From The Inbox

Been getting some emails lately asking to post some band info and MP3s for download here on HFTB. Since I'm here to inform you and spread the music I figured why not. So here's what's been filling up my inbox of late....

Dearborn
BIO:
Dearborn is a high energy rock band who is currently gearing up for their 2007 sophomore release "Always In Disguise". Chicago's premier rock band has fans and critics on the edge of their stereos in anticipation. The band recieved the 2004 Chicago Music Award for Rock Album of the Year for their debut release, "Prepare To Qualify", and this past year were up against rock greats Billy Corgan, Wilco, The Pony's and Umphrey's McGee as a nominee for 2004 and 2005's Best Rock Entertainer Award.

ALBUM INFO:
Always in Disguise is an album that embraces high energy alternative rock music pulling from every generation of rock and roll since the mid-70’s to current times and everything in between. Most often compared to mid-90’s alternative music with a little bit of an 80’s feel. Dearborn is unapologetic about their style, and it helps make their music more appealing. It is radio friendly and catchy but still in touch with what is real and now. The album speaks for itself as the band has gracefully honed in on their sound.

Always In Disguise (MP3)

Mew

To call Mew 'sort of surreal', of course, is like saying Bill Gates is 'reasonably well off'. If the sprawling, soaring bliss-rock of their breakthrough third album Frengers (2003) - particularly the ecstatically icy space ballets She Came Home For Christmas and NME Single Of The Week Comforting Sounds - projected a sense of glacial fairy tale wonderment (the sort of thing The Brothers Grimm might have written after a month on the road with Hope Of The States) then their fourth record 'Mew. and the Glass Handed Kites' is an even greater leap into the unknown. Redefining the concept of an 'album' - and, indeed, of a 'concept album' -and the Glass Handed Kites is an eccentric 60 minute rock headfuck, flinging musical ideas, distorted nightmare images and heartbreak choruses at the listener with what at first seems to be a random ferocity. One minute we're sailing towards Valhalla on 'Chinaberry Tree''s crusade-rock stomp, the next we're being asked "Why are you looking grave?" by J Mascis over a My Bloody Valentine throb, the next we're in the middle of an ethereal ballad about hiding foxes. Initially it sounds like ten bands playing ten different albums at the same time, which we're tuned in and out of by some insane studio engineer; repeated listening, however, reveals a remarkably unified work that picks up the experimental baton of 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac' and drenches it in Mew's unique other-worldy glisten.

Mew is a band originationg from Copenhagen, Denmark and has been making their way through the music scene by touring with great bands like Kasbian and Bloc Party. Their peculiar yet intriguing sound has distinguished them as a truly brilliant band. Already, Mew has achieved notoriety and success with their new album "Mew and the Glass Handed Kites," placing #2 in Entertainment Weekly's Must List.

Check them out on MySpace - here.

The Makes Nice

Following his exit from Bay Area rock heavyweights The Fucking Champs and Drunk Horse, Josh Smith (guitar, vocals) set out to strips things down in search of the perfect synthesis of pop melody and rock muscle. Enter Aaron Burnham (bass, vocals) and Jack Matthews (drums). What was originally intended as an instrumental R&B outfit evolved into a refurbished vintage project. Drawing from freakbeat influences (i.e. The Creation, Small Faces, et al.) The Makes Nice brings Smith's impeccable musicianship and traditional power trio rollicking to catchy, sing-along pure pop. Where many vintage-based acts leave listeners nostalgic for the old days, The Makes Nice draws from old styles with an entirely new angle. For its first release, the band called on Phil Manely, best know for his stellar guitar playing with Trans Am, to lend his engineering prowess.

Candy Wrapper (MP3)

California Sun (MP3)

The Safes

A literal "band of brothers," the all sibling trio The Safes is one of the hottest bands in the reputable Chicago rock scene. The rock/powerpop/soul threesome recieved much praise for its two previous efforts and has traversed the country playing for eager crowds. Well, Well, Well The Safes latest and strongest record builds on that solid foundation. With a sound that embodies the adage "old, new, borrowed and blue", The Safes are sure to get your feet tapping. The O'Malley brothers' family chemistry is easily discernible upon first listen and contributes volumes to this brilliantly cohesive music (think Kinks). With the release of Well, Well, Well and the great reputation of their lauded live show, The Safes stands poised to emerge from the Chicago market as a national force.

Phonebook Full of Phonies (MP3)

Fairy Tale Tomorrow (MP3)

I'll try and make this a regular series based on the amount of submissions I get.

Band Tees

You say your New Year's resolution was to give more to charity? Well here's a great way to do and even get something in return. Head on over to the Yellow Bird Project where you can buy t-shirts designed by your favorite indie-rockers, with 100% of the sales going directly to charity. Right now you can pick up a shirt designed by Rilo Kiley, Devandra Banhart, CYHSY, Wolfmother, Joseph Arthur and more.



Here's some info on the YBP from their website....

Yellow Bird Project is a Montreal-based, non-profit initiative. We collaborate with musicians in designing a T-shirt, we print and sell them on our website, and all of the money we make goes to charity. Which charity? Each of the artists gets to choose their own. We have three fundamental aims:

1) To make money for charities directly through T-shirt sales.

2) To raise awareness for charity organizations through artists’ endorsement.

3) To raise the profile of the artists we like.

We have specifically approached individuals that we think are creative and conscientious enough to make a difference.

It's a great way to give back if you ask me.

It's Official Police To Perform At The Grammys

So the internets are buzzing this morning about the announcement that The Police will be kick-off the Grammys telecast in just a few short weeks. I wouldn't be a good music blogger if I didn't provide you with the info (via NY Times)....

The Police, who leapt from the British punk scene to become one of the world’s biggest rock acts before breaking up in 1984, will reunite for a performance to kick off the 49th Grammy Awards on Feb. 11.

The scheduled performance by the band members, who last played together when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, is likely to heighten speculation that the Police will soon mount a full tour. The group would join a growing list of reunited acts expected to perform this year, including Van Halen and Rage Against the Machine.

The Police — known for “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle” and other hits — have won five Grammy trophies, but have never performed on the annual telecast. The prime-time Sunday performance on CBS, televised live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, would come 30 years after the release of the band’s first single, “Fall Out.”

This month Sting alluded to a Police reunion when he told the Television Critics Association that all the former members were talking. “We started 30 years ago, so it would be nice to do something to celebrate,” Sting was quoted as saying. “We don’t quite know what, but we’re talking about it.”

Oddly enough, the band’s reunion — announced by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which awards the Grammys — comes not long after perhaps the most public analysis of its breakup. Stewart Copeland, the Police’s co-founder and drummer, made a splash at last year’s Sundance Film Festival with a film, “Everyone Stares,” a first-person account of the band’s rise to prominence and subsequent disintegration.

After the band splintered amid internal tension in 1984, the Police’s singer, Sting, pursued a successful solo career, meandering from the band’s reggae-influenced rock and experimenting with other forms of world music. Sting has also become a reliable concert box-office draw in his own right. His 2004 tour with Annie Lennox, for example, rang up box office sales of more than $50 million and ranked as one of the 10 best-selling tours of the year, according to the trade magazine Pollstar.

Last year Sting’s first classical album, “Songs From the Labyrinth,” featuring music written by the 16th-century composer John Dowland, topped the classical album sales chart for 2006. His reunited band now joins a lineup of performers for this year’s Grammy telecast that includes Mary J. Blige, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dixie Chicks and Gnarls Barkley, among others.

So there you have it two years in a row the Grammys pull huge comebacks - last year with a pretty scary looking Sly Stone - and now this. Good work in trying to make your award show relevant again, but I have a feeling about 2 minutes after The Police are done performing the ratings will take a pretty huge drop.

I Love Tuesdays

Here are the purchases for the week....

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

Norah Jones - Not Too Late

Various Artists - Endless Highway: The Music of The Band

Lilly Allen - Alright, Still

Cat Power At Hiro Ballroom

Was a bit disappointed when Cat Power announced a show at the Hiro Ballroom for Super Bowl Sunday - though I'm sure a lot of girls where happy about that, considering it's sold out. Luckily she's added a second show next Monday night at the same venue. Tickets are on-sale now - buy them here.

I've heard mixed things about her live show, but loved The Greatest and pretty excited to check her out as well as the venue. Here's a couple of live shows for you downloading pleasure....

Cat Power And The Memphis Rhythm Band - 2006-06-16 - That Tent - Bonnaroo Music Festival - Manchester,TN

Cat Power And The Memphis Rhythm Band - 2006-11-18 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA

Music Video Mondays

Don't really have any words to explain this video, but take four minutes out of your day to watch it's truly classic and quite bizzare. Here's Devo with "Jocko Homo".....



If you only know Devo for "Whip It", do yourself a favor and go and pick up a copy of Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - it's quirky art rock in the vien of the Talking Heads.

Concert Time

Off to see M. Ward tonight playing a rare solo show at Town Hall. Caught him around this time last year out a Warsaw and Jim James showed up and sat in for a few songs - quite the night. If you haven't heard Post-War - Matt's stellar album from last year- take a listen to this live version Poison Cup from a performance for KCRW and I promise you'll be hooked too.

Here's a recent live show for downloading pleasure (via Dimeadozen)...

M. Ward - 2007-01-05 - The Metro, Sydney - Australia

Play It Leo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's some news from the Phish camp that doesn't involve a certain red-headed guitarist. The Chairman of the Boards has just inked a deal with Legacy Recordings for the April 17th release of his solo debut!!! Here's a promo video for the album....



Here's the full article with tracklisting. Hopefully some tourdates will follow, it's been awhile since we've seen Page out on the road and I for one have missed him.

Here's his set from last year's moe.down that features all the material from the new album, it's a great live set and worth the download...

Page McConnell with Jon Fishman, Adam Zimmon, Jared Slomoff & Rob O'Dea - 2006-09-01 - moe.down 7 - Snow Ridge Ski Area - Turin, NY

Music Video Mondays...Thursday Edition

When you find out that everyone favorite '80s teen villian Billy Zapka directed a music video that was an ode to the Karate Kid I couldn't wait till Monday to post it. So without further ado here's No More King's with "Sweep The Leg"- it's pure genius....

Announcementmania

My internet has been down most of the day and there was a bunch of announcements made, so rather then bore you with a bunch of posts on each here's a full list....

Van Halen Reuniting with Diamond Dave for 40 Date Summer Amphitheater Tour

Bonnaroo Line-Up Announcement on February 14th

Jazz Fest Line-Up Announced

The Police Rehearsing For Their Summer Tour In Vancouver - Dates To Be Announced Next Month

And finally this just caught my eye.....

Nirvana At SXSW? Police At Bonnaroo? Behind The Bogus Festival Line-Ups

Bloggy Goodness

Super Dee was at the Knit this weekend to catch Rotary Downs - check out her review and some video of the performance here.

I Guess I'm Floating loves Andrew Bird and has two versions of a track off his new album - which hits streets on March 20th - for your downloading pleasure. Check that out here.

Over at You Ain't No Picasso you can grab a new Bright Eyes B-side called "Tourist Trap" off his upcoming EP Four Winds - here.

Mondays are a must over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends that's when Heather puts up her weekly Monday Music Roundup - this weeks features tunes from Cake, Ohio Players and The Put Outs.

The new Norah Jones new album Not Too Late comes out next week, but Fresh Bread has a couple of track off it if you just can't wait till then - head here.

Finally if you're not going over to Hidden Track on a regular basis you're really missing out, check out any of these weekly features and you'll see why - Grousing The Aisles, Pullin' Tubes and The 'B' List.

I Love Tuesdays

Here are the purchases for the week....

The Grateful Dead - Live At The Cow Palace: New Years Eve 1976

moe. - The Conch

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

The Affair - Yes Yes To You

Music Video Mondays

Their new album hits stores tomorrow and you're going to want to own it - so put in on your "To Do" list - here's The Shins with "Phantom Limb"....



And if you're in NYC tonight head over to the Virgin Megastore in Union Square for a free in-store performace tonight at midnight.

Coachella Line-Up

Here's the full Coachella line-up, thanks to Justin from LMB for the info....

!!!
Jacks Mannequin
Air
Jarvis Cocker
Amos Lee
Jose Gonzales
Amy Winehouse
Julieta Venegas
Anathallo
Junior Boys
Andrew Bird
Justice
Arcade Fire (The)
Kaiser Chiefs
Arctic Monkeys
Kings of Leon
Avett Brothers
Klaxons
Benny Benassy
Kokono No. 1
Bjork
LCD Soundsystem
Black Keys
Lily Allen
Blonde Redhead
Lupe Fiasco
Bojones
Manu Chao
Brazilian Girls
Mika
Brother Ali
Mike Relm
Busdriver
MSTRKRFT
Circa Survive
New Pornographers
Coco Rosie
Nickel Creek
Comedians of Comedy
Nightwatchman
Cornelius
Noisettes
Coup (The)
Of Montreal
Cribs (The)
Ozomatli
Crowded House
Paul Van Dyk
CSS
Peaches
Damien Rice
Peeping Tom
Decemberists
Peter, Bjorn & John
Digitalism
Pharaohe Monche
DJ Heather
Placebo
DJ Shadow
Pop Levi
Erol Alkan
Rage Against The Machine
Evil Nine
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Explosions in the Sky
Regina Spektor
Fair to Midland
Richie Hawtin
Faithless
Rodrigo Y Gabriella
Feeling (The)
Roky Erickson and the Explosives
Felix Da Housecat
Roots
Fountains of Wayne
Rufus Wainwright
Frames (The)
Satellite Party
Fratellis
Silversun Pickups
Ghostface Killah
Sonic Youth
Gillian Welch
Soulwax
Girl Talk
Spank Rock
Gogol Bordello
Sparklehorse
Gotan Project
Stephen Marley feat Jr. Gong
Grizzly Bear
Tapes 'n Tapes
Happy Mondays
The Fields
Hot Chip
The Good, The Bad and The Queen
The Kooks
Travis
The Rapture
VNV Nation
Tiesto
We Are Scientists
Tilly and the Wall
Willie Nelson
Tokyo Police Club
Yeva

Rage To Headline Coachella

With all the Bonnaroo stuff I've been posting on here lately I've negelected the other big music festival out there Coachella. Well today came the official announcement (that had been rumored for the last couple of days) that Rage Against The Machine will be reuniting for the first time in seven years to headline the fest. The world could have used some politically charged anthems from Rage over the last few years, but I'm sure lots will be pretty psyched to see these guys on stage again. Read about it here (which includes a list of other performers).

Tickets go on-sale this Saturday.

Music Video Mondays

Is there any other more appropriate video to post today then this 1985 classic? You guessed it, here's the Chicago Bears with "The Super Bowl Shuffle".....



Try to get up something a little more tolerable later.

More Bonnaroo Confirmations

Here's a few more confirmed acts headed to the 'Roo....

The Hold Steady - confirmed here
Fountains of Wayne - confirmed here
Charlie Louvin - confirmed here

Bonnarumors

Bonnaroo line-up rumors seem to be a hot topic these days. I usually wouldn't post something from a message board, but saw this over on The Hold Steady's message boards and just thought it was an interesting line-up - please keep in mind the source though.....

Sources close to the Manchester Times have recieved confirmation that The Police, Bob Dylan, and Pearl Jam have been confirmed to headline the 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival. The lineup also includes Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Umphrey's McGee, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Black Crowes, Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Keller Williams Band, Hot Chip, America, TV on the Radio, Fountains of Wayne, Modest Mouse, Les Claypool, The Shins, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Toots and the Maytals, The Roots, The Decemberists, Of Montreal, Cat Power, Ozomatli, Perpetual Groove, Band of Horses, John Butler Trio, Nickel Creek, Medeski Martin and Wood, Lily Allen, Neko Case, Keiren Hedben (Four Tet) & Steve Reid, The Hold Steady, Earl Scuggs, Charlie Louvin, Man Man, Grizzly Bear, Konono #1, The Slip, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Uncle Earl, Annuals, Beirut, M. Ward, Cold War Kids, and Girl Talk. Superfly Productions plans to officially announce the lineup on January 31st.

My guess is a fair amount of these will actually be in Manchester this year. But as for their headliner guess - The Police reunion isn't even confirmed and doubt this would be a stop on their tour. Bob Dylan played a few years ago and wasn't a headliner - so what would make him one this year? Out of the three Pearl Jam seems to be the one that's getting the most truth attached to it. Mostly likely this is just someone's wish list, but I guess we'll have to sit tight and see.

Number Two From The Vault

Clearly Neil Young realized that he shouldn't have kept all that great stuff in his vault locked up for so long. Billboard reported today that the second installment of his vault series will be hitting stores on March 13th. This time around it will be a solo gig from January 19, 1971 that took place at Massey Hall in Toronto - read about it here.

Not sure if this is going to be the early or late show, but here are the setlists from that night (they're both pretty similiar)....

Early Show:
On The Way Home / Tell Me Why / Old Man / Journey Through The Past / Cowgirl In The Sand / Love In Mind / Helpless / Love In Mind / A Man Needs A Maid>Heart Of Gold / Don't Let It Bring You Down / There's A World / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / I Am A Child / The Needle And The Damage Done / Ohio / See The Sky About To Rain / Dance, Dance, Dance

Late Show:
On The Way Home / Tell Me Why / Old Man / Journey Through The Past / Helpless / Love In Mind / A Man Needs A Maid>Heart Of Gold / Cowgirl In The Sand / Don't Let It Bring You Down / There's A World / Bad Fog Of Loneliness / The Needle And The Damage Done / Ohio / See The Sky About To Rain / Down By The River / Dance, Dance, Dance / I Am A Child

No Direction, Period

After months and months of work my friends over at The Post Show are finally makes their triumphant return to the internets on SuperDeluxe. Check out this newly posted short....



Seriously everyone out should check there stuff out, watch the old stuff here and their new stuff here. Welcome back guys!

Pimp My Band

Just wanted to give a quick shout out for my friends in The Affair - they are the Artist of the Day over at Spin. Head here give them a listen (free MP3 for download off their new album) and vote for them a few hundred times you can also leave some positive feedback about them here.

If you like what you hear they've got their debut album coming out next week called Yes Yes To You - which you can buy here. They'll be playing their record release party at Mercury Lounge on January 26th (on at 8:30) and then will be heading out for their first ever west coast tour in February - check out the dates here.

I Love Tuesdays

Here's the lone purchase for the week....

The Autumn Defense - S/T

Music Video Mondays

I go back and forth on how much I actually like Regina Spektor (I think I do just in small doses), but decide for yourself - here she is with "Fidelity".....

Rumor Mill - Keller Williams Band??

Is Keller Williams ready to lose the loops and actually let other people play instruments on-stage with him on a full-time basis? Well Keller hinted to the fact that he will be hitting the festival circuit this summer and for a possible fall tour with a full band during his appearance on Sirius's Jam-On. He didn't give away any names yet, but he alluded that the people he's been talking to will be familiar to his fans.

The current hot rumor had been that he would be taking over for Bill Nershi - but according to the lasted issue of Relix that arrived in my mailbox today he's quoted saying the following....

"I can't really let myself think like that, especially being in touch with the band and knowing they're not really thinking that. There might be a tour over the next couple of years where we might go and try something out but there's definitely no plans for me taking Billy's slot, that's for sure."

In the meantime Keller is currently on the road - head here for the dates. He also has a new album coming out on Feburary 9th called Dreams that features the likes of Bela Fleck, Bob Weir, SCI, Steve Kimock and more.

American Beauty Project

If you're in New York next weekend you might want to consider going to check the American Beauty Project - who will be performing Workingman's Dead and American Beauty on consecutive nights for FREE in the World Financial Center. Here's the press release (via Jambase)...

Two of the Grateful Dead's greatest albums, American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, both recorded in 1970, will each be honored with its own evening when Arts>World Financial Center presents The American Beauty Project free in the World Financial Center Winter Garden, 220 Vesey Street.

Workingman's Dead, which was recorded in March 1970, will be honored Saturday, January 20 at 8:00 p.m. by a distinctive roster of singer-songwriters, bands and instrumentalists when each performs one of the tracks on the classic album.

The next night, Sunday, January 21 at 8:00 p.m., another group of singers and musicians will perform cuts from American Beauty, which was recorded in August and September 1970.

Performing their own arrangements of the Workingman's Dead and American Beauty songs are Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane), Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, Gob Iron), Ollabelle, Toshi Reagon, The Holmes Brothers, Sex Mob, Espers, Jen Chapin, Dar Williams, The Klezmatics, Tim O'Reagan (The Jayhawks), Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Phil Lesh & Friends), Teresa Williams, Rob Barraco, Dan Zanes, Railroad Earth, Catherine Russell, Jim Lauderdale, John Leventhal, Brandon Ross, Andy Statman, Tony Trischka and more names to be announced in the weeks ahead.

Putting together The American Beauty Project to celebrate 35th anniversary of these two landmark Grateful Dead albums is Artistic Director and Producer David Spelman, who was responsible for similar tributes to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. At last year's Nebraska Project honoring Springsteen, The Boss himself spent the evening standing unnoticed with the crowd before jumping on stage for the finale.

"Both Workingman's Dead and American Beauty were ranked on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, 258 and 262, respectively," said Mr. Spelman. "Each was extremely innovative at the time for their fusion of bluegrass, rock, folk and country music."

Workingman's Dead, the band's fourth studio album, was recorded in March 1970, and was voted by readers of Rolling Stone as the best album of 1970, in front of Crosby, Stills and Nash's Déjà Vu and Van Morrison's Moondance.

American Beauty was recorded between August and September of 1970 and was released in November of the same year. It included instant radio favorites such as "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia" and "Friend of the Devil."

"The acoustic sound and folk/country tunes of Workingman's Dead would come as quite a shock to many fans, and to the critics as a harbinger of some sort of conscious movement (along with The Band, Dylan and the Byrds) toward country," wrote Grateful Dead biographer Dennis McNally in his program notes for the event. Mr. McNally went on to add that "as usual with the Grateful Dead, the album's origins were serendipitous and synchronistic, involving no plan or program. Instead, their swerve to include country songs in their work began quite accidentally when their lyricist Robert Hunter moved in with the Garcia family in January 1969... In March 1970, they went into the studio to record Workingman's Dead. Hugely in debt to their record company, they were forced to be simple and economize, thinking consciously of Buck Owens' Bakersfield sound. The simplicity served the music perfectly, and the result was a classic, although not the departure many thought it was. They'd enlarged their vision, not changed it."

The set list for The American Beauty Project is as follows:

Workingman's Dead - Saturday, January 20 at 8:00 p.m.:

Uncle John's Band - Ollabelle with Larry Campbell
High Time - The Holmes Brothers
Dire Wolf - Larry Campbell with Teresa Williams and Rob Barraco
New Speedway Boogie - Catherine Russell
Cumberland Blues - The Klezmatics
Black Peter - Jim Lauderdale with John Leventhal, Brandon Ross and friends
Easy Wind - Tim O'Reagan (the Jayhawks)
Casey Jones - Railroad Earth
Plus instrumental interludes by: Tony Trischka and Andy Statman

American Beauty - Sunday, January 21 at 8:00 p.m.:

Box Of Rain - Toshi Reagon
Friend Of The Devil - Mark Eitzel
Sugar Magnolia - Jim Lauderdale and friends
Operator - Jorma Kaukonen and friends
Candyman - Jay Farrar (Son Volt)
Ripple - Dar Williams and Dan Zanes
Brokedown Palace - Ollabelle with Larry Campbell
Till The Morning Comes - Espers
Attics Of My Life - Larry Campbell with Teresa Williams and Rob Barraco
Plus instrumental interludes by: Andy Statman, Tony Trischka, and Sex Mob

HOST:
John Schaefer is the host of WNYC's innovative music talk show "Soundcheck," which features live performances and interviews with a variety of guests. Since 1982, Schaefer has also hosted and produced the popular new music radio program "New Sounds," hailed as "The #1 radio show for the Global Village" by Billboard magazine. He has been heard regularly on the BBC, the ABC (Australia), Taipei Public Radio, and Radio New Zealand. Schaefer's writings include "New Sounds: A Listener's Guide to New Music" (Harper & Row, NY, 1987; Virgin Books, London, 1990); a biography of composer La Monte Young (in Sound and Light, Bucknell University Press, 1996); and "Songlines: The Voice in World Music" (Cambridge Companion to Singing, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2000). In May 2006, New York Magazine cited Schaefer as one of "the people whose ideas, power, and sheer will are changing New York" in its Influentials issue. First Dead show attended: He's pretty sure it was in 1977... or 1978... possibly at New York's Palladium... he just can't remember all the details.

All events are free! No tickets required. Seating is first come, first served. For information, call (212) 945-0505 or visit www.worldfinancialcenter.com.

The American Beauty Project MySpace page: www.myspace.com/americanbeautyproject.

If I'm not out of town I'll most likely try and check this out - should be fun.

Dispatch's Garden Party

Couple of days late on this, but a funny thing happened to late 90s/early 00s college favs Dispatch when they decided to reunite for a concert to benefit Zimbabwe. First they get asked to play the Word's Most Famous Arena, then they sell out the show in 30 minutes via a MySpace pre-sale, then add a second show that also sells out via pre-sale. They have now added a THIRD show that goes on-sale next Saturday (1/20) at 9 AM.

Pretty damn impressive for a band that hadn't played a full concert together since 2004 for their farewell show - which was estimated to have drawn over 100,000 people - and for a band that hadn't really toured much in the last few years of their career (from '02 - '04 played a total of ten shows).

Read about it all here and here.

Here's some music to check out....

Dispatch - 2004-07-31 - The Hatch Shell - Boston, MA

Dispatch - 2000-06-09 - Wetlands - New York, NY

Dispatch - 1998-09-26 - Hamilton College - Clinton, NY

I Love Tuesdays...Wednesday Edition

Been a slow few weeks in the world of new releases, but finally there was something worth buying this week - also picked up an album that was on a bunch of Best Of's from '06....

Neko Case - Live From Austin, Texas

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies

Bright Eyes Tour

HFTB fav Bright Eyes is hitting the road for a brief tour in support of his EP Four Winds out on March 6th and to most likely preview music off his upcoming full length Cassedega which hits stores on April 6th. Here's the dates so far....

02-25 Chicago, IL - Metro
02-27 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
02-28 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre
03-02 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-05 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03-07 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
03-08 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
03-09 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03-10 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03-11 Seattle, WA - Showbox

No on sale info yet, but definitely pysched to catch Connor in a small venue like the Bowery.

Music Video Mondays

It's rainy and gloomy today (oh and there's that gas smell too), but this song always manages to put me in a good mood - here's Ben Lee with "Catch My Disease".....

The Police To Reunite?

Ok I've avoided posting about this for a couple of days, but it looking more and more likely that The Police reunion is going to happen. Check out this article from Billboard....

Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the legendary trio's first since disbanding in 1986. Sources tell Billboard.com the reports are legitimate but would not publicly comment until final details are nearer to completion.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "Roxanne," the single that broke the Police in the United States. "Discussions have been underway as to how this will be commemorated," reads a post on Sting's Web site attributed to an A&M spokesperson. "While we can confirm that there will indeed be something special done to mark the occasion, the depth of the band's involvement still remains undetermined."

Sources say in addition to DVD releases, A&M is planning another multi-disc collection in the vein of 1993's "Message in a Box," which featured the band's complete studio recordings and a handful of rarities.

A Police reunion has been the concert industry's dream for two decades, as it is believed the band could play stadiums internationally should it choose to reunite. But besides an impromptu set at Sting's 1992 wedding to Trudie Styler, the Police's only other post-breakup performance was in celebration of its 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And while Sting has repeatedly expressed reluctance at reuniting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers have kept the flame alive. This summer, Summers told Billboard he was certain the group could have continued on past its 1983 commercial peak with "Synchronicity."

"The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years,'" he said. "I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour. We snuck out the back door, which is what we were told to do, until it just became too frustrating to lie about it."

"I'm very keen on it," Copeland told Billboard.com of a potential reunion, the day after the Rock Hall induction. "But I absolutely understand why it's not going to happen and I'm down with that. It was really great to be the Police for 15 minutes. If you can think of some other award we can go get or some other good reason, give me a call, and I'll try it out!"

In 2001, Copeland excitedly told Billboard about "one piece of unreleased Police product" which he hoped would eventually see the light of day.

"One of the times when they were working on the box set or something like that, they convened the three of us on the phone. Sting and Andy were in Italy; Andy was visiting Sting at the time, and I was on a DSL line in L.A.," he recalled. "And we went down all the song titles from all of our albums. Song title: 'Can't Stand Losing You.' And we each just talked about the track and argued and shouted and screamed. There was laughter and tears. It was very cathartic. It was almost like a therapy session. It was hysterical. It was so much fun."

"We were really going at it with all the language, straight for the jugular, refighting the battles, laughing hysterically while we put the stiletto exactly where we stuck it last time," he continued. "The engineer said it was like watching a concert. They were in Italy and it's like after dinner, and I'm here in L.A. at 10 in the morning. I'm getting more and more caffeinated as they're getting drunker and drunker."

"It seems like we're in contact all the time, but actually, years go by," Copeland said of his ongoing relationship with Summers and Sting. "It's sort of like whenever we see each other, it's like we saw each other five minutes ago. We don't have any sensation of time going by. We don't pick up the phone every week, but when we do, we pick up from where we left off."

So it looks like it's going to be a big year for fans of '80s rock bands between this and the Genesis tour - though I'd be way more inclined to drop my $80+ on The Police. Now if the Talking Heads would only get back together then I'd really be excited.

Driving Through New York On A Horse With No Name

Well the Ernie Arrest got a bit more interesting today as WNYT in Albany got an exclusive scoop that along with the prescription pain killers our favorite red-head also had herion on him too. Check out the story here and watch the video - thanks to the guys over at Hidden Track for the link.

With the nods to his arrest in recent setlists (busting out Almuni Blues twice and Makisupa) should we be excepting a cover of this VU classic? Too soon??

Here's his recent New Year's run....

Trey Anastasio - 2006-12-28 - Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA

Trey Anastasio - 2006-12-29 - Palace Theater - Albany, NY

Trey Anastasio - 2006-12-30 - House of Blues - Atlantic City, NJ

Trey Anastasio - 2006-12-31 - House of Blues - Atlantic City, NJ

Lucky Number 13

On Sale this Saturday at 9 AM - here.

More Bonnaroo Confirmations?

So we already know that the Cold War Kids will be in Manchester this year, but it looks like a couple more acts have leaked that they will be headed there too. First up John Butler Trio will be back - confirmed here. And Brooklyn Vegan is reporting that new blog darling Lilly Allen has hopes of being there too.

Got any others?

Update: Uncle Earl (an all-female bluegrass band) is headed there too.

Music Video Mondays

Ok so this is a bit cliche and this will be the only time this band will be featured here, but here's U2 with "New Year's Day"....



Happy New Year!