Universal Music Holds D- Online Auction for A+ Cause!
By Nobodaddy on Mar 4 2009
Okay, to avoid any misunderstandings, let’s not joke around here for a minute: The TJ Martell Foundation, a group of music industry executives, artists, and supporters dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia, cancer, and AIDS, has teamed up with Universal Music to help raise money in the form of an online eBay auction. This, of course is an outstanding and magnificently worthy cause, and as such, Universal has seen fit to donate a sizable cache of music memorabilia.
Okay, now that we all understand each other... Check out this ludicrous list of gross and/or absurd items topping the bill for this auction!
- Autographed Jon Bon Jovi Fender Stratocaster Guitar
- Autographed Maroon 5 Fender Squire Stratocaster Guitar
- Stratocaster Guitar Signed by 3 Doors Down
- Autographed Nickelback Fender Stratocaster Guitar
- Kelly Clarkson autographed My December CD
- Kings of Leon autographed Youth & Young Manhood CD
- And many more!
Woof. Poor Maroon 5 had to autograph a Squire Strat?? And for god's sakes, couldn’t K-Claw have signed her good record?! (You know, Breakaway?)
Anyway, there is a whole slew of items available at the actual auction site, and donations are always excepted through the foundation’s website, so please check everything out for yourself. Also, banners for the auction are available here. So, you know, the least you could do is throw one of those up there, even if you aren’t in the market for any Nickelback gear.
Fancy a Space Holiday with Her?
By Brom on Mar 4 2009
You forgot about Valentine’s Day, didn’t you? Since then, you've had to suck up to your lover in every way possible, meeting their every demand and being more sensitive to his or her quirks and eccentricities. Beginning on May 6, however, you have the opportunity to instantly dispel your lover's melancholy in one fell swoop by taking him or her on their very own space holiday. Your trip will be punctuated by both gentle, folksy tunes and Marc Bianchi’s introspective vocals. Her Space Holiday will be adventurous, poignant, and sure to rekindle that lover’s spark all for the bargain price of $12.
Her Space Holiday’s tourdates:
05.06.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
05.07.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
05.08.09 - Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones
05.09.09 - San Diego, CA - The Loft at UCSD (Students Only)
05.10.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts
05.13.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
05.14.09 - Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington
05.15.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
05.16.09 - Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree
05.17.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
05.18.09 - Carrboro, NC - Local 506
05.19.09 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
05.20.09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary
05.21.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Bell House
05.22.09 - Boston, MA - Middle East Upstairs
05.23.09 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk
05.24.09 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
05.25.09 - Pontiac, MI - Pike Room at Crofoot
05.26.09 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean
05.27.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
05.29.09 - Missoula, MT - The Other Side
05.30.09 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
05.31.09 - Portland, OR - Backspace
Catch Some WAVVES on Newly Expanded North American Tour
By Papaya on Mar 3 2009

Wave hello to WAVVES, a great little noise pop group who surfed onto the scene last last year with their album WAVVES. Their upcoming shows will surely have audiences everywhere doing the wave, especially since their new album, WAVVVES (not the extra "V"), is set for release March 17 via Fat Possum.
“At first I thought they were just another group riding a wave of hype,” said TMT writer Munroe at an office picnic. “But their sound waves turned out to be the real deal. I can see why they’ve been making waves with critics and fans alike.”
Get ready to wear your wave haircuts and eat some Wavy Lays at the following:
03.16.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
03.17.09 - Denton, TX - 715 Panhandle
03.18.09 - Austin, TX - SXSW
03.22.09 - Dallas, TX - The Lounge
03.23.09 - Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light
03.24.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
03.25.09 - Harrisonburg, VA - The Blue Nile
03.26.09 - Baltimore, MD - The Zodiac
03.27.09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Marvelous Music
03.28.09 - New York, NY - Cake Shop
03.29.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
03.30.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03.31.09 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee’s
04.01.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
04.03.09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
04.04.09 - Milwaukee, WI - U of W Project Lodge
04.05.09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
04.06.09 - Fargo, ND - Aquarium
04.08.09 - Olympia, WA - The Northern
04.09.09 - Seattle, WA - The Funhouse
04.11.09 - Portland, OR - Holocene
04.12.09 - Davis, CA - DAM House
04.13.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
04.15.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
04.16.09 - Irvine, CA - Acrobatics Everyday
04.17.09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
[Photo: Alex Miranda]
RIAA Sued for Abuse of the Legal System
By Burke on Mar 3 2009
The minds at the RIAA must have thought economists of the future would describe their innovative business model -- suing their customers -- with flowery adjectives such as “brilliant” and “good.” So, it must really hurt to hear their practices being described as a campaign of “sham litigation.” Shahanda Moelle Moursy, a North Carolina resident, was a defendant in such a sham lawsuit with the RIAA, and she has had it. She is suing the RIAA (along with Vivendi Universal, Warner Music, Sony BMG, Motown Records, Safenet, and MediaSentry) for abusing the legal system. According to Moursy's attorney:
These suits are designed to attract media attention, and often do, as stories emerge of [the RIAA, etc.]’s suits against the elderly, disabled, technologically clueless, and other vulnerable victims. Many of these victims have no idea how to operate a computer, let alone how to install and use peer-to-peer networking software to exchange music they would not likely be listening to anyway. But actual innocence is rarely a consideration.
Along with the much dugg Pirate Bay trial (which ends today), this lawsuit against the RIAA represents yet another blow to the current system of record sales, distribution, and the corresponding enforcement suits. It will be interesting to watch this case unfold.
John Parish and PJ Harvey Make Beautiful Music Together Again
By Liz Louche on Mar 3 2009
John Parish and PJ Harvey are touring together across Europe this spring. They'll be playing cards on the bus, taking photos in front of the Eiffel Tour, telling each other ghost stories, and all the other fun things people presumably do on tour. But wait -- who is John Parish, you ask? Well, ask no more. Perhaps you are familiar with his 1996 joint album with Ms. Harvey, Dance Hall at Louse Point. Perhaps you recall that he produced her latest full-length, White Chalk (TMT Review). But there is soooo much more to John Parish than just the aforementioned facts.
Let me lay it down for ya. The working relationship between these two fine English artists started in the late 1980s, when they were in a band together called Automatic Dlamini -- one of PJ Harvey's first musical projects. Parish then began working as a producer, both with Harvey and with a spectrum of artists like Giant Sand, Sparklehorse, Tracy Chapman, and 16 Horsepower. He co-wrote an Eels album, guested on the first Goldfrapp album, and collaborated with Portishead's Adrian Utley. Quite an impressive pedigree, mmmm??? All I've done in the past 10 years is work retail and learn how to make Thai green curry. And now the Parish/Harvey partnership is back in effect. Not only is this tour in the works, but a new album, A Woman a Man Walked By, is slated for a March 30 release on Island Records
04.15.09 - Brighton, UK - Corn Exchange
04.16.09 - Oxford, UK - Regal
04.18.09 - Bristol, UK - Anson Rooms
04.20.09 - London, UK - Shepherds Bush Empire
04.22.09 - Birmingham, UK - Town Hall
04.24.09 - Manchester, UK - Ritz
04.26.09 - Edinburgh, UK - Queen's Hall
05.02.09 - Porto, Portugal - Casa Da Musica
05.04.09 - Milan, Italy - Auditorium
05.06.09 - Stuttgart, Germany - Theaterhaus
05.07.09 - Berlin, Germany - Passionskirche
05.09.09 - Stockholm, Sweden - Nalen
05.10.09 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
05.11.09 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
05.13.09 - Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso
05.14.09 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
05.17.09 - Paris, France - Bataclan