John ShearerThe era of the touring festival has by and large given way to massive destination and regional festivals – it seemingly being easier to bring a bunch of bands and tens of thousands of fans to one place than it is to bring a bunch of bands to hundreds of thousands of fans in a bunch of places – but sometimes a touring bill is so impressive that it warrants a fancy name of its own. And the bill of Bob Dylan, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Richard Thompson which will be hitting amphitheatres across North America this Summer is one of those bills; ergo “AmericanaramA”.

Even though he’s the headliner and by far the biggest act – though if there was justice in the world, Thompson wouldn’t be far behind – Dylan is also the biggest question mark on the lineup. As I mentioned last Summer when the Fall tour in support of his latest album Tempest, Dylan is not someone who suffers nostalgiasts lightly and based on the tweets I saw the night of that Air Canada Show about people walking out after just a few songs, his penchant for rendering his songs nigh unrecognizable live remains undiminished. So caveat emptor, but also know that each of Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Richard Thompson are also absolute known quantities at the other end of the spectrum – they’re incapable of putting on a bad show, even if they’ll most likely be allotted much less than their usual marathon set times.

So whether that math is persuasive enough to convince you to shell out the $49.50, $69.50, or $89.50 for reserved seats or $35.50 for lawns to see them at The Molson Amphitheatre on July 15 is between you and your accountant. But don’t forget to factor in the cost of an “AmericanaramA” t-shirt. The presale goes Saturday, April 27 Tuesday, April 30, at 10AM, with the regular onsale following on Friday, May 3, at 10AM.

MP3: Bob Dylan – “The Times They Are A-Changin'”
MP3: Wilco – “Whole Love”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “Heartbreakin’ Man”
MP3: Richard Thompson – “The Sights & Sounds Of London Town”

Austin shoegaze aficionados Ringo Deathstarr have made a date at The Shop Under Parts & Labour for June 3 in support of their second album, last year’s Mauve. Tickets for the show are $7 in advance.

MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”

Aussie-fronted Swedish electro-pop up-and-comers Kate Boy have slated a short North American tour that includes a Toronto stop at Wrongbar on June 9. Tickets are $12.50 and if you need to catch up on some of the buzz behind them, there are these features at Pitchfork and Billboard.

MP3: Kate Boy – “Northern Lights”
Video: Kate Boy – “In Your Eyes”
Video: Kate Boy – “Northern Lights”

There was both curiosity and concern when London’s Still Corners canceled their North American tour in support of the forthcoming Strange Pleasures, out May 7, and the reasons for the itinerary change was made clear yesterday – instead of headlining their own Summer tour, they will supporting CHVRCHES on theirs. Exclaim has the new dates, which still include a Toronto date – June 12 at The Hoxton – but raises questions about their participation in NXNE. On one hand, even though that CHVRCHES date falls on the first night of the festival, there’s no sign that it will be associated with it at all – get your $16 ticket while you can – but on the other hand, they’ve got two off days before they need to be in Montreal so there’s technically no reason that their previously-announced June 14 NXNE showcase can’t still happen. Anyways.

MP3: Still Corners – “Berlin Lovers”

With a new album out in Change Becomes Us, British post-punk legends Wire will be at Lee’s Palace on July 10, tickets $25. There’s interviews with the band at Rolling Stone, PopMatters, and Rock Cellar.

MP3: Wire – “Dot Dash” (live)

Born Ruffians will be playing a presumably free show at Harbourfront Centre on July 13 as part of their Sound Clash festival thing.

MP3: Born Ruffians – “Sole Brother”

Guelph’s Hillside Festival announced their 2013 lineup this year, and if you were interested in seeing the likes of Fucked Up, Colin Stetson, Diamond Rings, Hayden, Jim Guthrie, Lee Ranaldo, METZ, The Sadies, Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, or World Party (!) with easy access to swimming, camping, and drum circles, then Guelph Lake the weekend of July 26 to 28 is probably where you want to be. If you hate hippies, you may want to reconsider.

Further cementing the possibility that he might just be homeless, Josh Tillman will bring Father John Misty back to town for his fifth show in 15 months, this time headlining the Danforth Music Hall on August 3 with Minneapolis’ Night Moves as support. Tickets will run from $15.50 to $19.50, depending on floors or balcony.

MP3: Father John Misty – “Nancy From Now On”
MP3: Night Moves – “Headlights”

With the new Guided By Voices album English Little League out next week, April 30, the five lead-up 7″ singles have been conveniently collected into a single Soundcloud playlist, and while The Quietus has collected all of the b-sides, as well.

Stream: Guided By Voices / English Little League sampler
Stream: Guided By Voices / English Little League b-sides

Deerhunter have put their new album Monomania up on NPR to stream before it comes out May 7.

Stream: Deerhunter / Monomania

MTV Hive talks to Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club about his relationship with his late father. BRMC are at The Kool Haus on May 9.

Exclaim, Creative Loafing, The Island Packet, and Charleston City Paper interview Charles Bradley, in town at The Phoenix on May 11.

Mudkiss checks in with Nicole Atkins, who continues work on her third album Slow Phaser, due out later this year.

Janelle Monáe has made the first track from her new album The Electric Lady available to stream, and Erykah Badu has helped her do it. The record is due out later this year.

Stream: Janelle Monáe (featuring Erykah Badu) – “Q.U.E.E.N.”

CBC Music and Exclaim have interviews with Steve Earle about his new album, The Low Highway.

Sam Beam of Iron & Wine discusses his new album Ghost On Ghost with Clash.

Elle profiles Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, covering topics including her brush with breast cancer, the end of her marriage to Thurston Moore, and what’s next.

Chan Marshall of Cat Power discusses her personal style with MTV Style.

As much as I love Galaxie 500, they’ve never struck me as a band that required multiple books to be written about them. Of course, Dean Wareham’s Black Postcards obviously had its bias, so maybe Temperature’s Rising – Galaxie 500: an oral and visual history – released last week and featuring input from all three members – will be more balanced and accurate. And if not, it will at least be larger and offer more pictures.

Shawn BrackbillWhen I first started playing guitar in high school, I spent an inordinate amount of time in music and pawn shops looking for pedals – they were (relatively) cheap, fun, and would obviously make me a far better player than, oh, practice. And one thing that these shops’ stock had in common were chorus pedals. So many chorus pedals. Some shops were like a veritably baby blue sea of Boss chorus pedals. Because this was the early ’90s, when grunge was king and everyone wanted distortions and no one wanted to sound like Andy Summers.

If I’d only known that in about 20 years, that shiny, shimmery guitar tone would be back in style courtesy of bands like Real Estate and DIIV, I’d have grabbed a few. Jack Tatum certainly did, and you can hear it all over his recordings as Wild Nothing, the second album of which – Nocturne – comes out next Tuesday. I actually rate Wild Nothing ahead of most of his stylistic peers as in addition to having great melodic chops, Tatum is able to give his songs some tension to go with the pretty.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, the album is available to stream in whole right now at Death & Taxes; take it for a spin. They’ve also got a stream at Dazed but their interface is kind of terrible so maybe just go there for their interview with Tatum, and if you want more there’s also features at Under The Radar and Stereogum. And if you agree and want to see them live, be reminded that Wild Nothing is on tour with the aforementioned DIIV this Fall, stopping in at The Great Hall in Toronto on September 18.

MP3: Wild Nothing – “Shadow”
MP3: Wild Nothing – “Paradise”
Stream: Wild Nothing / Nocturne

A whole brace of concert announcements to get through… Former emo kids – though I guess they’d be emo adults, now – rejoice. Movement forebears Mike Kinsella and Bob Nanna will be in town as Owen and Braid respectively for an acoustic evening at Wrongbar on September 20. Tickets $18.50 in advance, details at Facebook.

MP3: Owen – “Places To Go”
MP3: Owen – “Abandoned Bridges”
MP3: Braid – “Consolation Prizefighter”
MP3: Braid – “Eeyore And Easel”

Austin’s Ringo Deathstarr will release their second proper album Mauve on September 24 and follow it up with a world tour that brings them to The Garrison on October 13 with Halifax’s previously endorsed Kestrels. Fuzz pedals will be stomped, shoes will be gazed upon. Vice has an interview with Ringo Deathstarr.

MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”
Video: Kestrels – “The Past Rests”

If you remember Laura Burhenn from her tenure as half of Georgie James or have heard some of the praise for Generals, her new album under the name The Mynabirds, you may be interested to know she’ll be supporting AC Newman on most of his Fall tour dates including the kickoff at Lee’s Palace on October 21. Colorado Daily, The San Francisco Examiner, and College Times all have interviews with Burhenn.

MP3: The Mynabirds – “Generals”
MP3: The Mynabirds – “Body Of Work”
MP3: The Mynabirds – “Radiator Sister”

Because I’ve learned it’s not worth it to aggravate the still-legions of Corgan apologists, I offer this without comment. Smashing Pumpkins will be at the Air Canada Centre on October 25 as part of a cross-Canada tour, tickets available in $39.50, $49.50, and $79.50 brackets. They will perform their new album Oceania in its entirety and then delve into their back catalog for selections both obvious and not. It will be a half-arena configuration, not full, because not even Billy is that deluded. Oh damn, almost made it.

Video: Smashing Pumpkins – “Cherub Rock”

If that Ringo Deathstarr/Kestrels bill is the sort of thing that gets your juices flowing, take note of the bill hitting The Garrison on November 3, as a double-bill of Bay Area dreampop in the form of Tamaryn and Young Prisms will be taking the stage. The former release their new album Tender New Signs on October 16 and the latter are still riding their sophomore effort In Between, released back in March. Tickets for that show are $10.

MP3: Tamaryn – “Sandstone”
MP3: Young Prisms – “Floating In Blue”

Brookyln’s The Men, who tore the shit out of the Garrison during NXNE, return to do the same thing to The Hoxton on November 9, tickets $16.50 in advance.

MP3: The Men – “Ex-Dreams”
MP3: The Men – “Open Your Heart”
MP3: The Men – “A Minor”

Though he put the Pedro The Lion name to bed back in 2006, David Bazan will be revisiting their beloved 2002 album Control in its entirety on a Fall tour that hits The Horseshoe on November 11, tickets $14.50 in advance.

MP3: Pedro The Lion – “Rapture”
MP3: Pedro The Lion – “Penetration”

Austin’s …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead will be in town in support of last year’s Tao Of The Dead with a show at Lee’s Palace on November 20, tickets $18.50 in advance.

MP3: …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – “Mistakes And Regrets”
MP3: …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – “Crowning Of A Heart”

Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Pitchfork both have feature interviews with Chan Marshall of Cat Power, while Exclaim offers a bullet point chaser to their cover piece. Cat Power’s excellent new record Sun arrives September 4 and the second sample from it is now available to download. She plays The Kool Haus on October 20.

MP3: Cat Power – “Cherokee”

Daytrotter has a session with Wye Oak, stopping in at the Horseshoe on September 17.

Dinosaur Jr has released the first video from I Bet On Sky, out September 18. They play three nights at Lee’s Palace from September 24 to 26.

Video: Dinosaur Jr – “Watch The Corners”

The first sample of Mark Eitzel’s new solo record Don’t Be A Stranger is now available to stream. It’s out October 2.

Stream: Mark Eitzel – “I Love You But You’re Dead”

Richard Avery talks to Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs. Their reunion tour hits The Phoenix on October 3.

The Skinny has an interview with Mike Hadreas of Perfume Genius. He plays 918 Bathurst on October 5.

Wayne Coyne gives Rolling Stone a preview of the next Flaming Lips record, which might be called The Terror and might also be out as early as this Fall.

Interview talks to Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

The Hook interviews Will Sheff of Okkervil River.

Tom Tom hosts a drummer summit between Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo and Rachel Blumberg, formerly of The Decemberists and now of Norfolk & Western.

Magnet has an interview with Steve McDonald of Redd Kross ahead of giving he and his bandmates control of their website for the week.

Frank YangWho: Sianspheric and Ringo Deathstarr
What: One is a long-running (with some breaks) psych/space rock veterans from Hamilton; the other an up-and-coming trio of MBV devotees from Austin
Why: Because you’re tired of being able to hear? Sianspheric are a decade on from their last album The Sound of the Colour of the Sun but their rare live shows are alway worth getting mobilized for. And Ringo Deathstarr, besides rocking a great name, have a solidly-received debut in Colour Trip that amps up the pop aspects of the shoegaze scene without compromising any of the sonic impact.
When: Thursday, June 30, 2011
Where: The Garrison in Toronto (19+)
How: Tickets are $10 in advance but courtesy of Sonic Unyon, I’ve got two pairs of passes to the show to give away and as a bonus, a copy of Colour Trip on CD for each winner. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Sianspheric” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, June 27.
What else: The Georgia Straight and Soundspike have Ringo Deathstarr features.

MP3: Sianspheric – “All This Happened”
MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”

Joshua Black WilkinsIt was an unfortunate on many levels when, last September, Justin Townes Earle got into a dust-up in Indianapolis while on tour for last year’s Harlem River Blues. Beyond the obvious downside of getting arrested for battery, public drunkenness, and resisting arrest, he had to cancel a string of dates in order to enter rehab – including a date in Toronto – and while his American commitments were rescheduled and fulfilled later in the Fall, his record (the police kind, not the musical) made trying to get back up into Canada an unlikely proposition in the short term.

But it would appear that almost a year on, the appropriate paperwork has been done, records expunged and/or promises of good behaviour made because Earle is set to make up his show at The Horseshoe on August 26 with Shovels & Rope supporting, tickets $15.50 in advance. Interestingly, that’s less than a week after his dad – who has had his own run-ins with controlled substances and the law – plays The Molson Amphitheatre. And hopefully Earle will also make up his cancelled in-store at Criminal Records, assuming he has a well-developed sense of irony about the store’s name…

The Tennessean, Grand Rapids Press and The Lantern all have interviews with Earle.

MP3: Justin Townes Earle – “Harlem River Blues”

In other show announcements, cutie patootie Australian pop singer Lenka has made a date at Lee’s Palace for June 15 in support of her second album Two. Beatweek has an interview.

Video: Lenka – “Heart Skips A Beat”

Shoegaze will rule when Hamilton drone-rock veterans Sianspheric come out of retirement to team up with Austin-based MBV-worshippers Ringo Deathstarr at The Garrison on June 30.

MP3: Sianspheric – “This All Happened”
MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”

North Carolinan orchestral-folk collective Lost In The Trees have set a date for The Drake Underground for July 25; all accounts I’ve heard are that they are amazing live. All Alone In An Empty House certainly offers evidence they’re amazing on record. You should go to this.

MP3: Lost In The Trees – “All Alone In An Empty House”

With the June 28 release of their new record Sound Kapital nigh, Handsome Furs have announced an August 1 show at The Horseshoe; tickets are $15 and go on sale Thursday.

MP3: Handsome Furs – “What About Us”

With both Soundgarden and Foo Fighters coming to town over the next few months, it’s only natural that Pearl Jam also schedule a visit. Their twentieth anniversary cross-Canada tour will feature two dates at the Air Canada Centre – September 11 and 12 – and feature support from Mudhoney. Grunge lives what?

MP3: Mudhoney – “I’m Now”
Video: Pearl Jam – “Even Flow”

Toro Y Moi will be at The Opera House on September 18 as part of a Fall tour in support of Underneath The Pine, released earlier this year.

MP3: Toro Y Moi – “Still Sound”

Interview talks to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. They’re at The Phoenix tomorrow night, May 18, and the Molson Amphitheatre on July 29. Their new record Codes & Keys is out May 31.

Peter Silberman of The Antlers takes Drowned In Sound on a song-by-song tour of new album Burst Apart. They are at The Mod Club on June 14.

Head over to Pitchfork to trade your email for the first MP3 from Bon Iver’s Bon Iver, out June 21. They play The Sound Academy on August 9.

Drowned In Sound meets Explosions In The Sky.

Laundromatinee gets all sessional with Ra Ra Riot.

Bradley’s Almanac is sharing recordings of a Pavement show in Boston last Fall.

NYC Taper has posted recordings of Yo La Tengo’s two shows at Brooklyn’s Bell House last week, The Wall Street Journal asks the band about their “Wheel Of Fortune” tour and Wine Enthusiast talks to them about eating (and drinking) on the road.

Frank YangFull writeup of the day’s activities over here.

Ringo Deathstarr
– Austin-based shoegazing revivalists who released their debut full-length Colour Trip earlier this month. Cheers for using the Canadian/British spelling despite being an American band. Spoonfed has an interview.
Photos: Ringo Deathstarr @ Annie’s West – March 16, 2011
MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”
MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “So High”
Video: Ringo Deathstarr – “Two Girls”
Video: Ringo Deathstarr – “So High”
Video: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”
Video: Ringo Deathstarr – “Some Kind Of Sad”

Ume
– Austin rock machine led by Lauren Larson of the whipping hair and shredding guitar are finally preparing to release their new full-length album later this year.
Photos: Ume @ Lustre Pearl – March 16, 2011
MP3: Ume – “The Conductor”
MP3: Ume – “Pendulum”
MP3: Ume – “Wake”
Video: Ume – “The Conductor”

Alessi’s Ark
– English folksinger Alessi Laurent-Marke recently signed to Bella Union for the release of the follow-up to 2009’s Notes From The Treehouse.
Photos: Alessi’s Ark @ The French Legation Hill Stage – March 16, 2011
MP3: Alessi’s Ark – “The Robot”
Video: Alessi’s Ark – “Birdsong”
Video: Alessi’s Ark – “The Asteroids Collide”

The Jezabels
– Co-ed Australian quartet led by the dramatic vocals of Hayley Mary released their debut Dark Storm at the start of 2010. Blast has an interview.
Photos: The Jezabels @ The Mohawk – March 16, 2011
MP3: The Jezabels – “Mace Spray”
Video: The Jezabels – “Mace Spray”
Video: The Jezabels – “Easy To Love”
Video: The Jezabels – “Hurt Me”

Mark Eitzel
– Legendary (and legendarily underappreciated) frontman for American Music Club put out two solo records – Klamath and Brannan St. – in 2009 and AMC are currently working on the follow-up to 2008’s The Golden Age.
Photos: Mark Eitzel @ Red-Eyed Fly – March 16, 2011
MP3: American Music Club – “Only Love Can Set You Free”
MP3: American Music Club – “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco”
Video: American Music Club – “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco”
Video: American Music Club – “Rise”
Video: American Music Club – “Wish The World Away”
Video: American Music Club – “Electric Light”