She Writes Rock

Farewell to the King of Pop

2009-07-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

We'll miss you Michael.

Our friend over at punkphoto.com has a great tribute piece up.

Check it out here.

Jenny Lewis @ Battery Park - 07/04/09

2009-07-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Jenny Lewis opened up for Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band as part of a free 4th of July concert at Battery Park in NYC.

Jenny played some new songs off her latest album Acid Tongue and a few old favorites from her first LP Rabbit Fur Coat like "Rise Up With Fists" and "Born Secular".

The true treat though was when she invited "a brother" out to join the set - cue Conor Oberst who came out and joined in for a cover of The Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care".

(that's Conor in the hat)

Bjork's Volatic - Screening Dates

2009-06-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

As a run up to the June 30th release of her DVD/CD/VNYL recording Volatic, Bjork is offering screenings of Volatic: The Volta Tour Live in Paris in select cities around the country.

Upcoming dates:

June 23-28 - Oxford, MS @ The Amp
June 23-28 - Lake Geneva, WI @ Geneva Theater
June 24 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Trylon Microcinema
June 26, 27 - Seattle, WA @ Northwest Film Forum
June 26, 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Roxie
June 26, 27 - Bellingham, WA @ Pickford Film Center
June 26, 27 - New Orleans, LA @ Zeitgeist Arts Center
July 20 - Austin, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse Ritz

Check out a trailer for the concert film here.

More screenings will announced soon so if you don't see your city listed, keep an eye on www.cineampurgatorio.com.for more dates.

Amy Speace @ Joe's Pub 6/19

2009-06-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Amy Speace took to the stage, before a packed house, at Joe’s Pub on Friday night. The singer/songwriter was celebrating the release of her second album The Killer in Me (Judy Collin’s Wildflower Records) – and it is a stunner, residing comfortably between the twangy pop rock of Sheryl Crow and the melancholy odes of Shawn Colvin.

Speace, playing guitar and backed by a tight four piece band, kicked the night off with a bluesy rock number with a toe-tapping hook. The rest of the set saw the NYC-based songbird effortlessly switching back and forth between darkly seductive songs like “Blue Horizon” and the openly aching “The Weight of the World”.

Her music may be infused with broken-hearted candor but Amy Speace is such a warm affable performer that a night spent with her music is anything but a downer.

The Killer in Me will be released on June 30th.

Amy Speace can also be heard on the 2008 Judy Collins tribute album Born to the Breed which also features the talents of Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Leonard Cohen, Chrissie Hynde and Shawn Colvin among others.

Your best bet though is to catch her live on the road this summer – tour dates are here.

Lou Reed @ Blender Theatre 4/23 & 4/24

2009-04-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Music legend Lou Reed will be playing a two night stand (Thursday, April 23rd and Friday, April 24th) at New York City's Blender Theatre at Gramercy as part of the Metal Machine Trio.

In other words, leave your "Sweet Jane" swaying moves at home and get ready to rock!

The Metal Machine Trio is Lou on guitar and electronics, Ulrich Krieger on tenor sax and live electronics and Sarth Calhoun on live processing and Fingerboard Continuum.

Word is that Reed is going to be extremely loose set list-wise so if you're a Lou fan, be sure to scoop up tix for both shows since they'll be completely different.

And about those tickets - here's some good news for younger fans who refuse to let a little thing like the recession stand in the way of a night (or two) of live music appreciation - students get in HALF-PRICE with a valid Student ID when purchased at the Blender Theatre or Irving Plaza box offices!

For the rest of us non-student types, pick up your tix at http://www.livenation.com/artist/metal-machine-trio-tickets.

For a sneak peek of the upcoming Lou Reed experience, you can download "Night 1" and "Night 2" at http://www.loureed.com/00/mp3.

Matisyahu @ Wellmont Theatre - 11/2

2008-11-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

Hey NYCers - looking for a good excuse to venture into (gasp!) New Jersey?

Well, here you go . . . Matisyahu, one of our favorites, is playing the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ on Sunday, November 2nd.

Directions and all you need to know for your trip into the wild of NJ are here - just scroll down to the bottom.

Reggae master/ hip hopper / rocker Matisyahu is out on the road in support of his new EP Shattered (Epic Records).

Should be a good time!!

Dar Williams at the Fillmore - Sept. 27th

2008-09-26T03:54:00.000-07:00

Dar Williams will play the Fillmore in NYC on Saturday, September 27th. The singer/songwriter is on the road in support of her solid album Promised Land (Razor and Tie) which includes a cover of Fountain of Wayne's "Troubled Times".

I've seen Dar live before and she is an absolute delight so come on out!

Here's the video for her single "It's Alright".

The Duke Spirit @ All Points West - 08/08/08

2008-08-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Duke Spirit were just in town for a Webster Hall show and an instore at the Soho Apple Store but they turned it on again for a mid-afternoon performance at All Points West.

Lead singer Liela Moss draped in gauzy black over a pair of short shorts vamped it up - kind of a post 70's/new wave mix of Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks.

The U.K. alt rockers are out in support of their album Neptune(Artists First).

They have a handful of U.S. dates left before they head for home.

The Go! Team @ All Points West - 08/08

2008-08-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

U.K.'s The Go! Team were the first act to hit the Blue Comet stage on Friday afternoon and they christened it well! .

Band member Ninja was rocking the rainbow knee socks and bouncing all over the stage.

All Points West - Day #1 - 08/08/08

2008-08-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

The first annual All Points West kicked off yesterday in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ and, despite a mid-afternoon downpour and a few gusts of wind that played havoc with those fancy APW banners, the fans showed up early and the band's were ready to rock.

The theme of the festival was overwhelmingly green and the buzz word was "recycle". Led by Jack Johnson's All At Once organization, there were plenty of booths that were ready to help you support whatever environmental cause floated your boat.

Sculptures imported for the festival were also eco-friendly and made from natural materials (the bamboo tower) or recycled materials. They also served a duo-purpose by providing a seat in some much-needed shade - which was definitely lacking in APW portion of the park.

Food was extremely $$$ but if whatever you're jonesing for - pizza, bbq, veggie, chinese - they have it. Just be prepared to sell a kidney.

Band photos to come but for now here are some of the general sites of All Points West - Day #1.

The Interiors @ The Knitting Factory - 08/04/08

2008-08-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

Chicago's The Interiors played a raucous set at the Knitting Factory on Monday night.

The three piece are on the road in support of their self-titled debut.

Singer/guitarist Chase Duncan has the perfect rock and roll voice that sets the tone for the band's stripped down sound. For the most part, the group keeps things simple and concentrates on the building blocks of their sound - powerful bass lines and infectious grooves.

The Interiors have a few more stops to make so catch them if you can . . .

Tour Dates

Sat Aug 09, 2008 Rock Room Pittsburgh, PA
Fri Aug 29, 2008 The Frequency Madison, WI
Sat Sep 27, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC

The Subways @ Blender Theatre - 7/25

2008-07-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

U.K. garage rockers The Subways set off a mini-earthquake at Blender Theatre in NYC. The hard-playing three piece are currently on the road in support of their upcoming sophpmore LP All or Nothing (Infectious/Sire) due out September 9th in the U.S.

The album follows their promising 2006 debut Young For Eternity and WOW does it sound like the new one is going to be a keeper. Singer/guitarist Billy Lunn had vocal nodes removed in 2007 (ouch!) but, thanks to medical sciene, he made a full recovery and is wailing better than ever.

Last time the band rolled through town, bassist/vocalist Charlotte Cooper rocked the house but this time around - she's a force of nature - an absolute whirlwind in sequined black.

Some of the thrashtastic new songs the band tried out included "Kalifornia" and the absolutely irresistible "Shake Shake" which had the crowd mosh moshing. And of course, the evening ended with an over the top fierce rendition of their hit "Rock and Roll Queen".

The Subways are heading west for stops in Seattle, Portland and then a run of California dates before they head over to Japan and then back to the U.K.

Here's some pics from the show:

Mary Weiss @ South Street Seaport

2008-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

It was one hot and steamy night down at the Seaport but that didn't keep a crowd from coming out to cheer on Shangri-La Mary Weiss .

Playing a headlining gig, the ex-girl grouper fired off some songs from her 2007 comeback album Dangerous Game (Norton Records) as well as some of her hit "Shang" songs "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" and "Leader of the Pack".

Mary is headed west next so you California people can catch her playing Mondo Hollywood on August 9th at Crash Mansion in Los Angeles, CA.

Tim Fite @ Mercury Lounge - 7/11/08

2008-07-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

You may know Tim Fite as a singer/songwriter and all around out of this world performer. But the Brooklyn artist played host with the most when he invited a few of us blogger types to a pre-gig pizza party at Mercury Lounge.

Pizza and chatting was a great way to spend a Friday but Tim upped the ante when he pulled out some blocks of clay and told us that the theme of the party was Pizza vs. Monster with the goal being to sculpt your own monster and pizza and then decide who would win in a fight.

I went for a multi-colored shark but Tim won the monster derby hands down.

On the more serious front, his lo-fi genius is at work again on his new album Fair Ain't Fair (Anti). It's out now and has definitely gotten a lot of spin at the SWR lair.

Some notes on the disc . . .

According to Tim, who usually likes to record straight through, the process for this one was more of a stop-and-go affair since his gigs kept getting in the way.

I feel a bit guilty because I was at one of those gigs - Town Hall where he opened for Adam Green- and it's sure to land in our Top 10 shows of the year.

And how did Tim end up playing for Adam - they'd been "peripheral friends" for years and had always wanted to play together and this time around it just worked out.

Now that the album's done, Tim will be hitting the road hard to promote it but we already know how he'll unwind when the tour comes to an end.

Here's the 3 Day Tim Fite Unwind Process straight from the man himself . . .

Day 1 - Sleep
Day 2 - Unpack
Day 3 - Shave

You can catch Tim live in the following cities . . .

Tour Dates

- July 14 - Montreal, Quebec : Club Lambi
- July 15 - Toronto, Ontario : Lee's Palace
- July 16 - Pontiac, Michigan : The Pike Room at the Crofoot
- July 17 - Chicago, Illinois : Lakeshore Theater
- July 18 - St. Paul, Minnesota : Turf Club
- July 19 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin : Cudahay Pub at Pabst Theater
- July 21 - Denver, Colorado : Hi Five
- July 23 - Boise, Idaho : Neurolux
- July 25 - Seattle, Washington : Tractor Tavern
- July 26 - Portland, Oregon : Doug Fir Lounge
- July 28 - San Francisco, California : Bottom of the Hill
- July 29 - Los Angeles, California : The Echo
- August 7 - Salt Lake City, Utah : Gallivan Center (Twilight Concert Series)

Our attempt at a clay shark chomping down on some pizza

Lindsey Buckingham - 2008 Tour Dates

2008-07-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a master class in guitar greatness because Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham is hitting the road for his 2008 Gift of Screws Tour.

The singer/songwriter will be touring behind an as yet untitled new album due for release late summer/early fall.

NYC date is Sunday, October 19th at the Nokia in Times Square.

Tour Dates

Sun, Sept 7 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery
Tue, Sept 9 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
Wed, Sept 10 - Portland, OR - Newmark Theatre
Fri, Sept 12 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harrah's Casino
Sat, Sept 13 - San Francisco - tbd
Sun, Sept 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Royce Hall
Tue, Sept 16 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys
Thu, Sept 18 - Phoenix, AZ - The Orpheum Theatre
Fri, Sept 19 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
Sat, Sept 20 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
Mon, Sept 22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Depot
Wed, Sept 24 - Denver, CO - Opera House
Fri, Sept 26 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theatre
Sun, Sept 28 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
Mon, Sept 29 - St Louis, MO - Pageant
Wed, Oct 1 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Thu, Oct 2 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Sat, Oct 4 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
Sun, Oct 5 - Indianapolis, IN - Eygptian Theatre
Wed, Oct 8 - Toronto, ON - Music Hall
Fri, Oct 10 - Reading, PA - Sovereign PAC
Sat, Oct 11 - Atlantic City, NJ - Taj Mahal
Tue, Oct 14 - Northampton, MA - Calvin Theatre
Wed, Oct 15 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Play House
Fri, Oct 17 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performing Arts
Sat, Oct 18 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theater
Sun, Oct 19 - New York, NY - Nokia Live

The Interiors - Debut Album Out Now!

2008-06-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Chicago rock trio The Interiors dropped their self-titled debut full-length via 54-40 Or Fight! Records on June 17th and we it's been on near constant spin here at the SWR lair.

The band (Chase Duncan - vox/guitar, Collin Jordan - bass and Brian Lubinsky - drums) kicks out a fierce rhythm, at times pounding - at times syncopated, that's backed with some killer guitar licks, great rock vocals and Americana-style songwriting.

There's nothing fancy or over-produced about what these guys do. They stick to the rock and roll basics and keep it simple and stripped down favoring a strong musical through line and infectious grooves over glitz and glam.

And, if that isn't enough to make you buy the record . . . prepare to go "Ooowww!" . . . guitar player Chase had to have half an inch of his left index finger amputated after those nasty Chicago winds slammed a steel door shut on his hand just one day after they signed their record deal.

Mr. Duncan has made a full recovery since then and that makes us want to do our happy dance (We'd post a video of it but since it looks something like Elaine dancing on Seinfeld we'll spare your eyes.)

The Interiors are currently on the road so go do that ticket thing . . .

Tour Dates:

Thu Jul 10, 2008 Melody Inn Indianapolis,IN
Fri Jul 11, 2008 Peach's Bar + Grill Yellow Springs,OH
Thu Jul 17, 2008 Davey's Uptown Ramblers Kansas City, MO
Fri Jul 18, 2008 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Thu Jul 31, 2008 The Modern Exchange Detroit,MI
Fri Aug 01, 2008 Canal Street Tavern Dayton,OH
Sat Aug 02, 2008 Southgate House Newport,KY
Sun Aug 03, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC
Mon Aug 04, 2008 The Knitting Factory New York, NY
Tue Aug 05, 2008 The Court Tavern New Brunswick, NJ
Wed Aug 06, 2008 Church Boston, MA
Thu Aug 07, 2008 Millcreek Tavern Philadelphia, PA
Fri Aug 08, 2008 Now That's Class Cleveland, OH
Sat Aug 09, 2008 Rock Room Pittsburgh, PA
Fri Aug 29, 2008 The Frequency Madison, WI
Sat Sep 27, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC

Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love" Video

2008-06-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here they are at McCarren Park Pool . . .

Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love @ McCarren Park Pool 2008 from Amy Wagner on Vimeo.

Tom Tom Club @ McCarren Park Pool

2008-06-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Talking Heads may still be AWOL on the reunion front but band members Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth aren't the kind to sit back and rest on their royalties.

The duo brought their other band Tom Tom Club to McCarren for a set full of funky tunes including their oft-sampled hit "Genius of Love" and our personal favorite "Wordy Rappinghood".

They got the crowd bouncing before the sun had even set.

It was already plenty hot out but leave it to TTC to up the temp by pulling out a cover of Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing".

Enjoy some pics!! Video to come . . .

Design Counting Crows Tour Poster

2008-06-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Feeling artistic?

Fan of the Counting Crows?

Then it's your lucky day!

The band is holding a contest where they are asking fans to submit designs for the group's summer tour poster.

The rules are . . .

1) The poster must be 18"x24" portrait or landscape.

2) Your artwork must be at least 300 DPI and be transmitted through the internet (Files must be jpeg or gif and must be less than 10MB in size)

3) Any graphic elements you use cannot be copyrighted.

The deadline is July 1st.

Send your entries to winner@countingcrows.com.

Counting Crows will kick off their tour July 25th at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, VA. Their support for the first leg will be Sara Bareilles and then Augustana will take over.

Good luck with your artwork!

After The Jump Fest 2008 - Today in Brooklyn!

2008-06-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Here's what you're doing today - Saturday, June 21st!

No need to thank us, just get yourself to Brooklyn today for the block party/concert extravaganza being put on by the After The Jump crew (i.e. our favorite music blogger collective).

ATJ will be closing down N. 6th St. (between Kent and Wythe) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a day/night fest that will feature 30 bands. Besides shutting down the block, the blogger musical melee will also be taking over Galapagos and the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Bands on the bill include Ponytail, The Swimmers, Pela and many many more.

Besides grooving to awesome tunes all day, ATJ will also be offering tons of giveaways (t-shirts and photos) + the opportunity to win tons of prizes like CMJ Badges, VIP passes to the Siren Festival and a new Zune.

The day shows are free but we highly encourage you (PLEASE! PLEASE!) to buy tickets to the night show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (doors at 7:00 p.m.). All proceeds go to NYC school music programs. That means you can support current and future artists all in one day!

Who could ask for more?

Now, get out there!

The Annuals @ Union Pool 6/18

2008-06-17T03:41:00.000-07:00

Raleigh, NC band The Annuals will be bringing their lovely alt pop sound to Brooklyn's Union Pool on Wednesday, June 18th.

The six piece will also hit Sound Fix earlier in the day (6:00 p.m.) for an in-store where they'll be playing tune from their new EP Wet Zoo (Canvasback/Ace Fu).

And speaking of zoos, the animal-friendly band is also having a contest where you can win tickets to one of their upcoming shows and passes to a zoo or aquarium in your town or sponsorship of one of those cuddly little zoo critters in your name.

(It's not exactly cuddly, but I'm partial to penguins, myself.)

You can enter the contest here.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

June 18 - Brooklyn, NY at Sound Fix Records (in-store performance)
June 18 - Brooklyn, NY at Union Pool
June 19 - Arlington, VA at Iota
June 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Millcreek Tavern
June 21 - Carrboro, NC at Arts Center

It's Bonnaroo Time!

2008-06-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Time for fun in the sun in the great state of Tennessee!

Well, actually, we've heard it's been on the soggy side so far. (Will someone please tell the weather to have a little respect for festivals!) Still, this year's Bonnaroo promises not only to be the festival of this year but one that could hold the record as "best fest" for many years to come.

If you didn't make the journey, like us (and yes, we're kicking ourselves) you can tune in to the goings on courtesy of a live webcast.

The action starts at 1:30 p.m. EST today where you can catch some of your favorites including Death Cab for Cutie and Broken Social Scene.

Everybody have fun, stay safe and bring us back some awesome pics!

Siren Festival 2008 Line-Up Announced

2008-05-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

The 8th annual Siren Festival will hit Coney Island on July 19th this year.

The acts so far are ...

- Broken Social Scene
- Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
- The Helio Sequence
- Film School
- Beach House
- Times New Viking
- Jaguar Love
- The Dodos
- Annuals
- Parts & Labor
- Dragons of Zynth
- These Are the Powers

El Perro del Mar - Interview & Bowery Ballroom 5/8

2008-05-07T04:11:00.000-07:00

Sweden's El Perro del Mar (a.k.a Sarah Assbring) had us swooning at her feet back in 2006 when her self-titled debut was released.

Guess what kids this singer/songwriter is no one trick pony because disc #2 From The Valley To The Stars (Control Group/Tcg) is just as shiny and sweet!

Being that we're hooked on all things El Perro, we had to grab some time with her.

You can read our interview at Short and Sweet NYC for the scoop on who she'd like to work with (you might be surprised!) and other things.

El Perro del Mar is currently visiting NYC's urban jungle where she'll play a show at Bowery Ballroom on Thursday, May 8th with fellow Swede Lykke Li, who also has the music scene buzzing.

Tickets are sold out but if you're willing to wait around, you might be able to score an extra.

Sonic Youth Playing Battery Park - July 4th

2008-05-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ditch the family BBQ's and head for downtown Manhattan!

Sonic Youth will be playing Battery Park on July 4th at 3:30 p.m. as part of NYC's River to River Festival.

Check it out here.

Radiohead - "All I Need" Video

2008-05-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

Radiohead teamed up with MTV EXIT, a campaign against human trafficking for their video "All I Need".

Make sure you watch this one.

Cowboy Junkies - Interview

2008-05-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

We've been huge fans of Cowboy Junkies ever since we heard their cover of The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" a long time ago (i.e. when we were just music-lovers in training).

It was dream come true time when we actually got to communicate with band member Margo Timmins. It was only by email but when you're a "junkie" like us . . . well let's just say we would have been happy to tap out questions using morse code or Indian smoke signals.

You can read our chat with Margo at kevchino.com

The Swell Season Cover The Pixies @ Coachella 2008

2008-04-27T08:57:00.001-07:00

One of our favorites, The Swell Season were feeling the Kim Deal love so they kicked out this awesome cover of The Pixies "Cactus".

Kim was playing Coachella with The Breeders but we hope she gets a chance to check this out.

Vampire Weekend @ Coachella 2008

2008-04-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

News and video are flying in fast from Coachella 2008.

Here's some video of Vampire Weekend playing "APunk"

Hello Tokyo @ Crash Mansion 4/18

2008-04-23T18:40:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn's Hello Tokyo took over Crash Mansion to celebrate the release of their debut LP Sell The Stars.

The power pop band sold their high energy tunes to a large buzzing crowd.

Lead singer Kat knows her way around a pop vocal and can slink around a stage like the best of them.

Add in some solid riffs, a few killer hooks and you have everything you need to make Hello Tokyo your new favorite band.

The Forms @ Bowery Ballroom - 4/18

2008-04-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Forms took to the stage early on Friday but they already had a crowd buzzing at their feet.

The NYC band was ready to go from the first riff and they never let up as they charged through their hook happy tunes.

Lead singer Alex Tween roars out some of the best rock 'n' roll vocals we've heard in a long time.

The Forms will be out on the road through May 2nd and their album The Forms (Rebel Group) is available now!

Today is Record Store Day!

2008-04-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's a gorgeous Saturday in NYC so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get out and support Record Store Day!

You can get the whole scoop at recordstoreday.com but basically it's a day to celebrate getting out to the store and buying music the old fashioned way so that we don't loose the Mom and Pop stores that actually care about music.

Do we want to be left with nothing but Best Buy? (Ewwwww, right!)

So, take the day and get out with your friends and join some artists in supporting your local record retailer - you know that favorite spot where you can get lost for a couple of hours sorting through the stacks looking for some rare b-sides or live albums.

Regina Spektor is going to be hitting up Sound Fix in Brooklyn and a host of artists including members of Grizzly Bear and Tapes "n Tapes will be DJing the day away at Other Music in Manhattan.

See you there!!

R.I.P. - Danny Federici of the E Street Band

2008-04-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

Sad news today . . .

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band passed away Thursday at age 58. He had battled melanoma for the past three years.

New Jersey native Federici first met Springsteen in the late 1960s and they played in several bands together before joining forces in the mega-selling rock 'n' roll group Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

"Phantom Dan", as he was often called by The Boss, will be remembered for many musical moments including the organ solo on the song "Hungry Heart" and the coda on "You're Missing" from the album The Rising.

You can read more at brucespringsteen.net.

Interview - Orion Rigel Dommisse

2008-04-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

I sat down with singer/songwriter Orion Rigel Dommisse during her last swing through New York City where she was touring in support of her debut What I Want From You Is Sweet.

You can read the interview at kevchino.com.

Hello Tokyo Playing Crash Mansion - April 18th

2008-04-17T18:41:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn powerpop outfit Hello Tokyo will be hitting up Crash Mansion tomorrow (Friday) April 18th where they'll be celebrating the release of their debut LP Sell The Stars.

The album officially drops on April 22nd but if you get out to the show, you might be able to score a copy early!

If you're not hanging in the Big Apple tomorrow, no worries - Hello Tokyo are hitting the road and hitting it hard.

Tour Dates:

April 18 - Crash Mansion CD RELEASE -New York, New York
April 25 - The Fire - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 26 - Rock & Roll Hotel (All Ages) - Washington, Washington DC
April 27 - GW University Radio - Washington, Washington DC
April 28 - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar - Charlottesville, Virginia
April 29 - The Raven - Burlington, North Carolina
April 30 - New Brookland Tavern - West Columbia, South Carolina
May 1 - Smith’s Olde Bar - Atlanta, Georgia
May 3 - Indy500 Festival - Indianapolis, Indiana
May 4 - Dirty Jack’s -Cincinnati, Ohio
May 6 - 123 Pleasant Street - Morgantown, West Virginia
May 7 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May 8 - Brother Bean Coffee House - Seneca, Pennsylvania
May 16 - Dr. Watson’s Pub - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 28 - Stranded In Stereo Presents.. - New York, New York

Adele - U.S. And Canadian Tour Dates

2008-04-17T04:09:00.000-07:00

With her smoky Amy Winehouse-esque vocals, UK singer/songwriter Adele sent the buzz-o-meter into the stratosphere on her home turf and now she's taking on the U.S. and Canada.

Adele will see her debut album 19, which hit number one in the U.K., get a U.S. release by Columbia Records.

Tour Dates

May 21 - Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Theatre
May 22 - San Francisco, CA Bimbo's 365 Club
May 25 - Vancouver, BC, Red Room
May 27 - Seattle, WA Triple Door
May 29 - Portland, OR Mission Theatre
May 31 - Chicago, IL 9:00, Martyr's
June 2 - Minneapolis, MN Theatre De La Jeune Lune
June 6 - Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theatre
June 7 - Montreal, QC Outremont Theatre
June 10 - New York, NY Highline Ballroom
June 13 - Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
June 15 - Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live

Austin City Limits 2008 - Line-Up Announced

2008-04-16T04:11:00.001-07:00

If you have some free time in September, get yourself to Austin City Limits because the line-up is looking good.

The three day festival will take place September 26-28 in Zilker Park.

The full line-up is here.

Some of the bands/artists heading down Texas way include . . .

- Gnarls Barkley
- John Fogerty
- David Byrne
- The Raconteurs
- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
- Duffy
- The Mars Volta
- The Swell Season
- Jakob Dylan
- Beck

The Kooks Release Limited Edition Album "RAK"

2008-04-15T04:10:00.001-07:00

In conjunction with their sophomore effort KONK (Astralwerks), which drops today, U.K. band The Kooks are also releasing a limited edition version of the album called RAK.

The 9 track limited edition LP will be available in a physical copy only so that means it's time to kick it old school and get out to your local record retailer.

You can also catch the band on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, May 21st (9:00 p.m. PST / 12 p.m. EST) where they'll be playing a special outdoor performance.

And of course . . . there's this tour thing . . .

May 18 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues – all ages
May 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern – all ages SOLD OUT
May 24 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom – 19+ SOLD OUT
May 25 – George, WA – Sasquatch Festival – all ages
May 26 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom – all ages SOLD OUT
May 29 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre – 16+
May 30 - Kansas City, MO KRBZ's 'Buzz Under The Stars' Series at The City Market - all ages
May 31 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Café – 18+
June 01 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom – all ages
June 02 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre – all ages SOLD OUT
June 04 – Toronto, ON – Kool Haus – 19+
June 05 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore @ TLA – all ages SOLD OUT
June 09 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club – 18+ SOLD OUT
June 10 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 – all ages
June 11 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 – all ages SOLD OUT

Madonna Playing Roseland Ballroom 4/30

2008-04-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the April 29th release of her new album Hard Candy Madonna is going the intimate route with a special one-off gig at Roseland Ballroom on April 30th.

There's a special promotion going on ticket-wise for V Cast Music and vodaphone customers. Full details at pollstar.com

Word is the rest of the tickets will be given away on a first-come-first-served basis so get ready to stand in line and probably sleep out overnight.

And heads up kids - April 30th is a Wednesday so start thinking up excuses to get out of work or school now!

For those of you who don't make it into Roseland, the concert will be broadcast live on MSN.com so you can still get into the groove vicariously.

Jolie Holland - 3 Week Residency @ Union Pool

2008-04-13T12:06:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn transplant Jolie Holland begins a 3 week residency this week at Union Pool.

Singer/songwriter Holland will play gigs at the Brooklyn haunt on April 16, 23 and 30th.

Expect to hear material from her earlier albums Catalpa, Escondida and Springtime Can Kill You, as well as material from her yet-untitled release, due out later this year.

Carole King's "Tapestry" Gets Re-Release

2008-04-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Singer/songwriter Carole King's mega-selling 1971 pop masterpiece Tapestry is getting a re-release courtesy of Epic/Ode/Legacy.

Tapestry : Legacy Edition will hit stores on April 22nd in a two-disc special edition.

Disc One features a remastered edition of the original 12 track album which boasted a boatload of hit singles (many of which are now standards) including "It's Too Late", "I Feel The Earth Move", "So Far Away", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" and "You've Got A Friend".

Disc Two is made up of previously unreleased concert versions of the "Tapestry" songs that were recorded in Boston, Maryland, Central Park and San Francisco in 1973 and 1976.

Before setting out to record her own material, Carole King was better known as one half of the Brill Building songwriting team of Goffin and King.

With her then-husband Gerry Goffin, King wrote a ton of chart-toppers for some of the most famous artists of the day including “Up On the Roof” (Drifters), “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva), “One Fine Day” (Chiffons), “I’m Into Somethin’ Good” (Herman’s Hermits), and “Take a Giant Step” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (Monkees).

Prince Added To Coachella Line-Up

2008-04-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Get ready to paint the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA purple because Prince is on the way!

That's right, THE Purple One has been added to the line-up of this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (April 25-27).

He'll headline Day 2 of the three day fest.

Dawn Landes @ Mercury Lounge - NYC

2008-04-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

NYC folk singer Dawn Landes dropped by Mercury Lounge last night to share some of the tunes off her super solid new album Fireproof (Cooking Vinyl).

Landes has an easy-going stage presence that makes you want to come closer for a listen and when it's time to go, you'll leave with a smile on your face.

After all, anyone who can make the the ice cold bricks of the Merc fade away until it feels like a warm fuzzy spot where you can just kick back with a few dozen friends, earns a spot on our "must see again" list.

Paramore - "That's What You Get" Video

2008-04-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here's the new video from Paramore those crazy maybe we're breaking up / we're staying together punk pop kids.

This is the umpteenth single from their mega-selling second disc Riot! (Fueled By Ramen).

If this isn't enough for you, the band is going to be hitting the road this spring/summer.

First up will be a co-headling jaunt with Jimmy Eat World and they'll wind it up with the Warped Tour in July.

Tour Dates:

April 1st – May 2nd w/Jimmy Eat World

APRIL
1 San Antonio, TX Freeman Coliseum
2 Lubbock, TX Lonestar Amphitheater
3 El Paso, TX El Paso County Coliseum
5 Irvine, CA Bamboozle Left @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6 Bakersfield, CA Rabobank Theater
8 San Jose, CA Event Center @ San Jose State
9 Sacramento, CA Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
10 Salem, OR Salem Armory
12 Pocatello, ID Holt Arena
14 Orem, UT McKay Events Center
16 Council Bluffs, IA Mid America Center
17 Springfield, MO The Shrine Mosque
18 Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom
19 DeKalb, IL Convocation Center
21 Grand Rapids, MI Deltaplex
22 Dayton, OH Hara Arena
24 Bloomsburg, PA Bloomsburg University
25 Rochester, NY Gordon Field House
26 Washington, DC Bender Arena
28 Albany, NY Washington Avenue Armory
30 Lowell, MA Paul E. Tsongas Arena

MAY
2 Atlantic City, NJ Taj Mahal Mark G. Etess Arena
3 E. Rutherford, NJ The Bamboozle @ Meadowlands Sports Complex
10 London, ENG Give It A Name @ Earls Court
11 Sheffield, ENG Give It A Name @ Sheffield Arena
12 Glasgow, SCT Glasgow Academy
16 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Music Park
17 Nashville, TN Riverfront Park

JUNE
2 Dublin, Ireland Dublin RDS Simmions Court
4 Portsmouth, ENG Portsmouth Guildhall
5 Nottingham, ENG Nottingham Rock City
7 Nürburgring, Germany Rock Am Ring
8 Nürnberg, Germany Rock Im Park
9 Brussels, Belgium Brussels AB
11 Denmark Copenhagen Pumpehuset
12 Sweden Hultsfred Festival
14 Norway Norwegian Wood Festival
15 Finland Provinssi Festival
17 Holland Amsterdam Melkweg
18 Paris, France Paris Bataclan
30 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest

JULY
1 St. Louis, MO Warped Tour
2 Kansas City, MO Warped Tour
3 Dallas, TX Warped Tour
5 San Antonio, TX Warped Tour
6 Houston, TX Warped Tour

Dawn Landes @ Mercury Lounge - 04/07

2008-04-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Singer/songwriter/recording engineer by day Dawn Landes is currently out on the road in support of her new album Fireproof (Cooking Vinyl).

You can catch the Louisville, KY native/NYC transplant singing her Americana-laced tunes live at Mercury Lounge this coming Monday, April 7th where she’ll be opening for Elf Power.

You can also catch a stream of Dawn playing with her band on WFUV.

Click here and scroll down to the link for Landes.

Full Tour Dates:

Apr 5 2008 8:00P The Alban Arena w Josh Ritter - St Albans
Apr 7 2008 8:00P Mercury Lounge w Elf Power - New York, New York
Apr 26 2008 8:00P The Independent w/ Múm - San Francisco, California
Apr 28 2008 8:00P Spaceland w Johnathan Rice - Los Angeles, California
Apr 30 2008 8:00P Doug Fir w/ Peter Morén - Portland, Oregon
May 10 2008 8:00P Slowdown w/ Josh Ritter - Omaha, Nebraska
May 11 2008 8:00P Granada Theatre w/ Josh Ritter - Lawrence, Kansas
May 13 2008 8:00P Vaudville Mews w/ Josh Ritter - Des Moines, Iowa
May 14 2008 8:00P High Noon Saloon w/ Josh Ritter - Madison, Wisconsin
May 17 2008 8:00P Nelsonville Art and Music Festival - Nelsonville, Ohio
May 18 2008 8:00P Nelsonville Art and Music Festival - Nelsonville, Ohio

Buck Brothers @ Rehab - New York City

2008-03-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Buck Brothers took over Rehab (formerly Club Midway) for a gig that had the rowdy three piece rocking through a few of their favorite things - girls. . . in skirts and boots . . . on bikes.

The U.K. rockers decorated their mic stands with feather boas and carried the pizzazz factor over into their raucous set which included their heavily spun single "Girls, Skirts, Boots, Bikes" and the high-energy rant "Gorgeously Stupid".

The guys were in the NYC-area for a series of dates and are now headed home.

We hope they come back soon!

Switches - Interview

2008-03-25T17:02:00.001-07:00

'Sup Magazine sent me out to the wilds of Terminal 5 to sit down with the latest UK treat - a glam-rock four piece called Switches!

The guys have the looks, the hooks and they know how to wrap it up, bring it and take it home at the end of the night.

You can read what the guys had to say here and then go out and pick up their debut album Lay Down The Law. It's out now!

New Raconteurs Album Out March 25th

2008-03-20T03:58:00.001-07:00

It's coming our way . . . faster than a speeding bullet . . .

The Raconteurs are rushing LP number two Consolers of the Lonely into all stores (digital and physical) on March 25th. The 14 track disc didn't even receive it's finishing touches until the first week of March.

Consolers will available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

According to the band, they put the album on the super fast track "so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it's availability, reception or perception".

Portishead Drops "Machine Gun" Video

2008-03-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

It's here!!

The video for Portishead's new single "Machine Gun" off their upcoming comeback album Third (Mercury/Island) is now online for your viewing pleasure!

Go to, portishead.co.uk, click on the 4th "P", do the two second registration thingy and then you'll be able to view the clip.

You can pick up Third on April 28th in the U.K. and April 29th in the U.S.

Counting Crows Playing An Apple Store Near You

2008-03-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

It's been five years since Counting Crows released an album and they're getting ready to end the dry spell with the March 25th release of Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (Geffen).

They'll be celebrating the disc's release with a run of gigs at Apple Stores across the country.

You know how crazy these things get so if you want in . . . get there early!

Apple Store Dates: (all will be indoors expect for the Los Angeles date)

Thursday, March 27, 7:00 p.m. Apple Store, SoHo (New York)
Thursday, April 3, 4:00 p.m. Apple Store, The Grove (Los Angeles)
Sunday, April 6, 4:00 p.m. Apple Store, San Francisco (San Francisco)
Wednesday, April 9, 6:00 p.m. Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue (Chicago)

Von Bondies Are Looking For A New Label

2008-03-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Listen up all you label peeps of the indie persuasion – the Von Bondies are free agents and are looking for a new home!

The band has asked to be released from the major label deal with Warner and they got the go on that as long as they don’t sign with another major.

We all know the VB’s have lots to offer. Their new EP We Are Kamikazes is available now and it’s full of garage rock goodness. The band is also sitting on a new LP, Love, Hate And Then There’s You, which was financed by founding members Chris Stollsteimer and drummer Don Blum.

As Stollsteimer puts it in billboard.com, “We're not looking for a big thing. It doesn't make sense for us to be on a major. Majors are for bands that sell 500,000 to a million records. We're happy selling 100,000; we're proud of that. But majors aren't."

So, come on people, reach out and give 'em a home!

My Morning Jacket Play SXSW 2008

2008-03-12T18:01:00.001-07:00

As if SXSW wasn't crazy enough with all the "official" shows, the festival reached new levels of insanity when My Morning Jacket dropped in to play an "unofficial" gig.

The jam band played at the Parish in Austin on March 11th where they previewed some of the songs from their upcoming release Evil Urges.

Here's some video of a new song called "Highly Suspicious":

Create and Star In Your Own Personalized "Thriller" Video!

2008-03-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Do you think you can do the herky jerky zombie dance just like Michael?

Were you born to wear the red leather jacket?

Ever spooked your significant other after a scary movie?

If you answered in the affirmative to any of those Q's then click on over to your new happy place - michaeljackson.com/mythrillervideo.

In order to continue the Thriller 25th Anniversary party, Jackson and Epic/Legacy Recordings are pairing up with Big Stage and YouTube to let you create your own personalized "Thriller" video.

The way it works is that you take three pictures of yourself and then upload them to the website.

Add in a little presto magico from Big Stage and your face will be mapped onto an @ctor (3-D avatar thingy) and before you know it (they say in under a minute) you'll be transplanted into the Michael role in the video.

And if that wasn't enough, you'll even get a link to a You Tube page where the video will be posted.

Go try it and let us know if it's good to be a zombie!!

Switches @ Terminal 5 - New York City

2008-03-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

U.K.s Switches are just the shot of adrenaline that Brit pop/rock needs.

We caught the hook happy rockers at Terminal 5 where they were opening for The Bravery.

You can read we had to say about it and check out some photos by Claire Sheprow via our friend punkphoto.com.

Kevchino Meets The All-For-Nots

2008-03-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

If you're like us, you loved Almost Famous, thought Love Monkey was a missed opportunity and you go to bed every night wishing for a show that captures the music scene as we see it every day. (i.e. not in that super shiny Hannah Montana/Jonas Bro. way)

We might just be getting our heart's desire via a new Michael Eisner-produced web comedy called The All-For-Nots which follows the the ups and downs of a band on the road. It's being billed as "the band that will conquer the world wide web . . . unless they run out of gas".

The thought of a show centered around an indie rock band has us excited enough but the real cherry on top is that one of our favorite music sites Kevchino.com gets a mention and site owner Kevin Serra actually makes an appearance, playing himself, in Episode 2.

(Full disclosure - in addition to keeping the music spinning in the SWR lair, we also write for kevchino but even if another site did get the mention, we'd still be sitting with our noses pressed to the computer screen).

You can start tuning into The All-For-Nots at www.theallfornots.com on March 11th or on HD Net Sunday, March 9th at 7:45 p.m.

For those of you who are currently invading Austin, Michael Eisner is giving a lecture on new media at SXSW and on Tuesday, March 11th at Club de Ville (900 Red River St.) there will also be a premiere party for the show which will include a live performance by The All-For-Nots.

If you catch 'em down there, let us know what you think.

We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Basia Bulat Plays "The Pilgriming Vine" @ Bowery Ballroom

2008-03-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

Canadian singer/songwriter Basia Bulat opened for St. Vincent last Friday and completely blew us away. We were already fans of her album Oh, My Darling but her live show put us over the moon.

You can read a full review we wrote up of the Bowery gig and check out a video we shot of her song "In the Night" over at our friend's blog Short and Sweet NYC.

Here's Basia singing "The Pilgrming Vine" at Bowery Ballroom.

Ray Davies - 2008 Tour Dates

2008-03-06T04:07:00.001-08:00

In a bid to whet our appetite even more (and we're already salivating!) for a full-on Kinks reunion, the group's frontman Ray Davies will be hitting the road all by himself in support of his second solo album Working Man's Cafe (New West Records).

The trek may be short (only a little more than a week) but Davies will cover some serious ground in that amount of time - hitting both coasts and Canada, as well.

Tour Dates

March 28 - San Francisco, CA The Warfield
March 29 - Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre
April 1 - Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
April 3 - Toronto, ON Music Hall Theatre
April 5 - Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
April 6 - Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
April 8 - New York, NY Beacon Theatre

Los Campesinos - 2008 North American Tour Dates

2008-03-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

Our favorite Welsh popsters Los Campesinos are getting ready to throw "parties" across the U.S. and Canada.

The band will be out on the road in support of their debut LP Hold On Now, Youngster due out April 1 on Arts & Crafts. If you heard their EP Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, you know we're in for some quirky good times!!

Tour Dates:

March / SXSW:

Austin, TX Emo’s/Canvas Media/Onion Day Party (13)
Austin, TX Cedar Creek/Filter Magazine Day Party (14)
Austin, TX The Parish/Arts & Crafts Showcase (15)

May:

Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s (14)
Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg (15)
Washington, DC Black Cat (16)
Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s (17)
New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (19)
Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club (21)
Montreal, PQ Petit Campus (22)
Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace (23)
Chicago, IL Empty Bottle (26)
Chicago, IL Empty Bottle (27)
Minneapolis, MN Varisty Theatre (28)
Seattle, WA Neumo’s (31)

June:

Vancouver, BC Plaza Club (1)
Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge (2)
San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s (6)
Los Angeles, CA Troubadour (7)
Pamona, CA Glass House (8)

Radiohead, Petty and Johnson Headline Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

2008-03-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

Radiohead has scored another headlining gig at yet another festival . . . .

This time the rockers are set to take the stage in San Francisco for the first annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival which will be held August 22-24 in Golden Gate Park.

Superfly Productions is producing in conjunction with Another Planet Entertainment.

Also getting a turn on the headlining stage are classic rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and another guy who is doing a lot of headlining himself this year - Jack Johnson.

The three day, five stage festival is promising a "strong and diverse" line-up that will take in just about every genre from bluegrass to electronic.

St. Vincent @ Bowery Ballroom - NYC

2008-03-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

St. Vincent, the band of singer/songwriter/guitarist Annie Clark, played a sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom last night. It was what she called "the delightful peak of a two week tour". The Texas transplant is now a proud New Yorker or as she put it, "I'm glad not be in Texas, you know what I mean?".

We know!!!

Backed by a three piece band, on a stage decorated with wooden stalagmites colored green, pink and blue, the singer/songwriter took turns strumming on the guitar and sitting behind a keyboard that was draped in silver streamers.

Backed by a three piece band, St. Vincent pulled off an amazing version of "Marry Me" behind the keyboards and took the stage by herself for a high-powered electric take on The Beatles tune "Dig A Pony" that was preceded by a story about taxidermy in Montana - and somehow, it all made sense.

Whether she was singing along to the tinkling of tiny bells or growling behind her guitar with strobe lights flickering, St. Vincent is a master of magnetic charisma. Dressed in a short red dress, black fish net tights and mary jane shoes, the tiny singer is a force to be reckoned with and she even helped set up her own gear - that's the kind of stuff we like to see from a headliner!

Some pics and video we shot . . .

St. Vincent performs "Dig A Pony" by The Beatles:

Members of Arcade Fire To Rock Out For Barack Obama

2008-02-29T22:42:00.000-08:00

Aracade Fire members Win Butler, Regine Chassange, Will Butler and Jeremy Gara are gearing up to play two free shows in Ohio in a bid to help Barack Obama win the state in the upcoming March 4th primary. (Win and Will were actually born in the U.S. and Regine has dual citizenship.)

The shows will be Sunday, March 2nd at Stuart Opera House in Nelsonville, OH and Monday, March 3rd at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland.

Heads up - Sunday's show will be all ages while Monday's is 18+.

AF are going old school when it comes to admission - that means NO advance tickets. If you want in, get there early and be prepared to wait.

All you Ohioans enjoy the show and then go out and vote on March 4th!

The Lonely H @ Arlene's Grocery - New York City

2008-02-29T04:15:00.000-08:00

The Lonely H brought their headlining tour to Arlene's Grocery where the Seattle band kicked out some of the laid back rock tunes on their latest album Hair (The Control Group).

Fronted by the taller than tall Mark Fredson (vox/keys), the group delivered on the promise of their recorded tracks. The Lonely H have an easy breezy charisma and just enough of The Band's full-throated twang to make you want to sing and sway along.

The guys will be on the road all spring and are also hitting up SXSW where they'll play three shows (March 13,14,15).

Full tour dates here.

Orion Rigel Dommisse Plays 4 NYC-Area Shows

2008-02-28T04:12:00.000-08:00

If you like the rustic folk stylings of Marissa Nadler or Jana Hunter than you should definitely catch Orion Rigel Dommisse on her swing through NJ/NYC.

The Providence, RI singer will be playing four area shows:

- February 28 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ
- March 1 - Sound Fix - Brooklyn, NY
- March 2 - Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
- March 3 - Cake Shop - New York, NY

Her album What I Want From You Is Sweet is available from Language of Stone. It's a stunner so pick it up!

If you're heading down to SXSW, you can also catch Orion at St. David's Church on March 13th.

Madonna Will Be Inducted Into Rock Hall by Timberlake

2008-02-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

We all know that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Madonna is going to rule this year's party like no other and now we know who is going to escort the Material Girl into that hallowed hall of history - her latest boy toy (but only in a musical sense) - Justin Timberlake!

Should be interesting!!!

Mother Madge also just announced the title of her upcoming album. The disc, her 11th studio album will be called Hard Candy and it will be out on April 29th.

Madonna isn't the only one to be honored this year so here's a list of the other inductees followed by their presenters:

-Leonard Cohen - Lou Reed

- The Dave Clark Five - Tom Hanks

- John Cougar Mellencamp - Billy Joel

- The Ventures - John Fogerty

- Little Walter - Ben Harper

Cat Power, Devendra Banhart and Others Release Songs on Aime Street

2008-02-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the day that more than 15,000 songs from artists like Cat Power, Devendra Banhart and Of Montreal become available on Aime Street - an online music store where fans set the price.

How it works is that all the songs are initially free and then rise in price based on popularity topping out at $0.98. The songs are DRM-free mp3s.

Labels releasing their catalogues on Aime Street include Beggars Group (XL, Rough Trade, 4AD), Matador Records and Polyvinyl Recording Co.

There's a ton of great stuff here - just downloaded St. Vincent's album this morning for $0.32 but you have to get in there early to get the great prices.

David Bowie Oo's and Ah's for Scarlett Johansson

2008-02-26T03:58:00.001-08:00

In case you were looking for a way to make actress and Woody Allen muse Scarlett Johansson's upcoming album of Tom Waits covers Anywhere I Lay My Head more palatable, this might just do the trick.

David Bowie is adding backing vocals on two songs - "Fallin' Down" and "Fannin' Street".

The jury is still out on the album due May 19th but a little assist from Mr. Bowie can only help!

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova Win Oscar + Tour Dates

2008-02-25T03:57:00.000-08:00

They did it!

Music soulmates Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the duo at the center of the film Once, rode their DIY ethic onto the red carpet and all the way up to the podium where they scored an Oscar for Best Originial Song for "Falling Slowly".

Indie film Once was shot on a shoe string budget and went on to win over audience members with it's simple tale of an Irish busker and a Czech immigrant who meet and make music together.

The night before the Academy Awards, Once also won Best Foreign Film at the Indie Spirit Awards.

Hansard and Irglova are touring under the moniker The Swell Season and you can catch them live in NYC at Radio City Music Hall on May 19th. They are also playing Coachella.

The Swell Season - 2008 Tour Dates:

Wed 04/23 - Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theatre
Fri 04/25 - Indio, CA Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
Sat 04/26 - Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
Sun 04/27 - Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
Mon 04/28 - Portland, OR Portland Center For The Arts
Wed 04/30 - Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
Thu 05/01 - Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
Fri 05/02 - Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
Sat 05/03 - Denver, CO Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Mon 05/05 - Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
Sat 05/10 - Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
Sun 05/11 - Cleveland, OH Allen Theatre
Mon 05/12 - Louisville, KY W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre
Tue 05/13 - Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Fri 05/16 - Richmond, VA Toad's Place Of Richmond
Sat 05/17 - Baltimore, MD Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Mon 05/19 - New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
Tue 05/20 - Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
Mon 06/16 - Madison, WI Overture Center For The Arts
Tue 06/17 - Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
Sun 06/22 - Telluride, CO Town Park (Telluride Bluegrass Festival)

Death Cab for Cutie Set Release Date for "Narrow Stairs"

2008-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Save the date Death Cab for Cutie fans!

May 13th is the magic day when the Seattle rockers will drop Narrow Stairs, their second album for Atlantic Records

The first single from the disc will be track #2 "I Will Possess Your Heart".

Full Track Listing:

1.Bixby Canyon Bridge

2.I Will Possess Your Heart

3.No Sunlight

4.Cath…

5.Talking Bird

6.You Can Do Better Than Me

7.Grapevine Fires

8.Your New Twin Sized Bed

9.Long Division

10.Pity and Fear

11.The Ice Is Getting Thinner

You can also catch the band this year at Coachella (April 26th) and Bonnaroo (June 15th).

Full Tour Dates:

April 18 Bremerton, WA Admiral Theatre

April 19 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre

April 21 Arcata, CA Van Dozer Theatre/Humboldt State Univ

April 22 Davis, CA UC Davis-Freeborn Hall

April 23 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

April 24 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

April 26 Indio, CA Coachella

June 15 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo

All Points West Announces Line-up - Radiohead and Jack Johnson Are Headliners

2008-02-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

As previously rumored, Radiohead and Jack Johnson will headline the All Points West Music & Arts Festival which will held in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ from August 8-10.

Radiohead gets double headlining duty with gigs on Friday and Saturday night while Johnson is penciled in for Sunday.

Other names on the roster aren't too shabby either.

They include a nice mix of guaranteed great performers (Rodrigo Y Gabriela, CSS), world music (Amadou & Mariam), people we've loved for what seems like forever (Cat Power) and ones who are just starting to make our hearts go pitter pat (The Virgins, Your Vegas, The Felice Brothers).

Tix ($89.00 single day / $258.00 3 day pass) go on sale Friday, February 29th at noon (eastern time) via ticketmaster.

The festival is going green which means there will be lots of public transportation and limited parking.

Line-up as of February 22nd:

Radiohead,
Jack Johnson
Underworld
Kings of Leon
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Cat Power
The Roots
The New Pornographers
Youssou N'Dour
Animal Collective
Andrew Bird
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Metric
CSS
Girl Talk
Chromeo
The Go! Team
Amadou & Mariam
The Black Angels
Sia
The Felice Brothers
K'Naan
Jason Isbell
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Alberta Cross
The Virgins
Black Kids
Mates of State
Duffy
Forro in the Dark
Nicole Atkins
Juana Molina
Little Brother
Rogue Wave
Neil Halstead
Your Vegas.

Kate Nash - 2008 U.S. Tour Dates

2008-02-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

New U.K. sensation Kate Nash is coming around again with a spring tour that will take her north, south, east and west in support of her debut album Made of Bricks (Geffen Records).

Tix go on sale the weekend of February 22nd-24th.

U.S. Tour Dates:

Tuesday, April 15 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
Wednesday, April 16 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Thursday, April 17 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Friday, April 18 - Baltimore, MD - Recher Theatre
Saturday, April 19 - Philadelphia - Trocadero
Monday, April 21 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Wednesday, April 23 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Saturday, April 26 - Indio, CA - Coachella Music & Arts Festival
Monday, April 28 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Theatre
Wednesday, April 30 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
Friday, May 2 - Chicago, IL - The Vic
Saturday, May 3 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Monday, May 5 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
Thursday, May 8 - Vancouver, BC - Richard’s on Richards
Friday, May 9 Seattle, WA - Showbox
Sunday, May 11 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Tuesday, May 13 - San Francisco - The Fillmore

Here's some video we shot of Kate singing "Foundations" at the Virgin Megastore in NYC during her last trip.

Eminem Is Publishing His Memoirs

2008-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Seems like "8 Mile" was only a primer for the true tales of Marshall Mathers, who we know better as Eminem.

On October 16, 2008, Orion Books will publish Eminem: The Way I Am the memoirs of the Academy Award-winning rapper.

Watch out Mama! Em is getting ready to clean out his closet . . . again.

Splurge - Releases for February 19, 2008

2008-02-19T04:14:00.001-08:00

Here we go again . . . another Tuesday . . . more to add to the already out of control collection.

She Writes Rock Pick = Christine Perfect : Complete Blue Horizon Sessions

Before she married bassist John McVie and became part of music history as one of Fleetwood Mac's singer/songwriters, Christine McVie was a young British blues singer making music under her maiden name of Christine Perfect. After a stint with the blues band Chicken Shack, Perfect recorded a well-received solo album called The Legendary Christine Perfect Albun.

Shortly after recording the album, she married John McVie and was rolled into singing/songwriting and playing the keyboards for the big Mac.

Now, Blue Horizon has collected Christine's solo blues recording post-Chicken Shack / pre-Fleetwood Mac.

It's available as an import through amazon.com.

- American Music Club : The Golden Age - Merge Records

- Arlen Roth & Levon Helm : Toolin' Around Woodstock - Aquinnah Records

- Atlas Sound : Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel - Kranky

- Christine Perfect : Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (Import) :

- Morcheeba : Dive Deep - Ultra Records

- The Mountain Goats : Heretic Pride - 4ad / ada

- Nick Lowe : Jesus of Cool - Yep Roc Records

- The Raveonettes : Lust Lust Lust - Vice Records

The Cribs - 2008 U.S. Tour Dates

2008-02-18T05:18:00.001-08:00

One of our favorite band of brothers, The Cribs are heading back across the pond to thrash their way into our hearts all over again!

Their U.S. run will be a little less than a month but they'll be covering some serious ground and making the most of their time including two gigs (March 14th - day and evening) at this year's SXSW in Austin, TX.

Only one NYC date this time around:

- March 20th - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

Full Tour Dates:

Mar 11 - The Engine Room - Houston, Texas
Mar 12 - The Loft - Dallas, Texas
Mar 14 - SXSW - Austin, Texas (daytime La Zona Rosa / night Festival Stubbs)
Mar 15 - One Eyed Jack’s - New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 17 - 40 Watt Club - Athens,Georgia
Mar 19 - Black Cat - Washington, Washington DC
Mar 20 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
Mar 21 - Paradise - Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 22 - North Star - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 23 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 25 - Double Door - Chicago, Illinois
Mar 26 - Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 28 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, Colorado
Mar 31 - Chop Suey - Seattle, Washington
Apr 2 - Doug Fir - Portland, Oregon
Apr 3 - Pop Scene - San Francisco, California
Apr 4 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, California

Morrissey's Roadie Tells All

2008-02-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

You may love Morrissey but would you wanna be his roadie?

Before you go pogoing up and down screaming the affirmative, you might want to check out the story of Andrew Winter who had one of those supposed "gigs of a lifetime" serving at Moz's beck and call.

We always take these kind of "behind the scenes" stories with a whole bag of salt but they're always a fun read.

You can have your dreams of hanging with Morrissey crushed by reading the London Times.

Buck Brothers Playing 3 NYC Shows

2008-02-15T03:50:00.000-08:00

U.K. band Buck Brothers are going to be paying a visit to our stomping grounds soon.

Band members Andy Duke (vocals/bass), Pete Sellers (guitar/vocals) and Stixx (I'm not going to tell you what instrument he plays. You'll have to figure it out on your own!) met back in 2005 at a Buddhist Disco in North London.

I'm figuring they might have stood out from the crowd because their music is far from zen.

What it is though, is full of catchy pop punk hooks like "I like girls in skirts and boots on bikes" and crunching guitars.

In fact, their cheeky humor carries them through songs like "Gorgeously Stupid" with just enough sting to keep them from disappearing in a sea of UK bands who want to pop on over to our shores and head home screaming something about "coming, seeing and conquering".

Buck Brothers dropped their debut Me in October of 2007 and it has been steadily gaining steam with a little help from KROQ.

You can keep the guys powered up like good little energizer bunnies by coming out to see one of their area shows:

March 25th - Lit Lounge - New York, NY
March 27th - Midway - New York, NY
March 28th - Crash Mansion - New York, NY

Full dates (including a SXSW gig) are here.

The Kooks Are on Conan O'Brien Tonight

2008-02-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

The Kooks will be stopping by Conan O'Brien's show tonight (Thursday, February 14th) to premiere a new song called "Always Where I Need To Be".

The track is off their sophomore effort Konk due out April 15th on Astralwerks.

Stay up late, pig out on the Valentine's candy and check out the new tune!

Radiohead Remixes - Free of Charge!

2008-02-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

Radiohead's latest hotselling album In Rainbows has been "remixed and reimagined" by California DJ/Producer AmpLive as a set called Radiohead Rainydayz Remixes.

It's available here as a FREE download.

Track Listing:

01 Rainydayz
02 Video Tapez (ft. Del The Funky Homosapien)
03 Nudez (ft. Too $hort & MC Zumbi
of Zion I)
04 Weird Fishez
05 All I Need
06 15 Stepz (ft. Codany Holiday)
07 Reckonerz (ft. Chali2na)
08 Faustz

Valentine's Day - Rock And Roll Style!

2008-02-14T04:05:00.000-08:00

Rock and roll romances are kind of like a three minute pop song - an intense sugar rush and then it's over.

And while a lot of that "strange magic" that hits guitar players and girl singers goes the way of Kurt and Courtney's (minus the whole death thing) there are still a few music-loving couples like Cameron Crowe and Nancy Wilson and Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon that lead us to believe that that giddy feeling can continue to last even after the crowd has gone home and the gear is packed up.

In order to help all you cooing love birds out there celebrate the day of the cupid, we have come up with two things that should make the day special - food and music.

I have some restaurant recommendations for you courtesy of my friend Dave of Short And Sweet NYC and we at SWR have created a play list (a little sappy / a little biting) to help you woo your musical soulmate.

#1 - GRAB A BITE TO EAT

Supper
156 East 2nd Street
Tel: (212) 477-7600

An impressive first date spot with a warm country atmosphere, while being easy on the wallet, is Supper. Dressed in hardwood tables and exposed brick, this Italian eatery has a comfortable and romantic vibe with rustic charm where you can get cozy with one another. If you can, I recommend getting a seat at the bar overlooking the chefs at work as fire rises from their pans high above. Daring and fun to watch, it’s a great conversation starter. While the chefs perform high-risk maneuvers, the food doesn’t suffer one bit. Standout dishes include the “Priest Stranglers” Pasta with Dad’s Sunday marinara sauce topped with fresh soft ricotta di pecora ($12). This is my favorite dish. The half roasted chicken rubbed in wild fennel with rosemary roasted garlic and mashed potatoes ($14.95) is a close second. Whatever you order, you get more than what you pay for.

ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street
Tel: (212) 995-9511

If you don't want to get dinner and would rather head straight for dessert, then ChikaLicious is the perfect spot. This tiny dessert place has more bar seating than tables, and that's exactly where you want to be as chefs/owners Don and Chika Tillman happily make you delectable desserts right in front of your face. With a 3-course prix-fixe dessert menu for $12 that includes an amuse bouche, choice of dessert, and petit fours (with wine pairing, $7 additional), it's a great first date for serious fans of sugar. With desserts like Warm Chocolate Tart with Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream and Red Wine Sauce or Poached Pear with Asian Pear Salad and Lemon-Verbena Ice Cream, it's no wonder that there's usually a line out the door to get in, so get there early and bask in the sweet goodness that ChikaLicious has to offer.

#2 - FIRE UP SOME TUNES (all of these are available on iTunes)

- "A Girl LIke You" - Edwyn Collins
-"Anyone Else But You" - The Moldy Peaches
-"Layla" - Derek & The Dominos
-"I Just Died in Your Arms" - The Cutting Crew
-"Superstar" - Sonic Youth
-"Call Me" - Blondie
-"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - The Proclaimers
- "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John
-"On The Radio" - Donna Summer
- "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" - Broken Social Scene
-"Love is All Around" - The Troggs
-"Silver Springs" - Fleetwood Mac
-"Genius of Love" - Tom Tom Club
-"Pour Some Sugar On Me" - Def Leppard
-"Brandy Alexander" - Feist
-"Heart and Soul" - T-Paul

And, last but never ever least . . .

- "In Your Eyes" - Peter Gabri

Beach House - Video For "You Came To Me"

2008-02-13T03:54:00.000-08:00

Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally record under the moniker of Beach House and they've been making some serious inroads on the music scene over the past couple of years.

Their second full-length Devotion (Carpark Records) drops on February 26th but since we just can't wait that long, Beach House have slipped us an early Valentine in the form of a video for the oh so dreamy song "You Came to Me".

The vid was directed by underground Baltimore filmmaker Skizz Cyzyk.

Check it out and then catch Beach House when they hit Bowery Ballroom on April 2nd!

Michael Jackson's Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition

2008-02-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

Say what you will about the person Michael Jackson is today, 25 years ago (and even by today's standards) he created Thriller which was nothing less than a track by track music miracle - pure genius!

The Anniversary Edition of the album hits shelves today and it includes seven bonus tracks that find MJ getting the remix treatment from artists (Kanye West, Will.i.am) who have followed in his ginormous moon-walking footprints.

Just the mention of Thriller calls up a bunch of memories - a fellow second-grader whispering how she used to kiss her Michael Jackson poster good night - every night, the day my uncle's old girlfriend gave me an extra copy of the tape (yes, tape - this was pre-CD) and instantly became the coolest person in the universe to me.

I could give the album props by posting one of the many youtube clips of the gloved-one doing his thing on "Thriller", "Beat It" or "Billie Jean" but I like this new take the best . . .

Amy Winehouse - 2008 Grammy Awards Video

2008-02-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

Live-blogging the Grammy Awards - 2008

2008-02-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

It's almost show time and we're surrounded by snacks - as ready as we're ever going to be so bring it on!

Bring on Amy Winehouse - via satellite or anything.

We're especially looking forward to seeing Tina Turner back in action - even if she does have to drag Beyonce along with her.

Word on the hideously boring and unending red carpet run down is that the two divas will be introduced by a third who give them a run for their money - Cher!

We're also looking forward to seeing what Kanye West has in store for us.

And we're off . . .

8:00 p.m. - A historical discussion of the award that is the Grammy by Frank Sinatra which turns into a duet with one of those dead/alive duets with Alicia Keys. It works but we still think it's kind of creepy.

8:04 p.m. - Alicia opens with a speech about celebrating the past and looking towards the future. "Here's to the next 50 years!" She throws it to Carrie Underwood.

8:05 p.m. - Carrie Underwood performs "Before He Cheats" in a black vinyl dress that looks like a Cat Woman cast-off. In the background, a group of guys use all kinds of metal pipes to beat on pieces of automotive junk.

8:09 p.m. - Prince struts out into stage decked out in red. He's handing out the best Female R&B performance. It goes to Alicia Keys for "No One".

WINNER: BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE - ALICIA KEYS "NO ONE"

8:11 p.m. - Keys is heavy on thanking her P.R. people. Good move!

8:18 p.m. - The original members of the TIme perform for the first time in 15 years. They're joined Rhianna who performs a medly of (big shock) "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop The Music". Not sure about the gold lame-clad back-up dancers.

8:23 p.m. - Tom Hanks is introduced to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to The Band. I love those guys and they're so deserving but couldn't they find anyone else beside Hanks to pay tribute!

8:25 p.m. - Hanks is now paying tribute to "the power of The Beatles". Ringo and Yoko are in the audience. He introduces the members of Cirque du Soleil who perform their "A Day in the LIfe" number from their Vegas show Love.

8:30 p.m. - "Let it Be" is sung while scenes fromAcross The Universe play in the background.

8:34 p.m. -Cyndi Lauper and Miley Cyrus handle the presenting duties for Best New Artist. Amy Winehouse is Cyndi's favorite according to Miley. Yes! . . . From us and Cyndi - it goes to Amy Winehouse.

WINNER - BEST NEW ARTIST - AMY WINEHOUSE

8:35 p.m. - Jason Bateman, the cad of Juno, introduced the Foo Fighters. Zep's John Paul Jones will conducting the orchestra playing along with the guys.

8:37 p.m. - Bateman goes on to explain some very complicated Grammy competition for unknown musicians. He begs people to stay with him at one point.

8:45 p.m. - Kanye West in black with funky white electro glasses heats it up with "Stronger". His set reminds me of Tron. Probably not what he was going for.

8:50 p.m. - Kanye sings "Hey Mama" in tribute to his recently-deceased mother, Donda West. Very heartfelt. Stark. Lovely.

8:52 p.m. - Fergie sings "Finally" while John Legend accompanies her on the piano.

8:55 p.m. - They present the Best Compilation Soundtrack. It goes to The Beatles Love put together by Sir George Martin. He's there and brings Ringo Starr up to accept with him. I love Ringo who introduces himself with, "I'm Ringo.".

WINNER - BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK - THE BEATLES LOVE

9:03 p.m. - Cher introduces Beyonce and hopefully Tina Turner will be coming on soon.

9:04 p.m. - Beyonce ratles off a name of famous women in R&B. It reminds us how much Beyonce doesn't belong on that list!

9:05 p.m. - The wannabe Queen B intros the real "queen" - Tina Turner. She's wrapped in a silver jumps suit and still looks amazing. She sells "What's Love Got To Do With It" like it's the 1980s all over again. Beyonce, we hope you're taking notes.

9:07 p.m. - Tina delivers a fierce "You Better Be Good to Me". Can you hear this Ike?

9:10 p.m. - Tina and Beyonce kick out "Proud Mary". Tina just rolled right over Beyonce like she was that old river.

9:12 p.m. - In the audience, John Fogerty still looks pissed that his song was hijacked by Ms. Tina.

9:13 p.m. - Nelly Furtado walks out with original Grammy host Andy Williams. They present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Burt Bacharach.

9:14 p.m. - Williams and Furtado present Song of the Year to Amy Winehouse for "Rehab". This moment made my life - getting to see Andy Williams give an award to Amy Winehouse. Ha!!!

WINNER - SONG OF THE YEAR - AMY WINEHOUSE - "REHAB"

9:20 p.m. - Jason Bateman announces the winner of the convoluted My Grammy Moment thing. It's Anne Marie Calhoun. She gets to play in the orchestra for the Foo Fighters. I guess I should be excited?

9:21 p.m. - Foo Fighters perform "The Pretneder" wiht a little help from an orchestra led by John Paul Jones. I guess that Led Zeppelin band thing didn't work out for him.

9:32 p.m. - George Lopez comes out. When did he get so cranky? He intros Brad Paisley. Paisley = popcorn refill. Please stand by.

9:38 p.m. - Chris Brown and Akon give thanks to the winner of the first Grammy for Rap Album - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Oh, the times they have a changed! The group presents the award for this year to Kanye for Graduation. You have to give it to the guy who buzzes "Mama" onto his head.

They try to play him off but Kanye is having none of it! He says Amy Winehouse, if she wins, deserves to win Album of the Year, (that was nice) but then so does he! Now, there's the Kanye we know and love.

WINNER - BEST RAP ALBUM - KANYE WEST GRADUATION

9:42 p.m. - Ludacris presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to Cab Calloway. How many of these are they going to give out?

9:44 p.m. - BeBe Winans and Aretha Franklin, with a lot of back-up help, give a soul-stirring performance. Good night for R&B!

9:56 p.m. - Carole King and Dierks Bentley give a Lifetime Achievement Award to bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs.

9:57 p.m. -King intros Feist who has her guitar strapped on for a stripped down "1234". We like it! She has a brass section too. Nice!!!

10:00 p.m. - Grammy winner Keely Smith is ~~scared by~~ joined by Kid Rock for some of "That Old Black Magic".

10:03 p.m. - Kid Rock reads off the nominees for Best Rock Album. It goes to Foo Fighters for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

WINNER - BEST ROCK ALBUM - FOO FIGHTERS - ECHOES, SILENCE, PATIENCE & GRACE

10:11 p.m. - Before introing Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder gives props to industry icon and his "mentor" Berry Gordy.

10:12 p.m. - Alicia Keys performs "No One". While it's nice to see her up from behind the piano she looks a little awkward getting around the stage. Um . . . can we a get a piano, please! John Mayer joins her and adds a little wah wah on the guitar. Why??

10:17 p.m. - Ringo Starr (Beatle) and Dave Stewart (Eurythmic) rattle off the nominees for best Country Album because they always loved country music - "it's three chords and the truth". The Grammy goes to Vince Gill for These Days.

WINNER - BEST COUNTRY ALBUM - VINCE GILL - THESE DAYS

10:19 p.m. - Vince Gill - "I just got an award given to me by a Beatle. Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?" I think I love you!

10:25 p.m. - Joe Mantenga from Criminal Minds awards (guess what) Lifetime Achievement honors to drummer Max Roach and violinist Itzhak Perlman.

10:26 p.m. - Herbie Hancock and some other people whose names I didn't catch perform "Rhapsody in Blue".

10:33 - Juanes and Taylor Swift are on hand to present the Grammy for Best Rap Song Collabortion - a category they probably know a lot about. Grammy goes to Rhianna featuring Jay-Z for "Umbrella" I would never have guessed.

WINNER - BEST RAP SONG COLLABORATION - RHIANNA AND JAY-Z - "UMBRELLA"

10:40 - Cuba Gooding Jr. is coming to us live from Riverside Studios in London. Could it be? It is -AMY WINEHOUSE!! Killer versions of "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab". That's the way to play it Amy!!

10:49 p.m. - Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole read off the nominees for Record of the Year. And its . . . Amy Winehouse for "Rehab".

WINNER - RECORD OF THE YEAR - AMY WINEHOUSE - "REHAB"

10:50 - Live from London a very emotional Winehosue is hugged by the Dap Kings and her father. She thanks Island Records and her Mom and Dad and . . . her "Blake incarcerated" . I know . . . baby steps.

10:57 p.m. - Recording Academy President Neil Portnow talks about all those good Grammy programs like Music Cares. To show off the good they do, they bring on piano virtuoso Eldar who appeared on the show when he was a kid.

11:01 - Video montage of the artists who have passed away this year. There are always way too many lost. Applause broke through for soft rocker Dan Fogelberg who died this past December and Luciano Pavarotti.

11:04 p.m. - Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban sing to the high heavens (and probably beyond) in honor of Pavarotti.

11:12 p.m. - Bonnie Raitt is in the house to welcome Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and John Fogerty to the stage.

11:14 p.m. - Jerry Lee is still a "killer" when it comes to "Great Balls of Fire"

11:17 p.m. - Little Richard - "Good Golly Miss Molly" is just well . . .good golly! Fogerty is jamming along.

11:24 p.m. - Will.i.am is singing mish mash of tunes in a "Happy 50th" celebration of the Grammys. Come on, we still have awards to give out and time is a wastin'. We could really skip this!

11:27 p.m. - Usher and Quincey Jones give a shout out to Producer of the Year/ Amy Winehouse Cohort - Mark Ronson.

11:28 p.m. - Usher and Quincy Jones present the Album of the Year Award to Herbie Hancock for River: The Joni Letters a jazzed up tribute to Joni Mitchell. A shocker? Not really, this is the kind of album that was practically made to sneak in. It has the perfect pedigree. Joni Mitchell has always been loved by Grammy voters and Herbie Hancock is an artist favorite.

Watch your back, Herbie. Kanye is comin' for you!

WINNER - ALBUM OF THE YEAR - HERBIE HANCOCK - RIVER: THE JONI LETTERS

And there it is . . . on to the next 50 years!

Grammys Turn 50 Tonight

2008-02-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

We''ll be live blogging the Grammy's tonight as the music industry gets ready to usher in the next 50 years worth of legends, one-hit wonders and everyone else in between.

Amy Winehouse will be performing via satellite but even from across the ocean, whatever she does is sure to be memorable.

We're crossing our fingers for Feist to walk-away with an award.

Red carpet arrivals start at 5:00 pm EST on E! Entertainment Television if you're into that whole thing.

Until then, here are some past Grammy performances to hold you over:

Madonna / "Hung Up" - 2006

The White Stripes / "Seven Nation Army" - 2004

The Clash Tribute - 2003

Eminem & Elton John / "Stan" - 2001

Metallica - "One" - 1989

Marvin Gaye / "Sexual Healing" - 1983

John Lennon and Paul Simon - This is so hilarious in that awkward sort of way.

Glastonbury Festival 2008 Has Headliners!

2008-02-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Get ready all you mudlovers because Glasto is getting off the ground!!

NME has announced that Jay-Z, The Verve and Kings of Leon landed the headlining gigs at this year's Glastonbury festival which will go down June 27-29.

First to play out will be the Tennessee band Kings of Leon who will take the stage on Friday, June 27th. These guys can't get any traction in their home country but wow are they LOVED (to put it mildly) over in the U.K.

Hip hop master (I'm retiring/I'm not retiring) Jay-Z is scheduled to play Saturday, June 28th and The Verve will close it out (and no doubt bring it home) on Sunday, 29th.

Other acts confirmed for Glasto include Hot Chip, British Sea Power and um . . . no joke - Neil Diamond.

Go rock your wellies off!

The Lonely H - "Hair" Video and Tour Dates

2008-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Lonely H, the new kids on the block from the Seattle area, just dropped the video for their second single "Hair" from the album of the same name.

You can view the video here.

The Lonely H mix folk and Americana with psychedelic flourishes and lots and lots of 1970s style swagger!

Singer/keyboardist Mark Fredson is a master of vocal stylings. He can do whispy and tender on tunes like the '70s guitar plucker "Rollin" and then change into a roaring arena singer for crunching rock songs like "Yeah Yeah" and "Meal".

The band just launched cross-country tour in support of their 2007 albumHair (The Control Group).

Catch 'em!!

TOUR DATES:

2/08/08 - Slim's - Raleigh, NC
2/09/08 - The Village Tavern - Mt. Pleasant, SC
2/11/08 - Preseveration Pub - Knoxville, TN
2/12/08 - The Exit Inn - Nashville, TN
2/13/08 - Deadwood Saloon - Covington, KY
2/14/08 - The Gypsy Hut w/ The Libertines - Cincinnati, OH
2/15/08 - Lemmons - St. Louis, MO
2/16/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/17/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/18/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/19/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/20/08 - V-Club - Huntington, WV
2/21/08 - The Fire w/ the Parlor Mob - Philadelphia, PA
2/22/08 - Club 19 w/ The Parlor Mob and Swinging Fingers - York, PA
2/23/08 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ
2/25/08 - The Brewery - State College, PA
2/26/08 - Cousin Larry's w/ Swinging Fingers, Sikamor Rooney (9pm door, 10pm show, 21+, $5) - Danbury, CT
2/27/08 - Arelene's Grocery w/ The Parlor Mob, Stoley P.T. - New York City, NY
2/28/08 - Valentine's - Albany, NY
3/01/08 - V-Club - Huntington, WV
3/03/08 - Jackrabbit's - Jacksonville, FL
3/04/08 - Backbooth - Orlando, FL
3/06/08 - New World Brewery - Tampa, FL
3/08/08 - The Jackrabbit Lounge - Shreveport, LA
3/12/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/13/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/14/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/15/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/21/08 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
3/22/08 - The Belmont - Detroit, MI
3/23/08 - Dino's Coffee Lounge - Kalamazoo, MI
3/26/08 - Dirty Jack's - Cincinnati, OH
3/27/08 - The Davenport - Cleveland, OH
3/28/08 - The Anchor Inn - South Bend, IN
3/29/08 - The Verve - Terre Haute, IN
3/30/08 - Friends and Co. - Charleston, IL
3/31/08 - Picador - Iowa City, IA
4/01/08 - Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
4/05/08 - The Uptown - Minneapolis, MN
4/08/08 - The Filling Station - Bozeman, MT
4/09/08 - Jesters - Helena, MT
4/10/08 - Sean Kelly's - Missoula, MT

Scorsese To Direct Bob Marley Documentary

2008-02-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

He's a fickle music docu-maker that Martin Scorsese.

The tyro helmer already has another music project set just a few days after premiering his Rolling Stones concert docu Shine A Light at the Berlin Film Festival.

Next up will be a look at the life of reggae singer Bob Marley.

Variety.com is reporting that the docu, which has yet to be named, will be released on February 6, 2010 to mark would have been the legendary music maker's 65th birthday.

The project is being done with the cooperation of the Marley family.

SXSW - 2008 Showcases Announced

2008-02-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

Strap a few gallons of Red Bull on your back and get ready to run the gauntlet that is South By Southwest.

There are a lot of great bands heading down to Austin to strut their stuff and we're glad to see some of our new and old favorites including Apache Beat, Ha Ha Tonka, Black Moth Super Rainbow, My Morning Jacket and Orion Rigel Dommisse,

The heavy hitters on the list include R.E.M. and Dolly Parton.

For a full list go here.

SXSW takes place this year from March 12-16.

Hard Rock Park Opens Spring 2008

2008-02-07T04:13:00.001-08:00

Forget Coachella, Bonnaroo . . . hell even forget All Points West (even though it is basically, in my back yard)!

The summer destination that has me grinning like a little kid is the 140-acre Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I practically lived at Six Flags when I was a little rocker (neon shorts and tees / ponytail to the side, thank you!) and just the idea of combining music with memories of summer fun well . . . . they had me at the Magic Mushroom Garden and the Slippery When Wet kiddie coaster. (I know there's something slightly wrong with calling a kid's ride that but I just don't care!)

The HRP's crowning jewel is Led Zeppelin-The Ride, a 155 -foot roller coaster that blares "Whole Lotta Love" as you go whizzing by.

And of course, there are plenty of music venues on hand too.

The park opens in May and I want to be first in line at the Love Shack Snack Booth!

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies - He Was A Spiritual Advisor To The Beatles

2008-02-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi passed away in the Dutch village of Vlodrop on February 5th. He was thought to have been in his 90s.

The Maharishi earned his spot in the pages of counter-culture history when he became a spiritual advisor to The Beatles and even hosted them on several of their sojourns through India.

Some would argue that he was no more than a svengali in the guise of a holy man while others do give him credit for introducing Transcendental Meditation to a wider audience.

What can't be doubted is that the Maharishi used his friendship with the fab four to rocket to stardom and was soon in first-class style with followers that included Donovan, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithful and Mia Farrow.

As the 60s faded so did the Maharishi. His rock star pets grew suspicious of his clinging ways and moved on in search of other highs while their "teacher" faded largely into obscurity except for a 2002 scheme that included combating terrorism through the use of 40,000 "expert" meditators.

Bonnaroo 2008 Lineup Announced - Pearl Jam and Metallica Are Headliners

2008-02-06T04:35:00.000-08:00

Bonnaroo just blew Coachella out of the water.

The initial lineup for the Manchester, Tennessee festival has been announced.

Pearl Jam and Metallica grabbed the headlining spot but also scoring a place on the roster are Kanye West, Broken Social Scene, The Racounteurs, Death Cab For Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Rilo Kiley among many many others.

Bonnaroo is also heavy on "classic" acts. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, The Allman Brothers Band, Levon Helm and B.B. King are all making the trek to Tennesse.

No Led Zeppelin reunion but hey, Plant can't stay on the road with Krauss forever!

Bonnaroo will invade nice polite TN this year from June 12-15.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 16th.

Feist Wins Shortlist Music Prize!

2008-02-05T17:44:00.000-08:00

She faced some tough competition in the form of Arcade Fire, Justice and Wilco among others, but Feist, one of Canada's favorite exports, carried away the Seventh Annual Shortlist Music Prize for her album The Reminder just as easy as "1234".

She is the second woman (first was Cat Power) and first Canadian to receive the award.

This could be a good sign for Feist, who is hoping to pick up some Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 10th.

Watch your back Winehouse!

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

There weren't any wardrobe malfunctions but the Super Bowl 42 half-time spectacular featuring and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers still drew a record-breaking 97.5 million viewers.

The band performed a four song set that included their uber-hits "American Girl", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin" and "Runnin' Down A Dream".

Tickets for their 2008 tour are on sale now via ticketmaster.com.

If you missed it . . . there's always youtube!

From The Jam Plan DVD Release

2008-02-03T06:04:00.001-08:00

From the Jam, the remnants of UK punk band The Jam, are planning a DVD Release of a concert they filmed in London last December.

The live DVD is scheduled to hit shelves (and my own personal music collection) in May.

From the Jam features original Jam members Bruce Foxton (bass) and Rick Buckler (drums) along with new(er) guitarists David Moore and Russell Hastings.

Original front man Paul Weller is still riding the solo wave and not interesting in a full-on reunion.

Also in the works, a new album from From The Jam!

The band are currently writing songs but don't expect to have anything for our ears to feast on until late '08.

New B-52's Song "Funplex"

2008-02-01T04:07:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since their "tiiiin roof . . . rusted" but America's greatest party band, The B-52's are back and ready to remind us how movin' and groovin' is really done with "Funplex" the first single off their upcoming album, also titled Funplex.

The song has the pop leanings of some of the band's classic tunes but it has just enough of an edge and a dark undercurrent to keep it living in the here and now - these pussy cats don't kill kill they "thrill thrill".

"Funplex" is available for purchase on iTunes and it's also posted on their myspace.

The full album drops via Astralwerks on March 24th in the UK and Europe and March 25th in U.S.

According to a posting on the band's website, remixes of "Funplex" are coming soon from CSS, Peaches and Scissor Sisters.

Rock Lobsterlicious!!!!

Death Cab For Cutie Name New Album

2008-01-31T04:06:00.000-08:00

Death Cab For Cutie have named their upcoming album Narrow Stairs.

The disc, a follow-up to 2005s Plans, will drop in May.

The band recently announced they would be playing Coachella on April 26th.

My Blood Valentine Playing Roskilde

2008-01-30T04:34:00.000-08:00

In addition to their nine sold-out gigs in the U.K. in June, reformed shoegazers My Bloody Valentine are now on the bill for the Danish festival, Roskilde.

Waiting ~~patiently~~ impatiently for U.S. dates!!!

If you're heading to Denmark, Roskilde takes place from July 3-6, 2008.

Splurge - Releases for January 29, 2008

2008-01-29T04:18:00.000-08:00

Good stuff to choose from today . . .

She Writes Rock Pick = The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath (umvd label) - read a review at Short And Sweet NYC

More releases . . .

- Chris Walla : Field Manual - Barsuk Records

- Joe Jackson : Rain - Rykodisc

- Louis XIV : Slick Dogs and Ponies - Atlantic Records

-Vampire Weekend : Vampire Weekend - Beggars XL Recording

- Willie Nelson : Moment of Forever - Lost Highway

Grizzly Bear To Play With L.A. Philharmonic

2008-01-28T05:10:00.001-08:00

Disney might be getting out of the mouse business and moving on to bears.

NME.com is reporting that Grizzly Bear will co-headline a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The band's one night only appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra will take place on March 1st and is designed to bring together experimental and orchestral rock.

The first half will be orchestral pieces that influenced Brooklyn's favorite bears and the second half will be a set by Grizzly.

Tickets go on sale February 2nd via laphil.com.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2008 Tour

2008-01-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers half-time performance at the Super Bowl on February 3rd will not be a one-off gig.

The Gainesville rockers have booked a summer stadium tour that will take them across the U.S. and Canada from May-August with special guest Steve Winwood.

2006's "Highway Companion's" tour, where they took Stevie Nicks along for the ride, was supposed to be the group's last full-scale outing but we're glad to have them back!

Petty and his Heartbreakers will hit the NYC area for two dates in June.

- June 17th - Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
-June 18th - Prudential Center - Newark, NJ

Full dates at pollstar.com.

Tickets for most shows are set to go on sale on February 4th.

The Von Bondies @ Blender Theatre - NYC

2008-01-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

Detroit's The Von Bondies roared their way into my garage rock-loving heart all over again on Wednesday night at the Blender Theatre.

The band has a solid teaser/ EP out now called We Are Kamikazes in advance of their new LP Love, Hate and Then There's You due out this summer.

Besides the new tunes (they're a little more pop than they have been before), the band also has some new members - Leann Banks on bass, Alicia Gbur on guitar/keyboards and Matt Lannoo on guitar.

Look for a full review and more (i.e. better) photos coming soon at punkphoto.com.