Australian musician Paul Kelly returns to tour North America after seven years

photo: Joe Brennan

Acclaimed Aussie singer/songwriter Paul Kelly will return to North America for his first tour here since 2017. 

Supporting Keb’ Mo' and Shawn Colvin, the jaunt kicks off Sept. 11th in Ottawa, Canada. In addition to these dates, he will be playing a handful of solo shows with his nephew Dan Kelly. 

Paul Kelly's most recent album Poetry (2023) saw him collect two dozen tracks where he set music to words penned by legendary writers such as William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Sylvia Plath, Langston Hughes, William Butler Yeats, Thomas Hardy, and Dylan Thomas. 

SInce the early 1980s, Paul Kelly has earned worldwide accolades for his music, but he holds a special place in his native land. Kelly has earned the prestigious title of Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the arts and is a member of the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. 

He has written best-selling books, been involved in film and theater projects, and had a documentary, Stories of Me, made on him. And, of course, he continues to create albums, the most recent being an expanded version of Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train which added the new Christmas classic, "How To Make Gravy."

TOUR DATES:

09.11 Ottawa, ON @ Landsdowne Park/CityFolk 2024 #
09.14 Springfield, IL @ UIS Performing Arts Center *
09.15 Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Symphony Center *
09.16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park *
09.18 Joliet, IL @ Rialto Sqaure Theatre *
09.20 Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center *
09.21 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
09.22 Knoxville, TN @ Tennesse Theater *
09.24 Greensboro, NC @ Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts *
09.25 Richmond, VA @ Dominion Energy Center/Carpenter Theatre *
09.27 Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium *
09.28 Columbus, GA @ RiverCenter For The Performing Arts *
10.01 Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theater *
10.02 Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre *
10.04 Fayetteville, AR @ Walton Arts Center/Baum Walker Hall *
10.05 Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts *
10.06 Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion Ballroom *
10.07 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom #
10.09 New York, NY @ TBA #
10.11 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival #

* designates dates with Keb'Mo' & Shawn Colvin
# designates Paul Kelly with Dan Kelly

Phil Collins album 'Both Sides' to get deluxe LP box set treatment in September

The 30th anniversary of Phil Collins' fifth solo studio album Both Sides will be reissued as a special edition 5LP box set on Sept. 20. Pre-order HERE. This edition contains the remastered full original album, cut at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, and is a compendium of early demo tracks from the recording of the album as well as rarities from the singles originally released on the album - "Both Sides of the Story," "Everyday" and "We Wait and We Wonder." 

Both Sides (All The Sides) brings this full collection together with live tracks from the era, such as "Can't Turn Back the Years," "Both Sides of the Story" taken from Collins' MTV Unplugged performance, "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore" and more, as one release for the first time on vinyl. The set is housed in a slipcase with picture sleeves and a 16-page booklet containing newly written and extensive liner notes by esteemed journalist Michael Hann.

Collins once called it his most personal album to that point in his career. Originally released in 1993, it is Phil Collins' fifth album and was written, performed and produced all by Collins himself at his home studio in just six weeks.

In a 2016 interview with The Guardian newspaper, Collins named it as his "favorite album from a songwriting and creative perspective," going on to reveal how "… the songs just streamed out of me, and as a writer, that's the kind of thing that you dream of."

Upon its original release, the album reached No. 1 in the UK and throughout Europe and #13 in the US and has gone on to be a global multi-platinum seller.

Also just announced is Live from the Board: Official Bootleg, a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl for RSD Black Friday (November 29). This four-track EP was originally released in 1995 and features songs recorded on the Both Sides tour in 1994 under the artist name Phil Collins & The Indescribable Din. It features the tracks "Sussudio," "Easy Lover," "Separate Lives," and "My Girl."

Track list:

LP 1

Side 1

Both Sides of the Story

Can't Turn Back the Years
Everyday

Side 2

I've Forgotten Everything
We're Sons of Our Fathers
Can't Find My Way

LP 2

Side 1

Survivors

We Fly So Close
There's a Place for Us

Side 2

We Wait and We Wonder
Please Come Out Tonight

LP 3

Side 1

Can't Find My Way (Demo)
Hero (Demo)
Both Sides of the Demo (Early Demo)
Everyday (Early Demo)

Side 2

Don't Call Me Ashley
Rad Dudeski
For a Friend
I've Been Trying

LP 4

Side 1

Both Sides of the Story (Live)
Can't Turn Back the Years (Live)
Survivors (Live)

Side 2

Everyday (Live)
We Wait and We Wonder (Live)
Both Sides of the Story (MTV Europe Unplugged)

LP 5

Side 1

Hang in Long Enough (Live)
Hand in Hand (Live)
Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore (Live)

Side 2

Always (Live)
Stevies Blues (There's a Place for Us Instrumental)
Take Me With You

Dream Syndicate leader Steve Wynn to release memoir and related album in August

Steve Wynn, leader of the band The Dream Syndicate, founding member of The Baseball Project and solo artist, will release both his autobiography I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True (Jawbone Press) and his first solo album in 12 years, Make It Right (Fire Records) on August 30.

I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True is the memoir from leader and founder of the critically acclaimed and influential 1980s indie rock band The Dream Syndicate. 

Make It Right features contributions from Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), and others. The songs aren’t directly autobiographical although the album does start with “Santa Monica,” the city and boulevard where Wynn was born and concludes with “Roosevelt Avenue,” the main thoroughfare of the Queens neighborhood in New York City that he calls home today.

“I wrote and recorded the songs on Make It Right in tandem with working on I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True, my memoir, which are being released the same week as Make It Right, my first solo album since 2010,” said Steve Wynn. “With each chapter, I would get ideas for songs inspired by the deep dive into my past and vice versa. The reflections became intertwined after a while, a mutual commentary between literal and metaphorical ruminating.”

Wynn will also be touring solo across the UK, Europe North America this Autumn as a one-man show blending songs from and inspired by the book along with a narrative structure of readings and storytelling. Fans can expect a selection of evergreens and rarities from the Dream Syndicate’s catalogue along with reflective numbers from the new album as well, all adding up to an evening of a past revisited. Baseball Project Tickets here and tickets for A Night of Songs and Stories here.

Select tour dates include:

Baseball Project Tour Dates:
July 10 @ The Record Bar, Kansas City, MO
July 11 @ Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
July 12 @ Tannahill’s, Ft. Worth, TX
July 13 @ Antone’s, Austin, TX
July 14 @ White Oak Music Hall, Houston, TX

Steve Wynn European Tour Dates – A Night of Songs and Stories:
Sept. 16 @ Jericho, Oxford, UK
Sept. 17 @ Hen & Chicken, Bristol UK
Sept. 18 @ The Greystones, Sheffield, UK
Sept. 19 @ The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, Scotland UK
Sept. 20 @ Gulliver’s, Manchester, UK
Sept. 21 @ Bluebird, York, UK
Sept. 22 @ Walthamstow Rock n Roll Book Club London, UK
Sept. 24 @ Mid Sussex Music Hall, Hassocks, UK
Sept. 25 @ Life Is A Minestrone House Show, Paris, France

Steve Wynn North American Tour Dates – A Night of Songs and Stories:
Oct. 8 @ City Winery, New York, NY
Oct. 9 @ Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 11 @ Pie Shop, Washington, DC
Oct. 12 @ Pinhook, Durham, NC
Oct. 15 @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte, NC
Oct. 16 @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA
Oct. 17 @ Basement, Nashville, TN
Oct. 20 @ Hideout, Chicago, IL
Oct. 22 @ Happy Dog, Cleveland, OH

Additional US Tour dates for Steve Wynn to be announced shortly.

Make It Right track listing:

1. Santa Monica
2. Make It Right
3. What Were You Expecting
4. You’re Halfway There
5. Making Good On My Promises
6. Cherry Avenue
7. Then Again
8. Madly
9. Simpler Than The Rain
10. Roosevelt Avenue

ABOUT STEVE WYNN
Steve Wynn is a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, whose debut album, The Days Of Wine And Roses, is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the indie/alternative rock scene of the 1980s. He has also enjoyed a prolific solo career, touring the world on a regular basis and performing and recording in groups such as Danny & Dusty, Gutterball, and The Baseball Project (also featuring R.E.M. founders Mike Mills and Peter Buck). He scored two Norwegian hit TV shows, Dag and Exit, and his songs have been covered by Luna, Yo La Tengo, and Concrete Blonde, among others. I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True is his first book. He lives in New York City.

Keith Urban's 'High' album due in September; select concert dates into fall

On September 20, Keith Urban’s new album HIGH will be released, his first in nearly four years. "I’ve always been drawn toward the subject of living in the moment, because it’s all there is, and it’s hard to do,” says Urban, about the album. “And these days, with so much ‘content’ flying at us, it can feel like drinking from a fire hose.”

The ambiguity of the word ‘high’ peaked Urban’s curiosity and so the name of the album. “What makes you ‘high’ can mean whatever you want it to mean,” says Urban. "It might be physical, spiritual, herbal, meditative, chemical or musical, but it’s definitely a place of utopia.”

He continues, “For me it’s my family, my friends, and this rollercoaster musical journey I’m on. Playing guitar, writing songs and the place where I always feel high – playing live. Every night I get a chance to bring an energy and a release to people.”

But with the highs do come lows and for Urban that came back in ’22. “At the time I was on tour. I’d do a concert, go back to Nashville to record, do a concert, and come back to record, and over again. So, I thought I’d call the album 615. That’d keep me on track – focused and disciplined.”

The process ended up creating an unexpected result for Urban. “There was no continuity. The songs didn’t work well together. I learned that what I thought was a framework to create within, turned out to be musically limiting.”

Just released single “WILDSIDE,” is a straight up, good-time party song loosely based on Joan Cusack’s character in the movie “The School of Rock.” “She’s the principal of a school by day, all prim and proper,” says Urban. “And then, a few tequilas at night and all bets are off.”

The song’s release follows “STRAIGHT LINE,” “GO HOME W U” with Lainey Wilson and HIGH’s current radio single “MESSED UP AS ME.”

Track listing:

1. "BLUE SKY"

2. STRAIGHT LINE
3. MESSED UP AS ME
4. WILDSIDE
5. GO HOME W U (WITH LAINEY WILSON)
6. CHUCK TAYLORS
7. DAYTONA
8. LOVE IS HARD
9. HEART LIKE A HOMETOWN
10. LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK
11. DODGE IN A SILVERADO
12. BREAK THE CHAIN

Upcoming concerts:

7/12 Salinas, CA

7/13 Highland, CA

8/9 Springfield, IL

8/10 Westchester, OH

8/24 Mt. Pleasant, MI

9/21 Las Vegas, NV - iHeart Radio Fest

10/4, 5, 9, 11, 12 Las Vegas, NV - Fontainebleau Resort and Casino

Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey, Thomas Dolby concert review: Riverside, Calif.

photo: James Cumpsty

Concert review

Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, Thomas Dolby

Where: Fox Performing Arts Center, Riverside, Calif.

When: July 2

By George A. Paul

During this month's Totally Tubular Festival, Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey (pictured) and Thomas Dolby are joined by such fellow 1980s hitmakers as Modern English, Men Without Hats, Annabella Lwin’s Bow Wow Wow, Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls, The Tubes, Tommy Tutone, and Wang Chung (the lineup varies in different cities; see dates below).

Bailey and Dolby are doing a few shows alone, where fans of those two new wave-centric acts are theoretically treated to longer sets than the usual half dozen tune blitz heard on the regular tour stops.

Back in the day, Thompson Twins were so popular in America - with ample airplay on KROQ/106.7 FM and several Top 10 hits on Billboard’s pop, dance club and rock tracks charts (“In the Name of Love,” “Lies,” “Hold Me Now,” “Love on Your Side,” “Doctor! Doctor!) – that they were able to play the Hollywood Bowl in September 1984 (plus Irvine Meadows in the same period).

Once that band broke up, Bailey and his wife/Twin Alannah Currie formed the experimental electronic duo Babble. He eventually moved onto different dub and electronica music, before returning to Thompson Twins music for the first time in decades in 2014 and performing in America again through '18.

Tuesday night at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside (the last time Bailey played the Inland Empire was apparently the Twins’ 1986 gig at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino), his current band did an excellent 75-minute, 14-minute set that often saw fans singing along loudly.

Now including three impressive female musicians (everyone wore matching white and added full-bodied backing harmonies), Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey opened with the strident “In the Name of Love.” The singer flashed a portable spotlight into the crowd and banged on an electronic drum as multiple onstage light bars lit up assorted colors. The appropriately spacey sounding “Science Fiction,” the title track off Bailey’s solid, underrated 2018 debut solo album, proved enticing. The same held true for "Shooting Star" later. 

He mentioned it was the 40th Anniversary of Thompson Twins’ most successful album Into the Gap, and they did the riveting Middle Eastern-tinged, cello-accented “The Gap” (and eventually half the album track listing). Bailey jumped around, worked both sides of the stage and made dramatic gestures. The song and a melancholy “Sisters of Mercy” were early highlights.

“King for a Day” got a slight stylistic revamp, while the buoyant “Love on Your Side” found Bailey utilizing tambourine. Throughout the night, he switched between electric guitar and keyboards. The ethereal cello intro to “Love on Your Side” worked wonders and received a rousing audience response.

Bailey did a fine regal synth solo on the comforting “If You Were Here” (from the film soundtrack to “Sixteen Candles” starring Molly Ringwald) and really belted out the end lyrics. The fun and folksy hoedown vibe and call and response vocals during “You Take Me Up” included Bailey on harmonica. He hoisted a large red balloon into the crowd for added whimsy.

The band did a credible cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” complete with a rocking guitar solo. An eerie “Doctor! Doctor!” was another standout of the evening. Finally, they finished the set with a glorious extended version of major international hit “Hold Me Now,” bolstered by an elegant piano intro and mirror ball lighting. As the music ended, the fans continued to sing. It was a special moment.

Right at the start of Thomas Dolby’s 35-minute, seven-song set, he apologized in advance for having blown out his voice at the tour’s previous concert in Oakland. Instead, he relied on audience members who knew his material to chime in on the choruses. Still, the singer/keyboardist did an admirable job using a lower vocal register, the vocoder, synths and other technological effects at his disposal.

Dolby kicked off his solo set with a cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday,” containing robotic vocals and saw concertgoers near the stage dancing in the side aisles. “Europa & the Pirate Twins” found him stepping away from the synths to add harmonica. The atmospheric “One of Our Submarines,” which Dolby said was inspired by an uncle that served in World War II, included snippets of Gary Numan’s “Cars” and The Cure’s “Lovesong,” plus WWII video images on screen.

Both Dolby and Thompson Twins were part of Live Aid in 1985. Dolby assembled David Bowie’s backing band and played keyboards at the worldwide event broadcast’s Wembley/London segment. 

In Riverside, he paid touching tribute to Bowie with his personal photos and other video from the all-star concert while covering “Heroes.” The ethereal remix intriguingly used an original vocal snippet. Dolby went front and center to play a guitar solo on a portable keyboard.

For the frenzied “Hyperactive!,” Dolby looped sounds before starting. His signature hit “She Blinded Me with Science” ingeniously contained footage of various celebrities rannging from J.J. Abrams to Hilary Clinton saying “science” intercut with the original classic zany music video. 

He ended the set with the dancey “Hot Sauce” and images of ‘80s animated character Max Headroom on the screen. While singing, he asked, “What’s the best decade?” and added, “That was when we had real politicians. Why can’t we all get along?”

Totally Tubular Tour Dates:

*7/3 – Phoenix – Arizona Financial Theatre

*7/6 – Denver – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre

7/7 – Kansas City, MO – Grinders KC

*7/9 – Irving, TX – Pavilion @ Toyota Music Factory

*7/10 – Houston – 713 Music Hall

+ 7/11 – New Orleans – Fillmore New Orleans

*7/12 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheatre

*7/13 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheatre

*7/14 – Washington, DC – Anthem

^7/16 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre

^7/17 – Boston – MGM Music Hall @ Fenway

^7/18 – New York, NY – Pier 17

^7/19 – Atlantic City – Hard Rock Live @ Etess Arena

^7/20 – Bushkill, PA – Poconos Park Amphitheatre

^7/23 – Montreal, QUE – Place Bell

^7/24 – Toronto, ONT – Great Canadian Casino Resort

^7/26 – Detroit – Meadowbrook Amphitheatre

^7/27 – Cincinnati – Riverbend Music Center

^7/28 – Cleveland – Blossom Music Center

+ 7/29 – Chicago – House of Blues

* With THE TUBES

^ With WANG CHUNG

+ DOLBY, THOMPSON TWINS’ TOM BAILEY only

totallytubularfestival.com

Influential LA punk band X announced final album, tour

Just four years after putting out the acclaimed album Alphabetland, legendary punk band X has revealed details for its ninth and final studio full length Smoke & Fiction. Produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Foo Fighters) and set to be released August 2 on Fat Possum Records, it coincides with a farewell tour.

First single “Big Black X,” streaming now, reflects on the early history of X, life in Hollywood, and the events unfolding in the world during those formative years. As co-vocalist Exene reflects on the band's choice of their moniker, “X is a great band name; also a bad idea sometimes when it gets lost in print or on the marquee. Gotta have a sense of humor. We all did in the early days. Los Angeles was a carnival of weirdness back then, with left over traces of silent movie stars, long haired hippies, bikers, and brand new self-defined punks doing anything we wanted. When we started touring the country we found like-minded people everywhere, and somehow they all found us. Even if the X was lost on the old marquee.”

A video for “Big Black X” was also released. Directed by Gilbert Trejo and Shane McKenzie the duo described it as, “Inspired by 80s video art and the great punk documentaries of the time / shot on VHS, edited tape to tape, using Polaroids + 35mm photos, smashed together with analog video mixers and CRT televisions - it’s a tornado of the past and present - Ed Colver’s photos were a blast to video mix and they are the glue holding it all together.”

As they bid farewell, X reminds us that true greatness lies not only in individual talent but in the unwavering bond of a band united by a shared love for their craft.

Exene once said, "I want to create something that’s such a perfect expression of what I felt that whoever comes across it will feel the same emotion, get it completely, and say 'yeah, me too.'" 

Track Listing:

Ruby Church
Sweet Til The Bitter End
The Way It Is
Flipside
Big Black X
Smoke & Fiction
Struggle
Winding Up the Time
Face in the Moon
Baby & All

X ~ The End is Near ~ Smoke & Fiction Tour:

7/6 - Kansas City, MO - The Uptown
7/7 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
7/9 - St. Louis, MO - Del Mar Hall
7/10 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
7/12 - Minneapolis, MN - The Varsity
7/13 - Chicago, IL - Square Roots Festival
7/14 - Chicago, IL - Fitzgerald’s - SOLD OUT
7/16 - Detroit, MI - The Masonic
7/17 - Kent, OH - The Kent Stage
7/19 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
7/25 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent
7/26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent
7/28 - Costa Mesa, CA - Pacific Amphitheatre
7/30 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
8/19 - Menlo Park, CA - The Guild Theatre
8/20 - Menlo Park, CA - The Guild Theatre
8/22 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
8/23 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
8/25 - Portland, OR - The Aladdin
8/28 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
8/30 - Denver, CO - The Summit
9/01 - Albuquerque, NM - The El Rey
9/22 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
9/23 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur
9/25 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
9/26 - Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall
9/28 - Falls Church, CA - The State Theatre
10/1 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue, Theatre
10/2 - Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theater
10/3 - New York, NY - Town Hall
10/5 - Middletown, CT - Harbor Park
10/18 - Austin, TX - The Paramount
10/19 - San Antonio, TX - Empire Live
10/21 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
10/22 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
10/24 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
10/25 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
10/26 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City
10/27 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
10/29 - Charlotte, NC - The Neighborhood Theatre
10/30 - Columbia, SC - The Senate

More dates TBA

Photo by Gilbert Trejo

Archival Missing Persons live album out next week

Available on vinyl, digital and CD on July 12, Missing Persons will officially release Live in Santa Clarita, CA - October 10, 1982.

Recorded just after the release of their blockbuster debut album, Spring Session M., the band features the classic lineup of vocalist Dale Bozzio, drummer Terry Bozzio, and future Duran Duran guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. “Mental Hopscotch” has been released to all streaming platforms.

Last year, Dale Bozzio, who continues to lead a verison of the band, released a new album, Hollywood Lie. 

Stream/download the single: https://orcd.co/v4xzrvv

Order the CD/Vinyl: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=missing+persons+santa+clarita

Pre-order/pre-save the digital: https://orcd.co/missingpersons_live1982

TRACK LIST:

1. Mental Hopscotch
2. Noticeable One
3. Words
4. Tears
5. It Ain't None Of Your Business
6. Bad Streets
7. Windows
8. Here And Now
9. Walking In L.A.
10. No Way Out
11. I Like Boys
12. Destination Unknown