Karl Blau Schedules Lengthy Tour in Support of Zebra
By Liz Louche on 09-28-2009
Karl Blau is the type of musician guy who lives in the Pacific Northwest: Anacortes, Washington, to be exact. But if you have a “bottomless glass of wine” like I had for lunch, his name sorta kinda sounds like he could be the front dude of a forgotten post-punk band from, oh say, Belgium, whose "newly discovered" debut LP is getting a limited reissue and who is maybe playing, like, one show at a club in London before fading back into obscurity.
But as made-for-rock-writing as that mythology is, there is so much more to Karl Blau, even more than the ol’ K Records-style narrative. For example: he’s got a new African pop-influenced/freak folk/lo-f rock record coming out October 6 on — yes — K Records, entitled Zebra (which was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studios in Olympia, WA). He's also about to set out on a lengthy tour with LAKE. His music is, as they say, "haunting" and "well-crafted," and I can think of nowhere better to watch the man perform than one of the approximately 5,000 tourdates Blau has charted over the course of the fall season.
Zebra tracklisting:
1. Waiting for the Wind
2. Crucial Contact
3. Apology to Pollinateurs
4. All Over the Town
5. Free the Bird
6. Goodbye Little Song
7. Dark Sedan
8. Welcome in NW
9. Tha’ Ole Moon Smile
10. MT Handed
11. Nothing New
12. Gnos LeVohs
Tourdates:
10.11.09 - Olympia, WA – Northern
10.12.09 - Tacoma, WA - The Den
10.13.09 - Seattle, WA - The Josephine
10.15.09 - Pullman, WA – Belltower
10.17.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10.18.09 - Denver, CO – Rhinoceropolis
10.20.09 - Lawrence, KS - The Jackpot Saloon
10.22.09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
10.23.09 - Grand Rapids, MI - The DAAC
10.24.09 - Bloomington, IN - Russian Recording
10.25.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
10.28.09 - Plattsburgh, NY - North Country Food Co-Op
10.29.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
10.30.09 - Haverford, PA - Lunt Basement
11.02.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
11.04.09 - Greensboro, NC - Square One
11.05.09 - Lexington, KY - Al's Bar
11.07.09 - Athens, GA - Secret Squirrel
11.08.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
11.10.09 - Dallas, TX - Swiss House
11.11.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's Jr.
11.12.09 - Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprocks
11.13.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
11.14.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
11.17.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
11.18.09 - Santa Barbara, CA - Biko Garage
11.20.09 - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Art Center
11.21.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - Resource Center for Non Violence
11.23.09 - Arcata, CA - The Green House
11.24.09 - Salem, OR - Ike Box
Apple Inc. and Eminem’s Publisher go to Court Over Download Rights
By Brom on 09-28-2009
Another day, another courtroom battle over artist copyright (why didn’t the "The Decade in Courtroom Battles" make it into Pitchfork’s P2K feature?).
Apple Inc. and Eight Mile, the publishing company of a little-known white-boy rapper, began court proceedings last week over who should be allowed to offer downloads of the musician’s hip-hop ramblings. Eight Mile and Martin Affiliated LLC argue that “Aftermath Records, which controls the recordings, did not have the authority to strike a deal with Apple to sell the artist’s] music on iTunes.” The rapper in question, who apparently goes by the name of [Eminem, has generated $2.5 million for Apple based on sales of his music on iTunes.
However, Apple “defended the sale of the rapper's music and denied claims that contracts between Eight Mile and Aftermath did not cover digital music sales.” Glenn Pomerantz, Apple’s lawyer, maintains that “Nowhere does it say ‘only compact discs’... Nowhere does it say... ‘not digital downloads.’” Eight Mile’s lawyer, Richard Busch, reckons "The publisher owns these compositions, not Aftermath. If Eight Mile had a direct licensing relationship with Apple, this kind of nonsense would not happen."
![the artist’s] music on iTunes.” The rapper in question, who apparently goes by the name of [Eminem](http://bossip.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/whiteboyafricanamerican.jpg){kind=link}