Rock the Garden returns to the Walker Art Center as a two-day affair June 20/21, with acts to be announced on-air March 31st. Wishful thinking says Belle and Sebastian w/Courtney Barnett
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We are big fans of Rock the Garden, the annual Minneapolis music festival by the Walker Art and 89.3 The Current. In my opinion, this is, far and away, their best lineup yet!
Highlight will be my favorite band Belle & Sebastian to headline June 20th (which we previously predicted), while Babes In Toyland's first announced local hometown gig on June 21st. Personally, my group of friends are really excited about Babes' return... especially because we attended their last ever gig in 2000.
The 'odd band out' on the bill is Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, who saw in 2012. We were interested in the band because Kuti's father, Fela Kuti, pioneered Afrobeat... and his son with Fela's band Egypt 80 continues his father's legacy in music, human rights, and political issues.
Rock the Garden sells out every year, so do yourself a favor and grab tickets ASAP. Rock the Garden 2015 Tickets will go on sale to Walker Art Center and The Current/Minnesota Public Radio members at 11am, Thursday, March 12 (Tomorrow!). Remaining tickets will go on sale to the public at 11 am, Tuesday, March 17.
I will be previewing all the bands for June 21st in a later article. Below you will find details about all the bands listed for Saturday, June 20th.
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
thestand4rd I've never heard of this this Minnesota-based, who seemed to have only formed late last year, featuring
Corbin “Spooky” Black, Allan Kingdom, Psymun and Bobby Raps. Thanks to their incredible debut performance in New York City, DJ Khaled and Kanye West are calling themselves fans of thestand4rd.
Curious about their music? You can check out their self-titled album on Soundcloud, where you will find a link to download the album for free.
Lucius We've seen Lucius every time they roll into town, including their first Minnesota appearance in 2013, where I wrote, "Turnout to the Lucius show was terrific, for a Thursday night. It tells me that the next time the New York band come back around, that they're going to play a bigger venue, especially if they continue with their catchy 60s girl-group songs. "
The last I heard from the Brooklyn-based quintet was that they were re-releasing their debut album as Wildewoman Deluxe Edition.
Courtney Barnett Angela is a big Courtney Barnett fan, describing her as, "if Liz Phair were Australian and liked to sing about things like masturbating to help yourself fall to sleep because it’s cheaper than Temazepam or going to hipster parties."
Barnett's latest release Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is coming out March 24th via Mom+Pop Music.
Conor Oberst
If you don't know who Conor Oberst, you must be living under a rock. The first time I heard of him, it was under his stagename/band, Bright Eyes, and his song "Lover I Don't Have to Love" is one of my favorite songs.
We caught Oberst live in June 2014, and mentioned, "Conor Oberst along with Dawes, then took the stage for his two-hour set, which varied from Night One, but also opened with the first two songs which start his new album, ‘Time Forgot’ and ‘Zigzagging Toward the Light’ before he reached back into his Bright Eyes catalogue for ‘We Are Nowhere and It’s Now’ (“this one’s about purgatory”, Oberst would say)...".
Oberst's debut album for Nonesuch Records is called Upside Down Mountain, and it's coming out this May 2015.
Belle & Sebastian
You know I love Belle & Sebastian... I've seen them every time they play in Minneapolis - see ticket scans. It'll be 9 years since their last Minnesota appearance, so let's just say I'm really excited to see the Scottish band again.
B&S' latest album Girls in Peacetime Wants to Dance is out now on Matador Records, so expect to hear a few tracks from the new album... plus, of course old fan favorites like "Dog on Wheels" and "Me and the Major" (as evident by their setlist from Sydney (29 Jan 2015) and Los Angeles (07 Oct 2014)).
I've seen Belle & Sebastian twice, but have never made the commitment to tracking them down for autographs. That's got to be tough, as you know the group is large (currently: Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson ...
Sally just saw Belle and Sebastian at Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia, as part of their four appearances courtesy of Laneway Presents* and Penny Drop.
Range Anxiety
Merge Records
According to the poster artwork, Melbourne's Twerps were openers to all the Australian Laneway Presents/Penny Drop dates. The last news I heard from Twerps was that their new album is called Range Anxiety, which came out this week (January 27, 2015) via Merge Records. Look for Twerps in the United States, touring around SXSW 2015.
As a special side show, B&S are also set to play at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney this Saturday, January 31st, which Sally is also attending. You can hear all the upcoming plan on our Party Line.
Looking over their setlist, there were about four songs from Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance (two of them played at the beginning), but the rest were older songs - which is fine, as I'm sure most fans aren't that familiar with the new songs.
Tour dates:
01/31 Taronga Zoo, Sydney
02/01 Palais Theatre, Melbourne
02/03 Astor Theatre, Perth
02/12 AX Club, Seoul, Korea
02/16 Hostess Club Taipei @ Legacy
02/21 Hostess Club Weekender, Studio Coast
03/30 House Of Blues, Boston, MA
04/01 Massey Hall, Toronto, ONT
04/02 Royal Oak Music Theater, MI
04/03 Riviera, Chicago, IL
04/04 Madison, WI Overture Hall
04/07 Seattle, WA Paramount Ballroom
04/08 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
04/09 Portland, OR Roseland
04/11 Coachella Valley Music
04/12 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
04/14 Davis, CA Mondavi Center
04/17 San Diego, CA North Park
04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Valley Music
05/03 St. David's, Cardiff, Wales
05/04 Colston Hall, Bristol
05/05 Guildhall, Portsmouth
05/07 Corn Exchange, Cambridge
05/08 Open, Norwich, England
05/10 Symphony Hall, Birmingham
05/11 Westminster Central Hall, London
05/14 Albert Hall, Manchester
05/16 City Hall, Newcastle
05/18 Opera House, Buxton
05/19 City Hall, Leeds
05/22 Hydro Arena, Glasgow
05/24 Sound City, Liverpool, England
06/09 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
06/10 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
06/11 Washington, DC - Echostage
06/14 Columbus, OH LC - Pavilion
06/17 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
07/02-07/04 ATP Iceland, Keflavik, Iceland
* Not to be confused with the St Jerome's Laneway Festival.
Belle and Sebastian at Enmore Theatre, Sydney (29 Jan 2015)
Low came on stage as ZZ Top, complete fuzzy guitars and horseshoe moustache on drummer Mimi Parker. The band Duluth band have been busy playing support dates for Slowdive
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That's right, Sebadoh's first LP in 14 years, Defend Yourself, is out now on Joyful Noise Recordings.
This band formed in 1986, for a time in the 90s, along with Pavement and Guided by Voices
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We’re not even out of January yet and Alan Sparhawk is already having a great and productive year! Not only is Low, the simmering Duluth-based indie-rock band he co-fronts with wife Mimi Parker and bassist Steve Garrington, recording a new record and in the midst of a short jaunt around eastern Europe, but there are a slew of other excellent Sparhawk projects to be seen and heard in the next few months. Raucous blues band the Black-Eyed Snakes wrapped up 2014 with two spectacular gigs in December (one at the Icehouse and one supporting Kid Dakota at the Turf Club) and there is word of a possible new album while The Murder of Crows, a collaboration between Sparhawk and fellow Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea, is scheduled to open for His Name is Alive on their 25th anniversary tour at the Entry in April.
On February 13th at the Turf Club in St Paul, Minnesota, Sparhawk will join guitarist Rich Mattson, drummer Glen Mattson and bass player Dale Kallman for one of the finest Neil Young tribute acts around, Tired Eyes. What started as a lark one cold January in 2013 at a Duluth bar has become an annual thing, with the guys taking it to the Twin Cities a few times now (including last October at the Indeed Brewery’s Hullabaloo). I’ve heard that this is a really fun show and a must for any die-hard Neil fan - if they’re taking requests, I’m gonna throw mine in right away: Guys, play “World on a String” or “Lookout Joe”! Or hell, anything from Tonight’s the Night! Or “When You Dance” and “Don’t Let it Bring You Down” and “Cripple Creek Ferry”! Or “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere”! Or “Cinnamon Girl”!! There are just too many great songs!
Tired Eyes will be playing with none other than the gentle king of lo-fi himself, Lou Barlow, performing a rare solo show. Barlow has been keeping busy the last few years with Sebadoh, having released anniversary editions of classic albums like Bubble and Scrape and Bakesale and recording a brand new album, the well-received Defend Yourself, their first in 14 years. Recently, Sebadoh wrapped up a tour of North America (they were at the Entry in September) and Europe. And although Dinosaur Jr hasn’t released new music since 2012’s I Bet on Sky, Barlow joined the band as they headlined New York City’s 4Knots Music Festival in July, playing with great acts like Those Darlins and Nude Beach. For podcast listeners and fans interested in learning more about Barlow, comedian Marc Maron had him as a guest on his podcast early last year and it’s definitely worth a listen (check it out at wtfpod.com).
Folks, forget the chocolates and flowers; consider this gig an early Valentines gift to yourself.
Looper was B&S' bassist Stuart David and his wife, Karn, long before that science fiction movie.
They released their penpal "Impossible Things" song on Sub Pop, which I own on 7". ...
I've seen Belle & Sebastian twice, but have never made the commitment to tracking them down for autographs. That's got to be tough, as you know the group is large (currently: Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson ...
One of my favorite bands Looper is back. I've seen the band twice, and the first time I bought all their CDs that they had for sale at the merch table.... but they went away. As you may know, after Looper made over half a million pounds off of their breakthrough lo-fi hit "Mondo '77", they basically just retired from music! You can read all about this bbc.co.uk, where he's quoted, "The four of us have been able to live on this song for the last five years." Look, I don't blame them, I'd probably go offline and live in the countryside too.
Hear "Mondo '77":
Anyway, the brand new album called Offgrid: Offline, and it's coming out on April 14th, 2015, via Mute Records. If you have half a million lying around, the new record will be included in a nice five-CD boxset called These Things.
Our favorite Scottish band Belle & Sebastian is releasing Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance tomorrow, January 20th, via Matador Records, their first new record since 2010's Write About Love. ...
I used to love meeting the band to get their autographs in the 90s. But that meant you had to be committed, which meant you had to bring the CDs to the show and then hanging around their tour buses after the show (well into the midnight hours).
Sometime you strike out, like missing the band or missing some key band members. Sometime you get snubbed! For example, Emma from Lush refused to sign my CD! But that's fine, I got Miki to sign my CD. I've rarely been snubbed by musicians, but when it happens, those things stay with you forever!
The last few bands I can recall waiting around was (unintended) Deltron 3030, Bernard Butler (Suede), Suzanne Vega, and also the re-united Veruca Salt. I guess, I still do it for bands I really love, but I don't do it too often.
I've seen Belle & Sebastian twice, but have never made the commitment to tracking them down for autographs. That's got to be tough, as you know the group is large (currently: Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson, Chris Geddes, Richard Colburn, Sarah Martin, and Bobby Kildea)... so I happy to pre-ordered the autographed editions of Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance for about $22 (including taxes and shipping). It's worth it, as these things tend to be very limited. Confirmed: it's all sold out.
As you can see in the video, the actual packaging is slightly damaged. I suppose Matador Records couldn't sell these damaged CDs as new, so they were smart to get the band to sign it and then charge it more than the actual retail price!
Unboxing Belle & Sebastian Autographed Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance CD
[2000] Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
[2002] Storytelling
[2003] Dear Catastrophe Waitress
[2006] The Life Pursuit
[2010] Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
Tour Dates
01/26 Laneway Festival, Auckland
01/28 The Tivoli, Brisbane
01/29 Enmore Theatre, Sydney
01/31 Taronga Zoo, Sydney
02/01 Palais Theatre, Melbourne
02/03 Astor Theatre, Perth
02/12 AX Club, Seoul, Korea
02/16 Hostess Club Taipei @ Legacy
02/21 Hostess Club Weekender, Studio Coast
03/30 House Of Blues, Boston, MA
04/01 Massey Hall, Toronto, ONT
04/02 Royal Oak Music Theater, MI
04/03 Riviera, Chicago, IL
04/04 Madison, WI Overture Hall
04/07 Seattle, WA Paramount Ballroom
04/08 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
04/09 Portland, OR Roseland
04/11 Coachella Valley Music
04/12 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
04/14 Davis, CA Mondavi Center
04/17 San Diego, CA North Park
04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Valley Music
05/03 St. David's, Cardiff, Wales
05/04 Colston Hall, Bristol
05/05 Guildhall, Portsmouth
05/07 Corn Exchange, Cambridge
05/08 Open, Norwich, England
05/10 Symphony Hall, Birmingham
05/11 Westminster Central Hall, London
05/14 Albert Hall, Manchester
05/16 City Hall, Newcastle
05/18 Opera House, Buxton
05/19 City Hall, Leeds
05/22 Hydro Arena, Glasgow
05/24 Sound City, Liverpool, England
06/09 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
06/10 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
06/11 Washington, DC - Echostage
06/14 Columbus, OH LC - Pavilion
06/17 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
07/02-07/04 ATP Iceland, Keflavik, Iceland
We've seen these type of crowd-source music videos before, the latest is from Scottish band Belle & Sebastian for the "Nobody's Empire" video. ...
Our favorite Scottish band Belle & Sebastian is releasing Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance tomorrow, January 20th, via Matador Records, their first new record since 2010's Write About Love.
Just to give you a little background on the band, they formed in the mid-90s and was one of the few bands that released original singles (songs that never made their way to an LP). I got into Belle & Sebastian a little late to the party with Lazy Line Painter Jane EP (1997), from an old MiniDisc mixtape, but what I heard, absolutely loved. I've mentioned it before, but back then, I've always thought they were a duo with a girl/boy singers. It wasn't until 1998's The Boy with the Arab Strap did I realize that it's a group (but then again, the band was quite secretive in the early days).
Anyway, while the lineup changed over time (losing bassist Stuart David and sugar sweet vocalist Isobel Campbell), the core of the band is really around singer and band leader Stuart Murdoch. Murdoch, in an interview about why the band took a hiatus post-2007, basically said that the record label (Jeepster) told them that the band could not grow their audience. They were forever going to be a 'cult' band and could not cross over to the mainstream. If you saw Murdoch's film God Help the Girl (2014), you know that the underlying message in that film is that it doesn't matter if you're going to be a massive hit... that they were just as happy writing music that they love.
That's the impression I got listening to their new album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. Belle & Sebastian are writing wonderful little songs that doesn't exactly fit into pop radio. For example, my favorite track, "Enter Sylvia Plath": lyrically a depressing song ("All the dreams, and guilt and loneliness, loneliness") but set to a disco-ish beat. They are comfortable writing songs for themselves, and they wouldn't change their music just to appeal to the masses.
One of the biggest criticism that I had for Belle & Sebastian was sometime they were a little too Christian (take "Jonathan David", "Act of the Apostle" - parts 1 and 2, "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It", and "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" for example). To be fair, Murdoch, for a time, lived in a Church and I know he's passionate about his religion... but I never understood or liked it. I'm happy to report that I didn't really detect any hints of religion in Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance.
As Murdoch once put it, they are "the republic of Belle & Sebastian", which meant that he doesn't write or sing on all the songs. Which I think is refreshing, as I do welcome other voices, such as Sarah Martin taking over on "The Power of Three" and "The Book of You" and Stevie Jackson on "Perfect Couples". They add variety to the usual cute orchestral pop songs that Murdoch tends to write.
Like Write About Love's album featuring a duet with Carey Mulligan on the title track, "Write About Love", we see a similar treatment with "Play for Today", which features Dum Dum Girls' Dee Dee Penny. The song "Play for Today" and "Today (This Army's for Peace)" fits in this theme of the modern age and we should make the most of it with peace, love, and harmony.
My only complaint for Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is that it's really short, clocking in at about an hour. They could have put in "Born To Act" (which I think would fit in the Peacetime/Dance theme), but instead whoever designed the track listing only put that track on the expanded vinyl edition. Of course, diehard fans will want to get the 4 disc vinyl for the complete picture.
I've already pre-order the Autographed Amazon Exclusive. I recommend ordering the CD or vinyl on Amazon because you're also given the digital tracks, so you can listen to the record while you wait for the product to arrive at your home.
Belle & Sebastian's Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is out commercially tomorrow, January 20th, via Matador Records.
Opening the show was another Scottish act, Glasgow's Honeyblood, consisting of guitarist/singer Stina Tweeddale and drummer Shona McVicar. The pair rarely spoke between songs
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We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance
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Even though Honeyblood won't be back in Minneapolis until March 2015, I'm still very excited to announce that they will be touring with fellow Scotts Belle & Sebastian and London sisters 2:54 this new year.
If you need a refresher, we've been following the Scottish duo (singer/guitarist Stina Tweeddale and new drummer Cat Myers) since last year, when they were first here in the USA with We Were Promised Jetpacks (Feb 2014) - and again at SXSW 2014. We liked them so much, we featured them as "band of the show" for W♥M #206: Britpop SXSW show. They had a brief headlining summer tour (July) in support of their self-titled debut album, but unfortunately the tour did not include Minneapolis.... So it's very exciting to see that they'll come back to Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry on March 6th, along with 2:54 (who we previously saw in June 2012 and again in October 2012 (but not as a performer; they were just in the audience)).
Also! If you are a Belle & Sebastian fan, Honeyblood will also open up for them in Madison, Wisconsin. The city is about four and a half hour to drive from Minneapolis, but might be worth it if you've never seen B&S before (they are so great live).
Hopefully, if it all works out, we will be interviewing Honeyblood prior to their arrival on US shores. I actually rarely do audio interviews, so this might look really fun. Hear my previous interviews with S*M*A*S*H, Information Society, Henry Rollins, and Matt Pinfield.
Tour dates:
02.27.15 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY *
02.28.15 - DC9 - Washington, DC *
03.01.15 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA *
03.03.15 - The Silver Dollar Room - Toronto, ON *
03.04.15 - UFO Factory - Detroit, MI *
03.05.15 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL *
03.06.15 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN *
03.08.15 - Barboza, Seattle, WA *
03.09.15 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, WA *
03.11.15 - The Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA *
03.12.15 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA *
03.13.15 - The Hideout, San Diego, CA *
03.30.15 - House of Blues - Cambridge, MA ^
04.01.15 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON ^
04.02.15 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI ^
04.03.15 - Riviera - Chicago, IL ^
04.04.15 - Overture Hall - Madison, WI ^
Scottish trio Chvrches, is clearly now having a good time.
The indie electronic-pop threesome (Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty) has been steadily building in popularity over the last year
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Don't you forget about them! Did you know that late 80s Scottish rock band Simple Minds is back with a new album called Big Music? Their first record in five years!
Trivia: Did you know that the band's frontman Jim Kerr worked with CHVRCHES about four years ago? Read the interview on Stereogum.
Tour dates:
Feb 07 Lisbon Coliseum Lisbon, Portugal
Feb 08 Coliseum Porto, Portugal
Feb 09 Teatro Nuevo Apolo Madrid, Spain
Feb 11 Zenith Nantes, France
Feb 12 Gayant Expo Douai, France
Feb 13 Amphitheatre 3000 Lyon, France
Feb 14 Volkshaus Zurich, Switzerland
Feb 16 Salle de Fêtes de Thônex Geneva
Feb 17 Rockhal Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Feb 18 Capitol Hannover, Germany
Feb 20 Pier2 Bremen, Germany
Feb 21 Emsland Arena Lingen (Ems), Germany
Feb 23 Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Germany
Feb 24 Palladium Cologne, Germany
Feb 27 Jovel Munster, Germany
Feb 28 Konzerthalle Olsberg, Germany
Mar 03 Kasseler Stadthalle Kassel, Germany
Mar 04 Schlachthof Wiesbaden, Germany
Mar 06 Haus Aeunsee Leipzig, Germany
Mar 07 Tollhaus Karlsruhe, Germany
Mar 08 Tonhalle Munich, Germany
Mar 10 Train Aarhus, Denmark
Mar 11 Posten Odense C, Denmark
Mar 12 Falkoner Center Copenhagen, Denmark
Mar 14 Conventum Arena Örebro, Sweden
Mar 15 Münchenbryggerie Stockholm, Sweden
Mar 16 Lisebergshallen Goteborg, Sweden
Mar 18 Sentrum Scene Oslo, Norway
Mar 19 USF Rokeriet Bergen, Norway
Mar 20 Zetlitz Stavanger Konserthus Stavanger
The offender in this case is Geffen's reissue of In Utero triple-disc vinyl that retails for $60. First of all, who doesn't already own the In Utero? It's just a way to exploit the fans (particularly with that $150 In Utero CD/DVD boxset).
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As far as I know, The Vaselines will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on January 22nd (originally the date was not listed on their press release).
The Scottish band first came to my attention when Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain wore t-shirts, covered their music, and declared how much he loved them.
This January, the Vaselines will be in the States for a two weeks US promotional tour in support of their latest album V for Vaselines (Rosary Music).
Tour dates:
Jan 14 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
Jan 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Jan 16 Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
Jan 17 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Jan 18 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le “Ritz” P.D.B.
Jan 19 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Jan 20 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Jan 21 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Jan 22 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Jan 23 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
Jan 24 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Jan 25 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Jan 27 San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Jan 28 West Hollywood, CA @ Roxy Theater
Of course, the real reason why I was drawn to Texas was because of Spiteri's white hot looks, but I was never an obsessive fan. So I was surprise to find out that Spiteri is back now with another solo album, this time, all movie covers...
If you know anything about Scottish band Texas, it is that they started as a weird country-esque band ... but by 1999, the band shifted their music to a dancier/disco band!
I love their later songs... and outside of the random Sharleen Spiteri solo albums, I honestly haven't kept up with the band. Did you know they released The Conversation in 2013?
Their upcoming Texas 25, is exactly like it sounds: it is Texas celebrating their 25th Anniversary as a band. It's amazing how quickly time flies... And before you dismissed Texas 25 as simply a greatest hits compilation, Texas 25 will contain four brand new songs. The rest of the songs were all re-recorded and re-worked for 2015... so it's the classic hits you know and love, only new and different for the new year.
'An Evening With Texas' tour:
04/18/15 Brighton Dome
04/19/15 Birmingham Symphony Hall
04/20/15 Salford The Lowry
04/22/15 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
04/24/15 Dunfermline Alhambra
04/25/15 Edinburgh Queens Hall
04/27/15 Gateshead The Sage
04/28/15 Hull City Hall
04/29/15 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
05/01/15 Bath Forum
05/02/15 London Palladium
05/03/15 Margate Winter Gardens
05/05/15 Cardiff St Davids Hall
05/06/15 Reading Hexagon
We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance
…
We've seen these type of crowd-source music videos before, the latest is from Scottish band Belle & Sebastian for the "Nobody's Empire" video. I've criticized a few bands for doing this, mainly because I feel it's a cheap of them (I know the band can afford to produce a music video). But hey, who am I to say, as long as fans love doing this for their favorite bands... Full details of this at
belleandsebastian.com.
They need the video clips by no later than Thursday 27th November so that we have time to edit them into the video.
Tour dates:
01/26/15 Auckland Laneway Festival, New Zealand
01/29/15 Sydney, Enmore Theatre
01/31/15 Australia, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
02/01/15 Melbourne, Palais Theatre
02/03/15 Australia, Perth, Astor Theatre,
02/10/15 Hong Kong, Asia World Arena
02/12/15 S.Korea, Seoul, AX Club
02/16/15 Hostess Club Taipei, Legacy, Taipei
02/21/15 Japan, Tokyo, Hostess Club
03/30/15 USA, Cambridge, House of Blues
04/01/15 Canada, Toronto, Massey Hall
04/02/15 USA, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak
04/03/15 USA, Riviera, Chicago
05/03/15 UK, Cardiff, St David’s Hall
05/04/15 UK, Bristol, Colston Hall
05/07/15 UK, Cambridge, Corn Exchange
05/08/15 UK, Norwich, Open
05/10/15 UK, Birmingham, Symphony Hall
05/11/15 UK, Westminster, Central Hall
05/12/15 UK, Westminster, Central Hall
05/14/15 UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
05/15/15 UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
05/16/15 UK, Newcastle City Hall
05/18/15 UK, Buxton, Opera House
05/19/15 UK, Leeds, Town Hall
05/22/15 Glasgow Hydro Arena
05/24/15 UK, Sound City, Liverpool
06/10/15 New York, Radio City Music Hall
07/02/15 KEFLAVIK, ATP Iceland
She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) just released a new EP called The Capitol Studios Session. The digital-only release features new version of four songs taken from their latest Volume 3 album.
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She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) have a new cover lover album Classics this December 3rd, on Columbia Records.
The entire album was recorded live and and accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra.
Track Listing
1. Stars Fell on Alabama
2. Oh No, Not My Baby
3. It’s Not for Me to Say
4. Stay Awhile
5. This Girl’s In Love With You
6. Time After Time
7. She
8. Teach Me Tonight
9. It’s Always You
10. Unchained Melody
11. I’ll Never Be Free
12. Would You Like to Take a Walk
13. We’ll Meet Again
Gardens & Villa recently shared a remix from multi-platinum, Grammy nominated producer N.O. Joe of "Domino" off of Gardens & Villa's Dunes, released earlier this year on Secretly Canadian.
N.O. Joe (I believe the "N.O." stands for New Orleans, because he is based out of Louisiana) has worked with everyone from Ice Cube to Lil Wayne,
and is a multi-platinum Grammy Nominated producer.
The secret origin of this collaboration about when G&V randomly met with N.O. Joe at SXSW 2014 at a late-night tacos eatery. The two became friends and out of this, the remix of "Domino".
Hear it now:
Gardens & Villa will cap off their year with a headlining show at The Echoplex in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 13.
Smith speaks on the phone with John & Yoko, who are in their suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for the second of their two Bed-Ins. Among other things, they discuss selling Peace as a commodity, the Activist
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I think this was my first time seeing The Flaming Lips, but I could be wrong. Seems odd that this was "a very special Early Evening performance", since the band's psychedelic/space rock seems to work better at night
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Jessica Hernandez is a first-generation American, living in Detroit, Michigan. She lists her influences are Gogol Bordello and Tom Waits, both bands that we like on W♥M.
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I know it's only November, but Christmas time is almost here.
Yoko Ono & The Flaming Lips have teamed up to record "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" for
All Is Bright - The Exclusive Amazon Holiday Playlist.
The playlist features over 40 songs by artists such as the other ampersand artist Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Ashley Monroe, Brandi Carlile, Liz Phair, Jessie Baylin, Lucinda Williams, PHOX and many more
All Is Bright is an exclusive newly-recorded holiday songs available for listening on Amazon's Prime Music service. This is the first-ever exclusive holiday playlist from Amazon is available for unlimited ad-free listening on Prime Music for Amazon Prime members at no additional cost to their membership. If you want to own the album, they are not sold as an album, instead they are variously priced (mostly $0.99 each). It can end up costing you over $30, so the value isn't quite there if you want to own it.
Newly-written holiday songs for All Is Bright:
Anna Nalick — “Till the End of the Year (Bye Buy By)”
Blondfire — “Christmas Lights”
Emi Meyer — “Everything this Christmas”
Jenn Bostic — “Light a Candle For You”
Julian Moon — “Best Christmas Ever”
Liz Phair — “Ho Ho Ho”
Ruby the RabbitFoot — “Under Any Limb”
Selena Garcia — “Hold-up Holidays”
Never heard before renditions of holiday classics for All Is Bright:
Amanda Palmer — “The Angel Gabriel”
Ashley Monroe — “Tennessee Christmas”
Beth Orton — “River”
Brandi Carlile — “O Holy Night”
Elastic Bond — “Winder Wonderland”
Escort — “Last Christmas”
Heartless Bastards — “White Christmas”
Hero Fisher — “Pretty Paper”
Houndmouth — “Blue Christmas”
Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas — “I Want a Hippopotamus...”
Jessie Baylin — “Purple Snowflakes”
Jillian Edwards — “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Kat Parsons — “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
Kate Davis feat. Gabe Schnider — “Greensleeves”
Kelly Hogan — “Blue Snowfall”
Ladyhawke — “Merry Xmas Everyone”
Laura Gibson — “A Wonderful Christmastime”
Lauren Shera — “(It’s Gonna Be a) Lonely Christmas”
Little & Ashley — “Someday at Christmas”
Lucinda Williams — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Mia Doi Todd — “The Cherry Tree Carol”
Natalia Clavier — “My Favorite Things”
Natalia Zukerman — “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
No Sinner — “Baby Please Come Home”
PHOX — “The Christmas Song”
Ruby Jane Smith — “Make a Wish”
Ruthie Foster — “Amazing Grace”
Shaprece — “Carol of the Bells”
Shelby Earl — “We Three Kings”
Sinclair — “The Christmas”
Tal Wilkenfeld — “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
The Rosebuds — “Let it Snow”
This Is The Kit — “It’s Christmas Time”
Yoko Ono & Flaming Lips — “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”
I Need You Bad is a compilation curated by Sonny Smith (of Sonny & the Sunsets) documenting the current garage rock scene in the Bay area and beyond (not every band included here is from the Bay area & it's not 100% garage rock!).
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San Francisco's Sonny & the Sunsets is back with Talent Night at the Ashram, set for February 17, 2015, on Polyvinyl Records.
You may remember that we reviewed Sonny & the Sunset's compilation/curated album I Need You Bad, which wrote was, mostly from California's "60's surf".
Talent Night at the Ashram will be available in all the usual formats (CD, digital, cassette, and vinyl).
The 180g Vinyl will be limited edition of 500 exclusive to the Polyvinyl webstore on light blue (preorder now to guarantee a copy polyvinylrecords.com). There will also be an unlimited version on red vinyl.
Track List:
1. The Application
2. Cheap Extensions
3. The Secluded Estate
4. Talent Night at the Ashram
5. Alice Leaves for the Mountains
6. Happy Carrot Health Food Store
7. Blot Out the Sun
8. Baby Jokin
9. Icelene's Loss
10. Secret Plot
I believe Wisconsin's Hugh Bob & The Hustle (headed by 'North Country' singer/songwriter Hugh Robert Masterson) will be appearing with Cracker this December 4th at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. If you listened to our new podcast, you can clearly hear us singing to various Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven songs off the top of our heads.
Opening up the Minnesota show will be Hugh Bob & The Hustle, a band that's been compared to all the greats, including Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, etc.
Check out his song "Butternut":
When Masterson play live, he's joined by The Hustle, a band comprising of bassist Nicholas Stuart, keyboardist Bradley Kruse, guitarist Quinn Scharber, and drummer Justin Krol.
Hugh Bob & The Hustle's other show will be at The Frequency in Madison on December 5, 2014.
Arrica Rose & The ... is essentially Arrica Rose, she's backed up by her band The ...'s (The Dots Dots Dots), and I'll bet that her latest album, La La Lost, is in reference to being lost in her residence of Los Angeles.
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Remember Arrica Rose & the ...'s (The Dot Dot Dots)? They just released their latest album Wavefunction, out November 4th via pOprOck records.
The album was designed for vinyl, each side featuring a distinct mood. Rose explains, "We think of it as music for different occasions, a choose your own adventure kind of album." (Which incidentally, " Choose Your Own Adventure" one of the key creator R. A. Montgomery passed away November 9th).
Record label Razor & Tie had a breakout year at rock radio in 2014 with hits from The Pretty Reckless ("Heaven Knows" finishes the year as the #1 song at Active and Mainstream Rock), All That Remains and Starset making the label the most successful indie in the format and the second strongest rock label, second only to Warner Brothers.
One of the most ridiculous band names, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are wrapping up their UK tour in support of their latest LP I'm In Your Mind Fuzz (released November 11th on Castle Face in the US and Heavenly in the UK).
Remaining tour dates: Bodega Social Club, Nottingham (11/26) and Rough Trade East, London (12/01).
We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance
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Sally is back on W♥M Podcast, talking about some Sydney, Australia, things:
Yes I'm Leaving (21 Nov 2014)
poster
Yes I'm Leaving is playing this Friday (21 Nov 2014) at Petersham Bowling Club with The Holy Soul, Avoid Island, Small Town Incident and Garry David.
Newtown Social Club (newtownsocialclub.com) is a new music venue in Sydney. They are booking some excellent bands:
Hurray for the Riff Raff (26 Nov 2014)
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (3 Mar 2015)
Gruff Rhys (6 Mar 2015)
Sydney Festival is taking place most of January 2015... The Clean from New Zealand, and How to Dress Well are two of the bands playing at the Sydney Festival shows.
Johnny Marr is on tour for his second album Playland, stopping by Sydney's Enmore (05 Feb 2015)
Belle & Sebastian is playing in Sydney at the Enmore Theatre on Jan 29th and also at the Taronga Zoo on January 31st.
God Help the Girl film, Vu doesn't like, but Sally doesn't care.
B&S is releasing Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance for 2015, we previewed their new single, "The Party Line".
BONUS:
Harper's Bazaar (Dec 2014)
Photographer: @simonlekias
Peter Hook played over three hours at a "no re-entry" sold out show.
Leichhardt Wind Orchestra's Summer Concert 2014 is taking place this 15th December 2014 at the Leichhardt Town Hall in Leichhardt, Australia.
Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue on the cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine.
Roxette's got the look.
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See that photo of Stuart Murdoch? That is a photo that you can only get if you happen to be Robin ... dancing on stage with Belle and Sebastian at the sold out Theatre at Ace Hotel show in Los Angeles. …
We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance and will be arriving January 20, 2015, via Matador Records.
With the recent "It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career" vinyl re-issues, it made sense that the band will also offer Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance as a double LP vinyl (and also available as a 4x LP vinyl boxset). Wealthy fans will love the deluxe package, poor fans will surely be jealous.
I own all the B&S albums on CD and will likely just pick up the Compact Disc for my collection.
Tour Dates:
10/28/14 - Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, UK
10/29/14 - De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea, UK
10/31/14 - Pitchfork Festival, Paris, France
01/26/15 - Laneway Festival, New Zealand
01/28/15 - The Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia
01/29/15 - Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia
02/01/15 - Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
02/03/15 - Astor Theatre, Perth, Australia
02/12/15 - AX Club, Seoul, Korea
02/16/15 - Hostess Club Taipei @ Taiwan
02/21/15 - Hostess Club Weekender Japan
05/22/15 - Hydro Arena , Glasgow, UK
06/10/15 - Radio City Music Hall, New York NY
07/02/15-07/04/15 - ATP Iceland, Keflavik, Iceland
Laid back indie-rock sibling duo, The Belle Brigade, opened the night with a brief set, mostly culled from their new album, Just Because (ATO Records) and 2011 self-titled debut. …
Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne has always had the look of someone panning for gold.
His stoic face, full beard, large brown hat, and somewhat frumpy earth-toned slacks and jacket
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The Belle Brigade is currently supporting Ray LaMontagne on a full US tour.
Their latest release Just Because (ATO Records) has been a huge success and has plenty of hits to egg everyone hooked this year! Very reminiscent of Family of the Year; Belle Brigade is a family band with male and female vocals dueling for a sound of perfection.
Can't wait to see them at the newly revamped Saenger Theatre, the most prestigious place to play in New Orleans. Love the guitar riffs leading up to Elliot Smith-like jams.
On tour with Ray LaMontagne:
Oct-26 / Shreveport, LA - Municipal Auditorium
Oct-27 / New Orleans, LA - Saenger Theatre
Oct-28 / Mobile, AL - Saenger Theatre
Oct-30 / Macon, GA - Macon City Auditorium
Oct-31 / Chatanooga, TN - Tivoli Theatre
Nov-01 / Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
Nov-02 / Richmond, VA - Altria Theatre
Nov-04 / Greenville, SC - Peace Center
Nov-05 / Virginia Beach, VA - Sandler Center
Nov-07 / Hershey, PA - Hershey Theatre
Nov-08 / Syracuse, NY - Landmark Theatre
Nov-09 / Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
Nov-12 / New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
Nov-13 / New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
Nov-14 / New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
A Friend Too Long is the new album from Michigan indie roots band Lac La Belle (translate to "Beautiful Lake").
The album came out in early October 9th, via Double Lot Records.
The duo, songwriters Jennie Knaggs & Nick Schillace, set the album in a contemporary context framed by life in Detroit. “Detroit represents our modern time in all its beautiful, ugly, and naked realities,” says Schillace. “There is a spectrum of struggles here…and an equal opportunity to find material that is both universal and personal with a timelessness that helps connect us to a continuity of human experience.”
See that photo of Stuart Murdoch? That is a photo that you can only get if you happen to be Robin ... dancing on stage with Belle and Sebastian at the sold out Theatre at Ace Hotel show in Los Angeles.
Take Robin, with her bow and arrow, she's a mastermind.
Look for Belle and Sebastian's new album in 2015, but in the meantime the Scottish band re-issued their entire back catalogue for vinyl, titled It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career.
Needless to say, we've been following the God Help The Girl journey for quite a while now. It started in 2009, after Belle & Sebastian took a break, Murdoch went on to form …
Belle & Sebastian's 2014 tour dates:
10/08: Phoenix - Orpheum Theatre
10/10: Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/12: Mexico City, Corona Capital
10/28: Manchester Cathedral, UK
10/29: Bexhill, De La War Pavilion
10/31: PARIS, Pitchfork Festival
Fri 11/22/2019 • Charlie Parr at Cedar • Kikagaku Moyo at Turf Club • Summer Walker at Myth
• Dreamers at Amsterdam Bar
• Marcus King at Varsity Theater
• Ronnie Milsap at Medina
• Yelawolf at Skyway
Sat 11/23/2019 • Sound+Vision at Valley Creek Mall • Cory Branan at Aster Cafe • Booker T. Jones at Medina
• Whiskey Myers at Myth
• "On A Winter's Night" at Cedar
• Schoolboy Q at Armory
• Chris Janson at Treasure Island
• In Flames at Cabooze
• Sloan at 7th St
• BoDeans at Sheldon
• Yotto at Skyway
Sun 11/24/2019 • Hobo Johnson at First Ave • Third Eye Blind at Myth
• Helmet at Varsity
• Iron Kingdom at Club Underground
Sun 12/01/2019 • Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall
Mon 12/02/2019 •
Cautious Clay at
Fine Line
Tue 12/03/2019 • Cat Clyde at 7th St
• Brockhampton at Armory
• CeeLo Green at Ames
Wed 12/04/2019 • Vintage Trouble at Amsterdam Bar
• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Ames
• As I Lay Dying at Varsity
Thu 12/05/2019 • Emarosa at 7th St
Fri 12/06/2019 • Waterparks at Varsity
• Michael W. Smith at Target
• The Motet at First Ave
Sat 12/07/2019 • Jim Brickman at Pantages
• Deadmau5 at Armory
• J.S. Ondara at First Ave
• Lorie Line at Ames
• Steepwater Band at Ballentine VFW
• Morbid Angel at Fine Line
• Sunny Sweeney at Cabooze
• Tiffany at Varsity
Sun 12/08/2019 • Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall
Mon 12/09/2019 • 5 Seconds Of Summer at Xcel
Wed 12/11/2019 •
Merkules at
Cabooze
•
Batushka at
Skyway
Thu 12/12/2019 •
Mariachi Reyna at
Dakota
•
The Blenders
Pantages
•
Morgan Evans at
Varsity
Fri 12/13/2019 • Blenders at
Pantages
•
Low at
Fitzgerald
Sat 12/14/2019 • Joy Formidable at
Fine Line
•
Glitterer at
Garage
•
311 at
Armory
• Blenders at
Pantages
•
David Archuleta at
Cedar
•
Hot Tuna at
Fitzgerald
Sun 12/15/2019
• Blenders at
Pantages
Tue 12/17/2019
•
Tonic Sol-fa at
Ames
Wed 12/18/2019 •
Marc Roberge at
Varsity
•
Sounds of Blackness at
Pantages
Sat 12/21/2019 •
Diamond Rio at
Treasure Island
Sat 12/21/2019 • Fixx at Cedar
• BoDeans at
Dakota
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