RIP: Tony D, Hip-Hop Producer, 3rd Bass

By Shane Mack on

From AllHipHop.com:

Veteran producer Tony D. was killed in a tragic car accident last night (April 4) in his hometown of Hamilton, New Jersey.

Police said Tony D., born Anthony Depula, lost control over his 2002 Jeep when it struck the fence of a local cemetery, causing the vehicle to flip onto its passenger side. [...]

Tony D. started his career as a D and he managed MC Serch of 3rd Bass fame.

He went out to produce for a number of acts, including Poor Righteous Teachers, The Outsidaz, Young Zee, King Sun, Pace Won, DJ Muggs and others.

Tony D.'s best known production was Poor Righteous Teachers' Hip-Hop classic single "Rock Dis Funky Joint," which was released in 1990.

- Tony D MySpace

The Shins Give Sub Pop the Cold Shoulder, or Merely Elbow It Aside? Plus Tourdates

By Couscous on 04-06-2009

A bit of confusion struck the indie rock blogosphere last week after Pitchfork announced that The Shins, one of the standard bearers for indie rock in the aughts, had left Sub Pop, one of the biggest and most revered indie rock labels in the country. The band was said to be working on new music with no set release date. The day after making the announcement, Pitchfork clarified the news the next day, reporting that Sub Pop has said that The Shins' contract with the label has merely expired, and the band is on writing hiatus and has no definitive future plans.

Well, if you're scratching your head, recall that Shins manager Ian
Montone told Billboard last year that the band was planning to release its next album through singer James Mercer's Aural Apothecary label. Sub Pop has left open the possibility that the band will keep some sort of partnership with the label.

It's all so confusing. But I suppose that if you're desperate to know just what the band is doing, just ask the boys yourself on their just-announced tour!
05.02.09 - Bellingham, WA - Red Square on Campus
05.04-05.09 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
05.06-07.09 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
05.09.09 - Oakland, CA - The Fox
05.10.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
05.11.09 - San Diego, CA - Soma
05.13.09 - Richmond, VA - The National
05.14.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05.15.09 - Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head Live
05.16.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
05.17.09 - Wellmont, NJ - Wellmont Theater
05.18.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5

Radiohead’s Manager to Testify on Behalf of Accused Pirate Joel Tenenbaum

By Heidi Vanderslice on 04-06-2009

As we previously reported, the RIAA is none too happy with one Joel Tenenbaum, who is facing a $1-million lawsuit for downloading seven songs on the filesharing service Kazaa. Tenenbaum, in turn, has launched an admirable defense with the help of attorney Charles Nesson and a Harvard Law School litigation team, along with a website that keeps the world up to date: JoelFightsBack.

Late last week, Mediapost announced that Tenenbaum will also have the support of none other than Radiohead's manager, Brian Message -- that's right, the manager of a recorded musical group: the very population whom the RIAA posits are helpless, hapless victims of rampant downloaders like Tenenbaum. Nesson plans to use Message's testimony to both support the theory that non-commercial filesharing actually encourages growth in the music industry and illustrate the success of Radiohead's non-traditional “pay what you want” album release of In Rainbows (TMT Review).

Of course, the RIAA plan to caterwaul about how filesharing is crippling business, and while it's true that record sales have dropped ($15 billion to $10 billion since the dawn of Napster 10 years ago), Radiohead's record sales markedly increased with the release of In Rainbows. Message's testimony will support the theory that “the music business is going to be saved by readjusting and developing these exciting new business models that are consistent with a digital environment.” In other words, Message will directly represent a musical group that has harnessed the technology of filesharing and used it for profit, thus supporting the defense that filesharing is not simply a tool of destruction within the music industry, and that Tenenbaum's actions fall within the “fair use” category.

What's especially troubling about this case, besides the egregious sum of money demanded over the digital equivalent of a $14 CD, is that the RIAA doesn't even bother to sue filesharers anymore (or is it?). Instead, they've taken to working with Internet service providers to identify and shut down individual users who utilize their internet connections for filesharing, a practice many ISPs feel yucky about. Perhaps the information Message brings to the trial will shed some light on the benefits of filesharing, rather than the small amount of damage caused by one person.

Photo: [Angela N.]

RIP: Bud Shank, Jazz Saxophonist

By Shane Mack on 04-06-2009

From the LA Times:

Bud Shank, the alto saxophonist who was a key figure in the West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s, has died. He was 82.

Shank died Thursday night at his home in Tucson of pulmonary failure, friends said.

A versatile musician with an adventurous nature, Shank also played flute and -- during a productive period of studio work -- had pivotal solos on the popular 1960s pop tunes "California Dreamin' " by the Mamas and the Papas and "Windy" by the Association. He had an early interest in music without borders, playing and recording with Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida several years before the Bossa Nova craze. In 1962, he recorded an album with Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar.

For many, however, he is best known for his work in Los Angeles with Stan Kenton starting in the late 1940s, followed by his association with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars at the fabled Lighthouse Cafe jazz club in Hermosa Beach.

- Bud Shank official website
- Bud Shank Wikipedia entry

“First” Major Label Blog Launches in 2009… err Gratz?

By Brom on 04-06-2009

EMI Australia has announced its latest attempt to decide for millions of consumers what’s “cool” in the music world with their totally original idea for "the first major label blog" in the world. Fantastic guys, you want a medal? The In Sound From Way Out (great name, by the way) features EMI artists across the globe as well as the typical features you’d expect from a music blog. However, the Aussies have come up with one unique element: an artist and repertoire (A&R) Dropbox where those connoisseurs of music, the general public, can recommend the latest acts to the dudes at EMI. This, of course, means you can expect legions of Kelly Clarkson, All-American Reject, and Lily Allen fans proposing... yep more artists like Kelly Clarkson, The All-American Rejects, and Lily Allen!

The team pictured below are representatives for EMI. But let’s be honest here: even if you were a rabid Justin Timberlake fan, would you trust these jokers to recommend you good music?


Mario Speedwagon’s Under The Radar News Roundup: Man Man Tour With Cursive And Gogol Bordello, Merge Fest Initial Details Announced, Mastodon Set To Tour, All Points West Festival Tickets On Sale Now

By Mario Speedwagon on 04-03-2009

It’s been raining here for about a week now. The sun finally came out today (it’s weird), but otherwise, I feel like how you should feel after it’s been gloomy and wet for 6 days. I don’t know how you people up in the Pacific Northwest do it. That being said, this shit is going to be boring. I’m spent.

- Man Man are heading out with Cursive this spring and playing a few dates with Gogol Bordello. Their tour runs from mid-April to early-June. You can check out all the dates on Man Man’s MySpace page. I’d also like to mention as a side note that Cursive’s album title for their new jam, Mama, I’m Swollen (TMT Review), makes me feel gross.

- Merge Records has announced the initial lineup of their 20th anniversary festival, XX Merge. Bands set to play, so far include Superchunk, Spoon, Conor Oberst, Spent, M. Ward, The Rosebuds, Destroyer, Guv’ner, Polvo, Pipe, and The Broken West. Many more bands are yet to be announced, both “expected and unexpected.” Whatever that means. The festival runs July 22-26 at the Cat’s Cradle (Sunday will be at Memorial Hall) and takes place in Carrboro, NC. Tickets go on sale April 8 at 10 AM and are $150 for 5-day passes (individual passes will also be on sale). I’m pumped.

- Atlanta teddy bears Mastodon are heading out on tour next week in support of their new album, Crack The Skye, out on Reprise Records. Their tour kicks off Friday, April 10 in Birmingham. You can check out all the dates at Mastodon’s official website.

- The second annual All Points West Music & Arts Festival will be returning to the Jerz for the weekend of July 31 - August 2. This year's lineup includes The Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, MSTRKRFT, My Bloody Valentine, Tool (okay), Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Echo & The Bunnymen, and a buttload of other bands. Tickets go on sale TODAY and are $199 for a 3-day pass (single-day passes are $89). You can buy tickets at TicketBastard.com and find out more information on bands and whatever the “arts” part of the festival is at the official site. (On a side note: I wonder how long it will be before I start posting about festival cancellations?)

ZzzzZzzzzzzz…

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