Ticketmaster Forced to Shut Down Misleading Scalping Sites; Or, Why I Hate the Illinois Attorney General
We all know that Ticketmaster’s monopoly on the ticketing business is a force for good. Let’s count the ways we love them:
1. Order processing charges
2. Involuntary parking fees
3. Nonexistent customer service
4. Impossible-to-read Captcha filters
5. TicketsNow, Ticketmaster’s in-house ticket scalping service
6. Merger with Live Nation...
Ugh, let me just skip to #33
33. TicketsNow sites that pretend to be venue websites
Unfortunately for those of us in the Ticketmaster Official Fan Club, the Attorney General of Illinois (TicketsNow's hometown) has forcibly removed Reason #33 from the list in a $50,000 lawsuit against Ticketmaster. According to The Consumerist, Ticketmaster must close Ticketsnow sites that use domain names that include the names of venues and bands, where ticket buyers beleived they were buying their tickets at face value from the source rather than at inflated prices from TicketsNow. But let’s be honest: it’s hardly our beloved Ticketmaster’s job to coddle the ignorant public!
The settlement also requires that TicketsNow wait to sell marked-up tickets until after Ticketmaster puts the tickets on sale at regular price. This sounds like a case of big bad government meddling in private industry, something we here at Tiny Mix Tapes staunchly oppose on the basis that it’s mean. Ticketmaster needs all the money it can get, especially because it no longer has real competition in the ticketing market.
Throw Me The Statue Throw Us a New LP and Tour; Catch Them or You Are a Loser
I had this great idea to write a whole news story making fun of Throw Me The Statue’s band name -- something about how they maybe picked it after one of the guys was, uh, throwing a statue or something like that. But then I looked up their Wikipedia entry and found out that the Wiki gods state the band likely took its name from the 1984 movie, Romancing The Stone. Um, what the fuck, Wikipedia?! Thanks for ruining my story idea! I still don't know exactly how Throw Me The Statue relates to the film -- I was born a year after it was released and don’t spend my free time watching Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner movies from the 80s -- but feel free to email and enlighten me.
In more relevant news, Throw Me The Statue have a new album coming out August 4 on Secretly Canadian. Creaturesque is its name, and the tracklisting is as follows:
1. Waving At The Shore
2. Pistols
3. Tag
4. Ancestors
5. Noises
6. Snowshoes
7. Dizzy From The Fall
8. Cannibal Rays
9. Hi-Fi Goon
10. Baby, You're Bored
11. Shade For A Shadow
12. The Outer Folds
Romancing The Tour Dates:
07.11.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumos #
07.31.09 - Seattle, WA - Mural Ampitheatre %
08.23.09 - Spokane, WA - Empyrean Coffee $
08.26.09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry $
08.27.09 - Urbana, IL - Courtyard Café $
08.28.09 - Madison, WI - The Annex $
08.29.09 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean $
08.30.09 - Toronto, ON - TBA $
08.31.09 - Montreal, QE - Il Motore $
09.01.09 - Boston, MA - Middle East Upstairs $
09.02.09 - NYC, NY - Mercury Lounge $
09.03.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's $
09.04.09 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel $
09.05.09 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House at Duke University $
09.07.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn $
09.08.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under $
09.09.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon $
09.10.09 - Houston, TX - Rudyards $
09.11.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk $
09.12.09 - Dallas, TX - Cavern $
09.14.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts $
09.15.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo $
09.16.09 - San Diego, CA - The Loft $
09.17.09 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw $
09.18.09 - Sacramento, CA - Luigi's Fun Garden $
# Robin Pecknold
% Blitzen Trapper
$ The Brunettes
Dum Dum Girls Play One Show, Get Signed By Sub Pop
Well, that was fast! Not too long ago, I announced details of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks fest in NYC (TMT News), which included Dum Dum Girls. And now, after playing one gig, they have been signed to Sub Pop.
Dum Dum Girls, originally made up of only one member Dee Dee, was joined by members of Crystal Stilts, Blank Dogs, and Crocodiles, rocking NYC so hard that the quake was felt all the way in Seattle. Although this was Dum Dum Girls' first gig, the band has actually existed for quite a while, releasing an EP on Captured Tracks, a 7-inch on Hozac, and an EP on Zoo Music.
Dum Dum Dum Girls' Sub Pop debut is said to be coming out in early 2010. So yes, we are in this classic dilemma of a lo-fi band signing to a major indie label. Will DDG step into a professional studio? Will Dee Dee sign her soul away to the monsters of slick production and mass overdubs? Or will she retain her style and stay fuzzed? As reported a few days ago, Times New Viking is making a 25% increase in fidelity by jumping up to VHS master-quality (TMT News). Could this be the beginning of the end to shitty sounding recordings? I hope not! Stay fucked!
Califone Sign to Dead Oceans for New LP of Future Robot Back-Porch Appalachadelic Folk Pop; Somewhere Out There, Beck Hansen is Jealous
Okay, Dead Oceans, let’s get one thing straight right fucking now. Chicago’s Califone don’t need any help releasing badass, fucked-up music. No way, no how. Sure, you may have gotten the call to release All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, the newest album of freaky, funky, junkyard, blues-pop by the multi-talented multi-instrumentalists Tim Rutili, Jim Becker, Joe Adamik, and Ben Masseralla since 2006’s acclaimed Roots and Crowns this coming October 6...
And sure, producer, collaborator, and erstwhile band mate Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Gomez, Modest Mouse) may have gone on record as saying that “Tim’s songwriting on All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is my favorite yet. They have found a sound unlike anyone else, and are able to draw otherworldly sounds from very common instruments. It’s melodically inventive and economical and delivered with more detail and nuance than before”...
And yeah, sure, primary songwriter and vocalist Tim Rutili (who frequently dabbles in such extra-musical forays as short, surrealist documentaries, music videos, and film scores) MAY have recently written and directed his first feature-length film, which he plans on submitting to film festivals early next year, also titled All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, which just so happens to draw on the same themes and inspirations as the album, having been conceived simultaneously to the album and containing many of the same images and characters...
And YES, okay, sure, maybe Califone will incorporate a full-length presentation of the film during their live performances (which will be announced shortly), adding a totally new and incredibly cool and exciting element to their live show...
But EVEN SO, Dead Oceans, the point IS... the, the point is... uhh... wait. What was I talking about, again??
All My Friends Are Funeral Singers tracklist:
1. Giving Away the Bride
2. Polish Girls
3. 1928
4. Funeral Singers
5. SNAKE'S TOOTH = PROTECTION AGAINST FEVER AND LUCK IN GAMBLING
6. Buñuel
7. Ape-Like
8. A WISH MADE WHILE BURNING ONIONS WILL COME TRUE
9. Evidence
10. Alice Marble Gray
11. Salt
12. Krill
13. SAVEN, FOURTEEN, OR TWENTY-ONE KNOTS
14. Better Angels
NY Eye & Ear Fest II Starts Today, So Don't Kill Yourself Just Yet!
What's better than death? NY Eye & Ear Fest II, of course! So, temporarily quell them thoughts of suicide and read on, dear suicidal reader, as I have more exciting news: NYE&E II starts TODAY. That's right, break loose from that noose! Swim up for air! Put that gun back in its holster! Step away from the ledge! Stop eating trans fats! Or you will miss this four-day, three-venue (Knitting Factory, 92Y Tribeca, and Death By Audio) sonic assault on Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Performers this year include, among many others, Magik Markers, Talibam!, Team Robespierre, Grooms, John Wiese, and -- believe it or not -- RADIOHEAD! Yep, Thom and co will be there! Visit the fest's website here, and get your tickets while they're hot. The fest runs through July 12, the day I choose to go boom boom to my head.
Final Fantasy to Tour Europe, Spend Recreational Time Fighting Countless Foes To Accumulate Experience Points and Level Up Until They Can Master the Ultima Spell
Final Fantasy, having conquered the Ice-Dungeon of the Northern Region, are preparing themselves for the inevitable, final conflict with The Grand Mage and his army of Mecha-Demons. The band of heroes, pulled together by a timeless quest to retrieve the seven crystals of Gaia and to reunite the world with Peace and Brotherhood, have nearly completed their quest, with only one remaining foe to thwart.
To prepare for the final showdown at Masamune Mountain against Eldritch the Elder Mage, Final Fantasy have announced a tour of Europe to, hopefully, not only find the fabled blade of Excalibur, but to also provide the necessary training that their black and white Wizards need so that they may perform all the ancient spells needed to destroy Eldritch’s hold over the world.
The band will be traveling from their homelands on the Eastern continent by means of the airship they discovered under Dragon’s Peak. They will land in the fabled city of London on August 1 and then travel through the ancient land of Europe, by Chocobo of course, throughout the remainder of August. Besides entertaining the masses, they will be searching for the experience and knowledge that they will surely need to free our world from the clutches of our ruthless dictator.
Final Fantasy are going on tour, is what I'm trying to say here
08.01.09 - London, UK - Field Day Festival
08.02.09 - Cardiff, UK - The Gates Art Center
08.03.09 - Manchester, UK - RNCM
08.04.09 - Belfast, Ireland - Empire Music Hall
08.05.09 - Glasgow, UK - The Classic Grand
08.06.09 - Kutna Hora, Czech Republic - Gask Art Fest 09
08.07.09 - Myslowice, Poland - OFF Festival
08.09.09 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
08.09.09 - Vienna, Austria - FM 4 Radio Session
08.12.09 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli
08.13.09 - Paris, France - La Plage Festival
08.14.09 - Haldern, Germany - Haldern Pop Festival
08.15.09 - Goetheborg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08.16.09 - Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
Yoko Ono Set To Release New Plastic Ono Band Album; Yuka Honda, Daniel Carter, and Sean Lennon Guest
When I was 13, my parents bestowed their collection of records to me. I didn't really care though at the time: most of it was just bad classic rock records. For some reason, though, they had a copy of The Plastic Ono Band's Live Peace in Toronto 1969. I thought I might as well give it a try, even though I always hated The Beatles. Side A was pretty much what I expected, with its horrible rock ‘n’ roll covers and Clapton/Lennon guitar solos. I'm not really sure why I even put Side B on at that point, but I guess I had nothing better to do. After hearing Lennon announce "Now Yoko's going to do her thing, all over you," I had no idea exactly what he meant. But when the second track broke loose with both Clapton and Lennon making feedback and Ono "doing her thing all over me," I was mesmerized.
Well, guess what, Yoko is back with a new Plastic Ono Band, and she is going to "do her thing all over you" yet again. Ono will release Between My Head and the Sky September 22 via Chimera Music. This time around, Yoko's Plastic Ono Band is made up of Japanese avant popsters Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) and Keigo “Cornelius” Oyamada, as well as New York improvisers like Daniel Carter (Test). Ono's son Sean Lennon also plays on the record and helps produce. According to Lennon, "Yoko unleashed a deluge of new songs, writing about 16 songs in six days. The most prolific day peaking out at six songs written and tracked in an afternoon. The recording session was like a tornado of inspiration. Some of the best lyrics on the record Yoko actually ‘freestyled’ as if she were a lyrical divining rod.”
Well, I'm not really how well Ono can do her thing all over everyone, but I'm definitely curious to see if she's still got it.
Between My Head and the Sky tracklist:
1. Waiting For the D Train
2. The Sun Is Down! (Cornelius Mix)
3. Ask the Elephant!
4. Memory of Footsteps
5. Moving Mountains
6. Calling
7. Healing
8. Hashire, Hashire
9. Between My Head and the Sky
10. Feel the Sand
11. Watching the Rain
12. Unun. To
13. I'm Going Away Smiling
14. Higa Noboru
15. I'm Alive
Atlas Sound's Logos Set for October Release, Panda Bear and Stereolab's Sadier Guest
Atlas Sound, project of Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, is set to release his second album, Logos, October 20 via Kranky. The album features some notable collaborations, including Animal Collective's Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) on "Walkabout" and Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier contributing lyrics and vocals on "Quick Canal." According to Cox, "Almost everything you hear on the album is a first take. This makes it almost like a ‘live album’ where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape. There are songs on here I don't even remember recording."
After having inadvertantly leaked a rough version of the album last year through Mediafire, Logos almost didn't see the light of day. According to Cox, "Many of the songs where simply ‘placeholders,’ songs I created quickly to help design the ‘arc’ of the album. I did not react well to the leak, in retrospect. It became the kind of internet-fueled drama that I was quickly learning to despise. I had always desired to speak through music, not blog posts and interviews, etc. I considered abandoning the project."
He said other stuff too. Read for yourself here:
My last album was a bedroom laptop type thing. Very introverted. Logos is an album that was recorded all over the world. It's not about me. There are collaborations with other musicians. The lyrics are not autobiographical. The view is a lot more panoramic and less close-up. I became bored with introspection. This was also the case with Deerhunter's Microcastle LP, which was written during the same period.I started recording December of 2007. I recorded the first version of the album, which was not intended for release. Due to some unfortunate mistakes on my part, this 'sketch' of the album was leaked. Many of the songs where simply 'placeholders,' songs I created quickly to help design the 'arc' of the album.
I did not react well to the leak, in retrospect. It became the kind of internet-fueled drama that I was quickly learning to despise. I had always desired to speak through music, not blog posts and interviews, etc. I considered abandoning the project.
I toured for a period in Europe with Animal Collective, whose band dynamic was very inspirational to be around. On the bus, we often played improvised iPod games. We would take turns formulating a theme or unifying concept and then play three songs. The goal would be for everyone to try and figure out the theme. During one of these games, someone played 'What Am I Going to Do' by the Dovers. I was amazed at the hook-- a weird organ thing with drums and electric bass. I mentioned to Noah that someone should really sample that riff. He agreed and he taught me a little about sampling and matching up beats. This ended up as the collaborative effort 'Walkabout'.
Each song on the album has a similar story. That might be my favorite thing about the album. It's a collection of songs. There is no 'filler.' There are little scrapbook details everywhere. Sasha Vine provided a double-tracked improvised violin part to 'Attic Lights' which was recorded backstage at a Deerhunter/Sian Alice Group show in Brighton. It might be my favorite moment of the album. I played it for some younger friends of mine. They cringed. They wanted more songs like 'Walkabout'. Something with a big beat. I told them when they get older they will appreciate things like harmonicas and violins more.
Laetitia from Stereolab, who I idolized as a teenager and would later befriend on tour, contributed words and vocals to 'Quick Canal.' The song was originally about 15 minutes long. I had zero ideas for vocals and asked if she could give it a shot. Andy Ramsay took a dub of the original and recorded Laetitia's vocals at his Press Play studio in London. It was quite a treat to hear the finished product, now at an economical nine minutes.
Almost everything you hear on the album is a first take. This makes it almost like a 'live album' where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape. There are songs on here I don't even remember recording.
Logos tracklist:
1. The Light That Failed
2. An Orchid
3. Walkabout [ft. Noah Lennox (Panda Bear)]
4. Criminals
5. Attic Lights
6. Shelia
7. Quick Canal [ft. Laetitia Sadier]
8. My Halo
9. Kid Klimax
10. Washington School
11. Logos
The Dodos Fear Extinction, Write New Album and Plan Huge U.S. Tour Before Its Too Late
While it’s probably extremely unlikely that The Dodos are going anywhere anytime soon, these boys sure do seem to be dedicated to making a big splash in the world before they slowly go the way of the... well, you know... The Dodos recently announced the release date of September 15 for their new LP, Time To Die. Like last year’s Visiter, the Frenchkiss label is once again handling this newest necrophobic release, and the one and only Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Fleet Foxes, Earth) is handling the production magic in all of its spooky glory.
And now, frontman Meric Long, drummer Logan Kroeber and “that new vibes guy” Keaton Snyder have announced a far-reaching run of September and October dates with Ruby Suns. Are they dubbing this the “time to die tour”? Gee, I hope not. I mean, if they don’t make it back alive, who’s going to sell us chick beer? Bat for Lashes??
Time to Stay Alive Tour:
08.08.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Getty Museum *
08.14.09 - Seattle, WA - KEXP Mural Amphitheater Summer Series *
08.28.09 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Music Festival
09.26.09 - Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library
09.27.09 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
09.28.09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
09.29.09 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
09.30.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified
10.02.09 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues-Pontiac Garage
10.03.09 - Houston, TX - The Orange Show
10.04.09 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
10.06.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
10.07.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10.08.09 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
10.09.09 - Washington DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
10.10.09 - Baltimore, MD - Talking Head
10.12.09 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
10.13.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
10.14.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10.15.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
10.16.09 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
10.17.09 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
10.19.09 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10.20.09 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
10.22.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
10.24.09 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
10.25.09 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
10.26.09 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
Time To Die:
1. Small Deaths
2. Longform
3. Fables
4. The Strums
5. This Is A Business
6. Two Medicines
7. Troll Nacht
8. Acorn Factory
9. Time To Die
Get Ready for Battles’ Tyondai Braxton’s Solo LP
Battles are slackers! Have not heard a word from them since their 2007 release of Mirrored (TMT Review), which is somewhat surprising when you consider their music sounds like it was made by men who’d get bored after five minutes of love-making.
Excellent news then that Tyondai Braxton has gotten off his ass and decided to give us something new to get into a hyperactive fit over. His solo LP, Central Market, will be out September 15 in the U.S. on Warp.
Here's the tracklist:
1. Opening Bell
2. Uffie's Woodshop
3. The Duck and The Butcher
4. Platinum Rows
5. Unfurling
6. J. City
7. Dead Strings
Gang Gang Dance Announce Summer Dates, Repress God's Money on Vinyl; You Take the Bait, Of Course
Gang Gang Dance, still riding high off their well-received 2008 album Saint Dymphna (TMT Review), have announced a series of summer tourdates. The shows will Kris Kross the nation, including sets at both Lollapalooza and Bumbershoot, as well as scattered dates in other countries. Knowing how adjectives can easily lure fans to their shows, GGD are going out of their way to let you know about their apparently visceral, intense, communal, and downright joyous shows.
And FYI: Gang Gang Dance have promised a newly repressed version of their 2005 album, God’s Money (after being out-of-print for “sometime”), which will be made available for purchase at the shows. Yet another way to rope you in.
Here are the dates!
07.24.09 - Nigata, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
08.02.09 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Nightclub
08.03.09 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar*
08.04.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie*
08.05.09 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
08.06.09 - Columbus, OH - Circus*
08.07.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick*
08.09.09 - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
08.14.09 - Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08.21.09 - Wales, UK - Green Man Festival
08.28.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
08.30.09 - San Francisco - Rickshaw Shop
09.02.09 - Arcata, CA - Depot^
09.03.09 - Portland, OR - The Works at Washington High School
09.04.09 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
09.05.09 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
* Hex Message
^ Extra Golden
