Avett Brothers Plan Comerica Cityfest (FREE)...

According to The Avett Brothers website, the boys are scheduled to play a FREE show on July 2nd as past of Comerica Cityfest in Detroit. The festival takes place in the downtown area from July 1st thru July 5th. The full lineup has not yet been announced, but keep an eye out...usually a strong schedule.

NPR: A Eulogy for the Boombox...

Twenty years ago, we lived in a pre-iPod world where boomboxes ruled the streets.

NPR just ran a story & video focusing on these phonic dinosaurs...check it out.

Video: Passion Pit ~ Sleepyhead (Live)...

Lollalapalooza 2009 Lineup Announced...

The lineup for Lollapalooza has been announced...Check it out here.

Some highlights:
Beastie Boys
Ben Harper
Andrew Bird
Thievery Corporation
TV on the Radio
Band of Horses
Bon Iver
Fleet Foxes
& many more.

April Showers Bring Mos Def Flowers...

Mos Def - Flowers - The Ecstatic avail 6/9/09

Digging into Dert's Talk Strange...

If you dig the doings of Dert and his remixed super-colliding...he has now done some "Derty" work with Bjork beats (remember Sometimes I Rhyme Slow). Always fresh & Beat-iful!

Get to the FREE download via Booooooom.

Video: Paul McCartney Plays Coachella...

YouTube Symphony Orchestra @ Carnegie Hall...

The world's first collaborative online orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall on April 15th, 2009. Selected by the YouTube community and several members of the world's most renowned orchestras, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is made up of over 96 professional and amateur musicians from 30+ countries and territories on six continents and represents 26 different instruments.

Jose Gonzalez to Play Ann Arbor Power Center...

Jose Gonzalez will be in Ann Arbor on July 1st as part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival Series. Tickets go on sale Monday, April 27th at 9 a.m.

English chanteuse Alice Russell opens with a soulful mix of funk, jazz, and R&B. Russell’s blue-eyed soul has drawn comparisons to other British vocalists, including Sia, Amy Winehouse, and Adele. Her recent LP, Pot of Gold, has earned critical acclaim for its retro-soul vibe and powerhouse vocals.

The Sweetness of the Fleetness...

"Bare" Necessities...

Bobby Bare, Jr. recently appeared in studio at KEXP (Seattle)...have a look see.

Yeasayer Added to Pitchfork Fest Lineup...

While we are on the subject of Yeasayer @ Pitchfork, I thought I would post this video they recently shot.

In celebration of the release of the "Dark Was the Night" compilation by 4AD and Red Hot, some of the musicians involved convened in Brooklyn for a special session captured by Vincent Moon.

2009 Pitchfork Music Festival (thus far):
Union Park ~ Chicago, IL

Friday, July 17th
"Write the Night: Set Lists by Request"

Built to Spill
The Jesus Lizard
Yo La Tengo
Tortoise

Saturday, July 18
The National
Yeasayer*
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Fucked Up
Plants and Animals*
Matt and Kim
Wavves
Charles Hamilton
The Duchess and The Duke
Disappears*

Sunday, July 19
The Flaming Lips
Grizzly Bear
M83
The Walkmen
Pharoahe Monch
Blitzen Trapper*
Black Lips
The Very Best
Mew*
Vivian Girls
Japandroids*
Women*

* Just added

New M. Ward Video: Rave On...

Mike Doughty's Half Smofe Now Available...

Mike Doughty’s Half Smofe : Live in Minneapolis is available digitally for the first time ever.

Half Smofe: Live in Minneapolis is an edited reissue of Mike’s limited-edition 2002 live album Smofe + Smang: Live In Minneapolis. Mike chose the best songs from the original show, recorded Feb 27, 2002, at the Woman’s Club Theatre in Minneapolis, for this re-release. Up until now this record has only been available at live shows and via Mike’s website.

Tracklisting:
1. Lazybones
2. Sunkeneyed Girl
3. Busting Up A Starbucks
4. Maybe I’ll Come Down
5. Madeline and Nine
6. Thank You, Lord, For Sending Me The F Train
7. Rising Sign
8. Grey Ghost
9. Soft Serve
10. True Dreams Of Wichita
11. Train To Chicago

Get it on iTunes!

DEMF Movement Returns to Detroit...

From May 23rd to May 25th Movement 2009: the Detroit Electronic Music Festival will take over Hart Plaza in Detroit. Afrika Bambaataa, RJD2, & Z Trip will be on hand with many, many more.

The Decemberists Set Gig For Royal Oak...

According to Live Daily:
The Decemberists have added a second leg to their already announced "A Short Fazed Hovel" tour, extending the US run into mid-August.

Originally scheduled through June, the summertime jaunt, which kicks off May 19 in Los Angeles, now stops by 27 cities from coast to coast through early August, including two-night stands in Troutdale, OR (7/18-19), and Vancouver (7/21-22), and a four-night run June 11-14 at Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo Festival. The final performance is currently slated for Aug. 11 in Royal Oak, MI. Details are below. Royal Oak tickets go on sale April 17th.

The extended tour supports the indie-rock outfit's recently released fifth studio album, "The Hazards of Love," which dropped March 24. The group's latest effort debuted at No. 14 on The Billboard 200 and features guest vocals from Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark, My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Robyn Hitchcock and The Spinanes' Rebecca Gates.

The band will perform two sets nightly--the first a full performance of "The Hazards of Love," and the second consisting of material from their earlier discography. Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden will join the band on stage as special guests. Opening support will come from Robyn Hitchcock and Venus 3 on a handful of shows, as well as the Heartless Bastards for select dates.

May 2009
19 – Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
20 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
21 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre
23 - Quincy, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre
24 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theatre
26 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
27 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
29 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
31 - St Louis, MO - The Pageant

June 2009
1 - Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
3 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
4 - Raleigh, NC - Memorial Auditorium
5 - Richmond, VA - The National
6 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
8 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
9 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
10 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
11-14 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival
20 - Minneapolis, MN - Walker Arts Center

July 2009
17 - Redmond, WA - Marymoor Amphitheatre
18, 19 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
21, 22 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre

August 2009
3 - Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus
5 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre
8 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Egyptian Room
10 - Louisville, KY - W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre
11 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre

Wilco Schedules Cinci Before Bonnaroo...

Wilco has just announced a string of additional U.S. tour dates, including a show at The Aronoff Center in Cincinnati on Friday, June 12th. Ticket pre-sale begins April 22nd. This show should be a nice prelude to their Bonnaroo appearance and their new album release (late June).

The forthcoming and still-untitled next Wilco album is nearing completion. Jim Scott and the band spent the last few weeks mixing in Jim's studio in Valencia, California and here's a list of song titles spied on the reels -- note this is not necessarily complete and not in sequence.

Deeper Down
Conscript (aka I'll Fight)
One Wing
Solitaire
Wilco (the song)
Country Disappeared
Everlasting
Bull Black Nova
Sonny Feeling
You and I

Rumors and blogs regarding a guest appearance on that last track are, amazingly, quite true. Feist does indeed lend a great vocal to You and I. Other details will emerge in the coming weeks. The release is currently scheduled for late June on Nonesuch.

Side Note: Jeff Tweedy will throw out the first pitch at the Brewers game prior to there show in Milwaukee on April 14th.

The Kings of Rock~Hall...

A Very "Special" Reunion...

The Specials reunited last week on Later with Jools Holland. They are expected to have a new website soon with the latest updates of future performances.

The Black Keys to Headline Springfest @ CWR

The Black Keys have been selected as the headliner for Springfest 2009 at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland) on April 25th.

DMB Offers Up 'Big Whiskey' for Leroi...

Read the entire story here on Billboard.

Conor Oberst Gets Groggy in Cleveland...

Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band are set to release "One of My Kind" on April 15th, a documentary that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s journey over the past year and a half. Made by the band’s guitar-tech Phil Schaffart and presented by causecast.org, "One of My Kind" traces the group’s ever-growing bond as friends and collaborators. Footage from Tepoztlan, Mexico, where they recorded their first album, Conor Oberst, their worldwide tour in 2008, and the making of Outer South in El Paso, TX takes viewers on a 60-minute musical journey around the world.

Also available today is an mp3 of "Nikorette" from Outer South. Download it here for free.

The film will be available as a free stream or HD download exclusively on Causecast.org, IFC.com, conoroberst.com, mergerecords.com, and wichita-recordings.com. Additionally, Causecast.org partner sites IFC.com, The Huffington Post and Myspace IMPACT will each feature exclusive outtakes, trailers and live acoustic performances from the film. (www.huffingtonpost.com) (www.myspace.com/impact)

UNBELIEVABLE!!!....check out the date for the Grog Shop on July 1st...such a small venue...sure to be an amazing show.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Apr 11 Belly Up ~ Aspen, CO
Apr 12 Barnett Harley Davidson ~ El Paso, TX
Apr 13 Sunshine Theatre ~ Albuquerque, NM
Apr 14 The Marquee ~ Tempe, AZ
Apr 15 The Glasshouse ~ Pomona, CA
Apr 17 Coachella ~ Indio, CA
Jun 17 Black Sheep ~ Colorado Springs, CO
Jun 18 Telluride Bluegrass Festival ~ Telluride, CO
Jun 19 Star Hall ~ Moab, UT
Jun 21 Knitting Factory ~ Boise, ID
Jun 23 Wilma Theater ~ Missoula, MT
Jun 24 First Ave. ~ Minneapolis, MN
Jun 25 Summerfest ~ Milwaulkee, WI
Jun 26 Anchor Inn ~ Omaha, NB
Jun 28 Beaumont Club ~ Kansas City, MO
Jun 29 The Blue Note ~ Columbia, MO
Jun 30 Headliner’s Music Hall ~ Louisville, KY
Jul 1 Grog Shop ~ Cleveland, OH
Jul 2 Bearsville Theater ~ Bearsville, NY
Jul 3 Toad’s Place ~ New Haven, CT

For Whom the Bell Tolls...

Merge Ahead for Upcoming Festival...

Merge Records started 20 years ago in Chapel Hill, NC with some 4-track recordings, a couple of cassette tapes, and some hand-stuffed 7" vinyl. Many singles, albums, and late nights later we're happy to be here and happy that you're still here with us!

All year we'll be celebrating the past, present, and future of Merge but this summer we're throwing a party to mark this anniversary: XX MERGE, five days of live music by Merge artists past and present in the summer heat of sunny North Carolina - July 22nd - 26th.

More than 25 of your favorite Merge artists including...
SUPERCHUNK
SPOON
CONOR OBERST
SPENT
M.WARD
THE ROSEBUDS
DESTROYER
GUV'NER
POLVO
PIPE
THE BROKEN WEST
& many more expected & unexpected!

Beirut Concert Video: MHOW...

Great footage of a recent Beirut show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.


Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

All Points West Lineup Announced...

The second annual ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL returns to Liberty State Park in New Jersey this summer. More than 65 artists appearing on three stages throughout the 80-acre historic location that has panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline.

The Tide Rolls in with Gomez...

Gomez is set to release their latest album called A New Tide (out today, March 31st). You can stream it on AOL Spinner. Click here to listen. On a sidenote: Gomez will be appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight.

A NEW TIDE marks a return to the always-freewheeling British band's more experimental roots, with songs like "Win Park Slope" and "Airstream Driver" evincing a spirit born of boundless imagination and a longstanding collaborative relationship.

With the band members now scattered across two continents, from Brooklyn to Brighton, England, early tracks were written and recorded individually and then merged online. The process allowed for an open and adaptive songwriting approach, the material taking on its ultimate shape when Gomez officially convened in studios in Chicago and Charlottesville, VA, with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine, Counting Crows).

As ever, a wide range of styles is incorporated into Gomez's matchless musical brew. Flavors of Delta blues, psychedelia, and Krautrock all come into play, resulting in a musically mischievous and remarkably forward-thinking collection. In short, A NEW TIDE is Gomez at their inimitable, incomparable best.

A NEW TIDE also sees Gomez accompanied by a number of illustrious guest musicians, including vocalist Amy Milan (of Stars/Broken Social Scene fame), bassist Josh Abrams (The Roots, Sam Prekop, Godspeed You Black Emperor!), cellist Oliver Krauss (David Gray, Paul Weller, Beth Orton), and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie of Brooklyn's world renowned Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.