Augustines album available+tour dates

The new self-titled album by Augustines (previously We Are Augustines) is out now via Votiv/Oxcart and follows the group's 2011 breakthrough debut, Rise Ye Sunken Ships.

A North American headline tour starts at Venue in Vancouver, BC on Feb. 5. The six-week run will include shows at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA (February 11) and New York City's Bowery Ballroom (March 3). See below for itinerary or visit weareaugustines.com for further details. 

Billy McCarthy (vocals, guitar), Eric Sanderson (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Rob Allen (drums, percussion) - recorded Augustines with co-producer Peter Katis (The National). 

Where their first record was created in relative isolation, Augustines was made "with the awareness that we weren't going to be alone anymore," says McCarthy. "This is us handing it over to those people that sang our songs back to us all over the world. We turned from the interior and started considering some of the breathtaking moments that happened to us on the road, in different countries."

TOUR DATES

FEBRUARY

5 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue

7 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room

8 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge

10 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

11 - West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour  

13 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom

17 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues Bronze Peacock

18 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Bar-B-Q

19 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Cambridge Room

21 - New Orleans, LA @ Parish at House of Blues     

22 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

23 - Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge

25 - Durham, NC @ Motorco

26 - Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall

28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle

MARCH

3 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

5 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

6 - Providence, RI @ Fete (Lounge)

7 - Rochester, NY @ The Club at Water Street

9 - Montreal, QC @ Belmont

11 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison

12 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig

14 - Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop

15 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

17 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry

18 - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird

19 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room

21 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound

Clan of Xymox album out next week

Clan of Xymox will release Matters of the Mind, Body and Soul on Metropolis Records on Feb. 11.

With its new studio album, the band explores its signature, melancholic sound, as evidenced by tracks such as “I Close My Eyes” and “I’ll Let You Go.” 

In addition, the group will hit the road, starting with a pair of tour dates in Los Angeles before launching into a worldwide tour. 

Clan of Xymox, formerly known as Xymox, formed in the Netherlands in 1983. In 1985 they would release the first of two studio albums on 4AD Records (Clan Of Xymox, 1985; Medusa, 1987). Xymox would release their next two albums (Twist of Shadows, 1989; Phoenix, 1991) as well as three 12-Inch records (Obsession, 1989; Imagination, 1989 and Blind Hearts, 1989) on Wing Records.

"Obsession" would land itself on both the Billboard Alternative Songs and Billboard Club Play Charts, as "Imagination" would generate Top 40 Radio rotation. "Blind Hearts" would outshine the releases, finding its way to No. 1 on the Billboard Club Play Charts. The album Twist of Shadows would go on to sell over 300,000 records worldwide.

However founding member Ronny Moorings found himself unhappy with the band's direction and opted to experiment with different approach. The band would release two albums independently after the demise of Wing Records (Metamorphosis, 1992; Headclouds, 1993).

Moorings reformed and reinstated the moniker Clan of Xymox in 1997, for the release of their full length album on Tess Records (Hidden Faces, 1997). Clan of Xymox would find their way to their present home at Metropolis Records, who would release the band's next eight albums from 1999 to the present.

Track listing:

 

1. Once in a Blue Moon

2. She is Falling in Love

3. The Climate Changed

4. Hector 00-00

5. I Close My Eyes

6. Hand in Glove

7. Your Own Way

8. Love's on Diet

9. I'll Let You Go

10. Months Ago

11. Kiss and Tell

12. Chinese Whispers 

U.S. Dates:

2/08/14 The Obscure Lounge Los Angeles, CA
2/09/14 Complex Los Angeles, CA

New season of Live from the Artists Den

The seventh season of Live from the Artists Den has started running nationwide on public television (check local listings). The music series presents musicians performing in unique and historic venues.

Episode 1 is from French rock band Phoenix, performing at a high school in Austin, TX. Performing at a high school was particularly meaningful for the band. "When you tour in the United States, a lot of the shows are for [people] 21 and over," frontman Thomas Mars said, explaining the band's decision. "We, as teenagers, wouldn't have started a band if we hadn't seen a show when we were 10 or 12."
 
This season marks the series' fifth year on public television and over 50 filmed television episodes. In celebration of these achievements, a "Fifth Anniversary Special" will close the season, featuring highlights from throughout the series' history - from Ringo Starr's star-studded concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Adele's intimate acoustic performance in Santa Monica just days after the release of her record-breaking album, 21.

Watch a Season 7 video trailer at artistsden.com/season7

National Season 7 Premiere Dates (check local listings)

Current - Phoenix at Anderson High School in Austin, TX
February 8 - Sheryl Crow at The Plaza in New York, NY
February 15 - Sara Bareilles at The Orpheum in Los Angeles, CA
February 22 - Vampire Weekend at The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen in New York, NY

To find out when Live from the Artists Den airs in your city, visit artistsden.com and click on "TV Schedule." In some markets, Live from the Artists Den will immediately follow the extended season of Austin City Limits (check local listings).

More Elton John news: 'Yellow Brick Road' reissue

This expanded set sounds absolutely amazing. It'll definitely be on my coverage list...

Come March 25, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the 1973 breakthrough Elton John album, has been remastered and will be issued on CD, vinyl, limited-edition yellow vinyl, and in a box set featuring recordings of “Live at Hammersmith 1973”on CD, a DVD of Bryan Forbes’ 1973 film "Elton John and Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things," along with a 100-page illustrated hardback book packed with rare photos, memorabilia and a new essay containing interviews with John and Taupin.

Also included in the Deluxe Edition and box set versions of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a suite of nine, new cover versions of classic songs from  performed by Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé, Fall Out Boy, Hunter Hayes, Imelda May, John Grant, Miguel featuring Wale, The Band Perry, and Zac Brown Band.

The lasting legacy of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road can still be seen with a wealth of emerging new talent quick to praise the influence it had on their own careers. Artists ranging from BRIT winner Ed Sheeran (Candle in the Wind), R&B sensation Miguel (Bennie and the Jets), rock band Fall Out Boy (Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting), add their own interpretations to the classic originals on a sensational bonus disc.

Recorded with producer Peter Asher at the helm, Elton and Bernie’s influence on modern day Americana, R&B and soul, and rock singers continues to shine through.

Complete list of the cover versions suite on the box set and deluxe editions: 

1. Ed Sheeran - Candle In The Wind
2. Miguel featuring Wale - Bennie And The Jets
3. Hunter Hayes - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
4. The Band Perry - Grey Seal
5. John Grant - Sweet Painted Lady
6. Emeli Sandé - All The Girls Love Alice
7. Imelda May - Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock And Roll)
8. Fall Out Boy - Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
9. Zac Brown Band - Harmony

Complete list of formats of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road:

1. 1 CD set: 2014 CD remaster of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering from the original analogue tapes. Digital equivalent editions: Remaster, Mastered For iTunes, HD Edition

2. 2 CD set: 2014 CD remaster of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road as above, 9 cover versions, best of Live At Hammersmith CD

Digital equivalent editions: Remaster, Mastered For iTunes

3. 5 disc CD/DVD set: containing standard album, 9 cover version disc, single B-sides and bonus tracks, complete “Live At Hammersmith” CD, DVD of Bryan Forbes’ 1973 film Elton John And Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye To Norma Jean and Other Things, and 100-page illustrated hardback book packed with rare photos, memorabilia and a new essay containing interviews with Elton John and Bernie Taupin). Digital editions for audio: Remaster, Mastered For iTunes

4. Standard 12" vinyl album: Mastered for vinyl by Doug Sax and Robert Hadley at The Mastering Lab, California. 180-gram audiophile quality vinyl with download card

5. Limited edition yellow vinyl available from store.eltonjohn.com and http://www.theboxsetstore.co.uk 
 
6. HD Pure Audio Blu-Ray album

Elton John Vegas show film to beam in theaters

The Million Dollar Piano, Elton John's concert extravaganza regularly plays to audiences at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Now it has been captured on film for a worldwide-engagement at cinemas across the globe.

CinemaLive, in association with Rocket Music Entertainment Group, Fathom Events, Yamaha Entertainment Group of America and Universal Music bring this concert event to cinemas for two nights in the US, on March 18 & 26.

The concert will be shown in an expected 500 theaters across the US and 1,200 in over 40 countries including the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and Australia.

Tickets will be available to the public at participating theater box offices and online at fathomevents.com starting on Friday, Feb. 14.

The concert includes all of Elton's greatest hits from throughout his career including 'Rocket Man', 'Tiny Dancer', 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting', 'I'm Still Standing', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', 'Philadelphia Freedom' and 'Your Song'.

Creatively the show has a baroque, Roman-inspired golden stage that transforms itself to reflect the personality of each song. At the centerpiece of the concert is the show's namesake custom-made Yamaha one-million-dollar piano ($1.4 million, to be exact) featuring more than 68 LED screens incorporated into the design of the piano. When Elton first saw it, he cried.

"I look at it as a piece of art; I'm playing something that will go in the Smithsonian," he says. "This idea of a piano with LED screens...it becomes cinema!"

Translating the concert to the big screen was the next obvious step, as John and longtime collaborator, lyricist Bernie Taupin, create songs that are epic stories - and by incorporating the piano as part of those stories John is able to translate that both musically and visually. The concert is glamorous, elegant and over the top ("it IS Vegas," says Elton).

Accompanied by his band, The Million Dollar Piano showcases the talents of John, guitarist Davey Johnstone, the late Bob Birch on bass, percussionist John Mahon, drummer Nigel Olsson and keyboardist Kim Bullard, with a special appearance by percussionist Ray Cooper.

Completing the incredible spectacle is the show's impressive and elaborate baroque-style stage set, masterminded by the show's design team, the late Mark Fisher and Patrick Woodroffe. Fisher (best known for his design of Pink Floyd's "The Wall," and his work designing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics) and Woodroffe conceived and designed the lights display that augments the set and piano.

Film selections:

The Bitch is Back

Bennie and the Jets

Rocket Man

Levon

piano excerpt "Planes"

piano excerpt "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"

Tiny Dancer

Your Song

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Better Off Dead

Indian Sunset

Blue Eyes

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Philadelphia Freedom

I'm Still Standing

Crocodile Rock

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Circle of Life

Aztec Camera's deluxe 'High Land, Hard Rain' due Tuesday

This is one of Roddy's best albums and I can't wait to hear the rarities. Glad to see it's getting a deluxe release. Read on for details...

Domino Records will be releasing of the 30th anniversary edition of Aztec Camera's classic debut album, High Land, Hard Rain in North America on Feb. 4. With the original album remastered from the analog tapes and the CD package full of all sorts of super rare nuggets (many not available before digitally). High Land, Hard Rain and the rarities are streaming now via Pitchfork Advance.

In December Roddy Frame performed three sold-out shows in the UK to commemorate the 30th anniversary by playing the album in its entirety (complimented by additional material from his repertoire) to universal acclaim.

Here’s a bit of his recent hometown show in Glasgow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2AwcZ5xB9o

Contemporary with fellow Glaswegians Orange Juice, Aztec Camera made their debut on vinyl with the release of the "Just Like Gold" single on the seminal Postcard label when Frame was only 16 years old.

Another single followed on Postcard with "Mattress Of Wire" before the band made their move to the more firmly established Rough Trade label to record their debut album, High Land, Hard  Rain (released in North America on Sire Records).

The album opens with the exuberant pop of "Oblivious," which very nearly became Rough Trade's first UK Top 40 hit in the early days of 1983 (the song's re-issue on WEA later that year would drive it into the Top 20 eventually).

Follow-up single "Walk Out To Winter" is yet another tour-de-force of pop songwriting, as well as showcasing Frame's prodigious talents as a guitarist. Frame re-visited the Postcard b-side "We Could Send Letters" to end side one.

In his new liner notes for this edition, Rolling Stone's David Fricke calls High Land, Hard Rain "ten songs of anxious yearning, romantic urgency, big hurt and hard-won learning, distilled into compact dramas of buckskin-folk jangle and skewed-pop elegance." 

Track listing:

CD 1/LP

Oblivious

The Boy Wonders

Walk Out to Winter

The Bugle Sounds Again

We Could Send Letters

Pillar to Post

Release

Lost Outside the Tunnel

Back on Board

Down the Dip

CD 2/LP Download

Pillar to Post (original single version)

Queen's Tattoos

Orchid Girl

Haywire

Walk Out to Winter (Tony Mansfield 7" version)

Set the Killing Free

Back on Board (live on CFNY)

We Could Send Letters (live on CFNY)

Walk Out to Winter (Kid Jensen Session)

Down the Dip (Kid Jensen Session)

Back on Board (Kid Jensen Session)

Release (Kid Jensen Session)

Walk Out to Winter (John Brand unreleased single version)

Walk Out to Winter (Tony Mansfield 12" version)

Oblivious (Colin Fairley remix)

Oblivious (Langer / Winstanley remix)

The vinyl version is pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl and includes a complimentary digital download card for both the original album and the rarities included in the compact disc package. The first 400 pre-orders will also receive a bonus 7" of rarities:

A1. The Boy Wonders (Capital Radio Session)

A2. Release (Capital Radio Session)

B1 We Could Send Letters (C81 Version)

B2 The Bugle Sounds Again (Bedroom Demo)

Rufus Wainwright U.S. live dates and DVD ahead

On March 4, Rufus Wainwright’s private 2012 concert in an historic Greenwich Village church, filmed and recorded for PBS’ “Live from the Artists Den,” will be released on CD, digital album, and Blu-ray video by Artists Den Records/UMe.

This release includes five songs that were not included in the TV broadcast, and the Blu-ray features an additional 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus material.

 

“Candles” is the closing song on Wainwright’s acclaimed 2012 album, Out of the Game, but it was an a cappella opener for his “Live from the Artists Den” performance at the Church of the Ascension, on Manhattan’s lower Fifth Avenue. Built in 1841, the National Historic Landmark church was a breathtaking backdrop for the tale of searching for a place to light a memorial for his late mother, singer Kate McGarrigle.

 

Wainwright performed 16 songs, paying tribute to Kate during the set with an emotional, solo piano rendition of her “On My Way to Town,” before bringing out producer Mark Ronson, who worked with Wainwright on Out of the Game. Wainwright and his band, with Ronson on guitar, close the show with “Bitter Tears.”

 

The Blu-ray's bonus materials include an exclusive, extended interview with Wainwright, an additional interview with the Church of Ascension’s since-retired rector, Father Andrew, “Inside the Den,” a behind-the-scenes look at the concert shoot and location, and a “Night in Pictures” slideshow.

 

“I’ve found that the venue essentially dictates everything,” Wainwright says in the filmed program.  “For someone who is pretty focused on the capabilities of the voice, as I am, churches are our friends.”

 

Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright will also be released on March 4 by Universal Music Enterprises. The new collection’s single-disc and digital edition features 17 songs, as well as a new recording, "Me and Liza." A 2CD and digital deluxe edition adds 16 rare live and studio tracks.

 

Wainwright will tour Europe in March, and he has confirmed five U.S. theater concerts in April to support the release of the retrospective. Tickets for the U.S. concerts are on-sale now at rufuswainwright.com

US tour:

April 15            New York, NY             Town Hall

April 16            Washington, DC          Lincoln Theatre

April 18            Los Angeles, CA         Orpheum Theatre

April 19            San Francisco, CA     Palace of Fine Arts

April 20            San Francisco, CA     Palace of Fine Arts