RIP: Brendan Mullen, founder of punk rock club Masque
From the LA Times:
Brendan Mullen, founder of the Masque punk rock club in Hollywood that helped launch the vibrantly anarchic music scene on the West Coast in the late 1970s, died Monday after suffering a massive stroke over the weekend. He was 60.Mullen died at Ventura County Medical Center, said his companion of 16 years, Kateri Butler. The couple had been traveling through Santa Barbara and Ventura celebrating his 60th birthday, which was Friday.
"The doctors are completely perplexed," Butler said. "They can't figure out why he had a stroke -- he had none of the indicators, his cholesterol was perfect. One of the neurologists summed it up best when he said, ‘Sometimes, your number is just up.’"
- Brendan Mullen Wikipedia entry
- The Masque Wikipedia entry
Pavement Start Reunion Tour in New Zelaland and Australia, No New Songs Expected
Pavement's purported one-off reunion tour has just gotten a little chunkier. After having announced four Summerstage dates in New York (TMT News) and the curating of ATP Weekend 2 (TMT News), Pavement have now revealed the actual start of their tour to be in New Zealand and Australia. How not exciting for everyone in the U.S.! Though, I suppose they have to road-test their reunion show somewhere -- and since New Zealand and Australia are not important culturally or politically, I'd call it a wise move. (I'm just kidding. I was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when I was 2.)
In even more not exciting news, non-Stephen Malkmus member Bob Nastanovich told The Quietus that the band is not expected to perform any new material. Darn. But do expect them to perform "Cut Your Hair" with a few more wrinkles, a.k.a. the way it was meant to be performed
03.01.10 - Auckland, New Zealand - Auckland Town Hall
03.04.10 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
03.06.10 - Victoria, Australia - Golden Plains
03.07.10 - Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre
03.08.10 - Perth, Australia - Metro City
03.10.10 - Brisbane, Australia - The Tivoli
03.12.10 - Melbourne, Australia - The Palace
05.14.10 - Minehead, UK - All Tomorrow’s Parties
05.15.10 - Minehead, UK - All Tomorrow’s Parties
05.16.10 - Minehead, UK - All Tomorrow’s Parties
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
The Flaming Lips to Open a Pop-Up Store for One Day Only, Play Small Secret Show
Isn’t it funny to watch Warner Bros. Records flail around to try and promote oddball acts like The Flaming Lips these days in the hopes that they’ll somehow sell 10,000,000 records? Case in point, to coincide with this week’s release of The Flaming Lips’ freaky new abandoned-moonbase-under-water-sounding double-LP Embryonic (TMT Review), Warner will be doing their best hungry, DIY label imitation by opening a pop-up store this Thursday, October 15. The one-day-only store, located at the NIKE/Ricardo Montalban Theater at 1615 Vine St. in Los Angeles, will feature all kinds of exotic and special-edition Lips gear, including CDs, vinyl, the Embryonic "Furry Package" (which features a bonus DVD and fur box), and goodness knows what else. Though I guess if there’s any place where it makes sense to sell “furry packages” on the street, L.A. would be the place.
And once they get over the weird suspicion that they must be on drugs, (sure, you might be tripping, but that store over there is as real as... well, as real as Empiricism will allow, at least. Why not stop licking that lamppost over there and mosey over to browse some limited-edition Lips gear?) visitors to the surreptitious store will also have a chance to win tickets to see The Flaming Lips at one of them there MySpace secret show things where a big old band plays a secret show at a small, undisclosed venue (not-so-subtle hint: it's at the Ricardo Montalban Theater, which holds 1,200 people). Tickets for this show are being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis as soon as the store opens. Remember MySpace?? Hop to it, Californians!
For the rest of us, Embryonic is out today, and the band will be making a special musical appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien tonight to promote the freak-flag-flying record... because THIS ALBUM’S GOING PLATINUM, DAMNIT.
U.S. and U.K. Likely to Impose Conditions on Ticketmaster/Live Nation Merger
There’s nothing quite like a bit of monopoly-bashing! Hot on the heels of the U.K.’s Competition Commission making a preliminary ruling against the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, it is now likely that U.S. regulators will coordinate with the British authorities to impose conditions on the deal. This could mean “Ticketmaster and Live Nation will be forced to sell off assets, or forced to sell some concert tickets through a competitor.”
Regulators (and especially Bruce Springsteen) are concerned that the merger of Ticketmaster (the largest seller of tickets to entertainment venues in the U.S.) and Live Nation (the world’s largest concert promoter) would create a behemoth that “could control every part of a live concert, from artist management and promotion to venue management, merchandise sales, and ticket sales and resales,” in the words of Ken Solky, President of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. The two companies, however, maintain that the deal is necessary to “strengthen a flagging music industry.”
Lawyers, sensing an excellent opportunity to make millions of dollars, suggest that both Ticketmaster and Live Nation went into this agreement knowing they would have to make some compromises. Mark Ostrau, an antitrust lawyer with Mountain View-based Fenwick & West LLP, said “I think the writing is on the wall that the deal is not going to happen without some fix," while Kevin Arquit, another antitrust lawyer, argued “The fact that the U.K. regulators acted puts the U.S. more on the spot.” The deal has also provoked consternation in Congress with 50 House members wanting Justice officials to take some kind of action.
“Live Nation shares fell nearly 6 percent Thursday, while Ticketmaster shares fell more than 4 percent,” (waaaaghhh!).
A Story to Warm the Coldest Hobo Heart: Railcars Release Second EP, Give First Away for Free, Embark on 59-Date Tour
At a certain age you begin to ask yourself questions: "Will I ever find the love of my life?" "What am I going to do when I retire?" "Could I get away with murdering Bono if I was really, really careful?" Some questions are better left unanswered. And some ponder while others pound on with the task of living and following their creative muses down previously unexplored paths. Aria Jalali is quickly garnering kudos on the West Coast where he produces messy shitgaze noise music as railcars, and he will release his second EP TODAY!
Already available as a digital download through Gold Robot, Stumparumper hard-releases Cathedral with No Eyes today. To celebrate the new record, Jalali is offering the first Jamie Stewart-produced railcars EP, Cities Vs. Submarines, as a free download available by clicking right here. Never one to play uninteresting, Railcars' Cathedral with No Eyes is a song cycle about the 9th-century King of East Anglia, Edmund the Martyr. The six-track EP details "his life and succession to the throne as a young boy, his conquests, his suffering at the hands of vikings and death by their arrows." So, in other words, it's a lot like "Baby Got Back."
1. Life of Saint Edmund (Ponds)
2. Castles
3. Passion of Saint Edmund (Rebirth)
4. Passion of Saint Edmund (Miracles)
5. Cathedral with No Eyes
6. Martyrdom of Saint Edmund (End)
Here are the latest railcars tourdates, including some already announced 2010 ones. Backing Jalali on the current tour is Sam Farzin. Grab your hobo bindle stick and hop along the trolley line!
10.13.09 - Tulsa, OK - Soundpony
10.13.09 - Tulsa, OK - house show at 2251 East 10th St
10.14.09 - Dallas, TX - Good Records
10.14.09 - Denton, TX - Majestic Dwelling of Doom $
10.15.09 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk #
10.16.09 - Fayetteville, AR - Ameroplace
10.17.09 - Little Rock, AR - Rad Haus
10.18.09 - Nashville, TN - Little Hamilton's
10.19.09 - Athens, GA - Go Bar
10.20.09 - Greensboro, NC - Maya Gallery
10.21.09 - Richmond, VA - The Triple
10.22.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Shea Stadium %
10.25.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Danger Danger Gallery
10.26.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
10.28.09 - Boston, MA - TBA
10.31.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Death by Audio
11.01.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Monkeytown
11.02.09 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
11.05.09 - Toronto, ON - Garrison
11.06.09 - Chicago, IL - Weirder Park
11.07.09 - Minot, ND - Pangea House
11.08.09 - Missoula, MT - The Laboratory
11.10.09 - Vancouver, BC - The Shed
11.11.09 - Victoria, BC - Logan's
11.12.09 - Seattle, WA - Baserment ^
11.13.09 - Olympia, WA - Le Voyeur *
11.14.09 - Portland, OR - The Artistery
11.17.09 - Santa Rosa, CA - North Bay Film and Art Collective
11.18.09 - Sacramento, CA - Fungarden +
11.19.09 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
11.20.09 - Oakland, CA - Flux 53 Gallery
11.23.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Synchronicity Space
11.24.09 - Irvine, CA - Acrobatics Everyday ~
01.05.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
01.14.10 - Berlin, Germany - Magnet Club
01.15.10 - Wroclaw, Poland - CRK
01.16.10 - Kracow, Poland - Kawiarnia Naukowa
01.17.10 - Prague, Czech Republic - Strahov 007
01.18.10 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer-kert
01.19.10 - Vienna, Austria - Rhiz
01.20.10 - Maribor, Slovenia - Pekarna
01.21.10 - Koper, Slovenia - MKSC
01.27.10 - Dijon, France - Deep Inside
01.28.10 - Metz, France - Emile Vache
01.30.10 - London, England - TBA
01.31.10 - Bristol, England - Start the Bus
02.01.10 - Glasgow, Scotland - 13th Note
02.02.10 - York, England - TBA
02.03.10 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
02.05.10 - Utrecht, Netherlands - dB's
02.07.10 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - TAC
02.08.10 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Kohi
02.09.10 - Freiburg, Germany - KTS
02.10.10 - Munich, Germany - Kafe Kult
02.12.10 - Frankfurt, Germany - Ivi
02.13.10 - Ansbach, Germany - 13eins
02.15.10 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
02.16.10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Lades
02.20.10 - Malmö, Sweden - Debaser
$ Fur
# Arrington de Dionyso
% Javelin, Holiday Shores
^ Alaskas
* Batrider
+ Pregnant, Megazord
~ Little Teeth
The Fiery Furnaces Plan Zany Fall Tour in Which They Will Send Instructional DVDs, Sheet Music, and Customizable Set Lists to Mailing List Fans So That They Can Construct the Shows in Their Own Homes! (Okay, Not Really... But Doesn’t That Sound Oddly Plausible?)
Can you believe that Thrill Jockey hasn’t signed your band yet? Well, it’s probably no offense to you or your music. It’s probably because The Fiery Furnaces have that label hypnotized into spending like 94% of its budget putting out, supporting, or otherwise underwriting their never-ending spew of loopy-ass, cockamamie Dada-pop projects every Brooklyn-via-Chicago minute!
See, after finishing up their eighth fucking record in like six years this summer, the comparatively tossed-off sounding I'm Going Away (TMT Review), the duo set about, you know, creating their own individual (that’s two separate) cover versions of that very record. Those are due digitally some time in October. Oh yeah, don’t forget about the forthcoming "silent record" that they’re also “working on” for this fall, which they plan on releasing as sheet music only. They’ve also sponsored video contests, lyric writing contests, and who knows what other sorts of contests, largely in the name of that whole “democratically written” record that they’re also promising us.
And as if all that isn’t enough for you, they’re also hitting the road this November for a North American tour, during which they’ll most likely confound your expectations a little bit more by mangling your favorite Furnaces classics right in front of you with the sort of dramatic irony akin to you watching your cute-but-heedless little cousins throwing their own coveted toys into the microwave “just to see what’s gonna happen.”
So yeah, my guess is their label’s got its hands pretty full these days. Keeping Les Enfants Terribles satisfied at all times is probably a pretty full-time gig. If I were you, I’d probably give Drag City a call instead.
Fiery Furnaces Fall Tour:
11.04.09 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
11.05.09 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
11.06.09 - Troy, NY - Revolution Hall
11.07.09 - Toronto, ON - El Mocambo Club
11.08.09 - London, ON - Call The Office
11.10.09 - Toledo, OH - Frankie's Inner City
11.11.09 - Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag
11.12.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
11.13.09 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
11.14.09 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
11.17.09 - Vancouver, BC - The Red Room
11.18.09 - Seattle, WA Chop - Suey
11.20.09 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11.21.09 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
11.24.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
12.11.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
12.12.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
RIP: Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer
From Blabbermouth:
Dickie Peterson, the bassist/vocalist and founding member of BLUE CHEER, passed away this morning (Monday, October 12) at 5 a.m. in Germany. He was [63] years old.Although the cause of Peterson's death has not been released, he had reportedly been battling cancer for the past several months.
BLUE CHEER was an American blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and has been sporadically active since. Based in San Francisco, BLUE CHEER played in a psychedelic blues-rock style, and was also credited for pioneering heavy metal (their cover of "Summertime Blues" is sometimes cited as the first in the genre), punk rock, stoner rock, doom metal and grunge.
Throughout his life, Peterson's relationship to music has been all-consuming. He was quoted as saying, "I've been married twice, I've had numerous girlfriends, and they'll all tell you that if I'm not playing music I am an animal to live with. . . Music is a place where I get to deal with a lot of my emotion and displaced energy. I always only wanted to play music, and that's all I still want to do."
Blues Control Begin Mission To Become World's Greatest Stadium Rock Band, Tour USA
A lot of people have dreams -- dreams of becoming something they aren't. Who's to say one's dreams won't come true? Who has the power to tell someone their dreams won't come true? Who says that Blues Control can't become the world's greatest stadium rock band?
Yes, people may be wary of that fact that they don't have a drummer. And yes, people might say that duos do not make for a good stadium-rockin' band. But this does not mean one's dreams can't come true. Just wait and see -- Blues Control will be selling out stadiums in no time. Soon, every high school freshman will be sporting Blues Control t-shirts, spouting legendary stories of backstage antics that probably never happened, a.k.a. the dream of every band ever! They will be legends!
Or maybe they will breakup in a year and fall back into obscurity. Either way, they have a dream, and no will keep them from that.
10.12.09 - Princeton, NJ - WPRB - in-studio 3pm EST
10.16.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Pilam
10.18.09 - New Haven, CT - Bar
10.19.09 - Ithaca, NY - The Shop
10.20.09 - Scranton, PA - The Bog
10.21.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks *
10.22.09 - Cincinnati, OH - Art Damage Lodge *
10.23.09 - Louisville, KY - Lisa's Oak Street Lounge %
10.24.09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle - early show @
10.25.09 - Madison, WI - Good Style Shop
10.26.09 - St Paul, MN - Turf Club ~
10.27.09 - Kansas, City MO - Record Bar
10.29.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court - early show
10.29.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge - late show
10.30.09 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
10.31.09 - Olympia, WA - The Northern - Halloween &!
11.01.09 - Seattle, WA - Funhouse &
11.02.09 - Vancouver, BC - Little Mountain Studios
11.03.09 - Portland, OR - Someday Lounge
11.05.09 - San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Tavern =
11.06.09 - Oakland, CA - Continental Club +
11.07.09 - Sacramento, CA - Luigi's Slice <
11.08.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - CREPE PLACE >
11.09.09 - San Luis Obispo, CA - Crossroads
11.10.09 - Irvine, CA - UC Irvine ^
11.11.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Synchrocity ^
11.12.09 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
11.13.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
11.16.09 - Denton, TX - J&J's Pizza
11.17.09 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
11.18.09 - Houston, TX - Mango's
11.19.09 - New Orleans, LA - Allways Lounge
11.21.09 - Nashville, TN - Dino's
11.22.09 - Asheville, NC - Harvest Records
11.23.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
* Puffy Areolas
# Kurt Vile
! Tyvek
% Sapat
@ Ga'an
~ Chinese Stars
& Little Claw
+ Sic Alps
= Hank IV
^ Pocahaunted
< The Duchess and the Duke
> Lucky Dragons
RIP: Stephen Gately of Boyzone
From The New York Times:
Though the event has had little impact on the American pop-cultural consciousness, the death of the pop star Stephen Gately, a singer in the Irish band Boyzone, was regarded in Britain and Ireland as a national tragedy.Mr. Gately, 33, died Saturday while visiting the Spanish island of Mallorca, The Associated Press reported. The band announced the news on its Web site, boyzone.net, on Sunday, and few details of the singer’s death have been made available. A spokesman for Mr. Gately’s family told BBC News: “There’s no foul play involved and it’s not suicide. It’s just a tragic accident is what we’ve been told.”
Upcoming Raincoats Documentary Projected to Kick as Much Ass as Their Music
The "godmothers of grunge," post-punk rockers The Raincoats blew minds and won hearts with their raw vocals, animal energy, and jangly guitars shortly after forming as an all-female group back in the late 70s. Brits Anna DeSilva, Gina Birch, and Palmolive (of The Slits, who later left the band) were true iconoclasts, from the music they made all the way down to their refusal to shave their legs. But, curiously, the story about how The Raincoats unwittingly instigated the riot grrrrl movement and defined the post-punk sound has never been told on the big screen.
UNTIL NOW! Instead of waiting around for somebody else to come along, bassist Gina Birch kept true to punk’s DIY ethos and made her own damn movie about her band. The documentary, called Fairytales: A Work in Progress, showcases live footage -- most of it unseen -- and interviews with the many musicians and artists who have cited the band as a major influence. As the story goes, Kurt Cobain was an adoring fan of the band. In the liner notes of Insecticide, he wrote about meeting Anna DeSilva in her cousin’s antique shop while on a search for a duplicate copy of their debut album (TMT Review). He went on to constantly praise the group, encouraged them to reunite, and played a major role in getting their albums reissued so their music could reach younger ears.
The documentary will feature new interviews with Anna DeSilva, Gina Birchvocalist, journalist Vivian Goldman, Goeff Travis from Rough Trade Records, Beth Ditto of The Gossip, Peaches, No Bra, Chicks on Speed, Sonic Youth, Andy Gill from Gang of Four, and former bandmembers Viv Albertine and Palmolive (of The Slits), and Jane Woodgate (of The Modettes).
Dates of its stateside release have yet to be announced, but it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to guess that anyone with a decent amount of respect for post-punk will be eagerly awaiting. Watch the trailer for the film here.
Comebacks Galore! Themselves to Tour with Eyedea & Abilities
Fresh off their newly minted “comeback” mix tape theFREEhoudini and teetering on the eve of their “comeback” album CrownsDown -- set for release on October 10, 2009 via anticon. -- Themselves have announced a fall tour with recently reactivated hip-hop duo Eyedea & Abilities.
CrownsDown, the group's first proper full-length album in seven years, is described by the band as “a careful and vicious exhibition of mastered rap tactics and sampling ethics.” Themselves created and structured the album as a means of exploring “the essential ten commandments” of hip-hop. Not quite sure what that means? Let me explain: Jel and Doseone, in preparation for writing and recording, dug through their crates of “favorite hip-hop albums ever” and created a list of the common, most effective forms of hip-hop songs and then tailored their own sound to meet these self-described patterns. The album has 10 tracks that span crowd favorites, ranging from the ”guess who’s back,” the “don’t bite,” the “don’t fuck with my DJ,” and the “dropping science,” as well as six other archetypal hip-hop jamz.
Meanwhile, Eyedea & Abilities will also be touring in support of a new album, By The Throat, their first new material in five years, released earlier this year. Check them out with Themselves on the majority of these tourdates:
11.19.09 - Austin, TX - Highball #
11.20.09 - Denton, TX - Hailey's #
11.21.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon #
11.22.09 - New Orleans, LA - The Parish Room - HOB #
11.23.09 - Atlanta, GA - 529 #
11.24.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 #
11.25.09 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel #
11.27.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory #
11.28.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs #
11.29.09 - Providence, RI - Jerky's Live Music Hall #
12.01.09 - Toronto, ONT - El Mocambo #
12.02.09 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig #
12.03.09 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's #
12.04.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity #
12.05.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club #
12.11.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
12.12.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
* Busdriver
# Eyedea & Abilities
CrownsDown tracklist:
1. Back II Burn
2. Oversleeping
3. The Mark
4. Gangster Of Disbelief
5. Daxstrong
6. You Ain't It
7. Roman Is As Roman Does
8. Skinning The Drum
9. Deadcatclear II
10. Gold Teeth Will Roll
