Cruel World Festival - the retro alt-rock festival now slated for 2022; Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie, Devo all on the bill

Goldenvoice announced the Cruel World Festival is taking place Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Brookside at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California featuring performances by Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie, DEVO, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, Violent Femmes, The Church and more.

It was originally planned for May 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Fans can access the Cruel World Festival presale code here, giving them early access to tickets. Register now with a valid (US/CAN) mobile number to receive a presale code and the link to buy tickets before they go on sale. The presale begins Friday, June 11 at 10:00 AM pacific time.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 11 at 12:00 PM pacific time. Prices start at $159.00 plus fees with payment plans also available at $29.99 down.

Fans can enjoy a luxurious festival experience with several new ticket package offerings in 2022 which include Clubhouse and Clubhouse Platinum. With the Clubhouse at Brookside package fans have access to an indoor air-conditioned hideaway, centrally located within the VIP area with panoramic views of the festival grounds. This pass also grants exclusive access to an intimate upfront guest viewing area at both stages. The elevated Clubhouse Platinum package is the elite festival experience with all of the comforts of the Clubhouse plus additional exclusive access to the Platinum Lounge, a merch package, private festival entrance and more.

For more information on the festival, lineup and ticket options, please visit www.CruelWorldFest.com.

Full Lineup (alphabetically):
45 Grave
Automatic
Bauhaus
Berlin
Black Marble
Blaqk Audio
Blondie
Christian Death
Cold Cave
Devo
Drab Majesty
Echo & The Bunnymen
English Beat
Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel
London After Midnight
Missing Persons
Morrissey
Public Image Ltd.
Sextile
Soft Kill
The Church
The Damned
The KVB
The Meteors
The Psychedelic Furs
TR/ST
Violent Femmes

Connect with Cruel World Festival

Website/Tickets: www.CruelWorldFest.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/CruelWorldFest
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/CruelWorldFest

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/CruelWorldFest

Reissue news: The Gun Club's 'Fire of Love'

Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club's seminal debut from 1981, Fire Of Love, is being reissued as a deluxe two-CD and two-LP set on July 23 via Blixa Sounds.

Both editions contain a digitally remastered version of the original 11-track album, produced by fellow L.A. scenesters Chris D. of The Flesh Eaters and The Plugz’s Tito Larriva. The CD version will include 10 previously unreleased four-track demos and alternate versions, while the LP will include a download card for the digital version of the 10 bonus tracks.

The CD and the vinyl will include a second disc, the previously unreleased Live At Club 88 – March 6, 1981, a concert recording capturing the band’s live set at the legendary West L.A. dive bar. The double-vinyl version will be released as a two-LP set packaged in a gatefold cover with liner notes by drummer Terry Graham and remembrances from producer Tito Larriva and co-producer Chris D., as well as rare photos and ephemera. The CD version will also include a booklet with liner notes, photos and ephemera.

“He was injecting blues into the heart of punk rock, struggling to give life into something new and brilliant even if it was old and obvious at the same time,” Graham says of Pierce, in the book More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk.

Fire of Love features psychobilly-tinged “For The Love Of Ivy,” an ode to The Cramps guitarist and his future Kid Congo bandmate Poison Ivy Rorschach. The band also delved into their influences on the set, digging up Tommy Johnson’s “Cool Drink Of Water” and Robert Johnson’s “Preaching The Blues.”

As Graham writes in the liner notes, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to know Fire Of Love has given so many a nice kick in the ass…I not only loved fighting off the Devil while a member of Gun Club, but I’m proud of what we did on Fire Of Love with Chris and Tito as our guides. And if this music continues to irk the purists, I couldn’t be more proud. Jeff, you were one hell of a great musician, but you knew that.”

The Gun Club went on to record several other albums — including 1982’s Miami (reissued by Blixa Sounds in 2020) — before Pierce’s death in 1996.

CD TRACK LISTING:

DISC 1

1. SEX BEAT
2. PREACHING THE BLUES
3. PROMISE ME
4. SHE’S LIKE HEROIN TO ME
5. FOR THE LOVE OF IVY
6. FREE SPIRIT
7. GHOST ON THE HIGHWAY
8. JACK ON FIRE
9. BLACK TRAIN
10. COOL DRINK OF WATER
11. GOODBYE JOHNNY

BONUS TRACKS
12. BAD INDIAN (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
13. COOL DRINK OF WATER (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
14. FIRE OF LOVE (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
15. FOR THE LOVE OF IVY (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
16. GHOST ON THE HIGHWAY (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
17. FIRE OF LOVE (4 TRACK DEMO)
18. DEVIL IN THE WOODS (4 TRACK DEMO)
19. GOODBYE JOHNNY (4 TRACK DEMO)
20. PREACHING THE BLUES (4 TRACK DEMO)
21. WATERMELON MAN (4 TRACK DEMO)

DISC 2 / LIVE AT CLUB 88 – MARCH 6, 1981

1. DEVIL IN THE WOODS
2. BAD INDIAN
3. SHE’S LIKE HEROIN TO ME
4. PREACHING THE BLUES
5. KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
6. JACK ON FIRE
7. RAILROAD BILL
8. FIRE OF LOVE
9. SEX BEAT
10. GHOST ON THE HIGHWAY

Amazon CD Pre-Order Link: http://bit.ly/fireoflove-cd
Amazon LP Pre-Order Link: http://bit.ly/fireoflove
Fire Of Love EPK: https://youtu.be/D7kwkoRyI5w

Barenaked Ladies update

Canadian pop/rock band Barenaked Ladies announced their 16th studio album Detour de Force, scheduled for July 16. First single “Flip” is its first new music in four years.

Detour de Force is available to pre-order HERE and is available on CD and digital formats, along with a limited edition blue double vinyl featuring a bonus track. See below for a full tracklist.

Along with the announcement, the band has released the song “New Disaster”. Ed Robertson says the subject matter is "the distraction of modern politics coupled with the pressures of the 24-hour news cycle. It seemed like the Nostradamus predictions of new disasters were getting worse and worse, even after we recorded the song." The official music video drops June 11.

"We've always liked that our band is very diverse in what we do," says Robertson, "and on this record I really enjoyed the exploration. This record is a journey. Taking off one song would tip it in a way we didn't feel was representative of the record we made. We wanted everything that's here to be part of the record."

Adds Tyler Stewart, "This is some of our strongest material in 30 years, easily. I think it stands up there with our best albums. It hangs with ‘Gordon,’ or it hangs with ‘Maroon.’"

BNL wasn't dormant as the world shut down. There were the group's "Selfie Cam Jam" series and Robertson’s weekly Friday livestreams online, both for charity, as well as a pair of virtual concerts. But the pause brought a fresh perspective to where the band wanted Detour de Force to go.

"The pandemic really affected the album in an interesting way," recalls Jim Creeggan, who penned a pair of the Detour de Force songs. "I was getting calls from friends to do remote-based stuff, people asking each other to add something to those projects. So we started reaching out and bringing other things into what we were doing."

"We took several detours de force," acknowledges Kevin Hearn, "but I think what you get is a beautiful hybrid of a live off-the-floor band, all the way to full-on production numbers.' It's kind of reminiscent of ‘Stunt’.”

"There was a lot that was amazing about recording at the cottage," recalls Robertson, who wrote songs on his own and with friends Kevin Griffin, Craig Wiseman, Donovan Woods and Danny Michel. "The focus was great. The vibe was great. The hang was great. It was super positive for the band dynamic." 

Virtual guests were also invited, including original BNL keyboardist Andy Creeggan (Jim's brother), bassist Fernando Saunders and Moog bass pedals borrowed from Rush's Geddy Lee even make an appearance.

Filmed and edited by Edward Pond, the band has released a Detour de Force teaser that captures the making of the album - from the snowy cold of northern Ontario in a make-shift recording studio in Robertson’s living room with Mark Howard, completing the album with Eric Ratz at Noble Street Studios in Toronto. Watch it here.

Barenaked Ladies rescheduled their extensive Last Summer On Earth tour to 2022. All previously purchased tickets and VIP packages will remain valid for 2022. Check the routing and contact the original point of purchase for any questions.

Track listing:

01. Flip
02. Good Life
03. New Disaster
04. Big Back Yard
05. Live Well
06. Flat Earth
07. Here Together
08. Roll Out
09. Bylaw
10. God Forbid
11. Paul Chambers
12. The National Park
13. Man Made Lake
14. Internal Dynamo
15. Way Of The Heart (Vinyl-only exclusive bonus track)

Rodney Crowell takes on musical 'Triage' and touring in July

Rodney Crowell has released his second single and video, “Transient Global Amnesia Blues”, from his forthcoming studio release, Triage, due out July 23.

Haroula Rose, who directed the video, said, “Conceptually, I wanted to capture what Rodney explained as his experience with Transient Global Amnesia. A sort of fever dream. And, I’m happy when he says we got that right. We shot the footage of him at The Castle Recording Studios in Franklin, TN out in the back forested area, and at the River where Susanna Clark’s ashes were spread. I used a lot of archival footage and personal artifacts of Rodney’s to create some sense of cohesiveness - remembering life and its moments of being disoriented but also being found. Also, being inspired by the nature and story of the lyrics. We shot the writing at Rodney’s house with his wife, Claudia’s, beautiful handwriting.”

“Transient Global Amnesia Blues” reflects the entire record, one that Rodney calls his most personal to date, and like all great songs – the lyrics are expansive enough for everyone to relate. But they were born of a very singular experience.

Rodney explains, “One morning after a long walk, I asked my wife, Claudia, the same question nine times before she loaded me into the car and sped off to the hospital. The next thing I remember is being shoved into an MRI machine. Transient Global Amnesia, a benign form of amnesia that in ninety-eight percent of cases never returns, was the diagnosis---an overnight stay in the hospital the prescribed treatment. The next morning my daughter texted a photograph of a sunflower growing on a piece of driftwood on the Thames River. I had most of the song written before leaving the hospital at noon. Four days later I had a finished recording.”

Producer Dan Knobler added, “Not a moment of this album is unconsidered. Time and time again the question was asked: does each word, each note, every instrument and sonic choice serve its song? Is each song in service of the spirit of Universal Love? If not, it had to go. The result is a piece of work both Rodney and I take immense pride in.”

Triage is Rodney’s 18th studio album, his third on his own imprint, RC1 Records, and is his first with Thirty Tigers. Rodney has won numerous awards, including two Grammys and six Americana Music Association Awards as well as their Lifetime Achievement for Songwriter award. This last accolade resonates deeply with a man who has 15 No. 1 country hits including six of his own, and dozens of others for an impressively diverse array of artists including Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban, Bob Seger, Etta James, Grateful Dead.

Filmmaker/musician Haroula Rose also directed the first video, “Something Has To Change”, which was shot at Castle Recording Studios in Franklin, TN. View it here.

Track Listing:

1. Don’t Leave Me Now
2. Triage
3. Transient Global Amnesia Blues
4. One Little Bird
5. Something Has To Change
6. Here Goes Nothing
7. I’m All About Love
8. Girl On The Street
9. Hymn #43
10. This Body Isn’t All There Is To Who I Am

Tour dates:

July 26 in Pascagoula, MS @ Grand Magnolia Ballroom
July 27 in Baton Rouge, LA @ Manship Theatre
July 29 in Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
July 30 in Austin, TX @ The 04 Center
July 31 in Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
August 1 in Fayetteville, AR @ Fayetteville Roots
August 5 in Nashville, TN @ Rodney Crowell’s Adventures in Songwriting Camp – SOLD OUT
August 19 in Atlanta, GA @ City Winery - SOLD OUT
August 20 in Decatur, AL @ Princess Theatre Center For The Performing Arts
August 22 in Charleston, WV @ Mountain Stage at The Culture Center Theater
September 10&11 in Gstaad, Switzerland @ Country Night Music Festival
October 8 in Boothbay Harbor, ME @ Opera House
October 9 in Brownfield, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center
October 10 in Boston, MA @ City Winery
October 12 in Fall River, MA @ Narrows Center for the Arts
October 14 in New York, NY @ City Winery
October 15 in Philadelphia, PA @ City Winery
October 16 in Vienna, VA @ Barns of Wolf Trap
October 17 in Hopewell, VA @ The Beacon Theatre
October 27&28 in Franklin, TN @ Franklin Theatre
October 29 in Madisonville, KY @ The Glema Mahr Center for the Arts
November 6 in Menomonie, WI @ Mabel Tainter Center for the Art
November 7&8 in Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota
November 10 in Stoughton, WI @ Opera House - SOLD OUT
November 11 in Chicago, IL @ City Winery
November 12 in Grand Rapids, MI @ St. Cecilia Music Center
February 25-March 3 Outlaw Country Cruise in Belize and Mexico – SOLD OUT

Tina Turner's 'Foreign Affair' to get deluxe box set treatment

On July 16, Tina Turner will release the deluxe edition of Foreign Affair, alongside vinyl, CD, and digital versions.

A major success in Europe, the album's limited edition deluxe boxed set includes the original album fully remastered for the first time on CD1, with CD2 featuring a collection of B-sides, remixes, and a previously unheard demo of the Tina Turner classic, “The Best.” Across CD3 and CD4 is a Turner live show from Barcelona in 1990. The performance is also available to watch on the DVD, as well as the six music videos from the album’s singles fully restored to HD.

There is also a special, commemorative passport featuring photos of Turner, as well as a high-quality art card featuring pics from photographer Paul Cox. The booklet has new liner notes from Holly Knight, the songwriter of “The Best,” “Be Tender With Me Baby,” “You Can’t Stop Me Loving You,” and “Ask Me How I Feel.”

The album will also be released on 2-LP white vinyl, exclusive to Rhino.com, and features the original album fully remastered and on 2-LP for the very first time. The album will also be available on black 2-LP from all other retailers, as well as digitally, and on 2-CD, featuring the original album fully remastered, as well as a collection of B-sides, remixes, and an unreleased demo of “The Best," which is available to listen to now. Exclusive bundles featuring official merchandise will also be available via Rhino.com here.

Foreign Affair was Turner’s third studio album since her dramatic global resurgence, following the monumental success of Private Dancer (1984) and Break Every Rule (1986), as well as her lead role in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985. It went on to be a multi-platinum record across the world, including UK, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and many more. The biggest track to come from the album was the 80s anthem, “The Best.” The track continues to transcend generations, with one of the most recognizable choruses in music history. On top of “The Best,” the album is complimented by several Turner favorites, such as “Steamy Windows,” “I Don’t Wanna Lose You,” and the title track, “Foreign Affair.”

Track listings:

4-CD/1-DVD – Deluxe Edition

CD1 – 2021 Album Remaster

1. “Steamy Windows”

2. “The Best”
3. “You Know Who (Is Doing You Know What)”
4. “Undercover Agent for the Blues”
5. “Look Me in the Heart”
6. “Be Tender with Me Baby”
7. “You Can't Stop Me Loving You”
8. “Ask Me How I Feel”
9. “Falling Like Rain”
10. “I Don't Wanna Lose You”
11. “Not Enough Romance”
12. “Foreign Affair”

CD2 – B-Sides, Remixes & Unreleased Demo

B-Sides

1. “Bold And Reckless”
2. “Stronger Than The Wind”
3. “Steel Claw (Live)”
4. “Private Dancer (Live)”
5. “Be Tender With Me Baby (Live)"

Remixes

6. “The Best (Extended Muscle Mix)”
7. “Steamy Windows (12“ Vocal Mix)”
8. “Foreign Affair (Shep Pettibone Heartbeat Mix)”
9. “Look Me In The Heart (12“ Remix)”
10. “The Best (Extended Mighty Mix)”
11. “Steamy Windows (Justin Strauss 12“ House Dub Mix)”
12. “Foreign Affair (Shep Pettibone One In A Million Club Mix)”
13. “Steamy Windows (12“ Dub Mix)”
14. “Look Me In The Heart (Instrumental)”
15. “Foreign Affair (Shep Pettibone Heartbeat Instrumental”

Previously Unreleased

16. “The Best (Demo)”

CD3 - ‘Do You Want Some Action?’ Live in Barcelona 1990

1. “Steamy Windows”
2. “Typical Male”
3. “Foreign Affair”
4. “Undercover Agent for the Blues”
5. “Ask Me How I Feel”
6. “We Don't Need Another Hero”
7. “Private Dancer”
8. “Nutbush City Limits”
9. “Addicted to Love”

CD4 - ‘Do You Want Some Action?’ Live in Barcelona 1990

10. “The Best”
11. “I Don't Wanna Lose You”
12. “What's Love Got to Do With It”
13. “Let's Stay Together”
14. “Proud Mary”
15. “Better Be Good to Me”
16. “Be Tender With Me Baby”

DVD – ‘Do You Want Some Action?’ Live in Barcelona 1990 & Remastered Promo Videos

‘Do You Want Some Action?’ Live in Barcelona 1990

1. “Steamy Windows”

2. “Typical Male”

3. “Foreign Affair”

4. “Undercover Agent for the Blues”
5. “Ask Me How I Feel”
6. “We Don't Need Another Hero”
7. “Private Dancer”
8. “Nutbush City Limits”
9. “Addicted to Love”
10. “The Best”
11. “I Don't Wanna Lose You”
12. “What's Love Got to Do With It”
13. “Let's Stay Together”
14. “Proud Mary”
15. “Better Be Good to Me”
16. “Be Tender With Me Baby”

Remastered Promo Videos

1. “Foreign Affair”
2. “Look Me in the Heart”
3. “The Best”
4. “Steamy Windows”
5. “Be Tender With Me Baby”
6. “I Don’t Wanna Lose You"

John Mayer news

I really dig the retro feel of the album cover! Read about it below... 

John Mayer is back with a new single and music video via Columbia Records entitled “Last Train Home.” Watch the music video HERE and see the first live performance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ this Monday at 11:35 p.m. on ABC.

The singer/guitarist's eighth full-length album, Sob Rock, is due in stores and at all DSPs on July 16. Produced by John Mayer and Don Was, and recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, the album marks Mayer’s first solo offering since 2017’s gold-selling The Search for Everything. The pre-order/pre-save is HERE. The full track list can be found below.

Maren Morris guests during the song and music video, while both percussionist Lenny Castro and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes perform on the tune.

In late March, Mayer went on TikTok to play a few bars from “Last Train Home” live, and he generated 1.4 million views in the process. Official 'zines promoting the album have been mailed to fans who signed up at the official Sob Rock site. The issue notably features an interview between Mayer and Was.

Tracklist:

Last Train Home
Shouldn’t Matter but It Does
New Light
Why You No Love Me
Wild Blue
Shot in the Dark
I Guess I Just Feel Like
Til the Right One Comes
Carry Me Away
All I Want Is to Be With You

For more information, check Johnmayer.com and Sobrock.net.

The band Chvrches set new album, tour dates

I've only seen the band live during its last two appearances at Coachella Festival - on the Main Stage and one of the tents. Each was a highlight. I can't wait to hear the new album...

Chvrches fourth studio album Screen Violence is due out August 27 on Glassnote Records. Formats include digital, CD, limited edition 180g transparent blue vinyl with insert poster and limited edition transparent green cassette.

The band has also shared the second single from the forthcoming record, “How Not To Drown,” featuring Robert Smith of The Cure. It is a piano-driven song based on the concept of staying conscious when you drown. Pre-order for Screen Violence is available HERE.

LISTEN TO “HOW NOT TO DROWN” HERE

Recorded almost entirely remotely between Los Angeles and Glasgow, members Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook self-produced and mixed the album via video calls and audio sharing programs.

Screen Violence was originally conceived as a name for the band. A decade later, and during a pandemic when the reality of screen violence has never been more pertinent, struggling to make the people you love feel more than the characters on a TV show, and experiencing a world of trauma as if it were another, Chvrches revived the term for their forthcoming album title.

Narrating the theme of screen violence in three main forms - on screen, by screens and through screens - the album touches on feelings of loneliness, disillusionment, fear, heartbreak and regret.

“I think for me it was helpful to go into the process with the idea that I could write something escapist almost,” singer Mayberry says of the album. “That felt freeing initially, to have concepts and stories to weave your own feelings and experiences through but in the end, all the lyrics were definitely still personal.” While Martin Doherty adds, “To me, the screen aspect was a bit more literal. When we were making the record, it was like half of our lives were lived through screens. What began as a concept was now a lifeline.”

The making of Screen Violence also marked a decade together for the band with 2013 breakthrough album The Bones of What You Believe and 2015’s Every Open Eye, to their most recent 2018’s Love is Dead.

“How Not To Drown” follows the release of “He Said She Said.” The single is fast rising on the US Alternative charts, and debuted #1 on the NACC Singles Chart and went #3 on the Submodern Chart. The single is accompanied by an official video directed by multi-disciplinary artist Scott Kiernan. WATCH “HE SAID SHE SAID” VIDEO HERE

Tickets for a North American tour go on sale on Friday, June 11th at 10:00AM local time. Visit www.chvrch.es for more information.

Track list:

1. Asking For A Friend

2. He Said She Said
3. California
4. Violent Delights
5. How Not To Drown
6. Final Girl
7. Good Girls
8. Lullabies
9. Nightmares
10. Better If You Don’t

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

11/09/21 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
11/10 - 11/12/21 Austin, TX - ACL Live
11/14/21 Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom
11/15/21 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
11/17/21 Minneapolis, MN - Armory
11/18/21 Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
11/19/21 Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
11/20/21 Columbus, OH - Express Live!
11/22/21 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
11/23/21 Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/26/21 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/27/21 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/30/21 Washington, DC - Anthem
12/01/21 Boston, MA - House of Blues
12/02/21 New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
12/03/21 Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
12/05/21 Cincinnati, OH - Ovation
12/06/21 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
12/08/21 Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
12/09/21 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
12/10/21 Salt Lake City, UT - Union
12/11/21 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
12/13/21 San Diego, CA - Observatory North Park
12/14/21 San Diego, CA - Observatory North Park
12/16/21 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
12/17/21 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium