Ryan Adams To Release New Album...

Set to release his first solo album Ashes & Fire through a new U.S. arrangement with his own PAX-AM label and EMI’s Capitol Records in the U.S. and Canada, Ryan Adams plans to excite fans with arguably the most cohesive and beautiful album of his distinguished career on October 11th.

Ashes & Fire was recorded at Sunset Sound Factory in Hollywood and produced by Glyn Johns, renowned for his work with the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Who and The Rolling Stones--and whose son Ethan produced previous Ryan Adams albums Heartbreaker, Gold and 29.

The 11-track record includes the slow burning stunner of an opener "Dirty Rain" through the infectious shuffle of the title track and irresistible harmonies of "Lucky Now," to the closing lament of "I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say.”

“All great records start with great songs," commented Dan McCarroll, President of Capitol and Virgin Records.  "Ashes & Fire will remind you why Ryan Adams is at the front of the line as one of his generation's most gifted artists. “ 

Ashes & Fire also features guest turns from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench as well as Norah Jones who contributes piano and backing vocals on several tracks, including the lilting, acoustic overtures of "Come Home," the sumptuous ballad "Save Me" and the heartfelt "Kindness."

The full tracklisting for Ashes & Fire is:
Dirty Rain
Ashes & Fire
Come Home
Rocks
Do I Wait
Chains Of Love
Invisible Riverside
Save Me
Kindness
Lucky Now
I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say

Invisible Riverside by ryanadams

Lucky Now by ryanadams

Justin Townes Earle Preps New Album & Tour...

“He’s fully absorbed his genetic and cultural heritage and draws upon both with great skill and dimension…an utterly distinctive voice that takes what’s come before and artfully moves it forward with the power of a certain steel-driving man.”—Los Angeles Times

Harlem River Blues, the new album from celebrated singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, will be released September 14 on Bloodshot Records. This is Earle’s third release and follows 2009’s critically acclaimed Midnight at the Movies, which Paste Magazine declared, “A nearly flawless, organic LP,” while Rolling Stone gave it a four star review. In support of the record, Earle will tour throughout 2010. He will be in Toledo performing at Frankie's on August 21st. Please see below for details.

A recent transfer to New York City, Earle returned to his home of Nashville, TN to record the album at House of David studio. Harlem River Blues was produced by Earle and Skylar Wilson and features guest appearances from Jason Isbell, Bryn Davies (Patty Griffin, Guy Clark), Calexico’s Paul Niehaus and Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor.

Since his debut in 2008, Earle has toured consistently including performances at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest, the Grand Ole Opry and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival as well as a recent appearance on “A Prairie Home Companion.” On August 1, Earle will join Levon Helm, The Avett Brothers, The Swell Season and many more at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival Additionally, Earle won “Best New and Emerging Artist” at the 2009 Americana Music Awards and was named by GQ magazine as one of “The 25 Most Stylish Men in the World” in 2010. He also recently appeared on HBO’s Treme with his dad, troubadour Steve Earle, on whose Grammy Award winning record Townes, Earle also guests.

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE TOUR
7/29 Rochester, NY Party in the Park*
7/30 Northampton, MA The Iron Horse
8/1 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival
8/8 New York, NY “Gone to Governors” Live Music Series
8/15 Bristol, TN Mountain Stage
8/21 Toledo, OH Frankie’s
8/22 Wellston, MI Hoxeyville Music Festival
8/23 Kalamazoo, MI Kalamazoo Public Library
8/28 Lakewood, NJ Strand Theatre
9/4 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot Festival
9/6 Vancouver, BC Biltmore
9/7 Bellingham, WA The Wild Buffalo
9/9 Portland, OR Musicfest Northwest at Berbattis
9/11 Atlanta, GA Smith’s Olde Bar
9/12 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay
9//14 Nashville, TN Grimey’s in-store
9/15 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House†
9/16 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio†
9/17 Louisville, KY Headliners†
9/18 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall†
9/23 Cincinnati, OH Midpoint Music Festival†
9/24 Columbus, OH The Rumba Café†
9/25 Berryville, VA Watermelon Park Festival
9/29 San Diego, CA Casbah†
9/30 Los Angeles, CA Autry Museum†
10/1 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre†
10/2 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
10/4 Humboldt, CA The Depot at Humboldt State†‡
10/6 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room†
10/7 Denver, CO The Bluebird†
10/9 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue†
10/11 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall†
10/12 Bloomington, IL Six Strings†
10/14 Detroit, MI Magic Stick†
10/15 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern†
10/16 Buffalo, NY The Mohawk†
10/21 Portsmouth, NH The Music Hall†
10/22 Philadelphia, PA The First Unitarian Church†
10/23 Washington, DC 9:30 Club†
12/1 Baton Rouge, LA Manship Theatre

New Carolina Chocolate Drops on the Way...

From Nonesuch Records:
Nonesuch Records is set to release the label debut of North Carolina–based string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops on February 23. Produced by critically acclaimed recording artist and songwriter Joe Henry (Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello, Solomon Burke), Genuine Negro Jig features string band interpretations of Blu Cantrell’s beat-box driven R&B single “Hit ‘Em Up Style” and Tom Waits’ “Trampled Rose,” as well as a pair of original compositions, alongside such traditional tracks as “Cornbread and Butterbeans” and “Trouble in Your Mind.” It is the band’s second record; their 2007 release, Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind, was praised by Paste for “bravely and expertly reclaiming the string band tradition for modern African-American culture,” while NPR’s Weekend Edition calls the band “the hottest thing to hit the old-time music community in decades.”

The Carolina Chocolate Drops formed after band members Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson met at the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, North Carolina, in 2005; they have toured continuously since the band’s inception. All three trained in the Piedmont banjo and fiddle musical tradition under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, who, at age 90, is believed to be the last living performer from the Piedmont string band heyday. While old-time Southern string music is often associated with Caucasian musicians from Appalachia, Giddens pointed out in a recent NPR interview that “it seems that two things get left out of the history books. One, that there was string band music in the Piedmont, period. (And that) black folk was such a huge part of string tradition.” The Carolina Chocolate Drops seek to not only correct this misunderstanding, but to keep the centuries-old string music tradition alive and developing.

The members of Carolina Chocolate Drops all come from diverse musical backgrounds, sharing singing duties and swapping instruments throughout their sets. Flemons has immersed himself in the music of the past, with a prodigious record collection and an immense knowledge of the different playing styles of the blues, country, and string band traditions. In addition to her work with Joe Thompson, Giddens—a Piedmont native—studied opera at Oberlin Conservatory, performs with a Celtic band and is also an avid contra dancer and caller. Robinson, the group’s main fiddler, also plays banjo; he grew up in a house full of musicians—his mother is a classically trained opera singer and cellist, his sister a classical pianist and his grandfather a harmonica player.

2010 Tour Dates in the U.S. (so far)
1/8 Melting Point in Athens, GA
1/9 McCelvey Center in York, SC
1/10 The Pourhouse in Charleston, SC
1/16 Spaulding Auditorium, Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH
1/18 The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA
1/19 Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, MD
1/22 Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA
1/23 Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA
2/25 Royal Theater in Danville, IN
2/26 Satin Louis Art Museum in St. Louis, MO
2/27 Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, IL
2/28 Schubas in Chicago, IL

Rakim Set to Drop 'The Seventh Seal'...

As reported on Billboard.com:

"The Seventh Seal," the long-anticipated album by rap legend Rakim, is slated for release in the fall, Billboard has learned exclusively. The project's first single, "Holy Are You," will drop July 28.

The album is being released on Rakim's Ra Records label in a joint venture with Tuscan Villa Entertainment, headed by industry veterans Ron Kyle and Lennie Petze. In turn, Tuscan Villa is entered in a joint venture pact with SMC Recordings whose principals are Ralph Tashjian and Will Bronson. Handling distribution for Rakim's album is Fontana/Universal Music Group. The rapper is managed by Matthew Kemp.

The rapper signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label in 2001. Featured on the 2002 top 10 R&B single "Addictive" by Aftermath labelmate Truth Hurts, Rakim later parted ways with Dre and Aftermath and his album was never released. Rakim - best known as one-half of the rap duo Eric B. & Rakim - has not released a new studio album save for 2008's mostly live set, "The Archive: Live, Lost & Found," which included four previously unreleased songs.

Read more on Billboard.com

Another Shot of Brandi...

Brandi Carlile will be headlining shows starting September 10th to promote her forthcoming studio album. The album, titled Give Up The Ghost, will be released this fall. She will be coming to the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 28th.

Beastie Boys Chicago Info. & Album Details...

My inbox was looked a little sweeter as a result of this e-mail from Beastie Boys:

Ladies and Gentleman,

We, the band collectively known as Beastie Boys, are contacting you, in regards to our 5 point plan:

1. The reissue of "Ill Communication" is imminent.
2. A reissue of "Hello Nasty" is released on the 25th of August.
3. A club show occurs in Chicago on the 6th of August.
4. The new Beastie Boys feature length LP entitled "HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART 1" is unleashed on the 15th of September. (See below for track listing*)
5. The music industry is saved.

I removed the pre-sale info (e-mail me if you want that info. on the DL).

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, June 26th at 10am Chicago time via http://www.frontgatetickets.com OR with a reduced service charge in-person at Site and Sound (2125 N. Milwaukee Ave.)

Ages 17+

*Tracklisting

1. Tadlock's Glasses
2. B-Boys In The Cut
3. Make Some Noise
4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
5. OK
6. Too Many Rappers (featuring NAS)
7. Say It
8. The Bill Harper Collection
9. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
10. Long Burn The Fire
11. Bundt Cake
12. Funky Donkey
13. Lee Majors Come Again
14. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
15. Pop Your Balloon
16. Crazy Ass Shit
17. Here's A Little Something For Ya

Flaming Lips Confirm Album, EP & Tour Dates...

Here is a new message sent out today from Flaming Lips:
Hey Campers!

We're happy to announce that we'll be releasing a new double-album entitled "EMBRYONIC" later this year.

We've just confirmed our Summer tour dates and decided to reward our long-time loyal fans by offering a special ticket bundle available for sale online - the bundle will come with a ticket to see the band live along with an exclusive online digital EP that will contain 3 songs from the upcoming record - "Convinced of The Hex," "The Impulse," and "Silver Trembling Hands" plus three additional rare b-side tracks that we've selected.

In addition to the EP, the bundle includes a digital download bootleg of the same show that you attend, which will be available after the show.

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.