Zs tour Europe with opening acts X and Y
By Harold Shueberg on 07-20-2010
I suppose when your band’s name starts with the letter Z, you tend to be pushed toward the end of the line. It’s almost like society and technology have succumbed to a first-grade mentality. Seriously, just check out your iTunes artist queue; if there are any bands starting with Z, they’re way down at the bottom. I guarantee it! Although iTunes does give you the option to reverse the order in which your artists appear, you don’t do it, do you. It’s as if those Z bands deserve to appear last on the totem pole as a mere consequence of their moniker. It just wouldn’t seem fair the other way around.
Then came Brooklyn trio Zs, who said “fuck all that, our band name isn’t going to start with the letter Z, it IS the letter Z, pluralized.” Therefore, the band have taken that letter and rocketed it to the very top of the alphabetical hierarchy. This fact speaks something about the unique music that Zs create, one that will in fact be thrust upon the European masses with the coexisting fury and calm that is their sound.
Starting July 25, Zs will embark on a two-week scramble through Europe, exposing the ins and outs of their latest full-length, New Slaves (TMT Review), which came out May 11 via The Social Registry. The album turned out to be so magnificent that the entire TMT staff felt it necessary to open all the office windows and shout “Eureka!” in harmonic unison. It was a sight to see and a sound to hear. The band’s goal with this tour is to dispel the nagging notion that they are “just a letter.” Good luck to them.
Zs Europe:
07.25.10 - Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic - Velbloud
07.26.10 - Vienna, Austria - Rhiz
07.27.10 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Sajeta Festival
07.28.10 - Faenza, Italy - Clandestino
07.29.10 - Geneva, Switzerland - L’Usine
07.30.10 - Lyon, France - Grrrnd Zero
08.01.10 - London, UK - Whitechapel Gallery
08.02.10 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
08.03.10 - Bristol, UK - Start The Bus
08.04.10 - Gent, Belgium - Cafe Video
08.05.10 - Berlin, Germany - Schokoladen
08.07.10 - Katowice, Poland - Off Festival
08.08.10 - Kosice, Slovakia - Tabacka
08.09.10 - Brno, Czech Republic - Brno House of Arts
• Zs: http://www.zzzsss.com
• The Social Registry: http://www.thesocialregistry.com
Owen Pallett is the LeBron James of music; tours with The National, Dirty Projectors, Spoon, Arcade Fire
By Nobodaddy on 07-20-2010
Dude. Somebody up there likes Owen Pallett… and I guess at least at few people down here are into him too, judging by the Canadian art-pop chamber-tronic whiz’s sterling fall tour schedule. Riding the wave of “aw shit, that’s awesome!” that has been steadily propagating outward in all directions from this year’s epic Heartland LP, duder’ll open for the likes of The National and Dirty Projectors, as well as the Merge Records Wondertwin that is Arcade Fire and Spoon at two sure-to-be-insane shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden! Yeah… LeBron WHO???
But Pallett’s Rolodex doesn’t end there by a long shot. He also currently has a new EP for sale over at his Domino page, which features remixes of the Heartland jam “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” from the likes of Dan Deacon, Max Tundra, Simon Bookish, Benoit Pioulard, and CFCF. (You can check out the Dan Deacon mix over at the Chocolate Grinder.) Man, I am starting to feel like I have pretty much no friends at all compared to this guy.
Lewis Takes Off His Shirt EP tracklisting:
01. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (album version)
02. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (Dan Deacon Remix)
03. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (Benoît Pioulard Remix)
04. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (CFCF Remix)
05. Keep the Dog Quiet (Simon Bookish Remix)
06. Midnight Directives (Max Tundra Remix)
Owen Pallett live:
07.31.10 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Festival
08.04.10 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden ^
08.05.10 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden ^
08.12.10 - Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08.13.10 - Saint-Malo, France - La Route du Rock
08.14.10 - Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
09.07.10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
09.08.10 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero *
09.11.10 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 *
09.13.10 - Boston, MA - Wilbur *
09.24.10 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater #
09.25.10 - Munhall, PA - Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead #
09.27.10 - Louisville, KY - W. L. Lyons Brown Theatre #
09.29.10 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre #
09.30.10 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant #
10.02.10 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room #
10.03.10 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium #
10.04.10 - Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Memorial Auditorium #
10.05.10 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theater #
10.06.10 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues #
10.08.10 - Houston, TX - House of Blues #
10.09.10 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues #
10.13.10 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre #
10.14.10 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee #
10.16.10 - Pomona, CA - Fox Theater #
10.18.10 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium #
^ Arcade Fire, Spoon
* Dirty Projectors
# The National
• Owen Pallett: http://www.owenpalletteternal.com
• Domino: http://www.dominorecordco.us
[Photo: Ryan Pfluger]
Duran Duran, Vivian Girls, Devendra Banhart (and others!) cover David Bowie for benefit CD
By Kid Midnight on 07-20-2010
David Bowie, beyond being the coolest guy to ever work in rock ‘n’ roll, is a very giving, loving, and charitable fellow. If you don’t believe me, then you should check out the work he’s done with the War Child charity. War Child’s goal is to help any and all children affected by war, regardless of borders, and Bowie has been very vocal about his support for the charity’s efforts.
Next on the slate for Bowie and War Child is an album, We Were So Turned On, scheduled for release on September 14 on Manimal Vinyl, wherein various artists of guaranteed “coolness” cover classic songs by The Thin White Duke himself. The album, which saw its genesis way back in 2008, features a diverse set of artists, ranging from Warpaint to Duran Duran, Devendra Banhart to Mick Karn, and Vivian Girls to Carla Bruni.
We Were So Turned On tracklisting:
Disc 1:
01. Exitmusic - “Space Oddity”
02. Duran Duran - “Boys Keep Swinging”
03. Megapuss - “Sound+Vision”
04. Warpaint - “Ashes to Ashes”
05. Corridor - “Be My Wife”
06. Chairlift - “Always Crashing in the Same Car”
07. Vivian Girls - “John, I’m Only Dancing”
08. All Leather - “Fame”
09. We Are the World - “Afraid of Americans”
10. A Place to Bury Strangers - “Suffragette City”
11. Tearist - “Repetition”
12. Halloween Swim Team - “Look Back in Anger”
13. Afghan Raiders - “Fashion”
14. Polyamorous Affair - “Theme” from Cat People
15. Swahili Blonde - “Red Money”
16. Jessica 6 - “I’m Deranged”
17. Aska + Bobby Evans (feat. Moon & Moon) - “African Night Flight”
18. Xu Xu Fang - “China Girl”
Disc 2:
01. Voicesvoices - “Heroes”
02. Carla Bruni - “Absolute Beginners”
03. Papercranes - “Blue Jean”
04. Keren Ann - “Life On Mars?”
05. Lewis & Clarke - “Changes”
06. Zaza - “It Aint Easy”
07. Genuflex - “Soul Love”
08. Sister Crayon - “Bewlay Brothers”
09. Marco Benevenuto - “Art Decade”
10. Mick Karn - “Ashes to Ashes”
11. Lights - “World Falls Down”
12. Aquaserge - “The Supermen”
13. Caroline Weeks - “Starman”
14. Rainbow Arabia - “Quicksand”
15. Mechanical Bride - “Sound + Vision”
16. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - “Memory of A Free Festival”
Bonus tracks (iTunes only):
01. Viv Albertine - “Letter to Hermoine”
02. Ariana Delaware - “Ziggy Stardust”
03. Gangi - “Oh You Pretty Things”
04. Amanda Jo William - “The Man Who Sold The World”
05. Laco$te - “Within You”
06. Universe - “Heathen”
07. St. Clair Board - “Secret Life of Arabia”
08. Pizza! - “Modern Love”
Wow! That’s a lot of David Bowie covers! Even though my favorite, “Velvet Goldmine,” is sadly missing, I would still totally buy that disc and help out little kids! For more information about the War Child charity, well, just visit their website!
• David Bowie: http://www.davidbowie.com
• Manimal Vinyl: http://manimalvinyl.tumblr.com
Artists for Action invites artists like Calexico and Jimmy Eat World to make noise about Arizona immigration law
By Harold Shueberg on 07-20-2010
As many of us are quite aware by now, there’s some wacked-out shit going down in Arizona nowadays. Some artists have taken note and are taking serious action, but unfortunately I’m not just talking about this. As if an act of undisguised racial profiling wasn’t a strong enough act of white superiority, Arizona has also decided as a result of the new immigration laws that BANNING ETHNIC STUDIES within the walls of all public schools is a good idea.
In response, the newly formed musical coalition Artists for Action is asking any and all artists to book it to Arizona to encourage an open dialogue concerning this issue and encourage artists and fans alike to take a stand. Arizona-based bands such as Calexico and Jimmy Eat World have already taken a stand with the organization and become involved. Artists for Action is now asking others to follow suit by offering assistance with organizing rallies, speaking engagements, and benefit performances.
In a recent press conference, US Representative Raul Grijalva made this statement: “I am supporting the efforts of Artists for Action because they are providing a positive outlet in the struggle against SB 1070 and the ethnic studies ban. Artists have a long history of activism for social justice, and Arizona is no different.” Cause seriously, since when has fascism been okay?
• Artists for Action: http://vivaarizona.org
The Apples in Stereo travel through space and time and end up in Denver
By Kid Midnight on 07-20-2010
The Apples in Stereo have been riding the quantum waves of praise for their new album Travellers in Space and Time (TMT review), and now they’re set to head through space and time on a West Coast tour of America that kicks off on October 22 in Denver, Colorado. I’m a little jealous of The Apples in Stereo because, whenever I travel through space and time, I just keep ending up at the community college downtown. Do you think the galaxy is trying to tell me something? Am I meant to be an electrician or veterinary technician?
Despite the jokes about space and time that I write (because I’m a writer, not an electrician), The Apples in Stereo are apparently quite serious about moving their music through both time and space and have recently used The Universe Broadcasting Project (507 HD channels in 66 different galaxies), which is a high-tech way of saying stupid shit at the endless expanse of black, black space in the hopes that someone, somewhere will answer. (Hey, that’s a lot like my love life!) The UBP is actually a fancy messaging service that uses satellite array technology and alchemy to broadcast messages into Deep Space 9. The Apples have appropriately sent their new album, and messages from fans, through UBP in the hopes that they can finally get a gig on Uranus. You can read all about it at WIRED.
If you would like to interact with the band in a non-space-related way, then check out the tourdates below or head over to Step Through the Portal where you can check out music videos, The Apples’ back catalogue, and even the history of the Elephant 6 Collective, where the Apples got their start.
The Apples in Stereo Fall tour:
10.22.10 - Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theater
10.23.10 - Colorado Springs, CO - Armstrong Hall
10.24.10 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room
10.25.10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
10.26.10 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
10.27.10 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
10.28.10 - Arcata, CA - The Depot @Humboldt State Univ.
10.30.10 - San Franciso, CA - The Independent
10.31.10 - San Jose, CA - The Blank Club
11.01.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
11.02.10 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
11.03.10 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
11.06.10 - Austin, TX - TBD
11.07.10 - Houston, TX - Walter’s On Washington
11.08.10 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
• The Apples in Stereo: http://www.applesinstereo.com
