Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2510

My first ten years of Noise Pop 2001-2011

NOISE POP CELEBRATES ITS TWENTIETH YEAR. 2012 will be my 11th year in a row.

I only got to see a few shows at Noise Pop in 2012. I was at Grimes when she played the Rickshaw. Last year in 2013, I was in the Midwest somewhere on tour with The Deer Tracks. This year I am coming back to Noise Pop after a two year absence. I wrote about and interviewed a ton of bands at Noise over the years. Let's relive the journey:

Noise Pop started in 1993. I lived in San Francisco back in those days. Maybe I attended some of those shows in the mid-1990s. Sometimes you go to a gig and you don't know about the festival surrounding it. I came back to SF at the end of 2000, around the time Kid A came out. I became aware of the festival early in 2001, when I decided to interview the band Call and Response. In those days, it seemed like Noise Pop was a festival featuring shows by John Vanderslice, Creeper Lagoon, and Mark Eitzel, plus a lot of local talent. Over the years I discovered it was more.

Noise Pop SF 2001 could best be remembered by performances by The White Stripes, Blonde Redhead, Bright Eyes, and maybe forgotten bands like Beulah, Pedro The Lion, Girls Against Boys, and Oranger.

I did an interview with:
Call and Response (2001)

And later with:
Stratford 4 (2002)
Blonde Redhead (2004)

Noise Pop SF 2002 was the ten year anniversary. It marked the return of The Fastbacks. It was also the year of Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, Big Star, Daniel Johnston, The New Pornographers, and Guided By Voices. I was unaware of many of these indie bands who would go on to bigger successes. Internet buzz was a thing of the future. I do remember the "hot" must-see band of this festival was The Faint. I was at this show and was unimpressed. I did catch an early version of the Detroit band Adult. who I interviewed later. I saw The Faint many times later, I became a fan years later. Also this festival featured the final show of The Moldy Peaches.

I did an interview with:
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (2002)
Azure Ray (2002)

Later:
Adult. (2003)

Noise Pop SF 2003 I would describe as "very mellow." At least the shows that I went to were that way. Although it started off with a pre-party with Har Mar Superstar. It was the first time I saw him, and would lead to many interviews later. I saw Stephen Malkmus, Cat Power, The Dirtbombs, The Von Bondies, The Pleased, Smog, Calexico, and more. It was probably memorable for being one of the first shows by Joanna Newsom. I ended up doing the very first interview with her, a few months afterwards, a year before her album came out.

I did an interview with:
Joanna Newsom (2003)
The Von Bondies (2003)

And later with:
The Pleased (2004)
Har Mar Superstar (2004)
The Dirtbombs (2004)

Noise Pop SF 2004 I barely remember. There were a load of hot bands but I can hardly remember any of these shows. I look at the list and see Dillinger Escape Plan, Low, Jolie Holland, Trachtenburg Family, British Sea Power, Ted Leo, Dead Meadow, Super Furry Animals, The Stills, Rilo Kiley, Court and Spark, The Wrens, The Tyde, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom. On paper that looks like a cool festival, but some reason I was not feeling it. I did a few interviews during this festival.

I did an interview with:
Low (2004)
British Sea Power (2004)

I also interviewed:
Devendra Banhart (2002)
The Stills (2004)
The Unicorns (2004)

Noise Pop SF 2005 I had parted ways with Free Williamsburg. I had moved to LA in November 2004 and wouldn't come back to NYC for five years. I was more organized in 2005 and more into the shows. One of the hot tickets was with Hot Hot Heat and Louis XIV. Other bands featured were Ted Leo, Mates of State, Smoosh, The Polyphonic Spree, Tussle, Joanna Newsom (she was peaking out in 2005), Bettie Serveert, Two Gallants, Giant Drag, Rogue Wave, Keren Ann, A Girl Called Eddy, and The Walkmen. I went to the wrong venue and discovered Inara George. This was the first year I was working with Keith Martin of SF Burning. It was like another Free Williamsburg hipster site, but located in San Francisco.

I did an interview with:
A Girl Called Eddy (2005)
Louis XIV (2005)

Also interviews with:
Smoosh (2005)
Giant Drag (2006)
The Walkmen (2002)
The Polyphonic Spree (2003)
Keren Ann (2008)

Noise Pop SF 2006 was a very diverse event. It opened with a show with Flaming Lips. Unfortunately I wasn't in town for it. There were also some great acts like Isis, The Dirtbombs, The Black Lips, Britt Daniel, Rogue Wave, Octopus Project, Nous Non Plus, Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid, The National, Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids, We Are Scientists, The Grates, Xiu Xiu, Feist, Vetiver, and the first tour by Wolfmother. I did an interview with Isis but the tape didn't work properly. My only documented memory is the interview I did with We Are Scientists. I sure can pick them. I ended up seeing We Are Scientists many times during 2006.

I did an interview with:
We Are Scientists (2006)
Also to be noted:
The Flaming Lips (2000)
The Black Lips (2007)
Xiu Xiu (2005)
Vetiver (2008)

Noise Pop SF 2007 I almost didn't go to. I was broke and I had parted ways with SF Burning. They wrote to me that I was fired. I wrote back to them: "SF Burning without me is like Kiss without the makeup." I put a curse on them. Months later the main writer of SF Burning, Tuula Ala, was in a severe bike accident and broke some bones. SF Burning has done about five interviews in the past four years. Good luck with the regime change and the influx of the new San Francisco centric point of view. My friend Brooke really wanted to go this year because it was the first Roky Erickson show in many years. I had barely any money, but we drove up anyways. Besides Roky Erickson and The Explosives, there was Willy Mason, Sebadoh, No Age, French Kicks, The Donnas, Jolie Holland, St. Vincent, Autolux, The Dandy Warhols, Dead Meadow, Brightblack Morning Light, Clinic, Midlake, Cake, and The Dwarves. I did no interviews at Noise Pop this year, due to bad planning. But Brooke did take some photos, and I met Johnny of Crystal Antlers. I remember that this was the first year with a lot of great day parties.

Pictures:
Roky Erickson (2007)

Related interview:
The Dandy Warhols (2003)

Noise Pop SF 2008 was one of those gap years with a few surprises. I remember going to some of the art shows and the parties at the Diesel Store were great. It was here where I first saw The Morning Benders. Some of the stand out acts were Entrance, The Walkmen, Fleet Foxes, The Dodos, Stellastarr*, The Magnetic Fields, The Mountain Goats, Holy Fuck, A Place To Bury Strangers, White Denim, Helio Sequence, Cursive, Darker My Love, The Gutter Twins, British Sea Power, The Virgins, and She & Him. Again I did no interviews during the festival this year but many of the acts were repeats.

Related interviews:
Stellastarr* (2002)
A Place To Bury Strangers (2009)

Noise Pop SF 2009 was yet another year with no interviews and plenty of parties. Many stand out gigs include Antony and The Johnsons, William Basinski, Sleepy Sun, Kings and Queens, Martha Wainwright, The Fresh and The Onlys, Kool Keith, Maus Haus, St. Vincent, The Morning Benders, Bob Mould, Deerhunter, Girls, No Age, Les Savy Fav, and The Drums. When I see these names I recognize a bunch of now hip indie bands. I remember running up a hill to go see Antony and the Johnsons at Masonic Temple. Afterwards I met a friend at Mezzanine where I caught a little of Deerhunter. We ended up getting a drink with Mark Eitzel. Eitzel was his crazy brilliant self. I ended up catching Mountain Goats, Martha Wainwright, but my favorite show was probably St. Vincent, who I have seen a few times now.

Noise Pop SF 2010 was slightly different. I was working with the band Magic Wands. They had been living in Oakland for a few months. On the first night I ran into Har Mar Superstar. Then I went back over to Oakland to see Plastic Ono Band and Deerhoof at the Fox Oakland, my first Noise Pop gig outside SF. The next night I saw Ghost of the Saber Tooth Tiger at the Independent. The next night I was supposed to see Citay and Scout Nibblet, but I ended up watching Magic Wands practice in Downtown SF. The next night Magic Wands played with Atlas Sound at the Great American Music Hall. A great show. The next night I saw Soundtrack of our Lives and Nico Vega. This was the first year I went with photographer Angel Ceballos, and I interviewed both bands. There were plenty of good bands playing last year: Harlem, Best Coast, Young Prisms, Free Energy, Weekend, The Mummlers, The Growlers, Four Tet, Mark Kozelek, Magnetic Fields, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and The Watson Twins, but I was too busy to check out many of the bands. But I had a fun time.

Interviews:
The Soundtrack of our Lives
Nico Vega
The Watson Twins

NOISE POP SF 2011 I spent a lot of time with Tamaryn and Nick Zinner. I kept running into the same crowd at every twist and turn. I saw some interesting films about Feist and Devendra Banhart. The best shows were The Black Ryder + The Soft Moon at Cafe du Nord. Best Coast and Wavves was very packed at the Regency Ballroom.

--Alexander Laurence

The Wytches - "Gravedweller" video might scare you

THE WYTCHES PREMIERE "GRAVEDWELLER" VIDEO ON NOISEY
APPEARING AT SXSW  
DEBUT LP OUT SPRING 2014 TBA 
WATCH: "Gravedweller," which "opens like a suburban hostage video" and continues with its fuzzy, Blair Witch Project-esque creep vibes for three minutes, viaNoisey or YouTube   LISTEN: "Wire Frame Mattress" via  Pitchfork  or Soundcloud  
     "A primordial blues-ooze that suggests Jack White if his music were actually as goth as his haircuts" - Pitchfork     
"Bewitching catchiness and the occasional burst of roiling surf-rock" - SPIN       
"This is the kind of psych music that doesn't serve bowls of potpourri at dinner parties, instead taking surf rock, adding bilious riffs  and pushing the drums down the stairs." - Noisey       "Scratchy bedding, slurred vocals, and fuzzy, doomy surf-garage rock" - NYLON  "Intimations of impending malevolence seeping from every pore of the stinging guitar riff, pounding bass and crashing drums" - The Guardian
"A dark, anxious slab of Pixies fuzz and menacing vocals" - NME  Dark and driven, The Wytches consist of vocalist/guitarist Kristian Bell, bassist Dan Rumsey, and drummer Gianni Honey.  Their unique sound full of echo and heavy riffs is a narcotic haze with influences ranging from Leonard Cohen to Black Sabbath.
Formed in November 2011 after moving down from Peterborough, this Brighton, UK based three piece is comprised of guitar / organ / lead vocalist Kristian; semi-professional poker playing / severe ADHD suffering drummer Gianni, and fiercely eloquent bassist Dan, who is currently writing a science fiction novel by the name of The Curious Adventures of Charlie Revel.  The group gained a strong following in the UK from their debut single and self produced video "Digsaw," and have earned a certain notoriety ever since, thanks to their spellbinding live show that is known for its visceral intensity.
The Wytches have toured incessantly since their forming, which saw them supporting a rich variety of acts including Death Grips, The Black Angels, Band Of Skulls, Chelsea Wolfe, Bosnian Rainbows, Japandroids, Temples, Metz, Future Of The Left, The Cribs, Yuck and Drenge. They released their second single, the AA-side "Beehive Queen"/"Crying Clown," via Hate Hate Hate Records on June 3rd 2013, which sold out almost immediately. Following the success of Beehive Queen, the band re-released "Digsaw" as a limited white label 7". On November 18th, the band released a second AA side single, "Robe For Juda" / "Wide At Midnight" via HateHateHate records.
Look for a debut album out this spring, performances at SXSW, and tours supporting Blood Red Shoes in Europe and Pulled Apart By Horses in the UK, as well as forthcoming dates in North America. 
https://www.facebook.com/thewytcheshttps://twitter.com/TheWytches http://instagram.com/thewytches# https://soundcloud.com/thewytches http://www.partisanrecords.com/artists/the-wytches/

VICE Chats with Bret Easton Ellis About Kanye West Film

VICE SPEAKS WITH BRET EASTON ELLIS ABOUT COLLABORATING WITH KANYE WEST AND WHY WE'RE A BUNCH OF CRY-BABIES

Bret Easton Ellis talks writing a screenplay for Kanye West and his frustration with hyper-sensitive millennials

Read "Bret Easton Ellis Says We're All a Bunch of Cry-Babies" on VICE.com: 


 NEW YORK, NY (February 19, 2014) - VICE today presents an interview with Bret Easton Ellis, titled "Bret Easton Ellis Says We're All a Bunch of Cry-Babies." In the interview, acclaimed novelist-turned-screenwriter Easton Ellis talks collaborating with Kanye West and his frustration with hyper-sensitive millennials.

Read the interview on VICE.com: 

When VICE called Easton Ellis's house in LA last week, the author spoke passionately about his frustration with "Generation Wuss" and why he couldn't say no to a collaboration with Yeezus.

Read more on Bret Easton Ellis here: 

Laibach-Spectre NEW Album OUT 3/11 WATCH Trailer

LAIBACH

SPECTRE – New Album: March 11th

WATCH THE NEW TRAILER HERE
 
LAIBACH release a brand new album,  SPECTRE , on CD, vinyl and download on  March  11th, 2014. Watch the new  SPECTRE  trailer featuring  The Whistleblowers , the optimistically catchy whistle-along track, alluding to the heroism of the new ‘digital’ Prometheans of freedom  here .
SPECTRE ’s release will be followed by a European and Asian tour, including dates at KOKO in London as well as the band’s first foray into China. Please check the band’s website for a full list of tour dates  here .
Laibach has once again ‘re-invented’ itself in a newly born, yet polished and solid, formation. And, as is now customary, Laibach calls into question all the rigid and cemented interpretations (and prejudices) about itself, about its music, intentions, philosophy and ideology. Laibach are masters of escape, true escape artists. And yet, despite everything,  SPECTRE  resonates as a real and full-blooded Laibachian work and nothing else.
With  SPECTRE  Laibach has created a big, important, and almost dangerous step forward; it seems that this time it has fatally crossed the Rubicon. On this album the group – which has never defined itself politically, but has constantly analyzed politics through its work – comes across as politically engaged as never before. SPECTRE literally sounds like a political manifesto manifest in poetic form. Titles and lyrics couldn’t be more direct. With these lyrics and songs, Laibach, who has always given a controversial impression – or an impression of controversy – especially in terms of its political orientation, is now very clearly taking a position on the political spectrum and probably irreversibly abolishing its own (to some extent quite comfortable) political ‘freedom’ and neutrality.
SPECTRE Tracklisting:
The WhistleblowersNo HistoryEat Liver!AmericanaWe Are Millions And Millions Are OneEurovisionWalk With MeBossanovaResistance Is FutileKoran

“Laibach at their best blur art and confrontation”– The Guardian

Listen to “Resistance Is Futile”
Watch the album trailer
Watch The Whistleblower trailer

Pre-order new album link:  http://spectre.laibach.org/pre-order-spectre/


Laibach: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Dum Dum Girls' Extend 2014 Tour + Watch "Too True To Be Good"

Watch Dum Dum Girls “Too True To Be Good” Video Presented By V Magazine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDgi2IOQ9oA


We’re very excited to share Dum Dum Girls’ new visual for “Too True To Be Good,” an album cut fromToo True, available everywhere via Sub Pop. The clip was produced by V Magazine, and directed by Nathaniel Brown with creative direction by Tamaryn (see video premiere February 19th).  

Dum Dum Girls’ previously announced spring & summer tour in support of Too True has been extended. The trek begins March 7th in San Diego, CA at Casbah and currently ends on Sunday, June 7th in Porto, PT at Primavera Festival.  Highlights include: March 12th-15th in Austin, TX at SXSW;  April 11th & 18th in Indio, CA at Coachella Festival weekends. Please find a complete list of tour dates below.

In further exciting news, Dum Dum Girls’ Too True debuted at no. 64 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, making it the band’s highest chart position to date!  At radio, Too True has spent the last two weeks at no. 1 on the CMJ Top 200 Albums chart.  Dum Dum Girls’ also made their network debut performing “Rimbaud Eyes” on the Late Show With David Letterman. The band’s performance was well-received and even earned an invite back from Dave himself. Watch here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5yFaT7ZWZ0

Too True, featuring the singles “Lost Boys And Girls Club,” “Rimbaud Eyes” and “Are You Okay?,”  was produced by Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, The Go-Go’s, Richard Hell), Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes) and engineered by Alonzo Vargas at East West Studios in Los Angeles and The Coven in New York City.

What People Are Saying About Dum Dum Girls Too True:
Dum Dum Girls continue to explore a sonic and formal intersection of the early 1960s — girl groups, surf-rock, garage-rock — and the post-punk 1980s of the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. A few chords, a clear melody and succinct verse-chorus-bridge structures are filled with darkly allusive lyrics and floated amid gauzy, sweeping guitar effects. It’s a roomy concept, encompassing spaghetti western guitar touches in “Cult of Love,” new wave momentum in “Little Minx,” stately folk-rock in “Under These Hands,” a weighty undertow in “Lost Boys and Girls Club” and a celestial serenity in “Trouble Is My Name.” - [Critics Choice]   New York Times “Penny's songs are no less quotable for their simplicity, whether she's name-checking 19th-century poet Arthur Rimbaud ("Rimbaud Eyes"), fitting the album's title into the chorus of "Too True to Be Good" or dispensing a perfect goth-pop mission statement in "Evil Blooms": "Why be good? Be beautiful and sad." On Too True, Penny and Dum Dum Girls need barely 30 minutes to prove that a band can be all three at once.” [First Listen] -  NPR Music “.. This album is the perfect-pop balance of cliché and rawness, with mythic ambition and songs that make you a three-minute hero.” [4 / 5 Stars] -  MOJO “Sleek and sophisticated, this third full-length careens from muscular blasts of ’80s guitar rock (“In the Wake of You”) to spectral ballads (“Are You Okay?”). Penny writes hits even if they never become that. Songs like “Too True to Be Good” and “Rimbaud Eyes” are meant to be blared from car radios with the windows down; they’re perfect. -  Boston Globe “Songs like "Rimbaud Eyes" and "Evil Blooms" more than live up to their fashion-goth titles. But Penny is best opening up her sound on big, searching ballads like "Lost Boys and Girls Club," where sad Madonna hangs with the Jesus and Mary Chain, or the Chrissie Hynde-worthy weeper "Are You Okay?" where Penny wanders in a "lavender haze" ("I'm reckless at night/I'm sorry for days"), wearing boozy misery like a black-leather security blanket.” [3.5/5 Stars] -  Rolling Stone “Too True is a bold album, with Dee Dee backed by huge swelling guitars on a series of resoundingly anthemic and unashamedly 80s sounding tracks.” [8 / 10] -  Uncut

Tour Dates
Mar. 07 - San Diego, CA - Casbah* (SOLD OUT)
Mar. 08 - Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar*
Mar. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom*
Mar. 10 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister*
Mar. 12 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Spotify House
Mar. 12 -15 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 16 - Dallas, TX - Spillover Music Fest / Club Dada*
Mar. 18 - Nashville, TN - Exit / Inn*
Mar. 19 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree*
Mar. 20 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
Mar. 21 - Raleigh, NC - Kings Barcade*
Mar. 22 - Washington, DC - Black Cat*
Mar. 23 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s*
Mar. 25 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
Mar. 26 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg*
Mar.  27 - Boston, MA -  Brighton Music Hall*
Mar. 28 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore*
Mar. 29 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace*
Mar. 30 - Ferndale, MI - Loving Touch*
Mar. 31 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle* (SOLD OUT)
Apr. 01 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock*
Apr. 04 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret*
Apr. 05 - Seattle, WA - Neumos*
Apr. 06 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir*
Apr. 08 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent*
Apr. 09 - San Jose, CA - The Blank Club*
Apr. 11 - Indio, CA - Coachella (SOLD OUT)
Apr. 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy Theatre
Apr. 18 - Indio, CA - Coachella (SOLD OUT)
May 15 -  Milan, IT - Circolo Magnolia
May 16 - Rome, IT -  Traffic Club
May 17 - Carpi, IT - Mattatoio
May 18 - Zagreb, Croatia - Mocvara
May 20 - Hamburg, DE - Knust
May 21 - Berlin, DE -  Lido
May 22 - Munich, DE - Orangehouse @ Feierwerk
May 24 - Zurich, CH - Kinski Klub
May 25 -  Esch Alzette, LU -  ROCKHAL
May 26 - Paris, FR -  La Maroquinerie
May 27 - Paris, FR - Silencio
May 28 - Strasbourg, FR -  La Laiterie
May 29 - Lyon, FR - Les Nuits Sonores @ Les Confluences
May 31 - Barcelona, ES  - Primavera
Jun. 01 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Al Parc
Jun. 02 - Toulouse, FR - Connexion Cafe
Jun. 03 - Bordeaux, FR - Relache
Jun. 07 - Porto, PT - Primavera
* w/ Blouse

For more info on tickets and exclusive mechandise please visit wearedumdumgirls.com

King Dude announces new 7" with Chelsea Wolfe + "Fear" LP

KING DUDE DETAILS COLLABORATIVE 7"
WITH CHELSEA WOLFE
STREAMS A-SIDE VIA 
+ ANNOUNCES FEAR LP
& U.S. TOUR DATES WITH GHOST                                                                                                                                                      King Dude & Chelsea Wolfe
Not Just Religious Music, the new imprint started by T.J. Cowgill a.k.a. King Dude is proud to present it's second release in which he and Chelsea Wolfe reunite to create another seven inch of collaborative songs entitled Sing More Songs Together.... The two tracks on this particular collaboration deal with forbidden love - King Dude wrote the a-side, "Be Free", where Wolfe and Cowgill's dueling vocals could easily call to mind the infamous and beautiful duets of Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra while the Chelsea Wolfe written b-side "Bed on Fire" showcases her haunting vocals and guitar work, backed with percussion by Cowgill and additional instrumentation by Wolfe's bandmate Ben Chisholm. The record was recorded and produced by King Dude at the Actual Pain M. M-F. Warehouse space in Seattle, Washington. This is their second collaboration together and will be released in a limited pressing of 1,000 copies (500 black. 300 white. 200 black & white mix.). 

Additionally, April 8th, 2014 will mark the day that King Dude releases Fear, the follow up LP to 2012's Burning Daylight. It was produced by the legendary Bill Rieflin of Ministry, Swans, Pigface, etc. Cowgill had this to say about the record:

"When I set out to write the follow up record to my last record Burning Daylight I hadn't quite realized what I was going to do for it's themes and overall concept. Although I had one crystal clear intention - To make the most horrifying music I could. So with that in mind I began to write what would later become Fear."

Keep your eyes open for more details on Fear shortly, in the meantime stream the a-side of King Dude & Chelsea Wolfe's new 7" below and check out his upcoming tour dates with acclaimed Swedish heavy metal band Ghost! 
 LISTEN: King Dude & Chelsea Wolfe - "Be Free" - 


PRE-ORDER: King Dude & Chelsea Wolfe - Sing More Songs Together... 7"


KING DUDE TOUR DATES
all dates with Ghost

4.17 @ Phoenix Theatre (Toronto, ON)
4.18 @ Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA)
4.19 @ Vic Theatre (Chicago, IL)
4.20 @ Pageant (St. Louis, MO)
4.22 @ Granada Theater (Lawrence, KS)
4.23 @ Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO)
4.25 @ House of Blues (Las Vegas, NV)
4.26 @ House of Blues (San Diego, CA)
4.27 @ The Fonda (Los Angeles, CA)
4.28 @ The Observatory (Santa Ana, CA)
5.01 @ Emo’s East (Austin, TX)
5.02 @ House of Blues (Houston, TX)
5.03 @ House of Blues (Dallas, TX)
5.04 @ Civic Theatre (New Orleans, LA)
5.06 @ The Beacham Theater (Orlando, FL)
5.07 @ Revolution Live (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
5.09 @ Center Stage (Atlanta, GA)
5.10 @ Track 29 (Chattanooga, TN)
5.11 @ Lincoln Theater (Raleigh, NC)
5.12 @ The Orange Peel (Asheville, NC)
5.14 @ The Fillmore (Silver Spring, MD)
5.15 @ Trocadero Theatre (Philadelphia, PA)
5.16 @ The Chance (Poughkeepsie, NY)
5.17 @ Best Buy Theater (New York, NY)




KING DUDE & CHELSEA WOLFE
SING MORE SONGS TOGETHER...
NOT JUST RELIGIOUS MUSIC
3/25/14

Stepdad Premieres New Video for "Got The Bite"

STEPDAD PREMIERES VIDEO FOR "GOT THE BITE" FROM NEW EP,STRANGE TONIGHT, VIA THE AV CLUB
STRANGE TONIGHT  OUT MARCH 4, 2014 VIA QUITE SCIENTIFIC RECORDS
  
Stepdad have shared their new video for the single "Got The Bite" from their new EP, Strange Tonight, out March 4 via Quite Scientific. This dance-jam, gang-chant, summer-like, sing-along features a video that's perfectly fit for all of the above. Think Eyes Wide Shut meets The Craftmixed in with a little bit of bad girl Spring Breakers style. The AV Club calls the video "a bit of a trip, with close up shots of girls eating strawberries and burning money." 
Watch the video for "Got The Bite" on The AV Club
Stepdad originated with ultramark (aka Mark Tafel) on vocals and Ryan McCarthy on keys and programming and later added Nathan K. on guitars and Ben Weissenborn on drums.  Together they've collaborated to create the four tracks comprising Strange Tonight, which seamlessly melds their prior indie-pop sensibilities previously honed by the group, with an impressively slick sound. The band carries with them the lyrical backbone, honesty, and passionate sensibility necessary to not just make great sounding music, but to make music worth listening to. Pre-order the EP now on iTunes. Catch Stepdad in Austin this March when they're down at SXSW.
  
Strange Tonight Tracklist1. Got the Bite2. Running (Does That Mean You Care?)3. Evening At Marie's4. It's You
###
http://www.stepdad.us/https://www.facebook.com/stepdadmusichttps://twitter.com/fancystepdadhttp://www.youtube.com//user/StepdadMusic

Tori Amos' 'Unrepentant Geraldines' Out May 13

TORI AMOS TO RELEASE UNREPENTANT GERALDINES
MAY 13th ON MERCURY CLASSICS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC CLASSICS

WORLD TOUR INCLUDES U.S. DATES
ANNOUNCED FOR JULY & AUGUST  
 
Photo Credit: Amarpaul Kalirai
February 19, 2014 (New York, New York) -- Tori Amos is set to release her brand new studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines, May 13th in the U.S. on Mercury Classics/Universal Music Classics. Unrepentant Geraldines is pop/rock in both content and feel and is a change in pace from Amos’ most recent releases.  The album is both one step further in the evolution of one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation, and a return to the inspiring and personal music that Amos is known for all around the world.

Read more about Unrepentant Geraldines from Tori Amos on Rolling Stone.

Tori Amos’ worldwide tour kicks off in May, with U.S. dates now announced for July and August (see attached). Fans will have exclusive access to a ticket pre-sale before the general public on-sale dates by pre-ordering Unrepentant Geraldines on-line. Once a pre-order for the album is placed through http://myplaydirect.com/tori-amos, individuals will later receive a code to grant them access to pre-sales tickets for the U.S. show of their choice.

Unrepentant Geraldines is her 14th studio recording, and a return to her core identity as a creator of contemporary songs, following a series of more classically-inspired and innovative musical projects of the last four years. These have included the seasonal collection Midwinter Graces, the classically influenced Night of Hunters, and Gold Dust, a collection of orchestral re-workings of songs from across her career. Released in October 2012 Gold Dust included “Flavor,” which was remixed by the late DJ Peter Rauhofer and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Club Dance Chart in February 2013.

Amos recently also launched her most ambitious project to date as a composer, along with book writer Samuel Adamson, with the musical The Light Princes, which premiered at London's National Theatre in fall of 2013.

Tori Amos has sold over 12 million albums, has played over a thousand shows and has won numerous awards. Since the release of her debut album Little Earthquakes 21 years ago in 1992 where she pushed boundaries with her confessional style of songwriting, Amos continues to be adored, picking up new fans along the way, romanced by her messages of empowerment, tenderness, acerbic assertiveness, and of course her utterly peerless sound.

A pioneer across multiple platforms, Tori Amos was the first major label artist to offer a single for download. She has had her songs turned into graphic novels and has produced groundbreaking videos throughout her career. Ms. Amos is also a noted humanitarian and co-founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization.
 
www.toriamos.com
www.twitter.com/therealtoriamos www.facebook.com/toriamos

www.mercuryclassics.com
www.twitter.com/mercclassics www.facebook.com/mercuryclassics

7/16: Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum         
7/17: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre       
7/18: Portland, OR @ Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre    
7/21: Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre      
7/23: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
7/24: San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s      
7/25: Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center     
7/27: Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre       
7/29: Dallas, TX @ Winspear Opera House    
7/30: Austin, TX  @ Long Center
8/1: St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House  
8/2: Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
8/3:  St. Paul, MN @ The O’Shaughnessy       
8/5: Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
8/6: Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre    
8/7: Cleveland, OH @ Cain Park  
8/8: Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall  
8/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Verizon Hall   
8/12: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre 
8/13: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre 
8/15: Boston, MA @ Opera House
8/16: Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
8/18: Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium       
8/19: Atlanta, GA @ Cobb-Energy PAC 
8/20: Durham, NC @ Durham PAC
8/22: Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall       
8/23: Orlando, FL @ Bob Carr PAC
8/24: Miami, FL @ Fillmore at The Jackie Gleason Theatre

www.toriamos.com
www.twitter.com/therealtoriamos www.facebook.com/toriamos

www.mercuryclassics.com
www.twitter.com/mercclassics www.facebook.com/mercuryclassics

Darkstar Announce US Shows // Los Angeles May 2

DARKSTAR ANNOUNCE US SHOWS
MAY 2 - THE ECHO

“Composed with luminous synths and melodic vocal lines, the U.K. trio's latest album is an unabashed venture into warped pop music” – NPR Music

“achingly pretty warmth” - FADER

 “highly emotive, harmonically sound trip through digitized music that moves to a genuine human heartbeat” - SPIN

Darkstar are making their first US appearances since the release of their latest albumNews From Nowhere. The trio has only played two shows in the US to date so this is going to be the first chance for most fans to see them live. They are also currently in the studio working on new material.

Note from the band:
This new material feels like elements from our older dance floor productions and our more recent song arrangements are coming together. There's a feeling of urgency about them and the beats are a lot heavier. It feels exciting, we're trying them out in rehearsals and we hope to have some in the live set when we hit America in April.

US TOUR DATES
April 25 - Moogfest - Asheville NC
April 30 - Glasslands - Brooklyn, NY
May 1 - 1015 Folsom  - San Francisco, CA
May 2 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA

News From Nowhere  stream:
https://soundcloud.com/darkstarofficial/sets/news-from-nowhere

Music Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZpHWOngkE-EfOzWA74-wYOQF_NrY2JC2

Live Session Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZpHWOngkE-FUTS7Uz_hNkGn9GnCTh7TE

hd7 /01484 remix EP streams:
https://soundcloud.com/darkstarofficial/sets/hd7
https://soundcloud.com/darkstarofficial/sets/01484-2
http://warp.net/

CHIC ft NILE ROGERS, GIORGIO MORODER, DESTRUCTO, OLIVER and TENSNAKE at the Hollywood Bowl May 10

ANDREW HEWITT, BILL SILVA AND HARD EVENTS PRESENT
CHIC FEATURING NILE ROGERS, GIORGIO MORODER, DESTRUCTO, OLIVER AND TENSNAKE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL, LOS ANGELES, CA SATURDAY, MAY 10
TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, FEBRARY 21 AT 10:00 AM PT VIA TICKETMASTER
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Andrew Hewitt/Bill Silva/HARD Events have partnered for an incredible night of disco, funk and future music. Together they will present this unprecedented discotheque-style concert on Saturday, May 10 with CHIC FEATURING NILE ROGERS, GIORGIO MORODER, DESTRUCTO, OLIVERand TENSNAKE at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.  Tickets go on-sale this Friday, February 21 at 10:00 am PT athttp://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0B004C45B30386B7 as well as at all Ticketmaster ticket centers, the Hollywood Bowl box office (February 21 only), on line at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.
Nile Rodgers is a multiple Grammy Award-winning musician, composer, arranger, guitarist and co-founder of the band CHIC.  Additionally, Nile is considered one of the most influential producers in the history of popular music and has produced some of the biggest hits in the careers of Madonna, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Diana Ross and most currently, Daft Punk. As the founder of disco and an electronic music trailblazer, Giorgio Moroder made his mark as an influential Italian  producer, songwriter, performer and DJ. At 73 years old, Moroder still has his hands in the center of EDM culture, swinging back into the spotlight in 2013 also as a guest collaborator on the Grammy Award-winning Daft Punk album Random Access Memories (“Album Of the Year”) and with new remixes of Donna Summer, Haimand his Scarface motion picture soundtrack.  HIs newfound station as a live DJ has included major festival slotsin Japan, Sweden, Mexico, Amsterdam and most recently at HARD’s Day Of The Dead in Los Angeles this past November.  Over the course of his career, Mr. Moroder has worked with some of the most famous names in music including Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Cher, Janet Jackson and David Bowie. He is heavily noted for being the key player in the Queen of Disco Donna Summer‘s rise to fame throughout the 1970s, collaboratingwith her on her biggest hits including “Love To Love You Baby,” “Hot Stuff” and “I Feel Love.” In 1997,Moroder and Summer won the Grammy Award for “Best Dance Recording” for the song "Carry On.” He recently teamed with Verve Records to honor Summer with  Love To Love You Donna , a collection of her most notable hits remixed by Afrojack, Hot Chip, Laidback Luke, Masters at Work and others.  Giorgio Moroder’s music has charted success everywhere the disco craze touched down and beyond.
Other artists on the bill include tech-house and g-style producer and DJ DESTRUCTO plus OLIVER, who is dance music duo of DJ/producers U-Tern and Oligee and German producer TENSNAKE.www.hardfest.com