Anberlin on the road with new album

Anberlin's new and final album, lowborn, is out now via Tooth & Nail, the first record label to which Anberlin was signed. It has charted at #1 Alternative and #6 Top 10 overall on iTunes. 

Instead of recording the album together, the musicians did their parts with separate producers they each selected. Drums were recorded with Matt Goldman in Atlanta and later combined with bass and guitar in Lakeland, FL with Copeland's Aaron Marsh. Vocals were recorded with the band's longtime collaborator Aaron Sprinkle in Franklin, TN.

Consisting of Stephen Christian (vocals), Joseph Milligan (guitar), Deon Rexroat (bass), Nathan Young (drums), and Christian McAlhaney (guitar), Anberlin have been a band for 12 years. The rock group formed in central Florida in 2002 and have released six albums.

"Usually breakups happen quickly and suddenly, an implosion of sorts," McAlhaney says. "What is unique about the end of Anberlin is that we discussed where people were at in their lives, what that meant for the band, and then made plans for the end on our own terms." lowborn reflects true artistic freedom for the band, who felt liberated from any sort of expectation or pressure. "I wanted to enjoy the creative process one more time, with no restrictions, no one breathing down my neck for a single," Christian says. "Just unadulterated creative freedom."

The musicians started collecting new material at the end of last year. The idea was not to crank out as many songs as possible but to actually focus on crafting solidly good ideas that melded each musician's individual tastes and influences.

"We were really honest with each, probably more so than in the past," Young says. "You have to come to a point where, with different opinions, there's no right or wrong. There was a fearlessness which was really freeing and exciting for all of us. To just not have to think about anything else except what's the best thing for the song."

Some of the album's lyrics address the band's end and history.

"I know there are going to be a lot of questions as to why we decided to break up and I explain it all in the song 'Atonement,'" Christian says. "And I want to make sure that the our fans and friends know that we will always remember them, and the moments spent with them were some of the greatest of my entire life. I tried to convey that in the song 'Harbinger.'"

Another track, "Stranger Ways," first appeared in demo form in the band's farewell video earlier this year.

For everyone, this is a celebration of what has been achieved rather than the mourning of a loss.

"This is the end of an era of my life," Rexroat says. "A long and great era. It also means a new beginning. It's overwhelming to think about filling all my time with something new, but it's also exciting."

Track Listing:

We Are Destroyer
Armageddon
Stranger Ways
Velvet Covered Brick
Atonement
Birds Of Prey
Dissenter
Losing It All
Hearing Voices
Harbinger

Tour Dates:

Vans Warped Tour 2014:

8/2 Utah Stage Fairpark Salt Lake City, UT
8/3 Sports Authority Field At Mile High Denver, CO

The Final World Tour:

8/6 Cathouse Glasgow, UK
8/7 Manchester Academy Manchester, UK
8/8 Electric Ballroom London, UK
8/9 Frizon Festival Kumla, Sweden
8/29 Bar Opiniao Porto Alegre, Brazil
8/30 Music Hall Curitiba, Brazil
8/31 Carioca Club Sao Paulo, Brazil
9/3 Metropolis Fremantle, Australia
9/4 The Gov Adelaide, Australia
9/6 The Hifi Brisbane, Australia
9/7 The Roundhouse Sydney, Australia
9/9 The Forum Melbourne, Australia
9/10 170 Russell *NTFP In Its Entirety* Melbourne, Australia
9/12 Tab Singapore, Singapore
9/13 SM Skydome Quezon City, Philippines
10/6 The Press Room Phoenix, AZ
10/7 House of Blues San Diego, CA
10/9 House of Blues Los Angeles, CA
10/10 House of Blues Anaheim, CA
10/11 The Regency San Francisco, CA
10/13 Showbox Market Seattle, WA
10/14 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
10/15 Knitting Factory Spokane, WA
10/20 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
10/21 House of Blues Chicago, IL
10/23 Emo's Austin, TX
10/24 House of Blues Dallas, TX
10/25 House of Blues Houston, TX
11/3 St. Andrew's Hall Detroit, MI
11/10 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
11/11 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
11/12 House of Blues Boston, MA
11/13 Irving Plaza New York, NY
11/15 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
11/16 Irving Plaza New York, NY
11/18 Phoenix Concert Hall Toronto, Canada
11/19 House of Blues Cleveland, OH
11/26 House of Blues - FINAL SHOW Orlando, FL
* more dates TBA  
anberlin.com. 

Power pop/rock all-stars The Empty Hearts debut out next week

The Empty Hearts, a new band featuring members of The Cars, Blondie, The Romantics and The Chesterfield Kings, will release their eponymous debut album Aug. 5 worldwide via 429 Records.

Members consist of Elliot Easton on lead guitar, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Clem Burke on drums, Wally Palmar on vocals and guitar and Andy Babiuk on bass. Co-produced by the band and Ed Stasium, it also includes the Faces’ keyboardist Ian McLagan on Hammond organ and Wurlitzer. The band will tour the U.S. this fall. 

The Empty Hearts (a name coined by Little Steven from his secret list of unused band names), is a band who sound like musical cohorts—all came of age in the 70’s and 80’s music scenes and play by a DIY punk rock code of ethics. They are all connected having come together as a band of friends—Babiuk called up Palmar looking to start something new and shortly thereafter, Palmar connected with Burke who then brought in Easton. A self-proclaimed band of “rock and roll lifers,” the chemistry clicked immediately.

Says Clem Burke: ““Those common influences are what brought us together. We’re survivors and lifers of rock ‘n’ roll. We take from everything that’s come before musically. A lot of people have never heard or seen a band like this. There’s a freshness to it, at the same time as it’s a recollection of the past.”

Track Listing:

1) 90 Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Street
2) I Don’t Want Your Love (If You Don’t Want To See Me)
3) (I See) No Way Out
4) Fill An Empty Heart
5) Soul Deep
6) Loud And Clear
7) Perfect World
8) I Found You Again
9) Just A Little Too Hard
10) Drop Me Off At Home
11) Jealousy
12) Meet Me ‘Round The Corner

429records.com

5 Seconds of Summer: #1 debut, One Direction and headling tours

5 Seconds of Summer’ self-titled album on Capitol Records has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 258,643 copies sold in its first week.

This release is the biggest debut by an Australian artist ever in the Soundscan era – and actually beats their own She Looks So Perfect EP, which sold 143,000 copies when it released in April. This release also becomes the biggest new artist debut of 2014.

Having already reached No.1 globally on iTunes in 76 countries, this full-length has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide, while total single track sales in the U.S. have surpassed two million.

The band is special guests on the One Direction “Where We Are World Tour,” set to hit North America on Aug. 1. Additionally, the band announced today their 2015 “Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour” that will take the band to amphitheaters and arenas in 30 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. The first-ever North American headlining tour, will kick off on July 17, 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

Additional dates will be announced soon. Citi® cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, August 5 at 10 a.m. local time through Citi's Private Pass Program. For complete pre-sale details, visit citiprivatepass.com.

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER WITH ONE DIRECTION

August 1 Toronto, ONT Rogers Centre
August 2 Toronto, ONT Rogers Centre
August 4 East Rutherford, N.J. MetLife Stadium
August 5 East Rutherford, N.J. MetLife Stadium
August 7 Boston, Mass. Gillette Stadium
August 8 Boston, Mass. Gillette Stadium
August 9 Boston, Mass. Gillette Stadium
August 11 Washington, DC Nationals Park
August 13 Philadelphia, Pa. Lincoln Financial Field
August 14 Philadelphia, Pa. Lincoln Financial Field
August 16 Detroit, Mich. Ford Field
August 17 Detroit, Mich. Ford Field
August 19 Nashville, Tenn. LP Field
August 22 Houston, Texas Reliant Stadium
August 29 Chicago, Ill. Soldier Field
August 30 Chicago, Ill. Soldier Field
September 11 Los Angeles, Calif. Rose Bowl
September 12 Los Angeles, Calif. Rose Bowl
September 13 Los Angeles, Calif. Rose Bowl
September 16 Phoenix, Ariz. U. of Phoenix Stadium
September 19 El Paso, Texas Sun Bowl Stadium
September 21 San Antonio, Texas Alamodome
September 23 Tulsa, Okla. BOK Center
September 25 New Orleans, La. Mercedes-Benz Superdome
September 27 Charlotte, N.C. PNC Music Pavilion
September 28 Charlotte, N.C. PNC Music Pavilion
October 1 Atlanta, Ga. Georgia Dome
October 3 Tampa, Fl. Raymond James Stadium
October 5 Miami, Fl. Sun Life Stadium

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER HEADLINING TOUR

November 13 Phoenix, Ariz. Ak-Chin Pavilion
November 15 Los Angeles, Calif. The Forum (SOLD OUT)
November 16 Los Angeles, Calif. The Forum

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER "ROCK OUT WITH YOUR SOCKS OUT" 2015 TOUR

July 17 Las Vegas, Nev. Mandalay Bay Event Center
July 18 Chula Vista, Calif. Sleep Train Amphitheatre
July 20 Irvine, Calif. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 22 Mountain View, Calif. Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 24 Seattle, Wash. Key Arena
July 25 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live At Rogers Arena
July 27 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
July 29 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
July 31 St. Paul, Minn. Xcel Energy Center
August 1 Tinley Park, Ill. First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre
August 4 Louisville, Ky. KFC Yum! Center
August 5 Atlanta, Ga. Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
August 7 Dallas, Texas Gexa Energy Pavilion
August 8 Houston, Texas Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 19 Auburn Hills, Mich. The Palace of Auburn Hills
August 21 Cleveland, Ohio Quicken Loans Arena
August 22 Noblesville, Ind. Klipsch Music Pavilion
August 23 Burgettstown, Pa. First Niagara Pavilion
August 25 Toronto, ONT Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
August 28 Mansfield, Mass. Xfinity Center
August 29 Hershey, Pa. Hershey Park Pavilion Stadium
August 30 Holmdel, N.J. PNC Bank Arts Center
September 1 Wantagh, N.Y. Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
September 4 Camden, N.J. Susquehanna Bank Center
September 5 Hartford, Conn. Xfinity Theatre
September 6 Bristow, Va. Jiffy Lube Live
September 7 Virginia Beach, Va. Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
September 9 Charlotte, N.C. PNC Music Pavilion
September 12 Tampa, Fla. MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 13 W. Palm Beach, Fla. Cruzan Amphitheatre

Jenny Lewis tour dates

California singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis' video for her new single, "Just One of the Guys" stars her actress friends Anne Hathaway, Brie Larson, Kristen Stewart, and Tennessee Thomas as her band, and marks Lewis' directorial debut. Watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irvcf6dCk-k

"Just One of the Guys" is the first single from Lewis' new album The Voyager, in stores now.

Here are Lewis' current tour dates:

Aug 1 - Chicago, IL - Official Lollapalooza Aftershow @ Park West ***
Aug 2 - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
Aug 3 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue ***
Aug 4 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
Aug 6 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
Aug 9 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern ****
Aug 10 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival
Aug 12 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Aug 14 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
Aug 15 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre *****
Aug 17 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
Aug 19 - Burnaby, CAN - Deer Lake Park *****
Aug 20 - Redman, WA - King County's Marymoore Park *****
Aug 21 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater (SOLD OUT) *****
Oct 3-5 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct 10-12 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct 11-12 - Mexico City, Mexico - Corona Capital Music Festival
Oct 24-26 - Las Vegas, NV - Life is Beautiful Festival

* with Ray LaMontagne and The Bell Brigade
** with Ryan Adams and Dawes
*** with The Apache Relay
**** with La Sera
***** with Beck

My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way solo plans

Former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way will release his debut solo album, Hesitant Alien, on Sept. 30 via Warner Bros. Records. The new album will be available for pre-order at all digital retailers beginning Aug. 19.

Exclusive album bundles will also be available for pre-order on GerardWay.com on the same date. Fans who pre-order the album will receive the track "No Shows" instantly as a free download. The music video for "No Shows" will also be released on Aug. 19. See below for the full track-listing.

Working with producer Doug McKean, Way knew immediately what he wanted Hesitant Alien to sound like. "I wanted to make the small things sound big," he says. "My intention was to make 100 percent uncompromised art, using the currently least radio-friendly instrument, the guitar. I knew there would be lots of fuzz pedals. I knew I would play Fender instruments. I knew I would look at who my guitar heroes were in art school, Mary Timony and Carrie Brownstein, and I drew a lot of influence from shoe-gaze and Britpop. I want the record to sonically galvanize people." Hesitant Alien was mixed by Tchad Blake (Arctic Monkeys, Black Keys).

Lyrically, Way wrote about what he knew at the time, "which was struggle, beginnings, finding a newness in the mundane and the abstract," he says. "I looked to the Britpop poets like Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn, drawing upon every day life. I also experimented with the abstract, and looked at Frank Black's work both with the Pixies, and as a solo artist. There was no concept and no call-to-arms."

Fans will get their first listen to some of the songs on Hesitant Alien when Way performs his first solo shows at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in England. He will perform at Reading on Aug. 22 and at Leeds on Aug. 23. 

Track listing:

Bureau

Action Cat

No Shows

Casting Shadows

Millions

Zero Zero

Juarez

Drugstore Perfume

Get The Gang Together

How's It Going To Be

Maya The Psychic

Kasabian readies album, tour for the States

Kasabian, who recently closed out the world’s largest music festival playing to 100,000 people at Glastonbury in the UK, are set to being their live show to North America this fall.

The tour leads into the release of their latest album, 48:13, on Harvest Records on Oct. 7.

In the UK, Europe and multiple other countries 48:13 provided the English 5-piece with their fourth consecutive #1 album. It consists of 13 tracks, accumulating to a total running time of 48 minutes and 13 seconds. First U.S. radio single is “Eez-eh,” with the video directed by the acclaimed artist/designer Aitor Throup, who is creative director on the album.  

Track listing:

1.(shiva)

2. bumblebeee
3. stevie

4. (mortis)

5. doomsday

6. treat

7. glass

8. explodes

9. (levitation)
10. clouds

11. eez-eh

12. bow

13. s.p.s.

U.S. Tour dates: 

September
26 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
27 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5
28 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
30 - Toronto, Ontario @ Sound Academy

October
1 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
3 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
4 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
6 - Oakland, CA @ The Fox Theater
8 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
9 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
12 - Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Music Festival

Big Star's '#1 Record' and 'Radio City' get reissued

Stax Records will reissue Big Star's #1 Record and Radio City on Sept. 2.

Both releases, which have been out of print as individual CDs in the U.S. for many years, will be remastered from the original analog tape sources. They will be available digitally in standard, Mastered-for-iTunes and 24-bit high-resolution audio. LPs of the two albums are presently in print via Stax Records. Liner notes by R.E.M.’s Mike Mills (a vocal fan of Big Star, as well as a core musician on the “Big Star’s Third” concert series) will accompany the releases.

Big Star, considered to be among the founders of power pop, has been cited as an influence by many of the major alternative bands of the ’80s and ’90s, and continues to be a powerful presence in today’s musical landscape. Artists such as R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements (who famously penned the song “Alex Chilton”) and Wilco all enthusiastically tout the artistic impact of the group. Mike Mills recalls Big Star as “a band who had gotten it right, who made records that sounded like rock and roll bands should sound. A band who wrote all the songs, from flat-out rockers to achingly beautiful ballads that were still somehow rock songs.”

The Memphis band formed in 1971, with a lineup of singer/songwriters Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Hummel. Heavily inspired by the British Invasion, Chilton and Bell drew on the Lennon/McCartney style of collaborative songwriting to create their debut — Chilton taking a visceral approach, often laying down guitar and vocal tracks in one take, while Bell added polish with overdubs and harmonies. Ardent Records founder John Fry engineered the album in his studio and released #1 Record on his Stax-distributed label in 1972 to sweeping critical success.

In the fall of 1973, following the departure of Chris Bell, the band regrouped and began work on album number two with Alex Chilton at the helm and Fry once again behind the console. Losing the creative input of a major talent such as Bell could have wreaked havoc on the band’s progress, however, Chilton was able to use this opportunity to shine, and prove himself to be an incredible songwriter on his own. Journalists and fans agreed: bearing another tongue-in-cheek title, Radio City garnered rave reviews and produced several cult favorites, including “September Gurls,” which has been covered by everyone from The Bangles to Superdrag.

The legacies of #1 Record and Radio City have far exceeded the original commercial letdowns of both albums, which are now considered to be milestones in the history of rock by critics and musicians alike. The two LPs made it onto Rolling Stone’s 500 “Greatest Albums of All Time” lists, while tracks from each album (“Thirteen” and “September Gurls”) are also among the magazine’s 500 “Greatest Songs of All Time.”

Numerous artists (Elliot Smith, Beck and Jeff Buckley to name a few) have recorded covers of the band’s songs. Big Star has been honored with a tribute record (Big Star Small World, 2006) a documentary (2012’s Nothing Can Hurt Me) and a touring live show, “Big Star’s Third,” which features the sole-surviving original member of the band, Jody Stephens, on drums, guest vocalists, a chamber orchestra and a core band including Mike Mills, Chris Stamey of The dB’s, The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and others. The ever-changing ensemble performs Big Star’s album Third/Sister Lovers, as well as favorites from the first two records.

Of the reissues, Stephens says, “Very glad to see these two coming out with the sonic approval of John Fry. Grateful for Chris, Andy and Alex and for Jon and Ken. The music’s journey continues.”

Fry adds, “All I can say is that these were the best projects I have ever worked with and the best artists and friends I have ever had the pleasure to know. I love the music and the cast of characters: Chris, Alex Andy and Jody. I think fans will be pleased by the sound and the packaging. They may have to turn the volume up a bit, since we did not want to remove the analog dynamic range. Sit back and enjoy the definitive digital versions of #1 Record and Radio City, two of my three favorite albums.”

The band’s enduring legacy can be attributed to many factors, but perhaps Mike Mills summarizes it best: “Songwriting has always been, for me, the most vital gauge of a band’s quality, and these guys were clearly masters ... [Big Star] gave you something satisfying to listen to, no matter how many times you heard them.”

Album Track Listings:

#1 Record

1. Feel 3:34
2. The Ballad of El Goodo 4:21
3. In the Street 2:55
4. Thirteen 2:34
5. Don’t Lie to Me 3:07
6. The India Song 2:20
7. When My Baby’s Beside Me 3:23
8. My Life Is Right 3:08
9. Give Me Another Chance 3:27
10. Try Again 3:31
11. Watch the Sunrise 3:45
12. ST100/6 0:57

Radio City

1. O My Soul 5:40
2. Life Is White 3:19
3. Way Out West 2:50
4. What’s Going Ahn 2:40
5. You Get What You Deserve 3:08
6. Mod Lang 2:45
7. Back of a Car 2:46
8. Daisy Glaze 3:49
9. She’s a Mover 3:12
10. September Gurls 2:49
11. Morpha Too 1:28
12. I’m in Love With a Girl 1:48

Big Star’s Third Tour Dates:

August 22 CARRBORO, NC Cat’s Cradle
August 23: WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 Club
August 31: SEATTLE, WA Bumbershoot Festiva
September 27: LOS ANGELES, CA Wilshire Ebell Thetre (benefit for the Wild Honey Foundation)

Relient K fall tour dates

photo by Corynne Hogan

Relient K's “Mmhmm 10th Anniversary Tour” will begin in October. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 1 through Ticketmaster.

Third CD, Mmhmm, debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart and later went gold. It features two Top 40 Christian hits including “Be My Escape” and "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been."
 
Last year Relient K released Collapsible Lung, their first studio album in four years. The digital only release debuted in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. This was the first time the Grammy-nominated band released a studio project in digital form only, and the album also debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes overall album chart.

Tour dates:

10/30/14 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom
10/31/14 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts
11/01/14 Chicago, IL House of Blues
11/02/14 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
11/04/14 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
11/05/14 Salt Lake City, UT Complex
11/07/14 Seattle, WA Neptune
11/08/14 Portland, OR Roseland
11/09/14 Sacramento, CA Assembly
11/11/14 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
11/12/14 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues
11/13/14 San Diego, CA House of Blues
11/14/14 Pomona, CA Glasshouse
11/15/14 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock
11/16/14 Phoenix, AZ Nile Theater
11/18/14 Tulsa, OK Cain’s
11/19/14 Dallas, TX House of Blues
11/20/14 Austin, TX Emo’s
11/21/14 Houston, TX House of Blues
11/22/14 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
11/24/14 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
11/25/14 Orlando, FL House of Blues
11/26/14 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
11/28/14 Charlotte, NC Fillmore
11/29/14 Saxapahaw, NC Haw River Ballroom
11/30/14 Silver Spring, MD Fillmore
12/02/14 Philadelphia, PA TLA
12/03/14 Boston, MA Paradise
12/04/14 New York, NY Gramercy
12/05/14 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
12/06/14 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
12/09/14 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
12/10/14 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
12/11/14 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe
12/12/14 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom 

The Cult concert review: Riverside, Calif.

Billy Duffy makes it all look so effortless.

On Saturday night, the founding guitarist for The Cult occasionally held his guitar aloft while casually playing some of the more memorable riffs in alternative and hard rock history. Even more impressive was the fact that it was done without your typical clichéd axe man posturing or grimacing.

Held at the historic Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, California - the 75-minute gig marked a rare area performance for the veteran English band. The floor section was almost filled. This was my first time experiencing an A-level act at 86-year-old venue following a recent sonic upgrade. I thought the sound quality was exceptional.

Longtime enthusiasts know that Ian Astbury can often be hit or miss in concert: will he go off on a rant? Will he clip lyrical phrases and just yelp? Here, the front man did relay a disdain for technology and took a few vocal shortcuts at the very end, but was basically in good form.

Sporting black leather jacket and shades, Astbury and company kicked things off with the haunting “Rain” and Duffy’s chugging guitar led the way.

For the quick-paced “Spiritwalker” (off the band’s debut 1984 LP Dreamtime), some clarion call effects on Duffy’s trademark Gretsch White Falcon guitar made it an early standout.  A thunderous “Honey from a Knife” (key refrain: “we got the drugs in here”) was the first of three selections played from 2012’s solid, underrated Choice of Weapon. Word is they will be recording new material in the near future.

Lean ‘n’ mean riff rocker “Lil’ Devil” got the crowd all riled up; one fan in front even waved crutches in the air. A dense, grungy “The Witch" saw Astbury mumble something about “honky tonk transvestites” before he wildly shook maracas and Duffy navigated the squelching guitar.

Remarking that everyone looked like university students (the Muni is only a few miles from UC Riverside) when in fact this was an older-skewing crowd including many biker types, Astbury’s thoughtful side came to the fore during the slower, dramatic “Embers.”  

Before the intense, circuitous rock thrust of “Lucifer” (about the devil, a favorite topic), Astbury quipped, “Imagine: people that can really play their instruments! All those high-priced DJs do is put in a flash drive. No talent. You deserve better.”   

Duffy got in some nifty windmill motions on “Rise.” Other absorbing songs included radio hits “Sweet Soul Sister,” the stomping “Wildflower” and main set closer “Love Removal Machine.”

Come encore time, “She Sells Sanctuary” (a song which many, this writer included, consider The Cult’s finest moment) still packed a mighty wallop after all these years.

Next: Aug. 2 - Sturgis Buffalo Chip, Sturgis, South Dakota

thecult.us

Country music tribute to Motley Crue

Big Machine Records, Mötley Records and Eleven Seven Music are readying Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Motley Crue for Aug. 19 release.

The project will feature 15 of the band’s biggest hits covered by some of Country music’s biggest names, including Florida Georgia Line, Justin Moore, Big & Rich, LeAnn Rimes, Gretchen Wilson, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts and more. 

"We did not make this record for Mötley Crüe fans, but for Country fans who are also rock fans. I believe that there’s going to be a lot of synergy and excitement for Mötley Crüe fans hearing different artists covering their favorite songs. People will be surprised how these artists made these songs their own and we couldn’t be happier with how the album turned out. It’s been an amazing, positive experience and, as a lot of things we’ve done, a first in our career,” says Mötley Crüe bassist, Nikki Sixx. 

“It has been a blast becoming friends with the Motley guys and learning how much they appreciate the history of Country music. They are truly one of the most disruptive bands of their generation and I am honored to be able to cover one of my favorite Crue songs of all time, ‘Home Sweet Home.’ It has been pretty unreal singing with Vince Neil," said Justin Moore. 

Track listing:

Rascal Flatts – “Kickstart My Heart” 
Florida Georgia Line – “If I Die Tomorrow” 
LeAnn Rimes – “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” 
Justin Moore – “Home Sweet Home” 
Cassadee Pope with Robin Zander – “The Animal In Me” 
Aaron Lewis – “Afraid” 
Big & Rich – “SOS” 
Sam Palladio and Claire Bowen – “Without You” 
Eli Young Band – “Don’t Go Away Mad” 
Lauren Jenkins – “Looks That Kill” 
The Cadillac Three – “Live Wire” 
The Mavericks – “Dr. Feelgood” 
Brantley Gilbert – “Girls Girls Girls” 
Gretchen Wilson – “Wild Side” 
Darius Rucker – “Time For Change

Minus The Bear music arrives in October

Minus The Bear will release new album Lost Loves on Oct. 7 via Dangerbird Records.

The Seattle quintet will do a club tour this fall in support of it as well as the 10th anniversary re-release of their fan favorite EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This.

Lost Loves follows Infinity Overhead, which reached #31 on the Billboard 200, Minus The Bear's highest charting album to date. Songs were culled from the band's last seven or so years of writing, recording and releasing records.

"Inevitably some of your favorite songs are going to be cut in the necessity of creating the right sequence for that particular time," says bassist Cory Murchy. "Regardless of the reason they weren't included, it wasn't for lack of love and appreciation of the songs themselves." Somewhat by chance the black sheep that didn't quite fit in with Planet of Ice, OMNI, and Infinity Overhead coalesce among their once regretfully forsaken peers. "Perhaps it's because they didn't make the past albums that they fit so seamlessly together," muses Murchy.

That each song was out of place on more conceptual releases is a harbinger of what to expect from Lost Loves. As the band began metaphorically reaching out to the "ones that got away" from past sessions, additional recording and vocals were completed for select tracks. "As a whole," says Murchy, "this collection of songs offers as strong a package as any other album we've put together."

Tracklist

1 - Electric Rainbow
2 - Surf-N-Turf
3 - Broken China
4 - Walk On Air
5 - Patiently Waiting
6 - Cat Calls & Ill Means
7 - Invented Memory
8 - South Side Life
9 - Your Private Sky
10 - The Lucky Ones

minusthebear.com

Paul McCartney & Wings reissue news

This exciting news for Macca diehards arrived this morning...

MPL and Concord Music Group will reissue Wings albums Venus and Mars and At The Speed of Sound as the next releases in the Paul McCartney Archive collection on Sept. 23. 

Both albums will be available in a variety of physical and digital formats. Starting with a 2-disc (2 CD) Standard Edition, the first CD will feature the original remastered album and the second CD will include bonus audio made up of material including demos and unreleased tracks.

The 3-disc (2CD, 1DVD) Deluxe Edition will be housed in a hardback book featuring unpublished photographs, new interviews with Paul, material from Paul’s archives and expanded track-by-track information.

On the deluxe version bonus DVD, there will be filmed material from around the time of each release, some of which has never been seen before. The albums will also be available on special gatefold vinyl editions (vinyl editions include a download card). Digitally, Venus and Mars and At The Speed of Sound will be made available as both standard and deluxe versions – including Mastered for iTunes and Hi-Res formats.

As with other titles in the Archive Collection, Paul has personally supervised all aspects of the reissues. The remastering work was done at Abbey Road by the same team who has worked on all the reissues as well as the Beatles’ catalogue.

Since launching the Paul McCartney Archive Collection in 2010, Paul has received two Grammy Awards for the releases. In 2012 was Best Historical Album for Band on the Run and this year Wings over America was for Best Boxed or Special Edition Package. It was on the same night that Paul set a personal best by picking up five awards in just one night. In 2013, RAM was nominated for Best Historical Album. 

Other titles released to date in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection are Band on the Run, McCartney, McCartney II, RAM and Wings over America.  

www.paulmccartney.com
@paulmccartney 

Watch the unboxing videos here:
Venus and Mars: http://youtu.be/DfiWic6FC7Y
At the Speed of Sound: http://youtu.be/Yivx0c48q64
TRACKLISTING:

Venus and Mars
CD 1 – Remastered Album
1.    Venus and Mars                
2.    Rock Show                      
3     Love In Song                    
4.    You Gave Me The Answer            
5.    Magneto and Titanium Man        
6.    Letting Go                    
7.    Venus and Mars – Reprise            
8.    Spirits Of Ancient Egypt            
9.    Medicine Jar                    
10.  Call Me Back Again                
11.  Listen To What The Man Said            
12.  Treat Her Gently – Lonely Old People        
13.  Crossroads                  

CD 2 – Bonus Audio
1.    Junior’s Farm                                      
2.    Sally G                                                  
3.    Walking In The Park With Eloise                
4.    Bridge On The River Suite                                                
5.    My Carnival                                                           
6.    Going To New Orleans (My Carnival)                
7.    Hey Diddle [Ernie Winfrey Mix]                 
8.    Let’s Love                                         
9.    Soily [from One Hand Clapping]                           
10.  Baby Face [from One Hand Clapping]                                                      
11.  Lunch Box/Odd Sox                         
12.  4th Of July                                       
13.  Rock Show [Old Version]         
14.  Letting Go [Single Edit]                    

DVD – Bonus Film
1.  Recording My Carnival                        
2.  Bon Voyageur            
3.  Wings At Elstree                                
4.  Venus and Mars TV Ad

At the Speed of Sound
CD 1 – Remastered Album
1.   Let 'Em In                     
2.   The Note You Never Wrote            
3.   She’s My Baby                    
4.   Beware My Love                
5.   Wino Junko                    
6.   Silly Love Songs                
7    Cook Of The House                
8.   Time To Hide                
9.   Must Do Something About It    
10. San Ferry Anne                
11. Warm And Beautiful            

CD 2 – Bonus Audio
1. Silly Love Songs [Demo]
2. She’s My Baby [Demo]
3. Message To Joe
4. Beware My Love [John Bonham Version]
5. Must Do Something About It [Paul’s Version]
6. Let ‘Em In [Demo]
7. Warm And Beautiful [Instrumental Demo]

DVD – Bonus Film
1. Silly Love Songs Music Video
2. Wings Over Wembley
3. Wings In Venice