Today’s post has been overrun with concert announcements. Do not be alarmed.

Major awesomeness in the form of Steve Earle & The Dukes accompanied by Allison Moorer will hit the Palais Royale on March 4, tickets $37.50 on sale tomorrow via Ticketmaster (or now, via Rotate This). And for those in the 519 who don’t want to travel to the 416, they’ll also be at Club Denim in Guelph on March 3. I’ve been waiting for this show for a year and a half, since I inexplicably missed his 2003 show at the Kool Haus. Thankfully, he’s not playing there again… I hear the Palais Royale is nice – I think it’s actually the last venue in Toronto I’ve never been to. One more thing to cross off my “things to do before I die” list. Hmm, the list is getting shorter and shorter. That may not be a good thing.

And if you’re not down with Mr Earle, Ireland’s Frames are at the Opera House on the 4th with Mark Geary, also on March 4. Or, if you’re looking for more rootsy twangy goodness, check out Nashville’s Bobby Bare Jr at Lee’s Palace this Monday the 24th ($7) or Memphis’ Lucero at a venue TBA on February 18. And neither rootsy nor twangy, New York’s Calla play with The French Kicks at the Horseshoe March 10, tickets $10.50. Meanwhile, local promoters Whacked Out Production celebrate their 6th anniversary with a show March 14 at Club Rockit featuring Bella Lea, the new band featuring Maura Davis, formerly of Virginian emo outift Denali.

Some big shows – Queens Of The Stone Age are at the Kool Haus March 30 promoting Lullabies To Paralyze, out March 22. The Donnas are at the Air Canada Centre on April 12 – this has to be supporting someone, there’s no way they’re headlining a show at the ACC.

Some odds and ends for the Anglophiles… a couple of this year’s “next big things” are coming to town – The Kaiser Chiefs (what an awful name) are at the El Mocambo on February 15 and Bloc Party are at the Mod Club Lee’s Palace April 2, tickets $13.50. One of 2003’s big things, who I guess now qualify only as “things”, British Sea Power, are at Lee’s Palace April 21. All three acts have new albums to shill for – The Kaiser Chiefs’ Employment is out March 15, Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm is out March 22, as is BSP’s Open Season.

On the veteran side, The Wedding Present begin their North American tour to support Take Fountain starting April 16 – I’m assuming there’ll be a Toronto date even though they passed us by when promoting Cinerama’s Torino. The rumour mill puts King Monkey Ian Brown at the Mod Club sometime in May, Idlewild could also be in town in May and it’s reasonable to expect a Doves date in T.O. during their mini-North American jaunt in March for SXSW or Coachella in May.

And it looks like the lineup for the Broken Social Scene benefit show on Tuesday is as I have noted on my sidebar there. Apostle Of Hustle at 9:40, Jason Collett at 10:30 and BSS at 11:20. I think it seems horribly ungracious to feel disappointed at that lineup, so I won’t. It will be an excellent show regardless, and I still fully expect guests a-plenty. Like Charo!

Whew.

The new, as-yet-untitled studio album from The Strokes has been scheduled for release on June 14. It was pointed out to me recently that I’ve taken cheap shots at New York City’s poutiest in the past, and perhaps have been a little unfair in my mockery. So to make up for it, I’m going to try and say something nice about them… Ahem. To the best of my knowledge, no member of The Strokes – or their entourage – has ever intentionally and maliciously drowned a gunnysack full of kittens. Yet.

Check out the video for the new Delgados single, “Girls Of Valour”.

Realizing that the decade is now half over, Stylus has compiled their list of the top 50 albums from 2000 to 2004. Well, numbers 50 to 21, at least. The complete list is up. I have nineteen of these records.

One of my favourite times of the year is the end of January/start of February when the NAMM show goes down in California – it’s one of two huge annual music gear orgies wherein equipment manufacturers trot out their new wares for the next year, a veritable porn-fest for gear geeks like myself. As always, Harmony Central will have a day-by-day rundown of all the new toys that have been unveiled and make me lust for shiny gewgaws that I have no need for whatsoever.

np – Interpol / Turn On The Bright Lights

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