Terra Firma Seeking $160 Million In Life Support for EMI; News Writer Seeking Asian Redhead (Must be Willing to be the Breadwinner)
By Nobodaddy on Feb 8 2010
This just in: Terra Firma — the firm whose name means “solid ground,” remember? — is now reportedly trying to raise an additional $160 million to keep EMI afloat in, uh… financial water. The figure, as well as the mixed metaphor, is apparently needed despite recent successes meeting financial obligations to lender Citigroup (read: the Beatle$ rema$ter$).
After having fallen short on earlier covenants, Terra Firma had reportedly used reserves to cover the deficits, and now (duh) the Financial Times noted that Terra’s chances of meeting upcoming covenants are in serious, like, Alex Trebek-with-a-gun-and-nothing-left-to-lose type jeopardy. The Wall Street Journal has noted that Terra “is almost certain to fall short” on upcoming financial tests and has pointed to “revised business plans and proposals” from the label group. I guess “revised” usually means “better,” but hey, we could all use a good semantics lesson now and again. Separately, a source close to the label recently indicated the expectation of a “near-term blowup,” including possible divestitures and breakups of various recording and publishing units. Yipes.
Quick, everyone: think. THINK. Aren’t there more ways to keep selling people the same Beatles tracks over and over? How about 26 new albums that each feature any and all Beatles songs that start with a given letter of the alphabet? Or maybe a record of instrumental versions of all of the songs Ringo sang lead on?
Ted Leo and His Pharmacists Take Title Tracks Out On the Road
By Annapocalypse on Feb 8 2010
John Davis, formerly of Q and Not U and Georgie James, has started up a new band more in the musical vein of the latter rather than the former, called Title Tracks. Always the gentleman, Ted Leo has decided to take Title Tracks on the road with him and his Pharmacists this March. Before that, Title Tracks have some headlining dates of their own lined up, coinciding with the release of their debut album, It Was Easy, due February 23 on Ernest Jenning.
It Was Easy tracklisting:
01. Every Little Bit Hurts
02. No, Girl
03. Black Bubblegum
04. Piles of Paper
05. Hello There
06. Tougher Than the Rest
07. Steady Love
08. It Was Easy
09. At Fifteen
10. Found Out
11. She Don’t Care About Time
Title trekking on the road:
02.11.10 - Washington DC - Black Cat ^
02.14.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox ^
02.15.09 - Dayton, OH - South Park Tavern ^
02.16.10 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room ^
02.18.10 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout ^
02.19.10 - Madison, WI - Der Rathskellar at Wisconsin Union ^
02.20.10 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird ^
02.21.10 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Cafe ^
02.23.10 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves ^
02.24.10 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk ^
02.26.10 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder ^
02.27.10 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub ^
02.28.10 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn ^
03.01.10 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 ^
03.02.10 - Richmond, VA - Gallery 5 ^
03.03.10 - Baltimore, MD - Golden West Cafe ^%
03.04.10 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Knecktie ^%
03.05.10 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs ^%
03.06.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall ^%
03.07.10 - New York, NY - Cake Shop ^
03.11.10 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop &
03.12.10 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot &
03.13.10 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge &
03.14.10 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon &
03.15.10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue &
03.17-20.10 - Austin, TX - SXSW
^ w/ Pretty & Nice
% w/ Gary B & The Notions
& w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
• Ted Leo: http://www.myspace.com/tedleo
• Title Tracks: http://www.myspace.com/titletracksdc
• Ernest Jenning: http://www.ernestjenning.com
RIP: Sir John Dankworth, British jazz musician
By Shane Mack on Feb 8 2010
From The Guardian:
Sir John Dankworth, a totemic figure of the British jazz scene who worked as a musical director for artists including Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, has died at the age of 82.
The saxophonist, whose career spanned more than half a century, died yesterday in King Edward VII hospital, London. He had been ill for several months.
• Dankworth’s Qnote Records: http://www.qnote.co.uk
Dengue Fever: Not a disease, but relief (hopefully) for Haiti this weekend.
By The Creepster Network on Feb 6 2010
This Saturday, February 6, Dengue Fever, the alt-psych-rock outfit aiming for circa ‘Vietnam Conflict’ vintage pop, are playing a Haitian Benefit show. “What?” You ask. “Yes,” I say, at The El Rey in loving Los Angeles.
Presented by KCRW, scope this line up:
• Ska revivalists, Hepcat
• Joey Altruda’s Crucial Riddims & Reggae Greats Revue featuring Wailing Sounds
• Elan, Eljai
• Cumbia band, Very Be Careful
• The Lions, an all-star reggae group
• An experimental rock outfit, The Tuffingtons
• Echodelic Soundsystem
•DJ Miles Perlich
• Hosted by the Santa Monica College’s KCRW DJ’s Junor Francis an Alexis de la Rocha
All proceeds of ticket sales will be donated to Operation USA’s relief efforts. Oh yeah, the date is also Bob Marley’s 65th birthday. That sounds about right.
• Dengue Fever: http://www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic
• Operation USA (do some good): http://www.opusa.org
In Really Disappointing Music News: Gowns Break Up
By Elzee on Feb 6 2010
After moving through the standard steps of grief upon learning the news myself, it is with great sadness I relay the message that Gowns, a phenomenal band that counts many of this site’s contributors as fans, have announced their dissolution. In a five-year career, they produced two EPs, one full-length, and several tours’ worth of heart-stopping live sets. From Gowns member Erika Anderson’s blog:
As of last week, the collaboration between artists Erika Anderson, Ezra Buchla, and Corey Fogel, also known as GOWNS, has ceased to breathe. […] We were tapping into some very raw emotions, and I’m ultimately proud of the risks we took. In spite of anything else, I feel like we were honest, and I feel like we were brave. I’m also proud of the sounds we created, as though the combination of our talents created something that was rare and unique. […] I’m sorry we couldn’t keep it together.
The band has posted their final release, a fantastic 17-minute track called “Stand And Encounter,” as a free download (you can stream it at the Chocolate Grinder). And for more information on their new projects, read the rest of Anderson’s post.
After a single listen on the suggestion of a fellow TMT writer, I implored every one of my musically-inclined friends to get Gowns’ sole LP, 2007’s Red State (TMT Review). I extend the same suggestion to you. The album is exquisitely beautiful and deeply unsettling, totally gut-wrenching, and surprisingly humanizing. Anderson once told me that, during its production, every member of the band had moments where they felt they’d gone crazy, striving to make every second achieve total perfection and clarity. After listening to the album dozens of times as a whole and to every song individually dozens of times more, I believe what they produced is unprecedented, peerless, and indeed perfect. I guess something as good as Gowns is never long for this world.
• Erika Anderson: http://cameouttanowhere.com
• Ezra Buchla: http://music.calarts.edu/~ebuchla/spat.php
• Corey Fogel: http://knitdrums.tumblr.com
• Cardboard: http://www.cardboardrecords.com
