Search Results - "Robyn Hitchcock "
Monday, June 11th, 2007
If I had one edict for surviving NxNE this year, it would be “no club hopping”. Coming off two weeks abroad and having already hit shows Sunday and Tuesday night, the only thing that was going to get me out of the house for Thursday through Saturday was some sort of guarantee to myself that I wouldn’t be trying to barrel around Toronto on my bike at night while at high risk of a narcoleptic attack. Thank goodness, then, for the lineup Thursday at the Horseshoe, which featured a happy grab bag of acts – some very familiar, some peripherally, some not at all – but almost certainly guaranteeing an interesting evening.
Leading things off were Future Clouds & Radar, the new project of Robert Harrison, formerly of Cotton Mather. You’d be excused for doing a double-take when told their drivers licenses say “Austin, Texas”, however, as their swirling, neo-psychedelic pop owes a huge debt to such towering English talents as Ray Davies and Robyn Hitchcock (payable in pounds sterling). Rolling out material from their self-titled debut, the band seemed a little out of sorts to begin the set, only Harrison seeming fully in the groove and periodically dancing over to his bandmates to offer some guidance or support. They quickly got it together, though, and by set’s end were firing on all cylinders and finished their too-brief set on a high note. At two CDs in length, Future Clouds And Radar is a bit overlong and probably dilutes what could be a drum-tight single disc, but the long format does lend it a charming, rambling GBV-ish quality. Recommended, both live and on disc. Houston Press Q&As Rober Harrison.
I hadn’t actually wanted to stick around for Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Cage The Elephant – they didn’t sound like my cup of tea – but with nowhere else to go for an hour, I did and am glad I did. I guess I’m learning the distinction between music that I enjoy listening to and that which can simply be fun to see live. And Cage The Elephant’s blend of snotty teenage punk and classic-styled Southern rock definitely delivers on the latter. Looking barely out of high school (if even that), the five-piece put on a show loaded with energy and antics one couldn’t help but enjoy.
Los Angeles’ Sea Wolf made a positive impression when they played our Hot Freaks show at SxSW in March so I was pleased to see them coming to town (though they’d just come by last month opening for Silversun Pickups). Their new EP Get To The River Before It Runs Too Low is a pleasant if a bit subdued bit of nicely orchestrated folk-pop and that’s my overall impression of them live. Alex Church’s compositions are hooky though at times it feels like they’re wearing gloves – there’s something that keeps them from catching too deeply. But there’s definitely potential there and the band has the tools to do something really great – and I mean that literally. They had loads and loads of fascinating instruments onstage and at their disposal.
And then the headliners, at least for as late as I was planning to stay – the resurrected Buffalo Tom. I had thought that seeing them in Austin at SxSW in March would be a once-in-a-lifetime, can’t-miss opportunity… then they show up in my backyard not three months later. That’s not a complaint, though. They may be years removed from their Sassy “Cute Band Alert” but Buffalo Tom play with the energy of a much younger band. Well, mainly Bill Janovitz who kept in game shape during the band’s hiatus selling houses – throughout the set, he was bounding, lurching and generally all over the stage, powering through material both classic and new (from their forthcoming album Three Easy Pieces, out July 10). Chris Colbourn stayed pretty much stationary over on his side of the stage trying not to get caught in the line of fire. It’s funny that some of the sloppiness I noticed at their show in Austin and wrote off as the band getting back into gear were still evident three months later. Maybe that’s just how the BT are live? I never saw them back in the day so I can’t compare. However, if I might make a suggestion, Bill – for the straightforward style of guitar-pop that the band excels at, you really doesn’t need so many distortion pedals. SG -> cable -> Marshall = goodness. Just saying. But stompbox navigational difficulties aside, Buffalo Tom’s set was a terrific stroll down memory lane but kept an eye towards the future.
Photos: Buffalo Tom, Sea Wolf, Cage The Elephant, Future Clouds And Radar @ The Horseshoe – June 7, 2007
MP3: Buffalo Tom – “Three Easy Pieces”
MP3: Sea Wolf – “You’re A Wolf”
MP3: Sea Wolf – “The Garden That You Planted”
MP3: Future Clouds And Radar – “Drugstore Bust”
MP3: Future Clouds And Radar – “Quicksilver”
Video: Buffalo Tom – “Sodajerk” (YouTube)
Video: Buffalo Tom – “Velvet Roof” (YouTube)
Video: Sea Wolf – “You’re A Wolf” (YouTube)
MySpace: Buffalo Tom
MySpace: Sea Wolf
MySpace: Future Clouds And Radar
The Cleveland Free Times and Daily Press talk to Son Volt’s Jay Farrar.
The Guardian discusses the influence of family on Elvis Perkins’ Ash Wednesday
Pitchfork offers up details on Josh Ritter’s new album The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, due out August 21 on Sony/BMG.
CokeMachineGlow checks in with John Darnielle on the status of all things Mountain Goat – new album being record in August in September, to be released some time after that. Obviously.
Billboard reports that the new Iron & Wine album, The Shepherd’s Dog, will be out September 25. Look for the first single in a month or so.
Now translated into English, last week’s Takeaway Shows featuring Loney, Dear.
And the final batch of Europe photos – sets from Switzerland, brief stops in Leichtenstein and Austria and finally, finishing up with a few stops around Germany. I particularly love the ones of the Swiss Alps, taken atop the Stanserhorn. Majesty doesn’t even begin to describe it. But that’s it for the vacation shots – henceforth, my Flickr account will again focus on concert shots and pictures of my cat – like this one, which has been selected to be published in the 24 Hours Of Flickr book. Naturally, he’s been a total diva since he found out. No, wait – he was always like that.
Monday, November 13th, 2006
The musical Venn diagram on stage at the Mod Club this past Friday night was an impressive one no matter how you looked at it. Between the four of them, you had portions of The Soft Boys, The Egyptians, Ministry, The Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5 and R.E.M. (amongst countless others) but on this night, they were simply Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3.
Though playing solo, opener Mark Pickerel boasted a similarly diverse and expansive resume including working with Screaming Trees (he was the original drummer) and Nirvana, though in recent years he’s gone and found country, playing with the likes of Brandi Carlile and Neko Case. It was this folker who took the stage Friday night to play a short but sweet set of slow, mellow tunes accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and some clever percussion (keeping time on the kick drum behind him with his heel on the pedal, tambourine under the other foot – brilliant), he reminded me a bit of Chris Isaak but that have just been the hair and the suit. Maybe a bit too low-key to open for Hitchcock in rock mode, but still enjoyable stuff.
Robyn Hitchcock is one of the rare performers for whom you could take a live recording, excise all the actual music leaving just the banter and still have an aural document worth listening to. Each of his songs were prefaced by a story that was either explanatory or a complete non sequiter, but either way it was thoroughly entertaining so you didn’t really care. Even when he seemed to be lost on a tangent, seemingly never to return, he would bring it back around and make some humourous and often political point before launching into another song. There is no denying the man’s wicked and acerbic wit.
My knowledge of Hitchcock’s oeuvre consists pretty much of Underwater Moonlight and Ole! Tarantula but that didn’t prevent me from enjoying every minute of the show – Hitchcock’s tunes are so finely crafted that the hooks will catch on first listen, especially when played by a band as supremely talented as the one he was traveling with (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin if you weren’t paying attention). Luckily for me, however, the set list leaned heavily on both the albums I do have and I’m happy to say that the new stuff held up very well against the classic material – “Queen Of Eyes” and “I Wanna Destroy You” are for all-time, but “Adventure Rocket Ship” and “(A Man’s Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs” (which was prefaced by a wonderful, extended ramble about Clint Eastwood’s Magnum Force, from which the song draws its title and about which he talks about to the Cleveland Plains Dealer) are no slouches either.
Top to bottom, a terrific show from one of the greats. And it’s always interesting going to the shows whose audiences skew older – Hitchcock’s fanbase are not what you’d call the young and the hip, but they were devout and enthusiastic and I’ll take that any day of the week. Plus they made me feel young, like a spring chicken (though after an almost two-hour set, my back disagreed). And also nice – as I was leaving, I noticed Peter Buck was working the merch table, chatting with fans. You think you’re going to see that next time R.E.M. is in town? Probably not.
If you’re inclined, the show is already torrented on Dime A Dozen – if nothing else, they’ve got the correct final set list, though not the second encore which I believe was a quick “Give It To The Soft Boys”. There’s also this short piece by Hitchcock about the genesis of the Venus 3 (née The Minus 3).
Photos: Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, Mark Pickeral @ The Mod Club, November 10, 2006
MP3: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – “Adventure Rocket Ship”
MP3: Mark Pickerel – “Graffiti Girl”
MP3: Mark Pickerel – “Forest Fire”
MP3: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – “Adventure Rocket Ship”
Video: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – “Adventure Rocket Ship” (WMV)
Video: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – “Adventure Rocket Ship – live” (WMV)
MySpace: Robyn Hitchcock
MySpace: Mark Pickerel
In continuing with last week’s XTC post and contest (which you should definitely read because the responses have been amazing), I direct you to the official XTC fan MySpace, in particular the blog which features a series of interviews with Andy Partridge about the genesis and content of various XTC songs which they also generously stream.
Check out the new video for Rob Dickinson’s “Oceans”, which was apparently shot entirely on camera phone and stands as evidence to Rob’s continuing seahorse fetish. Also note that his live acoustic album, Alive And Alone, is now on sale here and I say – that’s one of my photos as the backdrop. Smashing!
The Deli recounts the story of Asobi Seksu as told by Yuki Chikudate and The Stranger converses with both Yuki and James.
Happy news for the five or six of us who, despite the peer pressure, actually still enjoy Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip – it’s going to run the full season. While the show’s not been perfect – far from it, actually – it’s still not nearly as bad as the haters would have you believe. Some of the complaints are justified (the sketch comedy is generally awful) but the one criticism that I take particular issue with is the one that the characters seem to think their job is terribly important and that the fate of the world hinges on their show. Well don’t most people take their jobs seriously? Would it somehow be more believable or entertaining if the cast projected indifference and ennui towards everything they did? Studio 60 isn’t perfect, not even close, but it’s still a decent show with the potential to be much better. And considering that the two-parter “Nevada Day”, which concludes tonight in the US (the show airs Sunday nights in Canada), was the strongest episode(s) since the pilot (and written by Kid In The Hall Mark McKinney), I’m glad that they’ll at least get a full 22 episodes to try and get there. Via ClaudePate.com
np – XTC / Oranges & Lemons
Friday, September 29th, 2006
Every year or so I go into a big R.E.M. kick. I recounted my history with the band during one of these phases a couple years ago and I find that when you’re as inundated (and occasionally assaulted) with as much new music as I am, it’s helpful to retreat and recentre oneself – get back in touch with one’s roots, so to speak. Be reminded of a time when music was a single, beloved cassette tape in a walkman, played to the point of death and not a half-dozen CDs and press releases in a bundle of padded manilla envelopes in the mailbox.
But it was one of those padded manilla envelopes that brought me the new R.E.M. compilation And I Feel Fine…: The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 and its companion DVD When The Light Is Mine: Best of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 Video Collection
. I didn’t pay this release much heed when it was first as it’s generally wise not to when bands you grew up with go into archival mode, but I have to say – I’m really enjoying this double-disc set.
Now while my R.E.M. indoctrination began two albums into the Warner years with Out Of Time, I almost certainly spent far more time immersed in the I.R.S. material. All of those albums, and Document, Lifes Rich Pageant and Eponymous in particular, all got heavy, heavy, HEAVY rotation through my teen years and I’m very pleased at how well that material has held up over the years. Hell, just the Murmur material is still amazing – “Radio Free Europe” is and always will be a first salvo for the ages. But while cuts like “Harbourcoat” are missed, the 21 tracks on the first disc do a great job of reaffirming early R.E.M.’s greatness. In a way, the second disc (come on, who would only get the one-disc version?) is even better, offering rare live tracks, outtakes and alternate mixes as well as band-selected album cuts that while they couldn’t qualify as “hits”, are certainly essential pieces of the puzzle. You can hear how young, creative and intent on making music they were and that’s an interesting contrast to the current incarnation they’ve (d)evolved into over the past 25 years.
I don’t think I’m alone in saying I liked Stipey better when he had bad hair, wouldn’t make eye contact and mumbled a lot. The glam activist icon thing just isn’t doing it. Of course, if they were still making good music all would be forgiven but they haven’t made an album more good than bad this century and though they say that they’re ready to rock on the next album, don’t forget that the last time they said that we got Monster. Not exactly one for the ages. I’m not ready to write them off completely yet but you can’t help but think they should have made good on their promise to call it quits when Bill Berry left in 1997.
This trip down memory lane did make me wonder one thing – in today’s ultra-wired society, does there even exist the sort of environment or underground that would allow a band like R.E.M. to slowly grow and develop as they did over their ultra-prolific six-year run on I.R.S.? Able to garner enough of an audience to sustain and motivate, yet stay out of the spotlight and remain insular enough to grow artistically without the huge pressures of an entire, oh, blogosphere watching and documenting their every move, performance and utterance? Not to say that today’s young artists are stifled by the attention, but it must have an effect on your work to be under the microscope like that.
The liner notes from rock scribe Anthony DeCurtis also make this point, declaring it inconcievable that the band (and by extension, any band) could find the “opportunity to evolve and discover its voice without the pressure of having to generate enormous sales”. Which is not to say that I yearn for the days pre-internet or that bands today are at a disadvantage for being able to tap into a potential worldwide audience or be declared saviours of popular music simply by posting their first recording on MySpace, but still. Makes you wonder who, if anyone, of today’s younger acts will be able to craft as long and generally productive a career or will the hyper-accelerated and miniscule attention span mindset of today’s audience simply not allow it? Or will we all die in a horrific meteor strike before anyone finds out? Place your bets.
I haven’t watched the DVD yet but do remember seeing most of the videos from this era on TV at one time or another so I know what sort of low-budget, ’80s-styled goodness awaits. And you can see a few of the vids on the ecard for the compilation – I dug up a couple other faves on YouTube. For audio, I will offer my one adjustment to the And I Feel Fine tracklist and direct you to RBally, who has a complete live show in Germany circa 1985, Marathonpacks, who wrote a short love letter to “Shaking Through” off Murmur and Aquarium Drunkard, who contemplates “Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)” from Chronic Town. And some guys called Pavement once wrote a whole song about Reckoning. “Time After Time” was their least favourite song. “Time After Time” was their least favourite song.
MP3: R.E.M. – “Harborcoat” (from Reckoning)
MP3: Pavement – “Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence” (from No Alternative)
Video: R.E.M. – “Fall On Me” (YouTube)
Video: R.E.M. – “Driver 8” (YouTube)
eCard: And I Feel Fine…: The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
The Philadelphia Inquirer talks 50 states with Sufjan Stevens but manages to avoid asking outright, “can Pennsylvania be next?”. Sufjan has covered R.E.M. in the past.
MP3: Sufjan Stevens – “The One I Love”
Tinderstick Stuart Staples will play a solo show at the Mod Club on November 2. I presume Staples has heard of R.E.M.
np – Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 / Ole! Tarantula
Thursday, September 21st, 2006
Goats, goats, The Mountain Goats, Lee’s Palace, Tuesday night. We don’t need no stinking preamble, save to say that Get Lonely is one of my favourite records of the year and the Goats are always an entertaining show so a good time was pretty much guaranteed.
Opening up this leg of the tour was Christine Fellows, Winnipeg-er and singer/songwriter much beloved of John Darnielle. Her four-piece band sported some unconventional instrumentation that added a tinkling, whimsical feel to her set that complimented Fellows’ jolly, perma-grin persona perfectly though it seemed a little at odds with the lyrical content of some of her songs – or maybe it fit perfectly (nudge, wink). Darnielle might be a little overly-effusive in saying, “Christine writes the best damned songs in the whole world” but playing material from her latest record Paper Anniversary, she did put on a charming opening set.
I first saw the Mountain Goats live last year on my 30th birthday and while some thought it was odd way to celebrate, it was far more memorable than the ones where I’ve gotten blotto. This show didn’t have the special occasion behind it, but it was special all the same. And you know, reading over the review of that show, I’m at a bit of a loss on how to expand on that without repeating myself. Sufficed to say, everything there still holds – Darnielle is still and entertaining, engaging and more than a bit quirky frontman with his wildly expressive face displaying what could either be joy or agony – you’re never quite sure. And Peter Hughes remains an invaluable musical companion, contributing perfectly composed, melodic basslines and backing vocals in a manner that’s completely minimal, but with a huge impact on the overall sound.
What was different at this show was the contrast between material from The Sunset Tree, from which they chose to play the more uptempo numbers, and Get Lonely, which was represented by the quieter, more wounded material. At points during the latter, Darnielle practically gasped his way through the lyrics, testing the audience’s ability to stay silent, straining to hear. But as before, the focus wasn’t placed squarely on the new material and drew from all across the Goats repetoire. While this surely satisfied the die-hard fans, I felt it did the new record a little bit of a disservice as it’s the collective mood of the songs is a large part of their power. But, on the other hand, if he’d played the album in its entirety, it may have been too depressing to bear. He probably had the right idea.
Mountain Goats fans are a devout, fanatical lot so when Darnielle seemed to open the door for requests about halfway through the set, it became a game of one-upmanship with everyone trying to out-obscure the other. He deftly dodged these by stating that he preferred playing the new songs to old ones and that would be whoring himself – and he was no whore. My own silent requests were answered in the encores, when he rolled out “No Children” to open the first and “The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton” to close the second. Because there’s no real way to top a club full of indie kids screaming, “Hail Satan”.
I picked a prime spot straight in front of Darnielle so I got some real good, sharp shots of the mic stand. Oh yeah. But the next part of the Amoeba Records instore/interview with Carl Newman is now up on YouTube – I think that’s three in total so far out of… more than three. I think. And Zoilus has a far more expansive and detailed review of the show.
Photos: Mountain Goats, Christine Fellows @ Lee’s Palace – September 19, 2006
MP3: The Mountain Goats – “Woke Up New”
MP3: The Mountain Goats – “Wild Sage”
Video: The Mountain Goats – “Woke Up New” (MOV)
Video: Christine Fellows – “Migrations” (MOV)
MySpace: Christine Fellows
The latest installment of Richard Buckner’s tour diary is up on the Merge Blog. The Toronto show only gets a passing mention (“my summer cold slapped me in the face”) but at least that’s better than how Montreal treated him (“someone had broken out my back window and taken my cell phone and passport”). Dude has not had good luck touring Canada, as he recounts. The Riverfront Times has a profile of Buckner (or someone claiming to be him – they do have his passport, after all).
The New York Times has a revealing interview with Cat Power that details (and quantifies) exactly how bad shape she was in at the start of the year before cleaning up and drying out.
PopMatters documents the long, hard year of Film School.
Rogue Wave drummer Pat Spurgeon needs your help – to help fund a kidney transplant (he was born with one, it failed, he had it replaced, that’s now failing) the band are holding a benefit concert in San Francisco next week to raise funds but those who aren’t able to make it to San Fran can still help out via a PayPal fund set up via the band’s website. And if you’re interested in donating more than just money, maybe you can spare a kidney – Spurgeon’s blood type is O+. I can’t speak for the band but I suspect that if you were a match, you and all your children would be guest listed for Rogue Wave shows for the rest of your lives. But give a little if you can – it will all add up in the end.
Shows – Chad Van Gaalen will be in town at the Whippersnapper Art Gallery at College and Clinton on October 21, tickets $10. French Kicks and OKGO are at the Mod Club November 13. Most interesting, however, is Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 (aka Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin) at the Mod Club on November 10, tickets $20. Word is that Hitchcock’s new one is a scorcher – more Soft Boys than The Soft Boys. Check it out:
MP3: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – “Adventure Rocket Ship”
The Ottawa Sun finds out what’s on Billy Bragg’s mind. The Chronicle Herald also gets a moment or two of his time. He’s at the Danforth Music Hall on Sunday and his Volume Two box set is out October 17.
Chart talks to Final Fantasy’s Owen Pallett about his Polaris win. The more I think about it, the more his victory seemed a no-brainer. Musical merit aside, he’s the perfect winner to inaugurate the award, giving it instant credibility with the oh-so cynical indie nation and handily avoiding accusations of major-label favouritism or general industry out-of-touchness that a more traditional and mainstream winner like Sarah Harmer would almost certainly have gotten. Which isn’t to imply that Final Fantasy wouldn’t have won solely on the artistic merits that the award cites – not at all – but I suspect that the organizers breathed a huge sigh of relief when the winner was announced as it makes their job of promoting the award next year and beyond much easier.
np – Yo La Tengo / I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Friday, March 15th, 2013
Austra album news and giveaway lead weekly wrap-up
Norman WongIncreasingly, Friday posts are for clearing off the decks of whatever hasn’t gone out earlier in the week, but that doesn’t mean the content isn’t quality – this ain’t no fire sale, son. But it also doesn’t mean I’m not giving some stuff away. Because I am.
Earlier this week, Toronto electro-operatic sensation Austra announced details of their second album, to be entitled Olympia and due out June 18. And because they believe in deeds, not words, they also made the first single from the new record available to stream. And if you want to hear more new material – or are now in the mood to hear some Feel It Break material – you’ll probably want to be at The Danforth Music Hall next Saturday night, March 23, for their late-add Canadian Musicfest performance.
Though a limited number of festival wristbands and passes will be admitted, lineups and attendant stresses can be eliminated with advance tickets. Those are going for $24 in advance, but courtesy of Embrace, I’ve got four pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to see Austra” in the subject line and your full name in the body and have that me by midnight, March 20.
Stream: Austra – “Home”
The Line Of Best Fit talks to Alan Sparhawk of Low, who are in town at The Great Hall on Saturday night and release their new record The Invisible Way on Tuesday.
Brett Anderson of Suede chats with DIY. Their new record Bloodsports is out on March 18.
Brightest Young Things has an interview with Philip Ekstrom of The Mary Onettes about their new album Hit The Waves, due out next Tuesday, March 19. Ekstrom also proves game for mini Swede-pop summits, with The Line Of Best Fit having Sambassadeur’s Joachim Läckberg interview Ekstrom and vice-versa – Sambassadeur’s new record is due out later this year – and Q gets his label boss – Johan Angergård of Labrador – to ask him some questions.
Southern Souls has a video session with July Talk, taking part in Canandian Musicfest at Lee’s Palace on March 21.
The National Post has a feature interview with Nick Cave; he leads The Bad Seeds into Massey Hall on March 23.
The Strokes have rolled out the first video from their forthcoming Comedown Machine, out March 26.
Video: The Strokes – “All The Time”
The first video from The House Of Love’s forthcoming She Paints Words In Red – the one that went up last month and was almost immediately pulled – is back up, hopefully for good. The album is out April 1.
Video: The House Of Love – “A Baby Got Back On Its Feet”
In addition to announcing a local tour that includes a free show at the Parkdale Library on April 27, Dusted have made an unreleased track available to download and another rarity available to stream.
MP3: Dusted – “No Trouble”
Stream: Dusted – “In Yr Skull”
Exclaim and MTV Hive have interviews with Rachel Zeffira, coming to town as part of a two-date North American tour on May 2 at The Drake Underground.
MTV Hive talks to Airick Wooded of Doldrums. He’ll be at The Horseshoe on May 11.
I don’t know that a musical from the pens of Stephen King and John Mellencamp is something that I’d necessarily want to know existed, let alone hear, but that the Ghost Brothers of Darkland County soundtrack features performances from the likes of Neko Case and Elvis Costello, I can’t not pay a little attention. The album is out June 4 and a couple tracks are available to stream now. Neko Case is in town at the Toronto Urban Roots Fest at Garrison Commons on July 7.
Stream: Neko Case – “That’s Who I Am”
Stream: Elvis Costello – “That’s Me”
The 405 meets Ra Ra Riot, coming back to town on June 8 for Field Trip at Garrison Commons.
Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo compiles a list of his favourite albums for The Quietus. They’ll be at Garrison Commons for TURF on July 7.
The Von Pip Musical Express brings the good news that Nicole Atkins has just about completed her third album, entitled Slow Phaser, and while specific release details are still forthcoming, a first track from it is available to stream.
Stream: Nicole Atkins – “Red Ropes”
The AV Club is running a series of video session musical tributes to various states, and have kicked off in Texas – of course – with Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam offering an unreleased Texas-themed song in the first one and Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg covering Roy Orbison in another.
Also in interesting covers: Joanna Newsom tackling a Sandy Denny song in a performance for a Los Angeles clothing designer; watch the video at Spin and get a little background on the session at Style.com.
Exclaim talks to Mark Perro of The Men.
If you hadn’t heard, School Of Seven Bells guitarist Benjamin Curtis was recently diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. While treatable, they have set up a website through which they are soliciting support and donations to help cover the costs. Help out if you can.
Robyn Hitchcock discusses his new album Love From London with Spinner.
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