W♥M (Archive)

Dear Johns

Tribute (2014) Universal Republic Read More Doomtree It doesn't matter, what you should know is that Lazerbeak and Doomtree are from Minneapolis. The city's really blowing up with indie hip-hip music, leading the way are Atmosphere and Doomtree. … Solid Gold Solid Gold's music has gone more instrumental, it would seem. Since I last saw them, I noted that they've been concentrating on playing tracks from Eat Your Young ("Six Days", "The Pendulum"…

JOHN NEWMAN
johnnewman.co.uk

Common name, uncommon sound.

The UK is positively abuzz currently with everything surrounding young Settle, Yorkshire native John Newman and his unique blend of soul, pop, and breakbeat. The 23 yr. old has already tasted success guesting on singles from electronic quartet Rudimental, notably the chart-topping, “Feel The Love” and is ready to go out on his own. Following his Love Me Again EP, Newman first full-length Tribute (Universal/Republic), hits our shores Tuesday the 7th with a brief U.S. Tour already in progress, to be followed by a mostly sold-out UK tour in late Jan. through Feb.

Tuesday also has Newman booked on NBC’s Today show and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, ahead of his NYC date and comes to still-frigid Minneapolis this weekend at the Varsity Theater. With Newman’s first solo single going Top 10 in ten different European countries and over 61 million YouTube/VEVO views to date, this may be one of those get-a-ticket-now-or-kick-yourself-later kind of shows.

Locals Commanders Handsome are slated to open the Minneapolis show, a collaboration of Doomtree’s Cecil Otter and Solid Gold’s Zach Coulter, which promises “beat heavy casual landscapes.” This show is ahead of their planned February Thursday-nights residency at the nearby Loring Pasta Bar, so is worth arriving early; not only to escape the cold, but to also see what this ‘opposites-attract’ duo have come up with.

John Newman U.S. tour dates:

01/06/14 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
01/09/14 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
01/11/14 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
01/15/14 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
01/16/14 San Francisco, CA - Popscene
01/18/14 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall

How I Live Now (2013) JustMusic Read More Jon Hopkins Jon Hopkins' album, Immunity, is coming out June 4th on Domino Records. His recent "Immunity" video (which can be seen here) features the work of biochemist Linden …

JON HOPKINS
jonhopkins.co.uk

Just when you thought you were all caught up with Jon Hopkins' release of the Mercury Prize-nominated Immunity and the soundtrack How I Live Now, Domino Records announced that Immunity will be getting the "Extended Edition" right before the holidays. If you own that, then you can also look forward to his new single "Collider" (called Collider - Remixes), which is coming out February 24" on 12" and digital.

Hopkins has been very busy this year, particularly with his recent film score for How I Live Now. On that album, there is one track that he collaborated with Natasha Khan (miss Bat for Lashes) for a song called "Garden's Heart".

Jon Hopkins is currently on tour:

01/30 -- Prague, CZ - Palais Acropolis
01/31 -- Budapest, HU @ A38
02/07 -- Milan, IT @ Dude Club
02/08 -- Venice, IT @ Spazio Aereo
02/14 -- Stockholm, SE @ Sonar
02/22 -- London, UK @ The Forum
02/27 -- Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
06/07 -- London, UK @ Field Day Festival

Read More Reverend and the Makers I love this song, and lately it's been playing nonstop on my iPod since Reverend and the Makers's debut album The State of Things, released September 2007 (I actually don't have their album …

REVEREND AND THE MAKERS
reverendmakers.com

If you listen to any of our podcast in the last few years, you know that I have a soft spot for Reverend and the Makers. Since 2010, the band went into hiatus, but apparently, the Reverend is back with Thirtytwo.

Reverend and the Makers' front man Jon McClure has been seen showing up at people's houses to thank them for donating/preordering their Thirtytwo album via the crowd funding Pledge Music. When asked why the Reverend was making house calls, McClure answered, "Basically it's just a way of connecting with our fans and doing summat a bit different. The music scene feels stale to me and this is a way of keeping it interesting for ourselves and for our fans. So far we've done Burnley, Scunthorpe and Sheffield. We like going to places that don't show up in the f***n media focus group surveys. Bring it on."

Thirtytwo comes out February 24, 2014, on Cooking Vinyl Records. Tour dates below.

02/25/14 Leeds Metropolitan University
02/26/14 Hull, The Welly Club
02/27/14 Birmingham, O2 Academy
02/28/14 Preston, 53 Degrees
03/01/14 Liverpool, O2 Academy
03/03/14 Dunfermline, PY Molloys
03/04/14 Glasgow, O2 ABC
03/05/14 Manchester, The Ritz
03/07/14 Sheffield, O2 Academy
03/08/14 Nottingham, Rock City
03/10/14 Bristol, Fleece
03/11/14 Brighton, Concorde 2
03/12/14 Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
03/13/14 London, Electric Ballroom
03/14/14 Norwich, Waterfront

Read More John Brodeur We previously mentioned John Brodeur before. Last month, Brodeur released Little Hopes via Mr. Duck/Sojourn Records, with distribution by Nail/Allegro. …

JOHN BRODEUR
johnbrodeur.com

John Brodeur recently released his so-called "lo-fi" tribute to Elliot Smith with The Last Hour: A Lo-Fi Tribute to Elliott Smith.

Brodeur will be out on the road in 2014 to support his latest album Little Hopes, which we previously mentioned was released in August 2013 on Mr. Duck/Sojourn Records.

John Brodeur upcoming tour dates:

01/12 - Mechanicsburg, PA - Metropolis Collective
01/13 - Johnson City, TN - Acoustic Coffeehouse
01/14 – Nashville, TN - Basement (8 PM)
01/14 - Nashville, TN - Five Spot (9:45 PM)
01/15 - Nashville, TN - Springwater (10 PM)
01/16 - Knoxville, TN - WDVX Blue Plate Special
01/16 - Birmingham, AL - Moonlight on the Mtn
01/17 - South Walton, FL - 30A Songwriters Fest
01/18 - South Walton, FL - 30A Songwriters Fest
01/19 - South Walton, FL - 30A Songwriters Fest
01/20 - Savannah, GA - The Sentient Bean (8 PM)
01/21 - Raleigh, NC - Slim's Downtown (9 PM)
01/22 - Chapel Hill, NC - The Cave (9 PM)
01/23 - Greensboro, NC - The Green Bean (8 PM)
02/21 - San Francisco, CA - The Lost Church
02/22 - Murphys, CA - Black Bart Theater

Fanfare (2013) Downtown

JONATHAN WILSON
songsofjonathanwilson.com

Jonathan Wilson's new album Fanfare came out on Downtown Records and received rave reviews from The London Times ("Fanfare has a serene quality that acts as a tonic for a frenetic age.") The album features contributions from Graham Nash, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Josh Tillman (aka Father John Misty), Wilco's Patrick Sansone, and Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith, Mike Campbell and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench.

Wilson will be touring the U.S. this year, braving the snow and ice:

02/05/14 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
02/07/14 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
02/08/14 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
02/10/14 Toronto, ON Horsehoe Tavern
02/11/14 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
02/12/14 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
02/14/14 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/15/14 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
02/16/14 Washington, DC 6th & I Historic Synagogue
02/18/14 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
02/19/14 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
02/20/14 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
02/22/14 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge

Social Music (2013) Razor & Tie

JON BATISTE
jonbatiste.com

Jon Batiste is the frontman for his band Stay Human. NPR's Weekend Edition recently featured Batiste and Stay Human, as they played songs from their debut album Social Music, out now on Razor & Tie.

Jon Batiste 2014 Tour Dates:

01/09/14 – P.Washington, NY – Jeanne Rimsky
01/13/14 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
01/15/14 – Carmel, IN – Center for the Perf Arts
01/16/14 – Iowa City, IA – Englert Theater
01/17/14 – Kansas City, MO – Folly Theater
01/18/14 – St. Louis, MO – Sheldon Concert Hall
01/19/14 – Des Moines, IA – Civic Center
01/21/14 – Detroit, MI – Jazz Café at Music Hall
01/23/14 – Akron, OH – University of Akron
01/25/14 – Germantown, TN – Germantown Perf
01/26/14 – Nashville, TN – Vanderbilt University
02/08/14 – Park City, UT – George S. + Dolores Eccles Cen
02/13/14 – Charlotte, NC – Blumenthal Performing Arts
02/14/14 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre of Durham
02/15/14 – High Point, NC – High Point Theater
02/16/14 – Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota Orchestra
02/18/14 – Tampa, FL – Ferguson Hall
02/20/14 – Gainesville, FL – Univ of Florida Center
02/22/14 – Decatur, AL – Princess Theater
02/23/14 – Birmingham, AL – Samford University
02/25/14 – Opelika, AL – Polika Center
02/28/14 – Baton Rouge, LA – Manship Theatre
03/02/14 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
03/04/14 – Fort Worth, TX – Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Hall
03/08/14 – Cutler Bay, FL – South Miami Dade Cultural
03/14/14 – Las Vegas, NV – Smith Center – Cabaret Theater
03/15/14 – Las Vegas, NV – Smith Center – Cabaret Theater
03/19/14-03/21/14 – Davis, CA – Center for the Arts
03/29/14 – Washington, DC – Sixth & Historic Synagogue
04/03/14 – Markham, Canada – Markham Theater
04/04/14 – Oakville, Canada – Oakville Centre
04/05/14 – Kingston, Canada – Grand Theater
04/08/14 – Cambridge, MA – Sinclair
04/10/14 – Hampton, VA – American Theatre
04/12/14 – Stony Brook, NY – SUNY Stony Brook
04/13/14 – Bergan Performing Arts Center

vu + dearjohn () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Small things

Read More They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants is one of those bands that I've followed throughout the years, although I have to confess, I wasn't so into their simpler kids albums (No!, Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s…

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
theymightbegiants.com

We can't be silent, because they might be giants. And what are we going to do unless they are?

As you know, we are big TMBG fans here. The band is on fire lately with their Australian tour (and coming back to the USA this month) in support of their latest studio album, Nanobots.

Also, fans may want to record Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on May 24th for TMBG.

05/17: Wellington, NZ @ Bodega
05/18: Auckland, NZ @ The Studio
05/30: Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue #
05/31: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall #
06/01: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue #
06/02: Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre #
06/04: Des Moines, IA @ Wooly's #
06/05: Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown #
06/06: Kansas City, MO @ Crossroads #
06/07: Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
06/08: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot *
06/09: Boise, ID @ Egyptian Theatre *
06/10: Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret #
06/11: Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo #
06/12: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom #
06/14: San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre #
06/15: Anaheim, CA @ HOB #
06/16: San Diego, CA @ Belly Up #

* = w/ Moon Hooch
# = w/ Vandaveer

Read More of Montreal I'm going to go with Of Montreal's "Everyday Feels Like Sunday", which at first I thought was a cover of Morrissey, but, in fact, is not.…

OF MONTREAL
ofmontreal.net

Have you heard of NPR Tiny Desk Concert? This is basically a live performance in an office/desk area. Check out of Montreal's live performance at npr.org as they play three songs: "Feminine Effects", "Imbecile Rages", and "Amphibian Days".

Of Montreal is currently in the middle of their national tour in support of 2012's Paralytic Stalks (but don't be surprised to hear new songs from their upcoming Lousy With Sylvianbriar album). They will be arriving in Minneapolis tomorrow, May 15th.

05/15/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural*
05/16/13 - Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre *
05/17/13 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
05/18/13 - Covington, KY @ Madison Theater *
05/19/13 - Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom *
05/20/13 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
05/21/13 - Boston, MA @ Paradise *
05/22/13 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall *
05/24/13 - Greensboro, NC @ Blind Tiger *
05/25/13 - Frederick, MD @ Flying Dog Brewery
05/28/13 - Honolulu, HI @ Republik #
06/1/2013 - Nagano, Japan @ Taico Club Festival

* w/ Wild Moccasins
# w/ Clones of the Queen & Sing the Body

Read More Jon Hopkins The news announced today is that King Creosote & Jon Hopkins' next EP is called Honest Words and will feature a reworking of their track "Bats in the Attic", from their .…

JON HOPKIN
jonhopkins.co.uk

Jon Hopkins' album, Immunity, is coming out June 4th on Domino Records. His recent "Immunity" video (which can be seen here) features the work of biochemist Linden Gledhill's microscopic time-lapse photography of crystal growth and chemical reactions.

Hopkins will be heading out on tour this Summer:

05/31 - Montreal, QC @ Mutek [Metropolis]
06/04 - Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands
06/12 - London, UK @ Village Underground~
06/13 - Barcelona, ES @ Leisure System
06/23 - Westmeath, IE @ Body & Soul
06/29 - Derry, IE @ Celtronic Festival
07/05 - Amsterdam, NL @ Pitch Festival
07/20 - Gente, BE @ 10 Days Off Festival
08/16 - Berlin, DE @ Berghain
08/17 - Wales, UK @ Green Man Festival
08/23 - Katowice, PL @ Nowa Musyka
09/06 - Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival
09/21 - London, UK @ Koko
10/26 - Munich, DE @ Münchner Kammerspiele

~ w/ The Field (support/solo live show), Nathan Fake (support/DJ set)

GRACIE
facebook.com/petgracie

Bleeder is the new EP from New York's Gracie (aka Andrew Theodore Balasia). The EP came out April 23, 2013 on Small Plates Records.

TRACK LISTING

1. Witnessed
2. Creature Pleaser
3. My Pet
4. Rosemary
5. Pillow
6. ItsSsppookkyy
7. Bleeder
8. Habits

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

It's good to be king

KINGS GO FORTH
kingsgoforth.com

I've seen these guys before, they're a very large lively group. Lots of funk & soul, and more importantly, they're a lot of fun live, as Nicole wrote:

They brought down the house with their funkadelic, soulful sound and fluid energy. This ten-piece band put in work, and there wasn’t a dry forehead in the joint from start to finish.

Before Kings Go Forth sail for a UK tour dates, they're going back to a few US dates - see dates below for more details. Hopefully, they'll be playing some new material from an untitled forthcoming album, otherwise, expect to hear loads of songs from The Outsiders Are Back.

08.20 Cockeysville, MD - Hot August Blues & Roots Fest 08.27 St. Louis, MO - LouFest 09.16 Chicago, IL - Double Door 09.17 Milwaukee, WI - Discovery World Museum 09.23 Portland, OR - Doug Fir 09.24 Seattle, WA - Crocodile 09.26 San Francisco, CA - The Independent 09.27 Los Angeles, CA - Echo 09.28 Las Vegas, NV - Cosmopolitan 09.29 Las Vegas, NV - Cosmopolitan 09.30 Las Vegas, NV - Cosmopolitan 10.01 Las Vegas, NV - Cosmopolitan		10.07 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center 10.14 Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre 10.31 Ghent, Belgium - Vooruit 11.02 Rennes, France - UBU club 11.04 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Gazz 11.05 Lille, France - Bal à Fives 11.06 Ris Orangis, France - Le Plan 11.08 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique 11.09 Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg - Kulturfabrik 11.10 Basel, Switzerland - Kaserne (w/Charles Bradley) 11.11 Arles, France - Cargo de Nuit 11.12 Montpellier, France - Cosmic Groove

KINGS OF CONVENIENCE www.kingsofconvenience.com We've mentioned these guys a few times. It looks like that this Norwegian duo (Erlend Øye and Eirik Gambek Boe) are back in the US for two confirmed dates in California. Kings Of Convenience Tour Dates: 10/26 Los Angeles The Music Box 10/28 San Francisco The Fillmore		KINGS OF LEON kingsofleon.com Guess who's not on tour? It's Kings of Leon. Citing vocal issues and exhaustion for lead singer Caleb Followill, the band decided to cancel their entire US our dates, which leaves Canada in September and Australia in November. It should be noted that they've only played four US dates before this unexpected cancellation. Perhaps things are not going well between band members, who knows.
THE STEAMBOAT KINGS thesteamboatkings.com The Steamboat Kings are a new Minneapolis band, although they've been around for at least two years. They're self-described as "folksy" and "neo-ragtime". Their self-titled debut album came out in early 2011, and they are planning on a regional tour this or next year. It looked like I missed their big show with Grace Weber earlier last month.		THE KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR wolfgangsvault.com I'll sum up the announcement, you can listen to "The King Biscuit Flower Hour" at 4pm ET live from East Village Radio for free. The show that aired on July 27th featured an hour of Roxy Music at City Hall in Newcastle, England on October 28th, 1974 and there will be three new King Biscuit Flower Hour this summer. This is in partnership with Wolfgang's Vault, you can access some archived shows at wolfgangsvault.com.
WE THE KINGS wethekingsmusic.com We the Kings (with The Summer Set, Hot Chelle Rae, and The Downtown Fiction) are currently on tour. Australian dates features different support acts. Aug 02 Crofoot - Pontiac, MI Aug 03 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL Aug 04 Rave - Milwaukee, WI Aug 05 Durty Nellies - Palatine, IL Aug 06 Station 4 - St Paul, MN Aug 07 Blue Moose - Iowa City, IA Aug 09 Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO Aug 10 Club Sound - Salt Lake City, UT Aug 12 Regency Ballroom - SF, CA Aug 13 House of Blues - Anaheim, CA Aug 14 The Nile - Mesa, AZ Aug 15 The Rock - Tucson, AZ		PROPHETS & KINGS prophetsandkings.net Tennessee's Prophets & Kings (P&K) is about to release their self-titled debut album next week, August 9, 2011. Based on a picture of the band, they look really young/green that it's a turn off. I'm not asking people to wear suits and ties, but standing around in your undies with AK automatic guns doesn't exactly scream mature. I'm sure they are really fun guys who don't take themselves too seriously (especially when their twitter handle is "peekings"). Since I didn't listen to their music because of their cover artwork, but according to P&K, their music is described as a cross between "danceable pop and experimental electro". Think Yeasayer, Dan Deacon and Cut Copy-type.
KING POST KITSCH www.kingpostkitsch.co.uk The Party's Over is the debut album by King Post Kitsch. It was released last week via Avalanche Records. Free download of: King Post Kitsch: Walking on Eggshells		KATO facebook.com Based in Los Angeles, Ijhman Wycoff is better known for his rap alias, Kato. His upcoming EP, Plastic Dreams & Paper Nightmares will be available soon. You can preview one of his track, "The Plastic King", featuring some samples of Lil Wayne's "Dear Anne".
KING LOUIE'S MISSING MONUMENTS facebook.com/MissingMonuments I honestly could not understand their written biography, which reads: "With the Missing Monuments, King Louie Bankston leaves behind the wrecking-ball o’ grease that propelled his One Man Band and gets back to his power pop roots that were sharpened during his time in the seminal Exploding Hearts." Seriously, I don't understand it. All I know is that their album, Painted White, is out now.		KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINS kingcreosote.com The news announced today is that King Creosote & Jon Hopkin's next EP is called Honest Words and will feature a reworking of their track "Bats in the Attic", from their Mercury-nominated album Diamond Mine. The EP comes out 20th September 2011 on 12” vinyl and digital download. Full track listing and additional details at Domino Records (we love this label!).

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