Built to Spill expand U.S. tour

Built to Spill has announced some new live shows (see below). 

Vocalist/guitarist Doug Martsch and guitarists Brett Netson and Jim Roth will be joined on the road by new band members Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass). Built to Spill released its most recent album There Is No Enemy in 2009. 

Tour dates:

Feb 8    Pullman, WA                 Bell Tower

Feb 9    Spokane, WA                Bing Crosby Theater

Feb 10  La Grande, OR               Big Green Barn

Feb 11  Boise, ID                        Neurolux                                            

Feb 12  Boise, ID                       The Crux

Mar 6    Ketchum, ID                   Whiskey Jacques         

Apr 24  Arcata, CA                    Humbrews                     

Apr 25  Sparks, NV                   The Alley                      

Apr 26  Sacramento, CA            Harlow's                       

Apr 27  San Francisco, CA        Slim's                            

Apr 28  San Francisco, CA        Slim's                            

Apr 30  Santa Cruz, CA             Rio Theatre                 

May 1   Santa Barbara, CA         SoHo                           

May 2   Santa Ana, CA              The Observatory          

May 3   Los Angeles, CA           Troubadour                 

May 4   Los Angeles, CA           Troubadour                 

May 5   San Diego, CA              The Casbah                  

May 6   San Diego, CA              The Casbah                  

May 7   Phoenix, AZ                  The Crescent Ballroom 

May 8   Flagstaff, AZ                 Orpheum Theatre           

May 9   Albuquerque, NM           Launch Pad              

May 10 Colorado Springs, CO     The Black Sheep     

May 11 Boulder, CO                    Fox Theatre                 

May 12 Salt Lake City, UT           Urban Lounge             

May 24 George, WA                  Sasquatch Festival                                                                       

Elvis Presley's 2012 box set

 

What better way to celebrate Elvis' birthday than by listening to last year's fine box set? In case you didn't see my overview a few weeks ago, here it is again...

Artist: Elvis Presley    

Title: Prince from Another Planet  

Just a couple years removed from his acclaimed run of shows in Las Vegas, The King did his first-ever shows in New York City on June 10, 1972. 

 

Long regarded by many as one of the best live recordings of the Seventies (if not the rock ‘n’ roll era), “Elvis…As Recorded at Madison Square Garden” has been spruced up and expanded for this 40th anniversary edition. I grew up listening to the original LP version, so just hearing the opening fanfare “Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)” triggers instant memories.

 

The deluxe edition of “Prince from Another Planet” couples that day’s afternoon (CD 1) and evening (CD 2) hour-long performances together for the first time with remixed audio. Despite a few dozen people onstage, including the great James Burton on guitar, the sound isn’t too overbearing and Elvis is in supple voice. About 20 songs are packed into both hour-long shows.

The DVD includes a 25-minute documentary on the event, with recent interviews from Elvis associates like Burton, Glen D. Hardin (TCB Band), Joe Guercio and Jerry Schilling. Noted music historian/Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye says it was “a reminder of the power of rock ‘n’ roll: to transport you…to function as a god, very seldom do you get to do a show at Mt. Olympus.”

There is also a hilarious 12-minute edited version of the media press conference (such inane questions from the reporters) and rare unseen fan footage from the afternoon show. The latter 20-minute segment is kind of bizarre as you watch Elvis flicker in and out of the frame with newly mixed audio to match.

Elvis Presley's birthday and a deluxe Aloha From Hawaii

 

It's the King's birthday on Jan. 8 and here's news of an archival  release. Read info from the label below... 

The 40th anniversary of the historic one-hour Elvis Presley satellite broadcast from the Honolulu International Center Arena in January 1973, viewed by over 1.5 billion people worldwide, is now commemorated with the release of Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite: Legacy Edition. This deluxe double-CD package will be available everywhere on March 19 through RCA/Legacy.

Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite: Legacy Edition marks the first time that both shows performed by Elvis, as released separately in 1973 (the original double-LP Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite) and 1988 (the CD The Alternate Aloha), have been coupled together in one package. At the same time, the show that The Alternate Aloha was based on has been completely remixed from the original multi-track tapes.

Accompanying the two-CD set will be a booklet with rare photos and a new liner notes essay written by BBC presenter, producer and musician Stuart Colman. This new Legacy Edition was produced by Rob Santos and Ernst Mikael Jørgensen, who along with Roger Semon, are the respected directors of RCA’s Elvis catalog for over two decades.

Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite was the first time that a full-length concert was broadcast around the world and it was the most expensive up until then.

Over 6,000 fans were in attendance for both shows at the H.I.C. (now known as the Blaisdell Arena). His love for Hawaii had first been demonstrated in March 1961, when he raised $62,000 with a concert at the Bloch Arena, toward the funding of the USS Arizona Memorial.

The Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite show that was actually broadcast was a second show, that started at 12:30 a.m. in Hawaii on Sunday morning, January 14, 1973. Clearly at the top of his game, Elvis delivered a 24-song tour de force that pulled songs from every phase of his career.

 

It was a painstaking process to develop material that did not duplicate very much of his Live At Madison Square Garden concerts of June 1972 (as heard on RCA/Legacy’s most recent Prince From Another Planet commemorative 2-CD+DVD package, released November 2012). Nor did Elvis want to duplicate very much of his then-current MGM theatrical release, Elvis On Tour, filmed in March-April 1972, the Golden Globe award-winning film which turned out to be the final motion picture of his lifetime.

Following the 12:30 show, at about 3:00 a.m., the ensemble regrouped (without an audience) to record five additional songs exclusively for the U.S. broadcast, four of which originated on Elvis’ old Blue Hawaii movie soundtrack of 1961: “Blue Hawaii,” “Ku-U-I-Po,” “No More,” and “Hawaiian Wedding Song.” The fifth was Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain,” emblematic of the contemporary folk-rock singer-songwriter boom to which Elvis was surprisingly well attuned in the ’70s.

“Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite” was broadcast to more than 40 nations, and broke viewing records in Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong and Australia. Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite, the double-LP containing all 24 songs from the broadcast, was rush released to arrive in stores the first week of February, 1973. It debuted in the February 24th Billboard 200 albums chart, and sold a half-million units in its first four weeks. The single from the concert, Elvis’ version of James Taylor’s “Steamroller Blues,” debuted in April and reached the Top 20, selling in excess of 400,000 copies, #10 in Cashbox and #17 in Billboard.

In the U.S., the broadcast was in fact postponed so as not to conflict with MGM’s Elvis On Tour. When “Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite” was finally aired in the U.S. on April 4th, the Nielsen ratings had the show in 33.8% of homes and reaching 51% of those watching television. The double-LP immediately vaulted up the charts, taking the #1 spot in Billboard’s May 5th issue, knocking Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon out of the top spot. It stayed on the chart for 52 weeks, and was certified 5-times platinum by the RIAA. The album was Elvis’ first #1 since the Roustabout movie soundtrack from January 1965.

It was not generally known at the time that the Friday evening (January 12th) dress rehearsal had also been recorded, as a safety backup. Fifteen years later in June 1988 (more than a decade after Elvis’ death), the show was finally issued on CD as The Alternate Aloha.

In early 1973, Elvis Presley was performing at one of the highest peaks of his career, and Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite: Legacy Edition is proof positive of that. As Ernst Mikael Jørgensen writes in his essential research guide, Elvis Presley: A Life In Music (St. Martin’s Press, 1998): “The immense pressure of being beamed live to one billion people didn’t seem to faze Elvis a great deal; showing little evidence of nerves, he was highly focused, and he executed a flawless set that sparkled with all the flash of his image. The unparalleled media attention and size of the audience, not to mention the worldwide number one album that followed, were perhaps the most effective statement ever engineered of one artist’s worldwide power.”

ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE: LEGACY EDITION by ELVIS PRESLEY

Disc 1: The “broadcast” [second] show recorded January 14, 1973 (originally issued February 1973, as Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite, RCA 6089)

Selections: 1. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey) • 2. See See Rider • 3. Burning Love • 4. Something • 5. You Gave Me A Mountain • 6. Steamroller Blues • 7. My Way • 8. Love Me • 9. Johnny B. Goode • 10. It's Over • 11. Blue Suede Shoes • 12. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry • 13. I Can't Stop Loving You • 14. Hound Dog • 15. What Now My Love • 16. Fever • 17. Welcome To My World • 18. Suspicious Minds • 19. Introductions by Elvis • 20. I'll Remember You • 21. Medley: Long Tall Sally/ Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On • 22. An American Trilogy • 23. A Big Hunk O' Love • 24. Can't Help Falling In Love.

Disc 2: The “dress rehearsal” [first] show recorded January 12, 1973 (originally issued June 1988, as The Alternate Aloha, RCA 6985)

Selections: 1. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey) • 2. See See Rider • 3. Burning Love • 4. Something • 5. You Gave Me A Mountain • 6. Steamroller Blues • 7. My Way • 8. Love Me • 9. It's Over • 10. Blue Suede Shoes • 11. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry • 12. Hound Dog • 13. What Now My Love • 14. Fever • 15. Welcome To My World • 16. Suspicious Minds • 17. Introductions by Elvis • 18. I'll Remember You • 19. An American Trilogy • 20. A Big Hunk O' Love • 21. Can't Help Falling In Love • 22. Closing Riff • Bonus songs: 23. Blue Hawaii • 24. Ku-U-I-Po • 25. No More • 26. Hawaiian Wedding Song • 27. Early Morning Rain.

David Bowie studio album news

davidbowie.com/Columbia

This is very exciting. From the official label press release...

Iso/Columbia Records has just released a new single by David Bowie titled "Where Are We Now?" launching in the iTunes Store in 119 countries.David Bowie's first new album in 10 years and his 30th studio recording, The Next Day, is also available as a pre-order on iTunes with a wide release scheduled for March (3/8 Australia, 3/11 Europe/Asia, 3/12 U.S.) 

Jan. 8 is Bowie's birthday, a timely moment for such a treasure to appear as if out of nowhere.

Throwing shadows and avoiding the industry treadmill is very David Bowie despite his extraordinary track record that includes album sales in excess of 130 million not to mention his massive contributions in the area of art, fashion, style, sexual exploration and social commentary. It goes without saying that he has sold out stadiums and broken ticket records throughout the world during this most influential of careers.

In recent years radio silence has been broken only by endless speculation, rumor and wishful thinking ....a new record...who would have ever thought it, who'd have ever dreamed it! After all David is the kind of artist who writes and performs what he wants when he wants...when he has something to say as opposed to something to sell. Today, he definitely has something to say.

Produced by long term collaborator Tony Visconti, "Where Are We Now?" was written by Bowie, and was recorded in New York. The single is accompanied by a haunting video directed by Tony Oursler (now on Vimeo) which harks back to David's time in Berlin. He is seen looking in on footage of the auto repair shop beneath the apartment he lived in along with stark images of the city at the time and a lyric constantly raising the question, Where Are We Now?

"The moment you know, you know you know" resonates from the new single's lyric. Now we all know...David Bowie has been in the recording studio...just when we least expected it!!

The Next Day's Track Listing

Standard Version:

01. The Next Day 3:51
02. Dirty Boys 2:58
03. The Stars (Are Out Tonight) 3:56
04. Love Is Lost 3:57
05. Where Are We Now? 4:08
06. Valentine's Day 3:01
07. If You Can See Me 3:16
08. I'd Rather Be High 3:53
09. Boss Of Me 4:09
10. Dancing Out In Space 3:24
11. How Does The Grass Grow 4:33
12. (You Will) Set The World On Fire 3:30
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die 4:41
14. Heat 4:25
 
Deluxe Version

01. The Next Day 3:51
02. Dirty Boys 2:58
03. The Stars (Are Out Tonight) 3:56
04. Love Is Lost 3:57
05. Where Are We Now? 4:08
06. Valentine's Day 3:01
07. If You Can See Me 3:16
08. I'd Rather Be High 3:53
09. Boss Of Me 4:09
10. Dancing Out In Space 3:24
11. How Does The Grass Grow 4:33
12. (You Will) Set The World On Fire 3:30
13. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die 4:41
14. Heat 4:25

Bonus tracks:
15. So She 2:31
16. I'll Take You There 2:44
17. Plan 2:34

2012 Reunion Albums You Might Have Missed: Shoes, Cranberries, Soundgarden

No discussion of 1970s and '80s power pop would be complete without mentioning Shoes. Over the course of 20 years, the Zion, Illinois band put out several critically acclaimed studio albums before going relatively quiet after 1994's Propellor. In the interim, bands such as Gin Blossoms and Fountains of Wayne picked up the Shoes mantle.

Last year, original members/co-lead vocalists Jeff Murphy (guitar), John Murphy (bass), Gary Klebe (guitar) as well as John Richardson (drums), kept Shoes' power pop spirit alive with the winsome reunion effort Ignition.

Self recorded in usual DIY style and released on their own longtime label Black Vinyl, the songs are rife with trademark group harmonies - simultaneously sounding both timeless and modern.

There's no filler among the 15 tracks here. Standouts include sublime gem "Wrong Idea," the mild rocker "Heaven Help Me," chugging "Say It Like You Mean It," total earworm "Diminishing Returns" and the '70s Rolling Stones guitar crunch (complete with handclaps and humorous lyrics) of "Hot Mess." 

Shoes will be appearing at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas in March.

Back in December of '09, I reviewed The Cranberries' comeback tour at Club Nokia in LA. As a longtime fan, I was excited about the possibility of new music from the Limerick, Ireland rock band. 
That became a reality last February with the Cooking Vinyl Records release of Roses, their first new album in a decade. 

Re-teaming with old producer Stephen Street (who handled the quintuple platinum '93 debut Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?), the four piece often revisit that first CD's mix of lush and melancholy sounds. The jangly and upbeat single "Tomorrow" stands among the best Cranberries material.

Other strong songs here include the sway-worthy opener "Conduct," "Raining in My Heart" (featuring guitarist Noel Hogan's psychedelic swirls and accordion from Barenaked Ladies' Kevin Hearn) and "Show Me" (with orchestration from the noted Duke Quartet). All are download recommendations.  

Unfortunately, Roses was met with deaf ears here in America and they didn't even perform in SoCal, a longtime stronghold. Hopefully, they will return this year.

One of the most trumpeted reunions in 2012 was Soundgarden, who tested the waters by touring and putting out a compilation (Telephantasm) and live set (Live on I-5) before the new King Animal.

The Seattle band’s first studio album in over 15 years came out this past November through Seven Four Entertainment/Republic Records and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. It was co-produced by the musicians and longtime collaborator Adam Kasper. 

Singer/guitarist Chris Cornell's gutteral scream and Kim Thayil's needling guitar make the politically-minded "Non-State Actor" one of the standouts, along with the wholly appropriate lyrics of first single “Been Away Too Long,”  which topped the Mainstream Rock radio chart.

In addition to drums, Matt Cameron plays guitar and Moog, contributes in the songwriting department and pairs up with his Pearl Jam bandmate Mike McCready on the closing "Eyelid's Mouth." Meanwhile, mandolin and horns color various tunes such as the strong "A Thousand Days Before."

Soundgarden's sold out U.S. tour, including a Feb 15-17 run at LA's Wiltern, gets underway in a couple weeks. See soundgardenworld.com for more details.

Green Day announce rescheduled tour dates

Green Day have revealed the initial routing for their upcoming tour, which is below.

"We want to thank everyone for hanging in with us for the last few months," said the members of Green Day. "We are very excited to hit the road and see all of you again, though we regret having to cancel more shows."

Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said, "Dear friends... I just want to thank you all for the love and support you've shown for the past few months. Believe me, it hasn't gone unnoticed and I'm eternally grateful to have such an amazing set of friends and family. I'm getting better everyday. So now, without further ado, the show must go on. We can't wait to get on the road and live out load! Our passion has only grown stronger."

Tickets for shows that had been postponed will be honored at these new dates. Should you have any questions regarding your tickets please contact your point of purchase. For those who purchased tickets for dates that are now canceled, refunds will be given at original point of purchase. Additional west coast dates will be announced in early 2013. 

 

New dates:

 

MARCH

28 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena

29 - Moline, IL - I Wireless Center

31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Consol Energy Center    

APRIL

1 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena

3 - Philadelphia, PA - Liacourias Center

4 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center

6 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena

7 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center

9 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center

11 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre

12 - Quebec City, QC - Quebec Colisee

Previously cancelled dates:

JANUARY

7 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center

10 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

11 - State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center - Penn State Univ.

18 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena

25 - Portland, ME - Cumberland Co. Civic Center

30 - Cleveland, OH - Wolstein Ctr. / Cleveland St. Univ.

FEBRUARY

2 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center Mem. Coliseum

4 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Arena                                      

6 - Broomfield, CO - 1STBANK Center                                          

8 - Las Vegas, NV  - MGM Grand Garden Arena              

Peter Murphy concert review: Santa Ana, Calif.

photo, from 2008, by Kelly Swift

A version of my review originally appeared at soundcheck.ocregister.com

When it comes to stage presence, few acts can rival Peter Murphy.

 

The veteran Goth rock pioneer captivates fans with dramatic gestures, spinning, graceful swan-like movements and uniquely quavering vocals at every turn. All were on full display during a packed Constellation Room performance Saturday night - the first of two special concerts within the Observatory.

 

Murphy and his three-piece band did 1989’s “Deep” in its entirety and then returned for an all-Bauhaus set on Sunday. He has only done “front to back” album shows twice in Southern California this year (this was the Orange County debut). A couple diehard fans traveled down from San Francisco to catch the rare gigs. One guy was even dressed up as a skeleton conquistador; a young child near the stage was clearly enjoying the event.  

 

Constantly dissatisfied with the sound levels, Murphy admitted to having a cold (which made his usually low baritone gruffer than usual and at times, grating). But those problems didn’t detract too much from the riveting performance. Murphy had plenty of interactions with the band and after signing a fan autograph, mockingly withheld it for money. 

Clad in black leather jacket and pants, the singer’s return visit to the Santa Ana venue commenced with the dark chugging rocker “Deep Ocean, Vast Sea.” After the splendid “Crystal Wrists,” Murphy lost his place in the set and joked, “What’s the order of the album? God only knows.”

 

Before starting a lovely 12-string guitar driven “Marlene Dietrich’s Favorite Poem,” the singer commented on the recent school massacre in Newtown, Conn. by saying he was against automatic machine guns, referenced the Mayans’ end of the world theory and dedicated the tune to victims and parents affected by the tragedy: “We ask the universe to grant intelligence to those that won’t use it.”

 

Through the years, several songs from Deep, Murphy’s most successful stateside release, have always been part of the concert. Still, a few tracks made their live debuts in 2012. The scintillating, Asian-influenced “Seven Veils” (featuring a sharp electric guitar solo by Mark Gemini-Thwaite) was among them. 

 

Elsewhere in the 90-minute show, “Cuts You Up” was strong (Murphy’s signature alt-rock hit was prefaced by a Bauhaus rant: “If one of them said we want you to be our singer again, I’d tell them off”), “Cascade” included mesmerizing spoken word segments, “All Night Long” soared, the placid “Gaslit” contained frenetic violin stabs from the bassist and songs from 2011’s solid studio album “Ninth” rocked furiously.   

 

Half the crowd stuck around to watch Murphy close the proceedings with an epic “Your Face,” from 2002’s “Dust” album, his collaboration with Turkish artist Mercan Dede.

Peter Murphy, Constellation Room at Observatory, Santa Ana, Dec. 29, 2012

First set: Deep album > Deep Ocean, Vast Sea/Shy/Crystal Wrists/Marlene Dietrich’s Favorite Poem/Seven Veils/The Line Between the Devil’s Teeth/Cuts You Up/A Strange Kind of Love/Roll Call

Second set: Cascade/All Night Long/Velocity Bird/Memory Go/Gaslit/The Prince & Old Lady Shade

Encore: Your Face

On the setlist, but not played: I Spit Roses, Uneven & Brittle