Box set for The Replacements' 'Don't Tell a Soul' due in September

Back in 1987, Minneapolis rock and roll renegades The Replacements famously stole their Twin/Tone master tapes and threw them in the Mississippi River.

A year later—while wrapping up work on their Warner Bros. album, Don't Tell A Soul—the group absconded with a collection of their reels from Paisley Park studios. Thankfully, those tapes were spared a watery fate, and instead stashed away for decades by the band. Now they’ve been recovered to form the basis of The Replacements first-ever boxed set, DEAD MAN’S POP.

Although Don’t Tell A Soul ultimately became the group’s best-selling effort, The Replacements were unsatisfied with the sound of the record. The band has radically reimagined Don’t Tell A Soul to create a 4CD/1LP set that features the album mixed as it was originally intended (Don’t Tell A Soul Redux), along with a collection of previously unheard tracks (We Know The Night: Rare & Unreleased), and a classic concert from 1989 (The Complete Inconcerated Live).

DEAD MAN’S POP will be available from Rhino on Sept. 27. The box features a newly completed mix of the album by Don’t Tell A Soul producer Matt Wallace (based on his 1988 Paisley Park mix); a disc of unreleased recordings (including a session with Tom Waits); plus the band’s entire June 2, 1989 show at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In total, the box includes 60 tracks–58 of which have never been heard before.

The first 500 fans that purchase DEAD MAN’S POP at Rhino.com will also receive a 14-track cassette featuring highlights from the box along with two additional unreleased tracks: the outtake “Asking Me Lies” and an instrumental of “I Won’t” (Bearsville Version). The cassette also features the original, unused cover art for Don’t Tell A Soul.

Presented in a 12 x 12 hardcover book – loaded with dozens of rarely seen photos - the set features a detailed history of the Don’t Tell A Soul era written by Bob Mehr, who produced the box with Rhino’s Jason Jones, and also authored The New York Times bestseller Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements.

Mehr writes: “While it’s impossible to unhear a record that’s been around for three decades, this version, Don’t Tell A Soul Redux, is the album the band made and intended to release. In addition to Matt Wallace’s mix, Redux also restores several crucial elements from the sessions, including original drums tracks, vocal takes and tempos that were altered in post-production…[and] the band’s original sequence of the album.”

Wallace says: “The true spirit of The Replacements was always there on the recordings we did back in 1988, and now you can hear and feel it clearly…This was the project of a lifetime for me when we recorded it 30-plus years ago, and it’s even truer today as we’ve finally fulfilled our original vision.”

Paul Westerberg, Slim Dunlap, Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars started recording Don’t Tell A Soul in June 1988 with Tony Berg at Bearsville Studios, but the chaotic sessions were cut short and mothballed. Nine unreleased tracks from Bearsville appear on Dead Man’s Pop, including early versions of “I’ll Be You,” “Darlin’ One” and “Achin’ To Be” and the previously unheard “Last Thing in the World.” The collection also features tracks the band recorded with Tom Waits, five of which have never been officially released: among them, “Lowdown Monkey Blues,” “We Know The Night” and a cover of Billy Swan’s “I Can Help.”

The final two CDs of DEAD MAN'S POP capture the band performing live in Milwaukee during the “Don’t Tell A Soul Tour.” A few songs from the concert originally appeared on the promo-only EP Inconcerated Live (1989), but the bulk of the 29 tracks included have never been released. The entire show has been newly mixed by Brian Kehew (Ramones, The Faces).

Additionally, DEAD MAN'S POP will include Wallace’s Don’t Tell A Soul Redux mix on 180-gram vinyl.

Track Listing:

Disc One: Don’t Tell A Soul Redux
1. “Talent Show” – Matt Wallace Mix *
2. “I’ll Be You” – Matt Wallace Mix *
3. “We’ll Inherit The Earth” – Matt Wallace Mix *
4. “Achin’ To Be” – Matt Wallace Mix *
5. “Darlin’ One” – Matt Wallace Mix *
6. “Back To Back” – Matt Wallace Mix *
7. “I Won’t” – Matt Wallace Mix *
8. “Asking Me Lies” – Matt Wallace Mix *
9. “They’re Blind” – Matt Wallace Mix *
10. “Anywhere’s Better Than Here” – Matt Wallace Mix *
11. “Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost” – Matt Wallace Mix *

Disc Two: We Know The Night: Rare and Unreleased

1. “Portland” – Alternate Mix (Bearsville Version) *
2. “Achin’ To Be” – Bearsville Version *
3. “I’ll Be You” – Bearsville Version *
4. “Wake Up” – Alternate Mix – Bearsville Version *
5. “We’ll Inherit The Earth” – Bearsville Version *
6. “Last Thing In The World” *
7. “They’re Blind” – Bearsville Version *
8. “Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost” – Bearsville Version *
9. “Darlin’ One” – Bearsville Version *
10. “Talent Show” – Demo Version
11. “Dance On My Planet” *
12. “We Know The Night” – Alternate Outtake *
13. “Ought To Get Love” – Alternate Mix *
14. “Gudbuy T’Jane” – Outtake
15. “Lowdown Monkey Blues” – Featuring Tom Waits *
16. “If Only You Were Lonely” – Featuring Tom Waits *
17. “We Know The Night” – Featuring Tom Waits (Rehearsal) *
18. “We Know The Night” – Featuring Tom Waits (Full Band Version) *
19. “I Can Help” – Featuring Tom Waits *
20. “Date To Church” – Matt Wallace Remix*

Disc Three: The Complete Inconcerated Live, Part One
1. “Alex Chilton” *
2. “Talent Show” *
3. “Back To Back” *
4. “I Don’t Know” *
5. “The Ledge” *
6. “Waitress In The Sky” *
7. “Anywhere’s Better Than Here” *
8. “Nightclub Jitters” *
9. “Cruella De Ville” *
10. “Achin’ To Be” *
11. “Asking Me Lies” *
12. “Bastards Of Young” *
13. “Answering Machine” *
14. “Little Mascara” *
15. “I’ll Be You” *

Disc Four: The Complete Inconcerated Live, Part Two
1. “Darlin’ One” *
2. “I Will Dare” *
3. “Another Girl, Another Planet” *
4. “I Won’t” *
5. “Unsatisfied” *
6. “We’ll Inherit The Earth” *
7. “Can’t Hardly Wait” *
8. “Color Me Impressed” *
9. “Born To Lose” *
10. “Never Mind” *
11. “Here Comes A Regular” *
12. “Valentine” *
13. “Left Of The Dial” *
14. “Black Diamond” *

* previously unreleased

Concert review: Cage the Elephant, Beck, Spoon, Starcrawler in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Talk about manic intensity.

Cage the Elephant did a fiery 75-minute performance in Irvine on Wednesday night - and not just because flames shot up from the stage during a few tunes.

The Nashville-based band, among the most successful at alternative rock radio during the 2010s, is touring behind “Social Cues,” a strong, eclectic album featuring “Night Running,” a reggaefied collaboration with tour co-headliner Beck. A handful of tracks contain orchestration arranged and conducted by David Campbell (Beck's father).

Matt Shultz has a reputation for being a riveting, unpredictable front man akin to Iggy Pop. This writer’s first experience witnessing Cage the Elephant confirmed it.

His brother Brad emerged onstage first, blasting the guitar riff to “Cry Baby” (off 2015’s Grammy-winning, Dan Auerbach-produced “Tell Me I’m Pretty”) to launch the 20-song set. Then Matt appeared, face obscured, and briefly did some interpretive moves (he recently studied the Japanese dance technique Butoh). Brad waded into the crowd and smiled broadly.

Young fans who packed FivePoint Amphitheatre immediately sang along loudly. Many parents were spotted enjoying the show right along with their kids, possibly due to some Sixties-leaning, classic rock touchstones on “Pretty” and other releases.

The hyperkinetic “Broken Boy,” an early highlight among a half dozen memorable “Cues” songs played, saw Matt prance around and hold the mike stand high in the air. As the evening progressed, he would methodically peel away layers of clothing and wraps. The singer rarely stood still for more than a minute, often working both sides of the stage, pogoing, crawling around and making several forays into the audience.

For “Telescope,” Matt held a flashlight with what looked like a chicken leg duct taped to it, available for casual bites between lyrics. Now there's something you don't see often. All five musicians were in fine form, especially during the dramatic “Too Late to Say Goodbye,” an exhilarating “Mess Around,” acoustic guitar-based “Trouble” (everyone in the venue seemed to join the falsetto howl), “Social Cues” (with a late ‘70s Bowie-esque sonic sheen) and swampy 2008 multi-platinum single “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.”

During the frantic closer “Teeth,” Matt had some parting words of wisdom for fans, reminding them that “everyone has value” and “don’t give up on life.”

There was a noticeable exodus of people, albeit minor, before Beck took the stage (maybe they had an early workday or weren’t into ‘90s alternative music) to conclude the five-hour concert with a somewhat erratic 60-minute set.

 

Opening with his first big hit “Loser,” Beck quickly dashed through the verses. Nearly everyone was on their feet and dancing around for the fun R&B-tinged “Up All Night.” With top-notch musicians like guitarist Jason Falkner and keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (successful artists/producers in their own right) among the band, well-known numbers like “The New Pollution,” “Devil’s Haircut” and “E-Pro” sounded powerful as ever. The billowy “Wow” (from the last album “Colors”) and sprightly “Girl” were also delightful.

Then things started to go off the rails a bit. Beck forgot the lyrics to “Debra” and the sparse, stately ballad “Lost Cause” (both routinely on past setlists). An attempt to call an audible fell flat.

Yet latest single “Saw Lightning,” a bluesy folk song inspired by Mississippi John Hurt containing some wicked slide guitar, helped lift the pace. So did the dancey helium pop of “Dreams.” The typical set closing medley of “Where It’s At” and various cover snippets (three holdovers from last fall’s tour) was all over the place.

Finally, Matt Shultz joined Beck for a ragged “Night Running” (debuted live the night before and unrehearsed) and a “Where It’s At” reprise.

Earlier, indie rock stalwart Spoon delivered an excellent set comprised of many selections from the upcoming career compilation “Everything Hits at Once.” Despite recording for more than 20 years, the Austin-reared band probably had thousands of people doing a Google search for it last spring after a video of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg playing 2003 single “The Way We Get By” on piano went viral. In Irvine, it was a rollicking standout.

Right from the start, Spoon proved enrapturing with some skittering programming and wiry guitars on “Knock Knock Knock.” The shuffling new single “No Bullets Spent” was equally impressive. Singer/guitarist Britt Daniel often held his electric guitar aloft as his bandmates locked into a hypnotic groove (“I Turn My Camera On”) or spacey sounds (“Hot Thoughts,” “Don’t You Evah”). Kudos to multi-instrumentalist Gerardo Larios for pounding the piano backwards during a mariachi-influenced “The Underdog.”

LA rock band Starcrawler did a mildly interesting 25-minute set that bore elements of punk, glam and heavy metal. Guitarist Henri Cash was good, notably on a cover of The Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” from the 2019 film soundtrack. Yet the truly disturbing antics of waifish singer Arrow de Wilde - mock choking herself, spitting “blood” (not sure if it was real) – rendered most of it as forgettable shock rock.

Next: 6 p.m. Saturday, July 20, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, $22.50-$145.50, www.livenation.com

Also: The Mercury Insurance Concert Series continues with The Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, July 20; Shinedown, July 21; Rascal Flatts, Aug. 1; Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, Aug. 3; Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Blondie, Aug. 4; Chris Young, Aug. 10; Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aug. 23; Alice in Chains, Korn, Aug. 30; Nelly, TLC, Aug. 31.

All photos by Sam Gangwer/courtesy SCNG

A version of my review originally appeared at ocregister.com

The Doors’ 'Soft Parade' 50th box set coming

The Doors’ fourth studio album, The Soft Parade, became the band’s fourth straight Top Ten album when it was released 50 years ago this week on July 18, 1969. Despite featuring one of the group’s biggest hits – “Touch Me” – it remains the most-polarizing record of The Doors’ career thanks to the brass and string arrangements that embellish several tracks.

To commemorate the album’s 50th year anniversary, Rhino reimagines The Soft Parade on a newly expanded 3CD/1LP set that will be available on Oct. 18. THE SOFT PARADE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION includes the original studio album – and the B-side “Who Scared You” – newly remastered by Bruce Botnick, The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer. The collection is a limited edition of 15,000 individually numbered copies and also includes the original album on 180-gram vinyl along with liner notes by noted rock journalist David Fricke.

A hand-numbered 36x18 lithograph of the interior vinyl gatefold artwork, limited to 500 copies, is available with THE SOFT PARADE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION exclusively at Rhino.com and TheDoors.com while supplies last.

The core of the new collection is comprised of more than a dozen unreleased songs. Among the highlights are stripped down “Doors Only” versions of five tracks where the horns and strings have been removed (“Tell All The People,” “Touch Me,” “Wishful Sinful,” “Runnin’ Blue,” and “Who Scared You.”) The set also features three of those stripped-back versions with new guitar parts added by Robby Krieger (“Touch Me,” “Wishful Sinful,” and “Runnin’ Blue).

The collection also uncovers three songs from studio rehearsals – with Ray Manzarek (a.k.a. Screamin’ Ray Daniels) on vocals – that include an early version of “Roadhouse Blues,” a song that would be released the following year on Morrison Hotel. These three songs include newly recorded bass parts by Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, who joined Krieger and John Densmore at a tribute concert for Manzarek in 2016, three years after the organist died of cancer. Manzarek’s take on “Roadhouse Blues” is available now on all digital download and streaming services.

A trio of studio outtakes collected on the set’s final disc feature the much-bootlegged, hour-long jam, “Rock Is Dead,” which appears here in its entire, surviving form for the first time ever. The track finds The Doors riffing through the entire history of rock ’n’ roll, from early delta blues through surf music, ending with the death of rock.

THE SOFT PARADE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION

Track Listing:

Disc One
1. “Tell All The People”
2. “Touch Me”
3. “Shaman’s Blues”
4. “Do It”
5. “Easy Ride”
6. “Wild Child”
7. “Runnin’ Blue”
8. “Wishful Sinful”
9. “The Soft Parade”
Bonus Track
10. “Who Scared You” – B-side

Disc Two

1. “Tell All The People” (Doors only mix)*
2. “Touch Me” (Doors only mix w/new Robby Krieger guitar overdub)*
3. “Runnin’ Blue” (Doors only mix w/new Robby Krieger guitar overdub)*
4. “Wishful Sinful” (Doors only mix w/new Robby Krieger guitar overdub)*
5. “Who Scared You” (Doors only mix)*
6. “Roadhouse Blues” – Screamin’ Ray Daniels (a.k.a. Ray Manzarek) on vocal*
7. “(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” – Screamin’ Ray Daniels (a.k.a. Ray Manzarek) on vocal*
8. “I’m Your Doctor” – Screamin’ Ray Daniels (a.k.a. Ray Manzarek) on vocal*
9. “Touch Me” (Doors only mix)*
10. “Runnin’ Blue” (Doors only mix) *
11. “Wishful Sinful” (Doors only mix)*

Disc Three

1. “I Am Troubled”
2. “Seminary School” (aka “Petition The Lord With Prayer”) *
3. “Rock Is Dead” – Complete Version *
4. “Chaos” *

* previously unreleased

www.thedoors.com

What's new with Chicago band Twin Peaks

photo: Cooper Fox/Grand Jury Records

I enjoyed seeing the band at Coachella '17 when it played the Sonora stage. Read below for the latest news...

Twin Peaks' new album Lookout Low is due Sept. 13 via Grand Jury. Guitarists Cadien Lake James and Clay Frankel, bassist Jack Dolan, multi-instrumentalist Colin Croom, and drummer Connor Brodner worked with producer Ethan Johns (Paul McCartney, U2, Kings of Leon), who says Twin Peaks is “the best Rock and Roll band I’ve heard for a very long time.”

The lead single is “Dance Through It,” with a video directed by Ariel Fisher and Léo Schrepel in Berlin. "Writing and arranging 'Dance Through It' felt like a dive into and embrace of experimenting with a new palette for us,” says James. “After having been directly involved in the creation and direction of all of our videos, it felt fitting to allow this song the breath of collaboration in having Ariel Fisher take the helm and run with it.”

“Working with Twin Peaks on this visual concept felt synergetic,” says Fisher. “We shared a mutual love for the film Fallen Angels and wanted to tell a story where the camera angles and lenses gradually shift as the narrative progresses. We wanted the viewer to become the participant, as we step into the actress’s shoes and begin to see the world as she sees it.”

A North American tour gets into gear in September. Tickets for newly-announced shows are on sale now.

Fans can pre-order Lookout Low at indie retail stores on two different exclusive color pressings immediately. When US fans pre-order at participating stores they'll get a "Dance Through It" 7", which features an unreleased song on the B-side, and will be able to return to the point of purchase to pick up Lookout Low on September 13th. The album is available on Orange Swirl LP or on a Chicago-area exclusive Electric Blue LP. A list of participating stores is available here. 

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “DANCE THROUGH IT” -
https://youtu.be/U12MYd1DtOs

PRE-ORDER LOOKOUT LOW -
https://twinpeaks.lnk.to/lookout

Track list:

1. Casey’s Groove
2. Laid in Gold
3. Better Than Stoned
4. Unfamiliar Sun
5. Dance Through It
6. Lookout Low
7. Ferry Song
8. Under A Smile
9. Oh Mama
10. Sunken II

Tour dates:

Sun. July 21 - Toronto, ON @ Echo Beach ~
Tue. July 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Thu. Sept. 12 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre *
Fri. Sept. 13 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
Sat. Sept. 14 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall *
Thu. Sept. 19 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom *
Fri. Sept. 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe *
Sat. Sept. 21 - East Moline, IL @ The Rust Belt *
Tue. Oct. 8 - Berlin, DE @ Musik und Frieden &
Wed. Oct. 9 - Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Musikclub &
Fri. Oct. 11 - Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown &
Sat. Oct. 12 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Mon. Oct. 14 - Cologne, DE @ MTC &
Tue. Oct. 15 - Paris, FR @ La Boule Noire &
Wed. Oct. 16 - London, UK @ Dome Tufnell Park &
Fri. Oct. 18 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club &
Sat. Oct. 19 - Oxford, UK @ Ritual Union
Sun. Oct. 20 - Cardiff, UK @ SWN Festival
Wed. Oct. 30 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall #
Thu. Oct. 31 - St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room #
Fri. Nov. 1 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room #
Sat. Nov. 2 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre #
Tue. Nov. 5 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall #
Thu. Nov. 7 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos #
Fri. Nov. 8 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom #
Sat. Nov. 9 - Vancouver, BC @ VENUE #
Wed. Nov. 13 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall #
Fri. Nov. 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom @
Sat. Nov. 16 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern #
Mon. Nov. 18 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom #
Thu. Nov. 21 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co. #
Fri. Nov. 22 - Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar #
Sat. Nov. 23 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk #
Fri. Nov. 29 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Wed. Dec. 4 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom ^
Thu. Dec. 5 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair (early) @
Thu. Dec. 5 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair (late) !
Fri. Dec. 6 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall ^
Tue. Dec. 10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
Wed. Dec. 11 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat ^
Thu. Dec. 12 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
Fri. Dec. 13 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse ^
Sat. Dec. 14 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East ^
Sun. Dec. 15 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East ^

~ = w/ PUP
* = w/ Slow Pulp and Dehd
& = w/ Dehd
# = w/ Post Animal & OHMME
^ = w/ Lala Lala & OHMME
! = w/ Lala Lala
@ = w/ OHMME

Bad Religion update

photo courtesy: Epitaph Records

Longtime Los Angeles punk band Bad Religion have announced the second leg of their North American tour. The newly added dates will begin in September and wrap in October.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. local time. For more info: https://badreligion.com/tour. 

The band is on tour in support of their recently released album Age of Unreason, out now on Epitaph Records. Since the group’s formative years they have steadfastly advocated for humanism, reason, and individualism.

“The band has always stood for enlightenment values,” co-songwriter and guitarist Brett Gurewitz explains. “Today, these values of truth, freedom, equality, tolerance, and science, are in real danger. This record is our response.”

Songs on Age of Unreason have references to contemporary events; racist rallies, Trump’s election, the erosion of the middle class, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, alternative facts, conspiracy theories, and there are homages to the literary and philosophical works that have long inspired the band.

“Chaos From Within” examines the current border wall controversy with the lyrics, “Threat is urgent, existential / with patience wearing thin / but the danger's elemental / it’s chaos from within.”

As co-songwriter and lead singer Greg Graffin says, “Throughout history, walls have been used to keep the barbarians out, But it seems to me that the truly barbaric aspect of a civilization is the chaos that comes from within.”

Age of Unreason is Bad Religion’s 17th studio album and was co-produced by Carlos de la Garza. It is a dire warning and testament to resilience. The overall message being - seek truth about the world and oneself.

Graffin, who holds a PhD in the history of science, says, “When I saw all these headlines about how terrible our world had become, I started doing a lot of reading. I read about the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and I started to recognize that this is a pattern of history and something we should never venture into. There are ample warnings against it. Every school child should know this but it’s hard to get people to read about these things. Maybe this album can help. Because right now, with social media, we are just playing a version of kill the guy with the ball.”

Tour dates:

Saturday, July 20 Mountain View, CA Warped Tour
Thursday, July 25 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
Friday, July 26 Montreal, QC 77 Montreal 2019
Saturday, July 27 East Providence, RI Roadblock Music Festival
Tuesday, July 30 Portland, ME Aura
Wednesday, July 31 Boston, MA House of Blues
Friday, August 2 New York, NY Webster Hall
Saturday, August 3 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel
Sunday, August 4 Mckees Rocks, PA Roxian Theatre
Tuesday, August 6 Rochester, NY Anthology
Wednesday, August 7 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
Friday, August 9 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
Saturday, August 10 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre
Sunday, August 11 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
Tuesday, August 13 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
Wednesday, August, 14 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
Friday, August 16 Las Vegas, NV Psycho Las Vegas
Saturday, August 17 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
Tuesday September 17 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
Wednesday September 18 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Live!
Thursday September 19 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Saturday September 21 Asbury Park, NJ Sea. Hear. Now
Monday September 23 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts
Tuesday September 24 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore
Thursday September 26 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
Friday September 27 Birmingham, AL Iron City
Saturday September 28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Monday September 30 Dallas, TX House of Blues
Tuesday October 1 Houston, TX House of Blues
Wednesday October 2 Austin, TX Emo's
Friday October 4 Albuquerque, NM El Rey Theatre
Saturday October 5 Phoenix, AZ Van Buren
Sunday October 6 San Diego, CA SOMA
Tuesday October 8 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
Wednesday October 9 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
Saturday October 12 Sacramento, CA Aftershock

Track listing:

1. Chaos From Within
2. My Sanity
3. Do The Paranoid Style
4. The Approach
5. Lose Your Head
6. End Of History
7. Age Of Unreason
8. Candidate
9. Faces Of Grief
10. Old Regime
11. Big Black Dog
12. Downfall
13. Since Now
14. What Tomorrow Brings

The long awaited return of Redd Kross

photo courtesy: Merge Records

Veteran L.A. rockers Redd Kross have unveiled the song "The Party Underground from Beyond the Door, due out Aug. 23 on Merge Records and a track that features a guest solo from Melvins' front man and guitarist Buzz Osborne. Available now on all streaming services

Redd Kross' Steven McDonald said, "I wanted to hear three of my favorite guitarists and collaborators (Buzz Osborne, Jason Shapiro and Jeff McDonald) trade off solos whilst we celebrated the finer things deep in the bowels of the underground, expressing gratitude for a life lived in the cultural petri-dish of the world, the world of underground culture. I’ve been playing nightclubs since 1979 and I was 12, and it was time for me to talk up the wonders down here. The best stuff will always come up from the bottom. It’s the Party Underground."

Beyond the Door can be pre-ordered now on CD, digitally, and on limited-edition opaque purple Peak Vinyl in the Merge store.

Redd Kross have also announced a US tour with the Melvins which kicks off in September.

Beyond the Door is an album inspired by the band’s “total commitment to having the best f*cking time we can have while we’re all still here” (what they like to call “The Party”). It marks Redd Kross’ most collaborative record to date.

Steven describes this evolution: “Jeff is still very much the driving force behind the compositions, but with more help from me than ever. Jeff and I haven’t shared this much of the writing and singing since Born Innocent in 1981.” Guitarist Jason Shapiro and drummer Dale Crover (Melvins, OFF!) are longtime members of the Redd Kross live band, but this album marks the pair’s recorded debut with the group. Mixed in Los Angeles by Steven McDonald, Beyond the Door includes notable guest appearances from Anna Waronker (That Dog), Buzz Osborne (Melvins), and Josh Klinghoffer.

On the surface, the album title is a playful reference to an Italian horror film the McDonald brothers watched as children, a loose rip-off of both The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby that stars Juliet Mills of ’70s television program Nanny and the Professor.

Inspirations as varied as K-pop, glitter gangs, embarrassed tweens, long-term relationships, a mysterious character named Fantástico Roberto, and much more all contributed to Beyond the Door.

There is also a Sparks cover on the album. 

Tour dates:

09.03 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah

09.04 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory
09.05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
09.07 – Sacramento, CA @ Holy Diver
09.08 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
09.10 – Eugene, OR @ Wow Hall
09.11 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
09.13 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
09.14 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
09.15 – Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper
09.16 – Missoula, MT @ Top Hat Lounge
09.17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
09.19 – Ft. Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
09.20 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
09.22 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
09.23 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
09.24 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
09.25 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
09.26 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
09.27 – St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room
09.28 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life Festival
09.30 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
10.01 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
10.02 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10.03 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
10.04 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
10.05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Red Theatre
10.07 – Syracuse, NY @ Wescott Theatre
10.08 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10.09 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
10.10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
10.11 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
10.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10.13 – Baltimore, MD @ Otto Bar
10.15 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
10.16 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10.17 – Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre
10.18 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
10.19 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
10.21 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
10.22 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Rom
10.23 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
10.25 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
10.26 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
10.27 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
10.28 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio
10.29 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
10.30 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10.31 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
11.03 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
11.04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
11.05 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Bunkhouse SaloonWith The Melvins

Track listing:

1. The Party
2. Fighting
3. Beyond the Door
4. There’s No One Like You
5. Ice Cream (Strange and Pleasing)
6. Fantástico Roberto
7. The Party Underground
8. What’s a Boy to Do?
9. Punk II
10. Jone Hoople

11. When Do I Get To Sing “My Way”

Paula Cole news

photo courtesy: Sacks Co. PR

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Paula Cole is set for the release of her tenth full-length album, Revolution, September 13 via 675 Records. Co-produced by Chris Bruce and Cole, the album delves into the themes of gender identity, race and age that are once again so relevant in the current social/political climate.

“At the heart of it, Revolution is about breaking silence,” Cole notes. “At its core lie signature, highly-personal songs. Revolution is mostly about inner revolution, breaking silence and finding a way through these times with love in our hearts.”

In support of the LGBTQ+ community, Cole premiered the track “Hope Is Everywhere” via After Ellen; the song is featured as a bonus track on the vinyl edition of Revolution.

Listen to the track HERE and share it via Soundcloud HERE. The track is available for purchase/download now via paulacole.com.

“‘Hope Is Everywhere’ was a totally unplanned stream-of-consciousness creation,” explains Cole. “It begins as a slow R&B groove that explodes into a dance groove that can only be described as what I’m calling ‘prog-disco.’ It is funky and makes you want to dance! Lyrically it is a message to those who are experiencing undue discrimination, intimidation and legal abuse in our current political climate. Specifically the LGBTQ community. I want people to know that I am right here loving and supporting them. And if we get depressed and don’t act or vote, the intimidators win. ‘Hope Is Everywhere’ is a call to arms and it is ebullient! I hope it will be played in clubs and homes and kitchens and halls, inspiring dance, togetherness, empowerment and joy!”

The forthcoming album features contributions from MeShell Ndegeocello, vocalist Nona Hendryx (Labelle) and others. The title track “Revolution (Is a State of Mind)” excerpts Martin Luther King’s speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” delivered at New York’s Riverside Church on April 4, 1967.

“I was born the morning after MLK was shot. His death was a part of my life,” Cole explains. “My mom tells me how she cried together with the African-American OB/GYN nurse before she went under for my C-section. Many of my heroes and champions have been African Americans, and we as a nation have not come to terms with our horrific past and present. I have biracial family members, and I must write and sing about this. I wish a lot more white people would.”

A New England native and daughter of an amateur musician and a visual artist, Cole studied jazz singing at the Berklee College of Music, where she currently teaches. She won the 1998 Best New Artist Grammy and her sophomore album This Fire went double-platinum on the strength of the hit singles “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and “I Don’t Want To Wait.” Her most recent album, 2017’s Ballads, featured a selection of jazz standards and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart.

Track listing:

1. Revolution (Is a State of Mind) (with Nona Hendryx)
2. Shake the Sky
3. Blues in Gray
4. Silent
5. Go On
6. All or Nothing
7. 7 Deadly Sins (with Meshell Ndegeocello)
8. The Ecology (Mercy Mercy Me)
9. Undertow (One Life Lost)
10. Universal Empathy
11. Dhammapada
12. Hope Is Everywhere (LP bonus track)
13. St. Cecilia (LP bonus track)

Tour dates:

July 25
Rockport, ME
Shalin Liu Performance Center

July 26
Rockport, ME
Shalin Liu Performance Center

August 3
Riverhead, NY
Suffolk Theatre

August 16
Arundel, ME
Vinegar Hill

August 27
Harwich, MA
Cape Cod Jazz Festival

September 25
Phoenix, AZ
Musical Instrument Museum

September 27
Hillsboro, OR
Walters Cultural Arts Center

September 28
Seattle, WA
Triple Door

September 29
Oakland, CA
Yoshi’s

October 1
Denver, CO
Buffalo Rose

October 2
Atlanta, GA
City Winery

October 4
Nashville, TN
City Winery

October 5
Washington, DC
City Winery

October 6
Chicago, IL
City Winery

October 8
Minneapolis, MN
The Dakota

October 9
Boston, MA
City Winery

October 10
New York, NY
Le Poisson Rouge

October 11
Saratoga Springs, NY
Café Lena

November 3
Intervale, NH
Theater in the Wood