The 1975 Announce Two Headlining Shows at Bowery Ballroom in October (Vagrant Records)

(Photo: Dave Ma)

Manchester buzz band The 1975 have announced a 23-date US tour, which includes two headlining shows at Bowery Ballroom on October 9th and 10th.  The band made their NYC debut this past March with a show at Mercury Lounge and this upcoming headlining tour is in support of the band's full-length debut, which is due out on Vagrant Records in September.

Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom shows go on-sale this Friday, July 12th, at 12PM and the cost is $16 in advance and $18 DOS.




The 1975 Fall 2013 US Tour
Oct 5th - Short Mountain Distillery – Woodbury, TN
Oct 8th – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Oct 9th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 10th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 11th – Black Cat – Washington, DC
Oct 12th – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 13th – The Mod Club - Toronto, Canada
Oct 15th – A&R Music Bar – Columbus, OH
Oct 18th – Firebird – St. Louis, MO
Oct 19th – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Oct 20th – The Rave Bar – Milwaukee, WI
Oct 21st – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 23rd – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
Oct 24th – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 26th – Neumos – Seattle, WA
Oct 27th – Venue – Vancouver, Canada
Oct 28th – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
Oct 30th – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
Oct 31st – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
Nov 1st – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA 
Nov 2nd – Vinyl @ Hard Rock Casino – Las Vegas, NV
Nov 3rd – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA
Nov 4th – Club Congress – Tucson, AZ

The 1975 Press Bio:
Critics have been bemused and thrilled by the Manchester four-piece and their amorphous drifts between brooding art rock, crisp electronica, dance-floor R and B, and 80s gloss pop. “I don’t think it’s confusing,” says singer Matty Healy of his band. “Feeling a lack of identity and the searching within oneself to acquire a real understanding of what you want to be, that’s something that loads of people can connect with. It’s so strange that with music people want so many rules.”

Matty has known what The 1975 is for some years now, just waiting for the right moment to unveil their stories of lust, intoxication and the unabashed grittiness of modern youth.  “This record is a proper soundtrack to our formative years,” he says of their debut album, co-produced with Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, The Kooks). “It’s everything that I know and every single song on the album, at some point, has been the most important thing in my life. I’ve spent my adult life working towards this album. It’s literally everything I am.”

Matty’s adult life’ started young. He picked up the guitar when his dad’s best friend died, leaving him two guitars. His confrontational attitude was in place early too - the private school kick-out (“I didn’t really care for being there, I got in a couple of fights. I got asked to leave, I never actually got expelled...”) transitioning to public school at the age of fourteen he started drumming in a punk band with eventual band mates Adam Hann (guitar) and Ross MacDonald (bass).

One day, “This weird kid turned up at school, he was really tall but he looked about nine and was this odd character”. This was George Daniel, drummer and soon to be Matt’s co-songwriter and “My kind of boyfriend. Well, not really, but he might as well be, we don’t really leave each others’ sides.” The pair bonded over their dislocated childhoods – Matt moved between London and Newcastle while George was born in Belgium and grew up in Seattle – and the sense of isolation they felt in their new homes in the Manchester suburbs.

Adam had heard of a “hippy council worker” who rented out local space for kids to play shows, and the band formed in order to get involved. “Everyone would go and get drunk and it was a proper scene at a time when there wasn’t really much going on.”  They developed an artful sophistication and electronic adventurism to their punk rumbles, it was an intriguing track called ‘Robbers’ that earned them a manager in 2009.  Based around a violent, cinematic tale of lust on the lam. “I got really obsessed with the idea behind Patricia Arquette’s character in True Romance when I was about eighteen,” Matty recalls “That craving for the bad boy in that film it’s so sexualized, and the gore with the sexual lust really merges together. It was something I was obsessed with.”  For two years, they relentlessly toured the country and interest began trickling in. But the band, operating under a variety of names, waited. They’d seen contemporaries get snapped up, restyled and spat out by the music industry and wanted everything to be in place– the sound, the songs, and the aesthetic – before they announced their arrival.

“We said ‘we’re not desperate to be famous, we’re not desperate to be in a massive band, let’s do it our way, on our terms, and make sure that our projection of ourselves is controlled by us’.” Throughout 2011, as their cache of self-produced demos grew to album size they decided to sign to Dirty Hit in the UK and spent 2011 touring and getting the songs just right live.  Though 1975 was the year The Sex Pistols formed and Talking Heads played their first gigs, the moniker has nothing to do with the date itself. Matty found it in the back of a beat-era book given  to him by a “gregarious artist” he met at a yard sale in northern Majorca at the age of 19. “He showed me round his house, it was like a sixties bizarre haberdashery. He had photos of him with Hendrix, I thought this guy was fucking crazy!  He gave me loads of beat generation literature, Kerouac and stuff. When I went home I read them and in the back of one of them there was all these mental scribblings, it was almost suicidal, and it was dated at the bottom ‘1st June, The 1975’. I was quite freaked out when I read it, the use of the word ‘The’ really stuck with me. It was the perfect band name.”

The newly monikered group headed to the studio in December of 2011 resulting in the‘Facedown EP’ - the first in a trilogy of EPs to be produced by the band, released in August of 2012. ‘ Sex’ shortly followed in November of 2013. The final EP installment is ‘Music For Cars', which was co-produced by Mike Crossey with the band. The band and Crossey quickly reunited to work on the band’s debut  album, which will be released in September of 2013.

Links:
The 1975

Last Shop Standing: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop - DVD Review (Blue Hippo Media)

Having spent a good chunk of my youth in East Village indie record stores, the DVD The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop struck a familiar chord and brought back a nostalgia for the gloriously wasted afternoons of the past - drinking and record shopping on St. Mark's Place. Paul Weller, who is interviewed in the film, poignantly sums up the experience of anyone who ‘grew up’ in a record store by saying that the indie shops became “became meeting places, almost like a community center really”.

This documentary is based on author and former label representative Graham Jones’ 2009 book Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to Record Shops? and the DVD contains the 60 minute main feature along with 70+ minutes of outtakes. This rise and fall story is a ‘feet on the street’ narrative told through the eyes of well-known UK musicians (which include Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and Johnny Marr) and numerous indie record shop owners.

The main feature starts with “Act 1: The Rise”, which describes the rise of the UK indie records due to a demand for US imports (Elvis Presley, Bill Haley) and this demand continued through the first British invasion bands and the rebirth of the indie music scene that came with the punk era. This act though ends on a hesitant note with a mention on how machines in indie record shops were used to compile chart positions so label reps were ‘gaming’ the charts by giving records away.

“Act 2: The Fall” is a very familiar story to anyone who remembers the pre-90’s vinyl era as the record labels killed vinyl to push the CD format…and the death of vinyl was followed by the iTunes/download era of music. To re-phrase a quote from Richard Hawley (Pulp) – there is a time and place for all of these different formats of music and all could have co-existed together but the industry threw the baby out with the bathwater.

During this act, Jones cites the statistic that, in the 80’s, there were more than 2,200 UK indie record shops and by 20009, there were only 269 shops left. Johnny Marr puts forward an interesting hypothesis that the indie shops didn’t close due to the consumers’ shift away from vinyl but rather it was the industry’s forced death of vinyl that killed the record shops.

“Act 3: The Rebirth” walks the viewer through how the indie record stores have innovated to survive. Indie stores are now selling tickets and food (the shop Pie and Vinyl is highlighted) along with regularly having in-store performances and being an active part of their local music scene. The introduction of Record Store Day is given a lot of positive press for bringing people back into the indie shops and artists like Nick Cave are cited for releasing indie-store only pressings. Johnny Marr attributes some of this rebirth to how vinyl records now mean something to kids in a way it didn’t 8 – 9 years ago.

The bonus features are predominately the unedited interviews with the musicians and shop owners whose memories form the basis for this film. Unlike other outtakes reels that I’ve seen which generally have a lot of filler or (boring) director commentary, the interviews with Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Billy Bragg, Richard Hawley and Sid Griffin (who doesn’t appear in the main film) are well worth watching.



Links:
Last Shop Standing

King Crimson Posts ProjeKct Six (Fripp/Belew) Rehersal Track 'Persian E' as Free Download (Recorded 10/2/06)

DOWNLOAD: King Crimson/ProjeKct Six - "Persian E"

I had gotten out of the habit of checking Robert Fripp's DGM Live for free downloads of Fripp/King Crimson related rarities but happened to take a look last night as was pleasantly surprised by this most recent freebee. 

ProjeKct Six was the last of the King Crimson side projekcts prior to Crimson briefly reforming in 2008 and this projekct featured Fripp on guitar and Adrian Belew on drums.  The track, "Persian E", which is posted as a free download is described as "[t]aken from the rehearsals at Adrian Belew’s studio, ProjeKct Six sketch out some of the areas they’d be visiting as support to Porcupine Tree later in the month. The mood is somewhat restrained here but there’s a certain intensity present in the wreathes of soundscapes which billow and hover around Belew’s straight-ahead beats. Fripp’s soloing is on slow-burn mode rather than being set to “incinerate” but an engaging little toe-tapper from the team nevertheless."

Links:
DGM Live / King Crimson

Dead Boots (featuring Adrian and Tony Perry) are Playing Mercury Lounge on July 17th with Midnight Spin

While Boston's Dead Boots are making their NYC debut at Mercury Lounge on July 17th, the band came through town a few times over the last year under their previous name, TAB the Band.  Most recently, TAB the Band opened for both Jane's Addiction at Terminal 5 in late 2012 and, earlier this year, opened for the The Annuals at Mercury Lounge.

Dead Boots features Aerosmith's Joe Perry's two sons Tony (guitar) and Adrian (vocals/bass) along with Ben Tileston (drums) and Louie Jannetty (guitar).  While the Aerosmith connection might lead one to make assumptions about the band's sound, the initial tracks that I've heard from Dead Boots' debut album, Verónica, have a glam rock sound that is comparable to bands like Cheap Trick and T. Rex.  

For the show at Mercury Lounge, Dead Boots are headlining the late show.  They take the stage at 10:30PM and Brooklyn's Midnight Spin are going on first at 9:30PM.  Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 DOS.  Dead Boots have posted to their Facebook page that "Everyone who comes out to our 7/17 show at Mercury Lounge with Midnight Spin gets a FREE copy [of Verónica]".



A rock and roll band with an enduring fondness for pure pop and a wicked, sly sense of humor, Dead Boots defy easy categorization. They love The Beatles and Cheap Trick as much as T-Rex and The Rolling Stones, yet as much as Dead Boots draw on classic rock influences, they are a vibrant, contemporary band that blends the vigor of punk, the might of arena rock and the melodicism of power-pop, earning the admiration of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, alt-rock stalwarts who requested the band as their opening act.

Dead Boots may be the best example of how great things can come from no expectations. Brothers Adrian and Tony Perry began the group almost as a lark. “I grew up in LA,” explains Adrian, “and whenever I came to visit Tony, we’d always record stuff for fun.” Adrian had a few serious bands while he was in high school and college, continuing to occasionally play with Tony. “A few years ago we said, let’s mess around and record some songs,” remembers Adrian. "Tony invited his friend Ben Tileston to have real drum tracks. We ended up writing nine songs in a week -- it was very organic. Before we knew it, we had a show booked.”

Since then, the band has toured extensively in the US, Canada and UK, supporting acts such as Stone Temple Pilots, Cage the Elephant, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Slash. The band has also played major US and UK festivals such as Lollapalooza, the Hyde Park Calling Festival, Download Festival, Mountain Jam, CMJ and SXSW and headlined John Varvatos Thursday Night Live at 315 Bowery.

“We started almost like a punk band,” explains Adrian. “We focused on writing short, hard rock songs. It was like sticking it to the weird twee indie rock we’ve been inundated with.” That punk attitude can be heard on the group’s first two full-length albums, Pulling Out Just Enough to Win and Long Weekend, both released in 2008. The band expanded its horizons on 2010's Zoo Noises, a free-wheeling, all-encompassing carnival ride, fueled by such intoxicating singles as the percussive “She Said No (I Love You)” and the breakneck hooks of “Bought and Sold”. All three records were written, engineered, recorded and produced by the band with no outside input.

The band added another member in Lou Jannetty, an old friend of the Perrys’ who showed up on several of the homemade tapes the brothers made in their youth. The band's new album, Verónica (out July 16th), is the first album that Lou has been involved with start to finish. The quartet spent two years concentrating on the new record, more time than it has spent on any prior record, with Tony taking the engineering and production reins. “This is our most mature record,” says Adrian, “it's the culmination of everything we've been through and the best distillation of all of our influences to date. It's a more focused record than Zoo Noises yet is also more adventurous.” Dead Boots are still a rock & roll band at heart but belong to this moment, pulling together elements of the past and present in exciting ways. “Rather than segregating influences, we put them all together. If people listen to the whole album, they’ll get a sense that we can do a lot.”

Links:
Dead Boots

Dio - 'Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986' CD Review (Eagle Rock)

Another archival live album from the vaults...this 2CD set captures Dio on the second leg of the Sacred Heart tour, headlining a sold-out show at Philadelphia Spectrum. Portions of this show were originally released as a 60 minute VHS entitled "Sacred Heart 'The Video'" - this new 16-track release runs 96 minutes.

This release marks Dio's fifth live album and the second from the Sacred Heart tour, as 1986's "Intermission" EP captured the first leg of the tour with original guitarist Vivian Campbell, prior to his falling-out with Dio.

This is a solidly recorded album (clear sound from the mixing board) but there are good and bad points to the show. To start with the good points, Dio was at his commercial peaks on this tour (he played smaller halls on each successive tour) and he and the band feed off the energy of the crowd.  While this is a CD review, one needs to see the live video for "Sacred Heart" to appreciate Dio's sword and sorcery stage show. For anyone who missed the arena tours of the 80's, this may seem a bit like Spinal Tap but this show goes back to a time when rock bands traveled with mammoth concert sets and the theatrics were just as important as the music. (For anyone who is curious - check out any live footage from Pink Floyd's The Wall tour, any Alice Cooper or Iron Maiden tour, etc.)



The show kicks off with "King of Rock and Roll" and "Like the Beat of a Heart", which are two of the stronger rockers from Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart album though had a few songs that drifted into AOR territory and the heavy keyboards on "Hungry for Heaven" and "Time to Burn" sound very dated (...and too much like 80's Heart or Def Leppard). Looking at other parts of the set, almost 20 minutes of the show are taken by each member soloing which again seems rather dated and self-indulgent. The six minute keyboard solo which is immediately followed by a 7+ minute guitar solo will likely have most listeners skipping over these tracks on their CD players. Lastly, while most of Dio's live medleys generally sound on-point, the Rainbow songs "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" and "Man of the Silver Mountain" are butchered by too fast of a tempo. Coming out of these soft spots, the disc ends on a strong note with strong versions of "Stand Up and Shout", Rainbow in the Dark" and "We Rock".

I'm sort of hit-and-miss on this release but hope that the archival releases will eventually extend into Dio's time with Black Sabbath (a Dehumanizer-era live album would be a nice thing).

Links:
Ronnie James Dio

Monte Pittman - Metal Blade Signs Madonna / Prong Guitarist // Solo metal album recorded with Metallica / Evile producer Flemming Rasmussen

I can't imagine anyone having the musical background and/or tastes to work with both Madonna and Tommy Victor but guitarist Monte Pittman has both composed for and played with Madge and Prong.

Metal Blade Records is pleased to announce the signing of Monte Pittman, the guitarist known for his work with metal legends Prong and the illustrious pop-star Madonna. A release date for the new solo album will be announced shortly.

Metal Blade Records founder and CEO comments: "We are so happy to welcome Monte Pittman to the Metal Blade Family. He is a tried and true metalhead and has recorded a crushing album! Metallica producer Flemming Rasmussen produced a devastating metal record with Monte and we could not be happier that we are working together on this!"

Guitarist and mastermind of the band, Monte Pittman adds; "I'm beyond excited to be working with Brian Slagel and all of the wonderful team at Metal Blade. I can't think of anyone I can put my faith and trust in more with my new album and where my career is headed. Metal Blade's track record has stood the test of time. Brian has been responsible for a majority of bands that have influenced me and gotten me to where I am now. It's been a dream come true making this album with Flemming Rasmussen. Flemming is a Master at recording a band playing together and capturing the sound in the room of everything musically working together. After we finished tracking, the first person I wanted to play it for was Brian Slagel. Here we go!"

Fans in California will have the chance to catch Monte Pittman live as the he brings his acoustic show to Hotel Café in Hollywood and two stops on the Vans Warped Tour 2013 including Mountain View and Ventura (performing on the Acoustic Basement Stage).

Monte Pittman solo acoustic shows:
06/21 Hollywood, CA Hotel Cafe (on @ 8pm)
06/22 Mountain View, CA Warped Tour - Acoustic Basement Stage
06/23 Ventura, CA Warped Tour - Acoustic Basement Stage







Links:
Monte Pittman

Anvil - Live Photos from 'Hope in Hell' Release Party @ Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY 5-30-13

"Anvil have more integrity than your favorite five bands combined...Hope in Hell could have been released at any time between 1978 and the present day. It's a very simple, and time-tested formula: in-your-face riffs, screaming leads, great lyrics — pure, uncompromised metal". - Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween)


It seems somewhat hard to believe that some of the bands that are just now getting commercial recognition have been playing the circuit for over 30 (Anvil) to 40 (Pentagram) years.

Anvil released their 15th disc, Hope in Hell (The End Records), on May 28th and held their record release party two nights later at the Knitting Factory. The new disc is a scorcher and - for all the hardcore Anvil fans out there - there is a limited edition digipak pressing with two bonus tracks ("Hard Wired" and "Fire at Will") and a limited-edition 2LP 180-gram orange vinyl pressing which also includes the same two bonus tracks. For Hope in Hell,  the band once again tapped producer Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper) who continues to do an excellent job of capturing the band's live sound in the studio.  The band has also had a lineup change as Sal Italiano (who used to be in A.J. Pero's 1980's side-project Cities) is now on bass and he is a great fit.

One of the things I've always loved about Anvil is that, in addition to having great musical chops, the band always looks like they are having fun and doing something they love (...which is a great counterpoint to those lead guitarists who look painfully constipated every time they take a solo).  Energy like this is contagious though I didn't expect the mini-pit to break out when it did.

 Anvil is off on a European tour next month and, in talking with Robb after the show, the band plans on coming back through the States in the fall.

Anvil 2013 Summer Hope in Hell Tour
7/27/13  - U.K Ebbw Vale - Steelhouse Festival
7/28/13  - U.K Glasgow - Cathouse
7/29/13  - U.K Manchester - Academy 3
7/30/13  - U.K London - Garage
8/01/13  - Germany Cologne - Underground
8/02/13  - Germany Wacken - Wacken Festival
8/03/13  - Holland Haarlem - Patronaat
8/04/13  - Belgium Lokeren - Lokerse Feesten Festival
8/06/13  - Switzerland Zurich - Plaza
8/07/13  - Germany Lichtenfels - Paunchy Cats
8/08/13  - Germany Saarbruecken - Garage
8/10/13  - Sweden Gävle - Getaway Festival

Links:
Anvil

Repulsion - Live Photos and Video from Maryland Deathfest 5/24/13 (Relapse Records)

There were a lot of familiar faces at Maryland Deathfest (MDF) 2013, both on the stage and off. I wasn't able to take off work to make it to the first night of Deathfest so I started the weekend festivities on Friday afternoon with Repulsion. Repulsion didn't sound much different from when they were in town last September for The Power of the Riff East festival but, this time out, the band played as a three-piece as guitarist Marissa Martinez was notably absent.

The set list included twelve of the eighteen tracks from Horrified, along with a cover of Venom's "Schizo".

Repulsion - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5/24/13
The Stench of Burning Death
Bodily Dismemberment
Decomposed
Splattered Cadavers
Slaughter of the Innocent
Festering Boils
Schizo(Venom cover)
Driven to Insanity
Radiation Sickness
Black Breath
Acid Bath
Maggots in Your Coffin
Horrified



I broke down and bought one of the "limited edition MDF Gray version of 'Horrified' - limited to 100 copies and available only at the fest!" but imagine that this is going to sit unopened on the shelf as Relapse's 2CD edition of Horrified has long been on my iPhone. I respect the band wanting to preserve their legacy but I keep wishing they would put out something new. In an interview last year with BrooklynVegan, Scott Carlson said "If the material and motivation ever come together I think we could do something that would not tarnish our name. So yes, we have weakened our stance on the subject a little bit. However, we have nothing planned. One never knows....".



I love the diversity at MDF as there was a fresh-faced lad beside me during Repulsion's set, right outside of the pit who seemed to alternate between pumping his fist in the air and making out with his girlfriend. I don't think I've ever seen anyone make out to Repulsion (...and most of the women that I've known would probably have hit me if I tried using grindcore as 'mood music'.) Ah well - different strokes....

Links:
Repulsion

Morningbell Release Video for 'We Have Eyes As Well As Ears' / Show at Union Hall on June 7th

Eric Atria (bassist) summed up the new disc by saying "People are going to think this is brilliant or they're going to think we're insane. Maybe both! It's going to be hard not coming off as pretentious when the final tracks are out (some have 60 tracks of classical instruments ON TOP of 50 tracks of traditional rock instruments). But fuck it!"

Morningbell is one of the more prolific, inventive, and fiercely independent bands in the country. With six albums and four EPs over nine years (including an album released only on custom-made USB cards, a choose-your-own-adventure album, and 2009’s universally lauded Sincerely, Severely), Morningbell has gone more places with their music than most bands do in an entire career. They are constantly stretching themselves musically and creatively in a way that very few bands do.

The band hails from Gainesville, Florida—a hotbed of musical creativity (see Hundred Waters, Levek, Hot Water Music, etc)—and consists of brothers Travis and Eric Atria, Stacie Atria (married to Eric), and drummer Chris Hillman.

Boa Noite is the band’s 6th studio album. It was written, recorded, mixed, and produced by the band in their home studio. It draws influences from romantic classical music, African field recordings, Hungarian folk music, the poems of Jorge Luis Borges, “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,” “Finnegan’s Wake,” “Ulysses,” Chopin’s polonaises, classic hip-hop, Charles Mingus, Paul Simon, Curtis Mayfield, Kurt Vonnegut, and the compositions of Claude Debussy, Frederick Delius, John Cage and Arvo Part. With Boa Noite, the band wanted orchestral backing. Without access to an orchestra, however, they pieced one together during half a dozen sessions with multiple classical musicians. The result is a grand, sweeping, ambitious album with songs that often contain upwards of 150 tracks of instruments.



Morningbell are playing a show at Union Hall on Friday, June 7th alongside Olivia Mancini (track) and Oh No! and the Tiger Pit. Tickets are $10 and doors are at 8PM.

Links:
Morningbell

Paul McCartney and Wings - 'Wings Over America' CD Review (Hear Music / Concord Music Group)

On May 28th, the deluxe edition of Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1976 3x LP concert album, Wings Over America, was released as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection reissue series. In addition to this disc being one of the greatest live albums of all time (in my humble opinion), Wings Over America showcases McCartney at his creative best. The last comment isn’t to disparage Macca’s more recent output but rather to point out that Wings Over America could easily serve as a greatest hits collection.

Wings Over America was the last of five consecutive Wings’ albums to reach #1 in America and the addition of drummer Joe English and lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (both of whom joined with 1975’s Venus and Mars) seemed to add a spark to the band. Listening to the band perform live, Wings sounds like a tightly integrated unit (as opposed to Macca’s current backing band of faceless hired guns) with each of the members establishing their own identity by making distinct contributions to the live show. Multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine (x-Moody Blues) is a veteran performer, Jimmy McCulloch is probably the best of McCartney’s guitarists and Joe English, in addition to being a great drummer, looks like he is having the time of his life in the accompanying DVD.

Wings Over America’s 28 tracks reflect the band’s setlist from their 1976 North American tour but the individual tracks were compiled from a number of different stops on the tour. The set list pulls from all of the Wings’ albums, with an emphasis on Venus and Mars (9 of the 13 tracks are performed live) along with five Beatles song, which was a big deal for the fans as Macca had refused to play Beatles numbers on his earlier UK tours. The set list also includes a cover of the Moody Blues’ chestnut “Go Now”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Richard Corey” (both sung by Laine) and the (then) unreleased Wings’ track “Soily”, which first surfaced during the Band on the Run sessions.



With the standard edition of this reissue, the original three albums are now spread across 2 CDs, with Sides 1 -3 on the first CD and Sides 4 – 6 on the second CD.

Wings Over America Track List
1. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" – Recorded 5/27/76
2. "Let Me Roll It" – Recorded 5/27/76
3. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" – Recorded 6/10/76
4. "Medicine Jar” – Recorded 5/27/76
5. "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Recorded 5/29/76
6. "Call Me Back Again" – Recorded 5/27/76
7. "Lady Madonna” - Recorded 5/7/76
8. "The Long and Winding Road" – Recorded 5/29/76
9. "Live and Let Die" – Recorded 5/22/76
10. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" – Recorded 5/22/76
11. "Richard Cory" - Recorded 6/23/76
12. "Bluebird" – Recorded 5/27/76
13. "I've Just Seen a Face" - Recorded 6/23/76
14. "Blackbird" - Recorded 5/22/76
15. "Yesterday" - ??
16. "You Gave Me the Answer" – Recorded 6/23/76
17. "Magneto and Titanium Man" – Recorded 5/22/76
18. "Go Now" – Recorded 6/23/76
19. "My Love" – Recorded 5/21/76
20. "Listen to What the Man Said" – Recorded 5/29/76
21. "Let 'Em In" – Recorded 6/23/76
22. "Time to Hide" - Recorded 5/25/76
23. "Silly Love Songs" – Recorded 5/25/76
24. "Beware My Love" – Recorded 6/7/76
25. "Letting Go" – Recorded 5/29/76
26. "Band on the Run" – Recorded 6/7/76
27. "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Recorded 6/7/76
28. "Soily" – Recorded 6/7/76

Here is where keeping up with the bonus discs get a bit tricky – the “Deluxe Edition Box Set” includes “the original 28-track album, a bonus tracks disc, DVD of the TV documentary Wings Over the World, 112-page book, assorted memorabilia, 60-page photograph book, 80-page sketch book and download link to all of the material”. The bonus CD contains eight live tracks recorded at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. Wings played two shows there on 6/13-14/76 but, as I don’t have this bonus disc, I have no clue as to which show these tracks came from.

Wings Over San Francisco Track List
• "Let Me Roll It"
• “Maybe I'm Amazed"
• "Lady Madonna"
• "Live and Let Die"
• "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
• "Bluebird"
• "Blackbird"
• "Yesterday"

Adding to the different options – the Best Buy edition of Wings Over America contains the Wings Over San Francisco disc ($16.99). If you are interested though – grab this one quick as this edition is sold out in stores and is only available on the shelf in whichever stores still have copies.

The bonus DVD, Wings Over the World, runs just over 75 minutes and contains some great footage from Wings’ American tour. While this documentary traces the evolution of Wings and starts with early rehearsal footage of the McCartneys with Denny Laine along with footage of the McCartneys on their farm in Scotland, the focus is on the ‘75/’76 world tour. This disc contains 15 complete performances from the Wings Over the World tour. Between each of the songs is ‘behind the scenes’ footage that ranges from press interviews to backstage footage and relevant snippets from the band’s travels. What is particularly amusing is an Australian interviewer commenting that Macca may be a bit old for rock and roll now that he is 33. Other footage includes Ringo joining the band backstage, Elton sitting next to Cher at the show at the Forum in Los Angeles, Macca carefully working with the venue sound engineer on the sound check and more.

The size of the crowds lined up outside these venues is also amazing – the big general admission shows (which I assume this is) were before my time so I can’t really imagine being a part of the body-to-body lines. My experience with arena rocks shows is at the Madison Square Gardens, which is less than 1/3 the capacity of the Seattle Kingdom, which was where “Soile” was filmed. The disc ends with Wings leaving the stage and Macca’s final comment was “See you next time”. This is a great documentary as this was Macca’s one-and-only trip to the States with Wings and it would be thirteen years before he returned to the US.

Links:
Paul McCartney

Graveyard Lovers Play Bowery Electric on Friday, May 31st (Brooklyn Swamp Rock)

Local cow-punk / swamp-rock trio Graveyard Lovers are playing Bowery Electric this Friday night alongside Brooklyn garage punk The Mad Doctors (who are releasing their debut EP "Fuzz Tonic" on Friday), Blue Coin and Tracy Island. Cover is $8 and doors are at 6:30PM (...and happy hour runs til 8PM).

Graveyard Lovers have been earning strong reviews with frequent shows around town and have been compared from acts that range from The White Stripes (prior to Graveyard Lovers adding a bassist) and "Sonic Youth… if Sonic Youth grew from Tennessee’s swamps and traded their soul to the devil while on the same road as Blind Willie Johnson" (The Deli Magazine). To my ears though, I think the closest point of comparison is Los Angeles' Tex and the Horseheads (...or a non-doped up version of the Gun Club).

"Graveyard Lovers are a blues-based indie rock trio comprised of guitarist/singer Zach Reynolds, drummer Tricia Purvis and bassist Orion Wainer. Zach is a native of Louisiana whose background is rooted in Deep South folk and blues. Tricia, a New Yorker, came up influenced by the innumerable waves of rock that have sculpted the NYC music scene into what it is today. " (from the band's bio)

Following up on the band's 2011's debut 5-track EP (check out "Ripe to Misbehave"), Graveyard Lovers has their full-length, Dreamers, ready to drop in September.  The first release, "Manifesto", from the new disc is streaming above and the band played "Blessed Are the Ties That Bind" (also from the new disc) on The Artie Lange Show back in the Spring.



Graveyard Lovers Upcoming Shows
Thursday June 6th, Leftfield Bar
w/ St James and the Apostles, Midwestern Exposure and The Enthusiasts

Friday July 26th, Arlene's Grocery
w XNY

Kahbang Music Fest, Bangor ME
August 9/10 details TBA

Links:
Graveyard Lovers

Alessi's Ark - 'The Still Life' CD Review / Show at Mercury Lounge on June 14th (Bella Union)

(photo: Rebecca Miller)

I listen to a lot of CDs and it is generally fairly easy to find an immediate reference point but Alessi's Ark's third disc, The Still Life, takes a lot of pleasantly surprising twists and turns which showcases the maturity of 22 year-old singer Alessi Laurent-Marke's songs. The thirteen-track / 32 minute disc incorporates a wide range of styles, which combine "Suzanne Vega-style" semi-confessional, personal lyrics with with a range of music styles that includes 'electonica' dance beats, dream-pop and 90's alt-rock and the instrumentation and percussion is surprisingly complex and diverse.

Only a few short years into her career, the London-based Laurent-Marke – who began playing music and launched a fanzine, Brain Bulletin, during her secondary school years in West London – is already prolific: her first, self-released EP, 2007’s Bedroom Bound, garnered the then-teenage artist a major label deal and attention around the globe.  While The Still Life still has strong ties to Laurent-Marke's acoustic/folky roots, this new disc is much more experimental and varied than previous outings. 

“I wanted to create a musical landscape that varied in sound,” Laurent-Marke says, “but an overriding feeling of ‘stillness’ remained throughout the album. I also wanted to step back from playing acoustic guitar and immerse the songs in very different sound settings from previous recordings.”

While the music on The Still Life takes a number of twists and turns, the centerpiece of all of the songs is Laurent-Marke's clear and upfront (and frequently waife-like) vocals.  The disc opens with "Tin Smithing" which grabs the listener's ear right away with  innovative, syncopated percussion and big backing vocals on the chorus.  Immediately shifting gears on the next number, "Veins are Blue" has a shuffling 60's beat, a call-and-response sing-along chorus and hints of shoe-gazer echo in some of the the guitar work.  Seemingly never content to stand still, "The Rain" fully makes the plunge into shoegazer territory but adds an electronica/trip-hop backbeat.  Coming full circle back to her earlier work, this track is followed by "The Good Song", a wistful folky number.  While there are a lot of strong tracks on this disc, my favorite is a cover of The National's "Afraid of Everyone", which is recast with a slow-burning, dance club beat and dark vocals harmonies that bring bring back fond memories of the best elements of Luscious Jackson.

The diverse range of styles on this disc shouldn't scare anyone off as Laurent-Marke's vocals provide an anchor and common ground between all of the tracks and this is complemented by producer Andy LeMaster's warm and shimmery productions.  “I hope that this album is good company for the listener,” says Laurent-Marke, “I tried to create something that would leave them happy, leave them with a feeling of peace. To me, the best thing an album can be is a friend you can rely on.”



Alessi's Ark 2013 Tour Dates 
MAY 17 -- BARCELONA, ES, BARTS (Barcelona Arts on Stage)
MAY 24 -- HAY ON WYE, UK, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN FESTIVAL
MAY 25 -- CARDIFF, UK, BUFFALO
JUNE 3  -- SEATTLE, WA, SUNSET TAVERN*

JUNE 4  -- PORTLAND, OR, HOLOCENE*

JUNE 6  -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA, THE CHAPEL*

JUNE 7  -- LOS ANGELES, CA, BOOTLEG THEATER*

JUNE 11 -- EVANSTON, IL, SPACE**

JUNE 14 -- MERCURY LOUNGE, NYC 
(Early show supporting The Ludlow Thieves;  Show starts at 7:30PM and advance tickets are $12)


JUNE 16  -- PHILADELPHIA, PA, JOHNNY BRENDA'S*

JUNE 19 -- BOSTON, MA, TT THE BEAR'S*

JUNE 20 --  PORTLAND, ME, ONE LONGFELLOW*

JULY 20 -- HILL FARM, OXFORDSHIRE, UK, TRUCK FESTIVAL

AUG. 31 -- BIRMINGHAM, UK, MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL

* supporting Sam Amidon

** supporting Patterson Hood

Links:
Alessi's Ark

The Sons and Heirs (Smiths Tribute Band) Play A Morrissey Birthday Celebration at The Bell House on May 22nd

This looks like fun...

"The music of Morrissey, Johnny Marr and co. lives on with The Sons and Heirs, a NYC-based tribute band that brings the experience of seeing The Smiths live to the stage. Singer Ronnissey, guitarist Ravi Marr. bassist Christian Rourke and drummer Jonathan Joyce recreate the songs and stage performance of The Smiths with stunning authenticity and attention to detail, right down to the last gladioli left on stage when the band is through."

Raven and Crow Design Studio is hosting a Morrissey birthday celebration at The Bell House on Wednesday, May 22nd. The show includes a live set by The Sons and Heirs (NYC's Tribute to The Smiths and Morrissey), DJ Matt Heart Spade and a reading by Tony Fletcher, author of "A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths". No clue on what to think about the "Smiths-inspired congregation of food, fashion and culture" that is also listed as part of the evening's activities. Earlier this year, Fuse.tv had but forward some suggestions for vegetarian menu options inspired by the Morrissey/Smiths catalog.

*This Charming Yam
*The Lettuce Head Master Ritual
*The Boy with the Corn as His Side
*Panic in the Leafs of London
*Figmouth Strikes Again
*Vicar in a Tofu

Tickets for the show at The Bell House are $12 in advance and $15 DOS - doors are at 8PM. For those who pre-order tickets, the fine folks at Raven + Crow Studio are doing weekly giveaways (link).

The Sons and Heirs at The Bell House with special guest Andy Rourke


Links:
The Sons and Heirs

Loren Benjamin (Brooklyn Piano-Pop) Announces First US Tour / Show Tonight at Rockwood Music Hall

"This is no guilty pleasure and listening to Loren’s own music, especially songs like Lonely Boy and Barcelona, the impact of British piano-based songwriters like Elton John, Chris Martin and Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley shines proudly through." -- Songwriting Magazine

Brooklyn singer-songwriter Loren Benjamin kicked off his first US tour last night in Pennsylvania and is playing Rockwood Music Hall tonight (11PM set time).  Loren is touring behind a new acoustic EP which will be available for sale at the show.

"After playing many hot clubs in New York City, I am embarking on my first ever tour in the US, playing 16 gigs from Boston to Nashville in local clubs with my musicians Segev ‘Sunny’ Haroosh on guitars and Ofer ‘Cozy’ Levy on percussion. Check out the Live page and please join us somewhere!! There will be more dates added later on.

I have also recorded an acoustic EP in my home studio with 6 favorite live songs, you can already listen to them on my Music page. We will be bringing the EP on tour with us so if you want to get a unique musical souvenir you can find it at the clubs near you."  - from Loren Benjamin's Blog



Loren Benjamin Spring 2013 Tour Dates
Sat. May 11th – Doylestown, PA @ 8pm – Puck Live
Sun. May 12th – New York, NY @ 11pm – Rockwood One
Wed. May 15th – Philadelphia, PA @ 9pm – The Grape Room
Thu. May 16th – Harrisburg, PA @ 8pm- The Midtown Scholar
Fri. May 17th – Thomas, WV @ 8pm – The Purple Fiddle
Sat. May 18th – Louisville, KY @ 8pm – The Hideaway Saloon
Sun. May 19th – Nashville, TN @ 8pm – Centerstate
Mon. May 20th – Nashville, TN – Blue Bird Cafe
Tue. May 21st – Knoxville, TN @ 9pm – Long Branch Saloon
Fri. May 24th – Burlington, VT @ 8pm – The Skinny Pancake
Sat. May 25th – Cambridge, MA @ 7:30pm – All Asia
Sun. May 26th – Boston, MA
Mon. May 27th – North Hampton, MA @ 8pm – The Elevens
Thu. May 30th – New York, NY @ 9:30pm – Rock Shop
Sun. June 2nd – Mapleton, NJ – House Concert

Links:
Loren Benjamin

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Announce New Self-Titled Disc Out July 23rd (Vagrant) / Only Local Appearance at Governor's Ball on June 8th

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros announced that a self-titled third disc, the follow-up to 2012's Here, will be released on July 23rd. Frontman Alex Ebert said: "These songs mean everything to me. It's the rawest, most liberated, most rambunctious stuff we've done".

Some of the material from this new disc has been part of the band's live set for the last few months...



Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Track List
Better Days
Let’s Get High
Two
Please!
Life Is Hard
If I Were Free
In The Lion
Country Calling
They Were Wrong
In The Summer
Remember To Remember
This Life

The band is out on an extensive summer tour that kicks off tonight in Napa, CA. The only local tour stop is at the Governor's Ball Music Festival on Randall's Island on June 8th (with Guns N' Roses headlining that night) and this show is completely sold out.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Summer 2013 Tour Dates
May 11, 2013 -- Napa, CA, Bottle Rock Festival
May 23, 2013 -- Lake Tahoe, NV, Montbleu Resort Casino
May 25, 2013 -- Portland, OR, The Rose Festival
May 26, 2013 -- Quincy, WA, Sasquatch Festival
May 28, 2013 -- Billings, MT, Babcock Theatre
May 29, 2013 -- Jackson, WY, Pink Garter Theatre
May 30, 2013 -- Salt Lake City, UT, Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
June 02, 2013 -- Morrison, CO, Red Rocks
June 04, 2013 -- Council Bluffs, IA, Stir Cove
June 05, 2013 -- Des Moines, IA, Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater
June 07, 2013 -- Pittsburgh, PA, Three Rivers Arts Festival (Free)
June 08, 2013 -- New York, NY, Governor’s Ball Music Festival
June 09, 2013 -- Portland, ME, State Theatre
June 11, 2013 -- Shelburne, VT, The Green at Shelburne Museum
June 12, 2013 -- Montreal, Canada, The Metropolis
June 13, 2013 -- June 16th, 2013 -- Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo
June 15, 2013 -- Atlanta, GA, Midsummer Music Festival (Free)
June 18, 2013 -- Chattanooga, TN, Track 29
June 19, 2013 -- Knoxville, TN, Bijou Theatre
June 21, 2013 -- Norfolk, VA, The Norva
June 23, 2013 -- Dover, DE, Firefly Festival
June 24, 2013 -- Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo State Theatre
June 25, 2013 -- Minneapolis, MN, Cabooze Outdoor Plaza
June 26, 2013 -- Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
June 28, 2013 -- Chicago, IL, Old St. Pat’s Church Block Party
June 29, 2013 -- Kansas City, KS, Kanrocksas Music Festival


Links:
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Jonny Orsini (from Broadway's 'The Nance') Will Be Doing a Live Q&A Tomorrow on Facebook

Jonny Orsini, who made his Broadway debut working alongside Nathan Lane in The Nance, will be doing a live Q&A session from 4 - 4:30PM tomorrow on Lincoln Center Theater's Facebook site.

The Nance opened April 15^th and has been extended through August 11th at the Lyceum Theater (149 West 45^th Street).

Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance recreates the raucous world of burlesque's heyday and tells the story of Chauncey Miles (Nathan Lane) and his fellow performers.  The Nance is a tale of Miles’ struggle to balance his belief that he can find happiness being a part of ‘mainstream / conservative’ New York with his onstage flamboyant persona and his offstage love affair with Ned (Jonny Orsini).  Miles’ strong conviction that both his onstage and offstage personas are a normal part of the social fabric during Mayor LaGuardia’s cleanup of New York and his self-loathing for being unable to be a part of mainstream society leads to him to sabotage both his personal and professional life. 



The Nance is running seven shows a week (in addition to Wed – Sat nightly shows, there are 2:00PM shows on Wednesday and Saturday and a 3:00PM show on Sunday) and tickets range from $37 - $127.

Links:
The Nance

Charlotte Sometimes (Warped Tour Vetran and 'The Voice' finalist) Plays Arlene's Grocery on May 18th

Charlotte Sometimes started her recording career on Geffen Records (with 2008's Waves and Both of Us) and, most recently, released released her fourth EP, "Circus Head", in October of 2012 via a PledgeMusic campaign. Charlotte had a busy 2012 as she was also a finalist on Season 2 of The Voice, which aired last spring, but ultimately lost out to Jermaine Paul.

Obviously not slowing down, Charlotte is playing a few Warped Tour dates this year along with a short run of solo shows - which includes a stop at Arlene's Grocery on May 18th. Cover for this show is $10 and Charlotte goes on at 8PM.

Charlotte Sometimes Spring 2013 Tour
May 18  -- Arlene's Grocery New York, NY
May 31  -- The Berkeley Hotel Asbury Park, NJ
Jul 06  -- Vans Warped Tour-Acoustic Basement Buffalo, NY
Jul 07  -- Vans Warped Tour-Acoustic Basement Holmdel, NJ
Jul 10  -- Vans Warped Tour-Acoustic Basement Columbia, MD
Jul 16  -- Vans Warped Tour-Acoustic Basement Scranton, PA





Before celebrating her 25th birthday, pop songstress Charlotte Sometimes already found herself praised by critics and superstars alike. As Blake Shelton, her coach on NBC's The Voice recently put it, "She's a true artist and true artists have visions."

This vision is perfectly captured on the new EP, "Circus Head", a 5 song gem which showcases her signature style which "earns her instant attention." (The New York Times) From the infectiously catchy opener, "Brilliant Broke and Beautiful," to the sentimental "Paint The Sky," Circus Head puts Charlotte's strong and attention grabbing vocals on display atop perfectly crafted pop hooks.

In addition to making it into the top 24 on Season 2 of The Voice, Charlotte Sometimes has been named a VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist and one of the "Top 100 Bands You Need To Know" by Alternative Press magazine. She has toured in support of Butch Walker, Gavin Degraw, Pat Monahan and The Hush Sound.

Links:
Charlotte Sometimes

Cursive Announce June Tour of the Mid-West (Saddle Creek)

(Photo: Daniel Muller)

While Cursive aren't playing any area shows (right now), there is probably one or two people on the inner-web thang that live in one of the cities on Cursive's June tour.

Cursive will hit the road again this summer for a handful of midwestern dates in June. Beginning June 20th at The Mill in Iowa City, IA, the band will work their way northward to the 605 Summer Classic in Sioux Falls, SD on the 22nd before wrapping up on the 24th at Record Bar in Kansas City, MO. A current itinerary is below.

Last year proved to be one of Cursive's busiest ever touring-wise, having spent the majority of the 12 months playing throughout North America and in Europe, and including a trip to Brazil in December. The band's seventh LP, I Am Gemini, was released on February 21st, 2012 via Saddle Creek, earning praise from Alternative Press, Big Takeover, CMJ, Ghettoblaster, Magnet, Paste, Penthouse, Relix, Revolver, and Vice, among others.

In related news, frontman Tim Kasher is currently working on his second solo album, following 2010's The Game Of Monogamy. More news will be announced soon.



Cursive June 2013 Tour Dates:
JUNE 20 -- IOWA CITY, IA -- THE MILL
JUNE 21 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 7TH ST ENTRY
JUNE 22 -- SIOUX FALLS, SD -- 605 SUMMER CLASSIC
JUNE 23 -- OMAHA, NE -- THE WAITING ROOM
JUNE 24 -- KANSAS CITY, MO -- RECORD BAR

Links:
Cursive

Zolle [Italian Stoner/Doom Band] - Self-Titled CD Review (Out May 13th on Supernatural Cat)

STREAM: Zolle - "Trakthor"

I find it difficult to write reviews of instrumental albums as, often, the individual songs don’t stand out or break from the overall sound of the album. As such, it is difficult to make reference to any high or low points on the disc as these sorts of albums one listens to start-to-finish or not at all.

Instrumental Italian stoner/doom duo Zolle will release their self-titled debut album on May 13th via Supernatural Cat. The band practices a ‘less-is-more’ approach and pummels and grinds through the disc’s groove and riff-oriented ten tracks in twenty-eight minutes. While the music is relentlessly heavy, the band expresses their sense of humor through the song titles – many of which reference redneck living. The band’s most recent single, “Heavy Letam”, is suggestive of “Letame” — which means manure in Italian — resulting in “a shitty anagram about heavy metal.”

Continuing with the redneck references, the band’s bio starts with the line “Only those who know the ease of a cow while defecating can understand the genesis of the songs of Zolle.” While I have no idea what this means, somehow it seems relevant to the video below.



Zolle was formed by Marcello Lan (Morkobot), who lays down the meaty riffs, and counterpart Stefano who beefs things up on drums and xylophone, the duo commenced work on their debut album throughout the summer of 2012, and in just two months they had the music ready to commit to tape.

Their self-titled album was recorded in September of the same year by Michelangelo Roberti at Mizkey Studio (Morkobot) and mastered by Giovanni Versari (Zu, Morkobot, OvO, One Dimensional Man). It was almost all played live, with overdubs reduced to the bone. The drums are of considerable proportion and made of copper and the amplifier an old digital model of the ’50s which makes for a mammoth sound. Finally, Urlo from Ufomammut and Roberto Rizzo of Quasiviri/Runi add synth seasoning to flesh out the album.

Links:
Zolle

R.E.M. - Live in Greensboro CD EP Review (Record Store Day Release)

"There's a sucker born every minute" -- David Hannum

Yawn...the last few releases in R.E.M.'s 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition series have been extremely lackluster and the band's new EP, "Live in Greensboro", which is a companion piece to the forthcoming Green reissue (out May 14th), doesn't fail to disappoint.

"Live in Greensboro" is being marketed as "featur[ing] a handful of performances from the Greensboro show that, due to space constraints, are not found on the [Green] Deluxe Edition". While the implication is that this EP contains all the missing tracks from the Deluxe Edition's bonus disc, the reality is that only five of the missing eight tracks are included, in seemingly randomly order no less.

Below is the full set list from the Greensboro show:

Stand
The One I Love
So. Central Rain ["Live In Greensboro" - Track 1]
Turn You Inside-Out
Belong
Exhuming McCarthy
Good Advices
Orange Crush
Feeling Gravitys Pull ["Live In Greensboro" - Track 2]
Cuyahoga
These Days
World Leader Pretend
I Believe
I Remember California ["Live In Greensboro" - Track 5]
Get Up
Life and How to Live It
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Encore:
Pop Song '89
Fall on Me
You Are the Everything

Encore 2:
Harpers(Hugo Largo cover) [still unreleased]
Begin the Begin
King of Birds ["Live In Greensboro" - Track 4]
Strange(Wire cover) ["Live In Greensboro" - Track 3]

Encore 3:
Low
Finest Worksong
Perfect Circle
Dark Globe(Syd Barrett cover) [still unreleased]
After Hours (Velvet Underground cover) [still unreleased]

As this show was recorded for the "Tourfilm" video, the recording is stellar and one can clearly hear the drums and keyboards in the mix. The song performances are all 'by the book' - while they run a bit longer than the studio versions, R.E.M. was a polished touring band by 1989 so there are no off-kilter stories from Stipe or drunken covers. While these straight-forward renditions aren't an issue, the reordering of the songs is a bit jarring as "Strange" really doesn't work being sequenced between "Feeling Gravitys Pull" and "King of Birds".



While there may not be much here for the long-time fans, this disc appears to have been a 'flippers' goldmine. "Live in Greensboro" was released two weeks ago for $7.98 and seems to be consistently selling on eBay for $30 - $40.

Links:
R.E.M.