Friday, January 6th, 2006

Is It Wicked Not To Care?

Torontonians haven’t seen Isobel Campbell since she sulked offstage from Belle & Sebastian’s May 2002 show at the Kool Haus… and then quit the band a couple of weeks later. And I’ve not forgotten her “food poisoning” which forced the band to cancel what would have been their Toronto debut back in the Fall of 1998. I, for one, still remember seeing the shabbily handwritten note tacked to the front door of the Opera House, declaring the show cancelled. I’m not saying I hold a grudge, I’m just saying.

But that’s all in the past. We’ll get a chance to see what she’s been up to when she plays a show at Revival on March 4. She just released the Ramblin’ Man EP this week as a preview of her album with Mark Lanegan, Ballad Of The Broken Seas, which is out January 30. She also has a second solo record due out later this year called Milk White Sheets. I reviewed the Ramblin’ Man EP last month, and despite feeling rather lukewarm about it, I’m still curious to hear the album – the combination of her and Lanegan is too weird to dismiss out of hand. In the meantime, you can stream the EP here.

I have no doubt that Campbell wants to establish herself as an artist in her own right, and not just be know as the girl who quit Belle & Sebastian, but I can’t help but think the timing of her album release and tour, with respect to that of her old band, is a little more than just coincidence. Her album is coming out a week before B&S’s The Life Pursuit and her tour brings her through Toronto just a week after her old bandmates, perhaps cannily trying to pick up some of the media coverage the B&S juggernaut will be churning up? And yeah, it’s finally official, so I can finally speak freely about the tour. Belle & Sebastian and The New Pornographers, February 25 at The Docks. This will be the first date of the North American tour, so expect excitement and jitters and maybe some flubs. And lots of cuteness. No ticket info yet, but I figure it’ll cost in the $40-$50 range. Steep, but what can you do. And finally, Stuart Murdoch and Chris Geddes talk to Scotland On Sunday about recording the new album in Los Angeles and trash talk Franz Ferdinand in the process. Nice.

Canadian Music Week will be taking place March 1 through 4 this year. The list of artists attending this year’s fest is now up, and it looks like the usual suspects. No slight to the performers intended, but almost all of those acts gig around town regularly anyways, so I don’t get particularly psyched about the idea of seeing them play shorter sets for probably higher admission prices. But I guess someone has to pay for those shiny banners they hang outside the clubs. Either way, I’ve put in an application for media accreditation for the festival. Just for kicks. My quest for same from SxSW has been fruitless so far, so maybe CMW will be a little less strict and help me feel less worthless.

Ladytron are at the Opera House on April 20. I… I can’t think of anything clever or snide to say about this. I briefly had something about people all dressed in black, but then it just slipped away. I’m tired. Via For The Records.

The New York Times contemplates the futility of year-end lists.

I get the spotlight in the latest Muzzle Of Bees’ “Get To Know Your Blogger” feature.

Salon pays tribute to Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s run on Daredevil, which will be wrapping up this month. The piece rightly declares them the best creative team to tackle the character since Miller/Mazzuchelli, though as good as their work has been, I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for “Born Again”, if for no other reason than it was my first trade paperback ever. Via The Great Curve.

Just four days in and I’ve already missed a day on my photoblog. There’s just not that much compelling stuff to shoot in the office or at home, and Lord knows I’m not outside when it’s daylight and there’s things to look at. I don’t think I’ve even seen the sun this calendar year. Very bleak. Update: Okay, it’s sunny today. And about 10 degrees colder than yesterday. Stupid Winter.

np – Steve Earle / El Corazon

By : Frank Yang at 8:51 am
Category: Uncategorized
RSS Feed for this post19 Responses.
  1. Torr says:

    I lived in London, Ont at that time and had tix for the B&S show in Toronto. Luckily I found out it was cancelled right before heading to the train station. I didn’t end up seeing ’em until they played Austin (not at a SXSW) years later. This next tour they’re gonna stop in Dallas for the first time ever, should be good; though I’m not too hot on the new album.

  2. Paul says:

    Campbell’s last album was released on the same day as "Dear Catastrophe Waitress".

  3. Gary Campbell says:

    B&S do apologize for pending steep ticket prices in advance on their site:

    "Also, if we may save you the time and bother it’ll take to write in and complain about booking fees. We know! But we can’t do anything about it! Almost all the venues have deals with the big ticket agencies, so either we just swallow it or we play places so small that a) we don’t fit and b) only 150 people get in. At least this way you get the choice of whether to buy a ticket or not. Clearly it’s not the cheapest ticket on the market either, but it costs what it costs and I think the addition of The New Pornographers makes it pretty decent value for money. Rest assured that nobody is laughing all the way to the bank. Except the ticket agencies…"

  4. suckingalemon says:

    I am now actually worried about the ticket price – when the band puts out an apology statement. At the same time i have not been to a show over $25 in a long while.

    The only positive thing i can say about CMW is that it might be better than NXNE, but that’s not saying much at all. If jon rae, carolyn mark, and holy f*ck could all play the same show, then id be set or maybe everyone should just save their money for overthetop.

    cheers

  5. Frank says:

    I’ve been told ticket info will be available early next week. I’m standing by my $40-$50 estimate, it’s the very outside of what could be considered reasonable for their target audience. But we shall see.

  6. tim says:

    nice that you had inside info on the B&S/NP tour, but no need to let your readers know that you were a good schoolboy who keeps his mouth shut. readers resent that. we’d much rather you spill the beans!

  7. Frank says:

    haha. well, I only had info on the Toronto date, and was pretty much sworn to secrecy. Sorry.

  8. mike says:

    ticket info is now on the B+S tour page… $32.50 + charges, on sale Thurs. Jan. 12

  9. Frank says:

    "Tickets cost $35.5 Canadian Dollars ( plus booking fee) and go onsale at 10am on Thursday January 12th"

    So all said and done, around $40. when I’m right, I’m right.

  10. Alan says:

    tickets are now on sale for the toronto sadies shows… ticketmaster.ca $25 before charges

  11. anonymous says:

    Well, I’d pay $20 for the New Pornographers, and I’d pay $20 for Belle and Sebastian, so I don’t mind. If the open had been anything less than stellar, I’d write it off now.

  12. TS says:

    oy – is that CMW site for real? there are so many spelling mistakes in there. that drives me nuts.

    there’s a few bands to see – fine we get to see them all the time, but what’s wrong with that?

  13. Frank says:

    yeah, the CMW site is pretty shoddy.

    I fully admit to having a visiting team bias in regards to shows. If I get media accreditation (read: free wristband) for CMW, I’ll try to use the opportunity to see all the local bands that I always beg off of seeing for whatever reason…

  14. matthew says:

    The line-up may not be great, but a large number of those bands never even make the drive up the 416 to Ottawa. If I can get any accreditation for it, I’m definitely making the trip down to see a few shows…Holy Fuck alone should be worth the trip.

  15. Frank says:

    matthew, did you apply? I liked the CMW system, very no fuss, no muss. fill out a form and if you don’t hear back, you’re in. Much nicer than SxSW’s draconian inquisition.

    and I’m fully aware of how spoiled with music we are in toronto.

  16. Eugene says:

    22 shows in 18 cities…but no Atlanta?!?! (but Nashville and Louisville though)

    Anyone else in the southeast that is VERY disappointed? It’s crazy I say!

  17. A stranger says:

    Any word on whether or not it will be the full lineup of New Prons?

  18. matthew says:

    I did apply, but no word yet back from them on it…which, I guess, is a good thing.

  19. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan chart North American tour | MP3 Music at MixBurner says:

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