Straight outta Canada: Stars tour to rep new album
By Liz Louche on Mar 26 2010
My fellow Americans, take heed. Canada, our neighbor to the north, has released one of her greatest weapons upon us. No, it’s not the mounties. Nor is it Alanis Morissette, the shrill-voiced, ex-lover of Full House actor Dave Coulier. It is something far quieter, yet far more powerful. I am speaking, of course, about the lush indie pop group that is Montreal-based band Stars.
After a series of dates in Canada, the group ventures south to show off their new album The Five Ghosts, set for a June 22 release (TMT News). This tour sees the band playing the album in its entirety, and then also taking requests from fans online. Attendees at the May shows will be able to purchase a pre-release of the album, as well as all kinds of extra pre-release delights.
05.04.10 - Ottawa, ON - Live 88
05.05.10 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
05.06.10 - Waterloo, ON - Starlight
05.07.10 - Hamilton, ON - Casbah
05.08.10 - London, ON - London Music Hall
05.10.10 - Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid
05.11.10 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite
06.01.10 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
06.03.10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
06.04.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
06.05.10 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
06.06.10 - Houston, TX - Free Press Summerfest
06.08.10 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
06.09.10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
06.15.10 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
06.16.10 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
06.17.10 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
06.19.10 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
06.20.10 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
06.22.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour
06.23.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour
• Stars: http://www.youarestars.com
• Soft Revolution: http://www.myspace.com/softrevolutionrecords
Mike Patton remembers the good old days when Italian film was gory and the music sweet, announces release date of Mondo Cane album
By Erika H on Mar 25 2010
Listen up, world. It’s official: Mike Patton’s latest album, Mondo Cane, is due for release from Ipecac Records on May 4, and it has the cover art to prove it.
What do you talk about when you talk about Mike Patton? There are the bands (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk, Fantômas); there’s the esoteric nerd work (vocal contributions to such video games as Left 4 Dead, The Darkness, and Bionic Commando — not to mention the voices of the infected something-or-others in I Am Legend). There’s the general management of Ipecac, the soundtrack work — if the list rhymed, it would be “Oh! the Places You’ll Go!” and recited at graduations. But more than anything, you most likely just end up having the popular discussion of what a weirdo he is. Still, Mondo Cane — aside from being in the making for a while — somehow doesn’t come as a strange surprise.
The Mondo Cane project is a covers album of Italian “oldies” from the 50s and 60s, each track a live recording from a few 2007 gigs in Europe. Not only does Mike Patton shine here like a perverse Italiano Tom Jones (all songs are sung in the language of giallo), but he adds sparkle to the mix by equipping himself with a 40-piece orchestra (there is some question as to whether it is a 30- or 40-piece ensemble).
In Patton’s own words: “My purpose in revisiting these pieces is not to relive the past, not for nostalgia, but more to illustrate through modern and adventurous interpretation exactly how vital and important this music still is.” The compilation, named after the eponymous 1962 Italian “shockumentary,” includes a cover of Ennio Morricone’s “Deep Down” (composed for Mario Bava’s 1968 film Danger: Diabolik; see Patton perform it here) and 10 more Italo pop classics you may or may not have ever heard before.
Here is the track listing for Mondo Cane:
01. Il Cielo In Una Stanza
02. Che Notte!
03. Ore D’Amore
04. Deep Down
05. Quello Che Conta
06. Urlo Negro
07. Scalinatella
08. L’Uomo Che Non Sapeva Amare
09. 20 KM Al Giorno
10. Ti Offro Da Bere
11. Senza Fine
• Mike Patton: http://myspace.com/mikepattonofficial
• Ipecac: http://www.ipecac.com
These Are Powers cancel dates; RIP big red van
By Jon Lorenz on Mar 25 2010
For a lot of bands, a steady mode of transportation is the most important thing to keeping stable. The ability to ride around the country and play music for open ears every night can be what keeps a band inspired and able to go on making music, so one of the worst things to happen to a band is to lose their set of wheels. With that said, I am disappointed to tell you that These Are Powers have officially moved on without their big red van. Said van bit the dust on their way to SXSW, leaving them in a difficult situation. They were able to make it to SXSW, but are now unable to finish their upcoming scheduled dates. The plan for now is to reconvene in a rental van and finish up their tour with Javelin on the East Coast and Canada.
The band has submitted this sad little eulogy for their old van: “Our big red van was a good girl. Plush interior, sexy track lights, non-functioning CB radio and veggie oil system, a shit stereo, super sweet loft built by friends in Lincoln and it originally belonged to a country band in Nashville. Lots of miles logged on her. xxx RIP.” Makes ya tear up a little bit, doesn’t it?
Here are the dates the band still plans on playing, as well as some summertime European dates:
03.30.10 - Toronto, ON - And And And (Artspace) *
03.31.10 - Montreal, QC - The Friendship Cove *
04.01.10 - New London, CT - Connecticut College *
04.02.10 - Alfred, NY - Alfred University Knight Club *
05.25.10 - Madrid, Spain - La Casa Encendida
06.02.10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Studio 80
06.03.10 - Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kreun ~
06.05.10 - Bordeaux, France - St Ex
06.06.10 - Paris, France - Festival Villette Sonique
06.17.10 - Prague, Czech Republic - Creepy Teepee Festival
06.23.10 - Freiburg, Germany - StoneHill Festival
07.28.10 - Manchester, UK - The Ruby Lounge
07.29.10 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
08.06.10 - Berlin, Germany - Festaal Kreuzberg
* Javelin
~ Polvo
• These Are Powers: http://www.myspace.com/thesearepowers
Daytrotter launches “The Record Barn,” offering uncut live sessions for cash
By A Chugg on Mar 25 2010
For just over four years, Daytrotter has been recording live sessions in its modest facilities in Rock Island, Illinois. All 1,000+ sessions have been recorded to 1/4-inch reel-to-reel tape, provided by the New York and Hollywood film and television studios who have since gone digital. Well, hold on to your hoofs, because the site has just launched an exciting new feature called The Record Barn that allows you to listen to the entire tape, just as it was recorded: an entire live session, uncut with interviews, laughing, belching, and all. So far, over 100 sessions are available for download.
The sessions can be downloaded for free (as 128k MP3s), or purchased for $4 as lossless files.
• Daytrotter: http://www.daytrotter.com
Radiohead (The Horse) set to race in The Kentucky Derby; meanwhile, Muse (The Donkey) misses the qualifying round
By Annapocalypse on Mar 25 2010
It appears that Radiohead has a fan in the horse-racing industry, as a horse that goes by the same name as the band is one of contenders for this year’s Kentucky Derby. The following are some facts about the horse (which make no sense to me since the closest I’ve been to a horse race is a Sex & The City midnight movie showing): Radiohead is a three-year-old chestnut-colored colt that bookies have picked as 20-1 to win the Derby on May 1. So, uh, I guess that’s good?
Radiohead’s trainer, Rick Dutrow, Jr., said in an interview with the Miami Herald that the horse was indeed named after the band, and not the Talking Heads song where the band got their name from. “He’s a cool, happy, curious horse. He’s very proud of himself. He’s game, you know. He’s game for an idea. He knows he’s going to have to show he can run against good horses.”
