Handleman agreed to sell it smusic inventory and selected other assets related to its Wal-Mart business in the U.S. to Anderson Merchandisers ("Anderson"), of Amarillo, Texas. Sales to Wal-Mart stores currently constitute a substantial majority of Handleman's U.S. music sales. Handleman will work with its other U.S. music customers over the next few months to assist them in achieving a smooth transition to other music suppliers.
Handleman also agreed in principle to sell substantially all of the assets and operations of its Canadian subsidiary to Anderson. Completion of that transaction is expected to occur shortly after receipt of Canadian regulatory approval, which the parties expect to receive in the near future.
Albert A. Koch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Handleman, said,
"Our decision to exit the North American music business was difficult but
unavoidable. CD music sales have been declining at double-digit rates for
several years both industry-wide and at our customers' stores, resulting in a
sharp drop-off in our business. Unfortunately, even the significant steps
we've taken over the past two years to reduce our costs have not enabled the
company to return to profitability. We have reluctantly concluded that there
simply were not enough further cost reduction opportunities available to
offset the margin erosion in future years from continuing sales declines."
"As to the timing of our decision, we took into consideration a number of
factors, including indications from existing customers of their reluctance to
maintain long-term relationships with multiple music distributors in a
shrinking market, a growing question in our minds whether our key music
suppliers would provide trade terms sufficient for us to support our customers
for the peak holiday shipment season and uncertainty whether our credit
agreements would permit sufficient liquidity to operate normally through the
upcoming Christmas season if our suppliers did not return to historical trade
terms."
"We regret the impact of this decision on many of our employees, and will do our best to assist them at this difficult time. We also will work with our valued customers and vendors to achieve a smooth, seamless and timely transition."
James regroups for new album
Thursday, May 29, 2008 – British band James is coming out with their first disc in seven years, “Hey Ma,” on Decca on Sept. 16 on Decca. James has released 10 studio albums, had 20 UK Top 40 singles, and sold 12 million albums. Recorded in 2007 in a self built studio at a chateau in France, “Hey Ma” was produced by Lee “Muddy” Baker.
The reformation of James is rooted in the desire amongst the
three founding members, Tim Booth, Larry Gott and Jim Glennie, to play
together again. In late 2007, for the first time in 6 years, the
original lineup that wrote and recorded the album “Laid,” regrouped for a
series of shows. The reunited band - Booth, Glennie, Gott, Saul Davies, Mark Hunter, Dave Baynton-Power and Andy Diagram - decided to take the ideas they were sharing throughout the tour, and record a new album. After recording “Hey Ma” and with new songs intact, in April 2008, the band embarked on a European tour which sold-out in just a few hours.
"This is the best period of James I've ever been involved in. The band
is reformed in its strongest line up, (the 'Goldmother' to 'Laid' period) and everything feels fresh and exciting again. The response in Europe has been ecstatic and we are proud and excited to be bringing this to the States, where we feel we have some unfinished business,” said Booth.
On June 5, to kick off the U.S. launch for the new album, James will appear at KCRW on Nic Harcourt's “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” The band will perform songs from their new album as well as some of their classic hits.
Songs are:
1) Bubbles
2) Hey Ma
3) Waterfall
4) Oh My Heart
5) Boom Boom
6) Semaphore
7) Upside
8) Whiteboy
9) 72
10) Of Monsters & Heroes & Men
11) I Wanna Go Home
Folk singer U. Utah Phillips dies at 73
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 – Activist folk singer U. Utah Phillips died in his sleep Friday at 73 at his home in California.
Born Bruce Duncan Phillips on May 15, 1935 in Cleveland, he was the son of labor organizers. By his 20s, Phillips demonstrated a lifelong concern with the living conditions of working people. He was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, popularly known as "the Wobblies," an organizational artifact of early 20th-century labor struggles. Phillips served as an Army private during the Korean War, an experience he would later refer to as the turning point of his life. Deeply affected by the devastation and human misery he had witnessed, upon his return to the U.S., he began drifting, riding freight trains around the country.
Destitute and drinking, Phillips got off a freight train in Salt Lake City and wound up at the Joe Hill House, a homeless shelter operated by the anarchist Ammon Hennacy, a member of the Catholic Worker movement and associate of Dorothy Day. Phillips credited Hennacy and other social reformers he referred to as his "elders" with having provided a philosophical framework around which he later constructed songs and stories he intended as a template his audiences could employ to understand their own political and working lives. "He made me understand that music must be more than cotton candy for the ears," said John McCutcheon, a folksinger and close friend.
Phillips drew from influences as diverse as Borscht Belt comedian Myron Cohen, folksingers Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and country stars Hank Williams and T. Texas Tyler. A stint as an archivist for the State of Utah in the 1960s taught Phillips the discipline of historical research; beneath the simplest and most folksy of his songs was a rigorous attention to detail and a strong and carefully-crafted narrative structure.
In 1968 he ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. Phillips left Utah for Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where he was welcomed into a lively community of folk performers centered at the Caff Lena. His performing partners included Rosalie Sorrels, Kate Wolf and Ani DiFranco. "He was like an alchemist," said Sorrels, "He took the stories of working people and railroad bums and he built them into work that was influenced by writers like Thomas Wolfe, but then he gave it back, he put it in language so the people whom the songs and stories were about still had them, still owned them. He didn't believe in stealing culture from the people it was about." A single from Phillips's first record, "Moose Turd Pie," a rollicking story about working on a railroad track gang, saw extensive airplay in 1973. From then on, Phillips had work on the road.
Phillips recorded two albums with Ani DiFranco, which earned a Grammy nomination. Phillips's songs were performed and recorded by Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Tom Waits, Joe Ely and others. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Folk Alliance in 1997. Phillips began suffering from the effects of chronic heart disease in 2004, and as his illness kept him off the road at times, he started a nationally syndicated folk-music radio show, "Loafer's Glory," produced at KVMR-FM and started a homeless shelter in his rural home county. Hospitality House opened in 2005 and continues to house 25 to 30 guests a night.
Phillips died at home, in bed, in his sleep, next to his wife. He is survived by his son Duncan and daughter-in-law Bobette of Salt Lake City, son Brendan of Olympia, Wash.; daughter Morrigan Belle of Washington, D.C.; stepson Nicholas Tomb of Monterrey, Cal.; stepson and daughter-in-law Ian Durfee and Mary Creasey of Davis, California; brothers David Phillips of Fairfield, Cal., Ed Phillips of Cleveland, and Stuart Cohen of Los Angeles; sister Deborah Cohen of Lisbon, Portugal; and a grandchild, Brendan. He was preceded in death by his father Edwin Phillips and mother Kathleen, and his stepfather, Syd Cohen.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's Billy Powell recovers from emergency surgery
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 – Billy Powell, one of the original members and keyboard player for Lynyrd Skynyrd, underwent an emergency partial revision hip replacement surgery in Jacksonville, Fla. on Wednesday, May 21.
"Billy's hip had continued to give him dislocation problems and it was determined that a revision was the only possible solution," says Lynyrd Skynyrd manager Ross Schilling of Vector Management.
Powell will be recovering over the next three-to-six weeks and will have to wear a hip brace for the next three months. He is looking to re-join Lynyrd Skynyrd on tour sometime in July. The band will tour with an interim keyboardist in the mean time.
Hot Chip tours this fall
Thursday, May 15, 2008 – After a successful sold out US tour - including a second performance at Coachella this April, Hot Chip announce dates for another tour this fall. The dates include two shows apiece at the Wiltern in Los Angeles and Terminal 5 in NYC.
This is the second tour this year in support of their new album "Made In The Dark."
Tour dates are:
Sept. 21-22 Los Angeles Wiltern
Sept. 23 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theater
Sept. 25 Dallas Palladium Ballroom
Sept. 26 Austin Austin City Limits
Sept. 28 Chicago Metro
Sept. 29 Chicago Metro
Sept. 30 Toronto Koolhaus
Oct. 1 Montreal Metropolis
Oct. 3-4 New York Terminal 5
Oct. 5 Philadelphia The Trocadero
Oct. 7 Baltimore Rams Head Live
Oct. 8 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Oct. 9 Atlanta Variety Playhouse
Jimmy Eat World tours yet again
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 – Despite just finishing a co-headline tour with Paramore, planning a European tour for June and having already toured Europe and Japan earlier this year, Jimmy Eat World will launch a new string of dates in July.
Tour dates are:
June18 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theater
July 1 - Montreal, QC - Le Medley
July 3 - Kitchener, ON - Elements
July 4 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
July 5 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot
July 7 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
July 8 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
July 9 - Saskatoon, SK - Odeon Events Centre
July 11 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Events Centre
July 12 - Calgary, AB - Flames Central
July 14 - Vancouver, BC - Croation Cultural Center
July 15 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
July 16 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
July 18 - San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
Beck records new CD
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 – Beck has recorded a new album, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse"
Burton, to be released this summer. The as yet untitled album contains 10 new songs.
Beck and Burton planned to work together for several years and recorded last December to do several songs. Encouraged by the results, they decided to make an entire record and over the next few months recorded extensively with the goal of using only 10 pieces in the end.
The songs range from introspection and social commentary to off the
cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the sound incorporates psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration. The songs apparently are short as the disc clocks in at slightly more than 30 minutes.
The new music is the first for Beck since last year's Grammy-nominated digital single "Timebomb." The new songs also mark the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum "Guero" and 2006's "The Information."
Concert-wise, Beck will play his biggest hometown headline
show to date Sept. 20 at the Hollywood Bowl. The bill will also
feature special guests Spoon and MGMT and is the first headline
date announced on a U.S. itinerary that so far includes the Austin
City Limits, Outside Lands and Bumbershoot festivals.
"The Slip" is Nine Inch Nails
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 – "The Slip" is on Nine Inch Nails. The band put the music up on its web site Monday for a free download from its fans at NIN.com.
Trent Reznor said, "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years. This one's on me."
There are no paid options available for "The Slip," nor are there any retail partners. A physical configuration on CD and vinyl is in the works for a July release.
This marks the first time NIN has made its new album available completely and exclusively for free as a DRM-free digital download. "The Slip" is available as a high-quality MP3 or in a variety of lossless formats including, for the first time, a higher-than-CD quality 24 bit 96k version. All downloads include a PDF with credits and artwork.
Like the free single "Discipline" released last week to terrestrial radio stations and their websites and the track "Echoplex" appearing on iLike, "The Slip" features Reznor on vocals and various instruments as well as Josh Freese, Robin Finck and Alessandro Cortini. The record was produced by Reznor, Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. Art direction by Rob Sheridan.
As with previous Nine Inch Nails releases "Year Zero" and "Ghosts I-IV," the complete multi-track files to "The Slip" will be available free at launch, allowing anyone who wants to create his or her own remixes and reinterpretations of the songs. The Remix.NIN.com community will provide a sire and infrastructure for fans to upload, share, stream and download these various remixes as well as the original masters, all free of charge or restrictions.
"The Slip," like "Ghosts I-IV," is being released under a Creative Commons license, allowing fans to distribute the songs and files freely and without fear of copyright infringement.
The Cure hope for a lucky 13th
Friday, May 2, 2008 – The Cure unveiled their plans to release four A & B side singles, one each month starting May 13, leading up to the release of their 13th studio album, as yet untitled, which will be out on Suretone/Geffen Records Sept. 13. It will be the band's first album of new music since 2004's self titled album.
First single "The Only One" includes the b-side "NY Trip"; second single "Freakshow" (out June 13th) includes the b-side "All Kinds Of Stuff"; neither b-side will appear on the album. Both tracks were produced by Robert Smith and Keith Uddin. July 13th and August 13th singles will be announced shortly.
The band is currently gearing up for a U.S. tour, kicking off May 9 at the Patriot Center in Washington D.C.
The Cure is lead singer/guitarist Robert Smith, bass player Simon Gallup, drummer Jason Cooper and, back in the band for a third time, guitarist Porl Thompson. The Cure first formed in southern England in 1976 as Easy Cure. In 1978 the 'Easy' was dropped, and The Cure was signed to the Fiction label.
Tour dates are:
May 9 Washington DC Patriot Center
May 10 Philadelphia , PA Wachovia Spectrum
May 12 Boston, MA Agganis Arena
May 14 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
May 15 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
May 17 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
May 19 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
May 21 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
May 23 Salt Lake City, UT E Center
May 25 George, WA Gorge Amphitheater Sasquatch Festival
May 26 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
May 29 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
May 31 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
June 1 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Auditorium
June 3 San Diego, CA Cox Arena
June 4 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
June 6 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
June 8 Austin, tX Austin Music Hall
June 9 Houston, TX Toyota Center
June 11 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
June 13 Fort Lauderdale, FL Band Atlantic Center
June 15 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Center
June 16 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena
June 18 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University
June 20 New York, NY Madison Square Gaen
June 21 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
Nine Inch Nails tries thwarting scalpers
Thursday, May 1, 2008 – Nine Inch Nails is attempting to curtail scalpers and ticket resellers in its upcoming tour. The band secured extremely limited allotments of the guaranteed best possible seats to every headlining show on the band's upcoming tour and reserved them for pre-sale via NIN.com.
Beginning roughly 72 hours prior to each general on-sale, Nine Inch Nails fans registering under their legal names at NIN.com will be offered exclusive advance access to these prime tickets. Every pre-sale ticket will be personalized with the purchaser's legal name printed on the ticket. Tickets will not be available until night of show, at which point they will be waiting for the purchaser and his/her party at designated will calls at separate entrances to be used exclusively by NIN.com pre-sale ticket holders. Government-issued ID matching the name printed on the ticket will be required for venue entry night of show. No tickets will be mailed in advance.
Albert Hammond Jr. readies second CD
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 – Albert Hammond Jr.'s new CD, "Cmo Te Llama?" will out July 8. The disc also features Matt Romano, Marc Philippe Eskenazi and Josh Lattanzi.
The record by The Strokes member was recorded over five weeks at Electric Lady Studios in New York City and produced by Hammond along with engineer Gus Oberg and drummer Romano. "I'm really proud of the power this record has," said Hammond. "I feel like my melodies and song arrangements have matured. Lyrically, I tried to have the words flow out more freely and not try to write one song but many. I would just sing and sing and then arrange the words afterwards."
"My favorite songs would be 'Borrowed Time', 'Victory At Monterey' and 'You Won't Be Fooled By This'" says Albert. "I love the whole record, but they change day by day, it's like deciding what you want to eat." "GfC" will be the first single from the album.
Musically, Hammond's band played a much greater role in the creative process of the new record. "Every one of the band members brought his or her personality to the music. Even if they played a part I had written they made it their own, I'd get it back and arrange all these new ideas into a better song then we had before. Marc represents youth and curiosity. Josh represents age and wisdom and Matt is the best friend that helps me communicate the rhythm of the music. He's the spark. I love sharing my music with these tasty motherfuckers."
A tour is planned for this summer.
The track list is:
Bargain Of A Century
2 In My Room
3 Lisa
4 GfC
5 The Boss Americana
6 Rocket
7 Victory At Monterey
8 You Won't Be Fooled By This
9 Spooky Couch
10 Borrowed Time
11 G Up
12 Miss Myrtle
13 Feed Me Jack Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Peter Sellers
Killing Joke regroups, tours
Monday, April 14, 2008 – The original Killing Joke lineup is regrouping for a new CD and tour.
"At last, a ray of sunlight to illuminate these dark days," said Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman. "It is indeed my deepest pleasure to announce the dates of the 29th anniversary of the gathering. As usual, we are never content sitting on the laurels of past Glories, a new Killing Joke recording is scheduled this summer! Both Geordie and myself are thrilled as we hope you are with the line up, such anticipation comes as no surprise considering we have not played together since the Brighton Top Rank in 1982. We always knew this day would come after all it was inevitable. We hope all gatherers will join us in warmly welcoming back to active service our brothers Big Paul and Youth. The mysterious chemistry of the original line up is back, let there be gladness in your hearts."
The line-up consists of Geordie Walker, Big Paul Ferguson, Youth and Coleman.
Drummer Ferguson, rejoins the line up for the first time since 1987. Bassist Martin Youth' Glover also steps back into the live arena after a near 15 hiatus, having not played live with Killing Joke since 1994's Pandemonium tour.
The tour will see Killing Joke take up a two night residency in most venues offering a different set on each evening. On the first night, they will play their first two albums in their entirety, 1980's self-titled album followed by the album What's ThisFor!'. Their second performance in each city will treat fans to 1994's Pandemonium and the Island Records singles of 1979-80.
No tour dates or a CD release date were announced.
Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida flies solo
Friday, April 11, 2008 – Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida has gone off on his own with "The Hunter's Lullaby," out Aug. 26 (Kingnoise Records). The disc contains 10 songs delivered in a style reminiscent of the '60s beat poets with hip hop influenced beats of today.
The CD was created over the span of a year in Raine's private studio. Recorded using purely acoustic instruments, Maida gathered many musician friends to help shape the record. His wife, Chantal Kreviazuk, plays piano and lends her vocals to several tracks. Victor Indrizzo (Beck, Gnarls Barkley) started the drum sessions with Raine back in the summer of 2006. Joseph Karnes (John Cale, My Brightest Diamond) contributed the stand up bass while Randy Cooke (Dave Stewart) laid down the majority of the drums and percussion.
Island Def Jam, TAG form new label with Jermaine Dupri
Thursday, April 10, 2008 – Island Def Jam Music Group and Procter & Gamble's TAG brand announce the formation of a new hip-hop record label, TAG Records. The new label will be led by hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri, who will act as president of the New York-based venture. Dupri will set the creative vision for the label and play a key role in identifying and developing its musical talent.
"Today, we make history in the music industry with TAG Records," said Dupri, president of TAG Records. "This label is going to provide new artists with a chance of a lifetime. New artists will receive 10 times the typical marketing support a first in the industry. I'm hand selecting and molding these artists to make history in hip hop."
"We're very excited about our partnership with IDJ and the broad platform it provides for creating artistic opportunities within the urban community, said Alex Keith, general manager P&G Deodorants. "We're confident the partnership will make a positive impact and bring opportunities to undiscovered urban creativity and vision."
"This partnership marks an industry first. This is a breakthrough model that will set the stage for innovative collaborations at Island Def Jam Music Group," said Jeff Straughn, vice president of strategic marketing for Island Def Jam Music Group. "This is a non-traditional approach that blends our most valuable assets: the artist and their music, with the power of brand marketing."
TAG Record's first artist will be officially announced in May. The artist will be given an opportunity to merge their music with personal brand marketing. The TAG Brand will showcase TAG Record's artist and Jermaine Dupri across various TAG brand advertising and marketing initiatives throughout 2008.
Joshua Radin returns to studio
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 – Columbia recording artist Joshua Radin headed back to the studio Monday, where he is slated to complete his second disc, a follow-up to 2006's "We Were Here."
Four tracks are already complete and are currently featured on the itunes exclusive "Unclear Sky." "Sky" is a plaintive acoustic-flavored duet featuring Ingrid Michaelson. A studio version of "Lovely Tonight" with Ryan Adams on guitar; the album version of "The Fear You Won't Fall"; and a previously unreleased demo of "You've Got Growing Up To Do," the song Radin performed for the studio audience on "Ellen!" on Jan. 16 are included. Producer Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Beck, The Vines, Starsailor) is producing the latest disc. The new album is expected to hit stores this summer.
Ohio-native Radin first shot to fame when his songs appeared in TV shows, including "Scrubs," "Grey's Anatomy," "One Tree Hill," "Brothers & Sisters" and "North Shore" as well as various movies such as "Catch and Release," "The Nanny Diaries" and "Last Kiss." Actor Zach Braff directed Radin's video for his hit "Closer".
Radin recently wrapped up his stint on the Hotel Caf Tour featuring Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, Cary Brothers, Jessie Baylin, Meiko and others.
NIN sets tour line-up
Monday, April 7, 2008 – Nine Inch Nails 2008 touring lineup has been completed. Returning member Robin Finck and new addition Rich Fownes will join Trent Reznor, Alessandro Cortini and Josh Freese for a world tour beginning July in North America.
Finck has served in numerous touring configurations of NIN, from tours supporting "The Downward Spiral" (1994-1997) to "The Fragile" (2000-2001). More recently, he played in Guns N Roses. Fownes has been performing with UNKLE, and has been a member of With Scissors and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
The upcoming tour will feature the live debut of material from the recently released "Ghosts I-IV" alongside songs spanning the entire NIN catalogue.
Tour dates are:
July 25 - Pemberton, BC - Pemberton Festival
July 26 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena at Seattle Center
July 28 - Edmonton, ALB - Rexall Place
July 29 - Calgary, ALB - Pengrowth Saddledome
July 31 - Winnipeg, MAN - MTS Centre
Aug. 2 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
Aug. 5 - Toronto, ONT - Air Canada Centre
Aug. 7 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 8 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
Aug. 12 - Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Civic Coliseum
Aug. 13 - Duluth, GA - Gwinnett Arena
Aug. 15 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
Aug. 16 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Aug. 18 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
Aug. 20 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
Aug. 22 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
Aug. 23 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
Aug. 27 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
Aug. 29 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
Aug. 31 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
Sept. 2 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
Sept. 3 - Salt Lake City, UT - The E Center of West Valley
Sept. 5 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
Sept. 6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
Radiohead announces second leg of U.S. tour
Monday, April 7, 2008 – Radiohead confirmed dates and venues for the second leg of Radiohead's upcoming North American tour in August. This follows previously announced gigs in May.
Tour dates are:
Aug. 1 - Lollapalooza - Chicago
Aug. 3 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Indianapolis, IN
Aug. 4 - Blossom Music Center - Cleveland
Aug. 6 - Parc Jean Drapeau - Montreal
Aug. 8-9 - All Points West Music & Arts Festival/Liberty State Park - Jersey City, NJ
Aug. 12 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
Aug. 13 - Tweeter Center For the Performing Arts - Mansfield, MA
Aug. 15 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto
Aug. 19 - Thunderbird Stadium - Vancouver, BC
Aug. 20 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA
Aug. 22 - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival @ Golden Gate Park - San Francisco
Aug. 24-25 - Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles
Aug. 27 - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre - Chula Vista, CA
Aug. 28 - Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara, CA
With the exception of the festivals (Lollapalooza, All Points West, Outside Lands), pre-sale for the above dates will begin April 9 with general on-sale following April 12.
Support for the headline dates will be Grizzly Bear Aug. 3-15 and Liars Aug. 19-28 (as well as the first run of U.S. dates in May).
STP reunites, announces tour
Thursday, April 3, 2008 –
Stone Temple Pilots will reunite for the first time in almost 8 years with a 65-city concert tour set to kick off in May. The announcement comes days after lead singer Scott Weiland parted ways with Velvet Revolver.
The tour starts May 17 with the band headlining the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio and will continue through November.
STP will celebrate the announcement of their reunion tour with an exclusive launch event, sponsored by Spin Magazine and Citi's Private Pass Program to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, that will include a private performance for a select group of contest winners and fans at a secret location in California's Hollywood Hills. The full list of 2008 tour dates will be announced at the event. Following the launch event, the reunited outfit will make their first national live appearance on the The Late Show With Jimmy Kimmel on May 1.
Founded in 1992, STP - Weiland; Dean DeLeo, guitars; Robert DeLeo, bass; and Eric Kretz, drums STP sold more than 35 million albums worldwide. Hits include 1994's "Purple," 6 number 1 singles and 15 top 10 singles on the Billboard charts. The band won a Grammy Award in 1994 for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for its song "Plush."
Foo Fighters extend tour
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 –
Foo Fighters announced Wednesday they will headline Virgin Festival 2008 at Toronto's Island Park in September. They have also added to their U.S .tour itinerary with newly announced. The band will continue to announce new dates over the next few weeks. Supergrass will be supporting on all U.S. summer shows.
The Foos recently sold out their first ever show at Madison Square Garden, sold out two June dates at London's Wembley Stadium, and between now and July will visit Japan, Finland and Australia.
Summer tour dates are:
July 9 - Seattle WA - Key Arena
July 10 - Portland OR - Rose Garden Arena
July 14-15 - Morrison CO - Red Rocks
July 17 - Oklahoma City OK - Ford Center (rescheduled from earlier this year)
July 19 - Kansas City MO - Kemper Arena
July 20 - St. Louis MO - Scottrade Center
July 22 - Grand Rapids MI - Van Andel Arena
July 23 - Indianapolis IN - Conseco Field House
July 25 - Cleveland OH - Quicken Loans Arena
July 26 - Pittsburgh PA - Peterson Events Center
July 29 - East Rutherford NJ - Izod Center
Aug. 9 - Baltimore MD - Pimlico Race Course - Virgin Mobile Festival
Sept. 6 - Toronto ON - Virgin Festival
New York Dolls plan to release live disc
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 – New York Dolls announced today they will release a live album, "Live at Fillmore East" on May 20 on SonyBMG.
Recorded in December of last year at NYC's Fillmore East, this disc captures 10 songs: "Babylon," "Trash," "Jet Boy," "Personality Crisis," "Rainbow Store," "Looking for a Kiss," "Puss 'N' Boots," "Dance Like a Monkey," "Pills," and "Lonely Planet Boy."
The Dolls formed about 35 years ago with the original group disbanding 4 years later. Three Dolls died Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan and Arthur "Killer" Kane.
The reformed group released an album and then toured behind it, leading to the live disc.
Rancid tours after two-year break
Monday, March 31, 2008 – With a new record nearing completion, Rancid will tour this summer for their first live shows in two years.
Rancid Tim Armstrong (vocals, guitar), Lars Frederiksen (vocals, guitar), Matt Freeman (bass, vocals) and Branden Steineckert (drums) have worked on their seventh studio album in recent months. Working with Epitaph president Brett Gurewitz, who helmed the project as producer, and mixer Joe Barresi (Tool, Bad Religion), the album, the band's first in five years, is slated for release later this year.
Rancid depart on April 5th for a week of shows in Japan, a mini-tour which includes headlining the Punkspring festival in Tokyo and Osaka.
Tour dates are:
June 10 Rialto Theatre Tucson, AZ
June 11 Club 101 El Paso, TX
June 13 La Zona Rosa Austin, TX
June 14 Granada Theater Dallas, TX
June 15 Warehouse Live Houston, TX
June 18 Jannus Landing Saint Petersburg, FL
June 19 Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL
June 20 House of Blues Orlando, FL
June 21 Plush Jacksonville, FL
June 22 Masquerade Atlanta
June 24 House of Blues Myrtle Beach
June 25 Hooligans Music Hall Jacksonville, NC
June 26 Jesters Fayetteville, NC
June 27 Rocketown Nashville, TN
June 28 Pop's Sauget, IL
June 29 Cain's Tulsa, OK
July 1 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, NM
July 2 Marquee Theatre Tempe, AZ
July 3 House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
July 26 The Fillmore Denver, CO
July 27 The Beaumont Kansas City, MO
July 28 The Myth Minneapolis, MN
July 30-31 House of Blues Chicago, IL
Aug. 1 Clutch Cargo Pontiac, MI
Aug. 2-3 Kool Haus Toronto, ONT
Aug. 5-6 Metropolis Montreal, QUE
Aug. 8 The Palladium Worcester, MA
Aug. 9 Lupo's Providence, RI
Aug. 10 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 11 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Aug. 13-17 Fillmore @ Irving New York, NY
Heart, Cheap Trick, Journey tour together
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 – Heart, Cheap Trick and Journey are hitting the sheds together this summer.
This summer, Heart embarks on a 40 plus date tour with fellow rockers Journey and Cheap Trick that begins on July 9 in Denver and wraps up on Sept. 30 in Los Angeles.
Tour dates are:
July 9 Denver, CO Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre
July 11 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
July 12 Lake Tahoe, NV Harveys Lake Resort
July 14 Friant, CA Table Mountain Rancheria (Heart solo date)
July 15 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre
July 16 Los Angeles, CA Verizon Amphitheatre
July 19 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
July 20 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
July 22 Council Bluffs, IA Mid American Center
July 23 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
July 25 San Antonio, TX Verizon Amphitheatre
July 26 Houston, TX Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion
July 27 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Amphitheatre
July 30 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
July 31 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Aug. 2 Charlotte, NC Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 3-4 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Aug. 7 Birmingham, AL Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 10 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Aug. 12 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 16 Scranton, PA Toyota Amphitheatre
Aug. 17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino
Aug. 19 Boston. MA Tweeter Center
Aug. 21 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 23 Syracuse, NY New York State Fair
Aug. 24 Saratoga, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 26 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 27 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
Aug. 30 Bethel Woods, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Aug. 31 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Pavilion
Sept. 6 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sept. 7 Cleveland, OH Blossom Amphitheatre
Sept. 9 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sept. 10 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Amphitheatre
Sept. 12 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sept. 13 St. Louis, MO Verizon Amphitheatre
Sept. 19 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
Sept. 21 Portland, OR Clark County Amphitheatre
Sept. 24 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Sept. 26 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Pavilion at Sacramento
Sept. 27 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sept. 30 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Atreyu expands "Lead Sails" release
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 – Atreyu does something a little different with "Lead Sails Paper Anchor 2.0" when it drops April 22 in the CDVU+ format. The release replaces the traditional CD booklet/jewel case with eco-friendly packaging (100-percent recyclable) while offering content accessed through a web link triggered when fans put the disc in their computers.
The new version features the full album, including the new top 10 hit single "Falling Down," a new track recorded exclusively for this release titled "The Squeeze" and covers of Faith No More's "Epic" and The Descendents' "Clean Sheets." Also included are 10 exclusive videos (three live performances, five individual band profile pieces and two behind-the-scenes life on the road clips and a guitar lesson from Atreyu six-stringer Dan Jacobs). A 50-page digital booklet that includes more than 50 exclusive photos and song lyrics is included.
The video clips offer Atreyu fans an intimate look at their favorite band, following lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas as he travels to Thailand to learn Brazilian ju-jitsu; drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller talks about the new toy company he's launching; guitarist Dan Jacobs discusses his new Rokk clothing line; guitarist Travis Miguel reveals his strange ritual involving McDonald's cheeseburgers and bassist Marc McKnight takes the camera to his favorite comic store to discuss his favorite books, films and graphic design work.
The band, currently co-headlining the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour with Avenged Sevenfold, recently shot a video for "Falling Down" with Sean Stiegemeier that's loosely inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film, The Outsiders.
Mates of State announce new disc set for May
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 – Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, also known as Mates of State, will release their fifth full length album, "Re-Arrange Us" May 20 on Barsuk.
Mates of State will appear at the Sasquatch Festival Sunday, May 25, followed by a May 28 date at Los Angeles' Henry Fonda Theater, and a full headlining tour and numerous other festival dates to be announced shortly. The tour will mark Mates' first extensive road trip since NPR's This American Life tour last February, where they provided musical interludes between Ira Glass, Dave Eggers, Dan Savage, Sarah Vowell and David Rakoff's readings.
Produced by Peter Katis and Mates of State, the track listing for Re-Arrange Us is:
Get Better
Now
My Only Offer
The Re-Arranger
Jigsaw
Blue and Gold Print
Help Help
You Are Free
Great Dane
Lullaby Haze
"Re-Arrange Us" also features the most complex packaging of any Mates of State release to date. The reversible and multi-layered cover art allows fans to "Re-Arrange" it into eight different configurations.
While always performing as a duo until recently, Mates of State generate a trademark wall of sound built on dozens of varied voicings of keys, drums and alternately lushly layered and playfully dueling vocals. On "Re-Arrange Us," they add instrumentation and both Mates' lead vocals, instead of only harmonizing.
The Roots ready new disc
Monday, March 17, 2008 – The Roots are set to release "Rising Down" on April 29 via Def Jam Recordings. The Philadelphia hip hoppers - Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (vocals), Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), Kamal Gray (keyboards), Frank Knuckles (percussion), Kirk "Captain Kirk" Douglas (guitar) and Owen Biddle (bass) are releasing their 10th album.
The Roots co-founder ?uestlove states, "This is probably our most political album to date dealing with addiction, nihilism, hypocritical double standards in the prison system and overall life in Philadelphia. I'd say it's more mature and intense than all of our efforts but not a downer' as most people expect us to do."
The title comes from William T. Vollmann's treatise on violence entitled "Rising Up and Rising Down," and the release date falls on the 16th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King.
The pop-infused first single - "Birthday Girl"- features Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump. Additional guests on the album include Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, Dice Raw and Chrisette Michele.
Songs on "Rising Down" are:
The Pow Wow
Rising Down- feat. Mos Def and Styles P
Get Busy- feat. Dice Raw, Peedi Crack and DJ Jazzy Jeff
@15
75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)
(Time Up)
Criminal- feat. Saigon and Truck North
I Will Not Apologize- feat. P.O.R.N. and Dice Raw
I Can't Help It- feat. Malik B and P.O.R.N.
Singing Man- feat. Truck North and P.O.R.N.
Up There (Unwritten)- feat. Mercedes Martinez
Lost Desire- feat. Talib Kweli and Malik B
The Show- feat. Common
Rising Up- feat. Chrisette Michelle and Wale
Birthday Girl- feat. Patrick Stump
The Roots recently returned from Southeast Asia and have confirmed a slew of U.S. tour dates this year including several festivals and universities. Dates confirmed include:
March
29 - Millikin University- Decatur, IL
30 - Kool Haus- Toronto, ON
April
5 - University of Texas- Austin, TX
7 - Indiana University- Bloomington, IN
9 - Higher Ground- Burlington, VT
11 - Pickle Barrel- Killington, VT
12 - Northeastern University- Boston, MA
16 - Purdue University- West Lafayette, IN
17 - Carnegie Mellon University- Pittsburgh, PA
18 - Webster University- St. Louis, MO
20 - Green Apple Festival- Washington, DC
23 - Duke University- Durham, NC
24 - The Music Farm- Charleston, SC
25 - Amos- Charlotte, NC
26 - Tigerfest Towson University- Towson, MD
May
3 - Jazz & Heritage Festival- New Orleans, LA
4 - House of Blues- New Orleans, LA
August
8 - All Points West- Jersey City, NJ
We Are Scientists ready new CD
Monday, March 17, 2008 – We Are Scientists' "Brain Thrust Mastery" drops May 13 on Astralwerks. The release follows the New York-based band's 2005 debut, "With Love & Squalor."
The band will launch a European/UK tour later this month, with a U.S. tour to be announced shortly.
We Are Scientists began at Pomona College, in Claremont, Cal. in the fall of 1997, when guitarist/lead singer Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain met at a viewing of Dawson's Creek held in the latter's dorm room. In 1999, freshly graduated and moved to Berkeley, Cal., the two started We Are Scientists with little more between them than a dream, a couple of cut-rate instruments and $1.4 million in lottery winnings.
Nine years later, the band has long-since relocated to New York City. Fueled by the dance floor songs "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt, "It's A Hit" and "The Great Escape," With Love & Squalor sold more than150,000 copies in England. The band capped off 20 months of touring behind the album with a sold-out British tour.
Songs on the disc are:
1. Ghouls
2. Let's See It
3. After Hours
4. Lethal Enforcer
5. Impatience
6. Tonight
7. Spoken For
8. Altered Beast
9. Chick Lit
10. Dinosaurs
11. That's What Counts
Kraftwerk comes to U.S. for four shows
Thursday, March 13, 2008 – German group Kraftwerk will hit the U.S. for only four dates in April, rare appearances for the group.
Ralf Htter, Florian Schneider, Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz have toured the world and now Kraftwerk is returning to the U.S. to in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Denver and the 2008 Coachella festival. These are Kraftwerk's first U.S. shows since 2005 following the release of their first ever official live document, the 2 x CD and DVD sets "Minimum-Maximum."
Dates are:
Saturday, April 19 Minneapolis, Myth
Sunday, April 20 Milwaukee, Eagles Ballroom
Wednesday, April 23 Denver, The Fillmore Auditorium
Saturday, April 26 Coachella, Cal., Coachella Music Festival
Ike Reilly readies new CD
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 – Ike Reilly, the leader of Chicago-based band The Ike Reilly Assassination, returns April 8 with his latest album, "Poison The Hit Parade." The record is a collection of songs taken from demos from his debut, "Salesmen and Racists," and alternate versions of songs from "Sparkle In The Finish" and 2007's "We Belong To The Staggering Evening," plus the previously unreleased title track and the cancer anthem, "Dragonflies."
"Poison" showcases Reilly and his bandmate Ed Tinley as producers. Reilly's long-time band, The Assassination, is present on several of the tracks here, but many other musicians can be heard on these recordings made in Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, New York City, Jamaica and Ireland.
Juanes plans Colombian peace conference
Friday, March 7, 2008 – Juanes is organizing a free concert at the Colombian-Venezuela border to demonstrate the unity of the region’s people and demand peaceful conflict resolution in response to growing border tensions. The concert is planned to take place at the border between the Colombian city of Cúcuta and the Venezuelan city of San Antonio de Tachira within the next three weeks.
Juanes will be reaching out to fellow music artists from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and other Latin American nations to join with concert goers in demanding that the region’s governments find a diplomatic solution to ease the growing military presence along area borders.
Colombia has been under fire from Venezuela and Ecuador forgoing into Ecuador to kill a rebel hiding out in Ecuador.
At the opening night of his tour, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Juanes addressed the growing tensions from the stage while backed by a fused Colombian flag and peace symbol, saying: "As a Colombian I want to extend my right hand to all my Ecuadorian brothers and my left hand to my Venezuelan brothers, and that we embrace so that together we form the flag of the peace.”
The Starting Line takes a break
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 – The Starting Line will take a break after finishing their tour in April. The announcement on Wednesday did not mean that the Phildelphia pop punk band was breaking up or going on hiatus, according to a statement from the band.
"This is one of the most difficult decisions we've had to make but after eight years of nonstop touring and recording The Starting Line will be taking a break after their headline tour with Bayside, Four Year Strong and Steel Train (March 18 April 20) and the college shows following the tour," the statement said.
"This break does NOT mean the band is breaking up or going on hiatus it just means were going to stop for a little while and focus on other things in our lives besides The Starting Line. This break may last a year, two years or a few months, as of right now we don't know. We're talking to some friends about doing a quick tour to South America as well as options to tour Europe, Japan and Australia again and we're not ruling them out. We just aren't going to be doing any full time touring or recording as The Starting Line for a while."
"We've had our ups and downs with countless record labels (We The People, Drive-Thru, MCA, Geffen, Virgin and finally The Capitol Music Group) over the years, and every time we thought we had the right team a label president would be fired, or our label would be taken over by a new company. At each of these places there were people who loved us and would do anything for us and others (usually the ones making the financial decisions) that just didn't give a shit about our band and after going through this for such a long time we need to take a step back and figure out what's next for The Starting Line."
"This is not an end but a new beginning, to celebrate this new beginning we have a some exciting news to share with everyone. Sometime this summer or early fall we plan to finally release the unreleased record that we recorded for We The People Records. We are also talking about putting together a DVD to go with the record that will chronicle the Drive Thru years. We have tons of tapes to find and dig through and interviews to do with everyone to properly document that part of our lives but we think we can have it ready by the summer."
"Everyone in the band will still be busy so you won't be able to get rid of us that easily."
Vocalist/bassist Kenny Vasoli "just finished recording the debut record for his band Person L, expect to see a release plan and tour announced soon, rumor has it he may even make an appearance at this year's Bonnaroo. You will also get to see the most recent addition to the Starting Line, Brian Schmutz in Person L's touring band. If you want to check out some tunes from the L peep http://www.myspace.com/personl
Guitarist Matt Watts and drummer Tom Gryskewicz worked together on a new project with some friends, called The Seventy Six. They put up a myspace page today with some songs and videos. "The sound of the band may come as a shock to some of you, in the best possible wayThey have some big plans in the works and plan on announcing them as soon as they can."
Guitarist Mike Golla and one of his close friends "will be starting a company that we will tell you all about once all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed. Of course, he has a band he's going to be jamming with as well and when we have more to report on that, we'll let you know. Most importantly, Mike will be making up some lost time with his beautiful daughters. He's missed many a milestone and is looking forward to some much needed bonding time with his little girls.
Blues singer Jeff Healey dies at 41 in Canada
Sunday, March 2, 2008 – Blind Canadian blues guitarist Jeff Healey died Sunday in Toronto of cancer at 41.
Robbed of his sight as a baby due to a rare form of cancer, retino blastoma, he started to play guitar when he was three, holding the instrument unconventionally across his lap. He formed his first band at 17, but soon formed a trio which was named the Jeff Healey Band.
After his appearance in the movie "Road House," he was signed to Arista Records, and in 1988 released the Grammy-nominated album "See the Light," which included a major hit single, "Angel Eyes." He earned a Juno Award in Canada in 1990 as Entertainer of the Year.
He released two more albums on Arista, although neither was as successful. He recorded two more rock albums, before turning to his real love, classic American jazz from the '20s, '30s and '40s.
A family man with a 3-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, he preferred to stay close to home. "I've traveled widely before been there and done that," he said.
A long-running CBC Radio series saw him in the role of disc jockey "My Kinda Jazz" was a staple for a while, but in recent years he had hosted a program with a similar name on Jazz-FM in Toronto. A highlight of his broadcasts was always the use of rare and rarely heard music from his 30,000-plus collection of 78-rpm records.
As his rock career wound down as the millennium came, he recorded a series of three album of early jazz, playing trumpet as well as acoustic guitar in a band he called Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards. The most recent was "It's Tight Like That," recorded live at Hugh's Room in Toronto in 2005, with British jazz man Chris Barber as guest star.
At the time of his death, Healey was about to see the release of his first rock/blues album in eight years, "Mess of Blues," which is being released in Europe on March 20, and in Canada and the U.S. on April 22. The album was the result of a joint agreement between the German label, Ruf Records, and Stony Plain, the independent Edmonton-based label that has released his three jazz CDs.
"Mess of Blues" was recorded in studios in Toronto, with two cuts recorded at the Jeff Healey's Roadhouse in Toronto and two at a concert in London England. The backup group on the upcoming CD the Healey's House Band played with him regularly at the downtown Roadhouse, and at a previous club bearing his name in the Queen-Bathurst area.
Early last year, Healey underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his legs, and later from both lungs; aggressive radiation treatments and chemotherapy, however, failed to halt the spread of the disease.
Despite his battle with cancer, he undertook frequent tours across Canada with both his blues-based band and his jazz group; he was set for a major tour in Germany and the U.K. and was to be a guest on the BBC's famed Jools Holland Show in April.
Healey leaves his wife, Cristie, daughter Rachel (13) and son Derek (three), as well as his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey, and sisters Laura and Linda.
Morrissey plans "Greatest Hits"
Friday, February 22, 2008 – Morrissey will release his "Greatest Hits" compilation in the U.S. on March 25, his Decca debut. The CD entered the UK charts at number five this week. "Greatest Hits" will be released in three versions; a regular jewel box version of 15 tracks, a deluxe limited edition version of the 15 tracks that features a "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" bonus CD with 9 tracks recorded in California on June 8 2007 including a US exclusive and as a double vinyl LP.
The collection spans Morrissey's 20-year solo career. Every song on "Greatest Hits" is a UK Top 20 single. Two new songs are included the new single "That's How People Grow Up" and "All You Need Is Me" - recorded with Jerry Finn, producer of 2004's "You Are The Quarry". Morrissey is currently working with Finn on his new studio album, the follow-up to 2006's "Ringleader Of The Tormentors."
Morrissey will tour Europe this year, and a new studio album is due out in the fall.
The track listing is:
1. First Of The Gang To Die
2. In The Future When All's Well
3. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
4. Irish Blood, English Heart
5. You Have Killed Me
6. That's How People Grow Up (NEW)
7. Everyday Is Like Sunday
8. Redondo Beach
9. Suedehead
10. The Youngest Was The Most Loved
11. The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
12. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
13. All You Need Is Me (NEW)
14. Let Me Kiss You
15. I Have Forgiven Jesus
The "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" bonus CD track listing is:
1. The Last of the Famous International Playboys
2. The National Front Disco
3. Let Me Kiss You
4. Irish Blood, English Heart
5. I Will See You in Far-off Places
6. First of the Gang to Die
7. I Just Want to See the Boy Happy
8. Life is a Pigsty
US only bonus track: That's How People Grow Up (Live At The Hollywood Bowl)
Sevendust plans on new CD for April
Friday, February 22, 2008 – Sevendust's seventh studio release, "Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow" is dropping April 1 through 7Bros.Warner.
For the first time since "Animosity" (2001), the band has collaborated with outside artists. Chris Daughtry, a longtime fan of Sevendust's, will appear as well as members of Alter Bridge. Daughtry appears on the track "The Past" while Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge guests on "Hope" and Miles Kennedy of Alter Bridge on "Sorrow." Sevendust felt bringing in some outside friends added a healthy dynamic for the project, according to a publicist.
"It was a challenging and exciting to write. We've spent so much time with angst over our career that is was nice to in a good head space for a change while working on this project," said drummer Morgan Rose.
"There was a really relaxed vibe in the studio this time around. I think Hope and Sorrow shows a different side of Sevendust. Heavy but yet still growing in a direction that explores a lot of different things musically for us. I'm excited about the album," said vocalist LaJon Witherspoon.
The disc was produced by Sean Groove, Morgan Rose and John Connolly in Atlanta. Hope & Sorrow will be their second release on the band's wholly owned record label.
Songs are:
1. Inside
2. Enough
3. Hope (featuring Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge)
4. Scapegoat
5. Fear
6. The Past (featuring Chris Daughtry)
7. Prodigal Son
8. Lifeless
9. Sorrow (featuring Miles Kennedy of Alter Bridge)
10. Contradiction
11. Walk Away
Sevendust has been announced as part of the first annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. The tour is set to kick off July 9th at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle and will hit 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada between early July and late August. Sevendust joins headliners Slipknot and Disturbed along with Dragonforce, Mastodon, Airbourne, Black Tide, Five Finger Death Punch and more.
Radiohead, Jack Johnson headline All Points West fest in Jersey
Thursday, February 21, 2008 – Radiohead and Jack Johnson will headline the first All Points West Music & Arts Festival being held in New Jersey in August.
Radiohead will headline the Friday and Saturday night headliner. Johnson will headline Sunday night of the three-day, multi-stage music and arts festival being held Aug. 8-10 at Liberty State Park in New Jersey.
The fest also feature performances from Underworld, Kings of Leon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Cat Power, The Roots and The New Pornographers. More than 40 acts will appear on 3 stages throughout the 80-acre location.
Others playing are Youssou N'Dour, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Metric, CSS, Girl Talk, Chromeo, The Go! Team, Amadou & Mariam, The Black Angels, Sia, The Felice Brothers, K'Naan, Jason Isbell, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Alberta Cross, The Virgins, Black Kids, Mates of State, Duffy, Forro in the Dark, Nicole Atkins, Juana Molina, Little Brother, Rogue Wave, Neil Halstead and Your Vegas.
Single day passes are $89 and 3-day passes are $258. A portion of the event's proceeds will benefit "Friends of Liberty State Park." The Friends of Liberty State Park is an open space advocacy volunteer organization dedicated to the park's future as a free, green and non-commercial, urban waterfront oasis.
The festival is being created in a "green" festival environment. Initial "green" plans include on-site parking for carpoolers only and ample public transportation to and from the site. Ferry service will be available from Manhattan directly to the festival grounds
Jakob Dylan records solo disc
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 – Jakob Dylan will release his first solo album, "Seeing Things" May 13 through both Columbia Records and Starbucks Entertainment.
The disc by the lead singer of The Wallflowers was produced by Rick Rubin at his home studio in the Hollywood Hills throughout 2007. The music is primarily acoustic.
The track listing is:
1. Evil Is Alive And Well
2. Valley Of The Low Sun
3. All Day And All Night
4. Everybody Pays As They Go
5. Will It Grow
6. I Told You I Couldn't Stop
7. War Is Kind
8. Something Good This Way Comes
9. On Up The Mountain
10. This End Of The Telescope
A headlining tour will be announced shortly with festival dates at this
year's Rothbury & Bonnaroo already confirmed.
"Seeing Things" will be available simultaneously at Starbucks
company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and at traditional
retail.
Van Morrison plays SXSW
Monday, February 18, 2008 – For the first time ever, the legendary Van Morrison will perform at the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, kicking off the event on March 12. Morrison will preview songs from his upcoming Lost Highway release "Keep It Simple," out April 1. "Keep It Simple" is Morrison's first album of new material in two years.
Morrison's tour begins the prior evening on Tuesday, March 11, with a public performance at the Austin Music Hall. Morrison returns to Nashville with a sold out show at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday March 13. On Friday March 14, Ireland's favorite son kicks off the St. Patrick's Day weekend with a performance at the Wang Theatre in Boston. Morrison will wrap up the tour in New York City at the United Palace on March 15.
Ladytron plans new CD, tour
Friday, February 15, 2008 – Ladytron release its fourth full-length album, "Velocifero" on June 3 on Nettwerk. The band will tour North America with dance punks Datarock, hitting 31 cities between May 20 and July 4.
Recorded in Paris, "Velocifero" was produced by Ladytron with additional production from Alessandro Cortini (Nine In Nails) and Vicarious Bliss of Ed Banger Records (Justice, DJ Mehdi, Busy P); the album was mixed by Michael Patterson (Beck, P. Diddy).
"Velocifero" is the follow up to the band's 2005 release "Witching Hour," which Ladytron toured the world behind for nearly two years, both as headliners and as support for such acts as Nine Inch Nails and the Chemical Brothers.
Ladytron - Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu - is planning a worldwide tour for the rest of this year and into 2009; stay tuned for more information.
Tour dates are:
May 20 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room
May 21 Calgary, AB The Warehouse
May 23 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
May 24 Seattle, WA Showbox
May 25 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
May 27 San Francisco, CA Fillmore
May 29 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda
May 30 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda
May 31 San Diego, CA The Belly Up
June2 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
June3 Denver, CO The Gothic
June5 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
June6 Austin, TX Stubbs
June7 Houston, TX Meridian
June8 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
June10 Orlando, FL Club Firestone
June11 Tampa, FL Czar
June12 Miami, FL Studio A
June13 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
June15 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival
June16 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
June17 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
June18 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
June25 New York, NY Terminal 5
June26 Philadelphia, PA Theater of Living Arts
June27 Baltimore, MD Sonar
June28 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
June30 Boston, MA Paradise
July 2 Montreal, QC Metropolis (Jazz Fest
July 3 Quebec City, QC Theatre Imperial de Quebec (Summer Fest)
July 4 Toronto, ON Harbourfront Centre
Portishead slates release of new CD
Friday, February 15, 2008 – Portishead will release "Third," their fourth album in total and first since 1998's 'Roseland NYC live" April 29.
The disc will be put out on Mercury/Island. Portishead are Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and Beth Gibbons.
Songs on the CD are:
1. Silence
2. Hunter
3. Nylon Smile
4. The Rip
5. Plastic
6. We Carry On
7. Deep Water
8. Machine Gun
9. Small
10. Magic Doors
11.Threads
Portishead will play on the main stage at Coachella on Saturday April 26.
Mariah Carey drops new disc in April
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 – Mariah Carey has set April 15th as the release date for "E=MC," her 11th studio album. "E=MC" is the follow-up to "The Emancipation Of Mimi," Carey's worldwide 10 million selling number 1 album, which generated 3 Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album) and 2 number 1 singles.
The first single from "E=MC" is "Touch My Body," written and produced by Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, is out Feb. 12. The video for "Touch My Body" was directed by feature filmmaker Brett Ratner - Internet, cable and network premieres for the video will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Other guest producers will include Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, Stargate, Will I Am, Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills and James Poyser. "E=MC" is executive produced by Carey and Antonio "LA" Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.
Radiohead confirms first leg of U.S. tour
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 – Radiohead has confirmed the dates and venues to be visited on the first segment of its upcoming North American tour. Dates are:
May 5 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, Fla.
May 6 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, Fla.
May 8 - Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta
May 9 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, N.C.
May 11 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge - Bristow, Va.
May 14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St Louis
May 17 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston
May 18 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas
Pre-sale for the above dates will begin Feb. 14 via W.A.S.T.E. with general on-sales following on Feb. 16.
The second half of the North American tour will follow the band's summer tour of Great Britain and Europe.
Tim Fite plans on new CD for May
Monday, February 11, 2008 – Tim Fite will release "Fair Ain't Fair," the follow-up to his 2005 album "Gone Ain't Gone," in May.
Look for the disc May 6 on Anti- Records. The Brooklyn-based Fite put out several web-only releases in 2007, but "Fair Ain't Fair" is his first studio recording since his Anti- debut.
On the new CD, Fite recorded violist Marla Hansen (of Sufjan Stevens' Illinoisemakers and My Brightest Diamond), and from that, created a discordant loop on which to anchor his lyrics. He also piles track upon track to create a Pet Sounds-esque vocal performance, which was recorded in his bedroom.
Fite also recently announced a three week tour with Les Claypool. The Fite/Claypool tour kicks off on March 18th in Denver.
Tour dates are:
March 12-16 Austin SXSW
March 18 Denver Ogden Theatre
March 20 Minneapolis First Avenue
March 21 Milwaukee Eagles Club
March 22 Chicago Vic Theatre
March 25 Tulsa, Okla. Cain's Ballroom
March 27 Dallas House of Blues
March 28 Houston Warehouse Live
March 29 Austin Stubb's BBQ
April 1 Tuscon, Ariz. Rialto Theater
April 2 San Diego House of Blues
April 4 Los Angeles The Wiltern
April 5 San Francisco The Warfield
3 Doors Down readies new CD
Friday, February 8, 2008 – 3 Doors Down will release its next disc in May.
"Citizen Soldier" was released attached to movies in about 25,000 theaters across the U.S. last October. The video was created for the National Guard. The song will be released on the new, self-titled album from 3 Doors Down on May 6.
The band will release the album's first single, "It's Not My Time" in the next few weeks.
Lifehouse plays half-time at Pro Bowl
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 – Lifehouse will perform their hit single "Whatever It Takes" and other tunes during the Pro Bowl halftime Show at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii this Sunday, Feb. 10.
The band will perform "Whatever It Takes" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Feb. 15 and on Telemundo's new talk show Mas Vale Tarde on Feb. 21. The following week they will kick off a national headlining tour Feb. 24 in Spokane, Wash.
Spoon plans victory lap tour of U.S.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 – Currently touring the Pacific Rim with a few European/United Kingdom one-offs coming up, Spoon will soon announce cities and venues for an April 2008 victory lap of the U.S.
The band's sixth full-length studio album, "Ga Ga Ga Ga," was released July 10 on Merge. The CD was the first Spoon album to debut in the top 10.
Spoon is comprised of Britt Daniel, Jim Eno, Eric Harvey and Rob Pope. The band's debut album "Telephono" was released in 1996 and was combined with the 1997 EP "Soft Effects" for a recent re-release. Other Spoon full-lengths have included "A Series Of Sneaks" (1998), "Girls Can Tell" (2001), "Kill The Moonlight" (2002) and "Gimme Fiction" (2005).
Peter of Peter Bjorn and John plans solo disc
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 – Peter Moren, the Peter in Peter Bjorn and John, is releasing a solo disc in April. Quarterstick Records will release the "The Last Tycoon" April 8.
While PBandJ was busy touring behind "Writer's Block," Moren also was working on his solo disc, which contains 10 songs.
Recorded and mixed over two years in tiny apartments and rehearsal
studios in Sweden and the U.S., "The Last Tycoon" is built around the
basic foundation of Moren and his guitar. The album also incorporates strings, synthesizers, vibraphones, percussion, a musical saw, and a drum machine.
Moren will bring his folk pop sounds to the South by Southwest
Festival in March and a handful of select cities this spring.
Van Morrison plays three shows in support of new CD
Monday, January 28, 2008 – Van Morrison will play three shows in support of his March 11 Lost Highway release "Keep It Simple," his first album of new material in two years. Morrison's tour begins March 10 with a show at the Austin Music Hall in Austin.
Morrison then will head to Nashville, playing the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday March 12. The next night, Morrison kicks off St. Patrick's Day weekend with a performance at the Wang Theatre in Boston.
"Keep It Simple" features 12 new songs.
Roger Waters, Jack Johnson, Portishead play Coachella
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 – Roger Waters, Kraftwerk, Love & Rockets, Portishead and Jack Johnson head the schedule for this year's Coachella Music Festival announced Monday.
The organizers of the California fest held in late April also announced a new event an east coast concert in New Jersey.
Coachella will be held Friday, April 25 through Sunday April 27 in Indio, Cal.
Appearing on April 25 will be Jack Johnson, The Verve, Raconteurs, The Breeders, Fatboy Slim, Tegan and Sara, Madness, The Swell Season, The National, Animal Collective, Slightly Stoopid, Mum, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Stars, Battles, Aesop Rock, Midnight Juggernauts, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Minus the Bear, Spank Rock, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Diplo, Adam Freeland, Santo Gold, Jens Lekman, John Butler Trio, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Architecture in Helsinki, Sandra Collins, Busy P, Cut Copy, Black Lips, Datarock, Professor Murder, Reverend and the Makers, The Bees, Porter, Rogue Wave, Modeselektor, American Bang, Lucky I Am.
Saturday appearances will include Portishead, Kraftwerk, Death Cab for Cutie, Cafe Tacuba, Sasha & Digweed, Rilo Kiley, Dwight Yoakam, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Cold War Kids, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, DeVotchKa, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Turbonegro, Scars on Broadway, Islands, Enter Shikari, Calvin Harris, Boyz Noize, Junkie XL, Cinematic Orchestra, Jamie T, The Teenagers, VHS or Beta, Carbon/Silicon, Erol Alkan, Yo Majesty!, Little Brother, Bonde Do Role, St. Vincent, Akron Family, MGMT, Institubes DJs (Surkin, Para One and Orgasmic), James Zabiela, Sebastian, Kavinsky, Dredg, The Bird and the Bee, Grand Ole Party, New Young Pony Club, 120 Days, Yoav, Electric Touch, Uffie.
The closing day on Sunday features Waters of Pink Floyd, Love & Rockets, My Morning Jacket, Spiritualized, Justice, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, The Streets, Metric, Danny Tenaglia, Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Murs, Dmitri from Paris, Autolux, The Field, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Les Savy Fav, The Cool Kids, Sons & Daughters, Sia, Holy Fuck, Black Kids, Black Mountain, The Annuals, Kid Sister w/A-Trak, Man Man, Duffy, I'm from Barcelona, Manchester Orchestra, Deadmau5, The Horrors, Austin TV, Shout Out Louds, Plastiscines and Brett Dennen.
Tickets go on sale Friday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. Pacific via TicketMaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 and at all TicketMaster retail ticket centers or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are: 3-day general admission: $269 plus applicable service fees. Single day general admission: $90 plus applicable service fees. Camping events: General admission camping: $55 plus applicable service fees.
Promoters gave preliminary details for the ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL set for Aug. 8-10 at Liberty State Park in New Jersey just across the river from Manhattan.
Additional details regarding the line-up, ticketing and other information for ALL POINTS WEST will be announced soon.
Jimmy Eat World, Paramore tour together
Monday, January 21, 2008 – Jimmy Eat World and Paramore will join forces to co-headline a tour scheduled to kick off in March. Full schedule, on-sale dates and support acts will be announced shortly.
Jimmy Eat World singer Jim Adkins said, "We're very excited for the upcoming tour with Paramore. We got to know them last December while playing festivals together. They put on a great show, and we think it's going to be an awesome bill."
Adds Hayley Williams of Paramore, "If it all ends tomorrow, we will be happy knowing that we got a tour with the band that gave us a reason to play music."
Lissie opens Lenny Kravitz tour
Thursday, January 17, 2008 – LA-based indie rocker Lissie will open shows on the Lenny Kravitz tour, which kicks of today, Jan. 17 in Los Angeles at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and ends in New York City on Feb. 1 at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
Lissie released a self-titled EP last year on her imprint label, Lionboy Records. The EP caught the attention of KCRW DJ Nic Harcourt and received airplay on his influential radio program "Morning Becomes Eclectic." She also co-wrote and sang on the track "All My Life" from DJ Harry's current album "Collision." The song was featured in TV shows like House, Veronica Mars and The OC. Additionally, she performed the track on the ABC Family hit series Wildfire, along with the song "All Be Ok" from her EP. Most recently, Lissie sang lead vocals on the new Morgan Page single "Longest Road" from his upcoming release "Elevate."
Currently, Lissie is working on her debut full-length album to be released later this year. In March, she will be appearing at SXSW as an official showcasing act.
Tour dates are:
Jan. 17 Santa Monica, CA Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
Jan. 19 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
Jan. 20 Las Vegas, NV Pearl
Jan. 22 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
Jan. 24 St. Paul, MN Myth
Jan. 26 Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
Jan. 27 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
Jan. 29 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Jan. 31 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
Feb. 1 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Def Leppard launches tour in March
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 – Def Leppard is set to tour starting in late March as part of a 2008 World Tour. This year's outing includes 19 dates, kicking off on March 27 in Greensboro, N.C. and ending on April 26 in Chula Vista, Cal.
The tour is being produced by Live Nation. The band is also set to release a brand new studio disc this year with details to be announced shortly.
Tickets go on sale beginning January 11th and are available at www.livenation.com.
Def Leppard consists of Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums).
Tour dates are:
March 27 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex
March 29 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live Arena
March 30 Estero, FL Germain Arena
April 1 Greenville, SC BI-LO Center
April 3 Reading, PA Sovereign Center
April 4 Atlantic City, NJ Music Box at The Borgata
April 6 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
April 8 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
April 9 Providence, RI Dunkin' Donuts Center
April 11 Quebec City, QC Colisee Pepsi Arena
April 12 Ottawa, ON ScotiaBank Place
April 13 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum
April 16 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
April 18 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
April 19 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
April 22 Boise, ID The Idaho Center
April 23 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
April 25 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl
April 26 Chula Vista, CA Coors Amphitheater
Radiohead plans U.S. tour
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 – With "In Rainbows" debuting today at number one on the U.S. charts, Radiohead confirmed cities to be visited on the band's upcoming North American tour. The tour will take place in two segments - one prior to and one following the recently announced summer tour of Great Britain and Europe.
The cities are:
Atlanta
Boston
Charlotte
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Houston
Indianapolis
Los Angeles
Miami
Montreal
New York
Philadelphia
San Diego
San Francisco
Santa Barbara
Seattle
St Louis
Tampa
Toronto
Vancouver
Washington DC
Exact dates and venues will be announced at a later date.
Felice Brothers release new disc, tour
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 – Team Love will release a collection of The Felice Brothers new songs along with combined with some select and hard to find tracks from the tour-only full length release "The Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol 1" on March 4 in a self-titled U.S. debut.
The brothers hit the road with the Drive-By Truckers all of February, starting with a stop in Chicago opening for Son Volt and a sold out show at the Mercury Lounge in New York City Feb. 1.
The Felice Brothers also will do shows with Man Man and the North Mississippi All Stars before taking off with Justin Townes Earl and McCarthy Trenching on March 28.
BT says daughter was abducted in family matter
Monday, January 7, 2008 – Artist/producer BT said Monday his missing daughter, Kaia Transeau was abducted more than three weeks ago by her mother.
"There has been no contact since the first few days," according to a press release. BT is making "all reasonable efforts" to find his daughter, who is 3 1/2. Kaia was placed on the national missing persons NCIC (National Crime Information Center) list (phone number 1-304-625-2000).
BT said, "I am diligently and delicately working to do everything possible to amend this tragic family situation. As a father, my only goal is to get my daughter back home. I appreciate your continued support and understanding in this desperate hour."
Shelby Lynne set to release Dusty Springfield tribute disc
Thursday, January 3, 2008 – Shelby Lynne will release a tribute disc to Dusty Springfield in late January. "Just A Little Lovin' " comes out Jan. 29 on Lost Highway Records. Nine of the 10 tracks are newly arranged version of songs from the Springfield repertoire, including "Anyone Who Had A Heart," "Breakfast In Bed" and "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me". Also included is Lynne's original song "Pretend."
The song arrangements were spontaneous based solely on inspiration and vibe. Phil Ramone, who has produced Barbera Streisand and Frank Sinatra, produced with all tracks recorded live on two-inch tape at Capitol Studio A in Los Angeles.
The song list is:
1. Just A Little Lovin' (Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil)
2. Anyone Who Had A Heart (Burt Bacharach and Hal David)
3. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (Guiseppe Donaggio, Simon Napier-Bell, Vito Pallovinci and Vicky Wickham)
4. I Only Want To Be With You (Michael Edwin Hawker and Ivor Raymonde)
5. The Look Of Love (Burt Bacharach and Hal David)
6. Breakfast In Bed (Donnie Fritts and Eddie Hinton)
7. Willie And Laura Mae Jones (Tony Joe White)
8. I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore (Randy Newman)
9. Pretend (Shelby Lynne)
10. How Can I Be Sure (Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere)
