W♥M

Vu's Best Of 2014 Concerts

Read More Slowdive Shoegaze band Slowdive are currently on a reunion tour, stopping by Minneapolis' Fine Line Music Café, after being absent from the city in twenty-two years! .... Kaiser Chiefs Never miss a beat. It had been a long seven years since their last appearance in Minneapolis (the band skipped us in 2012), but Leeds, UK band Kaiser Chiefs re-stormed the city and stage for an animated, back-to-glory performance .... Paul Weller The Modfather Paul Weller is currently on a tiny US tour heading to Riot Fest in Chicago. For some reason, Minneapolis is just one of four US non-festival dates, and so naturally, the Varsity Theater show last night, September 10th, was sold out. .... Stars Canadians Stars and Hey Rosetta! are currently on tour together, supporting new albums, stopping by First Avenue in Minneapolis, last night, November 19th. For fans who couldn't make it, you can watch the show streaming online Lily Allen Lily Allen is currently in the US, touring in support of her latest album, Sheezus (Regal, Parlophone), stopping by the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis last night

Of my 113 live shows I personally attended in 2014, these are my top ten.

1. Slowdive at Fine Line (31 Oct 2014)
An absolutely unforgettable show. After a 22 year absent, the band is back, healthier, happier, and dressed for the occasion (Halloween). Played all the hits, completely professional and absolutely a treat (like the candies they handed out) to finally see live.

2. Kaiser Chiefs at First Ave (13 June 2014)
WOW, these guys are amazing live. They did some things on this show that I've never, ever seen done at First Avenue (climbing owner's box rafters).

3. Paul Weller at Varsity Theater (10 Sep 2014)
Speaking of 20+ years absent from Minneapolis, the Modfather Paul Weller returned to the city. Fans of British music could not absolutely miss this sold out show.

4. Stars at First Avenue (19 Nov 2014)
Maybe it was because they were filming this live show for Yahoo, but this was a great show. I've criticized the band before when they only played new songs... but not this 2014 show. They played a lot of old stuff, including some hits and they did it because of the fans.

5. Lily Allen at Skyway (01 Oct 2014)
I love it when a band put on a show, and that's exactly what I got when I saw Allen. Sure, the setlist is the same every night, but the routines (including three costume changes) were absolutely fun to watch.

6. Peter Hook at Fine Line (15 Nov 2014)
I'll probably never see New Order live, so seeing Peter Hook play some classic New Order songs were good enough for me. Plus, bad snowstorm and sold out environment and three-hour music set, made it for a memorable show.

7. Buzzcocks at Varsity Theater (11 Sep 2014)
Legendary punk band... absolute blast to see them still at it.

8. Tori Amos at O'Shaughnessy (03 Aug 2014)
My first time seeing Tori, and it was everything I expected! Her set is different every night, thanks to fan requests... so you never know what she is going to play!

9. Pixies at State Theatre (11 Oct 2014)
This is one of those bands on my bucket list... I can finally cross them off the list. Really tight show, the band played all the hits and showcased their new songs.

10. Festival Palomino (20 Sep 2014)
Although the Americana music thing isn't my cup of tea, I have to give big thumbs up for this incredibly well-organized first-ever music festival of its kind. The event sold so well that they've already announced a second Festival Palomino... so obviously I'm looking forward to 2015.

W♥M223: Rocktober to Snowvember

Read More Lily Allen Lily Allen is currently in the US, touring in support of her latest album, Sheezus (Regal, Parlophone), stopping by the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis last night. …

Vu and John recaps Rocktober 2014, plus news/rumors, and November show previews.

News

Macaulay Culkin is not dead. He's in a cover band The Pizza Underground (a Velvet Underground cover band... but the subject matter are all replaced by pizzas). The Pizza Underground was recently in Minneapolis, playing a show with Har Mar Superstar... currently in Texas.

Rumor: Could Liam and Noel be getting back together? With Beady Eye's break up, via twitter.com/liamgallagher, the rumors are coming fast and furious. Noel, on the other hand has a new Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds coming out early 2015 called Chasing Yesterday (Sour Mash Records).

Robert Plant apparently kiboshed a Led Zeppelin reunion guaranteeing $800 mil. from Richard Branson. 35 dates in 3 cities (London, Berlin, NJ).

Artists and digital music sites: U2 uploading new album Songs of Innocence to all iTunes users, Morrissey's music is not online, Taylor Swift pulls hers from Spotify, Garth Brooks self-distributing...

Rocktober 2014

Pre-Rocktober: Lykke Li and La Roux

Rocktober Highlights: Lily Allen, Paloma Faith, Vintage Trouble, Placebo, Pixies, Augustines, and Slowdive.

Honorable mentions: of Montreal, Kooks, and Agnes Obel

Here is a list of all the shows we covered in October:

10/01 Lily Allen at Skyway 10/01 Phantogram at Myth 10/02 Paloma Faith at Triple Rock 10/02 Agent Orange at 7th St 10/04 Kooks at First Ave 10/05 Vintage Trouble at Varsity 10/06 of Montreal at Cedar 10/07 Lucius at Electric Fetus 10/07 Tennis at Fine Line 10/07 Belle & Sebastian at Theatre 10/08 Screaming Females at Triple R 10/08 Banks at First Ave 10/09 We Are Scientists at Turf Club 10/09 Allen Stone at Terminal 5 10/10 Sloan at Turf Club

10/11 Augustines at Turf Club 10/11 Pixies at State Theatre 10/14 Communion Clubnight 10/15 Kina Grannis at Varsity 10/16 Kat Edmonson at Dakota Jazz 10/17 Placebo at Mill City Nights 10/17 Iggy Azalea at TCF Stadium 10/18 Angus & Julia Stone at Cedar 10/22 Dum Dum Girls at Fine Line 10/24 Minus the Bear at Triple Rock 10/27 Ray LaMontagne at Saenger 10/29 Bear's Den at Fine Line 10/30 Agnes Obel at Dakota Jazz 10/30 Kimbra at Fine Line 10/31 Slowdive at Fine Line 10/31 Alt-J at Myth

November Shows Highlight

FKA Twigs at Fine Line (11/14)

Interpol and Hundred Waters at First Avenue (11/14)

Peter Hook and the Light at Fine Line (11/15)

Amanda Palmer at Cedar (11/16)

Suzanne Vega at the Dakota Jazz Club (11/18-11/19)

Stars at Minneapolis (11/19)

Better than Ezra at the Varsity (11/20)

Death from Above 1979 at First Avenue (11/24)

Bonus:

Song of the show is Morrissey's "November Spawned a Monster".

Synthpop Lovelife (previously Viva Brother) and their relationship to Morrissey.

Joe Perry and Steven Tyler (both from Aerosmith) and their rivalry.

--
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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Pixies w/ Royal Blood at State Theatre, Minneapolis (11 Oct 2014)

Pixies Setlist Ed Is Dead Nimrod's Son Indie Cindy Where Is My Mind? Brick Is Red Snakes Cactus The Holiday Song Here Comes Your Man La La Love You Greens and Blues Gouge Away Bagboy Caribou No. 13 Baby Magdalena 318 Allison Isla de Encanta Mr. Grieves Crackity Jones Bone Machine What Goes Boom I've Been Tired Blue Eyed Hexe Broken Face Something Against You The Sad Punk Vamos Hey -- Encore -- Debaser Planet of Sound Royal Blood Setlist Hole Come On Over Figure It Out You Want Me Better Strangers Little Monster Ten Tonne Skeleton Loose Change Out Of The Black Read More Pixies Last month, Pixies released a brand new music video overnight to accompany the song "Greens and Blues" from the band's EP-2, which came out January 3rd. You can watch the video on youtube.com. … Royal Blood Royal Blood, a new duo comprised of Mike Kerr on lead vocals/bass guitar and Ben Thatcher on drums recently played Mill City Nights in Minneapolis, and showed the attending crowd, what the immediate …

After a ten-year absent, the Pixies returned to Minneapolis to a sold out show at the State Theatre, the same night as the traffic-stopping annual Zombie Pub Crawl in downtown.

The Boston-based band is touring in support of their fifth studio album Indie Cindy... The Pixies' first album in 23 years. The record was the first to not feature Kim Deal, who is also absent on this current tour.

Royal Blood

Brighton's Royal Blood opened up for the sold out show. Like their previously headlining performance, bassist/singer Mike Kerr had very little to say between songs, except to introduce drummer Ben Thatcher near the end of their set.

Naturally, the duo played songs from their Mercury Prize-nominated self-titled debut LP, including "Better Strangers" and finale "Out Of The Black". Their loud garage blues rock does not suit well in a seated venue like the State Theatre... but that did not stop a few dedicated fans from standing up and dancing during their performance.

Look for Royal Blood to appear on Late Night with Seth Meyers this Wednesday, October 15th.

Before we talk about the Pixies at the State Theatre, I just wanted to give you a little background with the band. I was introduced to the Pixies in elementary school by a friend in the early 90s (which I've documented here). Unfortunately, at that time, after they released Doolittle, the band went on an indefinite hiatus... and eventually broke the news that they were no longer a band in 1993.

After the breakup, I followed Black Francis' solo career (he had reinvented himself as Frank Black), and also followed Kim Deal's project The Breeders. As much as I love their post-Pixies works, it just wasn't the same.

Of course, I was excited to hear that the Pixies reformed in 2004. I tried to get a ticket to their first gig was at Minneapolis' Fine Line Café for April 13, but it immediately sold out.

Ten years later, the Pixies triumphantly returned to Minneapolis to another sold out show at the State Theatre.

Incorrect Setlist

Unlike some bands, the Pixies' setlist is different night after night, I think it is because they record all their shows and then re-sell them as digital downloads for fans and collectors. With over 30 songs on the set, this made for a good value for fans. Just to give you an idea of how epic the setlist is - the photo of the set taken from the stage, came in three pages (but it's also completely incorrect). Either the Pixies didn't care about the set order and/or the set was taken from previous shows.

New bassist Paz Lenchantin did a great job with backup vocals and playing Pixies songs. To be honest, I don't think anyone missed the fact that Kim is not in the band. Making up the rest of the group are the original band members, singer/guitarist Black Francis, drummer David Lovering and lead guitarist Joey Santiago.

About half their set was dedicated to Indie Cindy, but the band mixed in some old favorites like "Where Is My Mind?", "Here Comes Your Man", and "Allison"... but surprisingly, missing on their set is one of their biggest hit, "Monkey Gone To Heaven". Still, despite missing some key songs, it's still a very rounded set.

Black Francis, who also played under the stagename Frank Black, is still a great singer. Most of the songs featured his vocals, except for "La La Love You", drummer David Lovering and Paz Lenchantin took over the mic.

The Pixies are currently on tour in support of Indie Cindy. Currently, you can find singer Black Francis on a number of solo dates. As for Royal Blood, they'll be back in the UK, doing a European tour.

Pixies at State Theatre, Minneapolis (11 Oct 2014)

john + vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Rocktober: October 11, 2014

Here are shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul on October 11, 2014.

Read More Augustines “…we have a spill on Aisle Two…” ‘…that is called an anti-climatic moment!”, Augustines singer/guitarist Billy McCarthy joked as lights had gone down … The Bots Though that may be a little tech-cynical and too far off, the future of modern alt-rock does belong to bands like The Bots, a teenage brotherly duo, who stopped by Mill City Nights’ Nether Bar for a show earlier in the week. …

AUGUSTINES with the Bots
at Turf Club
Saturday 10/11/14
turfclub.net

New York City-based indie-rock trio Augustines are finishing up their fall North American headlining tour, touring behind their recently released self-titled sophomore album. We’ve seen them live a few times previous and have always come away stunned at the passion and heart of their live shows- a must-see live band.

Opening are The Bots, two young brothers we just saw at The Nether Bar and were impressed with the future of music in their hands.

US Walkabout Tour:

10/08/14 Toronto, ON The Garrison
10/10/14 Chicago, IL Double Door
10/11/14 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club

Other notable shows in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro:

Grieves with K.Flay, Mally @ First Avenue

David Bromberg Quintet with Tom Feldmann @ Cedar

Zane Williams with Calamity & the Owl @ Lee's Liquor Lounge

Big Freedia with Shannon Blowtorch @ Triple Rock Social Club

The Afghan Whigs w/Joseph Arthur @ First Avenue

BoDeans @ Hopkins Center For The Arts

Doro @ POV's 65

Read More Pixies Last month, Pixies released a brand new music video overnight to accompany the song "Greens and Blues" from the band's EP-2, which came out January 3rd. You can watch the video on youtube.com. …

PIXIES with Royal Blood
at State Theatre
Saturday 10/11/14
hennepintheatretrust.org

We love the Pixies for a long time. When they reformed in 2004, it seemed like a good move for everyone. Fans who never got a chance to see the band live pre-1993 can finally get a chance to see them live... as the band continues their never-ending tour.

Supporting the Pixies will be Royal Blood, who we previously saw as headliner at Mill City Nights last month. Chances are the band will play the majority of their songs from their recently self-titled debut album from Warner Bros/Black Mammoth. If the duo wins the Mercury Music Prize, you can bet they will be back in Minneapolis soon!

US Tour:

10/09/14 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre
10/11/14 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
10/12/14 Madison, WI Orpheum Theater

After the Pixies tour, singer Black Francis (who also went by Frank Black post-Pixies) will be doing a number of solo dates:

10/13/14 Indianapolis, IN, Radio Radio
10/14/14 Pittsburgh, PA, Thunderbird Café
10/15/14 Hudson, NY, Club Helsinki
10/16/14 Boston, MA, Arts At The Armory
10/19/14 Northampton, MA, Parlor Room

Read More Steve Aoki Steve Aoki is currently partying across America with his Aokify America Tour, recently selling out his appearance at Epic in Minneapolis last Saturday, November 9th … Public Enemy I was only there to see Flavor Flav, who never made it to the show. For a guy with a clock around his neck, you'd figure he would remember the show started at 9:30pm. …

ZOMBIE PUB CRAWL 2014
at Various Locations
Saturday 10/11/14
zombiepubcrawl.com

In its tenth year, the Zombie Pub Crawl is at their biggest (and best) lineup so far. Remember the days when you can get into the crawl for free? Kiss that goodbye, because a few years ago, the organizers wanted to start charging money to see bands... but to be fair they've been bringing in some really decent acts.

This year is the best lineup so far, but it doesn't come cheap. Prices are about $30+ and you must be over 21. Zombie makeup, optional.

Details:

Brain explosion – It's our full #ZPCX poster from DWITT, plus the rest of our lineup!

We've got 90's rockers Sugar Ray getting in on the brain-feeding frenzy, plus local dubstep hero Vaski, a DJ set from dynamic duo Nina Sky, Mad Decent's Swizzymack, and the inimitable Ken Rebel all on the bill.

Celebrating ten years of beer'n brains madness, they join the rest of our lineup, for what is guaranteed to be the most turnt up zombie party of all time! That includes Steve Aoki, Juicy J, PROF, and Rusko, our Covered in Blood stage with Flavor Flav and the FlavorTronZ, Metallagher, and more, Denzel Aquarius' Killa Curry and Deniro Farrar, Mark Mallman, Later Babes, Mystery Skulls, The Devil From Acapulco (Dayglow), KiDs LiKe Us, Gramma's Boyfriend, and hordes more bands, DJs, and entertainers.

PLUS – RESISTANCE Pro wrestling is throwing down, featuring Diamond Dallas Page, and the return of the World Brain Eating Championships with the one and only Takeru Kobayashi!

Our ten year anniversary is huge!

john + vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Red White and Blue 8

Read more Red White and Blue.

Read More Nightlands Nightlands is the solo project of Dave Hartley (you may remember his previous band The War on Drugs with Kurt Vile). His latest album, Oak Island, is out now on Secretly Canadian. …

THE WAR ON DRUGS
thewarondrugs.net

Although Kurt Vile is no longer in The War On Drugs, the Philadelphia is proving that they can survive without Vile with a string of sold-out shows. The shoegazey band is currently out on tour in support of their latest release, Lost In The Dream (out March 18th on Secretly Canadian). Their preview single "Red Eyes", which you can hear on soundcloud.com.

War on Drugs tour dates:

03/15 - Kingston, NY @ BSP Lounge
03/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
03/19 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/20 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar
03/23 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
03/26 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
03/28 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune
03/29 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
03/30 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
04/01 - San Francisco, CA @ Independent
04/02 - San Francisco, CA @ Independent
04/04 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
04/05 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
04/06 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah
04/07 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
04/08 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
04/10 - Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
04/11 - Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century
04/12 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
04/13 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
04/14 - Toronto, ON @ Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
04/15 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
04/17 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
04/18 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/02 - Sun. May 4 - Austin, TX @ Austin Psych Fest
05/15 - Cologne, DE @ Gebaude 9
05/16 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefahrlich
05/17 - Malmö, SE @ Mejeriet
05/18 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Medis
05/19 - Goteborg, SE @ Pustervik
05/20 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
05/21 - Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
05/23 - Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu
05/24 - Utrecht, NL @ LGW
05/25 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
05/26 - Paris, FR @ Fleche D'Or
05/27 - London, UK @ Koko
05/28 - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
05/29 - Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory
05/29-31 - Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound

White Lighter Roll Call Records Read More Lady Lamb the Beekeeper I’d never heard of Lady Lamb the Beekeeper when I was asked to cover her forthcoming show in Chicago, so I threw on her debut album Ripely Pine to see what the fuss was about. …

TYPHOON
wearetyphoon.com

Who's ready to see an 11 piece band Typhoon from the beautiful state of Oregon? It's almost as if an entire orchestra combined with your basic indie rock band. They have a little bit of a Frightened Rabbit sound to them for those of you who need a larger to band to compare, try Arcade Fire. Lead singer Kyle Morton has a very distinct voice that should have everyone wanting to catch a performance.

Typhoon's fourth release White Lighter is one of 2013's top releases, and is truly a complete album. This orchestra size act adds so many layers into their songs with a great blend of all the instrumentation.

If you're looking for one song to enjoy listen to "Young Fathers".

Typhoon 2014 Tour Dates:

Mar 06 El Rey Theater Los Angeles, CA
Mar 07 The Irenic San Diego, CA
Mar 15 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
Mar 17 Terminal West Atlanta, GA
Mar 18 The Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC
Mar 19 9:30 Club Washington, DC ^
Mar 21 Higher Ground Burlington, VT ^
Mar 22 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA ^
Mar 24 Port City Music Hall Portland, ME ^
Mar 25 Spaceland Ballroom Hamden, CT ^
Mar 27 Webster Hall New York, NY ^
Mar 28 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA ^
Mar 29 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH ^
Mar 31 HEADLINER'S MUSIC HALL Louisville, KY ^
Apr 02 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI ^
Apr 03 Metro Chicago, IL ^
Apr 05 The Sett, Univ of WI - Madison Madison, WI
Apr 07 The Blue Moose Tap House Iowa City, IA
Apr 08 Waiting Room Lounge Omaha, NE
Apr 10 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
Apr 11 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 12 The Knitting Factory Boise, ID

^ - w/ Lady Lamb the Beekeeper

EP-2 Pixies Read More Pixies As I have previously mention, the Pixies are discovering a new life in touring and serving their existing aging fans. I don't know if they have a new album out, it's all very cryptic right now …

PIXIES
pixiesmusic.com

Last month, Pixies released a brand new music video overnight to accompany the song "Greens and Blues" from the band's EP-2, which came out January 3rd. You can watch the video on youtube.com.

The "Greens and Blues" video was written and directed by Josh Frank, who also wrote the book Fool The World, the Oral History of the Band Called Pixies. Frank explained why he chose that song to work on: "I chose ‘Greens and Blues’ specifically because it touched me and spoke to me, from the moment I first heard it. It had that power and emotion I remember from when I heard Bossanova for the first time in high school, that immediate connection, that very personal moment with a band you love where the song feels like it is speaking just to you. ‘Greens and Blues’ also feels important, iconic, and timeless like all great Pixies songs."

Pixies are currently on a world tour:

03/28 Teatro La Cupula, Santiago, Chile
03/30 Lollapalooza, Santiago, Chile
04/01 Rock’n’Fall, Montevideo, Uruguay
04/02 Lollapalooza Argentina
04/04 Festival Estereo Picnic
04/06 Lollapalooza Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil
04/08 Costa Verde, Lima, Peru
05/29-05/31 Primavera Sound Spain
06/02 Rock In Idro, Bologna, Italy
06/04 Caribana Festival Switzerland
06/05-06/07 Primavera Sound, Porto, Portugal
06/08 Field Day, Victoria Park, London, UK
06/13 Orange Festival, Warsaw, Poland
06/15 Northside, Arhus, Denmark
06/17-06/18 Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel
06/20 Best Kept Secret, Hilvarenbeek, Holland
06/20-06/22 Hurricane, Schessel, Germany
06/20-06/22 Southside, Neuhausen, Germany
06/25 Inmusic, Zagreb, Croatia
06/29 Marley Park, Dublin, Ireland
06/30 Live at the Marquee, Cork, Ireland
07/02 Nuits De Fourviere, Lyon, France
07/05 Rock Werchter, Werchter, Belgium
07/06 Beauregard, Herouville-St. Clair, France
07/10 Castlefield Bowl, Manchester, UK
07/11-07/13 T In the Park, Balado, Kinross-Shire, Scotland
08/16-08/17 Summer Sonic, Tokyo/Osaka, Japan

brody + vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Pump Up The Volume (1990)

Pump Up The Volume (1990) New Line Cinema Read More Films I’m a sucker for the sports documentary. From “the thrill of victory” to the “agony of defeat” and all nuances in-between, I find it all fascinating. However, I have a special affection for the “Field Of Broken Dreams” .…

One of the best music teen angst film is Pump Up The Volume. The film was released in 1990, written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.

If you've never seen it, it is about Mark Hunter, who just moved to Phoenix, Arizona. He's a little anti-social, and expressed himself through a personality called Happy Harry Hard-On via a small FM pirate radio station that broadcasts from the basement of his parents' house. His station is popular with his high school and, of course, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) eventually stepped in and try to stop the pirate broadcast.

As the movie's theme song, "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen plays over the opening credit, you get a glimpse of Hunter's "underground" bands on cassette tapes: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Camper Van Beethoven, Primal Scream, Soundgarden, Ice-T, Bad Brains, Concrete Blonde, Henry Rollins, and The Pixies (see image below).

Pump Up the Volume Soundtrack MCA Records

The official soundtrack, released by MCA Records on August 14, 1990, features Concrete Blonde's version of "Everybody Knows", not the Leonard Cohen original. This is possible due to costs and licensing issues. For example, the movie Trainspotting wanted to use Blondie's "Atomic", but it was so expensive to license that the movie producer spent a fraction of that cost and had Sleeper record a cover of that song (that information was given on the audio commentary of the Trainspotting laser disc.) Instead, if you watch the movie, the Concrete Blonde's version does appear on Hunter's final broadcast.

Pump Up The Volume's soundtrack still holds up, as does the film. Although, I do find it hard to believe that some of the actors that appeared in Pump Up The Volume are teenagers, despite the fact that Slater previously appeared as a teenager in Heathers.

If you enjoyed Pump Up The Volume, other films, from this era, worth checking out: Say Anything... (1989), Dazed And Confused (1993), Singles (1992), Empire Records (1995), and, of course, Trainspotting (1996).

Pump Up the Volume: Soundgarden, Camper Van Beethoven, Pixies, and Henry Rollins New Line Cinema

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Sister Acts

Read More Sisters I ended up missing the sisters, Hannah and Colette Thurlow, again. I did technically "see" them in the audience for Widowspeak, who previously toured with 2:54 in June. …

HAIM
haimtheband.com

The numbers are in, and as expected, the Haim sisters (Este, Danielle, and Alana) received the #1 spot in the U.K., and an impressive #6 on the Billboard album charts in the U.S., for their debut album Days Are Gone (released September 30th via Polydor/Columbia).

What's interesting to note is that this band is from California, so why are they so popular in the U.K.? That's because the girls first signed to Polydor Records last year and they've been regionally marketing them to the BBC and NME, and it didn't hurt them when they opened up for Florence + the Machine tour last December.

Needless to say, HAIM will be doing a short American tour in support of their debut album:

10/10 Lawrence, KS - The Granada
10/12 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits
10/14 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
10/15 San Diego, CA - Casbah
10/16 Los Angeles, CA - Fonda
10/18 Pomona, CA - The Glass House
10/20 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island
10/22 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
10/23 Seattle, WA - Neumos
10/27 Las Vegas, NV - Life is Beautiful

Read More Joanna Newsom The Royal Albert Hall was made for Joanna Newsom. Forget anything you think you may know about it's official history. It opened in 1871 and has played host to over 150,000 …

JOANNA GRUESOME
facebook.com

Cardiff-based Joanna Gruesome will be in New York for CMJ (see our CMJ Preview). The full CMJ schedule for Joanna Gruesome is listed below.

The noisepop five-piece will likely play songs from their debut album Weird Sister, released last month on Fortuna POP! (Europe) and Slumberland Records (USA).

Hear "Supercrush" now:



Joanna Gruesome's CMJ Schedule (in New York City and Brooklyn):

10/15 Cameo Gallery (Oh My Rockness/Insound)
10/15 Baby's Alright (Force Field PR showcase)
10/16 Pianos (Kanine Records/SESAC) - 3:30pm
10/16 Pianos (Old Flame Party) 7:45pm
10/17 Cakeshop (Capeshow Presents) 12:00am
10/18 Shea Stadium (Portals Music) 9:00pm
10/18 285 Kent (Pitchfork showcase) 11:15pm
10/19 Rock Shop (Lost Colony party)
10/19 Death By Audio (Agency Group showcase)

Read More Pixies As I have previously mention, the Pixies are discovering a new life in touring and serving their existing aging fans. I don't know if they have a new album out, it's all very cryptic right now. …

THE BREEDERS
thebreederslsxx.com

The Deal sisters (Kim & Kelly) and their band, the Breeders, is taking their last, last, really last splash with the 20th Anniversary Tour. Be on the lookout for the deluxe limited 7xLP vinyl box set, as well as the 3xCD set, for the anniversary edition of Last Splash via 4AD Records.

It sounds like the vinyl box is out of my budget, but this is the only place that you'll find these re-issues of the four 10" EPs (Safari, Cannonball, Divine Hammer, and Head to Toe), the original album (not re-mastered), a live album Stockholm Syndrome album on 12", a 1993 BBC radio session, and original demos from November 1992. Also, you'll get a 24-page book of photos from the Last Splash session and personal tour photos and anecdotes written by the Breeders, Kim Gordon, J Mascis, etc.

LSXX tour:

10/09/13 Miami, FL Grand Central
10/11/13 Guadalajara, Mx Teatro Estudio
10/13/13 Corona Capital Festival
10/26/13 Release The Bats
10/28/13 Newtown, Aus Enmore Theatre
10/29/13 Brisbane, Aus The Tivoli
10/31/13 Perth, Aus Astor Theatre
12/12/13 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

Read More Glee Fans of "Glee" should pick up the new Christmas album, hitting stores today (December 11th). The incredibly popular musical television series selling strong - both on the physical CD and digital downloads. …

GLEE
gleethemusic.com

An all-new episode of "Glee" will be airing tomorrow, October 10th. What is cool about this week is that Columbia Records, Fox, and the artist will give 100% of their net proceeds from sales of this episode, "The Quarterback", from the U.S. and Canada to Project Limelight.

Project Limelight Society was co-founded by sisters Donalda Weaver and Maureen Webb, to help youths between the age 8 to 15 in the Strathcona (Vancouver) district. The aspiring students will learn skills, techniques and forms of expression, including clowning, creative writing, voice work, movement and improvisation. Eventually, they will take what they learn for performance on a community stage. You can visit projectlimelightsociety.org for more information.

"The Quarterback" Track-List:

"Seasons Of Love" (Rent) - Full cast
"I'll Stand By You" (The Pretenders) - Mercedes
"Fire & Rain" (James Taylor) - Sam & Artie
"If I Die Young" (The Band Perry) - Santana
"No Surrender" (Bruce Springsteen) - Puck
"Make You Feel My Love" (Bob Dylan/Adele) – Rachel

Read More CMJ It's that time of the year again: CMJ Music Marathon in New York! The music festival is taking place this year on October 15th to October 19th! And YES, we are covering it this year! …

CANADIAN BLAST
canadianblast.com

The seventh annual Canadian Blast CMJ Showcase is taking place October 16th at Arlene's Grocery. As I have previously discovered, this is actually not a grocery store, but an actual concert venue.

You can find other Canadian Blast (an initiative of the Canadian Independent Music Association or CIMA) showcases at similar festivals, including SXSW, MIDEM (France), The Great Escape (which we covered), and, of course, CMJ. The showcase will feature Canadian bands, including Courage My Love, a pop/punk rock trio consisting of twin sisters Mercedes (vocals/guitar) & Phoenix (drums/vocals).

Here is a detailed listing of set time:

07pm - Ben Caplan
08pm - Bear Mountain
09pm - Born Gold
10pm - Courage My Love
11pm -The Motorleague

CIMA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our Canadian partners and sponsors: Audio-Video Licensing Agency Inc. (AVLA), Canadian Music Week (CMW), the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), the Government of Canada (through MEC/Canadian Heritage), Harvard Broadcasting, Music Managers Forum (Canada), the Radio Starmaker Fund, and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). CIMA also acknowledges the support of Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) and BreakOut West for Canadian Blast at CMJ 2013.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Faith, trust, and pixie dust!

The title comes from Peter Pan: "All you need is faith and trust... and a little bit of pixie dust!" ... but also notice how animals are on the cover!

>>>
MARIANNE FAITHFULL
mariannefaithfull.org.uk

Marianne Faithfull, yes that 60s girl pop singer, is doing three rare performances at New York's City Winery: December 18th, 19th, and 20th. Tickets are on sale to the general public now.

Faithfull is a huge star in the 60s, dating Mick Jagger (ultimately unintentionally inspiring the Rolling Stones' hit song, "Sympathy for the Devil"), but for the most part, I thought she was long retired.

As it were, as I have just discover she's been steadily releasing new music since 2000. Her latest is Horses and High Heels, released in Europe on January 31st, 2011. A UK CD is release was released in March, while a US release came out June 28th, 2011.

ALL THE APPARATUS
alltheapparatus.com

The company behind this, In Music We Trust, does it right: they have all the information that I will need to write an article. Biography, links, music, band photo, tour information, and cover artwork. I love it, I wish everyone had it sorted out like In Music We Trust.

Anyway, their latest band is All The Apparatus, an gypsy-ish large band from Portland, Oregon, with a self-titled sophomore album. I'm not entirely sure if the album is out, or was I given a release date. Let's just assume it's out now via Faultvo Records.

While the cover artwork looks amateurish and the band photo looks goofy, I have to add that they are probably a very fun band to see live. The 11-piece band plays a variety of instruments from traditional instruments to not-so-traditional glockenspiel, trumpet, trombone, and kalimba.

If you live in the West Coast, check them out:

8/5/11 - Rock It Room - San Francisco, CA
8/7/11 - The Mint - Los Angeles, CA
8/9/11 - Winston's - San Diego, CA
8/10/11 - Beauty Bar - Las Vegas, NV
8/13/11 - Mo's - Salt Lake City, UT

Monkey Gone To Heaven (live)

PIXIES
pixiesmusic.com

As I have previously mention, the Pixies are discovering a new life in touring and serving their existing aging fans. I don't know if they have a new album out, it's all very cryptic right now. But they are now selling all their albums digitally and doing quite well on tour. You can also grab a free four-track free called Doolittle 20th Anniversary Live Sampler, to get an idea of what they'll sound like live.

In Black Francis news, he's teaming up with Reid Paley to release Paley & Francis via Sonic Unyon Records. The album comes out on September 13th.

Paley & Francis had this to say:

"This album was recorded in two relatively short days this past September 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. All first takes.

We wrote the music for the songs in Paley’s apartment in Brooklyn over three afternoons when Francis was in New York for a three day run at Joe's Pub.

After which we each took half of the songs to finish off with lyrics, and Francis went off to meet what he sometimes likes to call “the old band” for another tour.

"The old band" will be headlining these shows (with support form Imaginary Cities and Surfer Blood):

10/27 — Montclair, NJ 10/28 — Asbury Park, NJ 10/29 — Waterbury, CT 10/30 — Hampton Beach, NH 11/01 — Portland, ME 11/02 — Rochester, NY		11/03 — Easton, PA 11/05 — Huntington, NY 11/06 — Wilmington, DE 11/08 — Greensboro, NC 11/09 — Louisville, KY 11/10 — Knoxville, TN 11/11 — North Charleston, SC		11/14 — Memphis, TN 11/15 — Oklahoma, OK 11/16 — Sante Fe, NM 11/18 — Bakersfield, CA 11/20 — Napa, CA 11/21 — Santa Cruz, CA

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Pixies

Pixies - Here Comes Your Man Pixies Discography [1987] Come On Pilgrim [1988] Surfer Rosa [1989] Doolittle [1990] Bossanova [1991] Trompe le Monde [2004] Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies Read More Frank Black http://weheartmus... These Frank Black songs were requested. I'm including "Black Letter Day", which also happens to b...

Someone recently asked me who the Pixies were, which really surprised me, because they are one of the most influential alternative rock band in the late 80s/early 90s. I came to know them through their wonderful, song "Here Comes Your Man" from Doolittle.

 

Pixies - Allison

My friend, Shawn, at the time, had become a huge fan and had bought most of the Pixies' releases at the time (Doolittle to Trompe le Monde). I borrowed his albums and I can't say that I really got into it, you know, but I do love a few of the tracks. Particularly, "Here Comes Your Man" and maybe even some of their other hits such as "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Allison" (okay I really love this song a lot).

So... I had a theory, back in the early 90s, based on the music for "Here Comes Your Man" song, that it was somehow a nod to The Smiths' "This Charming Man".

Now, I know these two songs are unrelated, but let's amuse my teenage obsession:

• Both songs features very, very catch guitar playing
• Both music videos features band playing
• Flowers
• Very "soft" video filming
• Morrissey is overally bad at lip syncing, while the Pixies doesn't even bother with lip syncing...
• er, both songs features "Man" in the title?

Well, at the time, I thought those things was viable.

Watch the videos if you don't believe me.

Pixies - Here Comes Your Man

The Smiths - This Charming Man

Frank Black - Hang on to Your Ego

The Breeders - Cannonball

By the way, I did follow Pixies' lead singer Black Francis, who went solo in '93 after the band's breakup. He went solo under a new moniker, Frank Black, but it would seem recently as of 2007, he's switch back to his original stagename, Black Francis, once again.

As for the other band members, Kim Deal is probably best known for being in The Breeders for their breakthrough hit song, "Cannonball".

Links: blackfrancis.net myspace.com/officialblackfrancis 4ad.com/breeders myspace.com/thebreeders 

 10/19/2008 09:30:30  ♥ written by vu ()

Frank Black

 

Frank Black Look-a-like Contest

I'm going hiking tomorrow, so I'm posting this early (as I have to wake up fairly early tomorrow).

These Frank Black songs were requested. I'm including "Black Letter Day", which also happens to be the name of that album.

I'm sure you guys all know who Frank Black is, ex-singer/leader of the legendary Pixies. He used to go by the name Black Francis, by the way. After a few albums, he decided to form his own band, and went by the name Frank Black and the Catholics. I'm not sure what happened, but he's simply Frank Black now.

Trivia: Chris Carter, who created the television show "Millennium" named the retired FBI agent after Frank Black.

Frank Black and the Catholics - Black Letter Day

Frank Black and the Catholics - St. Francis Dam Disaster

Frank Black - Men In Black

Frank Black - Hang on to Your Ego

PS, I know this is completely off-topic, but have you all read New Laws Threaten Used CD Market? Here is an excerpt from the article:

In Florida, the new legislation requires all stores buying second-hand merchandise for resale to apply for a permit, would be required to thumb-print CD sellers and get a copy of their state-issued identity documents, such as a driver's license. Furthermore, stores could only issue store credit -- not pay cash -- in exchange for traded CDs, and then would be required to hold them for a 30-day period, before re-selling them.

CD Crime

vu ♥ Links: www.frankblack.net