U2 Stuck On Pitchfork Interview...

Like many others this week, I was shut out from getting tickets for U2 September show at Soldier Field in Chicago. In an effort to affect my U2 ticket karma for their second show (just added), I thought it would be wise to offer up these interview videos for your viewing pleasure.

Part 1


Part 2

Hoots & Hellmouth Stomped On Ann Arbor...

Had the pleasure of seeing Hoots and Hellmouth up in Ann Arbor last Friday at a small venue called The Half Ass (East Quad Music Co-Op). Amazing show...who needs solar power with energy like this. Their well timed stomps more than made up for the fact that they travel sans drummer. Cannot endorse this live show more heartily. I shot a little video to try to capture the vibe.

Video: Adele on Letterman...

Seabird Takes Flight in Toledo...

No fooling...On Wednesday, April 1st April Fool's Day, Frankie's plays host to a performance by Seabird, a promising Cincinnati band (this is an early show). Based on their touring schedule, this group seems dedicating to bringing their music to fans in damn near every corner of the U.S. Don't be afraid to let the piano in rock music take your mind to an introspective place.


Seabird - Falling For You from Soft City Lights on Vimeo.


Seabird - Let Me Go On from Soft City Lights on Vimeo.


Seabird - 'Til We See The Shore from Soft City Lights on Vimeo.

I Pledge Allegiance to These United States...

These United States at Secret Garden: Kings and Aces from hoovesontheturf on Vimeo.

These United States will be playing at The Village Idiot in Maumee, OH on April 6th. I don't know much about these guys...but I like what I am hearing (Thanks, Eric for the tip). Check these fellers out! C'mon northwestern Ohioans...we gotta do our part to support this good stuff when it comes to town.

Avett Brothers SXSW Recap & Tour Dates...

NPR Audio & Review of the Avett Brothers at SXSW 2009



In an effort to track the whereabouts of one of the most exciting live bands touring today, I found it necessary to list every last date in these United States. Go see this band perform live!

Avett Brothers 2009 Tour Dates
4.16 The Vogue ~ Indianapolis, IN
4.17 Centre College of Kentucky ~ Danville, KY
4.18 Tivoli Theatre ~ Chattanooga, TN
4.18 Grimey's New and Preloved Music ~ Nashville, TN
4.19 The Amphitheater at the Wharf ~ Orange Beach, AL
4.22 Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek ~ Raleigh, NC
4.24 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte ~ Charlotte, NC
4.25 Sloss Furnaces ~ Birmingham, AL
4.26 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival ~ New Orleans, LA
4.28 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park ~ Alpharetta, GA
4.29 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park ~ Alpharetta, GA
5.01 The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ~ The Woodlands, TX
5.02 Superpages.com Center ~ Dallas, TX
5.05 Journal Pavilion ~ Albuquerque, NM
5.06 Cricket Pavilion ~ Phoenix, AZ
5.07 Rialto Theatre ~ Tucson, AZ
5.09 The Music Box @ Fonda - Fonda Theater ~ Los Angeles, CA
5.10 Belly Up Tavern ~ Solana Beach, CA
5.12 Fox Theatre - Hanford ~ Hanford, CA
5.14 Rio Theatre ~ Santa Cruz, CA
5.15 The Fillmore ~ San Francisco, CA
5.16 The Fillmore ~ San Francisco, CA
5.20 McDonald Theatre ~ Eugene, OR
5.22 Crystal Ballroom - Lola's ~ Portland, OR
5.23 Crystal Ballroom - Lola's ~ Portland, OR
5.24 Sasquatch! Festival ~ George, WA
5.30 The Trocadero Theatre ~ Philadelphia, PA
6.11 Birchmere ~ Alexandria, VA
6.11 Lisner Auditorium ~ Washington, DC
6.12 The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza ~ New York, NY
6.13 The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza ~ New York, NY
6.14 Water Street Music Hall ~ Rochester NY
6.16 Carnegie Library of Homestead - Music Hall ~ Munhall, PA
6.18 Frederik Meijer Gardens ~ Grand Rapids, MI
6.19 Akron Civic Theatre ~ Akron, OH
6.20 Newport Music Hall ~ Columbus, OH
6.21 Madison Theater ~ Covington, KY
6.23 Kentucky Theatre ~ Lexington, KY
6.25 The Pageant ~ Saint Louis, MO
6.26 Hoyt Sherman Place Theater ~ Des Moines, IA
6.27 Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater ~ Apple Valley, MN
6.28 House Of Blues - Chicago ~ Chicago, IL
7.17 House Of Blues - Orlando ~ Lake Buena Vista, FL
7.30 Thursday at the Square ~ Buffalo, NY
8.01 Folk at Fifty ~ Newport, RI
8.15 The Crossroads ~ Kansas City, MO
8.19 The Plaza in the Mountain Village ~ Telluride, CO
8.20 Howelson Hill ~ Steamboat Springs, CO
8.21 Boulder Theater ~ Boulder, CO
8.22 Ogden Theatre ~ Denver, CO
9.04 Strawberry Music Festival ~ Yosemite, CA

Relentless Pursuit of Ben Harper...

According to a Live Nation page for Saint Andrews in Detroit, Ben Harper & Relentless 7 are scheduled to play on May 15th. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale this Saturday, March 28th. This show can be confirmed Ben's site or his Myspace Page. Stay tuned for more details.

Ben Harper & Relentless7 - Shimmer and Shine

Modest Mouse on Letterman...

Cotton In Your Ears...

You may remember a band called Page France...and you may be saying to yourself, where is that band today...and some wise soul might say some members of that band reformed with wonder twin powers activating...in the form of Cotton Jones. So, you need to know that this new work does not come in the form of some inaccessible side project...CJ delievers the same strong vocals that beg for a listen and a toe tap.

You can catch Cotton Jones at Howard's Club H in Bowling Green, Ohio on April 2nd.

Cotton Jones on NPR

Cotton Jones on Daytrotter

Common Fans Feel Ann Arbor's Power Center...

Common will be coming to The Power Center in Ann Arbor on April 4th. Tix go on sale Monday, March 23rd.

Public Enemy & The Roots Bring the Noise...

Public Enemy showed up on Jimmy Fallon's show "Bringin' the Noise and backed up by The Roots.

Just Another Wilco "Monday"...

Video of Wilco performing Monday from the upcoming live DVD, Ashes of American Flags.

Rothbury Festival Lineup Announced...

Visit the Rothbury Festival site.

Glen Hansard Plays Hairshirt @ R.E.M. Tribute...

The R.E.M. Tribute Concert took place this past Wednesday night, March 11th at Carnegie hall in NYC. Here is some video with Glen presenting his take on Hairshirt.



Read Paste Magazine's review of the Tribute Concert.

Setlist:
The db's -- "Fall on Me"
Fink -- "The Apologist"
Keren Ann -- "Man on the Moon"
Calexico -- "Wendell Gee"
Rachel Yamagata -- "The Great Beyond"
Bob Mould -- "Sitting Still"
The Feelies -- "Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)"
Ingrid Michaelson -- "Night Swimming"
Glen Hansard -- "Hairshirt"
Apples in Stereo -- "South Central Rain"
Guster -- "Shaking Through"
Marshall Crenshaw -- "Supernatural Superserious"
Rhett Miller -- "Driver 8"
Kimya Dawson -- "World Leader Pretend"
Vic Chesnutt with Elf Power -- "Everybody Hurts"
Kristen Hersh & Throwing Muses -- "Perfect Circle"
Dar Williams -- "At My Most Beautiful"
Jolie Holland -- "Rockville"
Darius Rucker -- "I Believe"
Patti Smith -- "New Test Leper"
R.E.M. with Patti Smith -- "E-bow the Letter"

Glen Hansard on Jimmy Fallon

Andrew Bird Lands for Borders In-Store Gig...

For all those "Big" Bird fans (& no I'm not talking Sesame Street)...Andrew Bird will be doing a FREE in-store performance at Borders in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 8th at 12:30 in the afternoon. Later that night he will be offering up a full show at Michigan Theater across the street.

While you wait in anticipation, you might enjoy this video of his latest visit to KCRW in LA.

Break Out Your Spring (My Morning) Jacket...

This notice to fans announcing a Live EP release popped up on their site:

hello friends. we are proud to announce and release a lil live ep that was recorded right in our very own hometown of louisville, ky. a few songs were taken from our in-store appearance at our beloved and fabled record haven “ear-x-tacy” and a few of them were taken from our concert at the fabled “waterfront park.” see if you can guess which is from which. we are excited to make this a special release that you can only get at your favorite local independent record store, as now more than ever we all need to take the time to celebrate what our favorite local record stores and businesses mean to us - the value of community/human to human non- internet related physical and spiritual contact and supporting the hardworking people in your community who strive everyday to keep it unique and keep it local. we are fortunate in our travels to get to see many wonderful things, but one of the most distressing things is the increasing “normalization” of the world and how all these places are starting to look the same- everywhere you look more and more towns are starting to be filled with the same gigantic corporations, and while some of these huge companies undoubtedly provide valuable services, it is so important that we realize that it is our local businesses and people (and natural landscapes, but that's a different letter) that are what make different towns worth coming to…things you can only get in one place, made and sold by people who believe in what they are doing…people who are trying to keep good weirdness alive in this crazy dome. god* bless all of you, and god* bless the world and all that kinda shit.

-yer pals, my morning jacket

p.s.- *the word “god*” is used here meaning anything you want it to mean and is a trademark of globo-chem worldwide.

The EP (in both CD and limited edition double 10″ vinyl) will be available at finer independent retailers beginning on Record Store Day, April 18.

Find a Independent Record Store nearest you.


My Morning Jacket from Tugboat Productions on Vimeo.

The track list is comprised of live cuts from two different shows in Louisville ~ one at local record shop, Ear-X-Tacy, and a performance at local landmark, Waterfront Park.

Tracklist For Celebración De La Ciudad Natal:
1. Evil Urges
2. Highly Suspicious
3. Gideon
4. Where To Begin
5. Librarian
6. Phone Went West
7. Dondante

Backstage With The Roots on Jimmy Fallon...

The Roots on Episode #1 of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon


Check out the Rolling Stone story & video about The Roots new gig.

NPR Offers Free SXSW Sampler...

Download a free 10-song sampler of the artists featured by NPR Music at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX this month. Click the link below and the songs will automatically begin downloading into your iTunes account. If you do not have an iTunes account, follow these instructions and then click below. Read more about the bands featured on the sampler and NPR Music's full SXSW coverage here.

Click here to download the Sampler. (You must have iTunes)

Tracklist:
Furr by Blitzen Trapper
Knotty Pine by David Byrne & The Dirty Projectors
Lakeside by BLK JKS
Go On, Say It by Blind Pilot
Bag of Hammers by Thao Nguyen
The Rake's Song by The Decemberists
St. Joseph's by The Avett Brothers
The Mountain by The Heartless Bastards
Dreamer by K'Naan
Just Ain't Gonna Work Out by Mayer Hawthorne

U2 Tour Dates On the Horizon...

Get on your boots!

U2 2009 Tour Dates:
September 12th @ Soldier Field - Chicago, IL (on sale 3/30)
September 16th @ Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON (on sale 3/30)
September 20th @ Gilette Stadium - Boston, MA (on sale 3/30)
September 24th @ Giants Stadium - New York NY (on sale 3/30)
September 29th @ FedEx Field - Washington DC (on sale 4/6)
October 1st @ Scott Stadium - Charlottesville VA (on sale 4/4)
October 3rd @ Stadium- Raleigh, NC (on sale 4/6)
October 6th @ Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA (on sale 4/6)
October 9th @ Raymond James - Tampa, FL (on sale 4/18)
October 12th @ New Cowboys Stadium - Dallas, TX (on sale 4/20)
October 14th @ Reliant Stadium - Houston, TX (on sale 4/20)
October 19th @ Ok. Mem. Stadium - Norman, OK (on sale 4/4)
October 20th @ U. of Phx. Stadium - Phoenix, AZ (on sale 4/20)
October 23rd @ Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas NV TBD
October 25th @ Rose Bowl - Los Angeles CA (on sale 4/6)
October 28th @ BC Place Stadium - Vancouver, BC (on sale 4/6)

Check out a virtual tour of the stage configuration.

Ray LaMontagne Makes "Trouble" on SNL...

My Kinda Town, Chicago Is...

According to the Chicago Tribune, U2 will be kicking off their U.S. Summer Tour in Chicago at Solder Field on September 12th. The Trib has also leaked some information about performers at Lollapalooza in Grant Park...Jane's Addiction and the Beastie Boys are included.

Read about it here.

Read about U2's ground-breaking tour stage & ticket pricing.

May Day Comes Early in Detroit...

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele is coming to the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI this Saturday, March 7th.

Excerpt from Crofoot Ballroom website:
You may have heard of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, a new pop musician from Oxford, Mississippi. If not, you’ll be hearing a lot from him in the coming year. Dent’s unique vocal style, part crooner, part falsetto, and 101 percent showman reflects the influences of some of his favorite singers (Prince, Serge Gainsbourg, and Lee Hazlewood to name a few). His love of various song styles results in a unique combination of ukulele, drums, pedal steel, violin, horns and bass. One second his songs hint at Brazilian Tropicalia, the next a ‘50s barbershop quartet or an early 20th century country swing. By integrating his favorite pop music from around the world and writing about what is in front of him (his town, his friends, and pretty girls), Dent takes the “think global, buy local” motto to heart. He may just be one of the 21st century’s first sustainable pop singers. Animal Collective first heard Dent May when they were recording their new record in Oxford Mississippi in early 2008. They quickly signed him to their Paw Tracks imprint and now we present his incredibly impressive debut full length, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele. With excitement reaching a fever pitch a new term has been coined: Dent Maynia. Catch it.

U2 Helps Dig Out NYC on Letterman...

This video has popped up online too...

No Line on the Horizon

How West Won Storytellers...

Love Lockdown (VH1 Storytellers)

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Say what you will about Kanye West...but mainstream musicians can create those catchy tunes that we can't get out of our heads. Critics and haters like to take their shots at Kanye, but the man has some talent. Check out his showmanship on the recent VH1 Storytellers.

Link to the site to see more Storytellers videos.