The Fresh & Onlys @ Natural History Museum tomorrow, April 1st, 2011
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3/31/2011
Ringo Deathstarr
RINGO DEATHSTARR
POST NEW VIDEO FOR “TWO GIRLS”
& “KALEIDOSCOPE”
NPR, WIRED, CNN, BK VEGAN PICK BAND AS HIGHLIGHT OF SXSW
Wired "Must Hear Band at SXSW"
NPR "SXSW Preview On ALL SONGS CONSIDERED"
CNN "What's Next" Profile
BROOKLYN VEGAN “SXSW Live Review”
“Colour Trip is one of my favorites of 2011”-Brooklyn Vegan
Austin, TX trio, Ringo Deathstarr released TWO new videos for the songs Two Girls and Kaleidoscope today. The self made videos encompass everything the band is, loud, fuzzy and dream-like, as evidenced on their new full-length album Colour Trip. The band have just delivered a whopping twelve plus shows at SXSW which was championed by such outlets as NPR who included the band in their SXSW preview as a band they can’t wait to see. Wired Magazine proclaimed Ringo a “Must Hear Band” in their SXSW preview. On the press front, the band is also getting attention including top web outlets like Pop Matters giving the band an 8 out of 10 and saying the band has “expanded its musical palette to the point where they shift gears between varying styles so effortlessly that it’s enough to convince listeners they’ve been doing this for the past 20 years.” Chrome Waves called the album “Loud, fuzzy and fun,” CMJ called it “an interesting indie-pop/lo-fi contrast that’s addressed in every distortion-soaked, echoing track.” Local tastemaker The Austinist gave it’s seal of approval saying “Ringo Deathstarr’s debut LP is a well-made, effects-laden enfilade of melody and noise.” My Old Kentucky Blog who proclaimed “At heart, Ringo Deathstarr is a tremendous pop band, perhaps ready to rival Belle and Sebastien.” Street Boners said Is it possible to wear out your YouTube player to the point that it starts skipping, because that’s how many times I’ve spun this video for “So High.” UK tastemaker NME proclaimed “It’s a shame we do not live in a world in which Ringo Deathstarr is the name of Liam Gallagher’s new band.” Finally MOG.com sums it up by saying “I can only state that this is an amazing record.”
Ringo Deathstarr head to Japan in April and will announce a national U.S. tour shortly.
More info at: http://www.myspace.com/ringodeathstarr
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3/30/2011
WIRE american tour 2011
Upcoming Wire gigs
- Apr 01: Lee's Palace, Toronto, Canada
- Apr 02: Le Cabaret du Mile End, Montreal, Canada
- Apr 03: Middle East Downstairs, Boston, USA
- Apr 05: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, USA
- Apr 06: Bowery Ballroom, NYC, USA
- Apr 07: Black Cat, Washington DC, USA
- Apr 08: Mohawk, Austin, USA
- Apr 09: Metro, Chicago, USA
- Apr 10: First Avenue, Minneapolis, USA
- Apr 12: Dante's, Portland, USA
- Apr 13: Neumos, Seattle, USA
- Apr 14: Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
- Apr 16: Coachella Festival, Indio, CA, USA
- Apr 17: Slim's, San Francisco, USA
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Keren Ann "101"
KEREN ANN ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR FOR JUNE
AOL SPINNER PREMIERES VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE
“MY NAME IS TROUBLE” FROM HER FORTHCOMING ALBUM “101”
TO BE RELEASED MARCH 22 ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS
The track listing for 101 is as follows:
1. My Name Is Trouble
2. Run With You
3. All The Beautiful Girls
4. Sugar Mama
5. She Won't Trade It For Nothing
6. You Were On Fire
7. Blood On My Hands
8. Song From A Tour Bus
9. Strange Weather
10. 101
KEREN ANN TOUR DATES:
April 17 – Kimmel Center – Philadelphia, PA
June 7 – Bell House – Brooklyn, NY
June 8 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
June 9 – ICA – Boston, MA
June 11 – The Warhol – Pittsburgh, PA
June 13 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
June 14 – Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN
June 17 – Triple Door – Seattle, WA
June 18 – Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
June 19 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
June 21 – Yoshi’s – San Francisco, CA
June 23 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
June 24 – McCabes – Santa Monica, CA
June 25 – Luckman Fine Arts Complex – Los Angeles, CA
June 28 – Drake Hotel – Toronto, ONT
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3/27/2011
3/25/2011
John Grant
John Grant Interview
By Alexander Laurence
John Grant was once in the band The Czars. They were an indie rock band started in Denver, Colorado. They did well in Europe but never made an impact in the States. Grant retired from music and moved to New York City for a few years. He was invited to move to Texas and start a new record with Midlake. The result was his first solo album Queen of Denmark. It is an astonishing powerful record. Soon John Grant was back on the road and introduced to a whole new audience. His album was picked as best of the year on many critic’s lists in 2010. Mojo Magazine picked it as their album of the year. I got to talk to him during the beginning of this year. He is playing SXSW this year.
AL: What happens when you get the flu on a tour?
JG: I just do it. I have trouble controlling my voice because I am all stuffed up. The last show in Brooklyn I was able to sing again, and it was very good, so I am on the mend apparently. .
AL: Your record has been out a while. How many shows did you play in 2010?
JG: I did about a hundred. I started out with an American tour. Then I did a majority of the shows in Europe. I was here, then there, and one last American at the end of the year.
AL: Who are you playing with? Do the people who play on the record play with you on this tour?
JG: No. It’s just me and one other guy. It’s a very stripped down version of the songs. I played with a band on the earlier American tour. It’s been just me and one other guy for a while now. I am not sure when I will play with a full band again. When the label feels like they can afford it, we will do it as a band.
AL: You had taken a break from music for a few years. How did this record come about and what was the process of making this record like?
JG: I was in New York City doing other stuff. I had pretty much given up on doing music. I was asked to do a few shows with Midlake at Bowery Ballroom and Webster Hall. Midlake kept bugging about possibly moving to Denton, Texas and living with them. They wanted to do a record with me. They would be my backup band. We would work on my first solo record. They kept hounding me, and they thought it was a great idea. I thought about it for a year or two. I realized that it was an offer that I couldn’t refuse. I wrapped up things in New York and moved to Texas. I thought that I would give it one last shot. If it turned out to be a mistake I would just blow my head off.
AL: You were going to kill yourself in Texas?
JG: Yeah. Maybe on stage? I would do one last big show. I would blow my head off as the encore.
AL: Like G.G. Allin?
JG: Exactly. But with more clothes on.
AL: What sort of preparation did you do before you went to Texas? Were any of the songs already written?
JG: I had two or three songs before I went down there. I wrote about 11 or 12 songs in Denton. Midlake would be in the studio most of the day doing their record. I would write my songs during that time. They would go home for dinner and come back into the studio with me at night. That is how we did things for a year. At first I didn’t have a lot of confidence. I was discouraged about everything. I didn’t know if I could come up with enough material. Midlake created a creative situation for me and took me serious as a musician, and things were able to flow naturally. It’s important to get out of your own way.
AL: Your former band The Czars came out in 1994. That was before the internet age. Can you talk about music and bands were 15 years ago, as opposed to your solo record in the past year?
JG: Back then no one gave a shit. We had very little success. I always felt like the material wasn’t good enough. I feel like if the material is good enough, and people respond to the music, then it happens automatically. People talk about it. It’s not that much different now. People have quicker access to things, but it still depends on whether people like it or not. With my new record, I think the material is stronger, and I was able to take my time with it, and express myself fully. You can tell because it has resonated with so many different people. The response has been bigger than anything I did with the Czars. It’s hard to know whether it had to do with bad decisions and bad planning, and the lack of a manager or an agent back in the day.
AL: You were on Bella Union back in the early days?
JG: Yeah. Bella Union is a whole animal now. They have a bunch of successful acts like Fleet Foxes, Midlake, and Andrew Bird. They have a lot of clout now. They are considered one of the labels to be on. Back in 1995, nobody knew about Bella Union and nobody cared.
AL: Do people think you’re a European band?
JG: It is strange. People go “It’s such a European thing you are doing.” If you listen to Queen of Denmark, it is an American thing from start to finish. Yes. I have lived in Europe for six years. I speak some languages and I feel comfortable there. At the end of the day, I am just a midwestern boy from the States. That is what I identify with and love the most. I love the sounds of the 1970s. That is what I put in my music. You can’t deny that part of yourself.
AL: There was a lot of bands in the 1990s who were forced upon us. I don’t think they would have been as big if the record labels didn’t promote them heavily.
JG: There were some good bands in the 1990s, but for the most part I hate the 1990s. The last ten years were better. The 1970s and 1980s were off the hook. The 1990s only had Portishead, Tricky, and a few interesting albums by Cocteau Twins.
AL: Many bands write songs about their childhood, and they exhaust all that material on the first few albums. Do you feel like since you are a solo artist now, that you are free to be yourself, and be up to date?
JG: That is exactly how it is. The big difference is this music is more focused. I don’t feel inhibited at all. I realized that I am good with language. That is one of my talents. I can write what I want to write. At the beginning with The Czars, I thought you had to do things a certain way. You want to be perceived a certain way. You want people to compare you to your favorite artists. You want to do things that fit into identified categories. As you get older, you suddenly make peace with yourself and realize that there is enough inside myself that gives me material for what I want to do. The Czars was all over the place. My own personal story didn’t relate to the other members of the band. It’s easier for me as a solo artist to talk about whatever I want to talk about. And then, there is the added confidence of growing up a bit. I am able to take risk and say things, and not worry what other people think.
AL: What other bands do you like now?
JG: I like Our Broken Garden. I have been listening to their new album. There’s also Gonjasufi. I really got into him this past year. I like School of Seven Bells and Neko Case. I follow Neko Case closely. I think what she does is off the charts. There is so much incredible stuff. I like the new Matthew Dear record. I like Jimmy Edgar. I like First Aid Kit and The Books. I like Fever Ray and The Knife.
AL: I read something about you playing SXSW in 2004 with The Czars and being depressed. Would you go back to SXSW again?
JG: I am going this year 2011. It’s a fun thing. You can’t take it too seriously. You shouldn’t crap yourself over your performance. I am going to play some shows with Midlake this year.
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3/24/2011
Hugh Cornwell @ Alex's Bar
FINAL SHOW OF TOUR COMES TO ALEX'S BAR IN LONG BEACH ON SUNDAY NIGHT
TWO SET SHOW INCLUDES PERFORMANCE OF STRANGLERS CLASSIC ALBUM 'RATTUS NORVEGICUS IV' IN ITS ENTIRETY
BAND FEATURES CLEM BURKE (BLONDIE) AND STEVE FISHMAN (JAMES WHITE & THE BLACKS)
Former Stranglers front man Hugh Cornwell returns to California for the final show of his North American/Canadian tour this Sunday at Alex's Bar in Long Beach. The show consists of two sets - the first a collection of Stranglers hits and classic solo material, with the second featuring The Stranglers seminal debut album 'Rattus Norvegicus IV', performed in its entirety. The band features Hugh on electric guitar and vocals, legendary drummer Clem Burke (Blondie) and Steve Fishman (James White & The Blacks) on bass and vocals. Do not miss it!
Photo: Robert Kenney
Cornwell is one of the UK's finest songwriting talents and accomplished live performers - the original guitarist, singer and main songwriter in The Stranglers enjoyed massive UK and European success with ten hit albums and twenty-one top forty singles, etching himself into the UK's musical psyche with songs such as 'Peaches', 'No More Heroes', 'Golden Brown', 'Always the Sun', 'Grip', 'Nice N Sleazy', 'Duchess' and 'No Mercy', all of which will be performed on this tour. One of the biggest hits, 'Golden Brown', saw renewed popularity when it was featured in Guy Ritchie's 2000 blockbuster, 'Snatch', and the song hit audiences again when it was used on ABC's 'Dancing With The Stars' last fall.
Cornwell has released eight solo albums, most recently the acclaimed 'Hooverdam', produced and mixed in ToeRag Studios by Liam Watson, (known for the Grammy winning White Stripes album 'Elephant'). 'Hooverdam' is available as a high-quality free download in twelve languages from Hugh's website at www.hughcornwell.com bringing his music free to the world's population. The release is a triple-sleeved digipak, featuring both CD and live studio performance DVD in one exclusive package, as well as being available on vinyl. With the free download, Cornwell breaks new ground and proves once again to be a unique force in British music. 'New Songs for King Kong', a limited edition live double CD and vinyl album, recorded on the last UK tour, features both 'Hooverdam' and ‘Rattus Norvegicus IV’ in their entirety and is also available exclusively from Hugh's website, as well as being available to buy at the shows each night.
REMAINING TOUR DATES:
March 24 Double Wide - Dallas, TX
March 26 George & Dragon - Phoenix, AZ
March 27 Alex's Bar - Long Beach, CA
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3/23/2011
Toro Y Moi @ KCRW
Listen to Toro Y Moi on KCRW
TORO Y MOI also playing at the TROUBADOUR tonight!!!
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3/22/2011
Toro Y Moi tonight
Toro Y Moi, Cloud Nothings, and Braids @ Detroit Bar tonight, and the Troubadour tomorrow. See you there!
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3/21/2011
Esben and The Witch @ Bootleg Theater
Esben and The Witch brought their satanic powers under the full moon to SXSW. There are dead carcasses strewn about the city still. Now they arrive to Los Angeles by coffin. LA is the city which Satan still has a stranglehold. Sounds like a perfect match. They will be here tomorrow March 22nd, at the Bootleg Theater, a place where Charles Manson once lived. Check out the videos. Buy the record. See the show.
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3/20/2011
3/19/2011
3/18/2011
3/17/2011
The Soundtrack of Our Lives @ Detroit Bar
The Soundtrack of Our Lives (TSOOL) are playing in Costa Mesa @ Detroit Bar on March 20th, and at Echoplex on Tuesday, March 22nd. This is one of the best Swedish rock bands of all time. I will be giving away tickets for the show at ECHOPLEX. Please leave your email below and I will pick a winner Monday.
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3/16/2011
Smith Westerns @ SXSW
Smith Westerns consists of Cullen Omori (vocals), Max Kakacek (Guitar), and Cameron Omori (Bass). All members range in age from 19 to 20. Since forming in 2007, Smith Westerns have managed to tour both the United States and Europe while supporting the likes of MGMT, Belle and Sebastian, Girls, and Passion Pit, with forthcoming dates with both Wilco and Yeasayer. Their self-recorded "lo-fi " debut Smith Westerns released in 2009, garnered critical acclaim for their youthful and glam rock tinged approach to pop music. In 2010, Smith Westerns teamed up with Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TVOTR, Beach House) and current record label Fat Possum to record their sophomore effort in a proper studio. The result was a cleaner/higher quality recording of lush, layered timeless pop songs with emphasis on the guitar virtuosity of Led Zeppelin and the arena rock anthem's of Oasis.
SMITH WESTERNS
03/16 Austin, TX Fat Possum Party @ Club Deville 5:30pm
03/16 Austin, TX NPR Showcase @ Stubb's BBQ 10:15pm
03/17 Austin, TX Pitchfork Party @ The East Side Drive In, 6:15pm
03/18 Austin, TX Spin @ Stubb's BBQ, 12:40pm
03/18 Austin, TX Fader Fort, 6:00pm
03/19 Austin, TX MOG Party @ The Mohawk, 12:00pm
04/11 London, England - Cargo
04/14 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
04/16 Paris, France - Fleche d'Or
04/14 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
04/16 Paris, France - Fleche d'Or
04/25 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom
04/26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
04/28 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
04/29 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
04/30 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
05/02 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Performing Arts Centre #
05/03 Mobile, AL Saenger Theatre Mobile #
05/04 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
05/05 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack's
05/06 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater #
05/07 Denton, TX University of North Texas Main Auditorium #
05/08 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom #
05/11 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
05/21 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern ^
05/22 Pomona, CA The Glass House ^
05/23 Hollywood, CA The Music Box ^
05/24 Hollywood, CA The Music Box ^
05/25 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ^
05/26 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ^
05/27 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom ^
05/28 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom ^
05/29 Quincy, WA Sasquatch Festival
05/31 Aspen, CO Bell Up Aspen ^
06/01 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre ^
06/02 Lawrence, KS The Granda Theatre ^
06/03 Columbia, MO The Blue Note ^
06/04 Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub
06/06 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre ^
06/07 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre ^
06/08 Montreal, QC Club Soda ^
06/09 Boston, MA - Royale ^
06/10 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
06/10 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
06/12 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
# = w/ Wilco
^ = w/ Yeasayer
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Olof Arnalds @ SXSW
Ólöf Arnalds Tours U.S., Plays SXSW
“a rich and musically complex experience.”—8.0 Pitchfork
“fragile and beautiful.”—KCRW
“While Arnalds’ voice is certainly quirky, it’s also heartwarming and beautiful. With her gently plucked guitar lines and loving melodies, her songs emit an almost magical glow.”— NPR Music
“It compels us to dream a little, to drive a little and to feel abnormally lost and faint.”
—Daytrotter
Ólöf Arnalds returns to the states for her first run of dates in 2011 performing a series of shows at SXSW including the Brooklyn Vegan, Paste and Other Music Parties. Additionally, she will perform a string of shows on the west coast before performing at City Winery for the Anthology of Film Archives Honors on April 27. (See dates below).
Ólöf continues to support her 2010 One Little Indian sophomore release Innundir skinni. She recently won a Kumar award for the “Album of the Year” in Iceland, was nominated for four Icelandic Music Awards, where she took home "Songwriter of the Year" and was nominated for a Nordic Prize in their inaugural year. Innundir skinni was one of Uncut Magazine’s "Top 50 albums of 2010” and her song “Madrid” was last years’ iTunes UK "Song of the Year." Ólöf recently returned from an Australian tour where she opened solo, acoustic for Grinderman in Tasmania and received a five- star live review from the Sydney Morning Herald for her Sydney Festival show at the Spiegeltent."
Recorded throughout 2009, Innundir skinni reunited Ólöf with producing partner by Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós. The duo sought to make a less minimalist album than her direct to tape debut Við Og Við. Classically educated on the violin and self-taught on the viola, guitar and charango, Ólöf most distinctive instrument is her voice. Fellow countryman Björk said “it’s somewhere between a child and an old woman," and also duetted Ólöf on the track “Surrender.” The album includes both Ólöf’s first recorded songs in English as well as a duet with Ragnar Kjartansson on “Crazy Car.”
Ólöf released her U.S. debut Við Og Við in 2009. The album caught notice of international press including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, NME and SPIN. Time Out New York described her having “… the kind of voice that can silence a room, such is its sweetness," while Rolling Stone described her songs being “fragile as tiny china swans.” Meanwhile, Paste magazine dubbed Við Og Við “impossibly lovely” and voted it #38 in its "Top 100 Albums" list. eMusic named it among the "100 Best Albums of the Decade,"while at home the album accrued a host of accolades including, "Best Alternative Album" at the Iceland Music Awards and a "Record of the Year" nod from Iceland’s principal daily newspaper, Morgunblaðið.
Ólöf Arnalds Tour Dates
March 16 Brooklyn Vegan Showcase Austin, TX
March 17 Paste Party at The Stage on Sixth Austin, TX
March 17 Other Music & Dig For Fires Party at French Legation Austin, TX
March 18 BMI Stage at Music Lounge Austin, TX
April 12 Café Du Nord San Francisco, CA
April 13 Tractor Tavern Seattle, WA
April 14 The Woods Portland, OR
April 15 Waldorf Cabaret Vancouver, BC
April 27 City Winery- Anthology of Film Archives Honors New York, NY
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