The Long Blondes Shut It Down

By Mario Speedwagon on

British five-piece The Long Blondes have split-up. The band posted on their official website Monday, October 20 saying the reason for the split was because guitarist Dorian Cox was unsure when he would be well enough to play guitar again. In June 2008, Cox suffered a stroke resulting in several show cancellations.

The Long Blondes formed in late 2003 in Sheffield, UK and leave us with two albums, their 2006 release Someone To Drive You Home and this year's release, Couples (TMT Review). The band's breakup announcement coincides with the release of their Singles compilation.

“Big thank you to anyone who ever came to one of our shows, bought one of our records or danced to one of our songs in a club,” continued Dorian’s message. “Thank you, if it wasn't for you the whole thing would have been pointless.”

Antony and Kría Brekkan Duet Launches New Paw Tracks Singles Division

By Mango Starr on 10-22-2008

Kría Brekkan (ex-müm) is teaming up with Antony (Antony & The Johnsons) on a new 7-inch for Paw Tracks. However, the track, "Be Good To Earth This Season," was actually written and recorded by Reverend Green, Animal Collective's tour manager Brad Truax. (Yes, Brekkan and Antony didn't write the song together. You can't go through life assuming shit like that -- it's annoying.) Meanwhile, the other side of the single features Rings member Abby Portner's new project, Drawlings, with a track called "Wolfie's Christmas." (If you haven't caught on by now, this is a holiday single, something you should've assumed a long time ago. You can't go through life being so timid -- think with conviction PLEASE. THANKS.)

The 7-inch is limited to 1000 and marks the first release in Paw Tracks' Care Kacky's 45s series. It'll be released December 9 via Atlantic/Reprise/EMI/Parlophone/Capitol/Epic.

Familial ties not enough for the Animal Collective obsessive in you? Well, what do you want? A new Animal Collective album or somethin' (TMT News)??

U2 Net $19 Million in Live Nation Shares with Touring Deal, Franchise Their Band, Train Regional Bonos

By Nobodaddy on 10-22-2008

Live Nation, a.k.a. “the original Buy-it-Now people,” have already done a rather fine job of making Satan himself look more like Willy Loman through their recent ultra-savvy purchases of the, umm, entire careers of Madonna, Jay-Z, Nickelback, and Shakira. Now, their most recent acquisition, the illimitable U2, has just discovered (Merry Christmas, fellas!) that the 1.56 million shares of Live Nation that they are set to receive as part of their 12-year touring and merchandising contract with the concert promotions giant will amount to roughly... $19 million! The deal’s value was revealed in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made last week. I’m not sure how many Arizona state joshua trees you could adopt and save with that kind of scratch (that is what U2’s thing is, right?), but I’m sure it’s a whole damn lot.

Unlike many of Live Nation’s other manifested destinies, the U2 deal, which was signed back in March, is not an all-encompasing 360-deal and only includes the band’s tours, merchandising, and official website. In other words, Bono and the boys will continue to release music through Universal Music and collect publishing through their blandly named U2 Ltd. company. Unfortunately, both parties will have to wait to see where the stock market roller coaster decides to crash-land before learning the actual value of their deal, but if history is any guide here, everyone involved will probably be rich enough to buy that roller coaster, fix it up, and sell more tickets.

Just to give you an idea, U2’s Vertigo tour in 2005-2007 made over $400 million in revenues and was the second highest grossing tour... of all time, so touring on a new album alone (which they plan to release in early ’09, by the way) should generate more than a billion dollars in grosses over the course of the contract. Can you say “new sunglasses”?

The Music Tapes Plans Caroling Tour… Yes, a CAROLING Tour

By Mr P on 10-21-2008

When the Music Tapes tour initially morphed into the Elephant Six Holiday Surprise Tour, I found the news a little bittersweet. As much as I love the E6 crew, I was really hoping for a "proper" Music Tapes tour since I'm so ridiculously obsessed with Julian Koster's latest Music Tapes album, Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes (TMT Review). I HATE that I haven't seen The Music Tapes live yet.

Well, good things come to those who hate, as the lovable smurfs at Merge have just informed TMT of an upcoming Music Tapes tour! But it's far from a "proper" tour: Instead of having fans come out to see a show, Koster and the Singing Saws will be coming to the fans, caroling from house to house for three hours in each city of the tour. According to Koster, "I will carol Music Tapes songs, and the Saws will carol holiday songs for the hosts and [their] assembled guests. We will then move on to the next house."

Sounds far-fetched right? Of course it does! Obviously they won't be hitting just any ol' house, so Koster will be accepting invitations from you to play at your house (with the option of welcoming outside guests) from now up until the caroling night in your city. You can send invites by emailing musictapescaroling@gmail.com or sending a written invite here:

MUSIC TAPES CAROLING

c/o G. Stewart
175 Talmadge St. Apt 1

Athens, GA 30605

Preference will be given to written invites, as well as hosts willing to allow outside guests into their homes. Which means: if you're too shy to host a party for both your circle of friends or for people outside of your circle (pssh... yeah right, you just don't want people to know that your home consists solely of Martha Stewart furniture, loser!), you can always hit up a home welcoming outside guests. A list of these homes will be distributed via email (not published online) to anyone who wishes to attend.

This may all seem a bit confusing at first, but don't worry; The Music Tapes' official website will detail a "complete explanation of the workings of the tour and provide caroling information as the tour is under way." In the meantime, you can order Koster's The Singing Saw at Christmastime to get into the holiday spirit, and if you ain't got nuttin' going on tonight, set your GPS to Chicago's Bottom Lounge, as The E6 Holiday Surprise Tour will be starting up around 8 PM.

"Congratulations. Thank you!"

Initial Outline of The Music Tapes Caroling Tour (from 6:30-9:30 PM):

Karl Blau to Teach Home Recording Class

By Julbucket on 10-21-2008

Damnit! Usually, living in New York gives me a leg up when it comes to super-special events in the music world. But right now, I’m feeling pretty out of the loop: the great Karl Blau, K Records’ multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire, is set to school the unwashed masses in the fine art of home recording.

The class is called “Quality Home Recording: Creative, Fun, and Sonically Rich emphasis on stand alone audio recording multi-trackers.” Nice ring to it, right? For 15 smackers, Mr. Blau will be teaching anybody lucky enough to live near Anacortes, WA how to “achieve contrast in your recording” through:

- mic placement
- EQ
- strong levels
- other stuff, presumably

I’ve been pondering a move out to the Pacific-Northwest for awhile now, but this is the last straw. $15?! Karl Blau?! If you live near Anacortes and have even a cursory interest in recording, please sign up and then get yourself over to Department of Safety on Saturday November 1. Do it for me.

RIP: Rudy Ray Moore, “Godfather of Rap,” Dolemite Actor

By Shane Mack on 10-21-2008

From the LA Times:

Rudy Ray Moore, the self-proclaimed "Godfather of Rap" who influenced generations of rappers and comedians with his rhyming style, braggadocio and profanity-laced routines, has died. He was 81.

Moore, whose low-budget films were panned by critics in the 1970s but became cult classics decades later, died Sunday night in Toledo, Ohio, of complications from diabetes, his brother Gerald told the Associated Press.

Though he was little known to mainstream audiences, Moore had a significant effect on comedians and hip-hop artists.

"People think of black comedy and think of Eddie Murphy," rap artist Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew told the Miami Herald in 1997. "They don't realize [Moore] was the first, the biggest underground comedian of them all. I listened to him and patterned myself after him."

- Rudy Ray Moore official website
- Rudy Ray Moore Wikipedia entry
- Rudy Ray Moore IMDB entry
- Dolemite official website
- YouTube video: "Interview With The Great Rudy Ray Moore"
- YouTube video: "Rudy Ray Moore meets The Ubangis!"
- YouTube video: "The Badassery of Rudy Ray Moore"

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