Wednesday Music News

Here's a smattering of music news from around the web-o-sphere:

- Wolfgang's Vault, the amazing archive of recorded concerts dating back to rock's golden era, is going LIVE for Download action: Billboard reports "Beginning Nov. 3, [Wolfgang's Vault] will add more than 1,000 titles from 919 artists to the approximately 500 that are currently available for purchase from the site's Concert Vault section, Bill Sagan, CEO and founder of Wolfgang's Vault LLC and its parent company, Norton LLC, tells Billboard.com. The additions will include more than 160 Grateful Dead concerts as well as titles from artists such as Santana, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Hall & Oates, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jethro Tull, Chicago, Miles Davis, Dolly Parton, Merle Travis and many others."

- Former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry sits in with his buddies in Athens for Beatles, McCoys' covers, SPIN reports: "Berry, who last played with his old buddies in 2007 when R.E.M. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, kept the beat while frequent R.E.M. collaborator and Minus 5 main man Scott McCaughey took lead vocals. Buck played bass with his back to the audience, almost as if to protect Berry from the crowd -- and to keep in time with his longtime sticksman. Mills sang backing vocals and grooved along on tambourine."

- England's The Horrors played Phoenix the other night. I missed it, but PHX indie music blog Electric Mustache has got the goods.

- I love this picture of Fitz and the Tantrums, even though i'v not heard one lick of their music. But you can right here. "SONGS FOR A BREAK-UP VOL.1 was recorded entirely in Fitz’s living room, using one crappy old mic. The songs are influenced by ’67 AM radio, Motown and early Hall and Oates records. Fitz was born in France and moved to L.A. as a child. This half French, half Irish kid fended off the California rays with a lot of sunscreen to emerge as an artist with a vision. A soulful voice with infectious songs, Fitz’s music makes you wanna’ grab a tambourine and dance."

- Need a new music fix? Check out some of these releases from Pitchfork's recommended new release list.

And a requisite video clip of the day: Surf's Up - Beach Boys (with Spanish subtitles!)

"And Party Every Day" - The Casablanca Records story

In the 1970s, there was a record label called Casablanca Records. This is its story, written by its co-founder and filled with all the goodness one would expect from one of the era's drugged-up businesses.

"In the 1970s, America was a banquet of hedonism and self-indulgence, and no person or company in that era of narcissism and druggy gluttony was more emblematic of the times than Casablanca Records and its magnetic founder, Neil Bogart.

From Bogart’s daring first signing, the positively pyrotechnic KISS; through the discovery and superstardom of Donna Summer, the Village People, and funkmaster George Clinton and his circus of freaks, Parliament Funkadelic; to the label’s descent into the manic world of disco and its attendant vices, AND PARTY EVERY DAY charts Casablanca’s meteoric rise and eventual collapse.

Written with great candor and humor by Larry Harris, Casablanca’s cofounder and former senior vice president and managing director, AND PARTY EVERY DAY is the only definitive, firsthand look at Casablanca’s remarkable story and a breathtaking view of ambition, greed, excess, and that great American era of extravagance. It features never-before-seen photos, including KISS’s 1973 audition for Casablanca and candid backstage shots."

Order it direct from Backbeat Books.

Garage Rock Wednesday!

Holy Cripes - It's The Brogues with "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" (from Nuggets) Listen to that guitar!

Stream "Reservoir" from Fanfarlo

LISTEN! These are great songs from the CD "Reservoir" from the UK band Fanfarlo - well sung, played and recorded. Play them for yourself. I'm totally enthralled with this. Looks like the US CD comes out in two weeks. Import available at Amazon for $30-some.

Rock Clip of the Week - Fanfarlo, Luna - live in Philly

I just stumbled across this track today from the group Fanfarlo - you can read more about this exciting UK band AND stream their debut record at Clashmusic. [Read a fine review of the band's debut CD over at NME.]

Here's the song 'Luna' - this really comes alive in this clip here from the band's Philly show last week:



The band returns home to play a UK tour next week.

Rhino Records and 'Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968'

Wow - Great news for this garage rocker from Rhino Records, which has released a new 4CD compilation Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968!

For anyone who has the original Nuggets 4-CD box (and the British equivalent), this looks cool as another 'lost gems' audio treat.

Unfortunately, a CD collection like this may soon be a relic itself! Glorious Noise reports that Rhino Records has "....laid off most of their employees. Why? Because of the "fundamental transformation of the physical new release and catalog business." Which translates to no more awesome box sets with crazy, unique packaging and informative, well-written, well-researched liner notes. And that's just really fucking sad."

Indeed. Rhino seems to have been the mainstay in putting together these great compilations of classic rock n roll over the past fifty years. It will not be the same for sure.

But back to the release of Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 - you can read a fantastic LA Weekly interview with Andrew Sandoval, the creator of this set, in which he speaks of why it took three years to get this box set done: "So we conceptualized the four different discs that we would do, and then we all made lists of groups. And we had this long list of groups. Then I basically started picking the songs for each group, and I had other people contribute, and give me their mix CDs of stuff they thought should be on it, and whittled it down. Then it went to licensing, and licensing took a long time. Because a lot of these labels, especially Universal, which owns the biggest amount of old labels, they couldn't find any paperwork related to records that they owned. For instance, the Modern Folk Quartet, as their best known, we requested "Night Time Girl." They couldn't find anything, wouldn't claim ownership. And, I was looking at my single, and I said, 'On this one record, they were called the Modern Folk Quintet. Would you try again?' And they were like, 'Oh yeah. Your license is approved.' That's all it took."

[LA Weekly also had a fine preview of the Box set - read it here.]

The promo notes read: " WHERE THE ACTION IS! encompasses four discs arranged thematically to cover different aspects of the pop, rock, club and Top 40 sounds of the era. The first covers some of the most notable bands that performed in the clubs of Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Disc two features a sampling of the musicians who began life in South L.A., East L.A. and such far-flung suburbs as Riverside and Bakersfield. The third delves into the artistry of L.A.'s producers, arrangers and Wrecking Crew of studio players. The final disc takes us from the nascent seeds of folk rock to the first blooms of canyon rock, country rock and full-blown psychedelia in the region. It also shows how rock pioneers such as Del Shannon and Rick Nelson took their own stabs at fitting in with "the kids." Among the many highlights are: an alternate take of The Beach Boys' "Heroes And Villains," Warren Zevon and producer Bones Howe performing "(You Used To) Ride So High" as The Motorcycle Abeline, "Take A Giant Step" by The Rising Sons, "Acid Head" by The Velvet Illusions," local scenester Kim Fowley's "Underground Lady," Jan & Dean's "Fan Tan," The Monkees' "Daily Nightly," Jesse Lee Kincaid's "She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune," "Come To The Sunshine" by Van Dyke Parks, "Sister Marie" by Nilsson and "Hippy Elevator Operator" by The W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band."

I'm all for archiving lost rock classics - among many, Bomp and Voxx have done this for years. But without Rhino in the picture, who's going to pick up the large upfront costs to do this? Ah, modern times rock 'n roll.

So for a eulogy/funeral of sorts, let's slap some mid-60s LA rock vids below and call it a psychedelic smoke-out for this Friday!

The Music Machine - The People in Me


The Kaleidoscope - Pulsating Dream


The Monkees - Daily Nightly


The Golden Dawn - Starvation

The Who - New Mod Doc coming in November - plus Swedish Popside TV 1966

So I went out and splurged a big $9.99 on the October issue of the British rock mag Uncut the other day, primarily to dig into the pieces on The Who, Big Star and Os Mutantes. And all of 'em are fine reads. So pick it up at your local Barnes & Noble.

And while on the topic of The Who, my pals at MVD have sent along news that yet another docu-look at the Who and their influence on the Mods is coming to US distribution in November. It's called "The Who, The Mods and The Quadrophenia Connection", out on November 17th in North America.

"The band, the movement, the album, the second wave, the movie and now the 30th anniversary of the latter two, all make for a story that needs to be told in depth. That is exactly what this film does. Using recently unearthed archive footage from the early movement, rarely seen performance and interview footage of The Who, plus expert contributions and comment from a panel headed by friend of Pete Townsend and the band's 'Mr Fixit' throughout their career, Richard Barnes, and featuring; mod experts Paolo Hewitt and Terry Rawlins; the ever delightful owner of Acid Jazz records, DJ and broadcaster, Eddie Pillar; members of Mod revivalists The Chords and The Purple Hearts; Who biographer and 1960s expert, Alan Clayson and a host of others."

The DVD doc will include tracks such as; My Generation, Anyway, Anywhere, Anyhow, Won't Get Fooled Again. The Real Me, Sea and Sand, Cut My Hair, I'm One, Bell Boy, 5:15, Love Reign O'er Me, plus cuts by Georgie Fame, Booker T and The MGs, The Jam , The Chords and numerous others. Looks cool to me.

The Who are also touring the US of A starting in October for about 8 weeks. See them if you've never.

Lastly, let's revisit The Who's Mod days - here's some great footage in four parts from a 1966 Swedish TV broadcast called Popside.

Weezer 'Raditude' - Canine Cool

Fact: Weezer has a new CD coming out soon called 'Raditude' - here's the cover and the backstory.


Now, folks are having a FIELD DAY with the flying dog photo image - check these!





It's pretty fuckin' brilliant all the way around - see all the submissions at Spinner.com's story and 'Raditude' cover contest page - so many to see!

Pela Breaks Up

I was saddened when I read at Brooklyn Vegan that Brooklyn rockers Pela had announced their split. I dug Pela the few times I saw 'em. Great passion, cool songs and a commitment onstage that beat others to dirt.

Their 9/18 blog post reads:
"Over the past 2 years we’ve faced tremendous obstacles. We recorded an album twice, had a falling out/legal battle with our old label, fired 2 managers, had a big record deal fall through, and Billy had a hand injury followed by a foot injury. We’ve worked tirelessly to get our music out of ourselves and into your ears. We worked endlessly to make the music and our live show the best we could. At the end of the day we had to start dealing with some realizations."

I wonder what those 'realizations' were...My guess is with the economy in the dumpers, many bands are having a tough time drawing folks out to shows, and that's causing economic strains for being in a under-the-radar indie touring band. But who really knows? Be good Pela - thanks for the rock.

Here's a video from May 09 of a pretty cool performance of their song 'Chapel'

Pearl Jam - Backspacer release

The brand new Pearl Jam CD (the band's 9th) is out - it's called 'Backspacer' and it's being self-released by the band (no small feat). On Sunday, no less. (Buy it here)

Lots of comments from fans show thumbs up all around. And guess what, critics are loving it too - Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield (great music guy) likes it; so does LA Times writer Ann Powers. PopMatters writes "Backspacer is the sound of Pearl Jam actually having fun again..."
I agree - at least the first half of the new LP is rockin' cool. I can't say that about the slower songs near the end, pretty though they are...

The first three songs - Gonna See My Friend, Got Some and The Fixer - ROAR out of the gate. I especially like the vocal flashbacks to Devo's "Gut Feeling" in 'Got Some' (Go ahead - check it: "Got some if you NEED it" // "Got a gut FEELin") - check a killer live version of Got Some here:


Here's a video documercial about the new rock and roll effort (Question: Who's the Aussie Michael Chugg in this video?? Someone tell me why?):


You can hear all the new songs at their MySpace page. They are:
1. "Gonna See My Friend" Vedder 2:49
2. "Got Some" Jeff Ament 3:02
3. "The Fixer" Cameron, McCready, Gossard 2:58
4. "Johnny Guitar" Cameron, Gossard 2:50
5. "Just Breathe" Vedder 3:36
6. "Amongst the Waves" Gossard 3:59
7. "Unthought Known" Vedder 4:09
8. "Supersonic" Gossard 2:40
9. "Speed of Sound" Vedder 3:34
10. "Force of Nature" McCready4:04
11. "The End" Vedder 2:58

Rock Clip of the Week - Pavement, Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence

Wow! What a week! Pavement, the '90s slacker indie rocker band from Stockton, CA and parts East, are reforming! The band is confirmed for three (!) shows in NYC's Central Park a year from now, according to Pitchfork reports, as well as a world tour that's getting planned. Pavement fans around the world must be shitting their pants in excitement.

Pavement guitarist Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg told Rolling Stone:"It’s not gonna be like Echo and the Bunnymen, where they don’t talk to each other, yet they tour every year. I flew in to see them do Ocean Rain at Radio City last year, and it was good, but it wasn’t the same, you know? I don’t think we’ll be that way. We’re not still trying to flog a record or anything. It’ll probably feel like we’re just starting again. It’ll be fun to play these songs."

I sorta missed the Pavement boat - I was in Europe until about '97 and never saw 'em live. And then got deep into Guided By Voices (very, very, very deep). But I have at least four Pavement CDs, including the Slanted deluxe reissue and I love singing some of their classics (Cut Your Hair, Major League, Range Life, etc.). But as my NYC pals would attest, I never connected mentally with Pavement songs. But maybe it's time for a revisit this weekend.

So here's the Waved Rumor Rock Clip of the Week - Pavement doing that cool song from the fine 1993 compilation CD "No Alternative" CD - Unseen Power of the Picket Fence. Follow along with the lyrics. They're all about REM.



"Some bands I like to name check,
And one of them is REM,
Classic songs with a long history
Southern boys just like you and me.
R - E - M
Flashback to 1983,
Chronic Town was their first EP
Later on came Reckoning
Finster's art, and titles to match:
South Central Rain, Don't Go Back To Rockville,
Harbourcoat, Pretty Persuasion,
You were born to be a camera,
Time After Time was my least favourite song,
Time After Time was my least favourite song.
The singer, he had long hair
And the drummer he knew restrait.
And the bass man he had all the right moves
And the guitar player was no saint.
So lets go way back to the ancient times
When there were no 50 states,

And on a hill there stands Sherman
Sherman and his mates.
And they're marching through Georgia,
we're marching through Georgia,
we're marching through Georgia
G-G-G-G-Georgia
They're marching through Georgia,
we're marching through Georgia,
marching through Georgia
G-G-G-G-Georgia
and there stands REM

(Aye Sir, Aye Sir, Aye Sir they're coming, Aye Sir, move those wagons, Aye
Sir, Artillery's in place Sir, Aye Sir, Aye Sir, hide it, hide it, Aye
Sir, run, run.)"

DFactor 'Slashing the Sunlight' Songs - "In Our Time" and "Lookin' for You"

The last two songs from my new CD "Slashing the Sunlight" are up! Final two of the 12! And THAT'S not all! There is a hidden track for full CD downloaders - when you download the full LP you ALSO get my seering rendition of one of the great powerpop garage rockers of all time.

So, 13 tracks for the price of 12, or something like tha-a-a-t...

Here's what I wrote about the two songs:
- In Our Time - "I've been knockin' this one around for a few years - it's kinda garage-y pop with a Teenage Fanclub admiration. Teenage lust and heartache boiled in ages long ago. Wish I'd gotten a better recording of it. Maybe next time. Bass solo!"

- Lookin' for You - "A ditty about money gone missing, deal gone wrong, trusts mislaid and threats delivered. Kinda like the old music industry! A good end to the CD, methinks. I like the middle part. And the echoed vocals. Was it silver or gold?"

Both songs can be downloaded at Dfactor.me for a buck. Full album for a tenner. Drop me your address an email at dfactorpop at gmail dot com if you want to order one directly. We can do paypal.

REM Film "This is Not A Show" World Premiere 9/29/09

If you're in Minneapolis on the 29th of September, you can pick up tix to see the film about REM's rehearsals in Dublin back in the summer of 2007. Here's the news from REMHQ.com:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This Is Not A Show, the film by Vincent Moon and Jeremiah chronicling the band's working rehearsals in Dublin, Ireland, at the Olympia Theatre in summer 2007, will have its world premiere screening at the 10th annual Sound Unseen film festival in Minneapolis on September 29th at the Cedar Cultural Center.

Documenting a self-described "experiment in terror" for the band, French filmmakers Vincent Moon (noted for his work with Arcade Fire, The Shins, and The National, among many others, as well as his Takeaway Shows and work with R.E.M. on ninetynights.com and supernaturalsuperserious.com) and Jeremiah provide a fascinating up-close look at these ambitious live rehearsals. By showing us sets out of chronological order, alternating between black-and-white performance footage and behind-the-scenes color sequences, and toying with the audiences field of view, we are always kept engaged and eagerly anticipating what's to come. It is impossible not to be hooked as the film draws to a close all too soon, leaving viewers with the palpable frantic energy of these shows, wishing they could have been there in person, but knowing they got the next best thing. A treat for die hard R.E.M. fans as well as novices, This Is Not A Show is not to be missed. Director Vincent Moon presents with a discussion to follow the screening."

This Is Not A Show
World Premiere (Tickets are $10)
The Cedar Cultural Center
416 Cedar Avenue, South
Minneapolis, MN

Here's the trailer:
Drive - Live at the Olympia in Dublin

Johnny Ramone - Died five years ago today - Sept. 15, 2004

Five years ago today, Johnny Ramone died after a long battle with prostrate cancer. From Wikipedia: "He met future bandmate Douglas Colvin, later to become Dee Dee Ramone, in the early 1970s when he was delivering dry cleaning. They would eat lunch together and discuss their mutual love of bands like the Stooges and MC5. They went to Manny's Guitar Emporium in New York City in January 1974. Johnny bought a used blue Mosrite Ventures II for $54 and change, including tax. On the same trip Colvin bought a Danelectro bass. They collaborated with future bandmate Jeffrey Hyman and formed the Ramones, with the almost-unknown Richie Stern on bass, who left after a few rehearsals. Erdelyi joined the band in the summer of that year, after failed public auditions for the position of Ramones drummer. Although Johnny Ramone wasn't as prolific of a songwriter as his bandmates, especially Dee Dee Ramone, his guitar style was a key part of the Ramones sound and was a major punk rock influence."



Let's remember him with a song or three from Arturo Vega's Lower East Side loft in 1975. 1-2-3-4!

U2 - Chicago Show - The Reviews

Irish stadium rock band U2 returned to "AMER-IKA" last night for the first show of its fall 'Claw' tour in Chicago's Soldier Field.


(image from U2.com)

U2's own review page provided the setlist:
Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
Elevation
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck In A Moment (You Can't Get Out Of)
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
Bad
--------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

ChicagoNow has a collection of Twitpics.

Longtime Chicago music writers Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis both reviewed the show (and props to Kot for including a video as well - it's embeddded below)

Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot wrote:
"The band was on its game. Not usually applauded for its sense of swing, U2 has shown an underappreciated affinity for getting down since “Mysterious Ways” bellydanced its way into discos during the early ‘90s. Because bassist Adam Clayton owns the best moments on “No Line on the Horizon,” it was only fitting that the rhythm section ruled Saturday. Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen amped up the dance beats, and even Bono’s vocals took on a more rhythmic sing-speak cadence. Even a well-tested crowd-pleaser such as “Where the Streets Have No Name” sounded refreshed, with the Edge’s metallic-toned guitar taking a ride on the bass-drums rhythm train. An even bigger surprise was the transformation of the otherwise annoyingly trite “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” into a full-on house rave-up, fitting given Chicago’s rich club culture."

-- Chicago Sun Time Rock Guy Jim DeRogatis tell readers what he really thinks:
"In between the bounty of new tunes, the band trotted out the expected crowd-pleasers--"Beautiful Day," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Where the Streets Have No Name"--though some of these were truncated or delivered medley-style with awkward bits of covers ("Blackbird," "Stand By Me," "Oliver's Army"), with choppy and unsatisfying results. As always, the deft rhythm section of drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton did their best to keep things moving, and the Edge was a deceptively simple one-man orchestra. Meanwhile, Bono posed and preened, emoted and yowled, flogging every millimeter of charisma he possesses. But as someone who's seen the group on nearly every tour since it first came to the U.S., I never found what I was looking for--that perfect mix of genuine passion and stadium-rock showmanship."

-- Rolling Stone's Andy Greene was a bit more gracious to the U2 juggernaught - he liked what he saw:

"After a crowd sing-along “With Or Without You” Bono told the crowd to wave hold their cellphones into the air. “Turn this place into the Milky Way,” he said as a giant disco ball came out on top of the stage. The simple effect truly made it seem like the stadium had reached outerspace, with thousands of cellphone lights turning into stars. They ended with an emotionally charged “Moment of Surrender,” perhaps the best song they’ve written this decade. As they took their final bows to thunderous applause, Bono looked quite pleased as he walked up to the mic one last time: “Thank you,” he said. “What an opening night!”

Here's Greg Kot's 'right-after-the-show' review from Soldier Field grounds:


See more great pics from the show at U2mofo's Flickr page.

Rock Clip(s) of the Week - The Jam and Gang of Four, 1981 TV clips

I've had clips on Waved Rumor from The Jam (and 'From The Jam') on here before, so this is nothing new. But the song that Ive chosen is a new one to my YouTube eyes and ears - a killer version of 'Pretty Green' (from Tom Snyder's late night Tomorrow TV show in 1981).

"This is the Pretty Green, this is society,
you got nothin' unless it's in your pocket oh no"

and what about Weller's guitar in this! Whew!



And just for kicks, since Paul Weller's guitar above is sooooooooo G of 4, let's throw in a Gang of Four track from the same year. From The Old Grey Whistle Test, here's Gang of Four eradicating poverty in one full energy swoop! Shame about the fade out at the end.

"To hell with poverty, we'll get drunk on cheap wine!"

The Return of Hall & Oates - Box set, shows, more

Hall & Oates are gettin' it on again. The great songwriting and performing duo that hit big in the 1970s and 1980s are back in a pretty big way (read below), though they never really stopped performing individually. They were always up to their solo things, most recently with Darryl Hall's Live from Darryl's House (which is a pretty cool view).

Their press kids write: "From the success of the web TV series Live From Daryl’s House, to the dance scene in the recent film (500) Days of Summer featuring “You Make My Dreams Come True,” to constant touring including one of the last concerts at The Spectrum in Philly on Oct 23rd, and leading right up to the release of the 4 CD box set Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall and John Oates (RCA/Legacy) on Oct 6th, Daryl Hall and John Oates’ relevancy in pop culture is as strong in 2009 as it’s ever been."

No doubt about it - both musicians look and sound great, and there's no reason why they can't do huge business. The duo is playing shows and making people sing along - too bad the Phoenix show got cancelled.

Hall & Oates' deluxe box set called "Do What You Want, Be What You Are" comes out on Oct. 6. Darryl Hall told The Daily News this last week:

"It was a really interesting process in putting together this box, because I controlled the songs. A lot of times, with box sets, it's what the record company thinks is important. I thought it was important that we put on the songs that define the arc of our creative career, and not just the hits. The hits are there. But much more, much deeper than that. To hear songs that I had almost forgotten about, and to hear it all in a big gulp like that, I sort of became objective about my own music ..." Hall said. "We have done some amazing work, I have to say. It astounds even me."

I saw Hall & Oates once live, back on their Big Bam Boom tour in the mid-'80s - I was up front in the first 15 rows (a sweet ticket gift from a friend) and the band rocked it out and the girls wet their pants. Me? I likely just sang along.

Here's a great clip from Hall & Oates' Los Angeles concert last week:

New Dfactor Songs - 09/09/09

It's 09/09/09 and I like it. Dig my new phat phunky beats, yo. I'm like Kunnar the Warrior on acid with a phreakbeat.

Or maybe it's just cool, catchy pop songs about chicks and dudes. :-)

Fresh songs from my upcoming CD 'Slashing the Sunlight' right here - 'Next Big Thing is Here' and 'On My Mind'.

Stream them here on the ReverbNation player! CDs should be available to buy next week at CDBaby.

Shows, Shows, Shows

BeardRock show promoter Stateside Presents is burning up the Phoenix nights! Have a look at upcoming shows in Phoenix.

The Beatles Remastered Box Set

All of the original 17 British LPs by The Beatles originally mixed in mono and stereo are becoming available in new remastered versions. Suffice to say I'm no audiophile (more of a song 'n dance man), so I'm not even gonna try and talk about the remastered versions. But others are - click below to go to them:

- Rolling Stones review

- Tone Audio's audiophile review

- Giles Martin interview

- Jen Aswad at MTV insights

- Amazon discussion Board

New Imeem Mix - The Strokes

Have a great Labor Day weekend (US shakin')! You UK Birds have fun shakin' the Bank Holiday? Right? In any case, I just uploaded a new Imeem Strokes Mix in the right column and it's also embedded below. Dig the rock! (PS - Julian Casablancas is playing live shows and releasing new music!)

The Strokes Mix

(Truly Vintage) Rock Clip(s) of the Week - The Beatles, pre-Rock Band era

From The Beatles' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame section:

"September 4-11, 1962: The Beatles hold their first recording sessions at EMI Studios in London, with George Martin as producer."

"It was 47 years today, George Martin taught the boys to play..." Nuff said. Works for me this weekend. This week's Rock Clip(s) of the week is early Beatles shit (and the Rock Band trailer). Photos, videos, links. Ya know, before next week's post Labor Day launch of The Beatles Rock Band (aka 09-09-09). To make us all forget awhile about the economy. Or health care reform. Or Noel Gallagher's leaving Oasis. Definitely. Maybe.

The Beatles 1957-1960 (pics) and rare early version of "Here Comes the Sun"


The Beatles, 1961 or 1962 - Original video has no audio - audio from the LP The Beatles Live at Star Club


The Beatles in Germany 1960-1962 (pictures and rare songs)


The Beatles in Liverpool, 1962 (Cavern Club)


The Beatles Swedish TV Show 'Drop In' 1963


And you know the rest of the story from 1964 onwards, doncha?

Fast Forward to September 2009
Beatles Mashed-Up Trailer for Rock Band - 30 of 45 songs featured below

MidWeek Musical Mania

Lots of fun items for this week's MidWeek Musical Mania! (I just made that term up - send retweets on it wherever possible... I KID!)

- Grant Hart, former Husker Du songwriter/drummer and solo artist is putting out new music in October called Hot Wax. He describes one of the songs this way:
""The song 'Narcissus, Narcissus' is my first attempt at combining ancient Greek mythology and American rock-a-billy. By merging those influences with an ice cream truck atmosphere I think I have found a style that defines this period of my career." Whoop! Sounds like a God-like summer hootenanny!

- Lots of hot bodies, hot guitars and daring young men in suits in a new video from Canadian indie-popsters The Lovely Feathers for their song "Lowiza". It's on their new CD 'Fantasy of the Lot'.

- Billboard covers the return of Mark Knopfler and his new release 'Get Lucky' and tour next Spring. "Knopfler is anxious to play the news songs from "Get Lucky," which he recorded at his award-winning British Grove Studios in West London, but he promises that he'll still dip generously into the hits, especially from his Dire Straits catalog."

- You can hear The Used new CD 'Artwork' when you work it for the band on twitter! "The Used have released their new album, "Artwork", in stores now. Alternative Press is calling the new album "...not only the definitive album of their career but arguably one of the best records you'll hear in 2009." The limited edition, first run only, CD/DVD is available now at all retailers. iTunes bonus track version contains 4 extra songs. The Used is also inviting users to take part in the first-ever 24-hour tweet-for-ticket album listening party! Their virtual listening party for Artwork, gives fans an album stream in exchange for only one tweet!

- You like classic rock DVDs? Get a load of these! Canned Heat, Edgar Winter, Vanilla Fudge and more!

Teenage Bottlerocket - New Songs, Fall tour dates

Awesome to learn tonight that Teenage Bottlerocket is coming to Tempe's The Sets club to rock us out later this fall - I love this band's fast and loud anthems and melodic powerpunk. Their new CD "They Came From the Shadows" gets released in two weeks! Info below.

[9/3/09 UPDATE: I read that The Sets has now closed. Rock casualty of the economy. Hopefully Teenage Bottlerocket will find another cool venue to play here]

The band writes on its MySpace page: Hey Everyone! You can pre-order our new record “They Came From The Shadows” at fatwreck.com. You also get a limited edition Teenage Bottlerocket t-shirt with your pre-order! Dont forget to visit our myspace page to check out our new song ”Skate Or Die” - We have some more tour dates posted at our myspace as well. We look forward to hanging out with everyone soon.
Thanks,
TBR

New EP from The Octagon - Arm Brain Heart Liver

Big week for The Octagon (pals of mine from NYC), whose new EP ARM BRAIN HEART AND LIVER is out on Serious Business Records.

"The Octagon are the underground kings of lo-fi rock, and the band thoroughly secures its title with Arm Brain Heart and Liver, a free prequil to 2010's vinyl epic Warm Love and Cool Dreams Forever. A little grunge, a little punk, and more than a little poetry combine to make this The Octagon's finest material to date. Their ostensibly simple 3-chord approach to making music provides a vessel for creativity that produces a style of music akin to The Replacements or the Japandroids, but that surpasses any comparision in its ability to truly communicate."

You can share your love with the band at the EP site and grab the music for free. That's right, FREE! The Octagon plays a mix of cool punk, old pop, new grunge and semi-wave to create a raggedly thrilling sound of their own. And the band is teaming up with Kleenex Girl Wonder to do an opening show Thursday night in Brooklyn. Should be killer!

Bassist Will wrote about the EP a few week's ago at the band's MySpace site: "The title track is my own, featuring my singing and erstwhile classical guitar playing; Zack wrote the others. "...Wizard" features the robust 5AM vocal stylings of Edward Hale, Joseph Petrucelli and Kaben Schwartz. Joe also sang a bit on Reiki. These joints were recorded live to four track at our practice space in March, the same sessions that yielded our forthcoming 3rd full-length. Travis Harrison aka Mr Business did the mixing, Harris Newman did the mastering."

Boston Spaceships - From Zero to 99 (out in October)

Robert Pollard's creative muse knows no boundaries or slowdowns. Writer's block? Forget it. Laziness to record? Forget it. Another week, another LP in the can - sure!

Just got word that you can now pre-order the October release of Pollard's 'band' Boston Spaceships' upcoming CD "From Zero to 99" at Pollard's The Factory of Raw Essentials (a great name for his record fiefdom, yes?).

Here's the first song being released from it - Question Girl All Right

It seems I'm still ingesting Pollard's most recent solo release 'Elephant Jokes' (which is great) - and I am; it's only been what, 7 weeks since I got it? And I've been dealing with my own music release as well.

But it's good news all around - more Pollard is better than less Pollard!