Ghostface, Method Man, and Raekwon Form Like Voltron for Joint LP; Also Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Finally Dropping Next Month, New Ghostface LP Later This Year, Method Man Allegedly Shot Fan with a Pellet Gun
When The Wu-Tang Clan's fifth record 8 Diagrams (TMT Review dropped in December of 2007, the Killa Beez found its greatest critic lodged within its own chambers. Apparently Raekwon felt RZA had ignored the input of the rest of the Clan in favor of his own overarching vision, a sentiment that is certainly not new among the Wu. As a counter to the Abbot, Rae announced plans for a new album called Shaolin Vs. The Wu-Tang, essentially a brand new Wu-Tang joint without the RZA’s involvement.
While the beef between Chef and the Razor eventually waned, talk about Shaolin vs. The Wu-Tang did not, though the fundamental concept went through the ringer a couple times. The idea shifted from Wu-minus-RZA to Wu-minus-RZA-behind-the-boards-but-not-on-the-mic, only to shift again when Method Man showed interest in throwing RZA a couple production bones but still relying primarily on outside input beat-wise. Just like beefing with the RZA, tossing half-baked ideas about side projects to the media is a regular Clan occurrence, but it looks like things have finally been fleshed out for good thanks to indiedom’s favorite Killa Bee, Ghostface Killah. What began as Shaolin vs. The Wu-Tang is now an as-yet untitled collaboration between Ghostface, Raekwon, and Method Man. Ghostface says that each MC will contribute four “phat and tight” tunes with an expected release around the end of this year or the beginning of next.
But there is much Wu to enjoy before then. Ghost’s next LP, The Wizard of Poetry, is expected to drop sometime later this year, and after years of waiting, Raekwon’s hugely anticipated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is finally slated for release on September 8. Sure, the sequel to Rae’s classic 1995 record has been delayed time and time again, but let’s do our best to believe in him this time around. And hey, at least he isn’t shooting fans at random with a pellet gun like certain M-E-T-H-O-D man. While no further details of the incident, which occurred last fall, are available at this time, it’s still a weird enough story to at least mention. I guess with ODB gone, Wu-Tang has to split all the crazy bullshit between the eight of them.
Smashing Pumpkins Select New Drummer Due to "X-Factor," New Drummer Hopes Billy Corgan Is As Nice as The A&R Men Say He Is
After a grueling selection process, The Smashing Pumpkins (a.k.a. Bill Corgan) has finally found a new drummer to undermine, harass, and ultimately fire. Corgan, who artistically peaked in the mid 1990s and who is humorously peaking right now, began an open audition program in March. After wading through the overwhelming amount of 1,000 entries, Corgan finally selected 19-year-old Mike Byrne.
A statement from Corgan, posted on the band’s website, explains the reasons for why the relatively unknown drummer was chosen:
We counted over 1,000 submissions, and what made Mike stand out was he just seemed to have that 'X Factor' that all the great drummers have, a stunning blend of power, speed, and grace. I'm excited to work with him moving forward -- he truly deserves this opportunity. I believe in my heart he will push me to be a better musician.
Byrne will make his live debut at a series of Billy Corgan solo club shows on the following dates. God help him
08.26.09 - Visalia, CA – Tazzaria
08.27.09 - Santa Barbara, CA – Muddy Waters
08.28.09 - Long Beach, CA – Open
08.29.09 - Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s Place
08.30.09 - San Diego, CA – Che Café
08.31.09 - Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe
MySpace to Buy iLike for $20 Million Dollars, Still Can't Stop Skeezy Spam
In a move that's likely to solidify MySpace's lead in the online music community, the online social network will be acquiring iLike for around $20 million dollars, sources say. Facebook, MySpace's less lecherous but creepier younger sibling, is likely to have some air let out of its sails, as it has now officially lost its music baby.
iLike hosts nearly 10 million Facebook users each month and, along with Last.fm, was MySpace Music's biggest competitor.
Pygmalion Music Festival Announces Lineup; Meanwhile, the Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain
Does it make me a dork that the first thing I think of when I hear the word “Pygmalion” is the musical, My Fair Lady? On second thought, don’t answer that. Instead, check out the Pygmalion Music Festival, going down September 16-19 in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Passes are $60 and can be purchased directly here. More information is also available on the Pygmalion blog.
And, of course, don’t forget about that lineup:
Iron & Wine, Lucero, RJD2, Ra Ra Riot, Wavves, Low, The Books, Headlights, The Antlers, Autolux, YACHT, Japandroids, Margot and The Nuclear So & So’s, Maps & Atlases, Owen, Maserati, The Hood Internet, BLK JKS, My Brightest Diamond, The 1900s, Starfucker, The Life & Times, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Bob Nanna, William Fitzsimmons, Skream, Gazelle, Denison Witmer, Company of Thieves, Joe Pug, Pomegranates, Decibully, Jookabox, Brooke Waggoner, The Horse’s Ha, So Many Dynamos, Alpha Mile, DJ Belly, Brighton, MA, Butterfly Assassins, Cameron McGill, Common Loon, DJ CZO, The Daredevil Christopher Wright, Drew Danburry, The Duke of Uke, Early Day Miners, Elsinore, Empires, Final Pygmalion Effect, Ganglians, Gentleman Auction House, Girls Next Door, Golden Quality, Good Night And Good Morning, Hathaways, TheHorns of Happiness, JigGsaw, The Jips, Kilroy, et al, DJ Kosmo, Liesel Booth, Light Pollution, Liz Janes, Lonely Trailer, DJ Lucknow, Lymbyc System, Marmoset, Mason Proper, Matt Wagemann, Mazes, DJ Mertz, Mordechai in the Mirror, My Dear Alan Andrews, Neoga Blacksmith, New Ruins, Now Now Every Children, The Number One Sons, Oceans Ohtis, On Again Off Again, Pamela Machala, Phantogram, Princeton, Post Historic, Ryan Gross, Santa, Scurvine, Solid Gold, So Long Forgotten, Stan McConnell, SteelEater, Sunset Stallion, Tina Sparkle, Take Care, Tracey and Tricia, Tyson & the Friction, Village, World’s First Flying Machine, You & Yourn, Zach May and the Maps.
The Fiery Furnaces to Use Their August Shows as a Propaganda Tool for America’s Socialist President, His Socialist Policies, and His Socialist Health Care Plans (If I Say Socialist Enough, Then It Must Be True!)
Everyone who loves America, loves liberty and justice, loves freedom, fraternity, and crippling health care costs knows Obamacare will be one of the greatest disasters to ever befall this country. The Civil Rights Act and Bruce Springsteen don’t even come close to matching the travesty that will be Barack Obama’s health care reform.
The Fiery Furnaces, the decidedly un-American indie rock group who recently put out their new album I'm Going Away (TMT Review) on Thrill Jockey, will be using their upcoming August shows to try to convince thousands that America needs health care reform. They state:
“Let’s make sure the world knows that all of us true grandmother-loving, pro-American, ‘young people’ haven’t given up our political involvement.”
No! What America needs is for Socialist liberals (like The Fiery Furnaces and their ilk) to find the nearest fiery furnace and throw themselves into it (see what I did there)!
Forthcoming Health Care Reform Rallies (cauldron-wielding Republicans encouraged to attend):
08.18.09 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theater *
08.19.09 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge *
08.20.09 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
08.21.09 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree *
08.22.09 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
08.23.09 - Orlando, FL - The Social *
08.25.09 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle *
08.26.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Fry's Spring Beach Club *
* White Rabbits
Legendary Krautrock Pioneers Faust Get Twitter, Let Everyone Know "Faust Entdecken U.S.A. und Kanada Tour Termine" (Translation: Holy Shit! Faust Is Coming to the U.S. of A. and Canada!)
As Julian Cope once said, "There is no group more mythical than Faust." Don't even try to argue with that! Julian Cope will come knockin' on your door and give you a 46-hour history lesson on all things Krautrock. He will draw you diagrams, pie charts, spreadsheets, and family trees. He will sit you down and make you watch every single music video that contains anything remotely considered "Krautrock." He will play every Krautrock record in existence while you sleep, eat, shower, go to school, watch TV... even while you look at those porno mags under your bed. Worst of all, he will hang out with your parents and make fun of them for not knowing who Guru Guru is. Oh, the tragedy!
Well, unless you want Julian Cope hassling you for the rest of your lives you'd better catch Faust while they are on this continent. On September 25, they will set out on a two-week venture through the east side of the U.S., plus two dates in Canada. Yeah that's right, fuck you West Coast, you ain't getting this one! The band has only been to the States twice in their existence -- once in 1994 and another in 1999 -- and not once have they been to Canada. This time around, the group will be made up of original members Jean-Hervé Peron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, along with James Johnston (Gallon Drunk, Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) and visual/video artist, painter, and musician Geraldine Swayne. Along the way, Faust will also be headlining a number of festivals, including the Sonic Circuits Festival in DC, WFMU Fest in Brooklyn, Pop Montreal in... Montreal, and WRFL's Boomslang Festival in Lexington.
Don't be surprised when you see Julian Cope at every show telling the members of Faust that he knows more about Krautrock than they do.
Here's the dates:
09.25.09 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel *
09.27.09 - Washington, DC - Black Cat (Sonic Circuits Fest) +
09.28.09 - Philadelphia, PA - International House Philadelphia (workshop)
09.29.09 - Philadelphia, PA - International House Philadelphia
09.30.09 - Schenectady, NY - GE Theatre
10.01.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg (WFMU Fest)
10.03.09 - Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal Festival (daytime workshop/night show) $
10.04.09 - Toronto, ON - The Polish Combatants Hall
10.05.09 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art (workshop)
10.06.09 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art
10.07.09 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
10.08.09 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
10.09.09 - Lexington, KY - Buster's (Boomslang Fest) @
10.10.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
10.11.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club (workshop)
$ Butthole Surfers, Jay Reatard, Yo La Tengo, Diamanda Galas, Os Mutantes, Sufjan Stevens, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, The Homosexuals, Thee Oh Sees
* sunn O)))
+ Jandek, Evan Parker/Ned Rothenberg, Tim Hecker, David Daniel, HEALTH
@ Os Mutantes, The Black Angels, Atlas Sound, Bardo Pond, Burning Star Core, Hair Police, Psychedelic Horseshit
RIP: Jim Dickinson, Memphis producer and musician
From The Commercial Appeal:
The North Mississippi Allstars have lost their father, Bob Dylan has lost a “brother,” rock and roll has lost one of its great cult heroes and Memphis has lost a musical icon with the death of Jim Dickinson.The 67-year-old Dickinson passed away early Saturday morning in his sleep. The Memphis native and longtime Mississippi resident had been in failing health for the past few months and was recuperating from heart surgery at Methodist Extended Care Hospital.
“He went peacefully,” said his wife, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, adding that her husband remained in good spirits until the end. “He had a great life. He loved his family and music. And he loved Memphis music, specifically.”
- Jim Dickinson official website
- Jim Dickinson Wikipedia entry
Row over Music Royalties Again; U.S. Regulators Open Probe
The Performance Rights Act, introduced into Congress earlier this year, is certainly causing much consternation across the music industry. The legislation aims to compensate artists whose music is played on AM and FM radio stations. A music coalition known as "musicFIRST" sent a petition to Congress claiming that broadcasters were “refusing to air the music of artists who demand to be paid when their songs are played on the radio.” The group also says radio stations are declining to air advertisements that support the Act.
MusicFIRST want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to look into whether broadcasters are "engaging in a pattern of threats and intimidation against artists to chill their speech and participation in the political process." This coalition includes the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), so somehow I doubt they have too many problems making their voices heard.
The FCC has said it will look into whether broadcasters are “threatening” artists who support the legislation. Surely, however, it’s up to radio stations to choose what artists they play. As the National Association of Broadcasters’ Executive Vice President, Dennis Wharton, says, "broadcasters are under no obligation to carry everything that is offered or suggested to them."
Evangelista to Release Prince of Truth in October; Listen to Exclusive Track
On October 6, Carla Bozulich is releasing her third Evangelista-related album Prince of Truth via Constellation Records. According to the label, the album is "More experimental, more urgent, more challenging, more coherent — just more of everything that makes this iconoclastic and uncategorisable project so intensely powerful." FUCK YES. In addition Tara Barnes on bass and Dominic Cramp (a.k.a. Arthur Dent of San Francisco rave fame) on keyboard and sound artistry, the new album features contributions from Xiu Xiu member Ches Smith, fellow Geraldine Fibber/Scarnella collaborator and Wilco member Nels Cline, bike wheel/thumb piano player Lisa Gamble, and drummer/guitarist Shahzad Ismaily.
It's going to be awesome.
Oh, and check it: We got an exclusive track for "The Slayer (promo)," a promo version of the first song on Prince of Truth. Aw snap!
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Prince of Truth tracklisting
1. The Slayer
2. Tremble Dragonfly
3. I Lay There in front of Me Covered in Ice
4. You are a Jaguar
5. Iris Didn't Spell
6. Crack Teeth
7. On the Captain's Side
Tourdates:
10.09.09 - Boulogne sur Mer, France - Poulpaphone Festival
10.10.09 - Coventry, UK - The Tin Angel
10.11.09 - Manchester, UK - Islington Mill
10.12.09 - Bristol, UK - The Cube
10.13.09 - London, UK - Cafe Oto
10.14.09 - Koeln, Germany - Kulturbunker
10.15.09 - Schorndorf, Germany - Manufaktur
10.16.09 - Weikersheim, Germany - Club W 71
10.17.09 - Leipzig, Germany - UT Connewitz
10.18.09 - Berlin, Germany - Prater @ Foyer
10.20.09 - Poznan, Poland - Dragon
10.21.09 - Warsaw, Poland - Powiekszenie
10.22.09 - Wien, Austria - Szene Wien
10.23.09 - Linz, Austria - Stop.Spot! Festival
10.24.09 - Innsbruck, Austria - PMK
10.25.09 - Graz, Austria - Elevate Festival
10.31.09 - Lyon, France - Grrrnd Zero
RIP: Michael Viner, record producer, Incredible Bongo Band
From Rolling Stone:
Michael Viner, the record producer whose 1973 recording of “Apache” by the Incredible Bongo Band is the cornerstone of hip-hop, died in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 8th, from cancer. He was 65.Viner held a number of positions in the entertainment world. He was an executive for MGM Records in the 1970s, signing Debby Boone (whose “You Light Up My Life” was Number One for 10 weeks in 1977) and helping produce Sammy Davis Jr.’s “The Candy Man,” which topped the charts in 1972. He also produced the second Nixon inaugural ball in early 1973, a result of his association with Republican MGM head Mike Curb, lieutenant governor of California from 1979 to 1983. (Viner’s politics were more liberal; he’d worked as an aide for Robert Kennedy in the ’60s.) Later, Viner’s Dove imprint pioneered books-on-tape, and he later made a name publishing books based on tabloid scandal. Still, it’s the much-sampled Incredible Bongo Band recordings that stand as Viner’s lasting achievement.
Dirty Projectors to Release EP With New Tracks (Take That Radiohead!)
"Their music is really pretty effin' sweet, dude!" --Mojo
"Holy moly. I really like this band. Gooooood stuff I'm hearing here on this here album." --Rolling Stone
"Plenty of amazing tracks. Two thumbs up!" --Pitchfork
"Uh, like, can I have another album by Dirty Projectors pronto!? This shit is to [sic] awesome!" --Spin
The critics have spoken, and Dirty Projectors are a hit! Following up on the success of Bitte Orca (TMT Review), Dirty Projectors are set to release the four-track Temecula Sunrise EP on September 28 via Domino. The EP, available as a 12-inch, will feature two new tracks, "Ascending Melody" and "Emblem of the World," alongside Bitte Orca tracks "Temecula Sunrise" and "Cannibal Resource."
The Temecula Sunrise EP tracklist:
A1. Temecula Sunrise
A2. Cannibal Resource
B1. Ascending Melody
B2. Emblem Of The World
Tourdates:
09.09.09 - Paris, France - Maroquinerie
09.11.09 - Dorset, UK - End of the Road Festival
09.12.09 - Isle of Wight, UK - Bestival
09.13.09 - London, UK - Scala
09.16.09 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
09.19.09 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
09.20.09 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
09.21.09 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg
09.25.09 - Toulouse, France - Le Printemps de Septembre Festival
