Navy commercials, and airtime on The Hills. On the strength of her self-titled EP alone, LIGHTS won the 2009 Juno (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy Award) for New Artist of the Year, joining the ranks of Feist and Nelly Furtado.

During her stint on this summer’s Van’s Warped Tour Rolling Stone selected LIGHTS as one of four Warped Tour Buzz Bands, calling her a “retro new wave…keytar-rocking pixie.”

LIGHTS’ first full collection of music, The Listening, expands on her sound, which she calls “inter-galactic electro” and describes as “simple lyrics juxtaposed with sounds harvested from the far reaches of my alternate universe.” The album includes a few songs already familiar to die-hard LIGHTS fans, as well as plenty of new material including the first single, "Saviour," a propulsive pop anthem that represents the essence of LIGHTS.

The video for “Saviour” premiered on MySpace Monday, August 10th and immediately shot to the number one spot. It has remained the number one video on MySpace with 620 thousand views and counting.
In addition to her rabid online fanbase, LIGHTS has been criss-crossing the globe winning support with her live show, playing countless sold out gigs in her home country as well as numerous festival dates in the UK. This fall LIGHTS will join Keane on their Canadian dates and will be touring extensively throughout the US.

Visit www.IAMLIGHTS.com or www.myspace.com/lights to see and hear LIGHTS.

Jim Lindberg Leaves Pennywise

2009-08-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

The members of Pennywise, Fletcher Dragge, Byron McMackin and Randy Bradbury, have issued the following statement regarding singer Jim Lindberg’s departure:

“After 19 years with Pennywise, Jim Lindberg has decided to step down as lead singer. Pennywise has long stood behind the motto that you should always follow your heart and pursue what makes you happy, and we wish Jim the best of luck in his new ventures, whatever they may be. Pennywise has become a way of life for a lot of people, and has definitely become a way of life for us. As the three remaining members of Pennywise we feel that we are not done delivering our message to our fans.

”The band has always been about moving forward in life no matter what obstacles stand in front of you. We will begin our search for a new singer immediately. We will continue to tour the world and we are looking forward to writing new music. We've had a lot of good times and survived the hard times thanks to the undying support of our fans. We're looking forward to what the future may bring."

Sincerely Fletcher, Randy, and Byron

Pennywise is one of the most significant bands to emerge from Southern California’s second wave of punk rock. Formed in 1988 in Hermosa Beach, California, Pennywise has released nine full-length studio albums; one live album; two extended plays; and one DVD. Their most recent studio album, Reason to Believe, was released to over 500,000 fans for free through a limited offering from their new label MySpace Records. The critically acclaimed album was also sold physically and digitally the world over. “The Western World,” the first single from this watershed album quickly became the most successful single of the band’s storied career.

To learn more about Pennywise please see www.myspace.com/pennywise.

The Sunset Strip Music Festival Honors Ozzy Osbourne

2009-08-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

12-STORY ART WALL TO HANG ABOVE THE WORLD FAMOUS SUNSET STRIP STARTING THURSDAY, AUGUST 20

The SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL--taking place September 10-12--will honor the larger-than-life rock icon OZZY OSBOURNE as its Sunset Strip Icon 2009. The tribute actually begins this Thursday, August 20 when Osbourne’s immortal image will be unveiled on one of the largest billboards in Los Angeles. It will hang high above the Sunset Strip spanning 12-stories (6,500 square feet tall) off the east side of the famous 9000 Building directly across the street from The Roxy Theatre and Rainbow Bar & Grill. The new signage will be lit at night allowing for its viewing from miles away.

Next, on Thursday, September 10, Osbourne will be honored at a tribute event to kick off the three-day music festival. The tribute event honors icons that have made an impact on the legacy of The Sunset Strip. On Osbourne’s first U.S. tour with Black Sabbath in 1970, the band performed a five-night stand (November 11-15) at the legendary Whisky A Go-Go.

“This expansive wall not only celebrates our honoree, Ozzy Osbourne, it also serves to welcome everyone to The Sunset Strip and is certain to be a very photographed component of this year’s music festival,” noted Todd Steadman, executive director of the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

SSMF 2009 also includes the first-ever street closure of Sunset Blvd on Saturday, September 12. There will be 40-plus music acts throughout the day performing on two stages set up on the street and on club stages within the street closure – Key Club, The Roxy Theatre, Cat Club and Whisky A Go-Go. Tickets are available now for a discounted price of $39.50.

More information - Website - Myspace - Facebook

Anarbor's "You And I" Featured In Cartoon Network's New Scooby Doo Movie

2009-08-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

Anarbor has lent its track “You And I” from its Hopeless Records debut EP Free Your Mind to the upcoming Cartoon Network movie,
Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins.

The film will premiere on Cartoon Network on Sunday, September 13 and will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 22. The home video version will include the music video for Anarbor’s “You And I” which premiered on Cartoon Network on August 2 following the weekend-long Scooby Doo marathon, and has been airing in between shows all month long.

The exposure has helped to propel the video to the #12 spot on iTunes Alternative Music Videos chart and the song to #33 on the Top Alternative Songs chart (where it peaked at #25.)

Anarbor also recorded the theme song, “What’s New Scooby Doo” (originally done by Simple Plan). The song will appear during the end credits of the movie, and is featured in promos and commercials on Cartoon Network and Cartoonnetwork.com.

Meanwhile The Phoenix, area 4-piece is preparing to head back to the studio to begin work on its first full length release with producer Mike Green (Paramore, Good Charlotte, The Matches). In addition, the band will hit the road this fall on select tours.

To view the “You and I” video on CWG TV, click here.

Breaking Benjamin Premiere New Single "I Will Not Bow"

2009-08-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

NEW ALBUM, "DEAR AGONY," HITS STORES 9/29

Rock fans rejoice, the long wait for new music from BREAKING BENJAMIN is now over. Enter "I Will Not Bow," the first single from the band's forthcoming album, Dear Agony.

Breaking Benjamin has just premiered the anthemic rock track which can be heard on the band's MySpace page. The newly unveiled single will also be featured in the movie "Surrogates" starring Bruce Willis.

Dear Agony, produced by David Bendeth (All Time Low, Madina Lake, Cavo), will hit stores on September 29th.

For more information on Breaking Benjamin, visit - Website - Myspace

HOPEWELL RELEASES "STRANGER" PERFORMS "THE DESPERATION SUITE" AT ATP NEW YORK

2009-08-24T02:04:00.000-07:00

DOWNLOAD "STRANGER"

Staying true to their 90's space rock roots, Hopewell releases the track "Stranger", the second single off their newest album, Good Good Desperation (2009 Tee Pee Records). A swirling, aggressive, hazy waltz in the tradition of Loop, Flying Saucer Attack, Ride and early Mercury Rev, sound is treated more as sculpture, becoming a sonic canvas for whispered vocals, heavy phase and polyrhythms as layers of feedback and fuzz wash through the speakers.

The term space rock, originally describing bands in the late 60's like The Pink Floyd or albums like Bowie's Space Oddity, gave way to a 90's version that was decidedly more shoegaze oriented. Hopewell, being part of that original Detroit Space Rock revival on Burnt Hair Records are now getting louder and hazier than ever, combining the best of both the 60's and the 90's movements.

Hopewell will perform a version of the single "Stranger", along with several other tracks from Good Good Desperation at this year's All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in Monticello, NY. Asked by The Flaming Lips to do something "out of the norm" for their set, Hopewell's performance will include a medley of song variations both old and new, topped off with a Jane's Addiction cover. Dubbing it "The Desperation Suite", the 45 minute piece will also include the addition of a female choir as well as the the avant-garde sax player Mark Marinoff.

Toronto's Little Girls Announce Release of Proper Debut Concepts, Continue North American Tour

2009-08-17T23:49:00.001-07:00

Toronto group Little Girls aka Josh McIntyre and co. are excited to announce the release of debut and proper album, Concepts, on Paper Bag Records on October 13th. After word started circulating earlier this year via some early blog attention from songs discovered on the band's MySpace and the subsequent release of their Tambourine EP and 12" on Brooklyn label Mexican Summer, the band are eager to showcase their history and unique sound. Concepts' eleven tracks span from the very first Little Girls track ever written to brand new material. The album was recorded only at night in a home studio with most of the songs contributing to an ongoing theme of 'growing up.'

It all started when McIntyre recorded a few songs in his home studio as a side project in early 2009. Seeking the unbiased opinions from friends and musical peers he anonymously posted the music on the internet under the name "Little Girls," a name he believed least likely to reveal his identity. His influences come from the 80's no-wave post-punk scene, and the early 80's golden era of hip-hop. Equally influential are the late hip-hop artist J. Dilla, as well as Can, Joy Division, Wire, and The Clean. Other Little Girls releases have been handled by Mexican Summer and Captured Tracks. Since then, the band has played several US dates with Japandroids, and was asked to perform at the Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival in NYC alongside Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Kurt Vile and Thee Oh Sees among others this past July. Little Girls will be playing a string of North American dates with Japandroids, Monotonix and Wavves (more to be confirmed) into the fall in support of Concepts' release.

"Most of the tracks on Concepts have a very nostalgic feel to them," says McIntyre. "The new record definitely has a darker tone to it compared to the Thrills EP; even the brighter songs still have dark undertones."

Rise Records Signs The Bled

2009-08-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

RISE RECORDS is beyond excited to announce the signing of THE BLED. The band is currently in their home state of Arizona recording their new album which will be released in early 2010.

THE BLED has been a fixture in the scene for years and has no plans of slowing down. Probably one of the most respected bands around, THE BLED continue to push the envelope with their song writing.

With this new album, the band is going back to their roots. Having a sound reminiscent of their debut album Pass the Flask, but with a modern twist and far superior musicianship. Look for them on tour with Alesana in Sept/Oct.

Chek Out The Bled Online - Myspace - Label

ELTON JOHN MAKES GUEST APPEARANCE ON NEW ALICE IN CHAINS ALBUM

2009-08-17T02:45:00.000-07:00

Among the many highlights on Black Gives Way To Blue, the highly anticipated new album from ALICE IN CHAINS, is a special guest performance by Elton John. The two rock legends collaborated on the album's stunning title track, "Black Gives Way To Blue," a heart-stirring tribute to Alice In Chains' late lead singer Layne Staley. The album arrives in stores September 29.

"We were thinking about adding piano to the track and a friend suggested we call Elton," recalls guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. "I remember laughing and saying, 'Yeah, I'll get right on that.' But I decided it was worth trying and wrote Elton an email explaining what that song means to us -- that it's a real, raw openhearted song for Layne. We sent him the track and got a call shortly after saying he thought it was beautiful and that he wanted to play on it. We were blown away. Elton John is a huge influence on me as a songwriter and having him on that song is an amazing honor for us."

"I've long been an admirer of Jerry Cantrell and when he asked me to play on 'Black Gives Way To Blue,' I was very flattered and couldn't resist," says John. "It was a great recording session with Alice In Chains for a beautiful song. "

About the collaboration, Cantrell says, "Elton was finishing his Red Piano run in Vegas, so we flew there and hung out for a few hours. Walking into a studio and seeing the sheet music for that song on Elton's piano made it meaningful on so many different levels. The whole experience was pretty magical."

BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE is Alice In Chains' first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist/vocalist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.

ALICE IN CHAINS UNVEIL ALBUM COVER BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE STORES 9/22

2009-08-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE is Alice In Chains' first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist/vocalist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.

1. "All Secrets Known"
2. "Check My Brain"
3. "Last Of My Kind"
4. "Your Decision"
5. "A Looking In View"
6. "When The Sun Rose Again"
7. "Acid Bubble"
8. "Lessons Learned"
9. "Take Her Out"
10. "Private Hell"
11. "Black Gives Way To Blue"

Pre-order the album starting Tuesday 8/18 on iTunes. For more information visit www.aliceinchains.com.

Let Em' Riot Featured on KUCI 88.9 FM

2009-08-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Let Em' Riot's new single was featured on KUCI 88.9 FM. Check it out below:

EQUAL VISION RECORDS SIGNS THE DEAR & DEPARTED (FEAT DAN SMITH OF LA INK)

2009-08-14T15:35:00.001-07:00

Indie/new wave act, The Dear & Departed, have signed to Equal Vision Records. The band recently wrapped up recording with New Found Glory guitarist, Chad Gilbert (H2O, Fireworks), and will release the new material as a digital EP and 7” later this year and tour to support.

“EVR have always supported us and after constant frustration with other labels, we feel it’s a great decision,” expressed vocalist, Dan Smith (aka Dan Under). “That’s all you can really ask for these days, honest support. We have all been fans of EVR bands since we were young and its nice to have that history and nostalgia with a label, even though so much has changed over the years.”

In their short existence as a band, the Orange County transplants – Smith (vocals), Darren Parkinson (guitar), Cortney Miner (guitar), and Jimmy Walsh (drums) – have built a devoted following and boast quite a story. There have been many triumphs for The Dear & Departed, including sharing stages with Saosin, Norma Jean, Tiger Army, AFI and Avenged Sevenfold, as well as patronage from platinum bands (like AFI, who invited Smith to sing on 2007’s Decemberunderground) and mutual respect from cult artists alike.

The Dear & Departed has won an international fanbase and developed even further into a potent outfit that mixes in influences from New Order to Placebo, while always maintaining a sound unique to only them. The band released Something Quite Peculiar in May 2007, produced by Chris Vrenna, whose production resume includes U2 and Smashing Pumpkins in addition to his work as drummer/programmer for Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Gnarls Barkley, with additional production from AFI's Jade Puget.

If the previous hasn’t made The Dear & Departed a household name yet, then they surely will be soon. Dan Smith, a tattoo artist for over 7 years, will join the cast of LA Ink - the hit show on TLC starring Kat Von D. Smith will be introduced on the episode airing Thursday, August 13th at 10pm. LA Ink will also visit the band in the studio in a later episode.

Jay Reatard - "It Ain't Gonna Save Me (Video)"

2009-08-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Amazing video from the Daft Arts production company (LA-based producer Paul Hahn and some dudes who wear robot costumes).

Directed by Bryce Kass, who also directed that jaw-dropping video for Douglas Armour's "Flushed and Flamelike, Themselves.

This video for Jay Retard's "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" is equally mute-stare-inducing.

Mike Herrera's Tumbledown :: New Single "Butcher of San Antone" and Co-Headlining Tour with John Nolan (Straylight Run)

2009-08-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

MxPx front-man, Mike Herrera, and his hit pop-punk-a-billy side project, MIKE HERRERA’S TUMBLEDOWN, are releasing the second single off of the band’s debut self-titled album through End Sounds. The “Butcher of San Antone”, has already picked up radio airplay in markets like Louisville and Wilmington, DE and with the new official release is expected to continue with its already paved momentum. In support of the album and new single, the band will be embarking on a co-headlining tour with John Nolan of Straylight Run, starting in Seattle on August 29.

Their twangy first single, “Homeward Bound”, has received spins on specialty radio across the country in Seattle, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Omaha, and Amarillo. Proving the reach and demand of the band’s sound, a Japanese version of the album was recently released on Bullion Records.

Herrera has been writing country music since 1998, and claims some of the industry greats as his influences; songwriting legends as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Bill Monroe. MIKE HERRERA’S TUMBLEDOWN captures the punk rock energy of MxPx, while also displaying the soulful experiences of Herrera’s travels along the lonely, open road.

MIKE HERRERA’S TUMBLEDOWN out of Bremerton, WA consists of Herrera as songwriter/lead vocals/guitar, lead guitarist Jack Parker, standup bassist Marshall Trotland, and drummer Harley Trotland.

SWELL SEASON PLAYS 1st NEW SONGS SINCE 'ONCE' @ NPR

2009-08-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Last week the Swell Season made a trip down to DC for a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR. If you've never been to a TDC, they're quite a sight. They're literally filmed at the desk of NPR's Bob Boilen and though Glen admitted he'd never held down a desk job before, he and Marketa were totally in their element, performing seven songs mostly from the new album, and even playing the first-ever Tiny Desk encore!

Here is what NPR had to say about the performance: "From quietly mournful sing-alongs to Van Morrison-esque thrill rides, the whole thing doesn't so much satisfy expectations as feed them further."

Watch the video here

Fat Possum Announces Signing & Album OF New Artist Digital Leather

2009-08-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Fat Possum Records is proud to announce their newest signing, Digital Leather. What started off as a solo project of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree, has now blossomed into his debut album Warm Brother. Foree was raised on a Baha'i hippie commune in the wilds of southern Arizona, where he went to college for 19th Century American Lit and other mind-expanding activities. It was there that he honed his skill at writing darkly infectious songs: pounding drums, moody vocals, squelching vintage synths and undeniably catchy hooks that attracted the attention of garage rock superstar Jay Reatard, who now manages the band. The songs on this album seem somewhat lo-fi, but the songwriting is impeccable; the tracks could sound just as at home on an acoustic guitar as they do with a full band. This album feels like garage-rock from the dark side, a complex, genre-bending puzzle that is immediately listenable.

DIGITAL LEATHER: http://www.myspace.com/digitalleather

The Fall Of Troy - In The Unlikely Event

2009-08-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: Dean Zulich

We're very excited about this band and this album. The album was produced by Terry Date who produced, among other projects, the Deftones' "White Pony." TFOT is a young, developing progressive rock band with a big supply of attitude, and I think Terry did a tremendous job of getting a more mature performance from the guys, one that really shows off the unique and tasty talent they have. The band will tour with Thursday starting mid-September and plans to stay on the road for a LONG time.

MySpace Music Exclusively Premieres New BRAND NEW Single “At The Bottom”

2009-08-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

MySpace Music Exclusively Premieres New BRAND NEW Single “At The Bottom” Off Upcoming Album, "Daisy" - Out September 22nd 2009 on DGC/Interscope/Procrastinate Music Traitors

MySpace Music scored the exclusive premiere of alternative rockers Brand New’s brand new single off their upcoming 4th studio album Daisy due out September 22nd 2009 on DGC/Interscope/Procrastinate Music Traitors. Beginning today fans can listen to “At The Bottom” by visiting the band’s official MySpace Music profile at www.myspace.com/brandnew

Daisy features a collection of songs produced by longtime friend Mike Sapone and mixed by Dave Sardy (Rage Against the Machine, Cold War Kids, Slayer). Brand New continues to break the mold and in true Brand New form, they delve into new musical territory that will excite both critics and fans.

You can also catch the band live this fall during their headlining tour of North America in support of Daisy. The coast to coast trek kicks off on October 1st in Cleveland, OH. Check out their tour schedule HERE.

Burning Human Video Banned From MTV

2009-08-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

“Tormented Mind,” the controversial new music video from death metal outfit BURNING HUMAN has been banned by MTV2’s Headbangers Ball. After BURNING HUMAN refused to edit their new video MTV said the video was “too violent” for airing. Guitarist Mike Stack had this to say:

“The fine folks at MTV banned our video for the song "Tormented Mind" claiming it was 'too violent.' As much as we love HEADBANGERS BALL, we think its way more metal to be BANNED BY MTV!!! So watch the video of TORMENTED MIND that MTV didn't want you to see, and decide for yourself.”

The video can be seen below in its intended entirety. Burning Human’s new self-titled album is available now in-stores.

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - "40 Day Dream"

2009-08-10T01:11:00.000-07:00

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros performing the song "40 Day Dream" at the Regent Theater in LA

MTV's VMA Nominations Announced

2009-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Written By: Victoria H. (Urban/Pop Editor)

MTV announced this year's nominees for the VMA's (Video Music Award). Lady Gaga and Beyonce have nine nominations a piece, Britany Spears has seven, Kanye West, Eminem and Coldplay have four each.

The nominees for Video Of The Year are:

Lady Gaga- Poker Face

Beyonce- Single Ladies

Britany Spears- Womanizer

Eminem- We Made You

Kanye West- Love Lockdown

Fans can start voting vote through September 13th at http://www.vma.mtv.com/.

The award show will be held on September 13th in New York and Russell Brand will return as host.

Limited Edition Otep An Emmure Merch From Victory Records

2009-08-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Two brand new, limited edition, Victory Records 7”s are available now from OTEP and EMMURE!

Complete your EMMURE collection with this limited edition 7" vinyl record. There are only 1,000 total pressed in two different colors, “Jumpsuit Orange” and “Victim’s Blood Red”. The 7" features two songs from the upcoming album Felony. "Bars From Astoria" and "I Thought You Met Tell And Turned Me Into Casper". It also includes an MP3 download card. Snatch this rare collectors item, while it's still out on bail!

Your OTEP collection isn't complete without this limited edition 7" vinyl record. This unique 7" single includes two songs from OTEP's new album Smash The Control Machine, "Smash The Control Machine" and "Rise, Rebel, Resist." Only 1,000 pressed, 500 Red and 500 Grey, in a beautiful fan-submitted artwork piece printed with metallic ink. It also includes an MP3 download card. Pick up this rare collectors item while you can. Once it’s gone, it's gone forever.

Mariah Carey's New CD: Music & Ad's

2009-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Written By: Victoria H. (Urban/Pop Editor)

When Mariah releases new her album (Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel) on September 15th, she will be the first artist to include lifestyle ads in a CD booklet.

Mariah is partnering with Elle Magazine to create a 34 page booklet which will include ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne and the Bahamas Board Of Tourism.

If this product model is successful and most importantly profitable, Island Def Jam (Mariah's label) will consider placing ads in the CD booklets for Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Kanye West and others.

ALL TIME LOW STRIP DOWN AND BARE ALL FOR MTV UNPLUGGED

2009-08-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

Baltimore pop-punk band All Time Low recently stripped down their songs to just an essential heart beat, exclusively for MTV Unplugged. The performance was shot in New York City, and had the band take their high-energy performance down a notch in the candle-lit studio for some very fortunate fans who intently sung along. Watch All Time Low play two new songs off their latest album Nothing Personal, “Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don’t” and “Weightless”. Also don’t miss live performances from their previous releases "So Wrong ,It's Right" and "Put Up Or Shut Up" including “Dear Maria, Count Me In,” “Coffee Shop Soundtrack,” “Jasey Rae” and a surprise duet with Kate Voegele on “Remembering Sunday.”

You can catch the clips on air on MTV or watch them online at MTV.com.

All Time Low’s new record, "Nothing Personal," debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling a career high 62,992 records in its first week. This is the band’s highest chart position to date, showing tremendous growth over their 2007 debut full length So Wrong, It's Right, which debuted at #62 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

All Time Low is currently out on this summer's Vans Warped Tour heating up the Main Stage. Make sure to catch them this Fall on the Glamour Kills Tour, joined by We The Kings, Hey Monday, and The Friday Night Boys. More details and dates to be announced soon!

"Remembering Sunday Featuring Kate Voegele (MTV Unplugged)"

All Time Low - New Music - More Music Videos

Watch the performance here:

New Modest Mouse Video

2009-08-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Written By: Victoria H. (Urban/Pop Editor)

A Modest Mouse video directed by Heath Ledger is set to premiere today on MySpace.com. The video is for the song King Rat and the concept was designed to raise awareness of the plight of whales hunted illegally off the coast of Australia.

Heath passed away before the video could be completed, so the project was finished by his partners at the film company The Masses.

Ralph Hinkley Syndrome - Easy Go

2009-08-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

Download "Easy Go" by Ralph Hinkley Syndrome

The Ralph Hinkley Syndrome is bringing back the feel-good, Lemonheads-style of 90s pop/grunge. Arming themselves with a few new tricks, like synthesizers, they're successfully bringing the old school into the new.

They've donated their track "Easy Go" for free download. A middle track off their self-titled album, it sets the tone for the entire record.

The Octopus Project Braves the Sea For "Wet Gold" Video

2009-08-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

Austin four-piece The Octopus Project are excited to reveal their brand new video for "Wet Gold," one of the featured videos on their brand new Golden Beds Enhanced EP (Peek-A-Boo Records), which includes five different tunes and seven brand new videos! Josh Lambert in the band talks about the making of the video: "...it was wet and cold! We filmed it in Galveston a couple of months after the hurricane hit, so it was pretty devastated. The whole city (specifically the beach) was filled with debris and completely ripped up buildings -- totally creepy. There was a pretty gnarly fog that day as well, so it only added to the eeriness.

Making the video was a blast! Yvonne spent a couple of days learning semaphore and was spelling out "Wet Gold" when we filmed it. I've never been colder in my life. Standing in the ocean all day long in the middle of January wouldn't be first on my list of things to do in the future, but we had a ton of fun nonetheless!"

EQUAL VISION RECORDS SIGNS LIFE ON REPEAT

2009-08-01T03:21:00.000-07:00

Equal Vision Records have signed Salisbury, MD's Life On Repeat! The band - vocalist Patrick Purves, guitarists Andrew Baylis and Zach King, bassist Devon Voisine, and drummer David Walker - have been active for several years in various forms. Previously known as Amen The Animal, Baylis explained the name change was necessary as the former, "carried a hefty load of history, including old members. It didn't feel right carrying on as Amen The Animal when I was the only original member of the lineup." As Amen The Animal, the quintet garnered buzz with their self-released EP, My Iron Heart.

With somewhat of a fresh start, Life On Repeat are preparing to spread their infectious brand of pop-rock with melodic hooks, dance-able beats and driving guitars in the form of a digital EP to be recorded with producer Brian McTernan (Thrice, Circa Survive, Senses Fail) in August and released later this fall. "He's responsible for so many successful albums that each of us grew up listening to. When we heard that we had the opportunity to record with him, it was a no-brainer," explained Walker.

"Upon leaving the studio, we wish to not see home for months at a time, no matter what it takes," Baylis expressed what could possible be the band's mantra. Striving to perfect their craft not only in the studio, but more importantly live, self-booked tours have kept the band on the road for over two years, including shows with Versa Emerge, Dance Gavin Dance, The Ataris, and more. Just a month ago, Life On Repeat played all 6 dates of Cornerstone Festival 2009. While consistent touring is an essential ingredient for the recipe of any successful band, it was a much bigger requirement for the quintet. "In a nutshell, there is no music scene in Salisbury; the closest venues are about 2 hours away. We rented out halls and churches to hold our own shows," Walker described. "Throughout the past year or so, we've basically established our own local scene through the shows we've set up."

Of the signing to Equal Vision Records, the band says, "Equal Vision has not only launched the careers of many highly respected artists, but they have maintained a work ethic that continues to prove they are here to stay. From day one, we aspired to be involved with a label that is, in every way, able to properly have our music heard. We couldn't be more excited for what the future holds with Life On Repeat and EVR."

Rise Records Signs Those Who Lie Beneath

2009-07-31T03:15:00.000-07:00

RISE RECORDS is proud to welcome THOSE WHO LIE BENEATH into the family.

Their debut album " An Awakening" is due out on October 13th.
Check out 2 brand new songs on their myspace page:

Their new album is pure 'shock and awe'. They play some of the most brutal music in the scene today. Catch them on the road soon.

Mayday Parade Song "Anywhere But Here" Premieres on MySpace

2009-07-31T00:34:00.001-07:00

Check out the premiere on myspace of Mayday Parade’s title track "Anywhere But Here" off their upcoming album that will be released on Atlantic Records on October 6th!

www.myspace.com/maydayparade

PAPER + PLASTICK RECORDS GIVE AWAY NEW AND UNRELEASED MUSIC

2009-07-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Paper + Plastick Records is rapidly becoming the home to many of today's best punk, hardcore, ska and independent artists, and today the all vinyl/digital label is offering fans a chance to sample a number of current and upcoming releases.

The second installment of the free digital sampler from P+P is filled with 23 tracks that include previously unreleased music from Assassinate The Scientist, Blacklist Royals, Cheap Girls, Failures Union, Farewell Continental, Foundation, Landmines, Rehasher, Spanish Gamble, and This Is My Suitcase. Fans can download their free copy here:

Full Tracklisting:
1) Blacklist Royals - "Rock And Roll" off the full length LP out this fall
2) Cheap Girls - "Stop Now" off Find Me A Drink Home, available now
3) Cheap Girls - "Hey Hey, I'm Worn Out" off the upcoming LP My Roaring 20's
4) Coffee Project - "You Always Wanted A Song, Right?" off Easy Does It, available now
5) Coffee Project - "Oh, Sweet Pickle" off the Pickle EP, available now
6) Andrew Dost - "I've Got A Feeling" off Columbus, available now
7) Failures Union - "Fall Man" off the upcoming LP out this fall
8) Farewell Continental "Do You Wanna Tangle?" off the s/t picture disk, available now
9) Farewell Continental - "Western Boys and Girls" off the upcoming one-side LP
10) Foundation - "Back Then" off the upcoming digital EP out this fall
11) Foundation - "Mona Lisa" off Chimborazo, available now
12) Gatorface - "Flak Jacket" off the Sick And Stupid 10" LP, available now
13) Landmines - "Piggyback" off the s/t LP, available now
14) Landmines - "Evil Eye" off the upcoming Hell Is What You Make It EP out this fall
15) Protagonist - "1095 Days" off Chronicle, available now
16) Rehasher - "Turn Around" off the upcoming High Speed Access To my Brain LP
17) Shook Ones - "Who Told Omar?" off The Unquotable A.M.H., available now
18) Spanish Gamble - "Science Can't Explain Magic" off the upcoming album out this fall
19) The Riot Before - "Capillaries" off the album Fists Buried In Pockets
20) The A.K.A.S - " All Sinners Welcome In The House Of The A.K.A.s" off Animal Summer
21) This Is My Suitcase - "Fish And Dishes" off the upcoming album out this fall
22) We Are The Union - "Five Out Of Five Kids Who Kill Love Slayer"
23) Assassinate The Scientist - "Blood At Room Temperature" off the upcoming 7" out this fall

Full copies of the entire Paper + Plastick catalogue can be found here:

CLASSIC ROCK PRODIGY LUKE MULHOLLAND SHARES THE STAGE WITH DIZZY REED

2009-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

THE LUKE MULHOLLAND BAND has been privileged enough to be taken under the wing of many of rock's most legendary acts: Blue Oyster Cult, Dave Mason, Sister Hazel, and Bon Jovi. This year, they've continued to learn from the masters - Mulholland has been touring with Marshall Tucker Band and Dickey Betts this spring and will be continuing to sharpen his indisputable Les Paul chops and continue following in the footsteps of one of his rock idols, Dizzy Reed of Guns N' Roses.

At 20-years old, Luke Mulholland can already easily boast of an accomplished career. Having recorded his first album by himself at age 14, he has gone on to record three more full-length albums. He is one of the most virtuosic blues guitar players in rock music today - an impressive feat for someone his age. He has opened for rock legends such as Bon Jovi and Mountain in addition to headlining shows in the US and Canada. Recently, the young musician was asked to provide the new theme song to syndicated radio program "The Joey Reynolds Show." As Luke recently reported, "I've never been more inspired, I've never been happier making my music." All this is only the beginning, however - the future looks bright for this young talent, who is sure to become a legend himself in due time.

See Luke perform "Caught In A Dream" live on NBC 10 Philadelphia:

JANUS: Set To Release Debut Album, ‘Red Light Return,’ September 22

2009-07-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

JANUS--David Scotney (vocals), Johnny Salazar (percussion), Alan Quitman (bass), Mike Tyranski (guitar/programming)--will be releasing their debut album, RED RIGHT RETURN, September 22 on REALID Records (through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group).

The album’s first single, “Eyesore,” has already been added to Rock radio stations nationwide including Q101/Chicago, WJJO/Madison, WWBN/Flint, KXFX/Santa Rosa, and KISW/Seattle. A video for the track—directed by Noah Shulman (Sleepless City Productions)--will make its world premiere on AOL’s “Noisecreep” (www.noisecreep.com) on Thursday, July 30.

JANUS’ music was previously featured on such TV shows as MTV’s “Road Rules,” “The Real World,” and “Bad Girls Club” and NBC’s “The Science of Love.”

RED RIGHT RETURN is a collection of ten seamlessly flowing tracks that showcase the band’s ability to bring the Rock world an intelligent fresh sound. JANUS’ debut harkens back to the days when albums were written as a total piece of work, as opposed to a group of single songs. The Chicago natives recorded, produced, created all the themes, digital presence, and artwork on their own. Lyrically, the songs have very strong universal underpinnings to real life experiences. While they tell a particular story, the end result is left open to interpretation and the listener is free to draw their own conclusions.

JANUS uses a broad range of dynamics and instruments not often used in the Rock world (violins, cellos, timpani drums, a full choir, air raid sirens and a glockenspiel) to produce a sound of melodic, ethereal backdrops grounded in aggressive, heavy, rhythms.

In an early review of RED RIGHT RETURN, Absolutepunk.net raved: “There are a few bands, given the opportunity, could take the radio by storm. JANUS is a perfect example of this type of band. If they were given the chance, and played on some larger radio stations alongside all of our alternative ‘favorites’ (sound-alikes), they could earn themselves hordes of fans.” While Away-team.com hailed in a 9 out of 10 album review: “Brilliant on many levels and impeccably engineered and produced to perfection.”

JANUS will be on the road non-stop throughout the remainder of 2009, and well into 2010, to promote RED LIGHT RETURN.