Young the Giant add tour dates

Young The Giant just unveiled dates for their 2012 headline tour, with more to be announced soon.

Having enjoyed success this year with the hit songs “My Body” and “Cough Syrup,” the Orange County, CA band has played the main stages at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Sasquatch. “Cough Syrup” is currently #2 at Alternative radio. Young the Giant also played MTV Unplugged, which aired this week on MTV.com and did selections from their self-titled debut album, as well as “Empire Ants” by Gorillaz.

 

2012 HEADLINE DATES:

Feb10     San Diego, CA                       Soma

Feb15    Tucson, AZ                               Rialto Theatre

Feb16     Phoenix, AZ                            Crescent Ballroom

Feb18     Denver, CO                             Ogden

Feb20     Minneapolis, MN                    Varsity Theatre

Feb21     Milwaukee, WI                        Rave II

Feb23     Chicago, IL                              Metro 

Feb24     Covington, KY                         Madison Theatre

Feb25     Columbus, OH                        Newport Music Hall

Feb26     Cleveland, OH                        Beachland Ballroom

Feb28     Detroit, MI                               Magic Stick

Mar01     Toronto, ON                            Phoenix Concert Theatre

Mar02     Ottawa, ON                             Ritual Nightclub

Mar03     Montreal, QC                          Cabaret-Mile End

Mar04     Quebec City, QC                    Le Cercle

Mar06     Burlington, VT                         Higher Ground 

Mar08     Boston, MA                             House of Blues 

Mar09     New York, NY                          Terminal 5 

Mar10     Philadelphia, PA                     Electric Factory 

Mar11     Washington, DC                     9:30 Club

Mar15     Atlanta, GA                              Center Stage 

Mar18     Ft. Lauderdale, FL                  Culture Room 

Mar20     New Orleans, LA                     House of Blues 

Mar22     Houston, TX                             Fitzgeralds 

Mar23     Dallas, TX                                Prophet Bar 

Mar24     Austin, TX                                Stubb's

Mar27     Tulsa, OK                                 Cains Ballrom 

Mar29     St. Louis, MO                          Gargoyle

Mar30     Kansas City, MO                     The Midland  

Mar31     Des Moines, IA                         People's Court 

Apr03      Salt Lake City, UT                    In The Venue 

Influential band Can's 'Tago Mago' reissued

A new 40th anniversary edition of Can's 'Tago Mago' (Mute/Spoon) is available now. It comes packaged in the original UK artwork for the first time since 1971 and includes a bonus CD featuring 50 minutes of unreleased live material from 1972, remastered in 2011.

The album's lineup at the time included Damo Suzuki (vocals), Holger Czukay (bass), Michael Karoli (guitar), Jaki Liebezeit (drums) and Irmin Schmidt (keyboards).

Listen to ‘Bring Me Coffee Or Tea’, as featured on the OST for the 2010 film adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian Wood here:

http://soundcloud.com/muterecords/can-bring-me-coffee-or-tea

All 14 of Can’s studio albums have been newly cut to vinyl from the remastered tapes for release as a vinyl deluxe box set in early 2012. This will include CDs of all the albums, extensive booklets, an exclusive never released live album (vinyl only) and a newly remastered "Out Of Reach," previously unavailable! The vinyl deluxe box set can be pre-ordered now.

The long awaited CD box set, The Lost Tapes, will be released in March. Curated by Irmin Schmidt and Mute's Daniel Miller, and edited and compiled by Jono Podmore, this will include unreleased studio, soundtrack and live material.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Michael Karoli's death on Thursday, Spoon Records will offer a Best Of Michael Karoli Edit for free download on their site, spoonrecords.com.

Tago Mago (40th) track listing:

 

CD1 

Paperhouse (07:29)

Mushroom (04:04)

Oh Yeah (07:23)

Halleluwah (18:33)

Aumgn (17:37)

Peking O (11:38)

Bring Me Coffee Or Tea (06:47) 

CD2

Mushroom (Live 1972) (08:42)

Spoon (Live 1972) (29:55)

Halleluwah (Live 1972) (09:12)

They Might Be Giants play Anaheim, continue U.S. tour

This past summer, veteran Brooklyn alt-pop band They Might Be Giants put out Join Us, one of their strongest efforts in years.

Co-produced by longtime studio partner Pat Dillett and featuring such notable musicians as Stan Harrison (horns) and Mauro Refosco (percussion), it is a return to alt-rock, after focusing on children-centric projects. 

Standouts among the 18 tracks: opener "Can't Keep Johnny Down" (which recalls their '90s heyday), the quick weird folk of "Old Pine Box," "Canajoharie," "Let Your Hair Hang Down" (both giddy, harmonious pop), horn-driven "When Will You Die," total rocker "Judy is Your Vietnam" and upbeat, synth dominant "Celebration." 

Two weeks ago, singer/guitarist John Flansberg and singer/keyboardist John Linnell unveiled Album Raises New and Troubling Questions, a new odds 'n' sods collection that also plenty of strong material.

Key picks to click among these 20 songs include: the 48-second "O We" (it'd make a great phone ringtone), the humorous "Authenticity Trip," the skewed "Marty Beller Mask" (where Whitney Houston is namechecked), a live version of "Cloisonne" and a remix of "You Probably Get That A Lot" (both originally on Join Us), a cover of Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" with the AV Club Choir from an appearance on The Onion AV Club's “Undercover Series,” not to mention fresh takes on TMBG classics "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" and "Particle Man."

Those who download the album from theymightbegiants.com will receive a pdf with pictures and instructions on how to make your own life size paper monster hearse. It also includes five free videos as a bonus.

O.C. fans can catch them at House of Blues, Downtown Disney, 7 p.m. Wednesday, $23, livenation.com.

They Might Be Giants Tour Dates
11/16: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
11/17: San Diego, CA @ Belly Up
11/26: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 1/27: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Rio Theatre
1/28: Los Angeles, CA (Special Family Show) @ Royce Hall UCLA
1/28: Los Angeles, CA – 30th Anniversary Show @ Royce Hall UCLA
1/29: Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
1/30: Tucson, AZ -@The Rialto Theatre
2/1: Tulsa, OK (Rescheduled from Sept.) @ Cain’s Ballroom
2/2: Dallas, TX @ The Granada Theatre
2/3: Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
2/4: New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s
2/7: Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor
2/8: Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
2/10: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
2/11: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
2/12: Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29
2/14: Charlotte, NC @ McGlohan Theater at Spirit Square
2/15: Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
2/16: Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
2/17: Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
3/8: Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theater
3/9: Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
3/10: New York, NY @ Terminal 5

Jack's Mannequin concert review: Pomona

Joe Justice/jacksmannequin.com

A version of my review originally appeared at ocregister.com/entertainment 

Never underestimate the drawing power on your home turf.

That’s what Andrew McMahon (pictured left in Ventura, Calif.) learned after Jack’s Mannequin wrapped up their North American tour at the Fox Theater. 

On Saturday, the singer/pianist – a Dana Hills High School grad – told the Pomona crowd he initially wasn’t convinced the band could fill the 2,000 capacity venue. But the place nearly sold out; probably a result of being the closest gig in proximity to O.C. all year.

“This really feels like a homecoming,” McMahon said. 

Since Jack’s Mannequin started in the mid-2000s as an offshoot of Something Corporate, I’ve seen the group play local stages that were small (The Troubadour), medium (House of Blues) and large (Coachella, Bamboozle festivals). McMahon conveys a sense of genuine warmth, both in his music and connection with fans, every time.

Last month, third album People and Things debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart. Delving into more mature subject matter (family, married life, the struggle to maintain a loving relationship), it frequently recalls his admitted singer/songwriter influences Billy Joel, Paul Simon and Neil Diamond with more of an edge. Front man McMahon branched out to co-write a few of the songs with others (including Matt Thiessen of Relient K) and Brandi Carlile contributes backing vocals to one track.

With the album cover design of multi-colored overlapping circles serving as a backdrop, Jack’s Mannequin opened the highly satisfying 90-minute set with strident pop/rocker “ Release Me. ” McMahon didn’t waste any time jumping up from his brown piano to dance around a bit.

The opening notes of “The Mixed Tape” drew loud cheers, as did all other selections from the 2005 debut, Everything in Transit. McMahon continues to be one of the most exciting piano players in modern rock music, often kicking his stool aside, head placed close to the keys while pounding on them. Fans sang along loudly during an ebullient “Holiday From Real.” 

McMahon showed no signs of tour fatigue; in fact, his singing was exceptionally strong in Pomona , notably on the dramatic “Hostage,” a stark “Restless Dream” (opening act Lady Danville supplied harmonies) and emotional “Swim.” The latter two were part of a solo segment.

The energy level was kicked up a few notches for the rocking “Bloodshot,” where McMahon stood on the piano, jumped off, went into the crowd and Bobby Anderson unleashed brief shards of metal guitar. A definite highlight, as was the frantic main set closer “Bruised,” driven by syncopated piano. 

Come encore time, McMahon dedicated the rarely played People and Things outtake “No Man’s Land” to his wife and “Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)” was breathtaking.

British sextet Scars on 45 (the name comes from an Emmylou Harris quote) delivered an enthralling opening set in the vein of Snow Patrol. Acoustic guitarist Danny Bemrose brought to mind Damien Rice; his vocal blend with Aimee Driver was truly sublime. The pair’s between song banter was humorous. They were quite chatty and came across like longtime pros, despite being together only four years.

Highlights included the majestic “Beauty’s Running Wild” (heard in an episode of “CSI: New York”), the Coldplay-leaning “Heart on Fire” (the title track to their new EP, also featured on the Grey’s Anatomy, Vol. 4 soundtrack) and melancholy “Give Me Something,” which segued into Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” The band is definitely one to watch.

Earlier in the evening, LA trio Lady Danville performed some delightful indie-pop music that revisited early Crowded House and Guster territory, with three-part harmonies. Animated percussionist Matthew Frankel was fun to watch. “Cars” and the acerbic, a capella “I Want You Back” made the strongest impressions. 

Setlist: Jack’s Mannequin, Fox Theater, Pomona , Nov. 12, 2011

Main set: Release Me/The Mixed Tape/Holiday From Real/Amy, I/The Resolution/Hostage/Kill the Messenger/Television/Spinning/Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die)/Restless Dream/Swim/Bloodshot/My Racing Thoughts/I’m Ready/Bruised

Encore: No Man’s Land/Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)/Dark Blue/La La Lie

Factory Records dance compilation

Saville

Fac. Dance, a new retrospective covering the dance output of Factory Records - the seminal Manchester, UK record label founded by Tony Wilson, Alan Erasmus and designer Peter Saville - is available now through Strut Records in association with Factory Records Ltd.

The album spotlights the label's early dancefloor-based work across key 12" mixes and rarities, from Martin Hannett to New Order's Bernard Sumner and A Certain Ratio drummer Donald Johnson, under their BeMusic and DoJo monikers.

Early Factory experiments like Blurt's avant garde mutant funk blast 'Puppeteer' rub shoulders with the fertile post-Joy Division period as the label's unique, coruscating post-punk sound took shape on extended 12" cuts from A Certain Ratio, Section 25 and more.

Also documented is Factory's strong links and cross-pollination with New York's 1980s club culture, as New Order joined forces with producer Arthur Baker, fresh from his pioneering electro work with Afrika Bambaataa, while Quando Quango and Marcel King enlisted NY remixer Mark Kamins for tough-edged club treatments. Factory artists including Quando Quango would also perform at some of the city's seminal nightspots, including the Paradise Garage.

The compilation touches on wider dancefloor directions explored by Factory during its early years - the latin jazz funk of Swamp Children and Kalima, the cool British soul of Tony Henry's 52nd Street and a track from Factory's only overtly reggae single, the Dennis Bovell-produced 'See Them A'Come' by X-O-Dus. Within Fac. Dance are the grooves that would provide the blueprint for the Manchester scene of the late '80s and Factory's heady later years - Happy Mondays, James, Northside and the rest.

CD 1

Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix) (8:12)

A Certain Ratio - Wild Party (4:17)

Quando Quango - Love Tempo (7:49)

52nd Street - Express (5:00)

Swamp Children - Little Voices (7:10)

Biting Tongues - Boss Toyota Trouble (5:30)

The Durutti Column - For Belgian Friends (Valuable Passages version) (5:22)

Royal Family & The Poor - Art On 45 (4:49)

A Certain Ratio - Knife Slits Water (12-inch version) (9:44)

Section 25 - Dirty Disco

Blurt - Puppeteer (3:22)

X-O-Dus - See Them-A-Come (8.28)

CD 2

Shark Vegas - Pretenders Of Love (5:08)

52nd Street - Cool As Ice (Jellybean Mix) (7:29)

Streetlife - Act On Instinct (Hot Swedish Mix) (5:32)

The Hood - Salvation! (Nitromix) (12:05)

Abecedarians - Smiling Monarchs (6:47)

Quando Quango - Atom Rock (Mark Kamins Mix) 7:27)

Marcel King - Reach For Love (New York Remix) (5:26)

52nd Street - Look Into My Eyes (6:55)

Quando Quango - Genius (6:22)

Swamp Children - You've Got Me Beat (4:55)

The Durutti Column - Madeleine (3:00)

Digital only bonus tracks: 

Minny Pops - Time (3.44)

Kalima - Black Water (6.35)

Royal Family & The Poor - Motherland (5:42)

Strut - http://www.strut-records.com  

Bonus Q&A with John Wesley Harding

Here are more excerpts from my interview with John Wesley Harding... 

Q: We’ve spoken two previous times on the phone – back in 1991 for your second album, 'The Name Above the Title' and in 1996 for 'New Deal.'

I totally recognized your name.

Q: How was the recording process this time around for 'The Sound of His Own Voice?'

We recorded backing tracks for three days and overdubbed for two. Then I left. So it was very quick and joyful and as much fun as I’ve ever had in the studio. We were having such a nice, good time that everybody kind of separately said, ‘let’s go on the road if we can.’ Luckily, the album didn’t come out before the Decemberists finished all their various commitments. The timing was perfect.

Q: The cover art finds you surrounded by megaphones. Paired with the album title, was that a nod to the old RCA Records mascot Nipper, who looked into a gramophone and the phrase ‘his master’s voice’ was below it?

To be very honest, I cannot give away too many secrets about the cover. The photograph was taken by one of my favorite photographers, Jamie Baldridge. I have his prints in my front room. I got in touch, told him I was a huge fan and actually bought some prints from him. I said I was a musician and ‘would you consider doing my next album cover?’ He said, ‘I will give you a Cadillac of a cover.’ His exact words. Then asked me to send him a picture of myself sitting down in a chair with light in a particular direction and position. Then he gave me back that cover. He said, ‘Do you like the idea?’ But I love his work, so I never going to say no.

Q: With a larger number of people bypassing CD purchases in favor of digital downloads nowadays, does coming up with an album cover design have as much meaning as it used to?

I totally believe – and I’m not the only person, as you can see by the amount of vinyl that’s on sale now – people may not have record players and they still like buying the vinyl. In a sense, I think people might buy vinyl as a nice way of getting the digital download. Why have a CD if you can get a digital download anyway? CDs are so horrible. Nobody wants them lying around and nobody likes looking at them.


The vinyl version of my new album looks amazing. There’s a beautiful gatefold and the inside is designed with all these black and white photos like [Dylan’s] ‘Blonde on Blonde.’ I really recommend you take a look at it because to me it’s the most beautiful artifact that’s ever represented my work. Part of that is because I believe the way to counter the non material reality of the object – it being a digital file that has no presence except on your computer – the way to take that back and turn it to your advantage is to make things than are really beautiful...we now, again, for the first time, appreciate the intrinsic beauty of something that is beautiful. A digital file is nothing but numbers. It’s the degraded version of what it should be.


You take a lot of care making an album, but if people are listening to them on MP3, there are details they’re missing out on. I’m no Neil Young when it comes to this or an audiophile heavyweight, but I can hear the difference between an MP3 and a proper file of music. To me, the vinyl sounds and looks beautiful when you’re holding it. I could quite see somebody buying it just to have that heavy thing in their hands as music should look and sound. I was very excited about it coming out on vinyl and wanted it to look fantastic. I haven’t put out a record on vinyl since 1991 and that only came out in Germany, so I wanted people to feel like a million dollars when they held it. Also, I wanted the cover to be so high gloss that the moment you put your fingers on it, it was ruined. Just like The Doors’ ‘Soft Parade’ cover. I remember getting that and touching it and it was just ruined.

Q: Are you prepared for the onslaught of questions about Starbucks, since you wrote a song about it?

People always ask me ‘what does that mean?’ I’ve tried to put it in the most poetic way that I can. People used to always use to ask about a line in the song “Triumph of Trash” on ‘New Deal’: ‘trash needs nostalgia to breathe.’ So many people would come up and ask me about that line, like it’s very mysterious. But it’s exactly what it says on the bottle.

Q: You have a great roster of guest musicians on the album. How did you lure them all in the studio?

This album is full of people from throughout the length of my career who I know some very well, some barely at all. Steve Berlin does the horns; I used to live next door to him on Vashon Island in Seattle. Before that, he produced ‘Why We Fight.’ Laura Viers is a recent friend; she’s a singer and the wife of Tucker Martine, who mixed the record. She was handily placed to do those backing vocals for me. Peter Buck, I think was the first person whose house I stayed in America in Athens in 1990. In fact, my first solo headlining gig was in Athens at the 40 Watt. Scott McCaughey came up to me in a park in Seattle where I was playing on the ‘Why We Fight’ tour and said, ‘I’m in a band called the Young Fresh Fellows. I love your band; let’s talk.' The whole album is just full of good friendships.         

Josh Gracin album out now

Josh Gracin's new album Redemption is in stores now. 

“The album is 100 percent my interpretation, 100 percent my idea of what I wanted the record to be,” Gracin explained in a press release. “Just in that alone, it’s going to sound different than anything else I’ve done.”

 

Redemption features the tracks “Long Way to Go,” which reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary charts, “Catastrophe,” where Josh teamed up with fellow American Idol alum and winner of Season 2, Ruben Studdard, and “Can’t Say Goodbye,” based on the true story and continuing effort of war widow, Seana Arrechaga, to keep her husband’s memory alive.

 

“Can’t Say Goodbye” was written for Sears' Heroes at Home campaign, with all proceeds of single sales going to their efforts to support military service members, veterans and their families.

 

Gracin co-produced Redemption with drummer Kevin Murphy. All tracks, excluding a cover of John Mayer's “Edge of Desire,” were either written or co-written by Gracin.

 

Redemption track listing:

 

1. Different Kind Of Crazy  

2. Over Me  

3. Get Back To Us  

4. Enough  

5. I Want To Make You Cry  

6. Let You Go  

7. Edge of Desire  

8. Lie To Me  

9. Love You Right

10. Only When It Rains featuring Shelagh Brown

11. My Life

12. Cover Girl

13. Catastrophe

14. Can’t Say Goodbye (Sears Heroes At Home Song)

15. I Still Love You

16. Long Way To Go

17. Long Way To Go (Remix)