Windfaerer: NJ Folk Metal Band Post Two New Songs on their MySpace Page

DOWNLOAD: Windfaerer - "Glorybound" Demo

New Jersey folk metal horde Windfaerer -- M. Gonçalves [Vocals, Guitars, Bass], JP Andrade [Percussion] and Valèek [Violin] -- recently posted two new tracks to their official MySpace page.

"These Walls (Frozen In Time)" and "This Beautiful Death" (which features bagpipe work by Sevan Kirder, formerly of Eluveitie) come off the trio's debut full-length, Tribus. Tribus was recorded and mixed at Frightbox Recording (Clifton, NJ) by Bobby Torres and follows the band's two-song demo "Glorybound", released last year to mass underground accolades.

Said main songwriter Goncalves of the new tunes: "Tribus is in essence a collection of everyday themes set in a time of Iberian legend. The songs touch upon rebellion against Romans in ancient Hispania and Lusitania, expansion to new lands, as well as voyaging into the unknown. I'm excited about the way everything sounds and how it all came together. I've had this vision for a while and it's almost euphoric to be able to finally realize it!"

Links:
Windfaerer

The Acorn Play Three Nights in NYC/NJ in July

DOWNLOAD - The Acorn - "Restoration"

Ottawa band The Acorn will be performing three NYC dates in mid-July in support of their forthcoming Bella Union CD, No Ghost. There will also be a limited edition of 300 180-gram, red-pressed vinyl edition with hand-silkscreened covers.



Here are the local tour dates:

Tue. 7/13 at Maxwell's [Hoboken]
Wed. 7/14 at Mercury Lounge [NYC]
Thu. 7/15 at Littlefield [Brooklyn]

The band have been traveling the world for two years on headline runs in support of their concept album, Glory Hope Mountain, which is a concept album about front man Rolf Klausener's mother and her life story. After several dates with Phosphorescent, Calexico, and Bowerbirds among others, they retreated to an isolated cottage in northern Quebec earlier this year to work on No Ghost.

NPR calls The Acorn's music, "intimate and beautifully orchestrated," with Mojo saying it's "robust and kaleidoscopic." Pitchfork said Glory Hope Mountain was "epic and satisfying," SPIN made them an 'Artist of the Day,' calling their music "almost folkloric," and Billboard called the album,"an apt command for the listener."

Links:
The Acorn's MySpace Profile

Keegan DeWitt Releases New EP "Nothing Shows" Via Daytrotter's Record Barn

DOWNLOAD: Keegan DeWitt - "Say La La"
DOWNLOAD: Keegan DeWitt - Daytrotter Session 9/16/09 (requires registration)

Nashville-based film composer / Roman Candle guitarist Keegan DeWitt is releasing a new EP, Nothing Shows, on July 13th via Daytrotter's Record Barn - the first exclusive release through the site. Keegan is an indie singer/songwriter who got his start composing film scores (his most recent work appears in upcoming release and recently-picked-up-by-IFC-Films movie Cold Weather, written up in the Village Voice and InterviewMagazine.com, among others). He released his debut, Islands, last year.

For 30 days in the early fall and winter of last year, Keegan crossed the Atlantic and holed up in a Parisian flat to finish work on what would become his stunning new 7-song EP, Nothing Shows (the title originating from the collected works of poet Philip Larkin). It was there that he’d meld the tender craftsmanship of his New York Times-heralded film scores together with the resonant lyricism found on the diverse Islands. And what emerged are seven songs steeped in specific moments, locations, and emotions. Whether on the sad steps of Rome, in an empty schoolyard in suburban Paris, wandering the wintry streets of New York City, or taking a rainy late night bike ride down the streets of Nashville, each track on Nothing Shows plays a short glimpse into a particular time, place, and feeling.

This affinity and skill for articulating moments of substance – both little and small, mundane and profound – is not surprising for someone who is quickly becoming an in-demand name in the world of independent film. In 2009, Keegan’s film score work was featured on the Sundance Channel, HDNet, and most notably, Cold Weather, a SXSW-standout that garnered attention on the cover of Variety magazine and in The Los Angeles Times following its premiere.

Early last year, Keegan toured as both an opener for and guitarist with his sister and brothers-in-law’s band Roman Candle. At their encouragement, he began recording his own material, which caught the ear of Chris Stamey (Whiskeytown, Alejandro Escovedo, Le Tigre), who shortly thereafter signed on to co-produce Islands. Keegan has since toured both the U.S. and Europe on his own.

The EP will be released on July 13th as an exclusive digital download via Daytrotter and will also include with purchase a free, brand new session in lossless format. A hand-designed digipak version of Nothing Shows will also be available at Keegan’s live shows and on www.KeeganDeWitt.com.



Links:
Keegan DeWitt

Jenny & Johnny Announce First US Tour with Stops in Brooklyn and Hoboken

DOWNLOAD: Jenny & Johnny - "Scissor Runner" (requires registration on JennyandJohnnyMusic.com)

Jenny and Johnny first started working together in Los Angeles in 2005, after being introduced by Conor Oberst. Rice had traveled to Nebraska to make his first record before moving to L.A., where Lewis was beginning work with Mike Mogis on her solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat. They both ended up playing on each others recordings, and struck up a lasting creative relationship.

For this new disc, Jenny and Johnny locked out Mike Mogis’ world-class ARC studios for five weeks of tracking, vocals, and mixing during the worst Midwestern winter since the 1860’s. The front door of their guest house actually froze shut, so they used an alternate route to get to the studio every day. Cut off from the outside world in a blizzard’s haze, the record’s personality began to emerge. Gone were the vintage, classic-rock textures of their previous two albums, and in came a brand new sound which was tougher around the edges. The exuberance of love songs like Scissor Runner mask some of the record’s darkness, with Lewis chronicling the economic demise of her beloved California in Big Wave, Rice’s haunting vocal on Animal, and both songwriters raising a middle-finger kiss off in the acerbic My Pet Snakes.

Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice are kicking off their first US tour in September and the tour stops in Brooklyn on September 19th when the band opens for Pavement and the band is playing a headlining set at Maxwell's on September 21st.



Here are the complete tour dates:
9/1 Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theater (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
9/2 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (on sale Sun 6/28 @ 10a)
9/3 Oakland, CA @ The New Parish (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
9/5 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
9/6 Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival (on sale now)
9/8 Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room (on sale Fri 6/25 @ 10a)
9/11 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
9/12 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center (on sale Fri 6/25 @ Noon)
9/13 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (on sale Fri 6/25 @ Noon)
9/14 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom (on sale Fri 6/25 @ 10a)
9/16 Washington , DC @ Black Cat (on sale Fri 6/25 @ Noon)
9/18 Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena (opening for Pavement - on sale now)
9/19 Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Waterfront (opening for Pavement - on sale now)
9/21 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's (on sale Sat 6/26 @ Noon)
9/22 Philadel phia, PA @ Trocadero Theater (w/ Superchunk - on sale now)
9/23 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
9/24 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
9/25 Nashville , TN @ Mercy Lounge (on sale Sat 6/26 @ 10a)
10/3 LA, CA @ Palladium (opening for Belle & Sebastian - on sale now)

Links:
Jenny and Johnny

State Bird Release Video for "Wasting Away" from New EP "Holy Spirits"

DOWNLOAD: State Bird - "Good Vibes"

Ohio freak-folk band State Bird have taken a psychedelic turn with the release of their new EP "Holy Spirits". This 5-track, 20+ minute EP was recorded at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco under the guidance of Ian Pellicci (Deerhoof, Rogue Wave). Compared with Mostly Ghostly (State Bird's 2008 release), the band now has a big sound where Coby and Jared wield fuzz and feedback masterfully.

The band just released the first video from the new EP for the song "Wasting Away":



"Holy Spirits" is available as a $2 download from The Record Machine.



Links:
State Bird

Idols Are Dead - Mean CD Review (Scarlet Records)

Idols Are Dead is a five-piece melodic, hard-rock band that just released their debut CD Mean. The band's sound falls somewhere between Testament's The Ritual, Metallica's The Black Album and Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion while retaining an underlying thrash-metal sound. Taking a page from the fore-mentioned bands, Mean combines fist-pumping riffs with melodic guitar shredding, singer Mana's "John Bush style" gruff vocals and melodic vocal harmonies on the choruses.

Idols Are Dead formed in Italy in 2006 and came out of the gate swinging. The band won the Heineken Jammin Festival Contest in 2007, beating the other 2273 bands, and shared the main stage with Slayer, Iron Maiden and Stone Sour.

(There is a video from the Heineken Jammin Festival on YouTube but it is just fair quality. This video from 2008 shows what the band really sounds like live.)



Idols Are Dead's music should strike a positive chord with fans of the "Big 4" and the band covers Guns N' Roses' "It's So Easy" midway through the new disc.

Links:
Idols Are Dead

Punk Island - Live Photos from Governor's Island, NYC 6-20-10

Earlier today, Punk Island held its third festival on Governor's Island. As I hadn't made it out to any of the prior Punk Island shows, I was somewhat mentally expecting the chaos of the 'Rock Against Reagan' shows from the 80's but was pleasantly surprised. The festival was very well run and had a relaxed vibe. Even the pile-on/shout-along moments of Negative Approach's set didn't have the violent overtones that seemed to be part of the scene in the 80's.



The only off-putting moment to the day was a guy on the ferry over to Governor's Island who was openly playing with a big 'pig-sticker' knife. When people started looking at him, he put on blackout glasses and pulled a bandana over the lower part of his face. At this point, I was planning on jumping over the side of the boat if the guy was a psycho. The ferry operators came over, the knife was put away and the cops grabbed the guy when the boat docked.

I probably only saw only half of the 18 stages as they were scattered across all points of the island. It was a real DIY style performance where all the bands were playing through PAs in locations that ranged from the porch of a house (until the Parks people asked them to move to the front of the house), in various parking lots, in front of the old movie theater and in the middle of a field.



Links:
Punk Island

Chappo Plays House of Yes on June 26th // Live Video + Interview from Williamsburg Loft Party

Brooklyn synth/funk space-rock band Chappo played a sweaty, high-energy set at a dance party at Dynasty Electric's loft earlier this month.



Chappo is playing one final local show next Saturday (June 26th) in support of their new EP "Plastique Universe" before heading out for a West Coast tour. The show is at House of Yes (342 Maujer St., Brooklyn, NY) and Chappo is playing with Tayisha Busay, Bad Brilliance and Planet Rump. This show is part of the Northside Festival and tickets are $10 (or $7 wearing glitter). The show flyer states "free Heineken & Southern Comfort while it lasts."

Here are Chappo's West Coast tour dates:

July 02, 2010 -- Cabin Tavern :: w/No-Fi Soul Rebellion, Camp Out, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Bellingham, WA
July 03, 2010 -- Winterland :: w/ Kindness Kind, Chyeah Chyeah, Zebra Mirrors, Bremerton, WA
July 04, 2010 -- Pablo's Sparkler Party, Moon City (PO), WA
July 06, 2010 -- TBA, Vancouver, BC, Canada
July 07, 2010 -- All Ages Hover Party-The Den at Urban Xchange Tacoma, Washington
July 08, 2010 -- Rendezvous-Jewelbox Theater :: w/ The Marrying Type, Low Places, Seattle, WA
July 09, 2010 -- Lunar Greek Party :: private - inquire within, Seattle, WA
July 10, 2010 -- Red Room :: w/Quintessentials, Fools Rush, Portland, OR
July 11, 2010 -- TBA, Portland, OR
July 13, 2010 -- Rotture w/ Very International Love and Serious Business, Portland, OR
July 15, 2010 -- TBA, Portland, OR
July 18, 2010 -- TBA, San Francisco, CA
July 21, 2010 -- Silverlake Lounge :: w/ Yellow Alex, Los Angeles, CA
July 22, 2010 -- The Tin Can :: w/TBA, San Diego, CA
July 24, 2010 -- Surfs Up Backyard Party, Los Angeles, CA
July 25, 2010 -- Gravity Echo Party, Los Angeles, CA

Links:
Chappo

The Organ Beats Release AC/DC Cover / Show at Matchless on July 9th

DOWNLOAD: The Organ Beats: "Shake A Leg" (AC/DC Cover) - Note: Requires Free Registration

The Organ Beats is the latest project from x-Damone guitarist/front-woman Noelle LeBlanc. The three piece band was formed in 2008 and consists of Noelle LeBlanc, her brother Danny and long-time friend Mikey C. The band's debut 9-track album Sleep When We Are Dead was recorded in the summer 2009 in their friends' small studio outside of Houston,TX over the course of 3 weeks.

Recently The Organ Beats released a cover of "Shake A Leg" by AC/DC in honor of the 30 year anniversary of Back in Black.



Upcoming shows:
June 26th with Herra Terra @ Ralphs, Worcester, MA
July 9th with Herra Terra @ Matchless, Brooklyn, NY
July 16th with The Lights Out @ Middle East Upstairs, Boston, MA
July 23rd @ Tammany Hall, Worcester, MA
July 24th @ T.J.'s Pub, Manchester, NH
August 20th @ T.T. The Bear's Place, Boston, MA

Links:
The Organ Beats

Tanya Donelly & Friends: Live Photos from Joe's Pub, NYC June 13, 2010

"It smells like beer and children in here" -- Jenny Owens Young

Yesterday, American Laundromat Records hosted an all-ages benefit show for The Valerie Fund at Joe's Pub which featured Tanya Donelly, Jenny Owen Youngs and Julie Peel.

The Valerie Fund is a NYC-based charity that supports the comprehensive care of children with cancer and blood disorders. Established in 1976 in memory of nine-year-old Valerie Goldstein, The Valerie Fund Children’s Centers, located at 7 major hospitals, comprise one of the nation’s largest networks of health care facilities for children with cancer and blood disorders.



It was a great show for a great cause. It was also refreshing that none of the artists "dumbed down" their set to play to the kids in the audience. (Any adult who has every sat through a kid's show will know exactly what I mean.) Julie Peel kicked off the afternoon with a five song set that concluded with The Little Mermaid's "Under the Sea". After some face painting for the kids, Jenny Owens Young took the stage. She seemed a bit surprised to see so many small faces right at the edge of the stage looking up at her and made a crack about not playing songs about divorce and cancer. After her set, American Laundromat Records gave away prizes to all the kids. (It made my 6-year-old's day to get a pack of Silly Bands and a Webkinz Warthog.)

Tanya Donelly wrapped up the afternoon with a set that included duets with her daughter and friends and Julie Peel.

Here is the set list:
- Two songs that Tanya said she wrote for her kids (Titles unknown)
- Moon River
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Laluna The Loon
- Everythings Gonna Be Alright
- Heart of Gold (Neil Young cover with Julie Peel)
- Days of Grace

Links:
Tanya Donelly
Julie Peel
Jenny Owen Youngs
American Laundromat Records

J Roddy Walston and The Business Play the Bell House on June 19 // New Disc Out on July 27th

DOWNLOAD: J Roddy Walston and The Business - "Don't Break The Needle"
DOWNLOAD: J Roddy Walston and The Business - "Brave Man's Death"

J Roddy Walston and The Business have a new digital EP out in advance of their self-titled full-length debut which is due out on July 27th (on Vagrant Records). The band will also be pressing limited edition 7” vinyl records with custom designed sleeves by J Roddy himself that will be available on their upcoming tour dates and on the Vagrant site in the coming weeks.

J Roddy Walston and The Business are playing a free summer party at The Bell House this Saturday. The show is sponsored by Rachael Ray and Snapple and includes The Detroit Cobras, Motel Motel and a slew of other bands. The show runs from 12PM - 5PM and J Roddy Walston is playing at 3PM.



Links:
J Roddy Walston and The Business

Bodega Girls Release New Single "We are Losers" // Show at Home Sweet Home on June 17th

PREMIERE: Bodega Girls - We Are Losers

Boston's Bodega Girls are releasing a new track tomorrow, "We Are Losers", as an exclusive free download via RcrdLbl.com. To mark the release, the band is playing a show on Thursday June 17 at Home Sweet Home (131 Chrystie Street) supporting Kid Sister.

BODEGA GIRLS, a band of tricksters, hedonists and good-for-nothings whose morals defy even the most perverted of human beings.

BODEGA GIRLS Only an audience so bloodthirsty and sex starved as they could take pleasure in the world of bra-busting, pants-dropping debauchery they have to offer.

BODEGA GIRLS A musical troupe performing acts of sexuality and persuasion with their own God-given instruments, turning on the already depraved, as well as the naive. ..

BODEGA GIRLS A sick cinematic slew of sweaty skimp and callous kink. An unadulterated penetration into the gaping hole of the sicko's soul...

BODEGA GIRLS The human id - illustrated in flesh and guitar strings. Hourglass figures and experienced fingers prance and wriggle their way across the stage, screen and into your psyche. An orgy of sleaze, desire, and rock and roll music - brought to life in bouncy, jiggly technicolor...

BODEGA GIRLS Hedonistic purveyors of Soul, too well endowed and too world renowned to be confined to lo rent clubs and white bred soundstages – look for their sonic ebony to explode at a party near you.

BODEGA GIRLS Dance. Fuck. Sweat. Dance some more



Links:
Bodega Girls

My Cousin, The Emperor Play the 'Ultimate Battle of the Boroughs' @ WNYC's The Greene Space on June 18th

DOWNLOAD: My Cousin, The Emperor - Live Acoustic Set @ Rockwood Music Hall, Jan. 5, 2010
DOWNLOAD: My Cousin, The Emperor - "Montevideo"

Brooklyn-based Americana band, My Cousin, The Emperor is playing WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs this Friday at The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street (on the corner of Charlton and Varick).

My Cousin, The Emperor is the latest project of North Carolina-to-Brooklyn transplant singer/songwriter Jason Reischel. Jason has joined forces with guitarist Terry Quire, bassist Chris Gogan and drummer Alex Wyatt and the band released their debut CD A Long Way From Home this past October. This new disc caught my ear right away as the band captures some musical styles that are atypical to indie alt-country. The disc starts with some 'Country R&B' tunes that are stylistically similar to work from Jools Holland and similar artists. From there, Jason Reischel takes the band into reverb-heavy melancholy that is very comparable to songs from artists like Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison. One of the real standout tracks on the disc is "Regalo La Flor" which is an old-school Sun Studio's style rockabilly rave-up.

Tickets for the show are $15 and the show starts at 7PM. The show is scheduled to run two hours and beer, wine and snacks are on the house.

Links:
My Cousin, The Emperor

Meshuggah - "Alive" DVD/CD Review (Nuclear Blast)

It is hard to let a Meshuggah CD slip through the cracks but I'm afraid that I did. This DVD/CD set came out in February on Nuclear Blast and documents the band's 2008-09 obZen World Tour.

I was only sent a copy of the CD for review so I can't comment on the DVD. The CD contains twelve of the twenty-three tracks on the DVD (strangely, in different order):

1. Begin (Outtakes)(DVD)
2. Perpetual Black Second (Tokyo)(CD/DVD)
3. Twenty Two Hours (Outtakes)(DVD)
4. Pravus (Tokyo)(CD/DVD)
5. Dissemination (Outtakes)(DVD)
6. Bleed (NYC)(CD/DVD)
7. Ritual (Outtakes)(DVD)
8. New Millennium Cyanide Christ (Montreal)(CD/DVD)
9. Cleanse (Outtakes)(DVD)
1. Stengah (Montreal)(CD/DVD)
11. The Mouth Licking What You ve Bled (Montreal)(CD/DVD)
12. Machine (Outtakes)(DVD)
13. Electric Red (Tokyo)(CD/DVD)
14. Solidarius (Outtakes)(DVD)
15. Rational Gaze (Tokyo)(CD/DVD)
16. Moment (Outtakes)(DVD)
17. Lethargica (Toronto)(CD/DVD)
18. Communicate (Outtakes)(DVD)
19. Combustion (Toronto)(CD/DVD)
2. Humiliative (Montreal)(CD/DVD)
21. Infinitum (Outtakes)(DVD)
22. Straws Pulled At Random (Toronto)(CD/DVD)
23. End (Outtakes)(DVD)

Meshuggah's strength has always been their live show so the CD doesn't disappoint. The performance on the disc comes from the band's show at the 2008 Loudpark Festival in Tokyo along with cuts from the band's North American run of shows last February. One of the tracks includes "Bleed" which was filmed at Irving Plaza.





Meshuggah is touring in Europe next month and here are the upcoming tour dates:

July 01, 2010 -- Peace & Love Festival, Borlänge, Sweden
July 02, 2010 -- Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark
July 09, 2010 -- Getaway Rock Festival, Gävle, The, Sweden
July 10, 2010 -- Sonisphere Festival, Madrid, Spain, Yes, Spain
July 16, 2010 -- Hegyalja Festival, Tokaj, Hungary, Same, Hungary
July 17, 2010 -- Zwarte Cross Festival, Lichtenvoorde, Netherlands, Guessing, Netherlands
July 30, 2010 -- Qstock Festival, Oulo, Finland

Links:
Meshuggah

Order of Ennead - Video Interview with Guitarist Kevin Quirion // New Shows w/ Hate Eternal and Cannabis Corpse

Florida extreme metallers, Order of Ennead will be joining Hate Eternal and Cannabis Corpse for a limited run of the east coast this summer. Joining Order of Ennead on lead guitar at all dates will be the talented Shannon Hamm (Death, Control Denied).

Here are the dates:
6/12 Tampa, FL Brass Mug -- (no Hate Eternal, Cannabis Corpse)
** Note: Show features both John Li and Shannon on guitar
8/24 Atlanta, GA -- The Masquerade
8/25 Spartanburg, SC -- Ground Zero
8/26 Raleigh, NC Volume -- 11 Tavern
8/27 W. Springfield, VA -- Jaxx
8/28 Philadelphia, PA -- Polaris, Hostile City Death Fest (no Cannabis Corpse)

Order of Ennead is touring behind their second CD, An Examination of Being, which came out in April on Earache Records. The new disc was recorded at Audio Hammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (Trivium, Chimaira, All That Remains).

I had the opportunity to catch up with vocalist/guitarist Kevin Quirion when he was in town earlier in this spring to talk about the new album and this upcoming tour.



Links:
Order of Ennead

Tanya Donelly & Friends Play Joe's Pub on June 13, 2010 // Pre-Show Interview

“This is a rare no-brainer tribute LP. Not only do the proceeds enrich the Valerie Fund, benefiting kids with cancer and rare blood disorders, but also musically it glows like a night-light.” – Jack Rabid (The Big Takeover)

Last night I had the pleasure of talking with one of my musical heroes - Tanya Donelly. She is coming to town on Sunday, June 13th to play a show at Joe's Pub which benefits the Valerie Fund. This show also marks the release of the CD Sing Me To Sleep; a disc of lullabies from a diverse range of artists that include Tanya Donelly, Julie Peel, Dean and Britta, Stars, The Leisure Society, Jenny Owen Youngs and more.

Here is a link to the MP3 of the interview with Tanya Donelly.

Please join us for a very special day of music to celebrate the release of Sing Me To Sleep on Sunday, June 13th (noon-2:30pm) at Joe’s Pub in NYC. During this child-friendly show, Tanya Donelly, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Julie Peel will perform their lullabies alongside many original favorites. We'll have special door prizes, and lots of fun stuff for everyone. All proceeds from this wonderful project are donated to The Valerie Fund, a non-profit organization that provides for the comprehensive health care of children with cancer and blood disorders. Buy tickets today! This is a rare musical experience for the whole family... and all for a very worthy cause. We hope to see you there!
- American Laundromat Records

Links:
Tanya Donelly
Joe's Pub
American Laundromat Records

Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) Releases First Single from Forthcoming Debut CD as a Free Download)

DOWNLOAD: Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants - "Get Along" (CD out July 13th)
Long-time Foo Fighter guitarist Chris Shiflett is releasing his first solo CD (Le Coq Napoleon/RCA) on July 13th with his new side project The Dead Peasants.

Dialing back the arena rock sound of the Foo Fighters, Shiflett plays Americana-laced rock songs on his new disc. The album is chock-full of soulful pedal steel- and twang guitar-accented songs steeped in his longtime appreciation of classic country artists (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams), rockabilly (Gene Vincent, Elvis, Eddie Cochran), and deep-rooted rock bands (The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, X). This album also highlights his versatility and skill not only as a guitarist – showcasing his deft playing in an entirely new light – but also as a songwriter: the songs are some of the best, most realized that he’s written. Lyrically, the songs frequently deal with loss…Loss of love, as in the soulful, heavy, ballad-esque “God Damn”; in the chiming keys and buoyant, ringing guitars that belie the crestfallen relationship-gone-wrong of “Get Along”; and in the pedal steel, mandolin, and evocative guitar solo that underline the heartache on “Bandaged”…Or of life, as in the stirring, bluesy groove of “An Atheist’s Prayer”; the rueful slide guitar, country swing of “Death March”; and the spry, jaunty, Old 97s-ian “Baby, Let It Out”.

The album was recorded in December 2009/January 2010 at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in Los Angeles, CA, with house engineer John Lousteau, who both engineered and handled the drums. Shiflett called upon friend Derek Silverman to play keyboards and the trio would become the core band for the recordings. Once the basic tracking was done, various instrumentation was added by a select group of esteemed players, including Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and The Imposters, Jenny Lewis, John Hiatt) on bass, Greg Leisz (Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Whiskeytown) on pedal steel, Stevie Blacke (Beck, Weezer, Colbie Caillat) on violin and mandolin, Eddie Perez (Dwight Yoakam) on guitar, and Audra Mae on backing vocals.

Chris is currently playing a few one-off shows in California prior to launching a full tour later this summer.

Links:
Chris Shiflett

Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere Release New Album "Midnight Flyer"

STREAM: Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere - "I Can't Stand It"

On June 15th soul men Steve Cropper (Booker T. and the MGs) and Felix Cavaliere (the Rascals) join forces for their second collaborative Stax Recording (via Concord Records) Midnight Flyer. Following up their critically acclaimed 2008 release Nudge It Up a Notch, guitarist Cropper and vocalist Cavaliere’s new album, Midnight Flyer, shows that the songwriting prowess of two titans of blue-eyed soul’s golden age is still going strong. Assisting with the songwriting throughout most of the album’s 12 tracks is drummer/percussionist/vocalist Tom Hambridge, who also lent a hand with the crafting of the previous album.

As part of Booker T. & the MGs — the house band for the Stax label in its original incarnation during the 1960s — Cropper co-wrote and produced classics by artists like Eddie Floyd (“Knock On Wood”), Wilson Pickett (“In the Midnight Hour”) and Otis Redding (“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”). In subsequent decades, he lent his instrumental and production skills to a range of artists including Jeff Beck, the Blues Brothers, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and many others.

Cavaliere came to prominence in the mid-’60s as vocalist/keyboardist/songwriter for the Rascals (initially known as the Young Rascals). Cavaliere wrote and/or sang several of the band’s biggest hits, including “Good Lovin’” (1966), “Groovin’” (1967), “It’s a Beautiful Morning” (1968) and “People Got To Be Free” (1968). The phrase “blue-eyed soul” was coined during the Rascals’ heyday, due in large part to the group’s highly successful forays into R&B and soul — styles that had been developed and previously dominated by African-American artists.



Midnight Flyer, recorded in Nashville and mixed by producer David Z, is the follow-up to Nudge It Up a Notch, the 2008 debut release by Cropper and Cavaliere that scored critical acclaim from the music and mainstream press. The San Francisco Chronicle called Nudge It Up a Notch “an unexpected delight,” while Blues Wax heralded the project as “one of the great surprises of 2008, and further evidence of Concord’s genuine commitment to the revamped Stax imprint.”

Co-produced by Cropper, Cavaliere and Hambridge, Midnight Flyer captures and builds on the stylistic syngeries between Cropper and Cavaliere. The result is a range of styles and shades, from heartfelt ballads like “When You’re With Me” to the soul-charged “I Can’t Stand It,” a churning vocal duet featuring Cavaliere and his daughter Aria. “Sexy Lady” harkens back to the soul stylings of the ’70s, while the funky instrumental “Do It Like This” digs into a tight groove and makes plenty of room for Cropper’s tasty riff work to close out the set.

“The main thing we both take away from this record is how much fun we had making it,” says Cavaliere. “We may have used a lot of new technology that didn’t even exist when Steve and I were recording back in the day, but the songs themselves are still the most important part of the process, and we just had a blast writing and recording them. I think that spirit comes through on the record.”

Track Listing:

1. You Give Me All I Need (3:35)
2. Midnight Flyer (2:47)
3. Now (3:23)
4. When You're With Me (3:07)
5. I Can't Stand It (2:30)
6. Chance with Me (3:23)
7. Move the House (3:28)
8. Sexy Lady (3:45)
9. Early Morning Riser (3:29)
10. All Night Long (2:56)
11. I Can't Stand the Rain (2:37)
12. Do It Like This (2:59)

Links:
Steve Cropper
Felix Cavaliere

The Standstill Release New EP / Show at Bar Matchless on June 19th

Long Island alt-rock/power pop band The Standstill have just released their debut EP Southern State Somewhere which is available as a pay-what-you-will download on Bandcamp. The band is playing a show at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn on June 19th with Playing Dead.

Check out the video for "Hide & Seek" - the leadoff track from Southern State Somewhere.


Links:
The Standstill

iPharaoh - iPod / iPhone Game Review (Justnine Co. Ltd)

iPharaoh is one of the better puzzle games that I’ve seen for the iPhone. Rather than having the player take on the Lara Croft/Indiana Jones adventurer role, you get to play the mummy and kill the adventurers who are trying to steal the Pharaoh’s treasure.



The game consists of six stages, each with ten different maps. To keep the game interesting, sliding and rotating walls are added in the upper levels along with two new types of treasure hunters - the ninja and the giant. You are given some new tools to fight back with in the form of sliding cube stones (which you can use to slow down or kill the hunters) and booby traps. One of the challenges is that you have to guide your mummy (by flicking your finger in the direction that you want it to go) before it reaches a cross-roads; otherwise the mummy will chose a random direction in which to proceed. The cube stones are easier to control (you can change direction anytime with a flick of your finger) but they inflict less damage on the enemies.

The levels are timed and so you need to defend the Pharaoh’s treasure and kill all the intruders in less than two minutes. With the game requiring such a minimal time commitment, I found myself getting quickly caught up and replaying levels multiple times to try different strategies.

iPharaoh EP 0 – Freedom of the Pharaoh is available as a free download from the iTunes AppStore and iPharaoh EP 2- Desperate Pharaoh is available for $2.99.

Links:
Justnine Co. Ltd.