Karl Blau Schedules Lengthy Tour in Support of Zebra

By Liz Louche on

Karl Blau is the type of musician guy who lives in the Pacific Northwest: Anacortes, Washington, to be exact. But if you have a “bottomless glass of wine” like I had for lunch, his name sorta kinda sounds like he could be the front dude of a forgotten post-punk band from, oh say, Belgium, whose "newly discovered" debut LP is getting a limited reissue and who is maybe playing, like, one show at a club in London before fading back into obscurity.

But as made-for-rock-writing as that mythology is, there is so much more to Karl Blau, even more than the ol’ K Records-style narrative. For example: he’s got a new African pop-influenced/freak folk/lo-f rock record coming out October 6 on — yes — K Records, entitled Zebra (which was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studios in Olympia, WA). He's also about to set out on a lengthy tour with LAKE. His music is, as they say, "haunting" and "well-crafted," and I can think of nowhere better to watch the man perform than one of the approximately 5,000 tourdates Blau has charted over the course of the fall season.

Zebra tracklisting:

1. Waiting for the Wind
2. Crucial Contact
3. Apology to Pollinateurs
4. All Over the Town
5. Free the Bird
6. Goodbye Little Song
7. Dark Sedan
8. Welcome in NW
9. Tha’ Ole Moon Smile
10. MT Handed
11. Nothing New
12. Gnos LeVohs

Tourdates:
10.11.09 - Olympia, WA – Northern
10.12.09 - Tacoma, WA - The Den
10.13.09 - Seattle, WA - The Josephine
10.15.09 - Pullman, WA – Belltower
10.17.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10.18.09 - Denver, CO – Rhinoceropolis
10.20.09 - Lawrence, KS - The Jackpot Saloon
10.22.09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
10.23.09 - Grand Rapids, MI - The DAAC
10.24.09 - Bloomington, IN - Russian Recording
10.25.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
10.28.09 - Plattsburgh, NY - North Country Food Co-Op
10.29.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
10.30.09 - Haverford, PA - Lunt Basement
11.02.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
11.04.09 - Greensboro, NC - Square One
11.05.09 - Lexington, KY - Al's Bar
11.07.09 - Athens, GA - Secret Squirrel
11.08.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
11.10.09 - Dallas, TX - Swiss House
11.11.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's Jr.
11.12.09 - Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprocks
11.13.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
11.14.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
11.17.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
11.18.09 - Santa Barbara, CA - Biko Garage
11.20.09 - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Art Center
11.21.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - Resource Center for Non Violence
11.23.09 - Arcata, CA - The Green House
11.24.09 - Salem, OR - Ike Box

RIP: Beau Velasco of TheDeathSet

By Shane Mack on Sep 28 2009

From TheDeathSet's Twitter:

"R.I.P. my dear brother, friend and band mate Beau Velasco. For all those who wish to pay their respects I will let know soon."

[More info coming soon]

- TheDeathSet official website
- TheDeathSet MySpace
- TheDeathSet Wikipedia entry

Apple Inc. and Eminem’s Publisher go to Court Over Download Rights

By Brom on Sep 28 2009

Another day, another courtroom battle over artist copyright (why didn’t the "The Decade in Courtroom Battles" make it into Pitchfork’s P2K feature?).

Apple Inc. and Eight Mile, the publishing company of a little-known white-boy rapper, began court proceedings last week over who should be allowed to offer downloads of the musician’s hip-hop ramblings. Eight Mile and Martin Affiliated LLC argue that “Aftermath Records, which controls the recordings, did not have the authority to strike a deal with Apple to sell the artist’s] music on iTunes.” The rapper in question, who apparently goes by the name of [Eminem, has generated $2.5 million for Apple based on sales of his music on iTunes.

However, Apple “defended the sale of the rapper's music and denied claims that contracts between Eight Mile and Aftermath did not cover digital music sales.” Glenn Pomerantz, Apple’s lawyer, maintains that “Nowhere does it say ‘only compact discs’... Nowhere does it say... ‘not digital downloads.’” Eight Mile’s lawyer, Richard Busch, reckons "The publisher owns these compositions, not Aftermath. If Eight Mile had a direct licensing relationship with Apple, this kind of nonsense would not happen."

Morrissey to Release B-Sides Album, Has Severe West Coast Bias

By Matt Lundy on Sep 25 2009

Somewhere near the beginning of High Fidelity, John Cusack’s character Rob Gordon says his record store survives on the fandom of young men “who spend a disproportionate amount of their time looking for deleted Smiths singles.” The line was pretty preposterous, considering the sheer amount of unreleased material from The Smiths that was collected on greatest hits collections and compilations.

Apparently, Morrissey wants to ensure that Rob and other future name-droppers refrain from over-fetishizing out-of-print music with his upcoming release, Swords, a collection of 18 B-sides culled from singles from his past four albums. The album is due October 26 in the U.K. and November 3 in the U.S. and (might) come with a limited-edition bonus disc.

The Swords tracklist:

1. Good Looking Man About Town
2. Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice
3. If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me
4. Ganglord
5. My Dearest Love
6. The Never-Played Symphonies
7. Sweetie-Pie
8. Christian Dior
9. Shame Is The Name
10. Munich Air Disaster 1958
11. I Knew I Was Next
12. It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small
13. Teenage Dad On His Estate
14. Children In Pieces
15. Friday Mourning
16. My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye
17. Drive-In Saturday
18. Because Of My Poor Education

You can also catch Morrissey on a little nine-date tour of the West Coast:
11.29.09 - Seattle, WA - Paramount
11.30.09 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
12.02.09 - Oakland, CA - Paramount
12.04.09 - Indio, CA - Fantasy Springs
12.05.09 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
12.07.09 - Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
12.08.09 - San Diego, CA - Copley Symphony Hall
12.10.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre
12.11.09 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre

Like Bon Jovi and The Boss Before Them, Screaming Females Get the Fuck Out of Jersey and Hit the Road on Their First Headlining Tour

By Mike McHugh on Sep 25 2009

I really need to get my ass to New Jersey real soon, if only to halt the corrosive ooze of pop culture from further seeping its odious lies about the Garden State into my skull. Much like a Nazi prison or fat camp, Jersey is a smelly, coal-mine ridden hell-hole worth only escaping from, or at least that’s what waaaaay to many post-midnight viewings of Zoolander and Coyote Ugly have taught me. For all I know, the only people who actually stay in New Jersey are hairy-bodied-but-still-bald-on-top mobsters like Tony Soprano and those depressing-as-fuck fry cooks who work at the Howard Johnson on the Jersey Shore in that one ridiculous episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain tries to reconcile with his Jersey roots. Good lord, pop culture, you’ve certainly taken a toll on that poor state.

Luckily, New Brunswick’s own Screaming Females stand as yet another reminder that, while Jersey may be known only as a flea-ridden stinkhole to the rest of America, it can still pump out some goddamn good music. And Screaming Females have had quite a year, going from schlepping around self-booked house shows to joining Jack White’s ever dubious list of “bands I like want to put under my wing because I like them.” But you know what separates Screaming Females from other Jack White-sanctioned acts like The Greenhornes or Whirlwind Heat? Screaming Females are actually good! So check out Screaming Females on their first ever headlining national (and hey, there’s even a couple dates for our friends to the north!) tour, or if you’re a Jerseyite, wait for them to come back home to what I’m sure is a lovely, lovely state.
09.25.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Pi Lam House
09.26.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Death By Audio
09.27.09 - Providence, RI - AS220
09.28.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
09.29.09 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery
10.01.09 - Montreal, QC - POP MONTREAL
10.02.09 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
10.03.09 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Cafe
10.04.09 - Oberlin, OH - Oberlin College
10.05.09 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout
10.06.09 - Saint Louis, MO - The Gargoyle
10.07.09 - Beloit, WI - Beloit College
10.08.09 - Chicago, IL - Ronnie's
10.09.09 - Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College
10.10.09 - Richmond, IN - Earlham College
10.21.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
10.24.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Don Pedro's

[Photo: Jimmy @ Legion of Doom in Columbus, OH]

McPhun, Phun, Phun in the Sun! Ruby Suns Venture to North America for a Dodo of a Tour

By David Nadelle on Sep 25 2009

The great Irish band A House had it right with the title track from their classic I Am the Greatest album. In it, the band rants about the "small music dictatorship" and loss of the individual, how most people "wouldn't recognize a new idea if it spat in their face and screamed out," how the music industry reers "big-mouthed rock stars with opinions on everything and answers to nothing" and society reveres "bandwagons full of bands with sycophantic fans with no lives of their own". A House was expounding the truth back in 1991 but the track is a sign of all times, including ours right now and our childrens' in the future.

Indeed, the more things change, the more they stay the same, so thank gawd for alternatives and exceptions, even in the most orderly and predictable music realm of pop. For instance, you won't find New Zealand adventure seekers Ruby Suns in your "Indie Rock for Dummies" and you will certainly not see them "pouncing on any third rate trend, milking it to death, once again putting money where the music is not." Revolutionary pop music is a true rarity, and although the Ryan McPhun-led trio didn't exactly change the world with their last record, Sea Lion (TMT Review) was like a fresh shovel to the head on a cold winter's day for forward-thinking pop fans.

While some new material would be better than a really good biscuit, North American folk will have to make do with the feel-good live pairing of The Ruby Suns with San Francisco's thoughtful folk-pop darlings The Dodos for a bunch of dates starting this weekend in California.

They are the greatest:
09.26.09 - Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library #
09.27.09 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater #
09.28.09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah #
09.29.09 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress #
09.30.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts #
10.02.09 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues, Pontiac Garage #
10.03.09 - Houston, TX - The Orange Show #
10.06.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder #
10.07.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl #
10.08.09 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern #
10.09.09 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel #
10.10.09 - Baltimore, MD - Talking Head #
10.12.09 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church #
10.13.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg #
10.14.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom #
10.15.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East (downstairs) #
10.16.09 - Montréal, QC - La Sala Rossa #
10.17.09 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace #
10.19.09 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge #
10.20.09 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club #
10.22.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater #
10.24.09 - Boise, ID - Neurolux #
10.25.09 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre #
10.26.09 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret #
10.27.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's #
10.29.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's #

# The Dodos

News
  • Recent
  • Popular

Music Reviews
  • Recent
  • Popular