Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Mix Tape Appreciation Society No. 8 :: GREMLINS IN THE MACHINE


Here lies a mix tape. Enjoy it in the evening-time. 


(Note: As I've been sitting on this one for a couple months now, this will be the last awesome mix tape in this particular awesome-mix-tape series. I'm going to get a fresh start in 2011 and return to the Fly High, Duluth! series, which was always so fruitful for me.)



1. Ultimate Fakebook - "Inside Me, Inside You" (Rock Mix)





7. Shad - "Keep Shining"


9. The Killers - "Who Let You Go?"


11. Holy Sons - "Slow Days"

12. Junior League Band - "Good Lord"

13. These United States - "The Great Rivers"

14. Dios (Malos) - "Feels Good Being Somebody" (Live at Spaceland)

15. The Raveonettes - "Dead Sound"

16. The Grouch & Eligh feat. Gift of Gab and Pigeon John - "All In"

17. K.Flay - "So Fast, So Maybe"

18. Apache, The - "James Coburn or Samantha Morton (1833)"

19. Belle and Sebastian - "Write About Love"

20. Yo La Tengo - "Tom Courtenay" (acoustic vers.)

21. The Appleseed Cast - "Here We Are (Family in the Hallways)"

22. Amanda Blank - "Might Like You Better"

23. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "Pieces Form the Whole"

24. Cloud Cult - "Today We Give Ourselves to the Fire"



Even though he hasn't had a regular radio gig since he was the program manager at Thunder Web Radio (now KDSU) in Fargo, Budgeteer editor Matthew R. Perrine likes to make mix tapes like he's going to play them on the air someday. This here Mix Tape Appreciation Society is a continuation of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul." Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Musicians in Duluth: Participate in 'Winter Rounds' at Beaner's

*BEANERS CENTRAL PRESENTS*
WINTER ROUNDS * A Singer Songwriter Showcase
Hosted by Patti Ryan and Jason Wussow
4 Months * 4 Topics * 4 Singer Songwriters per Showcase
Calling all singer songwriters* We’d like you to submit to perform at the Winter Rounds Showcase. On the first Friday of each month, 4 artists will gather at Beaner’s Central to perform two original songs each, on a particular topic. You can perform songs you’ve already written or perhaps will be inspired to write a couple of fresh songs for the event. Each song should be no longer than 5 minutes long. This will allow time for discussion, which your audience and peers will be encouraged to participate in. The last 60 minutes of the evening will be dedicated to a headlining/mentor artist. Please submit a short statement on your songwriting process and tell us how and when you started writing. Also include why this opportunity would be meaningful to you and which month/topic you are interested in. Open to ALL singer songwriters. First time performers encouraged to submit. Send submissions to Patti Ryan at: inukshukpass@gmail.com
January Seventh**Starting Over February Fourth**Heritage/Roots
March Fourth**Tenacity/Strength April First**Challenge and Redemption

*Don’t be afraid to write songs…there ARE no stupid songs*

Source: Patti Ryan

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Could Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs' receive the top Grammy honor?

ARCADE FIRE NOMINATED FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR GRAMMY
The Suburbs Receives Three Nods Total

"Now our parents will get off our backs about getting a real respectable job!!!!!"--Win Butler

Arcade Fire's critically acclaimed opus The Suburbs has been nominated for Album Of The Year, arguably the highest possible honor of the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.

The Suburbs has received a total of three nominations: Album Of The Year, Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for The Suburbs' "Ready To Start" and Best Alternative Music Album.

Reached for comment in London, where the band is in the midst of a two-night stand at the O2 Arena, Arcade Fire's Win Butler said, "We are very proud of the record we made and feel incredibly blessed that so many people have gotten it! For those of you who don't understand how gambling works, if something is 100 to 1 odds and you put down 10 dollars, you win 1000 dollars... I'm just saying."

The Suburbs was released August 3, 2010 on Merge Records, debuting at #1 on the U.S. Top 200 and selling nearly 400,000 copies as of press time. The record has been supported by an extensive world tour that has included two nights at New York's Madison Square Garden and a November 13 appearance on Saturday Night Live. The current run of dates will conclude December 12 in Glasgow.

The 53rd annual Grammy Awards will take place at Los Angeles' STAPLES Center on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, and will air live on CBS from 8 - 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).  

Source: Nasty Little Man

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Only read this if you want to cry

Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses presents: Birdsmell and Friends
With special guest Holopaw

A Benefit for the Andy Kotowicz Family Foundation
Friday, December 10th at the Pour House in Charleston, SC

A recent tragedy befell our Sub Pop brethren, when friend and co-worker Andy Kotowicz was killed in a car accident. A post on the Sub Pop website shortly after the incident recounts what happened, and is paraphrased below:

Last Thursday evening, October 21st, driving his young daughter Anna home after picking her up from daycare, our co-worker Andy Kotowicz was involved in a terrible car accident that, so incredibly sadly, proved fatal. In what qualifies as nothing short of miraculous and definitively heroic, his daughter was pulled from the remains of the car, while it was on fire, by a local business owner who witnessed the accident.

Andy was under care at Harborview Medical Center in a coma until Saturday evening when he was taken off life support in the company of his immediate family. He was an organ donor and a recipient for his kidneys was found very soon after his passing. This is a small indication of the kind of guy he was.

Anna suffered some bruises and a broken arm, but is now home with her mother and family and is, we are told, recovering and adapting. There is a lesson here about the resilience and redemptive powers of children that we can all hope to learn from.

Many associates of the Sub Pop and Seattle music community have pitched in to help Andy's family in different ways.

Ben will be performing a show at the Pour House in Charleston, SC on December 10th with the proceeds going to the foundation set up for the family.
Birdsmell and Friends will feature Ben with members of Band of Horses performing songs old and new, and special guest Holopaw will open the show.

Tickets are $25 and are on sale now. Get them here:
https://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSale?action=selectPerformance&performance_id=1385481&cobrand=charlestonpourhouse

Source: Nasty Little Man
 

Monday, November 29, 2010

PJ Harvey returns!

PJ HARVEY
LET ENGLAND SHAKE
NEW ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY 15, 2011

New Track To Be Previewed at www.pjharvey.netBeginning Tues. Nov. 30

PJH

PJ Harvey's eighth studio album 'Let England Shake' is set to be released on the February 15, 2011 on Vagrant Records in the U.S.

'Let England Shake' was recorded in a 19th Century church in Dorset with long time collaborator Flood who co-produced the album with PJ Harvey, John Parish and Mick Harvey. The record was also mixed by Flood.

The new album will be supported by a run of sold out live shows early next year, with dates in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and London's Troxy on February 27th and 28th.  2011 will also see Harvey return to the festival stage, with more details to be announced. PJ Harvey will perform with a live band which includes Mick Harvey, John Parish and Jean-Marc Butty.

A new album track will be previewed at the official website www.pjharvey.net  beginning Tuesday November 30.  The completed tracklisting for 'Let England Shake' is as follows:

1.       Let England Shake
2.       The Last Living Rose
3.       The Glorious Land
4.       The Words That Maketh Murder
5.       All And Everyone
6.       On Battleship Hill
7.       England
8.       In The Dark Places
9.       Bitter Branches
10.   Hanging In The Wire
11.   Written On The Forehead
12.   The Colour of The Earth

Source: Nasty Little Man

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Motion City Soundtrack teams with Minus the Bear, Foxy Shazam, other cool kids

Motion City Soundtrack Presents the First Ever Popsickle Festival!
Taking Over Minneapolis' Famed
 First Avenue on December 18th, Motion City Soundtrack Headlines and are Joined by Minus the Bear, Foxy Shazam, Gold Motel and many others!

Motion City Soundtrack’s Music Video for “A Lifeless Ordinary” Exclusively Premiered on SPIN.com Last Week & Currently in the Top 4 Most Popular Articles:
http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-new-motion-city-soundtrack-video

New York, NY - Motion City Soundtrack are excited to present the first ever Popsickle festival in their hometown of Minneapolis, MN on December 18th.  Taking over Minneapolis' famed  First Avenue and spilling over into 7th Street Entry, the all ages festival will feature headliners Motion City Soundtrack along with Minus the Bear, Foxy Shazam, Gold Motel, A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Now Now Every Children, One for the Team, Gospel Gossip, Take Cover and The Chord and the Fawn with more to be announced.

We wanted to start a festival in the vein of what Lollapalooza was to me in the early '90's -- a bunch of bands that most likely would never have toured together, but were all doing something interesting and unique in that particular point in time. Our version of that will be much smaller of course, but the idea is the same.  We hope to make this an annual festival that takes place in Minnesota every winter and hopefully can continue to grow in both scope and girth. – Justin Pierre/MCS

Tickets go on sale Saturday, November 13th at noon at all Ticketmaster outlets and the First Avenue box office. The first 100 tickets purchased at the box office will be specially priced at just $12.50 (two ticket limit). All other tickets are $22.50 in advance.

www.popsicklefestival.com
www.twitter.com/popsicklefest 
www.myspace.com/popsicklefestival 
www.facebook.com/popsicklefestival

Motion City Soundtrack is currently out on a co-headlining tour of the US with Say Anything, with Saves The Day supporting. Check out the remaining tour dates below:

Nov.      9th           Nokia Theatre                                                                                   New York, NY
                10th         Electric Factory                                                                                 Philadelphia, PA
                12th         Sonar                                                                                                    Baltimore, MD
                13th         Amos’ Southend Music Hall                                                        Charlotte, NC
                14th         Variety Playhouse                                                                          Atlanta, GA
                16th         Revolution                                                                                         Ft. Lauderdale, FL
                17th         House of Blues                                                                                 Orlando, FL
                19th         The Palladium Ballroom                                                               Dallas, TX
                20th         Warehouse Live                                                                               Houston, TX
                21st         Stubb’s BBQ                                                                                       Austin, TX

Source: Stunt Company

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Google gets sued over Buzz privacy issues, is forced to apologize (kind of)

I apologize for the non-music-related post, but I found this e-mail from Google HQ this morning to be quite interesting ... funny how it doesn't mention how Google violated our privacy, just that the company did:


Important Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement
Inbox
X

Reply
fromGoogle Buzz 
to[REMOVED]
dateTue, Nov 2, 2010 at 2:30 PM
subjectImportant Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement
mailed-bybuzz-classaction.bounces.google.com
signed-bygoogle.com
hide details 2:30 PM (19 hours ago)
Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an exception to let you know that we've reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding Google Buzz (http://buzz.google.com), a service we launched within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at http://www.BuzzClassAction.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
This mandatory announcement was sent to all Gmail users in the United States as part of a legal settlement and was authorized by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043

Monday, October 25, 2010

Why is ?uestlove of the Roots calling me?

MUSICIANS SURPRISE FANS WITH ELECTION REMINDER CALLS

Fans can request election reminder phone calls from their favorite rock stars at HeadCount.org;  Most calls will be recorded but a few lucky fans will get the real thing.

New York, NY – 
Some of the biggest names in music will be hitting the phones over the next week to help get the vote out, calling randomly-selected fans to chat about the upcoming election.

Willie Nelson?uestlove of the Roots, and Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips are among the dozen musicians involved with the “Pledge to Vote” campaign staged by HeadCount, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes electoral participation. Each artist recorded reminders that will be sent to fans before Election Day via automated phone calls. In addition, most artist participants will be making live calls - surprising fans who expect to only hear a pre-recorded message.

“Let’s get some folks cranked up about this,” said The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, a HeadCount board member who will also be personally calling dozens of voters. “It’s so important that people, particularly young people, are paying attention and voting so a bunch of cranky old folks don’t steal their future. Hopefully getting a call from a familiar voice will be motivation.” Weir is currently touring with his former Grateful Dead bandmate Phil Lesh under the name Furthur.

Close to 25,000 music enthusiasts have already made a “Pledge to Vote” at concerts or on HeadCount’s website, www.headcount.org, requesting a reminder phone call from one of their favorite artists and affirming that they will vote in November. The full list of artist choices include: 
?uestloveAdam Gardner (Guster)
Matt Berninger (The National)Warren Haynes (The Allman Bros., Gov't Mule)
Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits)Willie Nelson
Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips)Grace Potter
Brett DennenBob Weir (Grateful Dead, Furthur)
Jon Fishman (Phish)Yim Yames (My Morning Jacket)








Fans can still sign up for the calls by visiting www.HeadCount.org/pledge.

Marc Brownstein, of The Disco Biscuits, HeadCount's founder and co-chair, will personally phone dozens of fans from HeadCount's Manhattan office on Monday, Vovember 1st, the night before the election. Meanwhile, video cameras will be rolling and all the calls will be streamed live on the Web at www.HeadCount.org/Blog and www.Relix.com starting at 9 PM ET.

“This is what grassroots organizing is all about,” said Brownstein. “Talking to people one-on-one, but doing it in ways that make the conversation spread to many.”

Adam Gardner, guitarist in the band Guster and founder of the environmental music-industry nonprofit organization Reverb, said that until recently he didn’t realize that voter turnout for midterm elections is so much smaller than presidential elections. “I was surprised by it and definitely motivated to change those stats,” he said.

Reverb’s Green Music Group, a project that aims to build a community committed to environmental action, has made HeadCount’s “Pledge to Vote” its primary call to action this month.

The live phone calls follow HeadCount’s release two weeks ago of the “Vote Again 2010” public service announcement starring Jay-Z. It is airing on CBS, Fuse, Gospel Music Channel and SNY.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

INXS is back, baby ... and you'll never guess who they had over for dinner!

INXS TO RELEASE"ORIGINAL SIN" JANUARY 11, 2011

CHART-TOPPING BAND RE-IMAGINES SIGNATURE HIT TRACKS
CHOSEN BY AND PERFORMED WITH AN ALL-STAR CAST OF FEATURED GUESTS INCLUDING BEN HARPER, ROB THOMAS, TRICKY, NIKKA COSTA AND MORE

PETROL ELECTRIC AND RHINO ENTERTAINMENT PARTNER TO RELEASE
FIRST INXS ALBUM OF NEWLY RECORDED MATERIAL ON
ATCO RECORDS IN OVER 25 YEARS
Los Angeles, CA - October 19, 2010 - INXS has announced they will release their new album titledOriginal Sin on January 11, 2011. The first musical project between INXS and original manager CM Murphy in over a decade, the band has recorded several of their signature hits re-imagined by some of the world's finest musicians including Ben Harper, Rob Thomas, Tricky, Nikka Costa and more. A partnership between Murphy's own Petrol Electric label and Rhino Entertainment, Original Sin will mark the first INXS album release on the revived Atco Records imprint, INXS's original label home, since the band's 1984 platinum selling album The Swing.

"We're thrilled to welcome INXS back to Atco. This album will reunite the band and their great music with their significant fanbase, and by way of some very special guests, to a new audience," said Kevin Gore, President & CEO of Rhino Entertainment.

An ambitious project two years in the making, Original Sin teams the band with musicians from around the globe, from superstars like Ben Harper, Train's Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas, and Nikka Costa to up and comer DJ Yaleidys of Cuba, to reinterpret and revitalize their own classics for a whole new generation. An eclectic mix of music including Thomas and Yaleidys' sultry take on "Original Sin" and trip-hop superstar Tricky's electrifying version of "Mediate" to Pat Monahans' emotional "Beautiful Girl" and French pop artist Loane's take on "Mystify" with John Mayer & Kirk Pengilly on guitar, INXS boldly embrace their past and future on one album.

Original Sin, the first new musical project between INXS and CM Murphy in over 15 years, is not just typical re-recordings of the band's original songs. INXS along with artists from all over the world are paying tribute to the songs themselves and to the songwriters Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence. "INXS's material, specifically INXS's songs, set the table for singers," said Ben Harper. "In my opinion, they're any singer's dream songs to sing. Covering, 'Never Tear Us Apart' is like covering 'Dock Of The Bay.' I'm not here to make grandiose overstatements; it's just a fact, that is one of the greatest soul songs ever written."

To have so many of their peers want to perform INXS songs is a testament to the songwriting and something that INXS keyboardist/guitarist and main songwriter Andrew Farriss is immensely proud of. "I'm truly flattered that we have so many artists interested in working with us reimaging these songs. In a sense, it's been re-energizing for us to look at ourselves differently in the context of being in 2010 rather than, you know, 30 years ago. I feel we're very much doing something that's now and significant." Agreed lead guitarist Tim Farriss, "Original Sin is just, for me, so exciting. I know certain people might sort of perceive it as why aren't you doing new material, but the fact of the matter is we're getting to play some of our favorite songs from our history and play them the way we want them to be heard today."

For drummer Jon Farriss, it's all about the music. "We wanted to celebrate the songs, they're such great songs," he says. "I think initially there was a mixed bag of emotions and feelings, which was probably a good thing because we realized how much the songs meant to us. But at the end of the day we started to realize that this is actually cathartic for us and it might be for everyone else as well."

"This is the most beautiful and heart wrenching musical project I have ever had the pleasure to be involved in," said CM Murphy, INXS creative director and global business strategist. "Every track is played with emotion and conviction by the wonderful musicians within INXS. Every artist who performed on this album did so with heartfelt connection to the songs and to Michael's original vocals as well as his soul and his love for music. I had the pleasure of working with Michael for 15 dynamic years and I know for a fact he would love every performer on this album. This is a very special album."

One of the most notable and successful rock bands of all time, INXS has sold over 35 million albums worldwide with the group's music remaining in constant radio rotation and in DJ sets nightly across the globe. To this day, the group's multi-platinum landmark albums Listen Like Thieves, Kick, and X are all widely regarded as music collection staples. Huge chart-topping hit singles including "What You Need," "Need You Tonight," "Devil Inside," "Never Tear Us Apart," "New Sensation" and "Suicide Blonde" have been featured in numerous films, advertising campaigns and video games, earning the band countless accolades and awards around the world, including several Grammy nominations, and is the driving force behind selling over 15 million albums in the U.S. alone. With a career spanning three decades, first as the Farriss Brothers, then as INXS, brothers Tim, Jon, and Andrew Farriss, along with Kirk Pengilly and Garry Gary Beers have created some of the most enduring music in rock.
For More Information, please visit the official INXS website: www.inxs.com

Find us on Facebook Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/inxs

Follow us on Twitter Follow the band on twitter www.twitter.com/INXS

For more information on Rhino, please visit www.rhino.com

Source: CO5

Monday, October 18, 2010

What? Jay-Z wrote a book?!

JAY-Z and Bing Change the Game With “DECODED”
Multiplatform search experience and interactive game delivers one of the boldest book launches in history.

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 17, 2010 — In his first book, “DECODED,” pop culture icon JAY-Z describes the hidden meanings behind some of his most provocative songs and provides a highly personal narrative of the culture that so powerfully shaped his life and art. But some stories are bigger than the printed page. Bing, the decision engine from Microsoft Corp., is launching a multiplatform search experience and interactive game to help people decode JAY-Z’s life and lyrics. JAY-Z’s words will be taken a step further, allowing fans to use Bing and decide how to find the very locations that inspired them.
Every single page of JAY-Z’s book will be released to the public before the book is in stores, with pages physically placed in locations related to their specific content. The immersive journey will take players from the projects in the Brooklyn neighborhood where JAY-Z grew up and the London streets where he found inspiration to the building of his empire in Manhattan and beyond. Fans physically in those locations and those playing online with Bing will be offered never-before-experienced insights into JAY-Z’s highly personal process. In addition to high-profile media placements around the world, all 300 pages of “DECODED” will be appearing in places and on objects that have never before been used as advertising. From pools and pool tables to bronze plaques and high-fashion clothing racks, a variety of unexpected surfaces will become the canvas for JAY-Z’s art.
And it will be up to fans to decide how to find these pages using Bing. Online, fans will find a one-of-a-kind search experience built on Bing technologies and will be able to walk the streets that JAY-Z walked and use Bing to search and decide how to decode his life and lyrics at every turn. The immersive online experience utilizes multiple facets of Bing, including Bing Maps and Bing Entertainment, to give fans full access to the stories behind JAY-Z’s songs. Over the course of a month, fans will come together as a community to compile “DECODED” online before it hits bookshelves. 
More than 300 pages to decode, located via 600 unique traditional, nontraditional and digital advertising placements in 15 cities around the world and in Bing Maps, 200 prize winners, one grand prize winner, and the unveiling of “DECODED” — all in the next four weeks.

How It Works
Produced by creative agency Droga5, the game launches Oct. 18 and five to 10 new pages from “DECODED” will be unveiled each day, until the contest ends Nov. 20. Players of the game answer clues to find the “DECODED” pages in the online game experience at Bing.com/JAY-Z or in-person by locating the clues in New York, London and beyond. Any player who locates a page online or in-person (by texting unique game codes from the page) is entered into a drawing for a prize: the specific page they have located, signed by JAY-Z. All participants will be entered for a grand prize: two tickets to see JAY-Z and Coldplay in concert in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
“DECODED” is on sale Nov. 16 from Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group.
Be a part of this bold new chapter at Bing.com/JAY-Z.

Source: Sunshine, Sachs and Associates

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Mars Volta side project coming to Minneapolis, Madison


FREE MORAL AGENTS TOUR THE US IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM CONTROL THIS  ON CHOCOLATE INDUSTRIES

MARS VOLTA KEYBOARDIST AND FULL FMA BAND EMBARK UPON A MONTHLONG TOUR STARTING OCTOBER 6, 2010


Grammy Award winning Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, Long Beach-based keyboardist forMars Volta, has taken an extended hiatus from his main musical outlet to focus on a variety of other projects, key among them his long running group Free Moral Agents, whose new album Control This was recently released on Chocolate Industries. What started as a solo project in 2002 expanded to a full band in 2005, bringing in the talents of Mendee Ichikawa (vocals), Reid Kinnet (Rhodes), Jesse Carzello (guitar), Dennis Owens (bass), and Ryan Reiff (drums). The six-member group will be heading across the country starting this week to perform their new material for the masses.



Tour Dates
Wed Oct 6, Las Vegas, NV @ Las Vegas Country Saloon
Thur Oct 7, Tempe, AZ @ Stray Cat
Fri, Oct 8, El Paso, TX @ Republic
Sat, Oct 9, Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlie's
Sun, Oct 10, Corpus Christi, TX @ Revolution
Mon, Oct 11, San Marcos, TX @ Triple Crown
Tues, Oct 12, Lafayette, LA @ Grant Street Dancehall
Wed, Oct 13, Montevallo, AL @ Eclipse
Thur, Oct 14, Atlanta, GA @ 5 Spot
Fri, Oct 15, Knoxville, TN @ Clarence Brown Theatre, Univ. of TN
Sat, Oct 16, Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
Sun, Oct 17, Virginia Beach, VA @ Hangar 09
Mon, Oct 18, Raleigh, NC @ Pour House
Wed, Oct 20, Cambridge, MA @ Middle East upstairs
Thur, Oct 21, Newark, DE @ University of Delaware
Fri, Oct 22, New York City, NY @ CMJ
Sat, Oct 23, New York City, NY @ CMJ
Mon, Oct 25, Providence, RI @ Met Café
Tues, Oct 26, Portland, ME @ Asylum
Thur, Oct 28: Chicago, IL @ Beauty Bar
Fri, Oct 29: Minneapolis, MN @ TBASat, Oct 30: Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
Sun, Oct 31: Madison, WI @ FrequencyMon, Nov 1: Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar
Tues, Nov 2: Denver, CO @ Casselman's
Wed, Nov 3: Pueblo, CO @ Smitty's Greenlight Tavern
Thur, Nov 4: Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe
Fri, Nov 5: Missoula, MT @ The Palace
Sat, Nov 6: Portland, OR @ Slabtown
Sun, Nov 7: Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
Wed, Nov 10: Sacramento, CA @ Sol Collective
Thur, Nov 11: Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
Fri, Nov 12: Los Angeles, CA @ Airliner
Sun, Nov 14: Stockton, CA @ 856 Club

Source: Biz 3

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

HUGE show down in the Cities this Friday -- catch it if you can!

A Benefit For Brad Kern
Friday, October 8, 2010

First Avenue Mainroom
$22.50 advance/$24.00 doors 
18+ show
6:30pm Doors

With performances by:
Semisonic
Mason Jennings
Jeremy Messersmith
Twilight Hours
The Hang Ups
Two Harbors

Host by Mary Lucia from 89.3 Current
+ Music between bands by DJ Jake Rudh
Produced in cooperation with Twin Cities Music Community Trust
Tickets on sale Friday August 20 at First Avenue, The Depot Tavern and all First Avenue and Ticketmaster Outlets.

Brad Kern has been working as a live sound and recording engineer in the Twin Cities and around the globe since 1988. At one time or another, Brad has mixed live or recorded every band on the bill, since his initial work with Trip Shakespeare in 1991.

Brad was the victim of a hit and run, while biking to his home last month. He had extensive injuries but is expected to fully recover. Proceeds from this event will go to cover medical bills and lost wages during his recovery.

--------------------
SEMISONIC
http://www.semisonic.com/

  
After the breakup of Trip Shakespeare, Minneapolis natives Dan Wilson and John Munson teamed up with drummer Jacob Slichter to form Semisonic.  From 1995 to 2001, the band toured the globe and released four recordings; "The Pleasure EP",  "Great Divide", "Feeling Strangely Fine" and "All About Chemistry". “Feeling Strangely Fine,” sold over 2 million copies worldwide and remains a touchstone of late-90’s alternative rock. “Closing Time,” the band's biggest hit, for which they received a Grammy nomination, was ubiquitous around the world and remains a familiar and recurrent radio presence in many countries. “Secret Smile,” which became a chart-topping single in UK and Europe a year after the album’s release in the US, is equally long-lived. Semisonic's appearance at this benefit marks their first live show in over two years.


MASON JENNINGS

http://www.masonjennings.com/



Mason Jennings is a Minneapolis based singer/songwriter. His latest studio CD Blood Of Man, on which he played all the instruments, was given a 4 star review in Rolling Stone and called 'His best album yet'." Mason will be performing with his original band mates Robert Skoro (bass), Edgar Oliveira (drums) and Chris Thompson (sax) it’s a ten-year reunion of the "Birds Flying Away" album released at First Avenue.


THE TWILIGHT HOURS

http://thetwilighthours.com/



Originally cooked up as a nom de rock for music veterans John Munson and Matt Wilson's latest collection of songs, The Twilight Hours have evolved into a cohesive quintet, comprised of some of the finest rockers in Minneapolis.  Along with Jacques Wait on guitar, Dave Salmela on piano and Steve Roehm on drumset, Munson (bass, vocals) and Wilson (guitar, vocals) have forged a sound that is at once timeless and fresh.  The group was named a Best New Band of 2009 (!) by First Avenue Staff and music biz insiders.  The record, Stereo Night, was named among the top ten of 2009 by both The City Pages and Star Tribune.  The band is in the midst of creating a new recording, which will make full use of the mighty chemistry they have concocted.  Look for it early next year.   And visit thetwilighthours.com for more in-depth analysis, videos, downloads and delightfully inscrutable nonsense.

THE HANG UPS
http://www.myspace.com/hangupsmusic



Having grown from a trio formed at art school to a quintet boasting accomplished albums and highly respected credentials in music circles around the country, the Hang Ups have elevated their skills and creative vision to deliver some of the most appealing guitar-pop tunes fused with a psych-folk edge heard this side of the Village Green. It’s no wonder the Minneapolis-based group’s memorable arrangements, beautiful melodies, and infectious hooks have attracted fans such as Pete Yorn, Don Dixon and Mitch Easter (producers of the group’s "Second Story" lp), Semisonic and their producer, Brad Kern (who produced The Hang Ups self titled lp)), and Soul Asylum ’s Dave Pirner.

TWO HARBORS

http://www.myspace.com/twoharborsmusic
  
Originally known as Colonial Vipers Attack, this Minneapolis dreampop band returns with a new name and a tighter, grander sound on their second album All the Places We Would Rather Be. The Two Harbors trail begins around 2006 when the band released a self-titled album (under the original band name) with a lineup that included bassist John Schrei and keyboardist Dax Eckel. The first album made a good splash with local radio and press, listeners appreciating the music's dreamy, textural tone and the band's slyly catchy song writing.

TWIN CITIES MUSIC COMMUNITY TRUST
The Twin Cities Music Community Trust was co-founded by Myles Kennedy and James Baker to help out members of the local music industry with medical bills and other expenses. Previous beneficiaries of The Twin Cities Music Community Trust are sound engineers Chad Weis and Matt Lindquist, and First Avenue stage manager Conrad Sverkerson among others.


City Pages

Semisonic and the Hang Ups reuniting for benefit




A benefit for live sound and recording engineer Brad Kern is shaping up to be quite the remarkable lineup, thanks to Kern's extensive involvement in the local scene. Since working with Trip Shakespeare in 1991, Kern has mixed or recorded countless acts, and now the bands are honoring Kern with a fundraiser in the First Avenue Mainroom on October 8.

In addition to performances by Mason Jennings, the Twilight Hours, and Two Harbors, the First Ave show will also feature two reunions: headliners Semisonic, who last performed locally in 2008, and the Hang Ups (led by Brian Tighe of the Owls and the Star Folk), who were most active in the mid-'90s.

Brad Kern was the victim of a hit and run accident while biking home last month. He is expected to recover completely, but sustained severe injuries and has been unable to work. Proceeds from the benefit show will soften the blow of his medical bills and lost wages.

------------

Star Tribune


August 13, 2010 - 5:25 PM
In other concert news, Minneapolis favorites Semisonic -- who never officially broke up (so don't call it a reunion) -- will play their first show in two years Oct. 8 at First Avenue, a benefit concert for sound engineer Brad KernMason Jennings, the Twilight Hours, theHang Ups and Two Harbors will also perform. Kern was in a hit-and-run bike accident last month. Tickets ($22.50) go on sale next Friday at noon via www.First-Avenue.com.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
------------
A.V. Club
Updated 09/30/2010
  • Fri Oct 8 6:30 pm
    Semisonic, Mason Jennings, Jeremy Messersmith, The Twilight Hours, The Hang Ups, and Two Harbors at First AvenueWith the recent reunions of bands like Guided By Voices and Pavement, ’90s nostalgia is in full effect. So why shouldn’t the Twin Cities have their own version? Semisonic’s biggest mark on the alt-rock world was “Closing Time,” but earlier releases like the 1995 Pleasure EP and the following year’s Great Divide are packed with equally infectious hooks. While Semisonic’s last show was only two years ago, it’s been a bit longer since indie-pop band The Hang Ups took the stage, though leader Brian Tighe has continued to hone his talent for sweet, sing-along melodies in The Owls. The bands are reteaming to play a benefit for sound engineer Brad Kern, who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident while biking a few months ago.
    First Avenue 701 1st Ave. N., Twin Cities, MN 18+ $22.50/$24

--------------
Mpls Music Live 
Brad Kern Benefit @ First Avenue on Friday, October 8th ($22.50): Semisonic reunion?  That alone is a must see.  Now throw in Mason Jennings, Twilight Hours, The Hang Ups, and Two Harbors and you know you are going to have to be there.  The benefit is for Brad Kern, a long time local sound tech who was recently hit by a car while riding his bike.  It’s an unprecedented line-up, making it both a great value and a good cause.  Horrible circumstances, to be sure – but, let’s support some great local musicians supporting their friend.

Source: Tinderbox Music

Monday, October 4, 2010

Mix Tape Appreciation Society No. 7 :: TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE


Here lies a mix tape. Hope you have your headphones on.


A nice little intro before ...

... the debut solo single from Doomtree producer extraordinaire Lazerbeak!

I love the confidence: "If I ain't on your playlist, your playlist is irrelevant."

4. Cloud Cult - "You'll Be Bright (Invocation, Pt. 1)"
Check out this gem from my recent interview with Cloud Cult's Shawn Neary: "The demos we receive from Craig (Minowa) are usually demos in name only: They’re the finished song with most — if not all — of the parts laid down by Craig on either the instrument proper or on synthesizer."

This Austin foursome is one of my new favorite bands. The group's sound is all at once fresh and eerily reminiscent of something else in my collection. ... Of course I can't name it on cue, so strike that comment from the record: The Eastern Sea is decidedly one-of-a-kind!

Cool: My favorite rapper from Columbus, Ohio, is also a huge Who fan. On this one he raps over the unforgettable synthesizer sounds found on "Won't Get Fooled Again."

7. The Posies - "She's Coming Down Again!"
I know I say this about a different record every week, but ... "Blood/Candy" is quite possibly my album of the year. So, so, ridiculously good. This is just one highlight.

8. Paper Route - "Tennessee"
Don't let the fact that this Nashville group tours with marginally talented acts like Paramore and Owl City throw you: This is beautiful, piano-laden music. 

9. DJ Shadow - "Def Surrounds Us"
Epic ... just epic.

10. The Winebirds - "The Solution"
From my review of “Séance Hill”: The Winebirds are three guys and two girls — all Portland natives — crafting tunes that are A) as indie-tastic as Belle & Sebastian, B) as radio-friendly as Fleetwood Mac or Rilo Kiley and C) inherently timeless.

11. The Lonely Forest - "Turn Off This Song and Go Outside"
Fresh air? What a novel idea.

It won't get the crowds going like "F--- You," but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

13. K.Raydio feat. JDante - "Catchy Hook"
This one, on the other hand, could work wonders at your next dance party.

14. Rah Digga feat. Redman - "This Ain't No Lil' Kid Rap" (Dirty Remix)
Redman, in small doses, is a MF-ing genius.

15. The Junior League Band - "So I Want Out"
This sounds so much like a whiskey-soaked She & Him, you could definitely have some fun messing with an unsuspecting hipster or two.

Brendan Benson reincarnate?

17. Mr. Lexx - "Brand New Ride"
Completely obnoxious if you're in a bad mood, bloody magic if you're on a sugar high.

18. BNLX - "Got Needs"
Do I hear a hint of "Twin Peaks" in this otherwise upbeat number?

19. Rakaa - "Delilah"
Good stuff ... despite its ho-hum production.

Going for Top 40 adds? Still, it's Smoosh.

Perhaps my fascination with "Dawson's Creek" influenced this middle-of-the-road song selection....



Even though he hasn't had a regular radio gig since he was the program manager at Thunder Web Radio (now KDSU) in Fargo, Budgeteer editor Matthew R. Perrine likes to make mix tapes like he's going to play them on the air someday. This here Mix Tape Appreciation Society is a continuation of SHAKE*YOUR*SHORES, the awesome mix tape series formerly known as "Don't Tell a Soul." Enjoy!