Pavement Add More European Tour Dates! Hmm... If My Calculations Are Correct, This Means That They’ll Be Adding Some U.S. Dates Right... About... NOW?... I Mean... NOW!... OK... I Mean... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Attention, Great Britainers! Atención, Spaniards! Attenzione, Italians! Garde-Ã -vous, Frenchmen! Achtung, Germans! Pozor, Czech Republicans! Aandacht, Belgiumeers! Aird, hardass, oldschool Irishmen! Uh, and yeah, G’day, Australians!
In addition to the string of awesome festival dates and such that they’ve been slowly piecing together, Pavement has just announced that they’ll be coming to a theater near you (in a 2010 near you) to spread their decidedly American Gospel of slacking off; taking it real easy; keeping it “real loosey goosey;” vibing-out on jammy riffage; hiring a full-time aux. perc. player just because your real drummer can’t be relied on to keep time; singing about nothing in whatever key your voice feels like after smoking all of that pot; saying you’ll finish this or that song “some other time” but then just recording it anyway and putting it out; and, last but not least, becoming incredibly famous, respected, praised, acclaimed, and un-duplicate-able in the process.
Get ready to take some notes, Europe, Australia, U.K.! This is how you achieve in our country. Just ask Barack Obama. I’m pretty sure that he was in a psych-stoner-indie-slack-off rock band back in the day too. Yeah. Definitely pretty sure
03.01.10 - Auckland, New Zealand - Town Hall
03.04.10 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
03.06.10 - Meredith, Australia - Supernatural Amphitheatre (Golden Plains Festival)
03.07.10 - Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre
03.08.10 - Perth, Australia - Metro City
03.10.10 - Brisbane, Australia - Tivoli
03.12.10 - Melbourne, Australia - Palace Theatre
05.04.10 - Dublin, Ireland - Tripod
05.05.10 - Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
05.07.10 - Paris, France - Le Zénith
05.08.10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
05.10.10 - London, England - Brixton Academy
05.11.10 - London, England - Brixton Academy
05.12.10 - London, England - Brixton Academy
05.13.10 - London, England - Brixton Academy
05.15.10 - Minehead, England - All Tomorrow’s Parties
05.18.10 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
05.19.10 - Berlin, Germany - Astra
05.20.10 - Prague, Czech Republic - Palac Akropolis
05.21.10 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
05.22.10 - Munich, Germany - Muffathalle
05.24.10 - Rome, Italy - Atlantico Live
05.25.10 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
05.27.10 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
05.29.10 - Quincy, WA - Sasquatch! Festival
09.21.10 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09.22.10 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09.23.10 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
09.24.10 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
Welcome Back, Turn-of-the-Century Minneapolis: Lifter Puller Reissued
Ah, 1999, what a year, right? Y2K was only a year away, Clinton was still in office, Korn and The Backstreet Boys fought for supremacy on TRL, Prince was partying like the year it was, the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship, and, of course, Lifter Puller was still a band.
Don’t know who Lifter Puller was? Can’t understand how the Spurs won the Championship? Don’t worry, I’ll explain. The San Antonio Spurs won the Championship because the twin towers of David Robinson and Tim Duncan were an unstoppable scoring machine and their seamless meshing on the court, along with the welcome aid and skills of -- oh... you were just interested in Lifter Puller? Okay. Lifter Puller were a rock band from Minneapolis who counted as members Craig Finn and Tad Kubler who would both eventually move to Brooklyn and form The Hold Steady. During their existence, the band released three LPs, an EP, and played a bunch of shows.
Their whole catalog has been pretty tough to find the last couple years because most of it is out of print, and the people who have it don’t really want to get rid of it. But the times are changing, my friends: the band has announced that not only will its entire catalog be reissued digitally for the first time via The Orchard, but two of the albums will receive “Deluxe Reissue” treatment. There will also be a new odds ‘n’ sods collection of singles, non-album tracks, and live material, plus a book, titled Lifter Puller vs. The End Of, which will contains lyrics, photos, and an oral history of the band.
What does this “Deluxe Reissue” business mean? Well, sophomore LP Half Dead & Dynamite will feature live tracks from a 1998 performance at Minneapolis venue 7th Street Entry; The Entertainment and Arts, the band’s only EP, will also feature bonus tracks from the 7th Street Entry show. Fiestas & Fiascos, Lifter Puller’s third and final album (and debut with Frenchkiss Records) will feature live tracks from a reunion show in 2003. Meanwhile, the new rarities collection, titled Slips Backwards, will feature 17 tracks of singles, non-album material, and two live songs from a 2000 performance in Washington D.C. All of the albums are available for download today, December 1.
NIN Done Touring, Having Garage Sale
After 20 years, NIN is done touring forever, at least
according to their website. It's not a claim to be scoffed at, considering a more recent announcement that a large portion of their touring gear is going up for sale at eBay. Stated in the post, "Hundreds of items will be listed over the next several weeks such as guitars, keyboards, amplifiers, drums, staging, anvil cases, cables, rack/outboard gear, guitar effects, and pedal boards." So if you're in the market for overpriced used instruments and random equipment, none of which will be autographed, you should keep your browser pointed here; as of this writing, there are 20 items -- all guitars -- up for auction.
While it might seem like a novel idea for communicating to the masses now that NIN is really, really done touring, this shouldn't come as a shock to the internet-savvy fans of the group. Trent and his collaborators seem to have a penchant for using technology in ways that are atypical, at least when
compared to other big names in the music industry. It's no secret that NIN are quite savvy themselves when it comes to e-trends. In fact Mr. Reznor could very likely be reading this right now.
P.S. I'm a big fan of Trent.
Flaming Lips to Perform Dark Side of the Moon on New Year's Eve in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Blow Raspberries at Rest of Nation
Ooh! Ooh! Guys, I've TOTALLY been to Oklahoma City and the Cox Convention Center, where The Flaming Lips are going to play Pink Floyd's magnum opus Dark Side of the Moon on New Year's Eve! I'm so glad I left love notes all over the place for Wayne Coyne, because, man, I just knew that place was special, even though I was attending the American Choral Directors' Association National Conference for work and actually had no idea the Lips were coming and uh... okay, I can't keep that one going. But still! Oklahoma City is going to be the absolute jam for both closeted hipsters and lovers of classic rock, a nice truce considering OK City receives more visits from Journey and AC/DC than can possibly be healthy.
Those of us stuck in places like New York and can only see dumb ol' Patti Smith and the Detroit Cobras on New Year's Eve can be comforted by a Dark Side of the Moon joint release sometime next year from the Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs (TMT News). Pitchfork points out a good preview of Pink Flaming Floyd here on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, on which they covered Dark Side's ending track, “Eclipse.”
Ted Leo Announces Brutal New LP, Considers Ripping A Swine In Half To Celebrate, Rips Soy-Based Swine Substitute In Half Instead
Ted Leo, patron saint of hooky guitar-pop, has the worst luck with labels. The guy released three LPs on legendary pop-punk label Lookout Records, then the label got in all kinds of legal trouble. Jumping over to legendary Chicago punk label Touch and Go probably seemed like a stable move, until that label went belly up. Jeez! Thankfully, the man has once again found himself in the employ of a legendary label, that being Matador this time around. Which is great and all, but, um, please don’t kill Matador, Ted.
Even if Leo does turn out to be the record label reaper the third time around, he’ll at least be able to put out his new record, The Brutalist Bricks, out on Matador. The new collection will be available on CD, LP, and digital formats on March 9. Do you like yellow and/or bees? Then check out the album’s cover. Do you like songs? Then check out “Even Heroes Have To Die,” the first released song from the record. Do you like seeing Leo’s shining visage in real life? Then good news: he’s touring in December
12.02.09 – Philadelphia PA – First Unitarian Church
12.03.09 – Washington DC – The Black Cat
12.05.09 – Cambridge MA – Middle East
12.06.09 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom (sold out)
12.10.09 – Madrid, Spain – Primavera Club ‘09
12.11.09 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Club ‘09
12.12.09 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Club ‘09
12.14.09 – Brighton, UK – Engine Room (with Dillinger Four + Hard Skin) *
12.15.09 - Canterbury, UK – Bramleys *
12.16.09 – London, UK – Brixton Windmill *
12.17.09 – Kingston, UK – New Slang *
12.18.09 – London, UK – Grosvenor (with Wat Tyler) *
* solo dates
Tom Waits Reissues Special Vinyl Edition of Orphans, Talks Spider Romance
In the few years I’ve been writing for this website, my love of musicians who look/sound like olde-tyme drifters has been well-documented. If an artist sings about hard-livin’ and seems like they could’ve spent several years traveling with the circus through the backroads of Depression-era America, I’m into it. So you can imagine my delight when I heard about this new limited-edition vinyl release of Tom Waits’ Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards.
Scheduled for a December 8 release on ANTI-, this reworking of the 2006 collection of covers, rarities, and new tracks will feature 62 tracks over seven LPs on 180-gram vinyl. There’s also a fancy new booklet plus six tracks more than on the previously released version of Orphans. Robert Christgau deemed the album “definitive,” and fans agreed; the original Orphans was one of Waits’ best-selling releases. New offerings on the vinyl edition include covers of Fats Waller’s "Crazy ‘Bout My Baby" and Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht's "Canon Song.”
In other Waits news, the two-disc collection Glitter and Doom Live was just released on vinyl and CD. The first disc holds the live tracks recorded while on tour in Europe and the U.S., annnnd the second disc “holds nearly 40 minutes of Waits' quixotic ruminations on topics ranging from romantic spiders to injured vultures.” Alllllright! (Now that I think about it, I honestly really would like to hear Tom Waits’ thoughts on romantic spiders.)
This winter, Waits will also be appearing on the silver screen in Terry Gilliam’s upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, alongside Johnny Depp, Christopher Plummer, Jude Law, and the late Heath Ledger, as well as in The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington.
Modern Radio Record Label Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary; Regular Radio Celebrates 118-Year Anniversary
Modern Radio, the fan-favorite Twin Cities label, has finally hit double digits and couldn’t be prouder. The label, a fixture in the Twin Cities indie scene, was started in 1999 by Tom Loftus and has slowly been gaining acclaim and cultural importance over the years after releasing a bevy of records by bands like The Plastic Constellations, Deerhoof, Mirah, STNNNG, and Vampire Hands. The label was started with the goal of supporting a burgeoning indie scene but soon developed into a local institution and trend-setter; the label was even named “Best Record Label of the Twin Cities” for 2006 by local weekly newspaper City Pages in 2006.
Modern Radio is so proud of its achievements that it wants to share the celebration with its fans, as it should, since the label was founded on the cornerstones of “friends, community, and music.” The label is putting together a couple shows that will highlight some of its’ current roster and give you plenty of great music to accompany cake-eating (cake not included)
01.22.10 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
FT (The Shadow Government)
Daughters of the Sun
The Chambermaids
Double Bird
Sheridan Fox (His Mischief)
01.23.10 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural
The Plastic Constellations
Skoal Kodiak
Vampire Hands
STNNNG
and more!
In other news: radio is 118 years old this year and still knows how to get the party started.
Wilco, Panda Bear, The Fall and More Added to Primavera 2010; “Primavera” Means “Spring” in Spanish
Oh shit! Dateline: Barcelona or whatever! Get yer ya-yas out! Annie, get your gun! Get back to where you once belonged! Get Smart! Get up, get-on-up, stay on the scene like a sex machine! Yes, dudes and dudettes; major league butt-kicking is back in town! Primavera 2010 is about to take out a ruler and, you know, rule the fuck out of all those other two-bit spring and summer side-shows that call themselves big, outdoor fests. After already handing Perry Farrell's own Ben Stiller-lookin’ ass on a platter with the announcement of Pavement and Pixies headlining shows, Primavera is taking things up another few notches with their first batch of confirmed artists at the 10th annual fest, which will take place May 27-29, 2010.
Sure, some of the choices were easy enough for the Primavera organizers in Barcelona. Panda Bear? He already hangs out over in Lisbon, so he’s like right across the street. Wilco? Well, they’ve been dressing like a Hispanic Mariachi band for at least the past year or so. The Fall? What’s a better icebreaker than fans from all over the world gathering in Barcelona to muse about a band called “The Fall” playing at a festival named after the spring? It’s the ultimate Dad Joke.
For bands like The New Pornographers, The XX, Wild Beasts, The Antlers, Dum Dum Girls, and Delorean, however, the jokes, puns, and tenuous semantic associations become a little bit more difficult. But hey, that’s why I’m a capital-J Journalist, man. When I’m out of jokes, I just end the story and cut to the stats. And you know what? I make it seamless. This is a skill, folks. You have to earn this kind of power. LATER.
Complete Confirmed Artists as of November 30:
The Antlers, The Bloody Beetroots, Camarón: La Leyenda Del Tiempo 30 Años Después (Duquende and Chicuelo amongst others), Delorean, Dum Dum Girls, The Fall, Ganglians, Here We Go Magic, Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, Joker featuring Nomad, The New Pornographers, Panda Bear, Pavement, Pixies, Wilco, Wild Beasts and The XX.
Tickets are on sale NOW via Ticketmaster, the CD Drome shops, RIFT shops, Seetickets UK, Fnac France and through PayPal on the fest’s website.
European Commission Says No to Three Strikes without Judicial Oversight
As previously reported by TMT, the European Union ain't taking no shit from internet-denyin' heads of government. Now they've told Spain's authorities that "measures that allow for the disruption of Internet access without a fair hearing before a judge, are certain to clash with the European Union."
These words were spoken by Vivane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, in response to Spain's proposals to block internet access indiscriminately. She also argued that "disconnections may even run counter to the rights and freedoms which have become part of Europe’s values since the French Revolution.'"
Comrade Obama might like to be reminded of another revolution when considering his own ideas to tackle online pirates. America did not fight a bloody war with the British to have its citizens hand over their health care, SUVs, and internet access to the government.
Spencer Krug Goes Solo As Moonface, Announces Debut EP
How many projects is too many projects? If you’re Bob Pollard, trick question: there’s no such thing. If you’re most musicians, one or two should be enough. If you’re Spencer Krug, the answer lies somewhere between the range of “Bob Pollard” and “most musicians.” Indeed, the man splits his time between quite a few endeavors (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Wolf Eyes?, etc etc.) and he’s about to split in a little bit more, as he launches a solo project by the name of Moonface.
Krug is making his Moonface debut with the awesomely titled Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums. Jagjaguwar will release the EP January 26 both digitally and as a one-sided 12-inch vinyl. Sorry, Spencer Krug obsessive with only an old boombox: you must shed bitter, bitter tears. However, you can still enjoy the dream journal that will be packaged with the vinyl! The dream journal will also be included with some of the digital downloads, though it has not been specified what exactly “some” constitutes.
Incidentally, Sunset Rubdown released an EP by the title of Introducing Moonface earlier this year. Whether the new project ties in with this release at all is currently unclear.
Spoon Help a Robot Get Its Groove Back, Head Out on Winter Tour, Release LP A Week Early
Spoon are on the move again, bringing their Can-influenced indie rock to select cities in Europe and the US. They’ll be repping their upcoming release Transference (TMT News), which comes out January 18 on ANTI- for our European friends and January 19 on Merge Records here in the States (note the new release dates).
At this point, details about further dates are scant, so I thought I’d provide you with the following gem of information related to one of the group’s more recent albums, Gimme Fiction. It’s gleaned from America’s favorite news source, Wikipedia:
"Don't You Evah" and "I Turn My Camera On" have become popular on YouTube as dance soundtracks for the Japanese robot Keepon, accumulating over two million hits.
Did you hear that? A ROBOT!!!! A robot who loves dancing to Spoon. If a non-sentient "being" can get down with these rock jams, you know these guys put on a good show.
12.03.09 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
12.04.09 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre*
12.11.09 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom**
12.12.09 - La Jolla, CA - RIMAC Arena***
12.31.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre****
02.14.09 - Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut's
02.15.09 - Manchester, England - Academy 3
02.16.09 - London, England - Electric Ballroom
02.18.09 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
02.19.09 - Cologne, Germany - Luxor
02.20.09 - Berlin, Germany - Frannz Club
*Phoenix, Passion Pit
**Black Joe Lewis
***Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, White Rabbits, Manchester Orchestra
****Jay Reatard
![<p>Zola Jesus</p> - <p>Stridulum [EP]</p>](http://www.tinymixtapes.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Album_Review_Content_Page_Art/zola_jesus-stridulum.jpg)
