Dweezil Zappa to Play Frank Zappa’s Music; First Public Performance of His Work Since Frank’s Death (Just Kidding)
By Heidi Vanderslice on Mar 27 2008
Dweezil Zappa has spent the past year holed up and hiding away in preparation of a tour in which he will play his father's music. You know, his pops: Barry Manilow. Or Frank Zappa. Same thing. But more importantly, this marks the first time I have ever accidentally text messaged someone announcing that Frank Zappa is touring. Unfortunately, of all the friends I could have chosen to text, I selected another music journalist and will now be subjected to assorted teasing remarks for the next week or so. God, I'm a hack.
On gearing up to take his show on the road, thus spake Dweezil: "Prepping for the tour has been like preparing for a medieval battle where going into it your sharpest weapon is a spoon. But I'm pretty deadly with that spoon now." Just wait till he gets his hands on some salad tongs.
Guesses about where Pamela Des Barres will show up may be sent to my attention:
By Mango Starr on Mar 26 2008
Dr Pepper, which has everything to do with Guns N' Roses, has announced that it will give a free can of Dr Pepper to "everyone in America," if the should-be-mildly-but-is-hotly anticipated Chinese Democracy sees release this year.
"It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love," says Jaxie Alt, director of marketing (of course). "So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection -- for something more than the average album. We know once it's released, people will refer to it as ‘Dr Pepper for the ears’ because it will be such a refreshing blend of rich, bold sounds - an instant classic."
Poetry right there.
Dr Pepper even created a blog dedicated to the offer. The first post reads: "We are on the verge of economic collapse, the housing market is beyond repair and rock n' roll has been taken over by wannabe singers and musicals about high schoolers. Never before in the history of time has the world needed a savior as badly as we do now. That savior is Guns N Roses."
HAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!
That said, here are some things to consider:
1. Dr Pepper is shamelessly trying to tap into the music blogosphere with this campaign.
2. Anyone who posted about this offer is a fool and are playing right into Dr Pepper's hands.
3. We're fools.
4. Dr Pepper is owned by Cadbury Schweppes.
5. Cadbury Schweppes owns these soft drinks: 7Up, Bournvita, A&W Root Beer, Cactus Cooler, Canada Dry, Cherry R.C., Cool Ridge, Coolah Energy, Country Time, Cream Soda, Crush, Deja Blue water, Diet RC Cola, Diet Rite, Dr Pepper, Dry Lemon, Ginger ale, Gini, Grapefruit Soda, Granadilla Twist, Hawaiian Punch, Hires Root Beer, IBC Root Beer, La Casera, Lemon Sour, Mistic Brands, Mott's apple juice, Nantucket Nectars, Nehi, Orangina, Peñafiel, Quinine Tonic water, ReaLemon/ReaLime, R.C. Cola, Ricqlès, Russchian, Schweppes, Schweppes Cola, Slush Puppie, Snapple beverages, Solo, Sparberry, Spring Valley Juice, Squirt, Stewart's Soda, Sundrop, Sunkist, Tahitian Treat, TriNa, Vernor's Ginger Ale, Welch's, Wink, Yoo-hoo, Jeranium, Woodroofe
6. Cadbury Schweppes also owns these chocolates: Boost, Bournville, Premium Dark, Brunch Bar, Caramilk, Fudge bar, Thins, Caramello Koala, Cherry Ripe, Chomp, Creme Eggs, Crispy Crunch, Crunchie, Curlywurly, Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Melts, Dairy Milk Giant Chocolate Buttons, Dairy Milk Buttons, Dairy Milk Tasters, Double Decker, Dream, Cadbury's Chocolate Eclairs, Fingers, Five Star, Flake, Freddo Frog, Freddo Frog with Caramel, Fuse, Gems, Jaffas, Marble, Milk Tray, Mini Eggs Cadbury Mini Eggs., Mini Rolls, Miniature Heroes, Moro, Old Gold, Perk, Picnic, Roses, Snack, Snaps, Spira, Star Bar, Sweet Marie, Time Out, Twirl, Wispa, Wunderbar
7. Cadbury Schweppes is on the verge of de-merging into two separate entities.
8. Pining for a Guns N' Roses release is equal parts nostalgia, sarcasm, and romanticism.
The Green Man Reveals First Fruits of Festival Lineup From Its Gigantic Tree-Like Limbs and Leafy Loins; Beirut, Iron & Wine, The National, Black Mountain, and More Grateful to Be Discharged to Wales for Momentous Event
By David Nadelle on Mar 26 2008
Every year, the organizers of the Green Man Festival in Wales announce a spectacular lineup of living legends, perennial folkish favorites, and up-and-coming leftfield acts. And every year, I write a story about it because it is the closest I ever get to experience the wonder that takes place annually in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. I seriously considered going this year. I even had a flight booked to the picturesque Glanusk Park Estates for August 15-17, but now I’ve been told that my services at TMT HQ are needed that very same weekend. Like Mr P can’t outsource his latrine cleaning and fluffing requirements to street urchins and adult newspaper carriers looking to supplement their income! Yeah, and I can’t wait to get paid in "smiles" like last time either, P! Grumble, grumble...
If it is scrubbing fun you want, then join me for the time of your life! If it is mesmerizing sets by artists surrounded in breathtaking scenery and unequaled atmosphere, then you should join the throngs who make the pilgrimage every year to the Green Man Festival in Wales instead of those who stay home and write about them. With DJs (Richard Noris/Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve, Andy Votel/B-Music), and cinephiles (7 Inch Cinema) playing obscure psych nuggets and a bounty of communal family fare to be had, the Green Man ain't your Grandad's festival. Actually, come to think of it, it is exactly like your Grandad's festival, before these kinds of events started to be frequented solely by your younger bro and his frat brothers and sponsored by Red Bull and Bank of America, "Ass in the Tub" Hot Sauce and the GOP.
Here’s who will be dancing around the maypole August 16-18 in Glanusk Park:
Super Furry Animals, Richard Thompson, Beirut, Iron & Wine, The National, Black Mountain, Nina Nastasia, Drive By Truckers, School of Language, Howlin Rain, The Cave Singers, King Creosote, Caribou, Magik Markers, Jennifer Gentle, The Yellow Moon Band, Devon Sproule, Alela Diane, The Accidental, The Drift Collective, Cath and Phil Tyler, The Moon Music Orchestra, One More Grain, Duke Garwood, Threatmantics, Mugstar, Radio Luxemburg, Cymbiant, Beth Jeans Houghton, Brygyn
Bad Brains to Release Box Set, Tour South America; You to Prepare for Wet T-Shirt Contests
By AJ Pacitti on Mar 26 2008
On April 1, Bad Brains will release a 7-inch box set, titled Build a Nation, via Megaforce Records. Produced by Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys), the set contains four 7-inch colored vinyls and one 7-inch picture disc, which includes the full 15 tracks from Build a Nation and bonus track "Married Again." You can pre-order the set here.

And......
Wet t-shirts ready, ladies? In spirit of Spring Break, Bad Brains plan to take on South America. The upcoming tour, “Bad Brains From Tequila (LOL), Tans and MTV Wet T-Shirt Contests,” will kick off April 9 in Brazil. Sponsors of the tour include Tab Energy Drink, MTV, and Hawaiian Tropic.
WHY WOULD I LIE:
By Heidi Vanderslice on Mar 26 2008

As recently nailed down by our scrappy old staff, Mount Eerie (a.k.a. P.W. Elverum) will be unleashing a wet dream's worth of material this spring, such as a self-described "metal" album called Black Wooden Ceiling Opening (5/27), the blue-baller mess of songs Elverum wrote in Norway in 2002/2003 as a book/CD release, DAWN ("later in 2008"), and as we obsessively, uh, I mean, responsibly reported last year, a reissue of The Microphones' The Glow Pt. II (4/8). Sir Elverum has become a bit of a bookbinder as of late, so expect to find nice visual companions to go along with DAWN, as well as the double-sided 21"x21" poster on recycled paper that accompanies Black Wooden Ceiling Opening.
And if that weren't enough, P.W. Elverum & Sun recently revealed a couple more releases. For those of you upset about DAWN containing only CD versions of the Norway songs, there are now plans for the music to be pressed on double vinyl later this year (with no book). And after that? Mount Eerie plans to release Song Islands Vol. 2, a Mount Eerie singles and rarities compilation, presumably in the same spirit as The Microphones' Song Islands, which was released by K back in 2002.
But that's not the real story here! What should really flame your yons is the announcement of a tour! Yes, you and yours will be completely enamored of and baffled by Mount Eerie (who has been known for playing mind games with his audience, that weasel) all across Europe and briefly, OH SO briefly, in Canada and the U.S.!
My best friend has told me that Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7 makes him "aroused," which is not an unfamiliar feeling of the TMT staff:
04.05.08 - Vancouver, BC - Hoko's Sushi/Karaoke Bar (Edgefest) *
04.17.08 - Seattle, WA - The Vera Project (The Glow Pt. 2 Re-Release Party) @
04.18.08 - Tacoma, WA - Helm Gallery
05.07.08 - Bergen, Norway- Strædet #
05.08.08 - Oslo, Norway- Spasibar %
05.09.08 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Koloni @ Kulturhuset Underjorden %
05.10.08 - Copenhagen, Denmark- TBA %
05.11.08 - Berlin, Germany - Volksbuhne (10 Jahre 10 Monate 10 Tage HQ) %
05.12.08 - Leipzig, Germany - UT Connewitz % $
05.14.08 - Nurnberg, Germany - Hafenklang/K4 %
05.15.08 - Dresden, Germany - Scheune %
05.16.08 - Darmstadt, Germany - TBA %
05.17.08 - Brussels, Belgium - Recyclart %
05.18.08 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Theater Kikker %
05.19.08 - Paris, France - Flech D'or %
05.20.08 - Turcoing, France - Le Grand Mix %
05.21.08 - London, England - PLAN B @ Corsica Studios %
05.22.08 - Bristol, England- Start the Bus %
05.23.08 - London, England - Cafe Oto %
05.24.08 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans %
05.25.08 - Nottingham, England - Dot to Dot Festival %
05.29.08 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival &
05.30.08 - 06.05.08 - Poland (venues TBA)
06.06.08 - 06.07.08 - Paris, France (venues TBA, website reads: "help?")
06.08.08 - 06.09.08 - Lille, France and/or Belgium (venues TBA, again: "help?")
06.12.08 - Montréal, Québec - Casa del Popolo (part of Suoni Per Il Popolo)
07.18.08 - 07.20.08 - Anacortes, WA - What the Heck Fest
@ Why?, Generifus
# YACHT
$ Gregor Samsa
& Eric's Trip
* International Falls, No Gold, Octoberman, The Centres, Candles, Joel Tong, more
% NO KIDS (Note: At first glance, I took this literally and grumbled to myself about the lack of inclusiveness at Mount Eerie shows, and then concluded that maybe kids at a show weren't such a good idea. But by the time I reached this epiphany, I re-read the tourdates and yelled, "OHHHHHHH," completely befuddling my roommate.)
Photo: [Elizabeth Weinberg]