Wilco to Release New Album in 2009, Take Snarling Lessons from Neil Young
By Heidi Vanderslice on Aug 20 2008
It appears Jeff Tweedy has grown out of his own records, telling WAMC (NPR affiliate and the recipient of my expertise as an intern), that he "kinda hate[s]" all of Wilco's six prior albums, because "none of them are a statement that I would be comfortable making right now at this point in my life." Obvious solution: new album! Regardless of whether or not the rest of the band shares his sentiment (wanna bet I'd get rich if I had a dollar for how many eyerolls happen in the practice studio?), Wilco are thinking 2009 will be the year for such an album, with a goal to be more performance-oriented and to minimize the mixing. Translation: Jeff Tweedy will lob throwing stars toward the sound board from time to time. Gotta keep those producers in check, you know? The band has dropped a few new tracks during their live shows, including the laid-back "One Wing" and more saucy "Sunny Feeling."
Wilco are wrapping up their summer tour next month. Tweedy's dry wit will be challenged by his future stage buddy, however, when Wilco open for Neil Young in a stretch of North American dates this winter. Hmm. Most of these places appear to be named after banks and other such evil entities. Perhaps there is some good old-fashioned mischief in store for the Man...
Heavy-browed frontmen unite:
* Fleet Foxes
% Neil Young
# Everest
Muxtape Taken Offline Due to Unspecified Problems With RIAA, A Bunch Of Dudes Win Bets
By Petey V on Aug 19 2008
Muxtape, the online playlist service which launched in March to a user base larger than Germany but smaller than Japan, seems to have run into problems with the RIAA, according to a message posted on the site late Wednesday evening. While it alerts users that "Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA," the Muxtape tumblr insists that "the site is not closed indefinitely" and "no bands or labels have complained."
Many people — including you, me, intellectual property attorney Fred von Lohmann, and site creator Justin Oullette — have speculated as to the soundness of maintaining such a website in the era of RIAA lawsuits and other digital music crackdowns. The optimism of the message displayed on the official site and on tumblr echo Oullette's assertion in interviews that Muxtape's primary purpose is to introduce listeners to new music and that labels and artists have been encouraging when talking to him. Indeed, it appears from the tumblr post that Oullette has been developing a service called "Muxtape for Bands," an as-yet-unexplained feature first hinted at in a tumblr post early last week.
For more details about "Muxtape for Bands," as well as about the issues with the RIAA, keeping an eye on the tumblr page is probably your best bet.
DMBQ Bring Wonder, Blazin’ Hot Rock Jams to Liberal Arts Colleges Across New York This Fall
By Liz Louche on Aug 19 2008
I went to see incredible Japanese garage rock band DMBQ once at a record store in Austin, TX, a detour from the usual SXSW showcases and shit. This was the year I discovered Sparks Caffeinated Malt Beverage and ended up consuming enough of the stuff that I thought it would be a good idea to buy every single Siouxsie and the Banshees 7-inch in the store -- and, so, I drunkenly brought up my pile of prizes to the register while the drummer from DMBQ dismantled and reassembled her drum kit without ever missing a beat or failing to kick out the jams. Okay, I didn't technically "see" it. My friends told me about it. It sounded awesome, though!
And now... imagine! You can have this very same sort of magical experience yourself, at one of several DMBQ tourdates planned for this October!
DMBQ -- or Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, their longer, more difficult to remember full name -- have been around since 1988 in one form or another. They've released albums on Less Than TV, Estrus, and more, and have embarked on many a tour in these here parts. They're loud, they're fast, they're awesome, and apparently they just can't get enough of small New York liberal arts colleges, judging from this tour schedule. Enroll now!
iTunes Taxation: More Reason to Download Illegally
By Jenn on Aug 19 2008
After all the bullshit surrounding illegal music downloading, like the lawsuits against minors that in turn cost their parents thousands of dollars, iTunes is in talks of imposing a tax on the next Jonas Brothers track your little sister is downloading. Indeed, nine states are currently discussing the possibility of imposing a digital downloading tax, with four of them having already passed "digital taxation plans," including Indiana, South Dakota, Utah, and Nebraska.
However, it looks like it has proven quite difficult so far for most states to actually pass this law, since it's almost impossible to define state boundaries over the World Wide Web. The CNET report states, "Because most state tax laws were written long before the Internet existed, they may accidentally immunize downloads from taxation." And don't get too pissed off yet -- several eco-friendly groups are protesting the idea. "A digital download is the greenest way to buy music, movies, and software, since it requires no driving to the store, no delivery vans, and no plastics or packaging," according to Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice.
