Too much of a baby to see Mastodon live? Now you can pretend you were there with a new live album!

By Kid Midnight on Feb 15 2011

You may not know who The Stepkids are, but they happen to be a talented trio of musicians from Connecticut who are veterans of the East Coast jazz and R&B scenes, with members that have played with Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, 50 Cent, and Pharoah Monche, toured internationally with indie punk band Zox, scored movies and commercials, and produced solo albums by multiple artists. If you haven’t heard of The Stepkids, you will soon, as they’re determined to make their name known in the Stones Throw family.

“A lot of what excites us about this band is this band itself,” says bassist and keyboardist Dan Edinberg. “It’s not either of us; it’s about creating an entity where the entity itself is what’s important.” That entity is a steadily hyped band with a sound described as a “fusion of punk and jazz, West African and 1960s folk, neo and classic soul, classic funk and 20th century classical.” A limited-edition 12-inch is set for release in April and a full-length album penciled in for the fall, both to be released by Stones Throw.

While details on the full-length are few and far between, we know that the 12-inch will include two songs — “Shadows on Behalf” and “La La” — and was produced, engineered, and recorded by the band straight to reel-to-reel. Listen to “Shadows on Behalf” over at the Chocolate Grinder.

The Stepkids are also heading out for a couple gigs in the Spring, including shows at SXSW.

Tourdates:

03.01.11 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03.16.11 - Austin, TX - SXSW
03.18.11 - Austin, TX - SXSW
04.02.11 - Brooklyn, NY - Littlefield
04.30.11 - Meriden, CT - Daffodil Festival

• The Stepkids: http://www.thestepkidsband.com
• Stones Throw: http://www.stonesthrow.com

By Mango Starr on Feb 15 2011

Ben Gibbard was housesitting for a friend on the West Coast. We had to come visit, he would always say. An amazing house, you could watch talking birds riding the skies right from your bed, wild and private and beautiful. So, we took him up on it. On Friday evening, we made our way there, finding the steep driveway around midnight. It was late as we snuck into the house and climbed up the narrow stairs. The only place to lay our sleeping bag was right next to Ben’s new twin-sized bed. So we piled our clothes on the floor as we watched his beautiful hair spilling on his pillow and hearing his slow breathing. We slid into our bag, zipped it up, and fell asleep.

We awoke to gulls calling, cuddled in a strange new place with our friend still asleep just above our heads. We kissed and petted, full of early-morning turn-on. Unable to contain ourselves, we eventually zipped the bag open and took turns pleasuring each other — all the while trying not to make a sound. It was exquisite. Soon we were fucking, almost holding our breaths so as not to wake up Ben, but we couldn’t stop the soft sounds of flesh meeting or the wet smacks of penetration as our souls met our bodies. Trying to be quiet was an unbearable turn-on as we climaxed together.

Afterward, we lay gasping on each other, hoping that Ben hadn’t heard a thing. Suddenly, we heard a tiny moan come from the bed. Then a hand moving rhythmically under his big down comforter. And then more moans. Finally, the whole bed shook for a moment or two and went still. We were sprawled on the floor, naked, the sleeping bag tangled around our feet, sweaty and fragrant from sex, not daring to move. Ben’s flushed face and tousled hair appeared over the edge of the bed. His eyes were very bright. “Welcome, you two,” he said. His smile lit up the whole room.

Codes and Keys, Death Cab for Cutie’s seventh album, will be released May 31 on Atlantic:

05.24.11 - Edmonton, Alberta - Shaw Conference Center
05.25.11 - Calgary, Alberta - Stampede Corral
05.27.11 - Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheatre
05.28.11 - George, WA - Sasquatch Music Festival
07.02.11 - Milton Keynes, England - The National Bowl

• Death Cab for Cutie: http://www.deathcabforcutie.com

[Photo: musicisentropy]