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Friday, November 26, 2021

Out now: the deluxe edition of 'Polydans' by Roosevelt

Fresh from the release of his acclaimed third album ‘POLYDANS’ (GRECO-ROMAN / CITY SLANG) and about to embark on his biggest ever North American tour, the artist, remixer and producer 
Roosevelt shares an extended version of his album, featuring eight bonus tracks.

‘POLYDANS (DELUXE)’ includes heartfelt acoustic versions of Roosevelt’s cinematic ballad ‘Sign’ and the ecstatic disco hit ‘Echoes’, as well as three magnetic stripped back ‘live’ versions of ‘Strangers’, ‘Feels Right’ and ‘Sign’, originally recorded for SPIN. The extended album comes complete with the French touch-inspired summer singles ‘On My Mind’ and ‘About U’, besides a gleaming cover version of Fiction Factory’s 1983 smashing hit ‘(Feels Like) Heaven’.

His most successful album to date, ‘POLYDANS’ is a love letter to electronic music, swirling together the spirits of 80s synth, disco, analogue, Yacht rock and delirious dancefloor euphoria with amazing results. A feast for fans of the electronic genre, and a feat of expertly crafted pop that feels current yet nostalgic, club-ready yet heartachingly warm. The long-player has seen him record live sessions for SPIN [Watch Here] and Fender’s ‘Artist Check-In’, as well as interviews with Apple Music 1, Filter, Rolling Stone, Interview Mag, Clash, Earmilk, Brooklyn Vegan, Talkhouse and many more.

After almost two years off the road, Roosevelt is about to embark on his fourteen-date North American Tour starting this week, followed by a rescheduled European Tour for Spring 2022.

Tour dates:

Nov 28 Washington D.C - 9:30 Club
Nov 30 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Dec 01 New York, NY - Webster Hall
Dec 02 Montreal, CAN - L'Astral
Dec 03 Toronto, CAN – The Axis Club
Dec 04 Detroit, MI - El Club
Dec 06 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
Dec 08 Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
Dec 10 Vancouver, CAN - Biltmore Cabaret
Dec 11 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Dec 13 San Francisco, CA - Public Works
Dec 15 Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre
Dec 16 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
Dec 18 Austin, TX – Empire
Mar 02 Stuttgart, DE - Im Wizemann
Mar 03 Frankfurt, DE - Zoom
Mar 05 Hamburg, DE - Gruenspan
Mar 06 Berlin, DE - Huxley’s
Mar 08 Munich, DE - Backstage Werk
Mar 09 Vienna, AT - Flex
Mar 10 Zurich, SWI - Plaza
Mar 12 Cologne, DE - Carlswerk Victoria
Mar 13 Brussels, BE - Rotonde at Botanique
Mar 14 Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie
Mar 15 Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg Max
Mar 17 London, UK - Electric Ballroom
Mar 18 Manchester, UK - Band on the Wall
Mar 20 Dublin, IE - Button Factory
Mar 26 Barcelona, ES - Razzmatazz
Mar 27 Madrid, ES - Sala BUT

‘Polydans (Deluxe)’ Track Listing:

Easy Way Out
Strangers
Feels Right
Closer to My Heart
Montjuic
Forget
See You Again
Lovers
Echoes
Sign
(Feels Like) Heaven
On My Mind (Short Version)
About U
Sign (Piano Version)
Echoes (Guitar Version)
Feels Right (Spin Session)
Strangers (Spin Session)
Sign (Spin Session)


Photo by Joseph Strauch, courtesy Shore Fire Media

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Expanded version of Tiffany album 'Pieces of Me' coming next month

Eighties hitmaker Legendary '80s icon Tiffany will release the deluxe edition of her 2018 album, Pieces of Me, on December 10 via Deko Entertainment. It is remastered and repackaged with new photos and includes unplugged versions of tracks "King of Lies," "Starting Over," and "Worlds Away."

Limited Edition Pieces of Me Holiday Bundle includes a one of a kind Pieces of Me necklace and a personally signed Holiday card from Tiffany, all packaged in the Tiffany Holiday box.

"Excited about the Pieces of Me Holiday bundle," said Tiffany. "This is a true collectors gem to my fans and I’m thrilled with the limited addition Pieces of Me necklace. Such a great way to celebrate over 30 years together in music, adventures and new horizons. You are all pieces of me. I love you."

Product Includes:
- One (1) Tiffany – Pieces of Me (Deluxe Edition) CD
- One (1) Tiffany – Pieces of Me Silver Necklace
- One (1) Tiffany – Holiday Card (Personally Signed)
- One (1) Tiffany – Holiday Box

Tiffany is best known for the #1 Billboard hit, "I Think We’re Alone Now," which has over 120 million streams on Spotify. At the start of her career, Tiffany earned two U.S. #1 hit singles with the aforementioned "I Think We’re Alone Now," as well as the ballad, "Could’ve Been," and also set a record as the youngest female artist to top the Billboard charts with her debut album Tiffany. Over the course of her three-decade career, Tiffany has sold over 15 million records.

Track listing: 

1. Worlds Away
2. Feels Like a Storm
3. Beautiful
4. Waste of Time
5. Pieces of Me
6. King of Lies
7. Hey There
8. Starting Over
9. Heaven
10. Heartbeat Away
11. The Fal
12. King of Lies (Unplugged)
13. Starting Over (Unplugged)
14. Worlds Away (Unplugged)

The Wombats' next album arrives in January

The Wombats new single “Everything I Love Is Going To Die” is available now. It is the latest offering from their upcoming new studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World, due for release on January 7 via AWAL. The new music follows the announcement of The Wombats North American dates that kick off January 20 in Washington, DC and conclude in Los Angeles on February 25. All dates are listed below.

Frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy says, “The song is about the impermanence of life, and with that in mind, the beauty of each passing second. Key line for me is 'Icarus Was My Best Friend, So I'm Gonna Make Him Proud In The End', which I guess is a playful take on living life to its fullest even though the consequences of that might be dire. Certainly not a call to Nihilism however, but perhaps a call to being present and the joy that can be found in appreciating each moment we find ourselves in.”


The Wombats have previously shared the album’s “Ready for the High,” “If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You,” and "Method To The Madness.”

Recording remotely over the past year from their respective homes, the band worked with Murph in Los Angeles, bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen in Oslo and drummer Dan Haggis in London. They discussed each day’s plan via Zoom, then recorded separately, sending individual files to producers Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers), Gabe Simon (Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey), Paul Meaney (Twenty One Pilots, Nothing But Thieves) and Mark Crew (Bastille, Rag‘n’Bone Man) to mix into the finished tracks. “It was pure madness, to be honest,” explains Murph.

The viral success of Oliver Nelson’s remix of their 2015 hit “Greek Tragedy” on TikTok has brought a whole new generation of fans, a feat they’ve managed to continually repeat since their 2007 debut A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation.

Used in over 600,000 videos (some of which have over 100 million views), the remix has rocketed to over 30 million streams, propelling the original to 120 million streams and sending it Gold in the US. It’s helped the band surpass 1.5 billion worldwide streams, also amassing an extra 2.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify since just January.

TOUR DATES
North America:

January 20 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
January 22 - The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
January 25 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
January 26 - House of Blues, Boston, MA
January 28 - Corona, Montreal, QB
January 31 - St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI
February 1 - Newport, Columbus, OH
February 3 - Park West, Chicago, IL
February 4 - The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN
February 5 - The Truman, Kansas City, MO
February 7 - Cannery, Nashville, TN
February 8 - Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
February 10 - House of Blues, Houston, TX
February 11 - Emo’s, Austin, TX
February 12 - House of Blues, Dallas, TX
February 14 - Ogden, Denver, CO
February 15 - Union, Salt Lake City, UT
February 17 - Showbox Market, Seattle, WA SOLD OUT
February 18 - Venue Nightclub, Vancouver, BC SOLD OUT
February 19 - Revolution Hall, Portland, OR
February 21 - The Regency, San Francisco, CA
February 22 - The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
February 25 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA

European/UK Tour Dates:

April 14 - First Direct Arena, Leeds
April 15 - The O2, London
April 16 - Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
April 18 - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
April 22 - Mountford Hall, Liverpool
April 23 - Mountford Hall, Liverpool
April 29 - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris (France)
May 1 - Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne (Germany)
May 2 - Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg (Germany)
May 4 - Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm (Sweden)
May 5 - Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo (Norway)
May 6 - DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (Denmark)
May 7 - Huxley's Neue Welt, Berlin (Germany)
May 9 - Gasometer, Vienna (Austria)
May 10 - Backstage Werk, Munich (Germany)
May 12 - Estragon, Bologna (Italy)
May 13 - Fabrique, Milan (Italy)
May 14 - Komplex 457, Zurich (Switzerland)
May 16 - De Roma, Antwerp (Belgium)
May 17 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
May 18 - De Oosterpoort, Groningen (Netherlands)
May 19 - TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Netherlands)
May 26 - Open Air Theatre, Scarborough

Track list:

1. Flip Me Upside Down
2. This Car Drives All By Itself
3. If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You
4. Ready For The High
5. Method to the Madness
6. People Don’t Change People, Time Does
7. Everything I Love Is Going To Die
8. Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard
9. Wildfire
10. Don’t Poke The Bear
11. Worry
12. Fix Yourself, Then The World (Reach Beyond Your Fingers)

Out now: 'Songs From The Elkhorn Trail,' the solo debut from Jim Lindberg of Pennywise

Songs From The Elkhorn Trail, the solo acoustic debut from Jim Lindberg, is out now on all digital platforms. The album will be available on CD/vinyl May 6.

Lindberg's music video for the previously released single, “You’re Not Alone,” directed by Rob “Whitey” McConnaughy (Superchunk), stars actor/comedian John Ennis (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Zodiac, Mr. Show with Bob and David). Check it out here.

Most known for his role as songwriter and lead singer of punk rock band Pennywise, Jim Lindberg has been making skate punk anthems since the 1990s. Musically, he’s influenced by an array of genres from early Hermosa Beach melodic hardcore to the PMA influenced sounds of Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, and Dag Nasty. Lyrically, Lindberg has often taken inspiration from transcendental philosophers to produce songs about self-reliance, individualism and scathing indictments of political hypocrisy and corruption.

On Songs From The Elkhorn Trail, Lindberg takes a much more introspective turn. With many of the songs being over 25 years in the making, the album is a look at Lindberg’s life story. His late father who passed away in 2018 of Alzheimer’s Disease is a huge inspiration for the record, having encouraged him in many aspects of his life; from buying him his first guitar to supporting him quitting his job and going on tour with Pennywise.

Produced and mixed by Tedd Hutt (Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Dropkick Murphy’s), the album features David Hidalgo Jr. (Social Distortion) on drums, Joe Gittleman (The Mighty, Mighty BossToneS, Avoid One Thing) on bass, and Marc Orrell (The Dropkick Murphy’s, The Walker Roaders) on guitar.

TRACK LISTING:

1. The Palm of Your Hand
2. I Feel Like The Sun
3. You're Not Alone
4. Hello Again
5. Don't Lay Me Down
6. Not One Of Them
7. Blood On Your Hands
8. Good Enough
9. It's Only
10. The Basement
11. On Fire
12. Long Way To Go

Neville Staple honors his past on new album

UK Two-Tone Ska legend Neville Staple, who pioneered the Los Angeles Two-Tone/Ska movement, celebrates his origins on a new studio album, From The Specials & Beyond due on Dec. 10.

Staple enlists his wife and co-vocalist Sugary Staple and others to recreate two smash hits by Staple’s former band, The Specials, “Ghost Town” and “Monkey Man.” He’s also gone back even further into his roots. The Jamaican-born Staple has invited foundation deejay Clint Eastwood and ska/rocksteady icon Derrick Morgan to guest on the album.

Additionally, Noel Davies of the Two-Tone revivalist outfit The Selecter and British actor/musician Gary Shall join them.

Dr. Neville Staple, awarded an honorary Arden University Doctorate of Music in 2019, stated, “This has been one of my favourite albums to work on. Each song has a special and personal meaning to me. I wanted to celebrate the roots of my own music journey, with Two-Tone being at the forefront of each song, in the sound and in the lyrics. Stomping music, with sometimes serious commentary, but all presented in a fun, danceable, singalong spirit. That’s the Two-Tone way. Our way. And the special guests were amazing to work with too, especially Derrick Morgan, one of my early inspirations. With superb contributions from Sugary and the band, plus other star guests, this album is set to be a real ‘stand out’ one, that makes me proud of my career to date.”

From The Specials & Beyond will be available on all formats. The CD version comes in a digipak while the vinyl version will be pressed as a limited edition black and white splatter pattern.

An interview with Violent Femmes

During the 1980s, Violent Femmes created one of alternative rock’s most instantly recognizable intros with “Blister in the Sun,” a song that remains a classic decades later. 
Yet longtime fans might be surprised to discover that the Milwaukee folk/punk trios signature song — from its classic platinum-selling eponymous debut effort — wasn’t even a single in 1983.

Later, “American Music” would reach No. 2 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart — the group’s highest placement to date. The accompanying 1991 album Why Do Birds Sing? was recently made available as an impressive 30th Anniversary deluxe edition featuring remastered audio, alternate takes, outtakes, and a rousing concert recording from The Boat House in Norfolk, VA previously only offered on the Permanent Record: Live & Otherwise DVD.

Earlier this year, the Add it Up (1981-1993) compilation was also released on vinyl for the first time, as the Violent Femmes are caught up in the midst of celebrating some key releases in the group’s career.

Rock Cellar checked in with founding bassist/backing vocalist Brian Ritchie (who does museum artistic director duty at home in Tasmania) while on tour in America with Flogging Molly.

Rock Cellar: Have you noticed a pent-up energy among the crowds lately at your concerts?

Brian Ritchie: Yeah, and our pent-up energy as well, because we hadn’t played live since February 2020. The band members have been living in different countries. We haven’t been able to get together to record or anything. In fact, the first we saw of [singer] Gordon [Gano] was when he walked onstage. We didn’t rehearse or anything because of COVID.

Rock Cellar: The band typically doesn’t utilize a set list at the gigs. Is it natural for everyone to roll with the punches onstage?

Brian Ritchie: [This is] the 40th Anniversary Tour, so one would assume that we know some of the songs — at least after 40 years. It hasn’t been too problematic.

Rock Cellar: How does that work exactly? If you want to do a certain song and Gordon isn’t up to singing it on a particular night, does he shake you off?

Brian Ritchie: There’s room for that. Sometimes I’ll say a song title and he’ll either negotiate with me for something else or he’ll just start a different song entirely [laughs]. It’s not a strict rule. I’m not dictating the set list, but I’m good at putting together a set list on the fly. I think it makes our shows fresh. Even if it’s just fresh for us.

Rock Cellar: John Sparrow has been your official drummer since 2016. What does he bring to the live shows and rhythm section compared to previous bandmates?

Brian Richie: He started playing with us around 2006. He was playing a cajón, Victor was playing snare and then when Victor left, we got Brian Viglione. John was still there on the cajón, and Brian left. Then we thought, “We don’t really need two drummers. Let’s just have John do it all.” He fits in very well. He’s from Milwaukee and understands the band. He’s got the jazz technique that Victor implied all along. That’s a big part of our sound.

Rock Cellar: The new spruced-up edition of Why Do Birds Sing? is a real treat for die-hard fans. What did you think when you first heard the rarities again?

Brian Ritchie: We found some songs that had not been released, like “Me and You.” It was lost for a long time. I even told Gordon, “You know this song.” I picked up a guitar and sang it to him and he didn’t remember it at all. I was looking around in our archives at the recording studio and couldn’t ever find it. [Then] the record company found it. I was like, “Wow. I’m glad somebody had a copy of it.”

Rock Cellar: What do you remember about the 1991 Boat House club concert included with the album reissue?

Brian Ritchie: It was always a great venue for us to play. And a great crowd – totally off the hook. That night, one of the fans climbed up [the pillars supporting the roof] and was swinging from the PA snake. It was wild and it was also 130 degrees onstage. Crazy.

Rock Cellar: During that summer of ’91, Violent Femmes joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. What was the experience like to travel around America with Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Fishbone, and others?

Brian Ritchie: That was a whole new era of mainstream punk music, which was good for us, good for the listeners and good for the bands. I wish something like that was happening now.

Rock Cellar: Did the recording process for Why Do Birds Sing? with producer Michael Beinhorn end up being a positive one for the band? At the time, he was best known for working with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and then went on to do highly successful albums for Soundgarden and Soul Asylum.

Brian Ritchie: Michael Beinhorn got us to rehearse the songs stripped down. We just had acoustic bass, acoustic guitar and [drummer] Victor [DeLorenzo] was playing a two-inch tape box. We were just sitting in a room playing like that. We stuck with that kind of simple acoustic approach on some songs like “Out the Window” and “He Likes Me.” Even when we expanded to an electric version, we kept some of that spontaneity and simplicity. It was a very focused production and no frills, really. But enough to make it interesting to listen to.

Rock Cellar: It was Michael’s idea for the band to try the Culture Club cover, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” What was your initial approach to it?

Brian Ritchie: We knew that we were going to do our own version musically. Gordon changed some of the words to something that he could relate to or simply found amusing. It’s a very good version. Boy George agrees. He told us it’s his favorite cover that anybody did of his material.

Rock Cellar: During the 80s, alternative rock radio trendsetter KROQ/106.7 FM here in Los Angeles was a regular Violent Femmes supporter – even into the following decade. Was the station key to your burgeoning popularity?

Brian Ritchie: It continues to be. The airplay we got from them in those days continues to resonate commercially for us because we get gigs from it. Our last gig before this tour was at the Microsoft [Theater in LA for ‘80s Weekend] and we were playing with other KROQ [type] artists … I think you can attribute a lot of our continued popularity in Southern California to that support.

Rock Cellar: Although “Nightmares” and “Breakin’ Up” did well for you at alt-radio, “American Music” was the biggest hit. After recording Why Do Birds Sing?, did you have any sense that it was among the best things you’d done up to that point?

Brian Ritchie: We thought it was good. Then Eric “E.T.” Thorngren (Talking Heads, Public Image Limited) mixed it and added extra keyboards. He edited it in some ways that made it more commercial. It became not only a good song, but a good recording as well.

Rock Cellar: How do you feel Why Do Birds Sing? measures up to the rest of your catalog? Do you have any personal favorites on the album?

Brian Ritchie: We continue to play a lot of the songs live. Not every night. “American Music” is every night, for sure. But the other ones get a fair hearing from time to time. That’s usually the measure of a good album – if it yields a number of songs that stay in the repertoire.

Rock Cellar: Your debut album doesn’t sound dated. It could even have been released in 2021.

Brian Ritchie: We were intending to make something durable. We intentionally avoided clichés of the era.

Rock Cellar: When it comes to Violent Femmes’ career longevity, do you attribute it to your unique meshing of folk music, a punk attitude, and a warped sense of lyrical humor?

Brian Ritchie: I think it’s the universality of Gordon’s lyrics. The vulnerability and common touch they have, combined with the timeless aspect of the music. We never tried to fit in with what was happening around us. We consider ourselves part of the American music continuum which actually predated rock ‘n’ roll music. Some of our influences predate rock music and some of it is futuristic. We just think we’re in there with American music but not with any particular era – even if people might want to depict us as being an ‘80s band. That’s more like a matter of when we were emerging, but the music itself spans a much wider range.

Rock Cellar: While looking over old Violent Femmes promo photos, I noticed you always had a unique sense of style. Were you cognizant of fashion trends in the 1980s and ‘90s?

Brian Ritchie: No, we didn’t really pay attention to fashion. We were just weirdos. We were not trying to follow fashion. We just dressed very weird. Now we’re quite minimalistic.

Rock Cellar: How did the new animated lyric video for “Blister in the Sun” done in conjunction with the recently reissued Add it Up compilation on vinyl come about?

Brian Ritchie: That was just something we did because lyric videos are popular. It’s a good way of getting airplay and people like them. That song is almost like a haiku. We should have a lyric video for “Add it Up” because that’s epic, whereas “Blister in the Sun” is like four lines or something. Still, people like it and it’s fun. We couldn’t get together to make any videos because we haven’t even been in the same country during this whole COVID experience.

Rock Cellar: What is your take on the resurgence of vinyl over the past 10 years or so?

Brian Ritchie: I got back into vinyl during COVID because I was finally moving at a little slower pace simply because I couldn’t do stuff because of lockdown. I relaxed and listened to my whole vinyl [collection]. The sound quality is better if it’s mastered properly. The recording industry is at a standstill because of many suicidal moves. The vinyl resurgence is good, but at the same time, vinyl costs 10 times as much as it used to. It’s got pluses and minuses, but generally speaking, I’m listening to a lot of vinyl.

Rock Cellar: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Trixie Mattel recently recorded a version of “Blister in the Sun.”

Brian Ritchie: She’s from Milwaukee as well. I think that was the impetus behind that. I posted it on the Violent Femmes Facebook page and half the people were saying, ‘Oh this is fantastic!’ and half the people were saying, ‘It’s sacrilege! It’s not as good as the original.’ Which is not the point. The point is her version was different than the original in some ways, but still had a lot of the same spirit.

Rock Cellar: Do you have any favorite covers of your songs that other artists have done in the past?

Brian Ritchie: Gnarls Barkley [“Gone Daddy Gone”] was gratifying because it showed that musical ideas we have actually translate to the general public. But it took somebody else to get it to the public.

Rock Cellar: The band released Hotel Last Resort in 2019. Are there plans to put out more studio albums in the future?

Brian Ritchie: We haven’t been able to do it during COVID because we’re not one of these bands that sends files around to each other. We have done it on occasion, but it’s not our best stuff. We’re really more like a folk band or a jazz band that needs to be in a room working together in the moment. Once we can do that, then we’ll be doing more recordings.

Rock Cellar: In the past, you’ve cited bands like Television and Ramones as early influences. Were you happy to get Television’s Tom Verlaine to guest on guitar for the title track of Hotel Last Resort?

Brian Ritchie: That is one of the few tracks that we constructed in a normal studio fashion. We used a very old drum machine from the 1940s as the basis of it. Then we built on top of that. There was still some space there. Gordon and I were talking about how it would really sound good to have Tom Verlaine-style guitar on it. He said, “Why don’t you try it?” I said, “Why don’t we just get Tom to try it?” I called Tom and he was up for it. It was very cool. Normally, if we get an idea, we just do it ourselves. It seemed like since we were planning to imitate Tom anyway, why not get him to do it? I think Television is both mine and Gordon’s favorite band, period. Or at least of the bands that came out after the ‘60s.

Rock Cellar: You have put out a dozen solo projects since 1987. I really enjoyed The Break, your 2010s instrumental surf band with members of Midnight Oil. How did that happen?

Brian Ritchie: We’ve known each other for 30 or more years and we’re friends. Sometimes Violent Femmes and Midnight Oil have done gigs together. For example, we played the 1991 Earth Day in Boston at Foxboro Stadium with them and The Kinks, if you can believe that. What a bill! I think Robyn Hitchcock was there too. When I moved to Australia, they were at a loss what to do because [singer] Peter Garrett went into politics. They said, ‘Let’s form a band.’ Weirdly, Bones [Hillman, their deceased bass player], had moved to Milwaukee and married a girl from there. There were a lot of cosmic things going on.

Midnight Oil is so specific about what they sing about and what their image is. Peter wasn’t going to be singing, so we tried a number of singers out. Then we thought, “Let’s just be an instrumental band and express ourselves this way,” because everybody in The Break are top players. It’s a very good project. At the time we started The Break, both the Femmes and Midnight Oil were split up. [Now] the bands are back together; we don’t have as much spare time anymore.

My article originally appeared in Rock Cellar Magazine. Why Do Birds Sing? is available now via Craft Recordings. Archival photo: Slash/Warner Bros. Records.

Bloc Party to return after extended absence

Bloc Party's sixth studio album Alpha Games is due out April 29 via Infectious/BMG.

Alpha Games is the UK band’s first studio album since 2016’s Hymns. Alongside the album announcement, Bloc Party have shared new single “Traps” as the first taste of the upcoming record. It was produced by Nick Launay and Adam Greenspan

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Kele Okereke said about single, “From the moment we wrote ‘Traps’, we knew it had to be the first thing people heard from this album; playing it in soundchecks on our last tour before it was finished and hearing how it sounded in those big rooms and outdoors.”


Track listing:

1. Day Drinker
2. Traps
3. You Should Know the Truth
4. Callum Is a Snake
5. Rough Justice
6. The Girls Are Fighting
7. Of Things Yet to Come
8. Sex Magik
9. By Any Means Necessary
10. In Situ
11. If We Get Caught
12. The Peace Offering

Friday, November 19, 2021

Matt Nathanson pays tribute to U2’s 'Achtung Baby'

Singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson has released Achtung Matty. The cover album was recorded as a tribute to his favorite album of all time, U2’s Achtung Baby, which today celebrates its 30th anniversary. Listen to Achtung Matty

Nathanson will host his annual two night holiday show live stream, (Yet Another) Farewell December, on December 16-17, playing two very unique setlists including songs from Achtung Matty as well as some holiday favorites. For tickets, please visit mattnathanson.com.

This is the third time Nathanson has paid musical tribute to one of his favorite albums. His Def Leppard approved cover album of Pyromania, called Pyromattia, went to #1 on iTunes Alternative chart upon its release. Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott called the album “an amazing reinterpretation” with “heart and soul.”

Based in San Francisco, Matt Nathanson's 2007 album, Some Mad Hope, included multi-platinum hit "Come on Get Higher.” 2013's Last of The Great Pretenders debuted at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 while hitting #1 on iTunes' Alternative Albums chart.

The most recent album, Sings His Sad Heart, spawned hit single “Used To Be,” which hit top 20 at Adult Top 40. Nathanson has performed on The Howard Stern Show, Ellen, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dancing with the Stars, Rachael Ray, CMA Awards and more.

Photo courtesy of Crush Music

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Peach Pit's 'From 2 to 3' album due in March

Alt-rock band Peach Pit's new album From 2 to 3 will be released globally on March 4, 2022 via Columbia Records. It features more organic and acoustic elements, with many band members playing multiple instruments on the record such as tambourine, cowbell, harmonica, lap steel, and more.

From 2 to 3 will be released both digitally and physically, including on vinyl, and is available for pre-order now. The album features lead track “Up Granville” as well as new song “Look Out!,” released today alongside an official video. Watch the visual directed by Lester Lyons-Hookham HERE and see full tracklisting below.

In speaking about today’s news, lead-singer Neil Smith says in a press release: “From 2 to 3 is a collection of songs that were written late at night, alone in a small apartment with a hushed voice so as not to wake anyone. We're excited to be releasing one of our favorites from the record called ‘Look Out!’; it's a nod to the apartments and neighborhoods where we wrote these songs, and to the corner store attendants that sold us junk on those late nights. The guys and I and our long-time collaborator Lester also went on a road trip this summer and filmed some videos that we really feel capture the spirit of the music perfectly.

We're very excited about releasing new music; making records together is really one of the most fun things for us. But there’s nothing as exciting as the thought of playing live again. It's something obviously everyone has missed so much, going to concerts, hanging out with your buds. For us, it's by far the best part of what we get to do. And things are looking up, baby! We can't wait to see everyone in 2022.”

Coinciding with the album announcement, Peach Pit has also revealed a 48-date tour across North America, the UK, and Europe, slated for spring 2022. The North American leg kicks off on March 12 in Seattle, WA and concludes in Portland, OR on April 26. The band will then head overseas for the UK/European run, which kicks off in Dublin, Ireland on May 9. Peach Pit will play shows throughout the UK as well as in Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and more, with the final stop in Stockholm, Sweden on June 2. See full routing below.

VIP packages for the North American shows are available for purchase now. General on sale is November 19 at 10am local time. Visit https://www.peachpitmusic.com/ for tickets and more information.

From 2 to 3 marks Peach Pit’s third studio album. It follows their 2017 debut Being So Normal, which features their self-titled smash “Peach Pit,” as well as their 2020 sophomore LP You and Your Friends.

About Peach Pit:

The Vancouver quartet—Neil Smith [vocals, guitar], Chris Vanderkooy [guitar], Peter Wilton [bass], and Mikey Pascuzzi [drums]—trace their union back to high school. During 2016, they served up the self-titled single, “Peach Pit,” eclipsing north of 100 million total streams counting. The group continued to gain traction with their 2017 full-length debut, Being So Normal. Among many highlights, “Tommy’s Party” and “Alrighty Aphrodite” both surpassed 50 million Spotify streams as they graced the bills of festivals such as Shaky Knees Festival, Bonnaroo, Firefly Festival and many more. In 2020 Peach Pit released You and Your Friends.

Track listing:

Up Granville
Vickie
Lips Like Yours
Pepsi on the House
Look Out!
Everything About You
Give Up Baby Go
Last Days of Lonesome
Drips on a Wire
2015
From 2 to 3

2022 North American Tour dates:

03/12 Seattle, WA The Showbox
03/14 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
03/18 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda Theatre
03/19 San Diego, CA The Observatory North Park
03/20 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren
03/23 Austin, TX Historic Scoot Inn
03/25 Dallas, TX House of Blues Dallas
03/27 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
03/28 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
03/29 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
03/31 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
04/01 Boston, MA Big Night Live
04/02 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
04/04 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel
04/05 Montréal, QC Club Soda
04/07 Ottawa, ON Bronson Centre Music Theatre
04/08 Toronto, ON History
04/09 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
04/11 Detroit, MI The Majestic Theatre
04/12 Chicago, IL House of Blues Chicago
04/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
04/14 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre
04/16 Saskatoon, SK Coors Event Centre
04/19 Edmonton, AB Midway
04/20 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
04/22 Victoria, BC Capital Ballroom
04/24 Vancouver, BC The Commodore Ballroom (All Ages 3pm show)
04/24 Vancouver, BC The Commodore Ballroom (9pm show)
04/26 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom

European tour dates:

05/09 Dublin, Irelamd Vicar Street
05/11 Glasgow, UK Queen Margaret Union (QMU)
05/12 Edinburgh, UK The Liquid Room
05/13 Birmingham, UK The Mill
05/14 Leeds, UK Stylus
05/16 Bristol, UK The Marble Factory
05/17 Brighton, UK Concorde 2
05/18 Manchester, UK The O2 Ritz
05/19 London, UK O2 Forum Kentish Town
05/21 Paris, France La Maroquinerie
05/22 Brussels, Belgium Le Botanique - Orangerie
05/24 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
05/25 Nijmegan, Netherlands Doornroosje
05/27 Cologne, Germany Buergerhaus Stollwerck
05/28 Berlin, Germany Heimathafen Neukölln
05/29 Hamburg, Germany Mojo Club
05/30 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset - Small Vega
06/01 Oslo, Norway John Dee Live Club & Pub
06/02 Stockholm, Sweden Hus 7

AXS TV news: 'Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan' documentary

AXS TV will premiere of the new 2021 music documentary Tomorrow Is A Long Time: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan—airing for the first time in the United States on Wednesday, December 1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

While spending 15 weeks in lockdown as a result of the COVID pandemic, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde was inspired to take on the ultimate creative challenge: reimagining a selection of timeless songs from the catalog of one of music’s most influential artists, Bob Dylan. It captures Hynde in her own words, providing insight into the creative process of the prolific songstress as she reflects on this landmark journey.

Blending interviews and exclusive footage with Hynde, Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne, and music producer Tchad Blake, the 90-minute feature brings Hynde’s painstaking tribute to life—exploring what initially drove her to cover some of Dylan’s most important works, while shining a light on the immense passion she has for her craft, presenting unforgettable renditions of Dylan’s songs performed in Hynde’s signature style, sharing rare glimpses of Hynde’s personal paintings, and much more.

Produced by London based media company White Light Film Productions, the film treats viewers to several of Dylan’s masterworks recreated by Hynde, including ‘60s standouts “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” and “Love Minus Zero;” as well as the ‘70s cut “You’re A Big Girl Now;” 80’s tracks “Blind Willie McTell,” “Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight,” “Sweetheart Like You” and “Every Grain Of Sand;” and ‘90s favorite “Standing In The Doorway.”

Bauhaus/Love and Rockets, Violent Femmes members form new band Night Crickets

This group sounds intriguing. Read more from the press release below...

Foundational bands in the history of alternative music certainly include Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Violent Femmes. San Francisco-born artist Darwin Meiners was a fan of all three. A chance meeting 13 years ago with David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) grew into a friendship, and Darwin not only became a bandmate, but David J’s manager. After reaching out to Victor DeLorenzo through e-mail, Darwin met the Violent Femmes drummer after the Femmes’ Coachella set in 2013. Soon after the three collaborated on Darwin’s 2014 album release titled Souvenir.

As the pandemic took hold, Darwin was looking for a new project to occupy the lockdown time and approached Victor, who was keen to proceed and suggested that David join as well. The musical trust established among these three was immediate, and Night Crickets were born.

Within weeks, a global process was initiated. According to the band, their collaboration was a “long-distance groove conducted during the drawn-out days of lockdown and beyond. Audio files shared from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, from London to the San Francisco Bay; the ghosts of Candlestick Park shimmer through the fog, the Devil comes a-knocking on Peter Laughner’s door and Amanda Gorman conjures forth words of inspiration for the dawn of the new millennium.” 

The resultant album, A Free Society will be released on CD and Digital by Omnivore Recordings on January 21, 2022, with vinyl being released in July, featuring cover art unique to the LP.

David J, Victor DeLorenzo, and Darwin spearhead a loose collective of like-minded creative souls left stranded in their respective locales due to the great pandemic, yet through sheer tenacity and a burning desire to collaborate and create they transcend the restrictions of the times and pull together a glorious Gesamtkunstwerk (German for “total artwork”) that incorporates the past, the present and the imagined future.

As for the band’s name, it came from one of many Zoom meetings among the three members. After addressing various pressing musical issues, the conversation rambled somewhat and turned to the subject of David Lynch, with David J telling an anecdote which was told to him by Lynch’s sound designer, John Neff. Lynch had asked Neff to obtain a field recording of crickets chirping at night for inclusion in Mulholland Drive. When Neff played him the tape, the director immediately recognized the sound that the insects make when it is light which is apparently a little different to their nocturnal chirp. “No! No! No! These are day crickets, John! I want my night crickets!” Victor, Darwin, and David then shared a look of mutual realization and instantly agreed that the project now had a name.

Track listing:

1. Black Leather On The Inside
2. Candlestick Park
3. Amanda's Mantra
4. A Free Society
5. Roman À Clef
6. Soul Wave
7. Little Did I
8. Sloe Song
9. The Unreliable Narrator
10. Down Below
11. Return To The Garden Of Allah
12. Sacred Monster
13. I Want My Night Crickets

Monday, November 15, 2021

U2 news: 'Achtung Baby' anniversary reissue

Island Records, Interscope, and UMe announce the 30th Anniversary Edition release of U2’s album Achtung Baby, which will see a special Standard and Deluxe vinyl release on November 19, ahead of a 50-track digital boxset available December 3, 2021.

Thirty years ago, Bono described Achtung Baby as “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree.” The album won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance.

Recorded over six months at Hansa Studio in Berlin and Windmill Lane in Dublin, Achtung Baby is U2’s seventh studio album. Produced by long-time U2 collaborators Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite, Achtung Baby was engineered by Flood and released on November 18, 1991. Led by The Fly, four other singles followed: Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than The Real Thing, and Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. Watch here:

In celebration of Achtung Baby’s anniversary, the band have collaborated with Berlin-based French artist Thierry Noir (the first artist to paint on the Berlin Wall) for a special one-off installation at the legendary Hansa Studios in Kreuzberg. Thirty years ago, the band commissioned Noir to paint a series of now iconic Trabant cars, which featured on the album artwork, as well as 1991’s Zoo TV Tour. U2 x THIERRY NOIR sees Noir return with a newly painted Trabant for 2021, as well as an exclusive mural painted on a section of the Berlin wall. For free access and information, visit here.

The bonnet of the Trabant will be auctioned at Phillips, London, on December 9, as part of their New Now sale, with proceeds going to the Berlin Institute for Sound and Music. For more information, visit here.

Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) is available on Standard black vinyl and Deluxe color vinyl on November 19, with Achtung Baby (2018 Remaster) and Achtung Baby (Unter Remixes) also available digitally that day. A 50-track digital boxset – to include Uber Remixes, Unter Remixes, B-Sides with 22 tracks never-before available digitally – will be released on December 3, 2021.

U2 X-Radio, the band’s SiriusXM channel, will this month present an Achtung Baby special to include interviews with band members and album collaboration Daniel Lanois, Flood, and Anton Corbijn. More information here

Pre-order Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) here

DIGITAL BOXSET TRACKLIST

Achtung Baby
1. Zoo Station
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. One
4. Until The End Of The World
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. So Cruel
7. The Fly
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
11. Acrobat
12. Love Is Blindness

Uber Remixes
1. Night and Day (Steel String Remix)
2. Real Thing (Perfecto Mix)
3. Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Extended Club Mix)
4. Lemon (Perfecto Mix)
5. Can't Help Falling in Love (Triple Peaks Remix)
6. Lady with the Spinning Head (Extended Dance remix)
7. Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix)
8. Mysterious Ways (Ultimatum Mix)
9. The Lounge Fly Mix
10. Mysterious Ways (The Perfecto Remix)
11. One (Apollo 440 Remix)

Unter Remixes
1. Mysterious Ways (Tabla Motown Remix)
2. Mysterious Ways (Apollo 440 Magic Hour Remix)
3. Can't Help Falling in Love (Mystery Train Dub)
4. One (Apollo 440 Ambient Mix)
5. Lemon (Momo's Reprise)
6. Salomé (Zooromancer Remix)
7. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Trance Mix)
8. Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)
9. Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Magic Hour Remix)
10. Numb (The Soul Assassins Mix)
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix)

B-Sides And Other Stuff
1. Lady With The Spinning Head (UV1)
2. Blow Your House Down
3. Salomé
4. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Single Version)
5. Satellite Of Love
6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Remix)
7. Heaven And Hell
8. Oh Berlin
9. Near The Island (Instrumental)
10. Down All The Days
11. Paint It Black
12. Fortunate Son
13. Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk / Korova 1
14. Where Did It All Go Wrong?
15. Everybody Loves A Winner
16. Even Better Than The Real Thing (Fish Out Of Water Remix)

Friday, November 12, 2021

Tears for Fears taps Garbage to open for May tour

Tears for Fears revealed initial dates for The Tipping Point World Tour in 2022, with Garbage as support. Kicking off in Cincinnati in May, the jaunt will see the band performing in over 20 cities across North America before capping off with their last show in Wantagh, NY in June 25. These will be Tears For Fears' first U.S. tour dates since 2017.

For the North American dates, fans can sign up to access presale tickets via the band’s website HERE. Registration closes Tuesday, November 16, at 9:45 AM Local. The fan presale begins Tuesday, November 16, at 10 AM Local, and runs through Thursday, November 18, at 10 PM Local.

Citi is the official card of The Tipping Point World Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, November 16 at 10am local time until Thursday, November 18 at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

General on sale will go live on November 19th at 10 AM Local. Each ticket purchased for the Tears For Fears 2022 tour includes a digital download of the band’s new album, The Tipping Point.

Also, on sale from the band’s official store as of this Friday is an exclusive limited edition pink vinyl version of The Tipping Point.

“We couldn’t be more excited to start playing concerts again. We’ve missed seeing our friends on the road around the world and the energy of performing live,” said Curt Smith. “'The Tipping Point' has been a long time in the making and we are looking forward to playing our favorites from the new album as well as our classics from throughout the years,” shared Roland Orzabal in a press release.

Tears For Fears have just announced the forthcoming release of their first new studio album in nearly two decades, The Tipping Point. Arriving February 25 via Concord Records, it can be pre-ordered HERE.

U.S. TOUR DATES:

Friday, May 20, 2022 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
Saturday, May 21, 2022 - Blossom Music Center - Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory - Dallas, TX
Friday, May 27, 2022 - Ak-Chin Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
Sunday, May 29, 2022 - Levitt Pavilion - Denver, CO
Wednesday, June 01, 2022 - Concord Pavilion - Concord, CA
Thursday, June 02, 2022 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA
Saturday, June 04, 2022 - The Forum - Los Angeles, CA
Sunday, June 05, 2022 - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre - San Diego, CA
Thursday, June 09, 2022 - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
Friday, June 10, 2022 - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater - Tampa, FL
Sunday, June 12, 2022 - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre - Atlanta, GA
Monday, June 13, 2022 - PNC Music Pavilion - Charlotte, NC
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Detroit, MI
Thursday, June 16, 2022 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Chicago, IL
Friday, June 17, 2022 - Ruoff Music Center - Indianapolis, IN
Sunday, June 19, 2022 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 – TD Pavilion at The Mann - Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 - Leader Bank Pavilion - Boston, MA
Friday, June 24, 2022 - P.N.C. Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Saturday, June 25, 2022 - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY

Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels

Placebo's long-awaited studio album 'Never Let Me Go' arrives in March

Placebo's first album in n
ine years, 'Never Let Me Go,' is confirmed for release on March 25 through Rise Records in the U.S. and Canada. The latest new track unveiled is “Surrounded by Spies.” UK/IE headline tour dates are slated for 2022.

Listen to “Surrounded By Spies” HERE and view the visualizer HERE.
Pre-order Never Let Me Go and access ticket pre-sale HERE.

This past September, Placebo resurfaced from a long hiatus to release their first single in five years – and first from the new album – “Beautiful James.” Brian Molko commented at the time, “If the song serves to irritate the squares and the uptight, so gleefully be it.”

Expanding on the songs, Brian Molko says in press release that he “began writing the lyrics when I discovered my neighbors were spying on me on behalf of parties with a nefarious agenda. I then began to ponder the countless ways in which our privacy has been eroded and stolen since the introduction of worldwide CCTV cameras that now employ racist facial recognition technologies; the rise of the internet and the cellphone, which has turned practically every user into a paparazzo and spectators in their own lives, and how we have mostly all offered up personal information to enormous multinationals whose sole intent is to exploit us.

"I used the cut-up technique invented by William S Burroughs and popularized in modern song by David Bowie. It’s a true story told through a lens of paranoia, complete disgust for modern society’s values and the deification of surveillance capitalism. The narrator is at the end of their tether, hopeless and afraid, completely at odds with our newfound progress and the god of money.”

Track listing:

1. Forever Chemicals
2. Beautiful James
3. Hugz
4. Happy Birthday In The Sky
5. The Prodigal
6. Surrounded By Spies
7. Try Better Next Time
8. Sad White Reggae
9. Twin Demons
10. Chemtrails
11. This Is What You Wanted
12. Went Missing
13. Fix Yourself

Dashboard Confessional to return with album 'All the Truth That I Can Tell'

Dashboard Confessional has a new single, "Here’s To Moving On," available now at all DSPs and streaming services. It previews the first all new Dashboard Confessional album in four years, All the Truth That I Can Tell, which is due via Hidden Note Records/AWAL on February 25. The album is available to pre-save and pre-order now. An album trailer premiered via YouTube.

“I think in this song I find myself understanding what brought me to the mat and what it takes to get up off the mat,” says DC founder, frontman, and songwriter Chris Carrabba. “Sometimes what brought you to the mat are outside forces and sometimes it’s you, yourself. Or it can be all those things. But it does seem the only thing that gets you up off the mat isn’t outside forces – it’s always you.”

LISTEN TO “HERE’S TO MOVING ON”
WATCH ALL THE TRUTH THAT I CAN TELL ALBUM TRAILER

All The Truth That I Can Tell will be available in a variety of formats including digital, CD, cassette, standard black vinyl, an exclusive limited edition “Burning Heart” transparent red and black vinyl at the DC official store, a “Cold Night” transparent blue/green vinyl exclusively at participating indie retail, a baby pink vinyl with limited edition “Burning Heart” Flexi disc exclusively at Walmart, a limited edition “Sunshine State” opaque gold nugget vinyl exclusively at Urban Outfitters, and Bandbox will be releasing an exclusive variant of All The Truth That I Can Tell on "Starting to Storm" cloudy dark green vinyl, which is accompanied by the record club's signature artist fanzine, featuring an interview with Chris Carrabba, his track-by-track guide to the new album, rare photos and much more.

PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER ALL THE TRUTH THAT I CAN TELL

Written and recorded pre-Covid, All the Truth That I Can Tell might not have happened after the frontman had a near-fatal motorcycle accident in June of 2020. For the album’s production, Carrabba tapped James Paul Wisner who produced the band’s first two studio albums, The Swiss Army Romance and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most.

“Honesty was at the heart of the writing process, at the heart of the recording process, and at the heart of this collection of songs,” Carrabba says. “I had the rare opportunity to be unflinchingly honest. But I think I would have thought in the early days that that would be commonplace. Now, I realize it’s some kind of cycle within your life and there’s great personal reward in accepting that.”

Despite various setbacks in 2020, Carrabba kept remarkably active, including Dashboard Confessional’s first-ever career-spanning compilation, The Best Ones Of The Best Ones, The Early Days vinyl reissue series – featuring the premiere pressing of Dashboard Confessional’s RIAA platinum-certified live album, MTV Unplugged 2.0 – as well as a partnership with Mondo to release three EPs – 2001’s So Impossible, 2002’s Summers Kiss, and a newly created Spider-Man 2 – all for the very first time on vinyl. Last year also saw the band release “Screaming Infidelities“ b/w “Circles,” an all-new entry to the popular Spotify Singles series recorded at the famed Electric Lady Studios in New York City and streaming here.

In addition, Carrabba also teamed up with Nightowl Canning as a partner, investor, and ambassador for Canvino: Bottle-Quality Wine, In A Can™. Crafted by Gold Medal Winemaker Susy Vasquez and currently available in five varietals, Canvino is now shipping in 36 states, with plans to continue expanding reach into 2021. For more information, please see drinkcanvino.com.

Track list:

Burning Heart
Everyone Else Is Just Noise
Here’s To Moving On
The Better of Me
Southbound and Sinking
Sleep In
Me and Mine
Sunshine State
Pain Free in Three Chords
Young
All The Truth That I Can Tell

Friday, November 5, 2021

Pixies' London 2004 reunion shows compiled in box set

The Pixies returned from an 11-year hiatus in 2004 by announcing a series of shows at Brixton Academy. 

Over the course of the four nights, they played alt-rock hits and fan favorites from the albums ‘Doolittle’ and ‘Surfer Rosa’; key songs and obscurities from the rest of their catalogue; plus further covers in the shape of Peter Ivers’ ‘In Heaven’ (from the David Lynch film ‘Eraserhead’) and The Jesus and Mary Chain’s ‘Head On.’ Each of the four setlists was radically different.

Now recordings of the shows will be officially available for the first time in the box set Live In Brixton, which will be released on Jan. 28. Newly mastered by Phil Kinrade at Alchemy Mastering at AIR, Live In Brixton, will be released on both vinyl and CD formats, each of which consists of eight discs.

The vinyl box set is spread across eight discs of heavyweight 180 gram vinyl, with each show split between two translucent coloured LPs: June 2nd is red, June 3rd is orange, June 5th is green, and June 6th is blue. It is housed within a deluxe slipcase box featuring silver foil detail that depicts the famous Brixton Academy venue. Only 2000 will be made (worldwide).

Live In Brixton, will also be available in a second vinyl box set which will be exclusive to select independent retailers. Each show is pressed on the same colors as the standard version, but this time splattered on otherwise clear vinyl. The limited edition run - (1500 U.S., 750 UK, 750 ROW) - is sure to make it a must-have item for diehard Pixies fans and collectors.

The CD box set again uses the same colors for each night, with each show spread over two CDs. It will be packaged within a deluxe case bound book, with similar artwork to the two vinyl versions.

All formats include a 24-page booklet, which features photographs and new artwork, along with memories and paraphernalia from fans who attended the shows. The packages are completed by a 68 x 48 cm (about 27 x 19 inches) fold-out poster which features the new Live At Brixton box set artwork.

The Brixton shows live long in the memory of the band, too. Not everything went perfectly: Joey Santiago accidentally broke his Les Paul during a performance of the ‘Vamos’ solo, while drummer Dave Lovering’s opening performance with his electrical engineering/experimental magic show The Scientific Phenomenalist featured a big trick that completely failed. But it’s the highs that they remember the most.

“It was an amazing reception, I guess they had missed us over all those years,” says Joey. “I particularly remember getting word that the balcony was swaying, and seeing that the crowd didn’t want to leave long after we had finished the show.”

Dave adds, “Having played there in the past, the Brixton Academy was a familiar venue and the shows were a fantastic experience. When I opened with my Scientific Phenomenalist show, I was a Pixie opening for Pixies. I could do no wrong. But, I did! It was an absolute thrill, though, to present it there.