While the band's name still puzzles me, NYC-based Worst Case Ontario play laid-back, melodic garage/alt-rock that sounds like a return to the music of the post-grunge late 90's.

The band released their debut CD last year, Burning Politely, which Deli Magazine describes as "New York rock after it learns to ditch the pretense...one of the better '90s-inspired indie outfits of late."

Give a listen to the leadoff track, "You're Glib", from the Burning Politely, you'll get a good feel for the band's music. There are a couple of additional tracks from this disc streaming on the band's MySpace page.

This should be a fun show and tickets are only $8.00.

Last night, I caught the last of The Residents' three night run at the Blender Theater. The band is touring behind their latest CD, The Bunny Boy.

The Bunny Boy follows a story line of a "unabomber" type loner searching for his missing brother Harvey. The live show follows the sequence of the CD as the narrator deals with obsession, insanity and the coming Apocalypse. Like most releases from The Residents, this is pretty wild stuff.

The production on this tour was a bit smaller scale than the last time that The Residents came through (DDA tour stopped at the Warsaw in 2002). The Bunny Boy tour is the equivalent of a one-room play where the narrator is the only live actor. The narrator takes the audience through the Bunny Boy story through narrative, songs and showing videos on the projection screen.

Here is an audience video from the tour premiere in Santa Cruz which will give you a sense for the stage set up:


The show was split into two parts and the pictures that follow are from the second act. The narrator performed the second act in a bunny costume (you have to see the show or buy the disc to understand the background for this). and these pictures show the narrator in his "secret room" slowing recognizing his madness.






This was an amazing show so, if you get the chance to catch one of the remaining US tour dates (below), you should go.

Oct 14 USA Detroit Royal Oak Theater
Oct 15 USA Chicago Lakeshore
Oct 16 USA Chicago Lakeshore
Oct 17 USA Chicago Lakeshore

Links:
Ralph America (The Residents' Record Label)
The Residents YouTube Channel
The Residents Website

Jean on Jean is the intriguing solo debut from x-Out Hud cellist Molly Schnick. While this is a solo disc, Molly utilizes a "Phil Spector-ish" wall-of-sound approach to its production which makes this sound like a full band effort. Across the disc's nine tracks, there are layers of strings, vocals, guitars, and organs which give this release a warm and rich sound.

The majority of this disc falls somewhere between the chamber pop (a la Joanna Newsom) and dream pop genres but the songs are diverse enough not to be pigeonholed into one specific genre. The disc opener, Tonight, starts with a 60's girl group swing before branching off into more of a chamber pop direction. Molly's cello is an integral part of most songs but it is complemented by guitar, keys, handclaps, etc. Molly's voice also plays an integral part of the music and her voice has a innocent, whispy quality that fits well with the music. The innocence of the music reminds me of Mo Tucker's songs with the Velvet Underground but, like the Velvets, the sweetness of the music hides some dark lyrical themes.

Jean on Jean played their first show at the Cake Shop a few weeks ago (there are pictures from the show on the CMJ blog) and a full US tour is supposed to follow later this year.

Jane on Jean is currently available as an exclusive digital download on eMusic. The full release of the disc (retail and all digital outlets) is scheduled for November 11th on Kanine Records.

Links:
Jean on Jean's MySpace Profile

Nikki Shannon is playing tomorrow night at The National Underground.

I caught Nikki at the Canal Room a few month ago (see previous post for live video from the show) and thought she was great. I think Jonathan Clarke (host of Q104.3's Out of the Box show) summed it up well by saying "If you like Sarah McLachlan and Sheryl Crow, then you'll love Nikki!"

Tickets for the show are $8.00 and this is an early show -- Nikki goes on at 8PM.

The National Underground is located at 159 E. Houston Street, NY, NY 10002.

Links:
Nikki Shannon's Website

The Canon Logic played to a full house last Friday night at Sullivan Hall and this video is from the band's opening number. I don't know the name of the song but the band has a number of new songs in their set which sound great. Check out the new song "Avenue of Criminals" which is streaming on the band's MySpace page (link below). I have been looking forward to new recorded material from the band and, in talking with the guys after the show, they are going to be releasing a new EP later this year and a full-length release sometime next year.

The crowd seems to grow in number every time that I see The Canon Logic. The band also has some of the most enthusiastic fans that I have seen in a long time as the crowd danced and sang along to all of the songs. The band played about a 45 minute set and, with the crowd alternating between cheers of "CA-NON LOGIC" and "ONE MORE SONG", the club let the band play one final tune. I think the crowd would have kept them on stage for the rest of the night if the club would have allowed it.

Canon Logic are playing the No Correct Way/Fearless Music showcase at CMJ which will be held at Arlene's Grocery on Tuesday, October 21st. The are some great bands on this bill which include Second Dan and The Dig.

Links:
The Canon Logic's MySpace Page
The Canon Logic's Website

Dead Confederate plays dark, southern-influence psych- rock and the band has been building up steam over the past year or so, sharing stages with acts like Dinosaur Jr., Drive By Truckers, and Deerhunte. The buzz really got going when Dead Confederates opened for REM at SXSW and the band was just listed as one of the "Six Acts Defining Rock and Pop in 08" in a recent Rolling Stone.

The band's full length CD, Wrecking Ball, came out last month. The disc was recorded in Austin, Texas at the studio where the sound effects for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were recorded. Rolling Stone describes the disc as "a raw, howling take on Southern rock that recalls the darkest moments of Nineties grunge". Check out "The Rat", which was the first single from the new disc.

Dead Confederates are coming to town on Thursday for a show at the Mercury Lounge and they are playing Union Hall on Friday along with making an appearance on the Conan O'Brien show. Kuroma (from Athens, GA) is playing with the band both nights. At the Mercury Lounge show, the bands are sharing the bill with Catfish Haven.

Links:
Dead Confederate's MySpace Profile

Candlebox seemed to be on the radio all the time in the mid-90's but the band faded from view toward the end of the decade. I noticed that the band started coming through the area again in 2006 but never really focused on where they have been. Evidently the band broke up sometime around 1999 but reunited in 2006 with the release of The Best of Candlebox CD. After releasing no new material for 10 years, Candlebox released both a new studio CD, Into the Sun, and the live CD/DVD set Alive In Seattle this year.

The live disc captures Candlebox playing live in their hometown of Seattle. The show was recorded at the Showbox on one of the last dates of the band's 2006 reunion tour. In listening to the disc, I don't think I gave the band sufficient due in the 90's. As "Far Behind" was a staple on WHFS (when I lived in DC), I always associated the band with that era of "modern rock". In listening to this disc, the band has a heavy, blues based sound that sort of reminds me of Mother Love Bone. Vocalist Kevin Martin has a big rock voice and the live mix on the disc sounds great. The energy of the crowd adds to the atmosphere of the show as Candlebox is playing some of their best loved songs to a hometown crowd.

The DVD contains the video portion of the concert along with an extra encore track, "Rain", which runs about another 15 minutes. The DVD portion of the concert is equally engaging as the band has a strong stage presence. Kevin Martin is all over the stage, the crowd is wild and the camera angles show off the musical prowess of the band. The encore track is a great finale as all the band members showcase their chops and Kevin even takes a turn on the drums.

This is great stuff!

The DVD also contains a 15 minutes acoustic performance and radio station interview with the band from KCMQ in Columbia, MO. Once again, the band sounds great. Some of the interesting parts of the interview are Kevin is talking about how the band broke up to get out of their contract with Maverick and that the band is finalizing material for a new disc that will be released sometime next year.

Here is a live clip from the DVD:

Candlebox - "Arrow" from Alive in Seattle
The band is all but off the road right now (presumably recording) aside for a one-off festival, Destination Daytona, in Daytona Beach on 10-18-2008.

Links:
Candlebox's Website

After a quiet couple of years, Taproot released their fourth disc, Our Long Road Home, last month. This disc was recorded in the band's home town of Ann Arbor, MI and was produced by Tim Patalan (Sponge, Watershed).

The band is out on the road in support of the new disc and they are playing a run of shows this month with Sevendust. The band is playing Irving Plaza tomorrow night (October 7th) and here are the other area tour dates:

Oct 8 2008 7:30PM, Mulcahys, Wantagh, New York
Oct 11 2008 8:00PM, The Chance, Poughkeepsie, New York

I had the opportunity to catch up with Taproot vocalist Steven Richards over the weekend and we talked about the new disc, some of the one-off acoustic sessions that the band has been playing, working with Billy Corgan and more. Here is a link to the podcast feed and here is a direct link to the mp3.

Tickets for tomorrow night's show at Irving Plaza are $23.50. Our Long Road Home is available in retail outlets and there is a different online-only bonus track on both the iTunes and Amazon.com versions.

Links:
Taproot's Website
Taproot's MySpace Profile

Before heading back to Ireland, Mark Geary is playing one more show in town. Mark is playing The Cutting Room next Friday, October 10th. The show is at 8PM; advance tickets are $12 and $15 at the door.

Mark's touring behind his new CD Opium which was released two weeks ago on sonaBLAST! / Thirty Tigers.

The first single from Opium is "Tuesday":



There are a few tracks from the disc streaming on Mark's MySpace page (link below) along with a few free downloads. One of my favorite tracks from the new disc is "Facin' the Fall".

Links:
Mark Geary's MySpace Page

In general, I approach reissues with a healthy degree of skepticism as I have watched Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and Kiss' catalogs get reissued numerous times over the last few years.

I'm impressed with Rhino's reissue of Graham Nash's 1971 solo debut, Songs for Beginners, as there is a noticeable and significant sonic improvement to the sound quality. This two disc set includes a new stereo mix in Advanced Resolution (48k/24 bit) and DVD of the entire album in Advanced Resolution 5.1.

Included on the DVD is an interview with Graham where he discusses his photography and how he uses it to captures his vision of the world at a particular time and place. It is a fascinating interview as Graham comes across as an every-day person with none of the typical rock star bravado. There is also a set of Graham's photos on the DVD and the audio portion of the DVD uses some of these photos as a backdrop to each song.

At first, I started to grumble as there were no bonus tracks with the reissue but, on second listen, I think the disc is such a solid body of work that and bonus tracks could potentially take away from the simplicity and the power of the disc. The disc starts and ends with the political tunes, "Military Madness" and "Chicago/We Can Change the World", which seem just as relevant today as they were in 1971. There are also a number of tunes about the breakup of Nash's relationship with Joni Mitchell. After listening too many mopey emo-bands cary on about breakups, it is refreshing to hear Graham's dignified and hopeful introspection on life, love and loss.

There is an all-star cast playing with Graham on this disc which include David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, and Neil Young (who plays under the name Joe Yankee).

If you are a CSN or Crosby/Nash fan, this disc is well worth picking up. For long-time Graham Nash fans, the sound quality on this disc is THAT much improved that it is probably worth replacing a previously purchased copy of Songs for Beginners.

Currently Graham is touring the East Coast with David Crosby in support of the duo's 2004 double-disc effort "Crosby-Nash" (which was released in 2006 as a single disc entitled "Highlights"). Graham has written a couple of new tunes "Lost Bird" and "In Your Name" which he is supposed to be premiering on the current tour.

Here are the upcoming tour dates for the NY/NJ area:

October 11th, Shea Center for the Performing Arts, Wayne, NJ

October 13th, State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ

October 14th, The Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury, Westbury, NY

October 16th, Performing Arts Ctr at Purchase College, Purchase, NY

Graham is also supposed to be finishing up a 65-song career-retrospective box set, Reflection, which is due out in February. According to Billboard.com, Nash said that the upcoming box set "starts in 1964 and ends in 2004. So it's the Hollies to the last record that David (Crosby) and I put out. And everything is in there. It's me solo, me with Crosby, me with Neil (Young), me with Stephen (Stills) and Neil, and me with Stephen, Neil and David."

Among the material included in the box set will be unreleased tracks, as well as different versions or mixes of previously released songs.

Links:
Graham Nash's Website
Crosby/Nash's Website

Akoya Afrobeat is a 14-piece Brooklyn-based band that performs original music in the style of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musical innovator who created the genre of Afrobeat.

I caught the band at Southpaw last year. The band put on a fabulous live show and got the crowd shaking to the beat. URB Magazine said "Akoya is developing a reputation for whipping dance floors into a frenzy with their fusion of African, Afro-Cuban, Jazz and Funk music". Here is a link to some of the pictures that I took at last year's show.

Tomorrow night's show starts at 9:30PM and tickets are $12. On the bill with Akoya Afrobeat is Bryan Vargas y Ya Esta.

Links:
Akoya Afrobeat's Website
Akoya Afrobeat's MySpace Page

An earlier post on this new Husker Du EP seemed to generate a lot of interest so I wanted to follow it up with an update.

I just got back from a week-long trip to Minneapolis and I spent one night at Grumpy's Bar. As I hadn't yet tracked down a copy of the EP, I asked the waitress if there were any copies left over from the record release party and she found a copy in the bar's office. So...$10 later, I have the new EP.

I probably should have figured out in advance that J.C. is John Clegg. John played saxophone with the band in the early 80's and he died of cancer earlier this year. Grant wrote a detailed tribute/remembrance to John on the inside cover.

While there are only three tracks on the EP, it is about 20 minutes in length.

The tracks are:
- Drug Party, Duffy's, 4/14/82
- What's Going On, Goofy's, 8/12/83
- Drug Party, Goofy's, 8/12/83

and obviously John plays saxophone on all tracks.

If you can find a copy of the disc, it is well worth picking up. It is probably worth checking with The Electric Fetus (Minneapolis record store) or Treehouse Records to see if they have copies.

Rooftop Films Summer Series closes tomorrow night with a live set by Chairlift, highlights from the 2008 Summer Series films and an After Party at Fontanas with free beer (courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner).

In 2008, Rooftop Films screened 20 feature-length films and over 130 short films. They showed films from 33 different countries, in every imaginable genre—documentaries, narratives, animations, experimental films, music videos, home movies and more.

There were films by first-time filmmakers, and by experienced masters (including rarely-seen works by Salvadore Dali). There was an animation about a fire-fighting dog and a documentary about birds who make the skies safe for airplanes. There was a film about a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a film about a furtive kleptomaniac.

Prior to the films, Sound Fix presents live music by Brooklyn based trio Chairlift. Having already played with Ariel Pink and MGMT, the band is revving up for an upcoming tour with Yeasayer and will release their first full-length album Does You Inspire You on October 28th. Their single "Bruises" is featured in Apple's new "nano-chromatic" ad.

Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side)
Directions: F/J/M/Z to Essex / Delancey
8:00: Doors Open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music by Chairlift
9:00 PM: Films
11:30 PM: Open bar at Fontana's with complimentary beer courtesy of Radeberger Pilsner

Tickets are $9.00 and you can click on the picture to buy advance tickets.

Matthew Sweet released his 10th disc, Sunshine Lies, in on Shout ! Factory in August and the full tour behind this release starts in October. Sweet is playing Webster Hall on October 28th.

On Sunshine Lies, Matthew is again playing with long-time collaborators Richard Lloyd (guitar), Ric Menck (drums), Ivan Julian (guitar) and Greg Leisz (guitar/pedal steel guitar). Susanna Hoffs guests on the disc and sings backing vocals on the title track. Sweet describes the new disc as "very direct, but seen through the eyes of nature, or rather modeled on its beauty, chaos and freedom, something like a stab at sonic art nouveau."

Check out the tune "Daisychain" from the new disc.

Tickets for the Webster Hall show are $25.00 and the support act is The Bridges.

Links:
Matthew Sweet's MySpace Page
Matthew Sweet's Website

This looks like a good one...

The first annual Coney Island Freaktoberfest Boutique Beer & Music Festival will be held on October 3rd. Participating breweries are: Shmaltz, Sixpoint, Southampton, Southern Tier, Ithaca, Chelsea, Captain Lawrence, Blue Point, Dogfish Head, Stone, Smuttynose and Lagunitas. There is also going to be a burlesque show and performances by the Coney Island Sideshow. Where else can you get a buzz on while watching fire eating and snake charming?

Here is the lineup for the music:

10:00PM CHIN CHIN
9:00PM Dogs of Winter/Brian Grosz
8:30PM Iller Than Theirs
8:00PM Tone Tank
7:00PM Smokewagon

I know that Labor Day is supposed to be the last day of summer but there is something that really rings right to close out the summer and go into the end the year with Tone and Kray (Iller Than Theirs) and Brian (and Dogs of Winter). Add a couple beers and a Coney Island sunset and it sounds like a perfect night.

General Admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $75. VIP Admission gives you access to the Coney Island USA Museum where you will be tasting exclusive, rare, and vintage beers, as well as talking to some of the brewers who made these tasty recipes come to life.

Ehnahre is a new avant-garde doom metal band formed by 4 x-members of Kayo Dot plus Andrew Hock (x-Biolich).

The Man Closing Up is a five part piece based on the improvisational poetry of Donald Justice. Musically, the band falls into the doom-metal category but the band pushes the genre's boundaries as there are elements of orchestration and free-form jazz in the music. The use of trumpets and violins in the mix reminds me somewhat of Wolf Eyes. There are also some similarities to Khanate as Ehanhre builds some dark and bleak musical soundscapes across the five pieces on this disc.

Vocalist John Carchia sings with a "Cookie Monster" rasp and he is joined by Jonah Jenkins (Only Living Witness) who sings clean vocals on one track and Noell Dorsey, who provides a haunted operatic outro to the disc.

This is an intriguing debut and doom metal fans would do well to check this out. Start with "Part II" which is streaming on the band's MySpace page (link below).

The Man Closing Up is currently available online through Sound Devastation Records and the physical CD will be released on September 22nd. There will also be a limited edition 2xLP pressing released next year. The band is currently booking tour dates in support of the new CD and the only show announced right now is a date in Boston on October 25th.

Links:
Ehnahre's MySpace Profile

Manorexia (JG Thirlwell) make their only NYC appearance this year with a show at The Stone on Thursday. This is part of JG Thirlwell's month long curatorship at the club.

There are shows at 8PM and 10PM and admission is $10 per set. The Stone's website describes the show as "JG Thirlwell's avant-chamber ensemble will present arrangements from the first two Manorexia albums".

Links:
Foetus' MySpace Page

I'm glad that I shook off my record collecting obsession a few years back as there are 5+ versions of the new David Gilmour release.

To clarify the comment above, David Gilmour planned on releasing 5 version and the only version intended to have the song "Wot's...Uh The Deal" was the 5-LP vinyl set. Due to fan pressure, a CD of "Wot's...Uh The Deal" is now available as a bonus disc from indie music stores. The indie stores that I know of around the area are Vintage Vinyl (Fords, NJ) and Loony Tunes (Long Island). For anyone not familiar with the track, it is from Obscured By Clouds and Gilmour started included the song in his 2006 tour.



Here is a live performance of the song from 2006 with David and Rick Wright:

Anyway, here is the breakdown of the five versions. Best Buy is the exclusive distributor for the 5-disc version (which is marked as sold-out for online orders).

- Two-disc version: Two CDs. Packaged in a gatefold card sleeve with 12-page booklet.

Disc One: 'Speak To Me', 'Breathe', 'Time', 'Breathe (Reprise)', 'Castellorizon', 'On an Island', 'The Blue', 'Red Sky at Night', 'This Heaven', 'Then I Close My Eyes', 'Smile', 'Take a Breath', 'A Pocketful of Stones', 'Where We Start'. Disc Two: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Fat Old Sun', 'High Hopes', 'Echoes', 'Wish You Were Here', 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Comfortably Numb'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

- Three-disc version: Two CDs, one DVD. Packaged in a gatefold card sleeve with 12-page booklet.

Disc One: 'Speak To Me', 'Breathe', 'Time', 'Breathe (Reprise)', 'Castellorizon', 'On an Island', 'The Blue', 'Red Sky at Night', 'This Heaven', 'Then I Close My Eyes', 'Smile', 'Take a Breath', 'A Pocketful of Stones', 'Where We Start'. Disc Two: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Fat Old Sun', 'High Hopes', 'Echoes', 'Wish You Were Here', 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Comfortably Numb'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

DVD includes 114 minutes of concert footage, plus a 36-minute documentary. Tracks on the DVD are: the complete 'On an Island' album, 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Comfortably Numb', 'Echoes' and 'High Hopes'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

This DVD also includes a web pass to download 12 bonus live tracks from other concerts from the 'On an Island' tour - free: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'Dominoes' (Paris, 15 March 2006), 'The Blue' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'Take a Breath' (Munich, 29 July 2006), 'Wish You Were Here' (Glasgow, 27 May 2006), 'Coming Back To Life' (Florence, 2 August 2006), 'Find The Cost of Freedom' (Manchester, 26 May 2006), 'This Heaven' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'On The Turning Away' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'Wearing The Inside Out' (Milan, 25 March 2006), 'A Pocketful of Stones' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'Where We Start' (Vienne, 31 July 2006).

- Four-disc version: Two CDs, two DVDs. Packaged in a gatefold card sleeve with 12-page booklet.

Disc One: 'Speak To Me', 'Breathe', 'Time', 'Breathe (Reprise)', 'Castellorizon', 'On an Island', 'The Blue', 'Red Sky at Night', 'This Heaven', 'Then I Close My Eyes', 'Smile', 'Take a Breath', 'A Pocketful of Stones', 'Where We Start'. Disc Two: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Fat Old Sun', 'High Hopes', 'Echoes', 'Wish You Were Here', 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Comfortably Numb'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

DVD includes 114 minutes of concert footage, plus a 36-minute documentary. Tracks on the DVD are: the complete 'On an Island' album, 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Comfortably Numb', 'Echoes' and 'High Hopes'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

This DVD also includes a web pass to download 12 bonus live tracks from other concerts from the 'On an Island' tour - free: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'Dominoes' (Paris, 15 March 2006), 'The Blue' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'Take a Breath' (Munich, 29 July 2006), 'Wish You Were Here' (Glasgow, 27 May 2006), 'Coming Back To Life' (Florence, 2 August 2006), 'Find The Cost of Freedom' (Manchester, 26 May 2006), 'This Heaven' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'On The Turning Away' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'Wearing The Inside Out' (Milan, 25 March 2006), 'A Pocketful of Stones' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'Where We Start' (Vienne, 31 July 2006).

The second DVD includes a 5.1 surround-sound mix of the 'On an Island' album, three new Barn jams (recorded January 2007) and the following audio-visual tracks: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Wearing The Inside Out' and 'Comfortably Numb' (from the Mermaid Theatre, 7 March 2006), 'On an Island' and 'High Hopes' (from the AOL Sessions, April 2006) and 'The Blue', 'Take a Breath' and 'Echoes' (from 'Live from Abbey Road', August 2006).

- Five-disc version/Deluxe: Three CDs, two DVDs. With 20-page booklet and tour memorabilia.

Disc One: 'Speak To Me', 'Breathe', 'Time', 'Breathe (Reprise)', 'Castellorizon', 'On an Island', 'The Blue', 'Red Sky at Night', 'This Heaven', 'Then I Close My Eyes', 'Smile', 'Take a Breath', 'A Pocketful of Stones', 'Where We Start'. Disc Two: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Fat Old Sun', 'High Hopes', 'Echoes', 'Wish You Were Here', 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Comfortably Numb'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

Bonus CD has 12 live tracks from other concerts from the 'On an Island' tour: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'Dominoes' (Paris, 15 March 2006), 'The Blue' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'Take a Breath' (Munich, 29 July 2006), 'Wish You Were Here' (Glasgow, 27 May 2006), 'Coming Back To Life' (Florence, 2 August 2006), 'Find The Cost of Freedom' (Manchester, 26 May 2006), 'This Heaven' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'On The Turning Away' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'Wearing The Inside Out' (Milan, 25 March 2006), 'A Pocketful of Stones' (Vienne, 31 July 2006), 'Where We Start' (Vienne, 31 July 2006).

DVD includes 114 minutes of concert footage, plus a 36-minute documentary. Tracks on the DVD are: the complete 'On an Island' album, 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Comfortably Numb', 'Echoes' and 'High Hopes'. Recorded live in Gdańsk, 26 August 2006.

The second DVD includes a 5.1 surround-sound mix of the 'On an Island' album, three new Barn jams and the following audio-visual tracks: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Wearing The Inside Out' and 'Comfortably Numb' (from the Mermaid Theatre, 7 March 2006), 'On an Island' and 'High Hopes' (from the AOL Sessions, April 2006) and 'The Blue', 'Take a Breath' and 'Echoes' (from 'Live from Abbey Road', August 2006).

Memorabilia consists of: a reproduction postcard, ticket, backstage pass and artist's pass; a large double-sided poster, a guitar pick/plectrum and seven photographs.

Packaging details to follow.

- Five-disc vinyl version: Five LPs. With a 20-page booklet and web pass to download concert.

LP #1: 'Speak To Me', 'Breathe', 'Time', 'Breathe (Reprise)', 'Castellorizon', 'On an Island', 'The Blue', 'Red Sky at Night', 'This Heaven'. LP #2: 'Then I Close My Eyes', 'Smile', 'Take a Breath', 'A Pocketful of Stones', 'Where We Start'. LP #3: 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Wot's... Uh The Deal', 'Astronomy Domine', 'Fat Old Sun', 'High Hopes'. LP #4: 'Echoes', 'Wish You Were Here', 'A Great Day For Freedom', 'Comfortably Numb'.

Fifth LP includes 'On The Turning Away' (Venice, 12 August 2006), 'The Blue' and 'Echoes' (from 'Live from Abbey Road', August 2006), plus two Barn jams (recorded January 2007).

For more details, check out David Gilmour's blog.

Vancouver's Vancougar have announced a CMJ show at Fat Baby on October 24th. The band signed to Mint Records earlier this year (home to The Pack A.D.) and are touring behind their debut disc Canadian Tuxedo.

Comparisons to Sleater-Kinney seem to get thrown at every female-fronted band but, this time, I can the basis for the comparison. Vancougar's music falls somewhere between later-day Sleater-Kinney and a hypothetical garage-rock band fronted by Belinda Carlisle. Check out "Obvious" from Canadian Tuxedo.



Here are the band's complete tour dates:

Wed, Oct 22 - Cambridge, MA - The Middle East w/ Jay Reatard, Cola Freaks, Tampoffs
Fri, Oct 24 - NYC- Fat Baby - Mint Records CMJ Showcase w/ The Pack A.D., The Awkward Stage, Hot Panda, Novillero
Sat, Oct 25 - Pittsburgh, PA – Gooski’s w/ The Burndowns
Sun, Oct 26 - Asheville, NC – The Admiral w/ Suttree
Mon, Oct 27 - Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/ Thee Crucials
Tue, Oct 28 - Huntsville, AL – Voodoo Lounge w/ Thomas Function
Wed, Oct 29 - Nashville, TN – Springwater w/ Thomas Function, Trampskirts, Outlaw Lovers
Thu, Oct 30 - Chicago, IL – Ronny’s Bar
Fri, Oct 31 - Columbus, OH - The Summit w/ The Cheater Slicks, TV Ghost, Jack’s Widow
Sat, Nov 01 - Milwaukee, WI - Club Garibaldi w/ The Goodnight Loving, Sugar Stems, Stolen Minks
Sun, Nov 02 - Madison, WI - The Frequency w/ The Grizzlies, The Hussy (early show - starts at 7 pm)
Mon, Nov 03 - Omaha, NE - Venue TBA
Wed, Nov 05 - Provo, UT - The Compound w/ Split Reactions, Steve & The Ohs (house party)
Fri, Nov 07 - Portland, OR - The East End w/ Phantom Lights, Mean Jeans
Sat, Nov 08 - Seattle, WA – Wild Rose w/ The Shackles, Suspicions

Links:
Vancougar's MySpace Profile

Club Des Millionnaires are a new hip-hop group that is almost certainly going to create a lot of buzz. The band is finishing their debut CD, The 10th Planet, and the first single "I'm A Problem" is streaming on CDM's MySpace profile. The band has a big show tomorrow night opening for Wyclef Jean at Club Element.

I had the chance to crash one of the band's get-togethers a few weeks back and brought my camera along.



Unfortunately, the video is pretty dark (no thanks to YouTube's compression algorithm) but...sit back and give it a listen. I captured a few song snippets and band members have some killer voices. You can also hear the band talking about the inspiration behind Club Des Millionnaires. These are passionate and committed people, self-proclaimed Space Rebels, who are ready to take on the system and change the world.

Tomorrow night's show starts at 11PM.

Links:
Club Element

VH1 Behind the Music could have learned a lot from A&E. I've really admired the depth and story-line on the bios that A&E has previously aired and the next one is John Mellencamp's on September 23rd.

"John Mellencamp will be the focus of Bio Channel's forthcoming special "Back Where We Started." It's a documentary style look at the artists Southern Indiana roots that underscore who he is today. One of the components of the show is an exclusive intimate concert at the historic Crump Theater in Columbus Indiana. Playing on the title of the show, the Crump was one of the very first theaters John ever played at the very start of his career. It's been 32 years and 40 million albums since Mellencamp, inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, last performed at The Crump. He’ll be back for one special performance on the evening Tuesday, Sept. 23. "

One of the things that I have always respected about John is his continual giving back to the community. All of the proceeds from the show at the Crump Theater go to benefit the local flood relief services.

John released a new disc, Life Death Love and Freedom, earlier this year to great reviews and it is expected that he will be playing material reflecting the breadth of his career at this upcoming concert.

Here is the official video for "My Sweet Love" which is from the current CD.



Links:
John Mellencamp's Website

Mark Geary released his third disc, Opium, today which is follow-up to his 2005 release Ghosts.

The release of the full CD was preceded by a single, 'Tuesday', which tells the story of "the day all the shit changes! The guy in the song (maybe me?) has to change all the shit and the baggage he has been dragging around. But change brings uncertainty that can be so scary that maybe you're better off just living a kind of quiet hell?!"

So begins the tale of Opium, an album which has taken Geary through places in his head that he didn't know existed in a processes that has infused the new album with an energy and an emotional power that is barely contained within the melodies and instrumentation of each song. But he tells the story of Opium better than anyone else...

"It's about escape and the notion of consequence. All of that plays a part in what I think about or was thinking about when I was making the record. I think sometimes I kinda like to torture myself with these dark thoughts and in so doing reveal some of my demons and drugs of choice.

"I started writing this record over two years ago. I had written a song called 'Maid Of Gold' that seemed to me to be the advent of something new and I had the beginnings of the song 'Tuesday'. At that time I had being reading Robert Fisk's books and the 'God Delusion'; the 'war on terror' was on the news every night and I became aware of my discomfort with people on telly using 'God phrases': 'With God on our side'; 'In God we trust'; 'With God's help we will prevail'...

I was a big fan of Mark's when he moved to NYC in the mid-90's and was a regular performer at Sin-e. I believe that he has moved back to Ireland so it is great to see him back in New York.

Mark is playing the Wee Craic Festival at Powerhouse Arena Saturday night, Sept. 20th. Powerhouse Arena is in DUMBO and is located at 37 Main Street (@ Water Street). On the bill with Mark is Colin Smith (from MRNORTH) and Mundy.

Links:
Mark Geary's Website
Wee Craic Fest

Car Bomb just finished up a tour with Doyle's (x-Misfits) Gorgeous Frankenstein. The band is home now and are playing a show at Ace of Clubs in the Village on September 27th.



Car Bomb's debut CD Centralia was released early last year on Relapse Records. The band just posted a Japanese-only bonus track from Centralia, "braCKet", to their MySpace profile.

Car Bomb is playing with Child Abuse, LOMF, Torrential Downpour and Chubby Behemoth. Tickets are $10.00 and Car Bomb goes on at Midnight.

Links:
Car Bomb's MySpace Profile

Brooklyn's Bugs In The Dark are playing the Lit Lounge next Thursday (Sept. 25th) night.

There are a couple bands from the area that I expect to break big next year and Bugs In The Dark are on the top of this list. The band released their fabulous debut full-length disc earlier this year, Grand Avenue, and their live shows continue to get great reviews (link, link).

For anyone who hasn't heard the band...Bugs In the Dark have a sound that is sort of an amalgamation of Pylon, Sonic Youth and Hole. Check out "Gasoline", which is the first video from the new CD.



Next Thursday, Bugs In the Dark are playing at 10:30PM and tickets are $6.00.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark's MySpace Profile

French Kicks are headlining the bill at the Bowery Ballroom on September 24th. The band is touring behind their fourth album Swimming (Vagrant) which was released earlier this year to strong reviews.

Swimming is the first disc to be produced and mixed by the band and the band shows a new level of artistic maturity. The band's garage/post-punk roots haven't been abandoned but the band is exploring more melodic territories. You can check out some tracks from Swimming on a Daytrotter session that the band recorded over the summer. One of my favorites is "Over The World".

French Kicks are playing with Passion Pit and Salt & Samovar at the Bowery Ballroom show. Tickets are $15.00.

Links:
French Kicks' MySpace Profile
French Kicks' Website