TV On The Radio's David Sitek To Produce Next Massive Attack Album

David Sitek of TV On The Radio, who produced the Dawn of Man EP, In The Bronze Age (read Any Given Tuesday's review here) has signed on to produce Massive Attack's next record, their first since 2003's 100th Window.

Live Earth Shut Out of Tourist D.C.

Live Earth has been shut out of Washington, DC, thanks in part to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) who has called global warming "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." The Senator objected to "having any events on the Capitol grounds that are either highly partisan or politically controversial - and the proposed Gore concert is both."

The event is scheduled to take place on July 7 (7/7/07), and is planned to have an event on all seven continents, including Antarctica. While Al Gore and other organizers proposed the Live Earth concert event, featuring Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi and others, on Washington's National Mall, it doesn't look like the political/tourist area of DC is any longer an option.

Major Labels To Accept Unsolicited Demos Via Blogging Format

As if blogging could be shown to be any better of a platform to get your piece out there, both Columbia Records and RCA Records UK Divisions (both owned by Sony-BMG have announced they will only accept demos from unsigned bands in blogging platform from now on.

Of course, being the power mogul that Sony-BMG is, you gotta use the platforms the label chooses: for now, Six Apart/Vox (ruling out Blogger and *gasp* MySpace).

We're not aware yet what impact this might have on American artists. But will the impact of this move even be that great? So far, the most recognized of the online-breaking bands have broken by word-of-mouth among fans, not by plugging their web presence in A&R mailboxes.

Source: NMA UK

The CD Will Not Die

Interesting piece posted on Tuesday at Slate about the death (or life, actually) of the CD. According to the article, "Data from the Recording Industry Association of America show that between 2000 and 2005, the number of CDs shipped fell 25 percent to 705.4 million, while their value slipped 20 percent, from $13.2 billion to $10.5 billion. During the first six months of 2006, CD sales dropped 14 percent more." And sales are down another 20% for the first quarter of 2007.

This article follows an acknowledgement of the CD as a dying commodity in the New York Times this Tuesday. But CDs still count for 75% of all sales. And why would physical sales continue, when a CD costs $16 (or more), and a digital download can be as little as $8? While the Slate article pushes the CD off on older (read: over 25) consumers, I'm going to stop short of that, and make a bold prediction. Physical albums will have a revival. Just like vinyl, people will get all nostalgic, they will get sick of Digital Rights Management (DRM), and they will be frustrated by super-compressed MP3 files and other formats that sacrifice sound quality, and they will return to the CD.

Guitar sounds best on vinyl? Everything sounds better when it's on a CD as compared to a compressed, low bitrate MP3. And just like holding that giant black circle and putting the needle to the plastic holds this undescribably awesome, ritualistic feeling, soon enough holding that shiny silver disc will do the same, when you hear that super-fast spin and the laser starts reading that WAV file, and your speakers pump out the jams.

Sure, having an iPod with 100,000 songs at random is convenient and totally awesome coming out of the stereo. But just like the cassette was convenient compared to vinyl (can't spin records in your pickup truck, can you?), the convenience will wear off for the good old classic feeling soon enough.

Dave Matthews Band Summer 2007 Tour Dates

To all the Dave Matthews Band fans out there (and don't give me that "Dave" business, it's a band, not just silly ol' tapdancin' Dave Matthews), the always-anticipated Summer tour dates have been announced for 2007:


Tue 5/1 Vodafone Arena Melbourne, VIC Australia
Wed 5/2 - Festival Theatre Adelaide, SA Australia
Fri 5/4 - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Sat 5/5 - Hordern Pavilion Sydney, NSW Australia
Wed 5/23 - The Point Dublin, Ireland
Fri 5/25 - Pavilion Atlantico Lisbon, Portugal
Sun 5/27 - Forest National Brussels (Vorst), Belgium
Wed 5/30 - Wembley Arena London, England
Sun 7/8 - Toyota Park Bridgeview, IL
Wed 8/1 - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts Mansfield, MA
Thu 8/2 - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts Mansfield, MA
Sat 8/4 - New England Dodge Music Center Hartford, CT
Sun 8/5 - New England Dodge Music Center Hartford, CT
Tue 8/7 - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront Camden, NJ
Wed 8/8 - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront Camden, NJ
Fri 8/10 - Post-Gazette Pavilion Burgettstown, PA
Sat 8/11 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge Bristow, VA
Tue 8/14 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, NY
Wed 8/15 - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater Virginia Beach, VA
Fri 8/17 - Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, IN
Sat 8/18 - Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, IN
Mon 8/20 - Blossom Music Center Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Wed 8/22 - Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, OH
Thu 8/23 - DTE Energy Music Theatre Clarkston, MI
Sat 8/25 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, WI
Sun 8/26 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, WI
Tue 8/28 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Bonner Springs, KS
Fri 8/31 - Gorge Amphitheatre George, WA
Sat 9/1 - Gorge Amphitheatre George, WA
Sun 9/2 - Gorge Amphitheatre George, WA
Tue 9/11 - University of Florida - Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL
Wed 9/12 - Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL
Fri 9/14 - Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
Sat 9/15 - Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
Tue 9/18 - Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek Raleigh, NC
Wed 9/19 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC
Fri 9/21 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion The Woodlands, TX
Sat 9/22 - Smirnoff Music Centre Dallas, TX
Tue 9/25 - Cricket Pavilion Phoenix, AZ
Wed 9/26 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Irvine, CA
Fri 9/28 - Coors Amphitheatre Chula Vista, CA
Sat 9/29 - Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View, CA
Mon 10/1 - Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
Tue 10/2 - Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA

Concert Review: Happy Chichester, Busdriver, RJD2 - Sonar, Baltimore, MD 3/25/07; Interview With Happy Chichester

In one of the most eclectic evenings one could spend listening to live music, Happy Chichester, Busdriver, and RJD2 rocked Sonar here in Baltimore this past Saturday, the last night of the current leg of their tour.



Opening up the show was Happy Chichester, performing his early-evening solo act before a modest audience of scenesters. It would be reasonable to expect an audience to wonder just what a man with a guitar performing an alt-country song called "Silent Movie", complete with harmonica, was doing opening for RJD2. Fortunately for Chichester, his obvious glee when he performs is infectious, and rubs off on the audience. And in case just having fun playing music isn't enough, in a nod to hip-hop heads in the crowd Happy broke out the beatbox on "Me And My Machine", and emulated a didgeridoo during the course of his set. Setting down the guitar, Chichester went on to perform the single from Lovers Come Back (Read a review of Happy's new album, here), "Artificial Fanfare (Music In My Head)", as well as "A Man Needs An Airplane", (kind of) dedicated to the girl in the audience with the airplane earrings. Just as demonstrated on Lovers Come Back, Happy Chichester is a multi-talented musician, and his live set this night is telling of why his live concert bootleg, Live At The Aladdin Theatre, became its own form of underground currency, selling on eBay for as high as $50.



After his set, I had the chance to speak with Happy about the tour and what it's been like traveling as a solo act for the first time, as well as opening for RJD2. Happy admitted that the tour's lineup was obviously somewhat eclectic (Happy's brand being markedly different from Busdriver's maniacally uptempo hip-hop and RJD2's similarly uptempo hip-hop/techno sound), but noted that Baltimore was a city where music fans appeared to be very open to broad ranges of sound.

Discussing performing in different cities, Happy explains that cities have their own persona, and that some cities "like Austin and [based on tonight] Baltimore" are cities that love music and where artists love to come and perform for such a fun and receptive crowd. Having spent the previous night in DC at the 9:30 Club (which Chichester describes as one of the "best places play" anywhere), I explained that Baltimore often was treated as DC's ugly cousin, which he admitted he had heard but reiterated how impressed he was with this night's crowd and how well received he felt by them.

Happy went on to share a small piece of his personal history, being born in Braddock Heights, Maryland, and how special this show was to him, returning to Maryland as a solo artist for the first time. With this brief conversation, and Happy's touching remarks about Any Given Tuesday's review of Lovers Come Back, I left Happy to relax a bit before coming back to the stage with RJD2 as a member of his full band.

Next to take the stage, Busdriver immediately changed the tone of the evening with his uber-speed rapping and ultra-weird stage persona, complete with party hats. After all, it's a party, right? From the piano hook and crowd call on "Avantcore" to the delectable strangeness of "Casting Agent And Cowgirls" and reggaeton beat of "Kill Your Employer", Busdriver by design is meant to mess with your head. Personally, I'm convinced it's all that reverb in the second microphone. Though if Busdriver had delivered on the guitar solo "with my tongue around the frets" that he mentioned, that would probably do the trick, too. Hopefully he'll continue making his mark on hip-hop so it can bounce back from abysmal sales and return to a glory of producing cutting-edge sounds. Busdriver has streaming audio on his MySpace, and MP3s on his site.

By the time RJD2 took the stage, the crowd had already broken loose with the electric boogaloo during the Busdriver set (which one of my accompanying friends, Tim, described as "Lenny Kravitz with crack"), and they were hungry for RJD2 plus his full band. Switching instruments during the set like pop stars switch wardrobes, RJD2, Happy Chichester, and Derek DiCenzo moved around the keys, the strings, and the decks like dervishes, before moved behind the decks and beat machines and cut loose. Complete with makeshift video screen featuring cut scenes and a close-up on RJD2's fingerwork, the crowd got live with RJD2 following up on two very capable opening acts and the full band set.



RJD2's tour will continue with Happy Chichester and Busdriver (who will drop off to be replaced by Pigeon John in late April) next month:

Wed 04/11/07 Starlight Ballroom Philadelphia PA ***
Thu 04/12/07 The Crazy Donkey Farmingdale NY ***
Fri 04/13/07 Webster Hall New York NY w/ Happy Chichester
Sat 04/14/07 Middle East Downstairs Cambridge MA ***
Sun 04/15/07 Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton MA ***
Mon 04/16/07 La TuLipe Montreal QC ***
Tue 04/17/07 Phoenix Toronto ON ***
Wed 04/18/07 Magic Stick Detroit MI ***
Thu 04/19/07 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights OH ***
Fri 04/20/07 Metro Chicago IL w/ Happy Chichester
Sat 04/21/07 First Avenue Minneapolis MN ***
Sun 04/22/07 The Picador (formerly Gabes Oasis) Iowa City IA ***
Mon 04/23/07 Birdys Indianapolis IN ***
Wed 05/09/07 Fox Theatre Boulder CO **
Thu 05/10/07 Bluebird Theatre Denver CO **
Fri 05/11/07 Abbey Theatre Durango CO **
Sat 05/12/07 The Clubhouse Tempe AZ **
Sun 05/13/07 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach CA **
Mon 05/14/07 Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles CA **
Tue 05/15/07 Mezzanine San Francisco CA **
Thu 05/17/07 Wonder Ballroom Portland OR **
Fri 05/18/07 Neumos Seattle WA **
Sat 05/19/07 The Nightlight Lounge Bellingham WA **

** w/ Pigeon John & Happy Chichester
*** w/ Busdriver & Happy Chichester


Thanks to Tim and SideRhodes Photography for the awesome photographs.

Shows Coming Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA March-June

Here's a list of shows coming to Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA over the next couple months. Go to the site for ticket info.

MARCH

28 - Portrait of Another + Alex Mejias + Struan Shields - 7:30pm
29 - Olympia CD Release + Action Reaction + Driving East
30 - Crash Boom Bang + Everyone But Pete + Cobbler
31 - The RTTs - music for kids - 11am
31 - The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster - 7pm

APRIL

1 - Citizen Cope - 8pm - SOLD OUT!
1 - Adage Road - 2pm matinee
3 - Jake Armerding + Jesse Harper (from Old School Freight Train) + Alex Nackman - 7:30pm
4 - Trustfall + Chelsea Lee (with Todd Wright and Daniel Brindley) - 7pm
5 - Patrick Park + Chris Trapper (from The Pushstars) + Sam Shaber
6 - Luke Brindley (band) + Ryan Montbleau Band + Julian Velard - 7:30pm
7 - Laughing Pizza + Rocknoceros - music for kids - 11am
7 - Paradoxx - 8pm
8 - The Beanstalk Library + Jukebox the Ghost - 8pm
9 - Jesse Malin (full band show) + Matt Azzarto - 8pm
10 - Gary Jules
11 - The Alternate Routes + Sons of Williams
12-15 - Emergenza Music Festival
16 - The Greencards
17 - Braddigan (from DISPATCH) with Special Guest Taylor Carson
18 - An Evening with Pierre Bensusan
19 - An Evening with Over the Rhine
20 - The Infamous Stringdusters - 7pm
20 - The Iternals CD Release + Future - 9:30pm
21 - Girl Authority - music for kids - 1pm
21 - Catie Curtis + Meg Hutchinson - Two shows at 7pm and 9:30pm
22 - Eric Hutchinson + Eva Castillo - 7pm
24 - Tom Russell with Michael Martin + Eliza Gilkyson - 7:30pm
26 - Willy Porter + Brian Vander Ark (Verve Pipe)
27 - The Tone Rangers CD Release Show - 8pm show
27 - Rose Hill Drive + Earl Greyhound - 10:30pm show
28 - Nerissa and Katryna Nields - 7pm
28 - Unknown Hinson + Fools and Horses - 9:30pm
29 - Ralph's World - music for kids - three shows at 10:30am, 12:30am, and 2:30pm
29 - Derek Webb (from Caedmon's Call) + Alli Rogers - 7:30pm
30 - Peter Tork (from THE MONKEES) and Shoe Suede Blues - 7:30pm

MAY

2 - The Waybacks
3 - An Evening with Garnet Rogers - 7:30pm
4 - An Evening with Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun
5 - An Evening with Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely Trio - 7pm
5 - Sophia Bass CD Release - 9:30pm
8 - Matt Mays and El Torpedo + The Deadstring Brothers
9 - Five Star Iris + David McMillin + Kyle Riabko + Ryan Bingham - 7pm
10 - Rock 'n Roll Songwriters Circle featuring Luke Brindley (Brindley Brothers), Anthony Fiacco (The Blackjacks), Shane Hines, and Todd Wright (The Getaway Car)
11 - Crash Boom Bang + My Favorite Highway + Sparky's Flaw + Eric James - 7pm show
12 - Rocknoceros "Dark Side of the Moon Bounce" CD Release shows - Two shows at 11am and 2pm
12 - My Favorite Highway + Crash Boom Bang + The Friday Night Boys - 6pm show
12 - Welbilt + Cobbler + The Rob Hornfeck Experience - 9:30pm
13 - Maria Muldaur (full band show) - 7:30pm
17 - Joe Lally (from FUGAZI) + Don Zientara - 7:30pm
18 - Nine Days + Shane Hines and the Trance + Kill the Alarm - 7pm
19 - Yosi - music for kids - 11am
19 - Free Money + Kenmore + Time Tells All - 2pm matinee
19 - Pepper's Ghost + Anthony Fiacco and The Blackjacks + Saturn Down - 9:30pm
20 - Second Wind Bandits CD Release - 2:30pm matinee
20 - The Michael Fath Group - 7:30pm
24 - Fred Eaglesmith (full band)
26 - The Innocence Mission "We Walked in Song" CD Release Show

JUNE

1 Steve Forbert and The Sound Benders - full band show - 8:30pm
2 Gustafer Yellowgold - music for kids - 11am
2 Elizabeth, Phil, and Chris - 6pm
3 Craig Cardiff
17 An Evening with Al Petteway and Amy White - 7:30pm
29 Ellis Paul + One Horse Town

Guitar tablature website to return as ad-based service

Guitar players rejoice! The closing of the Online Guitar Archive, which shut down about a year ago along with other popular destinations for guitar tabs, hung guitar players out to dry as far as quality tablature went. Music publishers such as the National Music Publishers Association flexed their muscle and silenced guitar strings everywhere.

Musicnotes is currently negotiating a return of one site, MXTabs.net, with major publishers. The negotiations focus on the splitting of advertising revenues. Once launched, the site will limit itself to tabs approved by publishers.

However, as we've seen with sites like SpiralFrog, reaching agreements with quality publishers can be quite difficult, and failed negotiations can sink the sites into the depths of irrelevancy.

Source: Digital Music News

UMBC Announces Quadmania Featuring All-American Rejects

University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) has announced the 25th Quadmania 2007. The event will run from April 20-22, and will feature The All-American Rejects. Non-UMBC students can buy tickets at Ticketmaster. UMBC is still booking local bands, so head on over to the quad if you're interested.

Stream "Big Wheel" from Tori Amos' American Doll Posse

The first single from Tori Amos' forthcoming album, American Doll Posse, is called "Big Wheel" and you can hear it over at AOL Music along with clips from "Teenage Hustling" and "Bouncing Off Clouds". You'll also hear commentary from Tori and receive introductions to Doll Posse members Pip and Clyde.

Rock The Bells: Rage Against The Machine, Wu-Tang, Nas, Public Enemy, and more

The Rock The Bells tour, which describes itself as "a world-class hip hop platform", is set to be a huge event. With three shows (July 28 at Randall's Island in New York, Aug. 11 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif., and Aug. 18 at the McCovey Cove Parking Lot in San Francisco) to feature Rage Against The Machine, and Wu-Tang Clan and Nas to headline the whole tour, this is a must-see for hip hop fans.

Cypress Hill, the Roots, Public Enemy, Sage Francis, Mos Def, APMD, Jedi Mind Tricks and Immortal Technique will also play the whole tour, while MF Doom, FELT, Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Blackalicious, the Coup, Murs, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, Grouch & Eligh, Hangar 18, Bluepring and Lucky I AM will perform at select shows. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, March 31.

Tonight: Nellie McKay Live Webcast of Concert in Alexandria, VA - Courtesy of NPR

Hear Nellie McKay live on NPR in a concert webcast from the Birchmere music hall in Alexandria, VA tonight (Tuesday, Mar. 27). The performance will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.

New Releases For Tuesday, March 27, 2007: Kaiser Chiefs, Kate Havnevik, Klaxons

If you're going shopping for new albums today, be sure to check out these buzz-worthy LPs:



Kaiser Chiefs, Yours Truly, Angry Mob (Universal)



Kate Havnevik, Melankton (Universal)



Klaxons, Myth of the Near Future (Universal)

Nine Inch Nails Reveal "Survivalism" Lyrics, Artwork for "Survivalism" Single

Nine Inch Nails has made the lyrics to "Survivalism" available, along with artwork for the "Survivalism" single.

"Survivalism":

I should have listened to her
So hard to keep control
We kept on eating but our
Bloated bellies still not full
She gave us all she had but
We went and took some more
Can't seem to shut her legs our
Mother nature is a whore

I got my propaganda I got revisionism
I got my violence in high-def ultra-realism
All a part of this great nation
I got my fist I got my plan I got survivalism

Hypnotic sound of sirens
Echoing through the streets
The cocking of the rifles
The marching of the feet
You see your world on fire
Don't try to act surprised
We did just what you told us
Lost our faith along the way and found ourselves believing your lies

I got my propaganda I got revisionism
I got my violence in high-def ultra-realism
All a part of this great nation
I got my fist I got my plan I got survivalism

All bruised and broken bleeding
She asks to take my hand
I turn and keep on walking
What you'd do the same thing in the circumstance I'm sure you understand

I got my propaganda I got revisionism
I got my violence in high-def ultra-realism
All a part of this great nation
I got my fist I got my plan I got survivalism

backing vocals: Saul Williams

Regional Shows For April and May: Cold War Kids, Sebadoh, Kaiser Chiefs, Elvis Costello, and lots more!

Shows hitting the Baltimore/DC region through May, courtesy of Filter Magazine:

MARCH
3/28 Hella, The Dirty Projectors @ Rock and Roll Hotel
3/28 Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club, The Delta Spirit @ 9:30 Club
3/29 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Love of Diagrams @ 9:30 Club
3/29 Dean & Britta @ Black Cat
3/30 MSTRKRFT, John Digweed @ 9:30 Club
3/31 Electric Six, Test Your Reflex @ Black Cat
3/31 Menomena, Land of Talk, Field Music @ Rock and Roll Hotel
3/31 Do Make Say Think @ Ottobar

APRIL
4/1 The Presets @ Sonar
4/1 Do Make Say Think @ Black Cat
4/1 Kristoffer Ragnstam @ Iota
4/3 Sebadoh @ 9:30 Club
4/4 Antibalas @ 9:30 Club
4/4 The Blood Brothers, Celebration @ Black Cat
4/5 Albert Hammond Jr @ 9:30 Club
4/5 The Black Angels @ Rock and Roll Hotel
4/6 Lucero @ Black Cat
4/6 Girl Talk @ Ottobar
4/6 Peeping Tom @ Rams Head Live!
4/7 Kaiser Chiefs, The Walkmen, Annuals @ 9:30 Club
4/8 Lily Allen, The Bird and the Bee @ 9:30 Club
4/9 Matt Kearney, Rocco DeLuca, The Feeling @ 9:30 Club
4/13 Aqueduct, Junior Boys, Youth Group @ Black Cat
4/14 Young Love @ St. John’s United Methodist Church
4/15 Matt Kearney, Rocco DeLuca & The Burden, The Feeling @ Rams Head Live!
4/17 The Graduate, The Fold @ Ottobar
4/17 Ratatat, The Books @ 9:30 Club
4/18 TV on the Radio, The Noisettes @ 9:30 Club
4/19 The Headlights, Page France @ Black Cat
4/21 Hot Chip @ 9:30 Club
4/21 Brand New, Kevin Devine, Manchester Orchestra @ Rams Head Live!
4/21 Spoon @ Sonar
4/23 M. Ward, Norah Jones @ DAR Constitution Hall
4/29 Constantines @ 9:30 Club
4/30 Peter Bjorn and John @ 9:30 Club

MAY
5/4 The Arcade Fire @ DAR Constitution Hall
5/6 Blonde Redhead @ 9:30 Club
5/9 Kate Havnevik, Air @ 9:30 Club
5/9 Cornelius @ Sonar
5/10 Ben Gibbard @ 9:30 Club
5/11 The Greyboy Allstars @ Rams Head Live!
5/12 Silversun Pickups v@ WWDC Radio Show
5/12 Illinois, The Kooks @ 9:30 Club
5/12 Dr. Dog @ Rock and Roll Hotel
5/13 Silversun Pickups @ Recher Theatre
5/13 LCD Soundsystem @ 9:30 Club
5/16 Artic Monkeys, Be Your Own Pet @ 9:30 Club
5/17 Mando Diao, Pop Levi, The Films @ Black Cat
5/18 Elvis Costello @ 9:30 Club
5/20 Andrew Bird @ 9:30 Club
5/23 Mastodon, Cursive, Against Me! @ Sonar
5/25 Damien Rice @ DAR Constitution Hall
5/27 Mice Parade @ Rock and Roll Hotel

Damien Rice Severs Ties With Lisa Hannigan

Damien Rice has severed ties with vocalist Lisa Hannigan, who has supplied vocals to Rice's albums O and 9. In an official statement, Rice says: "After much thought and discussion Damien has decided that his professional relationship with Lisa Hannigan has run its creative course. As a result Lisa will not be appearing at any of the upcoming live shows. Lisa is embarking on her own artistic endeavours and there are no plans for them to work together in the foreseeable future. The current band on tour at the moment are Damien Rice, Joel Shearer, Shane Fitzsimons, Tom Osander and Vyvienne Long."

Damien Rice begins a North American tour in April. His current tour dates are:

Mar 26 Belgium Brussels Cirque Royale SOLD OUT!
Mar 27 UK London Hammersmith Apollo SOLD OUT!
Mar 29 UK Wolverhampton Civic Hall SOLD OUT!
Mar 30 UK Manchester Apollo SOLD OUT!
Mar 31 UK Edinburgh Usher Hall SOLD OUT!
Apr 23 Canada Vancouver, BC Centre for the Arts
Apr 24 Canada Vancouver,BC Centre For The Arts SOLD OUT!
Apr 25 USA Seattle WA Earth Day Concert Benaroya Hall SOLD OUT!
Apr 26 USA Portland OR Theatre of the Clouds
Apr 28 USA Oakland CA Paramount Theatre
Apr 29 USA Indio CA Coachella SOLD OUT!
May 01 USA San Diego CA SDSU OAT
May 02 USA Tucson AZ Tucson Music Hall
May 04 USA Salt Lake City, UT McKay Events Center
May 05 USA Denver CO Paramount Theatre
May 07 USA Dallas TX Majestic Theatre
May 08 USA Houston TX Verison Wireless Theater
May 09 USA Austin TX Bass Concert Hall
May 11 USA St Louis MO The Pageant
May 13 USA Kansas City MO Uptown Theatre
May 14 USA Chicago IL Civic Opera House
May 15 USA Minneapolis MN Northtrop
May 17 USA Detroit MI State Theatre
May 18 Canada Toronto ON Massey Hall
May 20 Canada Montreal QUE Olympia SOLD OUT!
May 21 USA New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
May 22 USA Boston MA Opera House
May 24 USA Philidelphia PA Mann Center
May 25 USA Washington DC Dar Constitution Hall SOLD OUT
May 26 USA Louisville KY Palace Theatre
May 28 USA Columbus, Ohio The LC Pavilion
May 29 USA Indianapolis IN Murat Theatre
May 30 USA Atlanta GA The Tabernacle SOLD OUT!
May 31 USA Memphis TN Orpheum Theatre
Jun 29 Norway Arendal Hove Festival
Jul 01 Belgium Rock Werchter
Jul 04 France Paris L'Olympia
Aug 25 Ireland Dublin Marlay Park
Oct 01 UK Newcastle Newcastle Arena
Oct 02 UK Birmingham Birmingham NIA
Oct 04 Scotland Glasgow Glasgow Secc
Oct 05 UK Nottingham Nottingham Arena
Oct 06 UK London Wembley
Oct 08 UK Plymouth The Pavilion
Oct 09 UK Bournemouth BIC
Oct 11 UK Manchester MEN
Oct 12 UK Cardiff Cardiff Arena

Bjork Reveals Album Art For Volta

Feast your eyes on the cover art for Volta, the forthcoming album from Bjork.

Album Review: Bang! Bang! - The Dirt That Makes You Drown, On Sale April 10

Bang! Bang! describe themselves as Chicago's "premier sex rock band." I might describe them as The B-52s possessed with a punk rock libido and a little too much listening to Richard Hell.

On The Dirt That Makes You Drown (available from Morphius on April 10), Gretta Fine (vocals, bass) and Jackie Flash (vocals, guitar) are joined by two new members: drummer Nick Kraska and part-time keyboardist Rachel Shindelman. Packing an extra punch, Bang! Bang! break out dance punk and New Wave that is ten times more danceable than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and maybe even a lot cooler.

Those needing a quick definition of what Bang! Bang! is should look to the opener "What We Need", a seedy dance punk number that lets Flash opine that "what I really think we need is love." Also check out "All Messed Up" for some hip-moving power chords. "Prefab Nation" is the standout track on the album, from the keyboard to the "Oh, oh-oh" chorus, the band wants to fight off suburban homogenization and convince us all to "keep on rocking." Like ordinary lovers reach for Barry White, the aggressive posture of The Dirt That Makes You Drown is mood music for fans of the pop-punk sound.

You can download "What We Need" on Bang! Bang!'s MySpace page.

Jamie Lidell Is The New Posterboy of Soul

My dear friend Lindsay just told me about Jamie Lidell. The song "Multiply" gets plenty of spin time on MTV2, and was nominated for Best Video of 2006. Not to abuse the comparison, but Lidell really does sound like Otis Redding on this song! On "Game For Fools" he conjures up Sam Cooke in a wistful tune with an upright bass underneath. I haven't felt emotion in a soul track like that since Al Green. And on "When I Come Back Around", I am almost certain the godfather himself, Mr. James Brown, showed up at the door with his cape on and an 80's synth-pop band in tow. All these comparisons to titans will not sound ridiculous to you once you hear the songs.

Listen to Jamie on his MySpace page. Maybe you'll recognize his songs from Target commercials.

The White Stripes - Icky Thump Tracklisting

The White Stripes' Icky Thump, their sixth album, and their first on Warner Bros., now has a tracklist:

01. Icky Thump
02. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
03. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues
04. Conquest
05. Bone Broke
06. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn
07. St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)
08. Little Cream Soda
09. Rag And Bone
10. I'm Slowly Turning Into You
11. A Martyr For My Love For You
12. Catch Hell Blues
13. Effect And Cause

Icky Thump is scheduled for a June release.

Deftones Announce More Summer Tour Dates

Deftones tour dates galore! Along with those just announced, here are several more:

5/15/07 Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
5/16/07 Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
5/18/07 San Antonio, TX- Sunset Junction
5/19/07 San Antonio, TX- Sunset Junction
5/21/07 Houston, TX - Verizon
5/30/07 Cleveland, OH- House Of Blues
5/31/07 Cleveland, OH- House Of Blues
5/26/07 Nashville, TN - City Hall
5/26/07 Nashville, TN - City Hall
6/3/07 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
6/4/07 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
6/12/07 Detroit, MI - State Theatre
6/19/07 St.Louis, MO- Pagent
6/28/07 Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre

Album Review: Happy Chichester - Lovers Come Back

Happy Chichester, from Columbus, Ohio, has been buzzing around the scene for quite some time. He may be best known as a member of Howlin' Maggie, whose single "Alcohol" hit Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart as well as the Modern Rock chart. You may also know Happy from his work with the Afghan Whigs. Regardless, Happy has released a full-length solo album, Lovers Come Back, aptly released on Valentine's Day this year. Lovers was a long time coming, with songs dating back in original composition up to 20 years ("A Man Needs An Airplane").

The songs on Lovers are an amalgam of songs telling different stories, creating a tale which is very much influenced by, and pays homage to, Columbus. From the pop-rock single "Artificial Fanfare (Music In My Head)" with its sing-along chorus to the more political and strained but equally catchy "Lost Connection", the songs are the product of a career with many bands but with one common demoninator: Happy Chichester from Columbus, Ohio. Even if the lyrics tell their different tales, the music itself speaks about a living, breathing city that means almost as much to Chichester as his wife, Laura, for whom he wrote the simple heart-on-sleeve piano track "Lover".

A multi-tasker of a musician, Chichester plays the mass of the instruments on the album, but enlists scene musicians like Foley (who plays bass on "You're Blowin' My Mind") and Barry Hensley (who plays pedal steel guitar on "Lover" and "Silent Movie"). With Lovers Chichester is demonstrating that Columbus is "a musical community rich in talent, experience, and generosity."

Critically, Lovers Come Back comes out clearly as a labor of love. Eclectic in its composition, Lovers broadly sweeps across the spectrum from rock ("Lost Connection") to alt-country ("Silent Movie") to Motown soul ("You're Blowin' My Mind"). Although disjointed to the point of confusion at times, that seems to be part of the point. This album is Chichester's musical biography, and with his vast background of musical alliances, it is only right for him to sail the seas of musical genres on his LP. He does so with an artist's ear, which is severely lacking in much "popular" music, and has delivered an album long overdue from this talented artist.

Happy Chichester is playing at Sonar in Baltimore this Saturday, March 24 (check here around Monday for a review) after a show at 9:30 Club the night before. Happy is opening for RJD2 and is a guest member of RJ's band for the duration of the tour. Also playing is Busdriver.

Visit Happy's website to buy the album.

Virgin Festival 2007 Back In Baltimore

The US Virgin Festival will take place August 4-5, 2007, right here in Baltimore, MD, again! As last year, the event will be at Pimlico Race Course.

Confirmed to play are The Police, Beastie Boys, and Smashing Pumpkins. I'm also predicting a Sutherland Brothers & Quiver comeback full on with Tim Renwick, along with Tupac pulling off a collab with Biggie, but I'm dreaming.

The best news about this so far is that the festival is expanding to two days. More acts, as well as the ticket on-sale date, are TBA.

Last years Virgin Festival at Pimlico was one day, had twenty bands, and 45,000 fans showed up.

I.M.F., a company formed by the principals of I.M.P., owners of DC's 9:30 Club, are handling promotions and plan to "[put] together the lineup that will just be A-list from start to finish, on both stages and in the dance tent."

Even Mayor Sheila Dixon got in on the Festival fever, saying "On behalf of the City of Baltimore, I'd like to say thank you to Mr. Branson and Virgin for bringing this world class event back to our city. We are excited and proud to, once again, host the Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile and some of the music industry's biggest talent."

University of Nebraska Joins Colleges In Denying The RIAA

Following the recent news of university resistance to RIAA practices of issuing pre-litigation settlement offers to alleged internet music pirates, the University of Nebraska (UNL) has joined the fray.

Claiming it was "unable to identify a large number of targeted students due to technical issues," meaning dynamic IP addresses that switch regularly and make it difficult to identify a particular user at a particular time without adequate records, UNL did not forward settlement letters to most of the infringing students (9 out of 23 were identified and given the letters).

The RIAA's tongue lashing response: "One would think universities would understand the need to retain these records." UNL officials defend with the high administrative costs such identification would entail, which the RIAA has refused to reimburse the university for, calling it "neither practical nor appropriate for us to entertain a reimbursement request."

Source: Digital Music News

Maryland Death Fest Organizers Respond To Headliner's Cancellation

The Maryland Death Fest has suffered a cancellation. Headliner Cynic will not appear, but will be replaced. A statement from the organizers:

"The rumours going around about Cynic cancelling their appearance at Maryland Deathfest are true. As the organisers of the event, we will state everything that happened as accurately and as truthfully as possibly. All of the necessary steps to confirm Cynic through their agency were taken by us and they were confirmed on November 21, 2006 as the band agreed on our original offer. We were given a definite green light to announce Cynic on the MDF website also in November and all parties involved have known about the scheduled appearance of Cynic at the festival for 4 months.

Between December and March there were numerous attemps from our side to contact both the band directly as well as their agency, but each attempt resulted in absolutely no reply or further information given to us. Part of the agreement was that we would pay for the band's flights in advance, but we never even received a reply about it each time we tried contacting the band to arrange the flights. Finally we received a sign of life from Cynic's agency in March asking for us to complete some information fact sheet to help assist them in completing the contract accurately. Shortly after rumours started going around that the band will not be playing the festival as we were not the first people to be informed of such an issue. After writing both the band and agency to get some kind of explanation about what is going on, we still have not received a legit reason and the band didn't even offer a personal message to deliver to the fans who have planned to travel to the festival to see them. They simply forwarded us an e-mail from their agency that said, "unfortunately Cynic will not be playing the festival". We received a very vague answer on the phone from their agency that was simply a waste of time and the agency acted like they don't know why the band is cancelling. We don't believe that one bit, so at this point we don't even care to know the real reason that the band cancelled.

We'll leave it to the fans of Cynic to formulate their own opinion about the matter. An agreement was made by all parties 4 months ago, the green light was given to announce the band, but they suddenly cancel 2 months before the festival without a legit explanation. The lack of communication by both the band and agency is extremely frustrating for us and not how we prefer to deal with any band that performs at MDF. We aren't magicians or psychics and can only report the facts about what happened from our side. We understand that some people will be extremely frustrated by this news and you can believe us that we are just as frustrated as anyone. If you want to express your displeasure regarding this issue, please direct it to the band and not us as this has nothing to do with how we handled everything.

As a result of the cancellation, one additional band will be confirmed in the near future. It will not be a band of headlining status and we anticipate pushing up Zyklon one space to headline the second night. Stay tuned for more on that."

A reasonable statement, not at all immature, clearly stating the organizers' position and view of the situation.

KRS-One Settles Beef With Marley Marl, Releases New Album

Having settled an ages-old and infamous beef with Marley Marl, my number one hip-hop head KRS-One has teamed with Marl to deliver an answer to Nas' Hip Hop Is Dead, called Hip-Hop Lives. The album is due may 22 on Koch.

That beef is bigger than 50 Cent and Cam'ron could ever dream. Classic tracks like Marley Marl and MC Shan's "The Bridge", answered by KRS/Boogie Down Productions with "South Bronx". And lest we forget, KRS' "The Bridge Is Over".

Marl and KRS hope to show the young hip-hop set that these beefs aren't that big of a deal, and that battle rapping and dis records are much more productive (and potentially lucrative) than violence. This should be a phenomenal moment for hip-hop, settling the biggest beef ever by collaborating on a record, but will anyone actually listen? I will.

Third Eye Blind Regional Tour Dates

One of my all-time favorite bands, Third Eye Blind, will be playing a few regional shows. Let me know if you're going to any of them so we can hi-five about how awesome 3EB is, and how underrated they are!

04/17/2007 Easton, PA - Lafayette College - Kirby Field House
04/19/2007 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
04/20/2007 Schenectady, NY - Union College - Memorial Fieldhouse
04/21/2007 Babson Park, MA - Babson College - PepsiCo Pavilion
04/22/2007 Johnson City, NY - Magic City Hall
04/24/2007 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre SOLD OUT
04/25/2007 Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance SOLD OUT
04/27/2007 Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom SOLD OUT
04/29/2007 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live! SOLD OUT
05/01/2007 Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club
05/03/2007 Hampton, NH - Hampton Beach Casino
05/04/2007 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
05/08/2007 Wantagh, NY - Mulcahy's Rock & Roll Bar

Tori Amos Announces American Doll Posse "Posse Hunt", Reveals Tracklist and Doll Posse lineup

Just got an email from Tori Amos (her people, anyway). The tracklisting has been revealed as follows:

Yo George
Big Wheel
Bouncing off Clouds
Teenage Hustling
Digital Ghost
You Can Bring Your Dog

Mr. Bad Man
Fat Slut
Girl Disappearing
Secret Spell
Devils and Gods
Body and Soul

Father's Son
Programmable Soda
Code Red
Roosterspur Bridge
Beauty of Speed

Almost Rosey
Velvet Revolution
Dark Side of the Sun
Posse Bonus
Smokey Joe
Dragon

Not to mention, now we know the lineup for the American Doll Posse! From left to right as above: Santa, Clyde, Isabel, Tori, & Pip. I'm partial to Pip. She looks spunky. And they've all got blogs, according to an MP3 recording that Tori unleashed. Maybe more on the blogs later, after I read them all.

Ozzfest announces Lamb of God, Hatebreed as part of lineup

Yeah, Ozzfest is free in 2007. No, there is no DC/VA/MD date. But Lamb of God is playing behind Ozzy as headliner, and Hatebreed will helm the second stage.

Deftones Announce Summer 2007 US Tour Dates

After finishing up a European leg, the Deftones are returning to the US for a summer tour. The Fall of Troy and Dir En Grey will support (is this going to be weird like when Deadsy opened on the last tour, and people in the audience thought they were in the wrong venue?):

5/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
5/12 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine
5/13 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine
5/17 Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete St Amphitheatre
5/22 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
5/23 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
5/25 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
6/6 Providence, RI @ Lupo's
6/7 Worcester, MA @ the Palladium
6/9 New York, NY @ Roseland
6/10 Albany, NY @ Washington Avenue Armory
6/11 Niagara Falls, NY @ Dome Theatre
6/15 Chicago, IL @ Riviera
6/16 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
6/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Myth
6/22 Denver, CO @ Fillmore
6/23 Salt Lake City @ In The Venue
6/24 Salt Lake City @ In The Venue

More dates TBA. Let's see a Baltimore show!

Neko Case A DJ, Too

Neko Case will be a guest DJ on NPR's World Cafe on March 23 as part of a Women's History Month feature (March is also National Social Work Appreciation Month).

She will also guest on Sirius Channel 63, Outlaw Country, on April 8 (Easter Sunday) at 9PM Eastern.

University of Wisconsin Says No To RIAA's Continued Dodging Of Case Law

The University of Wisconsin has announced it will not cooperate with the RIAA in identifying 15 students suspected of illegally downloading music online.

The RIAA seeks UW's help because the RIAA only has anonymous IP addresses, which UW has the ability to match the IP with the offending internet user. However, UW has taken a stance that it has no legal obligation to assist the RIAA, and will not forward pre-litigation settlement letters from the RIAA to the anonymous students.

According to Brian Rust, UW's Division of Information Technology communications manager, "It’s basically saying that the recording industry may think the person or people who may have used this particular IP address might have done something wrong,” Rust said. “That’s two ‘mays’ and a ‘might’ — and the university can’t punish a person on that basis.” Rust states that if the RIAA wants the identities to be disclosed, the RIAA can file a subpoena and seek disclosure that way.

Interestingly, the RIAA has had moderate success in seeking universities' assistance. Universities see it as a way to free up unnecessarily used bandwidth, and also as a way to avoid being dragged into litigation themselves. But outside of schools, the RIAA has seen a different side. Corporations like Verizon have refused to disclose user identities in the past and succeeded (and this case is closed, as the US Supreme Court has denied Certiorari and will not hear the case).

However, in what may be a change of tide, UW is standing up and challenging the RIAA's request. And the RIAA is not pleased. Jenni Engebretsen, the RIAA's communications director, writes that if UW will not oblige the RIAA's request, "Students would lose the opportunity to settle any future claims against them at a substantially discounted sum and with the benefit of no public mark on their record."

Source: Badger Herald

Virgin College Mega Fest Announces Talib Kweli As Headliner

Talib Kweli has been confirmed to headline the Virgin College Mega Tour for 2007, with support from Sugarcult and William Tell. This is the first Mega Tour with a hip-hop headliner.

The confirmed dates for the Mega Tour (11 out of 18), including Maryland's own UMD:

April 7 House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
April 8 4th & B Theater San Diego, CA
April 9 House of Blues Los Angeles, CA
April 10 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
April 12 Utah Valley State College Orem, UT
April 19 University of Maryland College Park, MD
April 20 Stonehill College Easton, MA
April 25 Mount Saint Vincent University Riverdale, NY
April 27 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
May 4 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
May 5 Johnson & Wales University Providence, RI

Ticketmaster Acquires Interest In echomusic

Ticketmaster, always sly about ways to increase profits, has formed an alliance (by buying itself a chunk of the company) with echomusic, a brand manager who runs a series of online fan clubs for various artists to "attempt to leverage their resources to increase fan club memberships and drive ticket sales."

This will likely make it harder to buy respectable concert tickets without shelling out $40 bucks a year to join the fan club.