Friday, March 30, 2007

Live Leo

If you missed the Chairman of the Boards today on XPN or don't have tickets to next week's show at the Gramercy Theater (which I'm counting down the hours till) fear not Leo will be hitting the road in support of his debut with a 13 show run in late spring - check out the dates here. Pre-sale begins today at 5 PM - head here, while the official on-sale date is April 13th.


It's great that he's going to be back in town for another show in June at what then will be known at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza (I'll never get used to that). Here's hoping that he's added to Bonnaroo too.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

The Name Game

In what could be the dumbest name change since the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim concert promoter Live Nation will reportedly be re branding Irving Plaza as wait for it.......The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. They are also attaching the Fillmore tag to Philadelphia's TLA which will be now know as The Fillmore Philadelphia.

Both Philebrity and Idolator have the further scoop on this - head here and here.



Somewhere Bill Graham is rolling over in his grave.

UPDATE - Brooklyn Vegan has the official press release on this head HERE.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

'Roo Additions

A few new artists have just been added to this year's Bonnaroo line-up - if you're expecting big things you're going to be pretty disappointed. Here's who they added...

Ornette Coleman
David Bromberg and Angel Band
The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars
El-P
Flight of the Conchords
Yard Dogs Road Show

I Love Tuesdays

I know this came out last week, but picked it up yesterday....

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

Monday, March 26, 2007

Music Video Mondays

Got my fantasy baseball draft tonight (which I'm quite ill prepared for), but to get me in the mood here's Band of Horses with "Great Salt Lake".....

Friday, March 23, 2007

Hot Time Summer In The City

We are barely into spring, but Brooklyn Vegan is already providing a list of shows to look forward to this summer in New York City, check out this great list....

Central Park Summerstage / Rumsey Playfield, NYC

Wed 05/30 - Keane, Rocco Deluca
Fri 06/08 - Joss Stone, Ryan Shaw
Mon 07/09 - Bob Weir and Ratdog, Keller Williams
Sat 07/14 - Pacha & Vince Veloso
Mon 07/16 - The Decemberists, Grizzly Bear
Tue 07/17 - Measha Brueggergosman & New York Philharmonic
Fri 07/20 - Neko Case
Fri 08/17 - Paul Van Dyk
Sat 08/18 - Paul Van Dyk
Sun 09/16 - Hassan Hakmoun

Lincoln Center Festival, NYC
Tue 07/17 - Os Mutantes

Castle Clinton National Monument, NYC (Free Shows)
Thu 07/12 - Ron Sexsmith
Thu 07/19 - Drive-By Truckers
Thu 08/02 - The Flatlanders

River to River Festival, NYC (Free Shows)
Wed 06/13 - Booker T. Jones & The MG's
Wed 07/25 - Carolina Chocolate Drops
Wed 08/01 - Red Molly

World Financial Center, Winter Garden, NYC
Sat 06/02 - Bang on a Can Marathon w/ Ralph Ferris, Ethel, Dan Redner & others TBA

Pier 54, NYC
Thu 08/09 - Yerba Buena

Randall's Island
Sat 07/28 - Rage Against the Machine, Wu Tang Clan, Guerilla Union
Sun 08/26 - Lucky Dube

Madison Square Park, NYC (Free Shows)
Sat 08/11 - Diana Jones
Sat 08/11 - Pat Wictor
Sat 09/15 - Antje Duvekot
Sat 10/06 - Cephas & Wiggins

Keyspan Park, Brooklyn, NY
Sun 06/24 - The Send, Hawk Nelson,
Thu 08/09 - Daft Punk & The Rapture

Prospect Park Band Shell, Brooklyn, NY
Thu 06/14 - The Neville Brothers (opening night)
Fri 06/22 - Ralph Stanley
Tue 06/26 - Manu Chao
Tue 06/27 - Manu Chao
Mon 07/02 - Catherine Russell & Bobby "Blue" Bland
Thu 07/05 - Isaac Delgado
Wed 07/18 - Ani Difranco
Thu 07/19 - Morley

Really solid stuff so far, start getting excited for summer now.

Here's a couple of Summerstage shows for ya....

2006-06-13 - moe. - Rumsey Playfield - Central Park Summerstage - New York, NY

2003-06-06 - Robert Randolph & The Family Band - Rumsey Playfield - Central Park Summerstage - New York, NY

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Handle With Care

I sometimes get a bit weary of album reissues. At times it seem like record companies aren't doing much to upgrade your existing copy or just seem to be reissuing albums on a yearly basis - I'm looking at you Elvis Costello - it's always welcomed when its something that's been out of print, especially when it's in the capable hands of the people at Rhino. With that in mind on June 12th we will once again be able to find copies of super-group The Traveling Wilburys two albums in stores - check out the full article here.

Check out this promo video for their first album.....

Monday, March 19, 2007

Icky Tour

It's been awhile since we've heard anything from The White Stripes - their last studio album came out in June of '05. While Jack was off discovering what it was like to play in a full band with The Raconteurs (let's hope it wasn't just a one-off), it left us wondering if he was ever going to go back and make music with his "sister" Meg. Well in the last few weeks stories there have been a flurry of stories about the duo - first they were dropped by their label V2, announced they were playing Bonnaroo, signed to Warners with their new album Icky Thump now slated to be released at some point in June - and now today they've announced a summer tour in support of it. Lot to digest, but here are the initial dates....

July 29: San Diego (Street Scene)
Aug. 6: George, Wash. (the Gorge)
Aug. 7-8: Vancouver (Orpheum)
Aug. 10: Portland, Ore. (Keller Auditorium)
Aug. 12: Berkeley, Calif. (Greek Theatre)
Aug. 15-18: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)
Aug. 19: Phoenix (Dodge Theatre)
Aug. 22: Morrison, Colo. (Red Rocks)
Aug. 23: Kansas City, Mo. (Starlight Theatre)
Aug. 24: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
Aug. 26-27: Minneapolis (Orpheum Theatre)
Aug. 29-31: Chicago (Auditorium Theatre)
Sept. 8: Milwaukee (Eagles Ballroom)
Sept. 9: Indianapolis (Murat Theatre)
Sept. 10: Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Theatre)
Sept. 12: Cincinnati (Music Hall)
Sept. 13: Louisville (Palace Theatre)
Sept. 14: Cleveland (Playhouse Square)
Sept. 16: Toronto (Molson Amphitheatre)
Sept. 19: Providence, R.I. (Performing Arts Center)
Sept. 20-21: Boston (Opera House)
Sept. 24: New York (Keyspan Park)
Sept. 27: Columbia, Md. (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
Sept. 28: Atlantic City, N.J. (House of Blues)
Oct. 2: Detroit (Masonic Temple)

UPDATE - I guess everyone spoke to soon on this as the dates above are from their 2005 tour. Thanks to Pollstar for pointing this out - read here.

Music Video Mondays

It's the first day of spring tomorrow which always makes me want to listen to some pop music, so to get you in the mood for the return of warm weather to come here's Corinne Bailey Rae with "Put Your Records On"....

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Return of Salmon

Happy to report that Leftover Salmon will be making their trimuphent return to the stage this summer as they hit a couple of festivals - High Sierra and All Good. The group last performed together on New Year's Eve 2004, but the members have kept busy over the last few years with off-shoot bands.

I've seen the band a handful of times and you always left the show with a smile on your face - you really never knew what they were going to play as they often busted into audience requests. If you didn't have the pleasure of seeing them or you want to take a stroll down memory lane, here's a couple of shows to check out...

1994-06-28 - Leftover Salmon - Fox Theater - Boulder, CO

1996-08-09 - Leftover Salmon - Round Mountain Music Park - Round Mountain, NC

There is also a full length documentary out about the band called Years In Your Ears - check out the trailer....

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Highline Ballroom

Head on over to Hidden Track where Ace has the scoop on the Highline Ballroom - the new 800 person-capacity venue that is set to open on Manhattan's west side (16th between 9th & 10th). Not bad for me I'm just on the other side of town from there!



moe., The Disco Biscuits, Mos Def are just a sampling of some of the acts that are booked to play there already. Here's hoping I don't have to go to, to many more shows at the Hammerstein or Roseland.

Langerado Torrents

As I've done with Bonnaroo and Vegoose, figured I'd provide a list of where to find torrents from this past weekend's Langerado Music Festival....

2007-03-08 - New Monsoon - Langerado Late Night - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL


2007-03-08 - Tea Leaf Green - Langerado Late Night - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL


2007-03-09 - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-09 - Galactic - Sunset Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-09 - The Heavy Pets - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL


2007-03-09 - The Hold Steady - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-09 - Lotus - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL (24 Bit)

2007-03-09 - Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-09 - Sound Tribe Sector Nine - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-09 - Tea Leaf Green - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL


2007-03-09 - Trey Anastasio - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL


2007-03-10 - Appollo Sunshine - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - Greyboy All Stars - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - JJ Grey & Mofro - Sunset Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - Jake Shimabukuro - Sunset Stage - Sunrise FL (24 Bit)

2007-03-10 - Medeski, Martin & Wood - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - Micheal Franti & Sprearhead - Sunset Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - My Morning Jacket - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - North Mississippi All Stars - Langerado Late Night - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL

2007-03-10 - Perpetual Groove - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - Soulive - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-10 - Toubab Krewe - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL (24 Bit)


2007-03-11 - Explosions In The Sky - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL (24 Bit)

2007-03-11 - Matisyahu - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-11 - The Lee Boys - Swamp Tent - Sunrise, FL (24 Bit)

2007-03-11 - Los Lobos - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-11 - Pepper - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-11 - Taj Mahal - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-11 - Toots & The Maytals - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

2007-03-11 - Widespread Panic - Everglades Stage - Sunrise, FL

Kings of Leon Tourdates

If you know me then you probably know about how much I love the Kings of Leon. I've seen then guys go from Bowery to Irving to Roseland - pretty satisfying to see a band progress like that. Well they have a new album on the way called "Because of the Times" - which hits streets on April 3rd - and will be hitting the road in support.

Here are the dates....

April 28 - Coachella Festival - Indio, CA
May 2 - Moore Theater - Seattle, WA
May 3 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
May 5 - Ogden Theater - Denver, CO
May 6 - Voodoo Lounge - Kansas City, MO
May 7 - Cains - Tulsa, OK
May 9 - Stubbs - Austin, TX
May 11 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
May 12 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
May 13 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX
May 15 - Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
May 17 - Rave - Milwaukee, WI
May 18 - First Ave. - Minneapolis, MN
May 19 - Riviera - Chicago, IL
May 21 - Headliners - Louisville, KY
May 22 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
May 24 - Bogart's - Cincinnati, OH
May 25 - Pageant - St. Louis, MO
June 1 - Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
June 2 - Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
June 5 - Roseland Ballroom - New York, NY
June 6 - Avalon - Boston, MA
June 7 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
June 12 - Kool Haus - Toronto, ON
June 15 - Bonnaroo Music Festival - Manchester, TN

Pretty excited I'll get to see them twice in on within a ten day span - first in New York and then down at Bonnaroo (I'll keep my fingers crossed for a possible late-night set from them).

I've already heard the new album and it's damn good and a bit different their first two. Here's the video for the first single - On Call....

I Love Tuesdays

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

Neil Young - Live At Massey Hall

Monday, March 12, 2007

Smell The Glove

Check out this great commercial for ESPN's Fantasy Baseball....



For more check out Iron Diamond's MySpace page. Thought it was just kids that played D&D that loved Geddy Lee - guess it's fantasy baseball fans too.

Bonnaroo Schedule Info

While the official schedule and set times for Bonnaroo are a few months away Pollstar already has the scoop on what day some acts will be playing already. Check it out here.

Like Radiohead last year The Police will perform in the Saturday night slot. If I had to guess Widespread will probably close things out, while Tool will get the Friday night slot.

Ray LaMontagne & Damien Rice Cover The Bee Gees

Saw this over on I Am Fuel, You Are Friends and just had to post here since it's the two artists I've probably recommended the most to people over the last few years. Check out this quite stellar cover of Ray LaMontagne & Damien Rice covering The Bee Gees "To Love Somebody"....



Thanks Heather for posting it first!

Music Video Mondays

Feeling like a little indie-rock from the late '90s so here's Cornershop with "Brimful of Asha"....



These guys haven't put out a proper album since 2002, but according to their website a new full length is on the way.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Ratdog Beacon Theater - 3/8

Here's some pics I took at the Ratdog show on Thursday night. I was up in the balcony, so this was the best I could do.....




Here's the setlist....

I: Jam > The Music Never Stopped > Mama Tried > Baby Blue > Money for Gasoline > They Love Each Other > Loose Lucy > Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance > GDTRFB*
II: Stack O'Lee@, Mexicali Blues@ > Looks Like Rain@ > Jus' Like Mama Said > Estimated Prophet > The Other One+ > Stuff*+#% > Black Muddy River > Sugar Magnolia
E: Uncle John's Band
*-with Dred Scott (Keys); +-with Chuck MacKinnon (Trumpet); #-with DJ Logic (Turntables); %-with Tom Pope (Drums)
Only "Stack O'Lee"

Concert Archive

Decided I'd dig through all the old ticket stubs and compile a definitive list of all the concerts I've been to. While I don't have stubs for everything I did my best in trying to remember a good amount of what I'm missing - and thanks to the magic of the internet I found of bunch of dates for things. You can check it out here - Hits From The Blog Concert Archive (it's also linked on the right side too).

Yes that is the stub collection in case you were wondering.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Concert Time

Off to see Ratdog tonight open their three-night stand at the Beacon. I always look forward to when them come to town, something about hearing Dead songs live that just makes me happy. While I may bash Bobby from time to time for doing too many Jerry songs and question who he's trying to appeal to with them - I do have a soft spot in my heart for him and his short, shorts.

Looking forward to a fun night, despite having to miss GW's opening round game in the A-10 tournament versus St. Joe's - maybe I'll get to catch the end of it, game doesn't start until 9 PM.

Tomorrow heading to Webster Hall for the double-bill of Ben Kweller & Gomez. I have never seen Gomez before, but my friend swears by them. I have been listening to their live album - Out West - just to get a sense of what I'm in for and definitely excited. Caught Ben back in the fall at the same venue and it was a great show - playing a great mix of songs off of all three of his albums. If I'm daring enough I may even try to make it down to the Knit for Benevento, Dillon and Mathis - but can't make any promises about that.

What are you guys seeing this weekend?

Here's some really recent live stuff from all three bands....

Ratdog - 2007-03-06 - Paramount Center For The Arts - Peekskill, NY

Ben Kweller - 2007-03-05 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON

Gomez - 2007-02-26 - Gypsy Tea Room - Dallas, TX

Four Rifles, Nine Handguns, But No Harmonicas

Looks like the jamband world is finally catching with with everyone else in the music biz when it comes to getting in trouble with the law. We can now add John Popper to the list of mugshots, with this slightly disturbing run-in with the law....


From Yahoo News...

John Popper Arrested in Washington

Blues Traveler singer and harmonica player John Popper was arrested after the vehicle he was riding in was clocked going 111 mph, the Washington State Patrol said Wednesday.

Popper, 39, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 90 near the Spokane/Lincoln county line, the Washington State Patrol said.

Inside the black Mercedes SUV, officers found a cache of weapons and a small amount of marijuana, the Patrol said. A police dog searched the vehicle, finding numerous hidden compartments containing four rifles, nine handguns and a switchblade knife. Authorities also found a Taser and night vision goggles. The vehicle was seized.

Popper, who lives in Snohomish, Wash., is the owner of the vehicle, which was being driven by Brian Gourgeois, 34, of Austin, Texas, said state patrol Trooper Jeff Sevigney. The vehicle also had flashing emergency headlights, a siren and a public address system, the Patrol said.

"Popper indicated to troopers that he had installed these items in his vehicle because (in the event of a natural disaster) he didn't want to be left behind," the Patrol said in a news release. He also told officers he collected weapons, the Patrol said.

The two men were booked administratively into the Adams County jail and released on their own recognizance. Authorities plan to charge them with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Gourgeois will also face a charge of reckless driving, the Patrol said.

Popper did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment Wednesday night.

Popper achieved fame as a harmonica player and frontman for Blues Traveler. The band won a Grammy award in 1996 for the song "Run-around," which Popper composed.

Popper recently formed a group called The John Popper Project with DJ Logic, which released an album in 2006 and is scheduled to go on the road later this month.

Sounds like Popper was ready to enter the Thunderdome with all that stuff - shockingly there was nothing in the report about how many harmonicas were found.

Give a listen to his new project....

John Popper Project - 2006-10-17 - Canal Room - New York, NY

And here's a classic Blues Traveler show...

Blues Traveler - 1994-09-19 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Turn It On Again North American Tour

Genesis has officially announced the first leg of their North American tour. Here's the cities they'll be hitting so far....

Sept. 7: Toronto (BMO Field)
Sept. 11: Boston (TD Banknorth Garden)
Sept. 14: Montreal (Olympic Stadium)
Sept. 16: Hartford, Conn. (Civic Center)
Sept. 18: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Sept. 22: Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
Sept. 23: Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
Sept. 27: East Rutherford, N.J. (Giants Stadium)
Sept. 29: Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)
Sept. 30: Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace of Auburn Hills)
Oct. 2: Chicago (United Center)
Oct. 9: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Oct. 12: Los Angeles (Hollywood Bowl)

This is the band's first tour since 1992 and according to a Billboard article the band stated that - " ' there will be one or two songs that go back a bit farther' "into the band's back catalog than on previous tours, and that the familiar Genesis medleys will be part of the set list." Read the whole article here.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Bright Eyes Are The New Allman Brothers

In an attempt to rival the Allman Brothers for lengthy shows runs in one venue - Bright Eyes will close out their spring tour in New York with a seven night run at what in recent years has been his default venue to play - Town Hall. Here's the full tour schedule....

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
03-16 London, England - Koko
03-18 Oxford, England - Brookes University Student Union
03-22 Oslo, Norway - Cosmopolite
03-24 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
03-26 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
03-27 Cologne, Germany - Gloria
03-30 Paris, France - Cafe de la Danse
03-31 Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Melkweg
04-22 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
04-23 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
04-24 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
04-25 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
04-26 Omaha, NE - Holland Performing Arts Center
04-28 Denver, CO - Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
04-29 Salt Lake City, UT - Kingsbury Hall
05-01 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
05-02 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
05-04 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
05-05 Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theatre
05-06 Los Angeles, CA - Walt Disney Concert Hall
05-08 San Diego, CA - SOMA
05-09 Tempe, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre
05-11 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
05-12 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
05-13 Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
05-14 New Orleans, LA - Republic
05-16 Tampa, FL - Tampa Theatre
05-17 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
05-18 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
05-19 Nashville, TN - Ryman Audiotorium
05-20 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
05-21 Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
05-22 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
05-24 Boston, MA - Wang Center for the Performing Arts
05-25 New York, NY - Town Hall
05-26 New York, NY - Town Hall
05-28 New York, NY - Town Hall
05-29 New York, NY - Town Hall
05-30 New York, NY - Town Hall
05-31 New York, NY - Town Hall
06-01 New York, NY - Town Hall

Connor's lined up some great openers for these shows too - Oakley Hall, Vetiver, Jim James and Gillian Welch.

Green Apple Music Festival

The line-up for the 2nd annual - and now multi-city - Green Apple Music Festival has been announced. Here's some info on it from Jambands.com....

Bob Weir and RatDog, Taylor Hicks, the Decembrists, Umphrey’s McGee, the Disco Biscuits, Greyboy Allstars, Kaiser Chiefs, Stephen Marley and world-famous children’s performer Laurie Berkner are among the artists scheduled to headline the second annual Green Apple Music and Arts Festival. As previously reported, the world’s largest Earth Day celebration will expand to three cities this spring, simultaneously taking place in New York, San Francisco and Chicago from April 20-22. Produced by Relix Magazine and Peter Shapiro and presented by JP Morgan Chase, Green Apple is a direct descendent of New York’s famed Wetlands Preserve, which meshed music with activism. In total, Green Apple will present over 150 performances in 60 music venues.

New York’s festivities will kick off the night of April 19 with performances by the New Riders of the Purple Sage at the Canal Room and the Benevento/Russo Duo at downtown avant-garde womb Tonic. Weekend highlights include a free Earth Day concert by Laurie Berkner on the Great Hill in Central Park, a performance by American Idol winner Taylor Hicks at the Beacon Theater, appearances by folk legends Tom Paxton and Richard Shindell at The Society for Ethical Culture, an intimate show by New Orleans veterans The Radiators at the Lion’s Den, and a spot by seminal blue-rock group John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers at BB Kings Blues Club. In addition, Jerry Joseph will support Particle at the Bowery Ballroom on April 20, while Jon Fishman and Touchpants will support RAQ at the same venue on April 21. Phish cover band Phix brings its farewell tour to BB Kings Blues Club on April 21, a day before seminal jazz-electronic collective Fat Mama reunites for the first time since 2001 to close out the festival at the Knitting Factory. Fittingly, Fat Mama’s last performance took place at Wetlands and featured an early collaboration between Fat Mama drummer Joe Russo and his high-school friend Marco Benevento (who played keyboards on that night). Other New York performances include Junior Brown, Edwin McCain, Assembly of Dust, Mahavishnu Project, Over the Rhine, State Radio, Zero, Jake Shimabukuro, Avishai Cohen, Hiromi, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Cosmic Jibaros, The Bomb Squad, Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle, The Bridge, Jonny Lives, and Brady Rymer, among others.

Chicago’s lineup will be similarly eclectic. Indie sensations Decemberists will kick off the weekend’s festivities at The Riviera on April 19. Umphrey’s McGee and the Disco Biscuits will co-headline a free show Earth Day show at Lincoln Park Zoo, while the Kaiser Chiefs and The Walkmen perform at The Vic and renowned Dub producer Mad Professor appears at The Double Door. Bluegrass legend Del McCoury will bring his acoustic styling to the School of Folk Music, while Andrew Bird will headline the Riviera. Other standout shows includes spots by Paul Green’s School of Rock, Brothers Past, JJ Grey and Mofro, Hoyle Brothers, New Monsoon, Juice and the Machine, The Lost Trailers and Mono.

San Francisco hero Bob Weir will headline a free performance on Earth Day at Golden Gate Park’s Speedway Meadow featuring his band RatDog, The Greyboy Allstars and Martin Sexton. The Fillmore will host Stephen Marley and his brother Junior Gong, San Francisco hometown heroes Tea Leaf Green and leaders of the “newgrass” movement Yonder Mountain String Band. Brit-funk band the New Mastersounds will appear at 12 Galaxies, while indie rockers Electric Six are slated for the Independent, the synth-pop collective Trans Am is scheduled at Bottom of The Hill and acoustic folk-rock act Girlyman is confirmed for the Swedish American Hall. Additional participating venues include Bimbo’s 365 Club, Bottom of the Hill, Café Du Nord, Club Six, DeYoung Museum, Great American Music Hall, Make Out Room, Mezzanine, and Three Parkside.

“The core idea of the Green Apple Festival is to raise awareness of Earth Day,” said Peter Shapiro, Founder and Executive Producer of the Festival. “By combining a diverse group of musicians and uniting these venues under one cause, we are able to coordinate an unprecedented event. We hope the national footprint of these gatherings will help inform as many people as possible on these important issues. And, we hope to expand to additional cities in future years, as I think everyone would agree that given current events, Earth Day should be recognized in a big way every year.”

Check out Ace Cowboy's blog of last year's festivities here.

Nothing so great for NYC this year, but looks like fun times for Chicago and San Fran.

I Love Tuesdays

Here are the purchases for the week....

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Assembly of Dust - Recollection

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours To Keep

Bright Eyes - Four Winds

Peter, Bjorn and John - Writer's Block

Monday, March 05, 2007

Music Video Mondays

Caught a stellar Bright Eyes show on Saturday night at Bowery - with M. Ward sitting in for a good portion of it. Most of the night was comprised of new material with some tunes off of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Lifted... thrown in and a great duet on Matt's song O'Brien - an audience request. The new EP hits stores tomorrow (though I did grab one at the show), so here's Bright Eyes with "Four Winds".....

Sunday, March 04, 2007

From The Inbox

Here's what's been filling up the inbox of late....

Jarret Nicolay (of Virginia Coalition)

Album Info:
My New Mixtape's "Winter '07" is a collection of stories. Universal
stories. There are no singles. No solos. Just lush melodies over
acoustic guitar and synth grooves that culminate in a one on one
experience between the listener and their headphones. The mixtape has
been called "the most widely practiced American art form," and My New
Mixtape has made an artistic statement of dreamy experimental pop,
greater than the sum of the individual songs. Curious? Pull out your
headphones, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in the music of My
New Mixtape.

Drunk Me (MP3)

Pull Of The Moon (MP3)


Winterpills

Album Info:
Following the massive success of its home-recorded 2005 debut, Winterpills decided to settle into a studio to record the follow up. The resulting release, The Light Divides, improves upon the shimmering, nostalgic mood of the debut, taking the band's subtle and delicate pop to new sonic territory. As its name implies, Winterpills creates blustery, hibernal tunes that are best enjoyed in the cold: they will alternatively give you the chills and warm the soul. Winterpillscreate musical deja vu -- you already know these tunes, but are simultaneously aware that you have never heard them before. Eerie familiarities lead to new discoveries with every successive listen. Ethereal strains creep in and out of stereo sound. The Light Divides is sure to haunt your thoughts, and your media player.

Broken Arm (MP3)

Handkerchiefs (MP3)


Romeo & Juliet 10th Anniversary Soundtrack

Album Info:
It's also the tenth anniversary of Boz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet. To commemorate this occasion the soundtrack has been re-released with all the original songs - which features Radiohead, Butthole Surfers, Everclear and Garbage - and some new extras.

You can stream the full album via QuickTime here and Windows Media here.


I Want My m(oe.)TV

To celebrate to the release of their latest studio effort The Conch (which has been getting a lot of great press) moe. is inviting their fans to flex their inner Speilberg to create a music video for any song off the album - without using any footage of the band.

For the official rules head here.

The band will select two winners based on the video that the band likes the best and the one that gets the most views. Each winner will recieve and 80 gig Ipod and 2 tickets to either moe.down or Summer Camp. Good luck!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Sky Blue Sky Listening Party

Starting tonight at 10 PM (Central) tonight head on over to Wilco's website to hear their new album Sky Blue Sky in it's entirety - enjoy!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Sky Blue Sky Track Leaks

Head on over to Idolater to hear a couple of track off the new Wilco album Sky Blue Sky - which hits stores on May 15th. Not sure how much longer they'll be up there for so you might want to head there ASAP - give the two tracks a listen here.

Both tracks definitely have a bit more of an organic feel then the last couple of albums - seems like they've stripped away most of the Jim O'Rourke influence and dare I say they sort sound like a modern day version of The Band - well I guess I just did say that.

50 Greatest New York Musicians

If you frequent this ol' blog you know that I'm a big fan of music lists. So yesterday when I opened my mailbox and saw the new issue of Time Out New York with a cover story about the 50 Greatest New York Musicians I was pretty excited to dig in to see their choices.

All in all a great list covering everything from rock and pop to jazz and Broadway - check it out for yourself and see if you agree. I probably would have included The Strokes and MMW on this, thoughts? They've also included a YouTube tour of New York music and the 50 Greatest New York Song (from their artist choices).

Dylan Hears A Who

Saw this over on HT and thought I'd post it here too since it's pretty damn funny.....

Give it a listen here.

In other Zimmy news there is a newly remasterd version of D.A. Pennebaker's seminal doc Don't Look Back that contains a bonus disc with new commentary and a bunch of unused footage that includes five never before seen full performances from that tour.