Mick Signals

The Morning Benders – All Day Daylight video

The official video for The Morning Benders “All Day Daylight” from their album The Big Echo out now.

Black Mountain – The Hair Song video

The official video for Black Mountain’s “The Hair Song” from their upcoming Wilderness Heart album due out soon!

Directed by Zoe Bower and Simon Chan.

Hard Target – Fade 2 Black video featuring Laws

Music video for Hard Target’s “Fade 2 Black” featuring Laws, from his latest mixtape release Southern Axesent, available now.

Directed by SDMCreations.

Chilly Gonzales Announces Special US Shows And New Video!

Watch “BITTERSUITE” HERE

(feel free to post and share!)

The new video for the song “Bittersuite”, from the new Chilly Gonzales album Ivory Tower (Sept. 14; Arts & Crafts), is comprised of scenes from the film of the same name, produced/written/starring the maestro himself, along with a cast of characters played by cohorts Peaches, Tiga, and Feist.

In this video we find a flashback of the egomaniacal Hershell (Gonzales) missing the performance of his girlfriend, Marsha Thirteen (Peaches), as she presents her new work, “Violinstillation.” It’s an amazing track, and another sneak peek into the film — and the crazy world of Chilly Gonzales!

The critically-acclaimed “entertainist” and self-proclaimed hardest working man in show business is coming back to the US for two special shows in LA and NYC. The last time Gonzales performed in the States was earlier this year for his infamous Piano Talk Shows, which featured high-profile guest collaborators Andrew WK, Sia, A-Track, and Princess Superstar. His shows are known for his clever, semi-autobiographical rap lyrics over original piano works, with additional laugh-out-loud storytelling intermixed. He never disappoints!

And in case you missed the news, the current iPad campaign is featuring the track “Never Stop” off Ivory Tower. you can check out the commercial HERE.

Don’t Miss Chilly Gonzales Perform Live
combined with a screening of his film “Ivory Tower”!

September 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
September 21 – New York, NY @ Galapagos

BETTIE SERVEERT TO TOUR NORTH AMERICA IN SUPPORT OF NEW RECORD PHARMACY OF LOVE

Bettie Serveert are heading out on a rare North American tour this fall in support of their most well-received record in many years, Pharmacy of Love, released by Second Motion Records in the U.S. and by Sound of Pop in Canada. The tour comes on the heels of praise for the record, with Blurt applauding Carol Van Dyk’s “sauve-but-take-no-bullshit voice” and Venus Zine calling the music the “perfect setting for lyrics that examine the anguish and vagaries of life, and the monsters and villains that haunt us.”

With the band employing a “back to basics” approach, Pharmacy of Love captures the kind of raw, contagious energy that has long characterized Bettie Serveert’s live shows. Recorded in a Belgian recording studio, founding members Carol van Dyk (vocals/guitar), Peter Visser (guitar) and Herman Bunskoeke (bass) were joined on the new album by special guest Joppe Molenaar (of the Dutch band Voicst) on drums. “It’s the blow upon a bruise,” sings van Dyk on “Love Lee,” and the phrase perfectly describes Bettie Serveert’s proclivity for cloaking the starkest emotions with verve and aplomb. From the urgent “Deny All” to the anguished album closer, “What They Call Love,” Pharmacy of Love is a masterful collection of songs that are by turns raucous, shimmering and shiver-inducing as they examine the unpredictability of life and love. You can check out the video for “Deny All” at:

Bettie Serveert released its debut album, Palomine, in 1992. Signed to Matador Records in the States, the band was championed by critics and quickly became a favorite at college radio with singles “Tom Boy” and “Kid’s Allright” getting substantial airplay. Lamprey, which Melody Maker praised for having the most tangled, desolate, real life guitar sound of the year, was released in 1995, followed by 1997′s Dust Bunnies, which the band recorded in Woodstock, NY with producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Lemonheads). The band toured extensively, opening for bands such as Belly, Dinosaur Jr, Buffalo Tom, Superchunk, Jeff Buckley, Wilco and Counting Crows. After its 1998 live album of Velvet Underground covers, Bettie Serveert Plays Venus in Furs and Other Velvet Underground Songs, the band released a string of studio albums – Private Suit, Log 22 and Attagirl – on its own label, Palomine Records. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Bettie Serveert released Bare Stripped Naked in 2006. A semi-acoustic CD/DVD package of primarily new material, it was hailed by allmusic.com as “a rousing and heroic reminder of what a great band they were and continue to be.”

Bettie Serveert Tour Dates:

Sep 23: T.T. the Bear’s – Cambridge, MA
Sep 24: Maxwell’s – Hoboken, NJ
Sep 25: Southpaw – Brooklyn, NY
Sep 26: Daniel Street – Milford, CT
Sep 28: The Drake Hotel – Toronto, ON
Sep 29: Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH
Sep 30: Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI
Oct 01: The Abbey – Chicago, IL
Oct 02: First Avenue & 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 04: Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO
Oct 06: Empyrean Coffee – Spokane, WA
Oct 07: Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
Oct 08: Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
Oct 10: Dante’s – Portland, OR
Oct 12: Cafe Du Nord – San Francisco, CA
Oct 13: Spaceland – Los Angeles, CA
Oct 16: Plush – Tucson, AZ
Oct 17: Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
Oct 19: The Prophet Bar – Dallas, TX
Oct 20: Stubb’s – Austin, TX
Oct 22: Blueberry Hill – St. Louis, MO
Oct 23: Exit / In – Nashville, TN
Oct 24: Earl – Atlanta, GA
Oct 25: Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
Oct 27: Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 28: North Star Bar – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 29: Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 30: The Record Collector Store – Bordentown, NJ
Oct 31: Iota Club & Café – Arlington, VA

NEW CASSANDRA WILSON ALBUM, “SILVER PONY,” SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 9 ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS; FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS RAVI COLTRANE & JOHN LEGEND

Silver Pony, the stunning new album from multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz-pop chanteuse Cassandra Wilson, will be released by EMI’s Blue Note Records on November 9. Wilson, whose remarkable, husky-tinged vibrato has created a trademark sound for her as an artist, will be touring worldwide in support of the release which features special guests saxophonist Ravi Coltrane (“Silver Moon”) and R&B singer-songwriter John Legend (“Watch The Sunrise”).

A unique hybrid live/studio album, Silver Pony moves seamlessly between live recordings from a European tour and studio recordings laid down at New Orleans’ Piety Street Studios. The album features a mix of jazz/pop classics as well as songs newly-written by Cassandra and her band.

Silver Pony draws its title from an experience which Cassandra had as a child and which left an indelible mark in her memory bank, and thus on her career itself. “A man came around my neighborhood in Jackson, Mississippi, with a pony and camera,” she recalls. “You could pay to get your picture taken.” Her brothers declined, but Cassandra was eager. Her mother hesitated-“there were certain things young ladies just didn’t do,” Wilson adds. But Cassandra seized the moment, got the picture. “I’m so happy she let me ride the pony,” she says now. “I was fearless, and I guess she wanted to encourage that in me.” That priceless photo is now featured on the cover of “Silver Pony,” and such fearlessness now fuels Wilson’s work. “I prepare for each recording but you can never truly prepare,” Wilson says. “Because you don’t really know what’s coming. You just place yourself in the circumstances that will allow the project to reveal itself.”

Silver Pony was produced by Cassandra Wilson and John Fischbach (owner of Piety Street Recording Studios) and features Cassandra on vocals and synthesizer, Marvin Sewell on electric guitar, Jonathan Batiste on piano, Reginald Veal on electric bass, Herlin Riley on drums, and Lekan Babalola on percussion. Ravi Coltrane adds saxophone on “Silver Moon” and “Watch The Sunrise” features both vocals and piano by John Legend.

A complete track listing is as follows:

1. Lover Come Back To Me 6:51 (Hammerstein/Romberg)
2. St. James Infirmary 7:12 (Traditional)
3. A Night in Seville 3:00 (Wilson/Sewell/Veal/Riley/Batiste/Babalola)
4. Silver Moon 6:41 (Wilson/Sewell/Veal/Riley/Batiste/Babalola)
5. Pony Blues 9:32 (Patton)
6. If It’s Magic 4:34 (Wonder)
7. Forty Days and Forty Nights 4:58 (Roth)
8. Silver Pony 0:36 (Wilson/Sewell/Veal/Riley/Batiste/Babalola)
9. A Day in the Life of a Fool 7:35 (Bonfa/Sigman)
10. Blackbird 6:43 (Lennon/McCartney)
11. Sunrise 3:32 (Laird/Jones/Stephens)

36 CRAZYFISTS TO EMBARK ON FIRST EVER HEADLINE TOUR

In support of their new Ferret Music release, Collisions and Castaways, 36 CRAZYFISTS will launch their first headline tour on September 16th in Seattle, Washington. The tour will hit 33 markets, ending in Denver, Colorado on October 23rd. Opening the tour will be Straight Line Stitch and Taking Dawn.

Collisions and Castaways debuted at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart upon its release. It is the 5th cd from the Alaskan metallers.

Following the U.S. tour, 36 CRAZYFISTS will embark on a month long UK/Europe tour with Devildriver in November/December. The band will also appear in Australia on the 2011 Soundwave Festival.

U.S. 36 CRAZYFISTS TOUR DATES:
9/16 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
9/17 Portland, OR @ Peters Room
9/19 Santa Clara, CA @ Avalon
9/20 Las Vegas, NV @ The Farm
9/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Whiskey
9/22 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
9/24 Tempe, AZ @ Nile
9/25 Farmington, NM @ Gators
9/26 Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s
9/27 Dallas, TX @ Trees
9/28 San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
9/29 Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
10/2 Tampa, FL @ The State
10/3 Jacksonville, FL @ Brewster’s
10/5 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
10/6 Charleston, NC @ Oasis
10/7 Fayetteville, NC @ Rock Shop
10/8 West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
10/9 Vineland, NJ @ Hanger 84
10/10 Philadelphia, PA @ Poloris
10/12 Providence, RI @ Club Hell
10/13 Pittsburgh, PA @ Alter Bar
10/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Roberts off 10
10/19 St Louis, MO @ Pops
10/21 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
10/22 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
10/23 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep

The Mynabirds Record Daytrotter Session, Kick Off National Tour Tomorrow

Click HERE to Check Out the Session

“a hypnotic voice”
NPR

“Burhenn pushes words and music to their maximum highs and lows to create 10 emotionally charged, and impressive, tracks.”
Associated Press

“Burhenn is as heartbreaking and tuneful as her finest inspirations while investing her songs with a calm fatalism that sets her apart. 8.0”
Pitchfork

Laura Burhenn has had a busy year. She released What We Lose In The Fire We Gain in the Flood (Saddle Creek), her acclaimed debut album as The Mynabirds, and opened for everyone from Al Green to Built to Spill. Burhenn and her band also recently stopped by Daytrotter to record a session, which was just posted today. Click HERE to listen to them perform 3 songs off the album plus the new song “Lemon Tree,” which was recorded for the first time. The band is also about to hit the road on a national tour, including dates with Crooked Fingers and David Bazan.

After the break-up of her former band, Georgie James, Burhenn wrote a collection of songs that meditated on the themes of loss and recovery. She recorded the compositions with Richard Swift and the results are the ten tracks on What We Lose. A potent mix of soul, gospel, and country, Burhenn created The Mynabirds’ aesthetic based on how she thought Neil Young would sound doing Motown. Serendipitously, she later found out that Young once collaborated with Rick James for a Motown project under the name The Mynah Birds! Click HERE for more info on The Mynabirds, plus photos and mp3’s to listen to.

The Mynabirds Fall Tour Dates:

* = w/ David Bazan
& = w/ Crooked Fingers

09/02: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
09/03: Austin, TX @ The Mohawk&
09/05: Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress&
09/06: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar&
09/07: Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland&
09/08: San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord&
09/10: Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern&
09/11: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios&
09/16: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall*
09/17: Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick*
09/18: Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace*
09/19: Montreal, QC @ Il Motore*
09/21: Burlington, VT @ Club Metronome*
09/22: Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear’s*
09/24: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl*
09/25: Washington DC @ Black Cat*
09/26: Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern*
09/27: Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle*
09/28: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl*
09/29: Nashville, TN @ Exit/In*
10/01: Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits*
10/02: Orlando, FL @ The Social*
10/03: Tallahassee, FL @ The Engine Room*
10/05: Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree*
10/06: New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks*
10/07: Shreveport, LA @ The Collective

KATY PERRY’S TEENAGE DREAM IS THE NO. 1 ALBUM IN THE U.S.

POP SENSATION BREAKS RECORDS FOR MOST SINGLES SOLD PRE-STREET DATE

TEENAGE DREAM

RELEASED IN REST OF THE WORLD THIS WEEK
September 1, 2010 — New York — Katy Perry has cemented her status as a best-selling pop superstar with her second studio album Teenage Dream, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, scanning 192,222 units in its first week of release. Katy is now one of the top 10 artists with the best-selling debuts of the year and one of only two pop artists to appear on this list. Teenage Dream is the two-time Grammy Award nominee’s highest album chart bow yet. Katy’s debut album, One of the Boys, scanned 46,767 units in its first week.

Katy has now achieved the highest pre-album street date track sales of all time, with 4.4 million digital tracks sold prior to the album’s release — setting a Nielsen Soundscan-era record. 445,746 total tracks

were sold during Teenage Dream’s first week of release. In addition, with the Top 5 chart positions of the album’s first two singles, the six-week No. 1 “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream,” Katy has become one of only ten female artists in history to have two songs in the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Currently Katy has 12 songs charting on the Soundscan Current Digital Tracks chart simultaneously including Teenage Dream album tracks “Firework”, “Peacock” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)”.
Katy is a pioneer in the new world order of pop superstardom, where success is measured not just by album sales, but also by sales of digital singles, ringtones, and music videos (clips for both “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls” have remained in the iTunes Top 10 Music Videos chart for weeks). Measured in “TEA”’s (industry parlance for “track equivalent albums,” in which the sale of 10 digital singles is counted as the sale of one album), Teenage Dream, plus individual tracks sold, totals the equivalent of nearly 720,000 albums sold by the end of Katy’s first week. This follows on the heels of One of the Boys, which has sold five million copies worldwide.

Teenage Dream

has easily averted the sophomore slump, with MTV.com opining that it is “the best second effort in pop music history.” USA Today raves that “the ambitious brunette serves up percolating confections laced with saucy humor and disarming earnestness,” while Rolling Stone has called Teenage Dream a “pool-party pop gem.” The New York Post declares Teenage Dream “a total success” that “may have the juice to topple Michael Jackson’s Bad as the U.S. record holder for most singles released from one album.”
Katy co-wrote each of Teenage Dream’s 12 songs, collaborating with a red-hot production team that includes Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Tricky Stewart, Benny Blanco, Greg Wells, and Stargate. Released in May, “California Gurls” spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, shattered BDS and Mediabase weekly airplay spin records, and become the definitive anthem of Summer 2010.

The Santa Barbara, CA-born Katy performed on The Late Show With David Letterman and The Today Show’s Summer Concert Series during Teenage Dream’s release week and recently co-hosted the 2010 Teen Choice Awards with the male cast of Glee. She has appeared on the covers of dozens of publications, including recent issues of Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Q, Billboard, the New York Times’ Arts & Leisure section, and USAToday’s Life section. Katy has been nominated for two 2010 MTV Video Music Awards for “California Gurls” (“Best Female Video” and “Best Pop Video”) and became a portrait subject for renowned contemporary artist Will Cotton, whose confectionary landscape painting of her graces the cover of Teenage Dream.

Fences to release Sara Quin-produced debut album September 28th, schedules North American Tour

Fences, the moniker for self-proclaimed fuck up Christopher Manfield, will be releasing its self-titled debut album on September 28th through Onto Entertainment/ADA. The album was produced by Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara fame and recorded in only ten days in a studio in Victoria, BC. The ten songs on Fences carry on the singer-songwriter torch passed down from the likes of Elliott Smith and Townes Van Zandt, while retaining a raw edginess inherited from an old Seattle native, Kurt Cobain.

Fences have previously toured the Northwest opening for the likes of St. Vincent and Mark Kozelek, a testament to the versatility of their music and multi-faceted appeal. Starting in just a few days, Fences will begin a new tour of the Northwest, kicking off at Bumbershoot in Seattle and hitting locations along the west coast in California, Oregon, Washington, and even a quick stop in Vancouver. Check below for upcoming tour dates.

Date City Venue
Sep 5 2010 Seattle, WA KEXP Music Lounge
Sep 5 2010 Seattle, WA BUMBERSHOOT
Sep 23 2010 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
Sep 24 2010 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Sep 25 2010 Bellingham, WA The Green Frog
Sep 27 2010 Vancouver, BC, CANADA The Biltmore Cabaret
Sep 28 2010 Seattle, WA Sonic Boom Ballard
Oct 4 2010 Los Angeles, CA Silverlake Lounge
Oct 6 2010 San Francisco, CA The Rickshaw Stop
Oct 7 2010 Davis, CA Sophia’s Thai Kitchen
Oct 8 2010 Eugene, OR Sam Bond’s Garage

The Acorn Debuts Endless Summer Stop Motion Video for “Restoration”

“Beirut-style pastoral folk mixed with heavy dollops of rawk guitar, swathes of feedback and propulsive percussion.” – NME

“‘No Ghost’ transcends the band’s bucolic stargazing for a gypsy-funk session in a caravan.” – Village Voice

“A fantastic stew of electronics and grooves, backwards guitars and strings, and Rolf Klausener’s subtoly soaring vocals.” – Stereogum

Just in time for summer nostalgia to kick in, Ottawa’s The Acorn have debuted a brand new stop motion video for the song “Restoration” via AOL Spinner (also available at TheAcorn.ca). “Restoration” is the first single off their forthcoming record, No Ghost, available digitally now and physically from Bella Union Records on 9/7.

The video, directed by Exploding Motor Car, features the band having a picnic at The Mataseje Family Farm in Beamsville Ontario, an hour outside of Toronto. As the sun sets, things take a turn for the eerie as the band is dragged into a surreal forest filled with otherworldly creatures. Front man Rolf Klausener described the tedious stop motion shoot as spending “20 hours, mostly sitting on a picnic table that was jerry-rigged to a rail cart, moving in 2 inch increments. The crew was tireless and totally focused. The cyanide-based smoke machine they used took about 6 years off our lives. By 7am, everyone was delirious, seeing apparitions in the foliage, and speaking in tongues.”

The Acorn are preparing for a North American tour, heading out mid-September through October. As the band recorded No Ghost at a secluded cottage in Northern Québec, they will bring elements of that rustic atmosphere with them on the road with a thematic stage show, props, special guests, and more.

Check out the Megafaun remix of “Kindling To Cremation,” premiered by long-time Acorn fans My Old Kentucky Blog. There’s also a Four Tet/Born Ruffians remix 12-inch, available in select indie stores now.

The Acorn Tour Dates:
September 15 – Halifax, NS – St. Matthew’s United Church
September 16 – Fredericton, NB – Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
September 17 – Sackville, NB – Sackville City Fair
September 21 – Cambridge, MA – TT and The Bear’s *
September 23 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge *
September 24 – Brooklyn, NY – Littlefield *
September 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie *
September 26 – Washington, DC – DC9*
September 28 – Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom*
September 29 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom *
September 30 – Chicago, IL – Schubas *
October 1 – Minneapolois, MN – Turf Club
October 2 – Madison, WI – The Frequency
October 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo ++
October 14 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe du Nord++
October 16 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir ++
October 17 – Seattle, WA – High Dive++
October 20 – Victoria, BC – Lucky Bar++
October 21 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret ++
October 23 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room++
October 24 – Calgary, AB – Republik ++
October 25 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s ++
October 26 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre ++
October 27 – Thunder Bay, ON – The Apollo ++
October 28 – Sault Ste Marie – Loplop Lounge and Gallery ++
December 4 – Ottawa, ON – Capital Music Hall++

* w/Basia Bulat
++ w/Leif Vollebekk

THE BOOKS EXPAND NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

DATES ADDED IN DURHAM, CHARLOTTE, BALTIMORE, GRINNELL, ST. LOUIS, AND NEWPORT

THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION TO SUPPORT

Following the summer success of The Way Out (on Temporary Residence), The Books expand their upcoming fall North American tour to include stops along the Midwest and East Coast. In addition to the excellent reception of their new record, The Books have also developed a reputation for their engaging live shows, which mix audio and visual components to appropriately reveal each song’s complete environment.

Joining the Books on this tour will be the legendary, The Black Heart Procession who tour in support of their upcoming Blood Bunny/ Black Rabbit EP, as well as their long awaited sixth album Six, released just last year. Known for their highly personal and emotive live shows, The Black Heart Procession will undoubtedly provide ample footing for The Books’ all encompassing sets.

“Arguably one of the most original contemporary musical groups,” – FILTER MAGAZINE

THE BOOKS FALL TOUR

9/4 Monticello, NY ATP Festival (Kutsher’s Country Club)
9/23 Durham, NH University of New Hamsphire
9/29 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero
9/30 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
10/1 Durham, NC Shaefer Theater (early)
10/1 Durham, NC Shaefer Theater
10/2 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theater
10/3 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
10/4 Knoxville, TN Square Room
10/5 Charlotesville, VA Jefferson Theatre
10/6 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
10/21 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
10/22 Northampton MA Pearl Street Nightclub
10/23 Montreal, PQ Cabaret Mile End
10/24 Ottawa, ON Capital Music Hall
10/25 Toronto, ON The Mod Club
10/26 Pontiac, MI The Crofoot Ballroom
10/27 Grand Rapids, MI Ladies Literary Club
10/29 Chicago, Il Vic Theatre
10/30 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Culture Center
10/31 Grinnell, IA Herrick Chapel
11/02 St Louis, MO The Old Rock House
11/03 Newport, KY Southgate House
11/13 New York, NY Zankel at Carnegie Hall
11/29 Los Angeles, CA Music Box at The Henry Fonda Theater
11/30 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts
12/3 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
12/4 Seattle, WA Moore Theater
12/5 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theater

APRIL SMITH AND THE GREAT PICTURE SHOW TO PERFORM AT U.S. OPEN SEPT. 8

NFL to feature band’s cover of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” in television ads

New single “Terrible Things” featured in Weeds and Colgate commercials and impacting at AAA radio

April Smith and the Great Picture Show will bring their swinging, juke joint swagger to one of the biggest stages in sports on Sept. 8, when they perform at the 2010 U.S. Open, in Flushing, NY.

The New York Postdeclares Smith “adorable, quirky, and the owner of a voice that could cure depression,” in their PopWrap blog, adding that, “April makes the world a better place. Period.” That makes the Brooklyn-based quintet the perfect act for the tennis tournament that boasts the slogan, ‘It Must Be Love’ – they play on the U.S. Open’s Baseline Stage, Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 6pm.

The National Football League are also fans of the five piece, and will be featuring their cover of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” in a television campaign kicking off this month promoting a new line of fashionable NFL clothing for women. In the commercials, wives of NFL players throw their husband’s jerseys back at them with April Smith and the Great Picture Show playing as the soundtrack.

Audiences nationwide are hearing April Smith and the Great Picture Show on their new single “Terrible Things,” which is currently being featured in promos for the hit Showtime television series Weeds. Smith’s song “Wow and Flutter” can also be heard in a Colgate Wisps commercial.

“Terrible Things” is the lead track from the band’s new release Songs for a Sinking Ship, and is already impacting at AAA radio, where it’s gained early support from stations including KEZE (Spokane, WA), KPND (Sandpoint, ID), KCLC (St. Louis, MO), KPIG (Monterey, CA) and WCBE (Columbus, OH). A video for the track will be released this fall.

Labeled one of the New York Post’s ’10 Musicians to Watch in 2010,’ Paste magazine hails April Smith “quite the burlesque bad girl… packing a sound full of sassy hooks and swinging rhythms.” “April Smith was born to be an entertainer,” agree NPR. “She radiates sunny energy and stage-ready sauciness.”

Find out for yourself – catch April Smith and the Great Picture Show live:

Sept. 2 Washington DC DC9
Sept. 3 Teaneck, NJ Mexicali Live
Sept. 8 Flushing, NY Arthur Ashe Stadium, Baseline Stage

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. – The Bike Song video

DVAS - Society

One of the best feelings in the music world is a pleasant surprise. Whether it’s a good opening band or a classic track you haven’t heard in a while, the joy that comes from the unexpected seems to resonate more than most. And at the pinnacle of that feeling, is the moment you discover a band that’s more than meets the eye.

Enter DVAS with Society.

My typical method for testing out an album is to give it the “chore” test. If you’ve read some of my other blogs, then you may be familiar with my affinity for listening to music in the shower. For albums, a shower isn’t quite long enough, so I’ll find some time to do the dishes or clean my room.

Why?

Well, I have two reasons.

1) I might actually do something productive this way.

2) If these songs can catch my attention during a mindless task, then it’s probably worth investing some time into. Any record can be enjoyed if you try enough, but find an album that demands attention and suddenly it’s a whole different story.

So with all that said, I downloaded the music onto my iPod, set up my speakers and set to tackle the pots and pans from last night’s chicken.

Here is where I made my first mistake. DVAS will make you dance.

With elements of disco, funk and a splash of 8 bit, you’d be forgiven if you thought you wound up back in the 80′s. Thankfully, this 3-piece based in Toronto keeps a modern feel to it, sounding somewhere in between Daft Punk and Chromeo.

So, before I could even put the soap in the water, I was dropped right into the intensity that is DVAS at its best. The title track that opens the album is instantly catchy, undeniably fun and had me shaking and moving while I scrubbed along. The second track didn’t let up either, or the third. Or the fourth.

But, even though Society had tickled my subconscious, I mentally played it down. With a stream of dance hits right out of the gate, it was just another shallow album right? It’ll be fun to spin for a while but it’ll no doubt lack any depth to remain important.

I was wrong again; the midpoint is just the beginning. After the band has got you worked up and sweaty on the first half, DVAS use the second to show you that they’re more than that. An instrumental like Telegraph takes the upbeat feel of the dance floor and captures it as a blissful, floating feeling. Meanwhile, Back 2 Basix delivers soft ballad love like Marvin Gaye with a keytar.

And what’s truly magical about this album is how hard pressed I am to find a lack-lustre tune. Each song has been carefully pieced together to form a cohesive unit.

Ambient Room is a great example of this. One moment the song is as bare as a vocal track, and the next you’ve got a layered and complex work of art. No hook seems tacked on, no bridge seems unnatural; the song just blossoms before our very ears. The whole process is wonderfully fluid and that’s a tough skill to bring to a track, let alone the whole album.

But that’s part of the beauty with a debut record. Expectations are generally low enough that you can really make an impact with some quality work. I know that it has with me, and I’ll be pulling for DVAS to take this to the next album when surprise isn’t on their side.

Catch DVAS in your town by checking their tour schedule here.

Michael Franti & Spearhead are proud to present their first music video from the upcoming album, The Sound of Sunshine! Shot in Venice Beach by veteran music video director Frank Borin, the new video is for the title track of the album which will be released September 21 on Capitol Records/Boo Boo Wax. Michael Franti & Spearhead are currently touring through the fall in support of the new album and will be headlining the upcoming Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco from September 10-12.

The Sound of Sunshine Music Video:

OK Go Launches Fall North American Tour In Los Angeles On October 3rd

OK Go Partners With Indaba Music and the Rock Band Network For Remix Contest Of Thier New Single, “White Knuckles”
Producer Dave Fridmann to Curate Contest

(Los Angeles, CA) OK Go, the most downloaded band ever, will launch an extensive North American tour with a performance at the Los Angeles County Fair on October 3rd. Tickets are on sale now. In addition to its headlining dates, the band will perform at the Discover Louisville Festival (10/12) and the PopTech Conference (10/21, Camden, ME), an annual event that convenes a network of visionary individuals in science, technology, design, the corporate and social sectors, entrepreneurship, education and the arts to explore the nature of creative change. OK Go will also perform at the MTV Brazil Music Awards on September 16th.

“This is what happens when you’re the most intelligent, most innovative, and merriest band of miscreants in rock,” said the Tampa Bay Times in a live review. “You’ve already reinvented the concept of the music video, and you’re doing everything you can to reinvent the music industry as a whole. What’s left? Reinvent the concert experience…a multisensory spectacle.” “It’s a visual adventure as much as it is an audio one in the vein of The Flaming Lips,” said Creative Loafing and the Salt Lake City Weekly marveled: “Getting Salt Lakers on the dance floor on a Tuesday is not a task every band is up to, but OK Go did the trick.”

OK Go have partnered with Indaba Music and the Rock Band Network to launch a remix contest for their new single, “White Knuckles.” OK Go encourages fans to get as creative as possible, to not feel afraid to redefine the song in both genre and feeling. The contest will run from September 7th through October 14th.

Each week starting Sept 21st, Dave Fridmann, producer of “White Knuckles” and the album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, will choose his favorite remixes to feature across all OK Go web properties. All featured remixes will also be available for fans to download on the database that accompanies the pre-order for the Nov. 2nd U.S. release, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (Extra Nice Edition). The grand prize winner will be announced on October 29th and will have his/her remix mastered and made available for download in Rock Band. The grand prize winner will also receive a gaming console, a copy of Rock Band 3, and a set of Rock Band instruments to jam with friends to their winning remix.

“White Knuckles,” the follow-up single to the Top 30 hit “This Too Shall Pass,” will impact at Alternative and AAA radio on September 14th. The album received 4 ½ stars from Alternative Press, while Spin hailed it as “ambitious” and absolutepunk.net pronounced it “wholly triumphant.” At mid-year, mtv.com’s Kyle Anderson named Of the Blue Colour of the Sky “the best album of the year (so far)…at the same time incredibly polished and casually chaotic – a fantastically vibrant, surprising combination. I’ve been listening to the album for six months and am still discovering things about it.”

The band’s second video for “This Too Shall Pass,” is a Rube Goldberg machine created by OK Go and Syyn Labs engineers, and is the #1 Top Rated (All Time) music video on YouTube.

OK Go – comprising Damian Kulash, Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka and Andy Ross – recently contributed a track to the compilation album Dear New Orleans…, which benefits New Orleans-based non-profits working to support the region’s culture and community.

The band members have been strong advocates for internet neutrality, sharing their perspective with leaders on Capitol Hill. This past Sunday, Kulash published an Op-Ed piece on the topic in The Washington Post.

OK GO – FALL 2010 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

Date City Venue
10/3 Pomona, CA Los Angeles County Fair
10/6 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
10/10 Chicago, IL House of Blues
10/12 Louisville, KY Discover Louisville Festival
10/13 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
10/14 Toronto, ON Phoenix Theater
10/15 Ottawa, ON Capital City Music Hall
10/16 Montreal, QC Le National
10/17 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
10/20 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall
10/21 Camden, ME PopTech Conference
10/26 Syracuse, NY Westcott Theater
10/27 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
10/28 Hartford, CT Webster Theater
10/29 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/2 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
11/3 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
11/4 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club
11/5 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
11/6 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s Uptown
11/19 Santa Barbara, CA The Hub @ UC Santa Barbara

About Indaba Music:
Launched in New York City in February of 2007, Indaba Music has been a pioneer in the online music collaboration space, enabling anyone with internet access to connect with musicians from around the world to create, edit and mix studio-quality music together online. In addition to social networking, production and collaboration applications, Indaba Music now provides musicians with a growing collection of third-party applications, information resources and lifestyle benefits from a diverse collection of industry leading companies, including iTunes, Alfred Music, Hal Leonard, Sweetwater, Electronic Musician and more. IndabaMusic.com, a “musical ecosystem,” seamlessly guides musicians through all stages of development, fusing music education, creation, promotion, sales and talent discovery into a unified online experience.

Site membership, which has grown over 400% since 2009, currently boasts more than 500,000 users from 205 countries and territories. To date, IndabaMusic.com has provided collaboration opportunities with musicians including Mariah Carey, Crystal Method, Peter Gabriel, John Legend, Linkin Park, Matisyahu, The Roots, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Weezer, Yo-Yo Ma and more.

About Rock Band Network:
The Rock Band Network, launched March 4, 2010 by Harmonix Music Systems and its parent company MTV Games, gives Rock Band fans and music lovers a new avenue to discover music and provides musicians and labels the opportunity to produce and promote tracks for the Rock Band platform. This ground-breaking initiative gives musicians, publishers and record labels the ability to author their original recordings into gameplay files to promote and sell their music as playable Rock Band tracks through the RBN Store.

Artists who submit songs for the Rock Band Network Music Store are able to choose from multiple pricing tiers for individual tracks and receive a royalty of 30 percent of the retail selling price (excluding tax) for every track purchased through the RBN Store. There are currently more than 500 songs available for purchase in the RBNStore from artists including Third Eye Blind, Seether, Drowning Pool, Five Finger Death Punch, Flight of the Conchords, Attack Attack!, Flogging Molly, Clutch, The Shins, The Hold Steady, The Main Drag, Bang Camaro, of Montreal, Jonathan Coulton, Band of Skulls, Apples in Stereo, Band of Horses and many more. There are more than 400 artists in the RBN pipeline, with additional tracks already on the way.

With more than 1,580 tracks available to date in the Rock Band platform, the Rock Band Network Music Store has helped boost the number of available songs, further securing MTV Games and Harmonix’s position as the leading provider of downloadable content for music-based video games.

TAUK TO EMBARK ON FALL HEADLINE TOUR
Long Island Band’s Brokedown KingAvailable Now

Tauk will hit the road this fall on a series of dates in support of their brand new album, Brokedown King starting September 17th in St. Louis, MO.

Tauk transform rock ‘n’ roll every time they hit the stage. With a little bit of jazz, funk and soul, the Long Island quintet always twists and turns boundaries. Tauk has already entranced and engaged crowds with their unique sound alongside jam band stalwarts such as O.A.R. and moe. Fans will get to experience Tauk’s funkified fire firsthand at these upcoming shows. Tauk will be touring as support for Tea Leaf Green and doing headline dates intermittently.

In addition to winning over crowds across the nation, Tauk has been getting incredible digital traction. They were featured on ARTISTdirect.com’s home page as a breaking new artist to watch. About Brokedown King, editor in chief Rick Florino writes, “It’s ‘cinematic’ in the purest sense of the word.”

Catch Tauk’s mind-bending progressive funk jams when they cruise through your town. Confirmed tour dates are listed below.

TAUK ON TOUR:
9/17 St. Louis, MO Fubar
9/23 Petaluma, CA The Mystic Theatre
9/24 Chico, CA El Rey
9/25 Santa Cruz, CA Moe’s Alley
9/26 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones
9/28 San Francisco, CA Hotel Utah
9/30 San Luis Obispo, CA Downtown Brewing Company
10/1 San Diego, CA SoundWave
10/2 West Holllywood, CA Troubadour
10/3 Hermosa Beach, CA Sainte Rocke
10/6 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock Cafe
10/7 Phoenix, AZ The Compound Grill
10/8 Tuscon, AZ Plush
10/9 Flagstaff, AZ The Green Room
10/10 Taos, NM KTAOS Solar Center

NEIL YOUNG TO RELEASE BRAND-NEW SOLO ALBUM, ENTITLED LE NOISE, ON SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2010, ON REPRISE RECORDS

ROCKER COLLABORATED ON GUITAR-DRIVEN ALBUM WITH MUSICIAN, SONGWRITER, AND PRODUCER DANIEL LANOIS

Burbank, CA –Neil Young will release a brand-new solo album, entitled Le Noise, on September 28th on Reprise Records. The eight-song album is a collaboration between the acclaimed rock icon and musician, songwriter, and producer Daniel Lanois, known for his work with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers and many others. As producer or co-producer Lanois won Grammy Awards in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, and 2001.

Young and Lanois have crossed paths musically over the course of many years, including Lanois’ performances at Young’s Bridge School Benefit Concert and Young’s performance at Farm Aid when Lanois was Willie Nelson’s music director, but this is the first time the two have recorded together. Recorded in Lanois’ home in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, Le Noise features Young on acoustic and electric guitars with Lanois adding his trademark sonic textures, creating one of the most sonically arresting albums Young has ever recorded. No band, no overdubs, just “a man on a stool and me doing a nice job on the recording,” as Lanois puts it.

“Neil was so appreciative of the sonics that we presented to him,” Lanois says. “He walked in the door and I put an acoustic guitar into his hands — one that I had been working on to build a new sound. That’s the multi-layered acoustic sound that you hear on the songs ‘Love and War’ and ‘Peaceful Valley Boulevard.’ I wanted him to understand that I’ve spent years dedicated to the sonics in my home and that I wanted to give him something he’d never heard before. He picked up that instrument, which had everything — an acoustic sound, electronica, bass sounds — and he knew as soon as he played it that we had taken the acoustic guitar to a new level. It’s hard to come up with a new sound at the back end of 50 years of rock and roll, but I think we did it.”

Le Noise will be released in several formats, including standard CD, vinyl, digital download, and as a deluxe CD/DVD. The DVD portion, shot by cinematographer Adam Vollick, will feature eight black and white films of Young performing each song solo on acoustic and electric guitar live in the studio. In November, Reprise will also release a Blu-Ray edition, featuring Lanois and Vollick’s beautifully shot films of Young.

Writing about Le Noise after hearing it at Lanois’ home, The Los Angeles Times commented: “What’s striking about Le Noise is the way it both summarizes and distills Young’s singular approach to music, predominantly just Neil and a guitar: his big, white hollow-body Gretsch electric slashing and burning for most of the tracks, a couple built around picked and strummed acoustic instruments. Both are recorded and amplified — literally and metaphorically — by Lanois’ signature soundscapes that loop vocals, and enhance the guitars’ bass notes through distortion boxes, synthesizers and other electronics.”

The track-listing for Le Noise is as follows:

Walk With Me
Sign of Love
Rescue Me
Love And War
Angry World
Hitchhiker
Peaceful Valley Blvd.
Rumblin’

AMERICAN BANG’S SELF-TITLED MAJOR LABEL DEBUT RELEASED TODAY, AUGUST 31ST, ON REPRISE RECORDS

FREE DOWNLOAD OF FIRST SINGLE “WILD & YOUNG” NOW AVAILABLE ON THE ITUNES STORE AS PART OF “DISCOVERY DOWNLOAD” ARTIST OF THE WEEK FEATURE

Burbank, CA – American Bang released their self-titled major-label debut album for Reprise Records today, August 31st. To celebrate, iTunes selected them as “Discovery Download” artist of the week. The album’s debut single, “Wild and Young,” is currently available as a free download on the iTunes Store along with the album being on sale for $7.99.

After touring all summer, American Bang will continue on the road for an extensive fall trek in support of the album. The tour, which runs through mid-December, includes a visit to New York City’s Fillmore @ Irving Plaza on November 3rd.

The eleven-track album will stream in its entirety beginning August 31st on AOL Music for the official online listening party. In addition, American Bang continues as the latest “Incoming!” artist on the Fuse network, which is also currently hosting a series of exclusive behind-the-scenes webisodes online at Fuse.tv.

“Whiskey Walk” is already bringing in early spins at key radio stations across the country, which officially goes for adds September 7th.

American Bang is Jaren Johnston (singer / guitar), Ben Brown (lead guitar), Kelby Ray (bass), and Neil Mason (drums). The band’s upcoming tour dates are as follows:

August 31 Jackson, MS Club Fire*
September 1 Huntsville, AL Sammy T’s*
September 2 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge (Record Release Party)
September 3 Pensacola, FL Seville Quarter*
September 4 Tallahassee, FL Floyds Music Store*
September 5 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live*
September 7 Columbia, SC Jillians
September 8 Charlotte, NC Amos’ Southend*
September 9 Goose Creek, SC The Dive*
September 10 Johnson City, TN Chrome*
September 12 Dayton, OH WXEG X-Fest 15
September 13 Knoxville, TN Valarium*
September 15 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Café*
September 16 Albany, NY Jillians
September 17 Buffalo, NY The Tralf*
September 19 Hartford, CT Webster Theater*
September 21 Youngstown, OH Wedgewood*
September 22 Toledo, OH Headliners*
September 25 Peoria, IL The Whammy Bar*
September 28 Boston, MA Paradise Ballroom**
September 29 Baltimore, MD Bourbon Street Ballroom**
October 1 Philadelphia, PA Fillmore at TLA**
October 2 Falls Church, VA State Theatre**
October 3 Richmond, VA The Hat Factory**
October 5 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre**
October 6 Greenville, SC The Handlebar**
October 8 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre**
October 9 Charleston, SC The Music Farm**
October 10 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade**
October 13 Houston, TX The Warehouse**
October 14 Dallas, TX The Loft**
October 15 Austin, TX The Independent**
October 16 Little Rock, AR Revolution Music Room**
October 19 Memphis, TN Newby’s**
October 20 New Orleans, LA Tipitinas**
October 26 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre**
October 28 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall**
October 29 Flint, MI The Machine Shop**
October 30 Lancaster, PA The Chameleon**
November 3 New York, NY Fillmore @ Irving Plaza**
November 4 Northampton, MA Pearl Street**
November 5 Asbury Park, NJ The Stone Pony**
November 6 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar**
November 9 Indianapolis, IN The Vouge**
November 12 Chicago, IL The Metro**
November 13 Des Moines, IA People’s Court
November 14 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre**
November 16 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue**
November 17 Council Bluffs, IA Whiskey Roadhouse**
November 19 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre**
November 20 Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep**
November 30 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory**
December 1 Seattle, WA Snowbox Market**
December 3 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
December 4 Reno, NV Knitting Factory**
December 6 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s**
December 7 San Francisco, CA The Independent**
December 9 San Diego, CA House of Blues**
December 10 Anaheim, CA House of Blues**
December 11 Ventura, CA Ventura Theatre**

* denotes show with Cavo
**denotes show with The Gracious Few