King Khan & The Shrines Announce Comeback Tour After Seemingly Endless Year-Long Absence
A year is a long time. Don't believe me? Well, a year is 365 days. A year is 8,760 hours. A year is 525,600 minutes. And last, but certainly not least, a year is 31,536,000 seconds. That's a really big number! A really big number of seconds!
Now, of course, you must agree that a year is a long time. With a number that big, how could it not be? Since we have established that a year is a long time, we must also agree that King Khan's upcoming comeback tour is accurately titled, since it has been about a year since he last went on tour. Might as well go see him on his one-month spring stretch of dates, since you'll never know how long it will be until he tours again. It could literally be months.
King Khan and The Shrines '10 comeback special:
03.27.10 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
03.29.10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
03.30.10 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
03.31.10 - Chattanooga, TN - JJ's Bohemia
04.01.10 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
04.02.10 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
04.03.10 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
04.05.10 - Austin, TX - Emo's
04.06.10 - Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann
04.08.10 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
04.09.10 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04.10.10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
04.11.10 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04.12.10 - Vancouver, BC - Venue
04.13.10 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's
04.15.10 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
04.18.10 - Indio, CA - Coachella
• King Khan: http://www.myspace.com/kingkhantheshrines
Internet Radio Gets Trendy, Now Has 60 Million US Listeners
For all you Pandora Radio faithful out there, you should probably know that you’re being watched. Well, more like counted. Digital Music News is reporting that over 60 million people in the US listen to internet radio every week, indicating that the web-based broadcasts are not a mere flash in the pan, but a bona fide consumer trend.
Many of those 60 million are streaming old school radio broadcasts that are also available as online streams (futuristically dubbed “simulcasts”), but a growing number are using internet-only sites like Pandora that read your mind to magically create near-perfect personalized playlists. And if the trends shown in this Bridge Ratings report prove accurate, then the use of exclusively online radio services may eventually surpass the use of simulcasts. That’s a trend within a trend, people!
Rise Records Reissues Piebald's Entire OOP Catalog; Former 26-Year-Old Emo Kids Rejoice!
Remember Piebald? Sure you do; they had that catchy song called "American Hearts" that you probably put on a mixtape when you were 17, right next to Saves The Day and Kind Of Like Spitting. If you've been missing them all these years, it's your lucky day because Rise Records announced plans recently to reissue Piebald's entire out-of-print catalog as a three-volume set, entitled Piebald: First Ten Years. Each volume will contain two discs, compiling the band's first three full-length albums (When Life Hands You Lemons, If It Weren't for Venetian Blinds, It Would Be Curtains for Us All, and We Are the Only Friends We Have), as well as all of their EP's, B-sides, and live tracks. Volume I is due out in late April, while Volume II and Volume III will be released in May and June, respectively.
In other Piebald news, the band announced recently that they will be playing their 2002 album, We Are the Only Friends We Have from start to finish during their upcoming set at the Bamboozle Festival on May 2.
• Piebald: http://www.myspace.com/piebald
• Rise Records: http://www.riserecords.com
Love Is All Sustain Two Thousand and Ten Injuries Preparing for Spring Tour with Japandroids
How many Swedish noise-pop bands that use numbers in every full-length album title and have full-time saxophonists can you name in 60 seconds? That’s right, one. And how many of those bands are starting tours in late-March? Right again. Love Is All is releasing their new album Two Thousand and Ten Injuries on March 23, and will be traversing the nation from near East to far West with Canadian garage-rockers Japandroids to support it.
Love Is All are working with a new label (Polyvinyl) this time around, and is having Two Thousand and Ten Injuries pressed to 180 gram yellow, white, and black vinyl to celebrate. But you’ll have to be lucky to grab one of the more interesting colors, as they’re only making 500 of each (and the yellow is only out in Europe).
Two Thousand and Ten Injuries tracklisting:
01. Bigger Bolder
02. Repetition
03. Never Now
04. Less Than Thrilled
05. Early Warnings
06. False Pretense
07. The Birds Were Singing with All Their Might
08. Again, Again
09. Kungen
10. A Side in a Bed
11. Dust
12. Take Your Time
Catch Love Is All and Japandroids before they retreat to their far-flung homelands:
03.27.10 – Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s
03.28.10 – Brooklyn, NJ – Knitting Factory
03.29.10 – Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel *
03.30.10 – Philadelphia, PA – Barbary *
03.31.10 – Boston, MA – Middle East (Downstairs) *
04.02.10 – Montreal, QUE – Ill Motore *
04.03.10 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern *
04.04.10 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
04.06.10 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
04.07.10 – Champaign, IL – The Highdive *
04.08.10 – TBA
04.09.10 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
04.14.10 – Seattle, WA – TBD
04.15.10 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
04.16.10 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
04.17.10 – San Diego, CA - Casbah
04.18.10 – Los Angeles, CA – Echo (Part Time Punks)
* Japandroids
• Love Is All: http://www.myspace.com/loveisall8
• Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com
Terra Firma Seeking $160 Million In Life Support for EMI; News Writer Seeking Asian Redhead (Must be Willing to be the Breadwinner)
This just in: Terra Firma — the firm whose name means "solid ground," remember? — is now reportedly trying to raise an additional $160 million to keep EMI afloat in, uh... financial water. The figure, as well as the mixed metaphor, is apparently needed despite recent successes meeting financial obligations to lender Citigroup (read: the Beatle$ rema$ter$).
After having fallen short on earlier covenants, Terra Firma had reportedly used reserves to cover the deficits, and now (duh) the Financial Times noted that Terra's chances of meeting upcoming covenants are in serious, like, Alex Trebek-with-a-gun-and-nothing-left-to-lose type jeopardy. The Wall Street Journal has noted that Terra "is almost certain to fall short" on upcoming financial tests and has pointed to "revised business plans and proposals" from the label group. I guess "revised" usually means "better," but hey, we could all use a good semantics lesson now and again. Separately, a source close to the label recently indicated the expectation of a "near-term blowup," including possible divestitures and breakups of various recording and publishing units. Yipes.
Quick, everyone: think. THINK. Aren't there more ways to keep selling people the same Beatles tracks over and over? How about 26 new albums that each feature any and all Beatles songs that start with a given letter of the alphabet? Or maybe a record of instrumental versions of all of the songs Ringo sang lead on?
Ted Leo and His Pharmacists Take Title Tracks Out On the Road
John Davis, formerly of Q and Not U and Georgie James, has started up a new band more in the musical vein of the latter rather than the former, called Title Tracks. Always the gentleman, Ted Leo has decided to take Title Tracks on the road with him and his Pharmacists this March. Before that, Title Tracks have some headlining dates of their own lined up, coinciding with the release of their debut album, It Was Easy, due February 23 on Ernest Jenning.
It Was Easy tracklisting:
01. Every Little Bit Hurts
02. No, Girl
03. Black Bubblegum
04. Piles of Paper
05. Hello There
06. Tougher Than the Rest
07. Steady Love
08. It Was Easy
09. At Fifteen
10. Found Out
11. She Don't Care About Time
Title trekking on the road:
02.11.10 - Washington DC - Black Cat ^
02.14.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox ^
02.15.09 - Dayton, OH - South Park Tavern ^
02.16.10 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room ^
02.18.10 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout ^
02.19.10 - Madison, WI - Der Rathskellar at Wisconsin Union ^
02.20.10 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird ^
02.21.10 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Cafe ^
02.23.10 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves ^
02.24.10 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk ^
02.26.10 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder ^
02.27.10 - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub ^
02.28.10 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn ^
03.01.10 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 ^
03.02.10 - Richmond, VA - Gallery 5 ^
03.03.10 - Baltimore, MD - Golden West Cafe ^%
03.04.10 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Knecktie ^%
03.05.10 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs ^%
03.06.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall ^%
03.07.10 - New York, NY - Cake Shop ^
03.11.10 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop &
03.12.10 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot &
03.13.10 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge &
03.14.10 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon &
03.15.10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue &
03.17-20.10 - Austin, TX - SXSW
^ w/ Pretty & Nice
% w/ Gary B & The Notions
& w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
• Ted Leo: http://www.myspace.com/tedleo
• Title Tracks: http://www.myspace.com/titletracksdc
• Ernest Jenning: http://www.ernestjenning.com
RIP: Sir John Dankworth, British jazz musician
From The Guardian:
Sir John Dankworth, a totemic figure of the British jazz scene who worked as a musical director for artists including Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, has died at the age of 82.
The saxophonist, whose career spanned more than half a century, died yesterday in King Edward VII hospital, London. He had been ill for several months.
• Dankworth's Qnote Records: http://www.qnote.co.uk
Dengue Fever: Not a disease, but relief (hopefully) for Haiti this weekend.
This Saturday, February 6, Dengue Fever, the alt-psych-rock outfit aiming for circa 'Vietnam Conflict' vintage pop, are playing a Haitian Benefit show. "What?" You ask. "Yes," I say, at The El Rey in loving Los Angeles.
Presented by KCRW, scope this line up:
• Ska revivalists, Hepcat
• Joey Altruda's Crucial Riddims & Reggae Greats Revue featuring Wailing Sounds
• Elan, Eljai
• Cumbia band, Very Be Careful
• The Lions, an all-star reggae group
• An experimental rock outfit, The Tuffingtons
• Echodelic Soundsystem
•DJ Miles Perlich
• Hosted by the Santa Monica College's KCRW DJ's Junor Francis an Alexis de la Rocha
All proceeds of ticket sales will be donated to Operation USA's relief efforts. Oh yeah, the date is also Bob Marley's 65th birthday. That sounds about right.
• Dengue Fever: http://www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic
• Operation USA (do some good): http://www.opusa.org
In Really Disappointing Music News: Gowns Break Up
After moving through the standard steps of grief upon learning the news myself, it is with great sadness I relay the message that Gowns, a phenomenal band that counts many of this site's contributors as fans, have announced their dissolution. In a five-year career, they produced two EPs, one full-length, and several tours' worth of heart-stopping live sets. From Gowns member Erika Anderson's blog:
As of last week, the collaboration between artists Erika Anderson, Ezra Buchla, and Corey Fogel, also known as GOWNS, has ceased to breathe. [...] We were tapping into some very raw emotions, and I’m ultimately proud of the risks we took. In spite of anything else, I feel like we were honest, and I feel like we were brave. I’m also proud of the sounds we created, as though the combination of our talents created something that was rare and unique. [...] I’m sorry we couldn’t keep it together.
The band has posted their final release, a fantastic 17-minute track called "Stand And Encounter," as a free download (you can stream it at the Chocolate Grinder). And for more information on their new projects, read the rest of Anderson's post.
After a single listen on the suggestion of a fellow TMT writer, I implored every one of my musically-inclined friends to get Gowns' sole LP, 2007's Red State (TMT Review). I extend the same suggestion to you. The album is exquisitely beautiful and deeply unsettling, totally gut-wrenching, and surprisingly humanizing. Anderson once told me that, during its production, every member of the band had moments where they felt they'd gone crazy, striving to make every second achieve total perfection and clarity. After listening to the album dozens of times as a whole and to every song individually dozens of times more, I believe what they produced is unprecedented, peerless, and indeed perfect. I guess something as good as Gowns is never long for this world.
• Erika Anderson: http://cameouttanowhere.com
• Ezra Buchla: http://music.calarts.edu/~ebuchla/spat.php
• Corey Fogel: http://knitdrums.tumblr.com
• Cardboard: http://www.cardboardrecords.com
Older Woman Wrongly Accused of Downloading Movies, Gets Dropped by ISP
So it's come to this, has it? Apparently, the industry's eyes are so glazed over with paranoia that they've started issuing warrants for little old ladies to get dropkicked in the ass by their ISPs. 53-year old Cathi Paradiso reportedly had her internet suspended by Qwest Communications after they assumed she'd been downloading illegal material, including ZombieLand, Harry Potter, and South Park. Now, ladies and gentleman of the jury, I ask you this: do these television programs and/or movies sound anything like what a 53-year-old woman would download? Would a 53-year-old woman even know how to download a movie? Maybe, but these film and TV titles do sound like 13-year-old boy fare. COME ON NOW! Doesn't it seem the least bit possible that little boys (or sad-sack man-boys) were stealing internet juice from the older, unassuming lady? Not that all old ladies are unassuming — many are impeccably tech-savvy — but you get what I'm saying. It seems pretty unlikely.
After being dropped abruptly from her ISP with a stern slap on the wrist, Paradiso alerted the media, hoping this would help locate the true culprits. And true enough, some interference from CNET prompted a technician to have a closer look at Paradiso's network. Indeed, they determined that Paradiso's network had been "compromised" by another (and probably way less mature) party.
Case closed. Next week on Dragnet, Sgt. Joe Friday, and Sgt. Ben Romero take on the case of the missing B Channel...
Sir Richard Bishop Goes on Tour, Possibly Incinerates Audience Because He Is a Dragon
In 2007, I saw former Sun City Girls guitarist Sir Richard Bishop open for Animal Collective. During the show, he told the audience that he was over 500 years old. There is only one explanation for this fact: Sir Richard Bishop is a dragon. Sir Richard Bishop is going on tour this winter. If you don't want to go, it means you don't want to go see a dragon, and, let's be honest, that is stupid. Also, Bill Callahan is playing some of the dates and, while he is not a dragon, he is pretty damn good.
02.05.10 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
02.06.10 - Bad Bonn - Dudingen, Switzerland
02.07.10 - Caves du Manoir - Martigny, Switzerland
02.09.10 - Usine - Geneva, Switzerland
02.10.10 - Le Grande Mix - Tourcoing, France *
02.11.10 - Olympic Club - Nantes, France *
02.12.10 - Cafe de la Danse - Paris, France *
02.14.10 - Arkaoda - Istanbul, Turkey
02.16.10 - OK - Linz, Austria
02.17.10 - Club Schocken - Stuttgart, Germany
02.18.10 - West Germany - Berlin, Germany
02.19.10 - Scheld'apen - Antwerp, Belgium
02.20.10 - Freebutt - Brighton, United Kingdom
02.21.10 - The Portland Arms - Cambridge, United Kingdom
02.22.10 - The Church - Cardiff, United Kingdom
02.24.10 - Stereo - Glasgow, United Kingdom
02.25.10 - Cluny - Newcastle, United Kingdom
02.26.10 - Whitechapel Gallery - London, United Kingdom
02.27.10 - The Croft - Bristol, United Kingdom
02.28.10 - Miss Peapods - Falmouth, United Kingdom
03.01.10 - Uncut Club - London, United Kingdom
03.03.10 - Museu do Chiado - Lisbon, Portugal
* Bill Callahan
• Sir Richard Bishop: http://www.sirrichardbishop.net
• Drag City: http://www.dragcity.com
