Singer Inara George and multi-instrumental/producer Greg Kurstin, aka The Bird and The Bee, will release Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates, on March 23 via Blue Note Records. The new album will feature eight classic covers along with the original song “Heard It On The Radio.” The band played a pre-album release show at the El Rey Theater in LA on March 5, but no future tour dates have been scheduled as Inara George is expecting a new release of her own (and by that, I mean a baby) on April 30. The entire El Rey show was webcast live at Livestream.com, and will be archived on the site starting March 22.

In honor of the new release, I’m giving away a copy of the record on vinyl and a band t-shirt. For your chance to win, fill out the entry form after the jump. US entrants only, a winner will be announced on March 23, one entry per household please.

Album art, track list and contest entry form after the jump.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates
Heard It On The Radio
I Can’t Go For That
Rich Girl
Sara Smile
Kiss On My List
Maneater
She’s Gone
Private Eyes
One on One

The Ruby Suns new record, Fight Softly, came out last week (Mar 2) on Sub Pop and the New Zealand trio are about to head out on the road for a big US tour (and international tour after that). They’ll be hitting up SXSW next week for a bunch of showcases and parties and then they’ll wind their way up to the Brooklyn Bowl for a show on March 26 with Toro Y Moi (Buy Tickets).

More Ruby Suns tour dates and album art after the jump.

Ruby Suns – Fight Softly

Ruby Suns 2010 Tour Dates
Mar 11 2010 Neon Reverb Festival @ The Beauty Bar Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar 12 2010 Muddy Waters w/ Toro Y Moi Santa Barbara, California
Mar 13 2010 The Loft @ UCSD w/ Toro Y Moi & Miles Kurosky San Diego, California
Mar 14 2010 Rhythm Room w/ Toro Y Moi Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 15 2010 Plush w/ Toro y Moi, Quasi, Explode into Colors Tucson, Arizona
Mar 18 2010 Brush Square Park, New Zealand at SXSW Party, Austin TX (6:00 PM)
Mar 18 2010 Galaxy Room, Sub Pop/Hardly Art Showcase Austin, TX
Mar 19 2010 Lovejoy’s, Austin TX (4:30 PM)
Mar 20 2010 Vice, Austin TX (12:00 PM)
Mar 22 2010 Drunken Unicorn w/ Toro Y Moi Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 23 2010 Local 506 w/ Toro Y Moi Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Mar 24 2010 Black Cat Backstage w/ Toro Y Moi Washington DC, Washington DC
Mar 25 2010 Kungfu Necktie w/ Toro Y Moi Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 26 2010 Brooklyn Bowl w/ Toro Y Moi Brooklyn, New York
Mar 27 2010 Middle East Upstairs w/ Toro Y Moi Cambridge, Massachusetts
Mar 28 2010 The Monkey House w/ Toro Y Moi Burlington, Vermont
Mar 29 2010 Il Motore w/ Toro Y Moi Montreal, Quebec
Mar 30 2010 Drake Hotel w/ Toro Y Moi Toronto, Ontario
Mar 31 2010 Schuba’s w/ Toro Y Moi Chicago, Illinois
Apr 02 2010 Turf Club w/ Toro Y Moi St Paul, Minnesota
Apr 03 2010 Jackpot Saloon w/ Toro Y Moi Lawrence, Kansas
Apr 05 2010 Hi Dive w/ Toro Y Moi Denver, Colorado
Apr 06 2010 Kilby Court w/ Toro Y Moi Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 07 2010 Flying M Coffee Garage w/ Toro Y Moi Boise, Idaho
Apr 08 2010 Chop Suey w/ Toro Y Moi Seattle, Washington
Apr 09 2010 Biltmore Cabaret w/ Toro Y Moi Vancouver, British Columbia
Apr 10 2010 Mississippi Studios w/ Toro Y Moi Portland, Oregon
Apr 12 2010 Bottom Of The Hill w/ Toro Y Moi San Francisco, California
Apr 13 2010 SLO Arts Centre w/ Toro Y Moi San Luis Obispo, California
Apr 14 2010 The Echo w/ Toro Y Moi Los Angeles, California
May 06 2010 Strand Stockholm
May 07 2010 Blå Oslo
May 08 2010 Garage Bergen
May 13 2010 DrownedinSound Stage @ Great Escape Festival Brighton
May 14 2010 Uncut Stage @ Great Escape Festival Brighton
May 15 2010 Point Ephemere Paris
May 16 2010 Palace St Gallen
May 18 2010 Karrera Klub Berlin
May 23 2010 Paradiso Upstairs Amsterdam
May 25 2010 Hoxton Bar & Grill London

We knew it was coming this year, but now it’s been confirmed that High Violet, the hotly anticipated new album by The National will drop on May 11 in the US via 4AD. While the band already has their album release tour schedule pretty much set, before they head out to play those mammoth venues, they’ll be playing two club shows at The Bell House on March 11 and 12 (Buy Tickets). Tickets go on sale for The Bell House shows on Monday, March 8 at noon EST.

UPDATE 2: Yup, tickets went on sale at noon, they seem to be gone already though.

UPDATE 1: I could be wrong about the on sale time, but the shows are definitely happening.

Updated tour dates for The National after the jump.

The National 2010 Tour Dates
Mar 11 2010 The Bell House Brooklyn, NY (Buy Tickets)
Mar 12 2010 The Bell House Brooklyn, NY (Buy Tickets)
Mar 28 2010 Tennessee Theatre – Big Ears Festival Knoxville, Tennessee
Apr 22 2010 The National Richmond, Virginia
Apr 23 2010 The National Richmond, Virginia
May 05 2010 Electric Ballroom London
May 06 2010 Royal Albert Hall London
May 07 2010 Le Zenith w/ Pavement Paris
May 09 2010 Astra Berlin
May 21 2010 The Wiltern Los Angeles, California
May 22 2010 The Wiltern Los Angeles, California
May 23 2010 Spreckels Theatre San Diego, California
May 26 2010 Fox Theatre Oakland, California
May 27 2010 Fox Theatre Oakland, California
May 29 2010 Sasquatch Quincy, Washington
Jun 02 2010 House of Blues Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 03 2010 House of Blues Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 04 2010 Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun 05 2010 Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun 06 2010 Dar Constitution Hall Washington DC, Washington DC
Jun 08 2010 Massey Hall Toronto
Jun 09 2010 Massey Hall Toronto
Jun 11 2010 Bonnaroo Manchester, Tennessee
Jun 12 2010 Bonnaroo Manchester, Tennessee
Jun 13 2010 Bonnaroo Manchester, Tennessee
Jun 16 2010 Radio City Music Hall New York, New York
Jul 14 2010 Rathausplatz Dachau (Munich)
Jul 27 2010 Prospect Park Brooklyn, New York

Rogue Wave Bring New Tunes, Dance Party, and Nada Surf to Sold-Out Show
by Annie Reuter

The night after their record release, Rogue Wave have much to celebrate. Their first album in over two years, Permalight, brings a new sound and optimism. And, considering what frontman Zach Rogue and drummer Pat Spurgeon have been through the past few years, this comes as no surprise.

In September 2008, Rogue played a solo show opening for Nada Surf. Two days later, he woke up and couldn’t move. Doctors determined he slipped two discs in his neck, which were pressing on his spinal cord. Confined to his bed for months, Rogue said he felt like he was dying. Meanwhile, Spurgeon spent time on the road touring with “D Tour,” a documentary chronicling his search for a living kidney donor between performances and twice-daily dialysis.

When working on their fourth studio album, Rogue told Spurgeon he “wanted to make a total dance album. When I started writing I wanted to make a record that was a little more up, a record you could move your body to because I couldn’t move for so long.”

And that they did. From the looks of the crowd at their sold-out Bowery Ballroom show last night, they succeeded. Playing for nearly two hours, Rogue Wave debuted several tracks off their new album as well as played some fan favorites. Starting off the night with the energetic “Stars and Stripes,” Spurgeon’s strong drum beat and the band’s unyielding guitar sound reverberated throughout the venue.

“It’s good to be back in New York City!” Rogue said before segueing into the hopeful “Good Morning.” With light strings reminiscent to that found on a Christmas tree lined up on their mic stands, keyboards and drum kit, the night was truly a festive occasion. “So our new record came out yesterday. Is there a better place to celebrate such things than in New York? I don’t think so,” Rogue added.

Switching gears from the more dance-y vibe of earlier tracks, “Per Anger” showcased a heavier bass-centered beat before breaking down to an atmospheric vibe mid song. “Solitary Gun” found Rogue alone on acoustic guitar at the start of the track before the rest of the band entered. An emotional song, before singing, Rogue told the audience the National Kidney Foundation was at the show. “Pat is alive because of organizations like them.”

“We haven’t been on tour in a long time so it’s nice to see your pretty faces,” Rogue said. Their third show of the tour, the crowd was receptive yelling song requests to which Rogue often responded. After performing their first older track of the night, “Publish My Love,” from 2005’s Descended Like Vultures, one fan yelled, “Zach that was perfect! I’ve been waiting my whole life for that!”

The crowd held similar sentiments. While their set highlighted the new material, fans enjoyed the older songs where they sung along word for word. However, the newer tracks never lost intensity. A song about rising above the negativity on the Internet, “We Will Make a Song Destroy” found the crowd clapping along with a powerful darkness featured within the musical accompaniment. Rogue even joked afterwards, “That got all my angst out.”

Jumping into the crowd with drumsticks in hand, Rogue joined fans on the floor before a minute long drum break. A man entered the stage on drums wearing a marching band hat. “That was Ira from Nada Surf in case you were wondering,” Rogue told the crowd. “Apparently his marching band was in town and made a stop.”

That wasn’t the only surprise. “Tonight’s a special night. I’m not going to tell you why. You’ll see in a minute. I’m very excited because one of my favorite singers in all the world is here,” Rogue said. A minute later, Nada Surf frontman Matthew Caws came out for the band’s encore performance.

Ending the night with “Permalight,” the title track off their most recent release, Rogue invited a dozen fans onstage to close the night with a dance party. “This song is about living in the present tense.” From the sound of their latest release, that’s what Rogue Wave have been doing.

More Rogue Wave photos and tour dates after the jump.

Rogue Wave – Permalight

2010 Rogue Wave Tour Dates
Mar 08 2010 The Loft Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 09 2010 Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 10 2010 Bottletree Birmingham, Alabama
Mar 12 2010 Harvest of Hope Festival Armstrong, Florida
Mar 13 2010 The Social Orlando, Florida
Mar 15 2010 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 16 2010 Warehouse Live Houston, Texas
Mar 17 2010 The Loft Dallas, Texas
Apr 07 2010 Rio Theatre Santa Cruz, California
Apr 09 2010 Wonder Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Apr 10 2010 Neumo’s Seattle, Washington
Apr 13 2010 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado
Apr 14 2010 The Bottleneck Lawrence, Kansas
Apr 15 2010 Fine Line Cafe Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 16 2010 High Noon Saloon Madison, Wisconsin
Apr 17 2010 Lincoln Hall (Early Show) Chicago, Illinois
Apr 17 2010 Lincoln Hall (Late Show) Chicago, Illinois
Apr 20 2010 Mojo’s Columbia, Missouri
Apr 21 2010 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, Oklahoma
Apr 24 2010 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona
Apr 27 2010 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, California
Apr 29 2010 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, California
Apr 30 2010 The Fillmore San Francisco, California

Rogue Wave at Bowery Ballroom (by Jon Klemm)

Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos and his girlfriend Dyan Valdes (of The Blood Arm) have just announced that the US debut of the curiously named, Everybody Was In The French Resistance… Now!, will take place at this year’s SXSW. Not long after their Texas gigs, Eddie and Dyan will hit the road again for a “proper tour” of the US in the Spring, including a pair of shows at Mercury Lounge (May 12) and Union Hall (May 13). Taking a stab at being culturally relevant, here’s what the Wall St. Journal had to say about the deluge of oddly named bands heading to Austin this year:

The available supply of punchy one- or two-word band names is dwindling. So, many acts are resorting to the unwieldy or nonsensical.

Among more than 1,900 acts expected in March at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, are bands with the names And So I Watch You From Afar, and Everybody Was In the French Resistance…Now! The f-word is part of 100 band names in a media database maintained by Gracenote, a unit of Sony Corp. that licenses digital entertainment technology. [Wall St. Journal]

For some more entertaining information on the band, you can read the UK road musings of David Newton, EWITFRN! “guitarist/musical facilitator” at theyoungintrepid.blogspot.com. Also more directly relevant to the music at hand, you can check out Pitchfork’s unflattering review of EWITFRN’s debut record, Fixing The Charts over here.

Tickets for the Union Hall and Mercury Lounge shows are on sale now. More Everybody Was In The French Resistance… Now! (partially complete) US tour dates and a video after the jump.

Everybody Was In The French Resistance… Now! 2010 US Tour Dates
03/17/10 Galaxy Room @ 1:00 a.m. (Official Showcase) Austin, TX
03/17/10 Creekside Lounge @ 5:15 (Big Texas Jumpstart III) Austin, TX
03/18/10 Spider House @ 4:00 p.m. (AnSo Day Party) Austin, TX
03/19/10 Hotel San Jose @ 1:00 p.m. (South by San Jose Party) Austin, TX
03/19/10 Mohawk @ 4:00 p.m. (Onion AV Party) Austin, TX
05/04/10 Turf Club St Paul, MN
05/07/10 Majestic Cafe Detroit, MI
05/11/10 Great Scott Allston, MA
05/12/10 Mercury Lounge New York, NY
05/13/10 Union Hall Brooklyn, NY
05/14/10 North Star Philadelphia, PA
05/22/10 Emos Austin, TX

Playlist: New Releases 03.02.10

Peter Gabriel – Scratch My Back
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When the tracklisting was revealed for Peter Gabriel’s covers project, a lot of jaws dropped. It always seemed like Gabriel was one to ignore trends, finding inspiration in the oddest of spaces. With covers of Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Radiohead and others, it turns out Peter Gabriel is more like Davids Bowie and Byrne (both covered here as well) and is in tune with the indie rock trends. Adding to the attraction of the track list is Gabriel’s refined voice and the orchestral arrangements, adding up to something that needs to be heard. At least once. I’m afraid, though, that this is not an album you can listen to a lot. Separately, the songs have a certain novelty factor, but after that wears off, they don’t beat the originals. Again, though, this is an album that needs to be heard.

Jaguar Love – Hologram Jams
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When this Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves union came up, you would’ve never expected this radical evolution to electro-punk. Of course, now that the Pretty Girls Make Graves element (Jay Clark) has been extracted from the equation, I guess anything is possible. Aside from the heavily effected guitars from Cody Votolato, the album is all electronically driven. Throw in the always recognizable vocals from Johnny Whitney and this is a freakishly good time. Just skip the bonus track. That’s no way to treat “Piece of My Heart.”

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Japanther – Rock n’ Roll Ice Cream / “Spread So Thin” [mp3]
Portugal. The Man – American Ghetto / “Dead Dog” [mp3]
The Ruby Suns – Fight Softly / Free AOL album stream / “Cranberry” [mp3]
Rogue Wave – Permalight / Free AOL album stream / “Good Morning” [mp3]
Citizen Cope – The Rainwater LP
Athlete – Black Swan / Free AOL album stream
Groove Armada – Black Light / Free AOL album stream
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
Shooter Jennings & Hierophant- Black Ribbons
Sarah Silverman – Songs of the Sarah Silverman Program: From Our rears to Your Ears! / Free AOL album stream
Raheem Devaughn – The Love & War Masterpeace
Yellow Swans – Going Places
Twin Tigers – Gray Waves / Free AOL album stream
Almost Alice / Free AOL album stream

REISSUES
Fela Kuti – Shakara / London Scene

I Twittered about the possiblity of a new Foals record a few weeks ago, but the boys from Oxford just made it official via their MySpace blog last Monday. Total Life Forever, the new album from Foals will hit the shelves on May 10, 2010 in the UK, with the first single entitled “The Orient” arriving on May 3, 2010. Presumably, the new LP will drop on this side of the pond on May 11, 2010 via Sub Pop (and the single a week earlier I’m guessing). I’ll let you know more about that when I find out. For now, you can watch a video for “Spanish Sahara” on the Foals website (or YouTube if you prefer) and you can receive the Mount Kimbie remix of “Spanish Sahara” by entering your email address over here.

total life forever
hey everyone!

we have some good news.

// we can finally announce that our second album, TOTAL LIFE FOREVER will be released on May 10th, MMX.

// in addition something pretty, pretty, pretty good will be happening on the airwaves this coming Monday.

// there is a new revamped foals.co.uk on its way. this will be our new HQ as we slowly withdraw from the world of social nettwerking. go check it out, it’ll be fully operational over the next few weeks.
…
// lots more news to come.

it’s good to be back.
big love
Yannis [Foals MySpace]

Tickets for the Foals upcoming UK tour go on presale starting Wed, March 10 at 9AM (London time?). All Foals European tour dates after the jump.

Foals 2010 European Tour Dates
Apr 12 2010 Columbia Club Berlin
Apr 14 2010 Paradiso Amsterdam
Apr 15 2010 Trabendo Paris
Apr 17 2010 Printemps du Bourges Bourges
Apr 29 2010 The Kazimier Liverpool
Apr 30 2010 Newcastle University Newcastle
May 02 2010 O2 ABC Glasgow
May 03 2010 Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds
May 04 2010 Ritz Manchester
May 06 2010 Junction Cambridge
May 07 2010 Nottingham Trent University Nottingham
May 08 2010 Anson Rooms Bristol
May 10 2010 Electric Ballroom London
May 12 2010 O2 Academy Oxford
May 14 2010 The Ambassador Dublin

Since their show at Webster Hall sold out almost immediately, the gang from Broken Social Scene have decided to put on another show at a slightly larger venue. Tickets for the just announced September 18, 2010 BSS show at the Rumsey Playfield at Central Park (aka Summerstage) go on Amex presale on Wed, March 3 at 11:00 AM. Regular on sale will commence on Fri, March 5 at 12:00 PM. Their new album, Forgiveness Rock Record, will be available on Arts & Crafts on May 4, 2010, you can download the first single entitled “World Sick” over here.

More BSS tour dates after the jump.

Broken Social Scene 2010 Tour Dates
Mar 14, 2010 Elkton, FL Harvest Of Hope Festival
Mar 18, 2010 Austin, TX Stubbs BBQ
Mar 19, 2010 Austin, TX The Parish
May 01, 2010 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
May 03, 2010 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
May 07, 2010 New York, NY Webster Hall
May 13, 2010 London, UK Brixton Academy
May 14, 2010 Minehead @ Butlins, UK All Tomorrow’s Parties
May 15, 2010 Brighton, UK The Great Escape
May 17, 2010 London, UK Heaven
May 18, 2010 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
May 19, 2010 Cologne, Germany Burgerhaus Stollwerck
May 21, 2010 Paris, France La Maroquinerie
May 23, 2010 Linz, AUT LinzFest
May 24, 2010 Berlin, Germany Kesselhaus
May 27, 2010 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound Festival
May 29, 2010 George, WA Sasquatch Festival
Jun 19, 2010 Toronto, ON Olympic Island
Jul 10, 2010 Kinross, Scotland T In The Park
Jul 11, 2010 Punchestown, Ireland Oxegen Festival
Sep 18, 2010 Rumsey Playfield at Central Park, New York, NY

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Po’ Girl play live, in fact Allison Russell (the principal singer and songwriter) is the only member that remains since I saw them at the now defunct Bottom Line circa 2003. The band’s still around though, and the new lineup featuring Russell, Awna Teixeira, Benny Sidelinger, and Mikey “Lightning” August are taking their show on the road throughout February and March for the “No Shame Tour”. If you’re brave enough to go outside in this weather, you can catch them tonight (Feb 26) at the Living Room at 9PM (Buy Tickets), they’ll also (allegedly) be playing a secret show tomorrow night somewhere in Brooklyn. I wish I could tell you where that one will be, but I have no idea. Here’s a little more background on the “No Shame Tour”:

Po’ Girl will be raising money to benefit the National Children’s Alliance (http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org) in the USA and Little Warriors (http://www.littlewarriors.ca) in Canada. Partial proceeds of all Po’Girl merchandise sales from their shows will be donated to these groups. Allison Russell of Po’Girl will also be fund raising by collecting donations in support of her running the Athens, Ohio marathon on April 11, 2010 at the conclusion of the “No Shame Tour”. One hundred percent of these donations will go to benefit the two child abuse prevention organizations. It’s all a part of following their bliss….

Russell is the survivor of ten years of sexual abuse at the hands of her adopted father. She wrote the song “No Shame” in 2006 when she found out that he had been released from prison. Po’Girl recorded “No Shame” on their critically acclaimed album Deer in the Night in 2009. “No Shame” was featured on the radio program The Vinyl Cafe in May 2009. Host Stuart Mclean wrote a beautiful piece about the song and Alli’s history; the reception from listeners was overwhelming. [PoGirl.net]

This “No Shame” tour will lead into the “Follow Your Bliss” tour, where the band will be promoting their new album, conveniently titled Follow Your Bliss. Follow Your Bliss was recorded last month during a three week stint in Chicago with engineer Zach Goheen at the helm. The new album will be released in April/May 2010 in Europe and on June 8th, 2010 in North America. It will be available for digital download worldwide as of May 2010.

Lots more Po’ Girl tour dates after the jump.

Po’ Girl 2010 Tour Dates
Feb 26 2010 The Living Room – No Shame Tour New York City, NY
Feb 27 2010 Secret Show! w/ JT Nero Brooklyn, NY
Feb 28 2010 WVBR – NONESUCH Ithaca, NY
Feb 28 2010 Castaways w/ JT Nero Ithaca, NY
Mar 01 2010 Iron Horse Music Hall – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Northampton, MA
Mar 02 2010 Johnny D’s – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Somerville, MA
Mar 03 2010 One Longfellow Square – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Portland, ME
Mar 04 2010 Funk ’N Waffles – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Syracuse, NY
Mar 05 2010 Club Cafe – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 06 2010 The Ark – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Ann Arbor, MI
Mar 09 2010 Dublin St United Church – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero and Noise and the Ghost Guelph, ON
Mar 10 2010 Hugh’s Room – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Toronto, ON
Mar 11 2010 House Concert – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Peterborough, ON
Mar 12 2010 Black Sheep Inn – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Wakefield, ON
Mar 13 2010 L’Astral – Jazz All Year Round w/ JT Nero Montreal, Quebec
Mar 14 2010 Club Metronome w/ JT Nero Burlington, VT
Mar 18 2010 Vintage Bistro And Lounge w/ JT Nero Hampton, NB
Mar 19 2010 Evergreen Theatre Margaretsville, NS
Mar 20 2010 Point Rock Concerts – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Fall River, NS
Mar 20 2010 Point Rock Concerts Fall River, NS
Mar 21 2010 The Carleton – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Halifax, NS
Mar 21 2010 The Carleton Halifax, NS
Mar 22 2010 The Carleton – No Shame Tour w/ JT Nero Halifax, NS
Mar 22 2010 The Carleton Halifax, NS
Apr 23 2010 Concert in the Woods w/ JT Nero Lage Vuursche
Apr 24 2010 Huis Verloren w/ JT Nero Hoorn
Apr 25 2010 Cultureel Podium Roepaen w/ JT Nero Ottersum
Apr 26 2010 Meneer Frits w/ JT Nero Eindhoven
Apr 27 2010 Folk in de Walden w/ JT Nero Oentsjerk
Apr 28 2010 Paradiso w/ JT Nero Amsterdam
Apr 30 2010 JZ Karo w/ JT Nero Kesel
May 01 2010 Oosterpoort w/ JT Nero Groningen
May 07 2010 Calstock Villlage Hall – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Calstock – Cornwall
May 08 2010 Exeter Phoenix Arts Center – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Devon – Exeter
May 09 2010 Ropetackle w/ Hullabaloo Community Choir Shoreham-on-Sea
May 11 2010 Band on The Wall – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Manchester
May 12 2010 Students Guild – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Wrexham – Wales
May 13 2010 Brewery Arts Center – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Cumbria
May 14 2010 The Lumiaire – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero London
May 15 2010 Whitstable Folk Club @ The Royal Native Oyster – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Whitstable
May 16 2010 Railli Hall – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Hove
May 18 2010 Swindon Art Centre – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Swindon
May 19 2010 The Holywell Music Room w/ The Epstein Oxford
May 20 2010 St Bonaventura Social Club – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Bristol – Avon
May 21 2010 Forest Art Centre – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Christchurch – Dorset
May 22 2010 Electric Palace – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Bridport – Dorset
May 23 2010 The Glee Club – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Birmingham
May 25 2010 The Blue Bell Inn – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Hempsted – Saffron Walden
May 26 2010 The Hop – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Wakefield – Yorkshire
May 27 2010 The Darwin Suit – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Derby
May 28 2010 Ireby Festival – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Ireby
May 29 2010 The Trades Club – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Yorkshire
May 30 2010 The Cluny – Follow Your Bliss UK Tour w/ JT Nero Newcastle upon Tyne
Jun 05 2010 The Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre – Follow Your Bliss Ireland Tour w/ JT Nero Dublin
Jun 06 2010 The Black Box – Follow Your Bliss Ireland Tour w/ JT Nero Belfast
Jun 12 2010 Eaves Movie Ranch – Thirsty Ear Festival Santa Fe, NM
Jun 19 2010 Private Party Silver City, NM
Jun 25 2010 Kate Wolf Festival Laytonville, CA
Jul 02 2010 New Bedford Summerfest – Barrel of Music – New Bedford, MA
Jul 09 2010 Vancouver Island Music Festival Vancouver Island, BC
Jul 17 2010 Vancouver Folk Music Festival – Vancouver, BC
Aug 04 2010 Summer Bandstand Series Santa Fe, NM
Aug 05 2010 Rio Grande Botanic Garden Albuquerque, NM
Aug 24 2010 Ballard Park – Concerts Happening in Ridgefield Park Ridgefield, CT
Aug 27 2010 Wilderness State Park – Porcupine Mountains Music Festival Ontonagon, MI
Sep 02 2010 Strawberry Music Festival Groveland, CA
Sep 10 2010 Sisters Folk Festival – Sisters Folk Festival Sisters, OR
Sep 18 2010 Pistol River Friendship Hall Pistol River, OR
Sep 24 2010 Freight & Salvage Berkeley, CA
Oct 22 2010 The Dream Cafe Penticton, BC
Oct 23 2010 Okanagan Mission Community Hall Kelowna, BC
Oct 26 2010 Old Firehall Rossland, BC
Oct 27 2010 Old Firehall Rossland, BC
Oct 31 2010 Geomatic Attic – Po’ Girl Halloween Show Lethbridge, ON
Nov 05 2010 Buckhorn Opera House Pinos Altos, NM
Nov 12 2010 Swallow Hill Denver, CO

Wye Oak at The Bell House (12/03/10)

Photo: Jon Klemm

Shearwater’s dramatic new record, The Golden Archipelago, came out Tuesday (Feb 23) on Matador Records and they’re currently in the midst of a European tour to promote the album. Have no fear though, the band will be back in America next month just in time to hit up SXSW and play a few shows before heading to the Bowery Ballroom on Mar 27 for their only local show with Wye Oak and Hospital Ships.

All Shearwater tour dates, a video for “Hidden Lakes”, and some previously unreleased pics of Wye Oak from the Bell House after the jump.

Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago

DOWNLOAD: Shearwater – “Black Eyes”

Shearwater 2010 North American Tour Dates
Mar 13 2010 Red 7 (Jonathan Meiburg solo, supporting Xiu Xiu) Austin, Texas
Mar 19 2010 Antone’s (SXSW) Austin, Texas
Mar 24 2010 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia *
Mar 25 2010 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina *
Mar 26 2010 Rock & Roll Hotel Washington DC, Washington DC *
Mar 27 2010 Bowery Ballroom New York, New York *
Mar 28 2010 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *
Mar 30 2010 TT the Bear’s Boston, Massachusetts *
Mar 31 2010 La Sala Rossa Montreal, Quebec *
Apr 01 2010 Lee’s Palace Toronto *
Apr 02 2010 Castaways Ithaca, New York *
Apr 04 2010 Lincoln Hall Chicago, Illinois *
Apr 05 2010 Mad Planet Milwaukee, Wisconsin *
Apr 06 2010 400 Bar Minneapolis, Minnesota *
Apr 07 2010 Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa *
Apr 09 2010 Opolis Norman, Oklahoma *
Apr 10 2010 The Loft Dallas, Texas *
Apr 22 2010 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona *
Apr 23 2010 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona *
Apr 24 2010 Spaceland Los Angeles, California *
Apr 25 2010 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, California *
Apr 27 2010 Doug Fir Portland, Oregon *
Apr 28 2010 The Biltmore Vancouver, British Columbia *
Apr 29 2010 Triple Door Seattle, Washington *
Apr 30 2010 The Bell Tower Pullman, Washington *
May 01 2010 Neurolux Boise, Idaho *
May 04 2010 The Walnut Room Denver, Colorado *
May 05 2010 Launch Pad Albuquerque, New Mexico *
May 07 2010 The Parish Austin, Texas *

* With Wye Oak and Hospital Ships

Wye Oak at The Bell House (12/03/10)

I know this is totally last minute, but it seems like such a cool thing, I just had to post it.

We are very pleased to announce a VERY exciting record release party/performance for Efterklang’s 4AD debut album, Magic Chairs. It’s a multimedia extravaganza, and open to anyone with RSVP.

On Tuesday, February 23rd from 5-7pm at the Clark Studio Theater in Manhattan, an 8 piece orchestra, made up of kids from PS. 859, a public school for musically gifted children from grades K-8 (aka The Special Music School) will perform Efterklang songs in tandem with a filmed performance of the band. The band will be projected on a 20-foot high screen behind the kids. We call this collaboration Efterkids! With this performance, 4AD and Efterklang hope to raise awareness for the overall issue of music education in schools.

From 5-6pm we will have a listening party for Magic Chairs with complimentary beer and wine, and the performance will begin at 6pm.

DATE: Tuesday February 23rd
LOCATION: Clark Studio Theater is part of Lincoln Center, located in the Rose Building, 7th Floor, at West 65th St and Amsterdam Ave. (http://bit.ly/bStvRV)
TIME: 5-7pm
WHO: anyone, space permitting
RSVP: rsvpnyc@4ad.com

Efterklang 2010 North American tour dates and more about tonight’s event after the jump.

Efterklang 2010 North American Tour Dates
03.02.10 – Philadelphia, PA / First Unitarian Church / support: Balmorhea
03.03.10 – New York, NY / Le Poisson Rouge / support: Balmorhea
03.04.10 – Boston, MA / TT The Bears / support: Balmorhea
03.05.10 – Montreal, Canada / La Sala Rosa / support: Balmorhea
03.06.10 – Toronto, Canada / El Mocambo / support: Balmorhea
03.07.10 – Detroit MI / The Pike Room / support: Balmorhea
03.08.10 – Chicago, IL / Lincoln Hall / support: Balmorhea
03.11.10 – Seattle, WA / The Triple Door / support: Balmorhea
03.12.10 – Vancouver, BC, Canada / Biltmore / support: Balmorhea
03.13.10 – Portland, OR / Doug Fir / support: Balmorhea
03.15.10 – San Francisco, CA / Bottom Of The Hill / support: Balmorhea
03.16.10 – Los Angeles, CA / Spaceland / support: Balmorhea
03.18.10 – SXSW Festival / Austin, TX
03.19.10 – SXSW Festival / Austin, TX
03.20.10 – SXSW Festival / Austin, TX

ABOUT EFTERKLANG
Efterklang is a band from Copenhagen, Denmark. They consist of 4 core members (Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen, Thomas Husmer & Rasmus Stolberg) and they have played together since December 2000. They have performed in front of thousands with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra. They’ve brought down the house with the Britten Sinfonia at London’s Barbican Hall last Fall, and Magic Chairs is their third full-length album. The band will physically be in New York for a performance at Le Poisson Rouge on March 3rd, and they will also be performing several times during SXSW. All the band’s dates can be found here: http://efterklang.net/home/concerts/

You can sample the song “Modern Drift” here: http://www.beggarspromo.com/982tnsefterklang/h32ggfModernDrift.mp3

You can view the video for “Modern Drift” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVj3rTWfVVw

As a fund-raising effort, 4AD will be filming the performance and producing a special 4AD Session (www.4ad.com/sessions/) that will go live online in March. The Efterkids 4AD Session will be heavily promoted and visitors will be asked to make a donation to the Special Music School in order to view the session. Materials will also be made available for other schools to create their own performance and videos of Efterkids.

The proceeds from this campaign will go toward raising money for much need computer equipment and other supplies for the school, and in addition, 4AD will be making a donation to the school.

ABOUT PS.859 – THE SPECIAL MUSIC SCHOOL
The Special Music School (SMS) is a unique model for how publicly funded arts education can work.

SMS was founded in 1996 as a public/private partnership between the New York City Department of Education and the Kaufman Center, a not-for-profit, multi-arts organization. Its students have benefitted greatly from an integrated approach to curriculum, receiving rigorous musical training and academic guidance in a holistic context that emphasizes creative thinking and problem solving.

THE NEED FOR MUSIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
Producing future generations of musicians and adults who appreciate art is vital to our social fabric.

Beyond creating art, a recent Conference Board Report revealed that 74 percent of employers agree that creativity is increasingly important in U.S. workplaces. In addition, teamwork and critical thinking ranked in the five most important skills for new workforce entrants, yet more than half of these employers stated that entrants exhibited deficiencies in these skills. Ensuring that students have the opportunity to study a musical instrument helps resolve this deficit.

As other nations have looked to the United States education system as a model, and are including arts education in their curricula, many American schools are cutting these same programs. Without music programs in our public schools our children and our culture are weakened.

Drake’s Take: New Releases 02.16.10

It’s a deeper week than last, but not as top heavy. I’ve been loving this new Field Music release, and the Freeway & Jake One joint is a charmer. Elsewhere, there’s the latest from Robert Pollard, Local Natives, Mumford & Sons, Adam Green, Tindersticks, Lightspeed Champion, Juliana Hatfield, The Art Museums and a special Preservation Hall Jazz Band benefit release featuring guest vocals from an eclectic collection of voices like Tom Waits, Jim James, Pete Seeger, Jason Isbell, Andrew Bird, Merle Haggard and more.

Playlist: New Releases 02.16.10

Measure, in musical terms, is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. With a band that’s as precise as Field Music, it seems appropriate that their title be so… um… precise as well. While the band thrives on precision, they build chaos around that proper BritPop sound, bleeding the edge. Field Music went on hiatus back in 2007, citing a boredom with the rock format of guitar/bass/drums, and set out to release projects on their own that broke away from their perceived constraints. As such, we got interesting releases from School of Language (David Brewis) and The Week That Was (Peter Brewis). Measure is like a hodge-podge collection of these different styles in one release, mixing the experimentation of the Brewis bros. projects, and the more straight ahead / XTC-influenced BritPop of the band prior. It makes for an initially disorienting ride, but I’ve yet to grow tired of it’s twists and turns. “Them That Do Nothing” sounds like it was written and Field Music had to reunite just to perform it (it’s that good), while “Let’s Write a Book” finds the band at it’s simplest (and, in this context, greatest). It’s a high-wire act all the way through, and at the end you may find yourself relieved that it’s over, but exhilarated all the same.

I have to confess I’m not a huge Freeway fan, but when word got out he had Jake One in tow for this latest release, I was definitely on board. There’s a reason that an instrumental version of the record had to be released as well, as the Seattle producer captures the essence of 70’s soul so well, the rap often sounds like it gets in the way.

Free AOL Album Stream

Best part may just be the packaging:

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Robert Pollard – We All Got out of the Army
Tindersticks – Falling Down a Mountain
Lightspeed Champion – Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You
Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Preservation: An Album To Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program / Free AOL album stream
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Jason Faulkner – I’m OK… You’re OK (AOL Album stream)
The Art Museums – Rough Frame EP
Juliana Hatfield – Peace & Love
Adam Green – Minor Love / Free AOL album stream / “What Makes Him Act So Bad”, “Castles and Tassels” [mp3]
Blue Brain – Soft Power / Free AOL album stream / “Ten By Ten” [mp3]
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor / “Sun Hands” [mp3]
The Seven Fields of Aphelion – Periphery
Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La
Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin – Dear Companion / Free AOL album stream / “Something, Somewhere, Sometime” [mp3]
Smoking Popes – It’s Been a Long Day / Free AOL album stream
Son Lux – Weapons EP / “Weapons V” [mp3]
Scanners – Submarine / Free AOL album stream
Mark Matos & Os Beaches – Words of the Knife
Backyard Tire Fire – Good to Be
My Name is Khan

REISSUES
Fela Kuti – Open & Close/Afrodisiac
Fela Kuti – Roforofo Fight/The Fela Singles
Fela Kuti – Koola Lobitos 64-68/The ‘69 L.A. Sessions

Aside from the Man In Gray reunion, there is another auspicious event happening tonight (Feb 20) in New York City. Michael Grubbs, aka the musical phenomenon known as Wakey!Wakey!, is having a record release party for his brand new studio album, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You…. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, “Mike likes the spectacle!“, and with a dozen or so musicians on stage, tonight’s show should be one for the books.

Saturday February 20th we will celebrate the release of our new album “Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You…” at New York’s Mercury Lounge! We hope you can all join us! It’ll be a crazy night! We’re talking a dozen people on stage and maybe more! We hope to see you all! It might be wise to buy your tickets in advance, which you can do here. [WakeyWakeyMusic.com]

If you can’t catch Mike on stage this weekend, you can watch him on screen on the CW’s One Tree Hill, where art imitates life as Grubbs plays a bartender/musician named “Grubbs“. To promote the new record, and his appearances on OTH, Mike is performing a series of concerts “live on Facebook” via USTREAM every other Monday night starting Feb 15 (so the next one should be on March 1, according to my calendar). To view these exclusive shows, become a fan of Wakey!Wakey! on Facebook.

One last thing, if you are going to the show tonight, make sure to get there early enough to catch opening act Harper Blynn, who you may have seen headlining the Bowery Ballroom at one time or other as Pete and J. Harper Blynn, which consists of Pete Harper, J. Blynn, Sarab Singh and Whynot, will be playing songs off of their upcoming debut, Loneliest Generation, which comes out (again?) on May 11 via Baby Jackal Records.

More Wakey!Wakey! and Harper Blynn tour dates after the jump.

Wakey!Wakey! Tour Dates
Feb 20 2010 Mercury Lounge New York, NY, New York
Mar 27 2010 Rockwood Music Hall New York, New York

Harper Blynn 2010 Tour Dates
Feb 20 2010 Mercury Lounge New York, NY, New York
Mar 08 2010 WFUV – On Your Radar at the Living Room New York, New York
Mar 11 2010 Rumba Café Columbus, Ohio
Mar 12 2010 Schuba’s Chicago, Illinois
Mar 23 2010 Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 25 2010 Evening Muse Charlotte, North Carolina
Mar 26 2010 Night Cat Easton, Maryland
Mar 27 2010 DC9 Washington, Washington DC

Gypsy-punk outfit Gogol Bordello has worked a quick run through North America into its late-winter/early spring world tour ahead of the forthcoming Rick Rubin-produced effort, “Transcontinental Hustle.”

Before heading out for an Australian leg, the New York-based group will take the stage at New York City’s Carnegie Hall Feb. 26 for a Tibet House benefit concert, which will also feature Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Regina Spektor, among others. [LiveDaily.com]

In addition to the Tibet House benefit, Gogol Bordello will play a show of their very own at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza on Mar 9, 2010. Tickets for that show go on Live Nation presale (Password: DRUMS) starting today (Feb 19) at 10AM, public on sale begins on Feb 20 at 10AM. No word yet on when the new album hit the street.

More Gogol Bordello tour dates after the jump.

Gogol Bordello 2010 Tour Dates
Feb 26 – New York, NY – Carnegie Hall
Mar 09 – New York, NY – Fillmore Irving Plaza
Apr 18 – Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
Apr 20 – Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy
Apr 21 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Apr 23 – Chicago, IL – Congress Theater
Apr 24 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Apr 25 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Apr 28 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
Apr 29 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live!
Apr 30 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live!
May 01 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory

For all international tour dates, go here.

Drake’s Take: New Releases 02.09.10

February can be the cruelest of months, even with its brevity. One week you’d swear it was Spring, the next week, you’re spitting icicles. The release schedule kind of feels like that as well. To wit, we’re (mostly) blessed this week with new releases from Hot Chip, Yeasayer and the influential Gil Scott-Heron’s first in 28 years. There’s also notable new joints from The Watson Twins, Panthu Du Prince, Kath Bloom, Massive Attack and also staging a comeback, Sade.

Playlist: New Releases 02.09.10

With their fourth release, Hot Chip seem to have matured and realized they’re romantics at heart. One Life Stand is an awfully serious album in comparison to prior releases, its fuller, richer and their most consistent affair. If it doesn’t attract as much attention, it’s only because they don’t have a killer track like “Over and Over,” or “Ready For the Floor.” Instead, it’s a collection of great songs that are closely related to each other, a thematic collection. The title track is the closest thing to a hit here, while the rest are content to just be good-to-great, a contentment that washes over the album lyrically as well. If Hot Chip are indeed content, at least they’re resting their laurels at a nice peak.

Free AOL album stream

When Brooklyn’s Yeasayer came out of nowhere in 2007 with their Eastern-tinged debut All Hour Cymbals, they didn’t seem so much polarizing as just part of the scene with fellow artists Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors. After hearing their follow-up Odd Blood, that debut almost seems like an elaborate set up now. Even the opening track here, “Children,” sets us off in all kinds of wrong directions, with its industrial edge and weird vocal treatment, as the rest of the album really aims to please far more than freak us out. Between the pugilistic fantasy of “Ambling Alp,” the bouncy “Rome” and an oddly romantic “O.N.E.,” Yeasayer manage to please as well as remain as just strange enough in it’s embrace of world rhythms to avoid a saccharin existence. As I mentioned in a previous post, Security-era Peter Gabriel is a good comparison here, mixing romanticism, pop and African polyrhythms. While it’s bound to confound early fans, I feel like Odd Blood, with time, will win them all back in the before they’re through.

Free AOL Album Stream
Download: “Ambling Alp” [mp3]

REISSUES
Buzzcocks – Another Music in a Different Kitchen