Guster to do a short summer tour with Dispatch

Hope they add some SoCal dates...

Guster will join Dispatch on their tour this summer. It kicks off in June. Tickets are on sale Friday, February 24 and fan presales begin at 10AM venue local time on February 20 (password is WILDONES ). A portion of ticket sales along the America, Location 12 Tour will work to benefit local charities. Full list of dates below. Click here for more info.

Since forming at Tufts University in the early 90s, Guster has become one of the leading indie/alternative bands, releasing seven critically acclaimed albums in 20 years, starting with Parachute in 1995. They just celebrated their 25th anniversary as a band with special sold-out anniversary shows in NYC (Beacon Theatre) and Boston (4 nights @ Paradise Rock Club).

The latest album Evermotion (released on their own Ocho Mule label through Nettwerk Records) debuted at #1 on the Independent Record Label Current Albums chart, #2 on the Current Alternative Albums chart and #3 on the Top Rock Albums chart. Evermotion was critically received with support from The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, NPR All Things Considered, Relix Magazine, CBS This Morning, VH-1 and on-air performances and interviews with WXPN ‘World Café (Philadelphia), KFOG (San Francisco), WXRT (Chicago), WXRV (Boston), KINK (Portland), KPRI (San Diego), KXXT (Dallas), Sirius XM and more.

Tour Dates:

June 16 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO
June 23 @ CMCU Amphitheatre in Charlotte, NC
June 24 @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta, GA
June 26 @ Iroquois Amphitheater in Louisville, KY
June 27 @ Express Live! in Columbus, OH
June 28 @ Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River Junction in Indianapolis, IN
July 1 @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, IL
July 2 @ Meadow Brook in Rochester Hills, MI
July 3 @ McGrath Amphitheatre in Cedar Rapids, IA
July 6 @ Forest Hills Stadium in New York, NY
July 7 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD
July 9 @ The Skyline Stage at The Mann Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA

Jesus And Mary Chain news

photo: Steve Gullick

The Jesus And Mary Chain have released “Always Sad,” the second new track from their upcoming album, ‘Damage and Joy’ (out March 24 on ADA / Warner Music). Last December, the band released “Amputation” and confirmed plans for their first new studio album in 18 years.

Fronted by the Reid brothers Jim and William, The Jesus And Mary Chain first reformed to play the Coachella festival back in 2007. Despite regular touring – most notably a 2015 world tour which revisited their landmark album ‘Psychocandy’ – it took some time before they could agree on a plan to record a seventh album.

Work on ‘Damage and Joy’ (a reference to the English translation of schadenfreude) began in September 2015, with producer Youth also contributing bass and diplomacy to proceedings during sessions in London, Dublin and Granada, Spain. Alan McGee first confirmed that a new JAMC album was on the way by telling Canada’s CBC Music: “They've made another album! It's a big deal! It's kinda enormous."

The album commences with “Amputation,” in which waves of distorted guitar and Jim’s insouciant vocal delivery collide to create a hypnotic track which addresses his feelings of “being edited out of the whole music business… I felt like a rock ‘n’ roll amputation.”

Other highlights include a refined and re-energised new version of “All Things Must Pass” which previously featured in the TV show ‘Heroes’and then on ‘Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus and Mary Chain’; and the raw garage-rock of “Facing Up To The Facts” which offers the revealing lyric: “I hate my brother and he hates me / That’s the way it’s supposed to be”.

The album also features performances from the band’s touring drummer Brian Young as well as former Lush bassist Phil King.

‘Damage and Joy’ will be released on digital, CD, vinyl and Cassette formats, and pre-orders are currently open. All pre-orders receive an immediate download of “Amputation” and “Always Sad.”

Track Listing:

1. Amputation
2. War On Peace
3. All Things Pass
4. Always Sad
5. Songs For A Secret
6. The Two Of Us
7. Los Feliz (Blues and Greens)
8. Mood Rider
9. Presedici (Et Chapaquiditch)
10. Get On Home
11. Facing Up To The Facts
12. Simian Split
13. Black And Blues
14. Can’t Stop The Rock

Out today: Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness' new album Zombies on Broadway is now in stores via Vanguard Records. The New York City inspired album features the current Top 10 Alternative radio hit single "Fire Escape" which he recently performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. CLICK HERE to watch. Check out the official music video HERE.

Zombies on Broadway is the follow up to McMahon's eponymous debut album that launched the Gold selling multi-genre hit "Cecilia and the Satellite" which currently has 40 million streams to date. The song became a Top 5 hit across both Alternative and AAA radio, Top 10 at Hot AC and also climbed up the Pop chart.

Having been diagnosed with cancer in New York in 2005, McMahon found himself wanting to return to the city to battle some demons leading to the creation of Zombies on Broadway.

"I'd write all day and then go out at night and experience the city in a way I never had before," says McMahon. The songs took on the mood of what my life felt like in that time, everything from a beautiful sense of celebration to being completely exhausted and wondering when I was going to come up for air."

While Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness came to life in the tranquility of Topanga Canyon, creating Zombies on Broadway in the heart of New York City proved just as conducive to the soulful reflection that shapes McMahon's songwriting-and to the profoundly infectious joy that infuses so much of the album.

AMITW will embark on a national headlining 'Zombies in America' North American tour with support from Atlas Genius and Night Riots. The tour kicks off on March 12 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Many of the shows have already sold out including St. Louis, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, San Francisco, Buffalo, and San Diego. AMITW is also confirmed as special guest with Billy Joel on June 17 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI and July 14th at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Andrew McMahon has also announced select shows in the U.K. beginning May 23rd in London. Tickets go on sale today. Initial dates are listed below with more to be announced soon. For tour updates and more information visit AndrewMcMahon.com.

Tour Dates:

3/12/2017 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
3/13/3017 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
3/16/2017 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
3/17/2017 Kansas City, MO @ KC Live! Power and Light District
3/18/2017 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall - SOLD OUT
3/20/2017 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall - SOLD OUT
3/21/2017 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
3/22/2017 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
3/24/2017 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues - SOLD OUT
3/25/2017 Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
3/26/2017 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
3/28/2017 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
3/29/2017 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
3/31/2017 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
4/1/2017 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
4/2/2017 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom - SOLD OUT
4/4/2017 Toronto, ON @ Opera House - SOLD OUT
4/5/2017 South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
4/7/2017 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore - SOLD OUT
4/8/2017 Boston, MA @ House of Blues - SOLD OUT
4/9/2017 New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
4/11/2017 New York, NY @ Webster Hall - SOLD OUT
4/12/2017 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
4/14/2017 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
4/15/2017 Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
4/17/2017 Charleston, SC @ Music Farm Charleston
4/18/2017 Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
4/19/2017 Atlanta, GA @ The Buckhead Theatre
4/21/2017 Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House Of Blues
4/22/2017 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
4/23/2017 Gainesville, FL @ Florida Theater
4/25/2017 Baton Rouge, LA @ Varsity Theater
4/26/2017 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
4/28/2017 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
4/29/2017 Austin, TX @ Emo's
4/30/2017 Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
5/2/2017 Scottsdale, AZ @ Livewire
5/3/2017 Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater - SOLD OUT
5/5/2017 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues - SOLD OUT
5/6/2017 Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theater
5/7/2017 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore - SOLD OUT
5/9/2017 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
5/10/2017 Seattle, WA @ Neptune - SOLD OUT
5/12/2017 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
5/13/2017 Las Vegas, NV @ Top Golf
5/19-21/2017 Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
6/11/2017 Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavillion
6/17/1027 Green Bay, WI - Lambeau Field w/Billy Joel
7/14/2017 Cleveland, OH - Progressive Field w/Billy Joel
7/30/2017 New York, NY @ Randall's Island Park - Panorama Festival

U.K. TOUR DATES
5/23/2017 London, UK Bush Hall
5/24/2017 Manchester, UK Deaf Institute
5/25/2017 Glasgow, Scotland King Tuts

www.dearjackfoundation.org/

Blondie and Garbage team up for summer tour

What a great double bill! I sure hope they add an LA or OC area date...

Blondie and Garbage announced a co-headline North American tour that will kick off in July in Saratoga, CA and wrap in August. John Doe and Exene Cervenka will provide support on the first leg of the tour and Deap Vally for the second leg.

Tickets for the Rage and Rapture tour go on sale starting Friday, February 17 at 10:00am local time (please check venue websites for most up-to-date on sale information). Fans can also access a ticket pre-sale now HERE using the password RAGEANDRAPTURE (pre-sale not available in all markets). A complete list of live dates can be found below. More dates to be added soon.

In 2015, Garbage celebrated its 20th anniversary with the '20 Years Queer' world tour and the release of a special 20th anniversary edition of their debut album, re-mastered and featuring previously unreleased material.

Last year, Garbage released Strange Little Birds, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums chart, and arrived at No. 14 overall on the Billboard 200 chart. This summer, Garbage will be releasing an autobiographical coffee table book, This Is The Noise That Keeps Me Awake, currently available for preorder HERE.

Blondie was inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and has more than 40 million albums sold worldwide to date. Upcoming album Pollinator (out May 5th via BMG) features "Fun." PRESS HERE to listen to it and PRESS HERE to pre-order the album, which features songwriting from Sia, Charli XCX, Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), Nick Valensi (The Strokes), Johnny Marr and more.

Tour dates:

July 5 - The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA*
July 7 - Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA*
July 8 - The Pearl Concert Theater, Las Vegas NV*
July 12 - Edgefield, Troutdale, OR*
July 14 - Idaho Center Amphitheatre, Nampa, ID*
July 16 - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, Englewood, CO*
July 18 - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, MO*
July 19 - Harrah's Council Bluffs Hotel & Casino, Council Bluffs, IA*
July 21 - Mystic Lake Casino-Mystic Showroom, Prior Lake, MN*
July 22 - Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL*
July 25 - Artpark, Lewiston, NY**
July 26 - Sony Centre For Performing Arts, Toronto, ON**
July 28 - Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ**
July 29 - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY**
July 30 - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA**
August 1 - Beacon Theatre, New York, NY**
August 2 - Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA**
August 5 - The Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC**
August 8 - Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena, Hollywood, FL**
August 9 - Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL**
August 11 - ACL Live, Austin, TX **
August 12 - Southside Ballroom, Dallas, TX**
* w/ John Doe & Exene Cervenka
** w/ Deap Vally

The return of Electric Guest

photo: Nick Walker

Electric Guest – LA-based duo Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton – have confirmed details for the follow up to their 2012 debut. ‘Plural,’ out Feb. 17 on Downtown/Interscope Records. It features contributions from Joanna Newsom, Haim, and Justin Young from The Vaccines. Recorded in LA, 'Plural' infuses Electric Guest's off-kilter blend of electronic, pop and R&B with an even more adventurous spirit than on 2012's 'Mondo.'

Written during a period of self-reflection, 'Plural' embraces Taccone and Compton's original instincts, forgoing detailed arrangements and falsettos in favor of a back-to-basics approach – strong, natural vocals, intuitive musical instinct, and unbridled inspiration. The result is a sonic mélange that sounds as if it’s from both the past and future, layering everything from 80s synths to iPhone drum machines to Latin and Caribbean percussion. 

The band shared "Dear To Me" late last year. Watch the music video here, featuring the Haim sisters (who also sing backing vocals) and Andy Samberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1AmkMuB0pA 

'Mondo' was co-produced by Danger Mouse, and earned them their first TV performances on Conan, Letterman, and Fallon. They've had songs featured on 'Girls,' 'Suits,' 'Teen Wolf' and more.

Tour dates: 

Feb 21 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent (Sold Out)
Feb 23 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Feb 24 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
Feb 26 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Feb 27 – Kansas City, KS – Riot Room
Feb 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
March 1 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
March 3 – Albany, NY – The Hollow
March 4 – Providence, RI – Columbus Theatre
March 5 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
March 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall Of Williamsburg
March 8 – Washington, D.C. – U Street Music Hall
March 10 – Raleigh, NC – Cat’s Cradle
March 11 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
March 12 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
March 14 – Dallas, TX – Trees
March 19 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall Upstairs
March 22 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
March 23 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
March 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom

The Doors' Robby Krieger pairs with eclectic group on 'In Session'

Legendary former Doors guitarist Robby Krieger is the subject of a new collection from his various solo studio sessions, encompassing space rock, jazz, classical music and more.

In Session includes two exclusive, never-before-released mixes and a bonus live recording available on CD for the first time.

Among the guest appearances: Jackson Browne, Hawkwind’s Nik Turner, late Asia singer John Wetton, Styx’s Tommy Shaw, and William Shatner. The album comes out Feb. 17 via Purple Pyramid Records.

Track Listing:

1. Across The Universe feat. Jackson Browne
2. Hypernova feat. Nik Turner (Inner Space Mix)
3. Empty Spaces feat. Billy Sherwood
4. Where We Belong (Prism Mix) feat. Tony Kaye
5. Don’t Leave Me Now feat. Tommy Shaw
6. Brain Damage feat. Geoff Downes
7. School feat. Rod Argent
8. Deep Down feat. William Shatner
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. All You Need Is Love feat. John Wetton
BONUS TRACK
11. Back Door Man (Live)

Pre-order the CD here:
https://cleorecs.com/store/sho p/robby-krieger-in-sessions- cd/
Pre-order the digital version here:
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/u s/album/in-session/id119480413 0?app=itunes&at=1000lt9k

Don Williams tribute album due in May

I saw Williams live for the first time a few years ago at the Stagecoach Festival. I'm looking forward to hearing this... 

Country Music Hall of Fame member Don Williams announced his retirement from performing last year, concluding an impressive five-decade career that includes two CMA Awards, two ACM Awards and 17 No. 1 hits.

In honor of his legendary career, Williams’ longtime producer and friend Garth Fundis has produced a tribute album, Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams, featuring an all-star lineup of artists including Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Alison Krauss, Lady Antebellum, Keb’ Mo’, Pistol Annies, John Prine, Chris and Morgane Stapleton and Trisha Yearwood. The 11-track album will be released on Slate Creek Records on Friday, May 26, in honor of Williams’ birthday the following day.

“It has been my privilege to work frequently with Don through the years, and I’m proud to honor him with this new project,” said Fundis. “All of the artists on the album have been huge Don Williams fans for years. It makes the entire project very personal and very meaningful.”

All guest artist performances on the album were generously donated in support of MusiCares, the charitable foundation created by The Recording Academy, which provides a safety net of critical assistance for those in the music field in times of need. The services cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies. The foundation will receive a majority of the proceeds from the sale of the album.

Williams charted 56 records and scored at least one major hit every year between 1974 and 1991. He won the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Award in 1978 and the CMA Album of the Year Award (for I Believe in You) in 1981. His smash hit “Tulsa Time” was the ACM Single of the Year Award winner in 1978; the organization would present him with the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award in 2006. Readers of the London-based Country Music People magazine voted him Artist of the Decade in 1980. The Texas native earned country music’s highest honor in 2010 when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Track Listing:

1. "Tulsa Time" - Pistol Annies
2. "I Believe in You" - Brandy Clark
3. "We've Got a Good Fire Goin'" - Lady Antebellum
4. "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" - Dierks Bentley
5. "Amanda" - Chris Stapleton feat. Morgane Stapleton
6. "Till The Rivers All Run Dry" - Alison Krauss
7. "Love Is On A Roll" - John Prine feat. Roger Cook
8. "If I Needed You" - Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires
9. "Maggie's Dream" - Trisha Yearwood
10. "Lord I Hope This Day is Good" - Keb' Mo'
11. "Good Ole Boys Like Me" - Garth Brooks