Bob Mould celebrates 25th anniversary with 'Workbook 25' reissue

Bob Mould's brilliant debut solo album Workbook was reissued by Omnivore Recordings this week for its 25th anniversary. The Workbook 25 reissue includes the original material, the b-side "All Those People Know," plus an extra disc of mostly live material recorded in 1989 at Cabaret Metro in Chicago. The vinyl version of the release has been expanded to a 2 LP set (includes the extra b-side "All Those People Know" but the bonus live material is not pressed to vinyl). Jim Wilson, a sound engineer (previously played bass in Mould's live band in 1998) was enlisted to master the release and Mould is thrilled with the results. He told the Quietus:

"He really brought Workbook back to life. It is much better sonically, and it’s a little deeper and wider sounding. The test pressing sounded great."

Order Workbook 25 from Omnivore or Amazon.

Mould's woefully short anniversary tour kicked off last night in San Francisco.  He's performing Workbook in full along with other classics from his catalog.  Bonus: his live band includes a cellist -- check out a picture from last night's performance here and here.

For those of us who don't have a date on the tour itinerary, well, at least there's a Letterman performance to look forward to. Bob Mould is playing Letterman on Thursday, March 6th.

03/01 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town
03/02 – Chicago, IL @ City Winery
03/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Women’s Club
03/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/07 – New York, NY @ City Winery
03/08 – New York, NY @ City Winery
03/12 - SXSW @ The Parish
03/14 - SXSW @ Blackheart Bar
05/23 - Sasquatch! Music Festival

Published on February 28th, 2014 @ 5:51 AM

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Echo & the Bunnymen 'Meteorites' funding goal met in 24 hours

Echo & the Bunnymen launched a funding campaign through Pledge Music for their new album Meteorites on Wednesday -- about 24 hours later, the campaign was fully (over 100%) funded! It's pretty rare to see a campaign funded so quickly; certainly fans are excited about the new album which, according to the band's comments earlier in the week, revives a "passion for the Velvet Underground" and will rank alongside some of Echo's classic albums like Crocodiles and Ocean Rain. It also didn't hurt that Echo offered concert tickets for their spring U.K. tour as pledge incentives, plus several options added an autographed CD to along with tickets.

Fans can still take advantage of pledge incentives and pre-order through April 27th. Meteorites will be released on April 28th. 

Ian McCulloch called Meteorites "untouchable, celestial, beautiful, and real" and said the album changed his life.

Catch up with Echo & the Bunnymen here.

Published on February 28th, 2014 @ 5:51 AM

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Dead Leaf Echo return with shimmery EP 'True.Deep.Sleeper'

Brooklyn shoegazers Dead Leaf Echo are back with a new EP titled True.Deep.Sleeper. The four song ep is another brilliant serving of shimmery, elegant, and majestic dreampop/shoegaze. Check out the title track below, stream all four songs here, and order True.Deep.Sleeper on standard black or colored ink vinyl here.  A digital version is also available from iTunes and Amazon.



Those not already familiar with Dead Leaf Echo should check out the debut album Thought & Language which was produced by John Fryer (bonus: album artwork was created by noted 4AD artist Vaughan Oliver.)   The standout track from Thought & Language is "Kingmaker" -- watch the music video for "Kingmaker" below:



Dead Leaf Echo have toured in the past with greats like Psychedelic Furs, Chapterhouse, the Ocean Blue, and A Place To Bury Strangers. This time around they head out on their own for a tour of North America, which includes two stops in the Detroit area. The full tour itinerary is posted below:

2.28 -- Detroit MI @ New Way Bar
3.01 -- Toronto CA @ Smiling Buddha
3.02 -- Hamilton CA @ Casbah
3.03 -- Ann Arbor MI @ The Blind Pig
3.04 -- Ft. Wayne IN @ The Brass Rail
3.05 -- Cincinnati OH @ MOTR
3.06 -- Milwaukee WI @ Riverwest Public House Cooperative
3.07 -- Minneapolis MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
3.08 -- Chicago IL @ The Empty Bottle
3.09 -- St. Louis MO @ The Firebird
3.10 -- Lawrence KS @ Eighth St. Taproom
3.11 -- Ft. Worth TX @ Lola's Saloon
3.12 -- Dallas TX @ The Crown and Harp
3.13 -- Houston TX @ Fitzgerald's
3.13 -- SXSW
3.14 -- SXSW
3.15 -- SXSW
3.16 -- Mobile AL @ The Blind Mule Restaurant & Bar
3.17 -- Atlanta GA @ TBD
3.18 -- Asheville NC @ The Mothlight
4.19 -- New York NY @ PIANOS Opening for David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets)

For more on Dead Leaf Echo, visit them on their official website or Facebook page.

Published on February 27th, 2014 2 6:28 PM

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New Johnny Marr LP coming this fall

Good news for Smiths' fans -- not only will Morrissey release a new solo album this year, but now Johnny Marr confirms he's releasing his new album, the follow up to 2013's The Messenger, this fall. Marr was at the NME Awards last night and gave the mag the scoop:

"I've got a new record coming out in the end of September, the follow-up to last year's," he said. "I wanted to do the second one really quick. For me, it was just about being on tour and wanting to capture the spirit of the band and the audience before it wears off. I'd been touring for 11 months so I wanted to keep that same energy. I didn't want to overthink it."

Check out NME's report here.

FYI: Marr did another interview with Absolute Radio yesterday and told them the album is coming out in October, so expect a late September/early October release date if things stay on schedule.  Marr also told Absolute Radio he's busy working on the Spiderman soundtrack (he's a big Spiderman fan!) and "something else" he's forgotten. He also sang the praises of Blondie, who were honored with the Godlike Genius Award last night.  Watch the interview with Marr below.



Marr was at the NME Awards to present Arctic Monkeys with the award for Best British Band.  How awkward would it have been for him to give out the award for Best Book -- Morrissey's Autobiography was the winner, though he wasn't at the ceremony.  Other winners at the NME Awards: The Stone Roses film Made of Stone won Best Music Film, Damon Albarn was named Best Innovator, the Clash collection Sound System was named Best Reissue, and Blondie was presented the Godlike Genuis Award.

Published on February 27th, 2014 @ 10:46 AM

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Dean Wareham preps debut solo LP & announces tour

The ultra cool and talented Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna) is releasing his debut solo album on March 11th. Wareham's album was produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket), who also plays on the album along with backing band Britta Phillips and Anthony LaMarca. Dean Wareham will be released on limited edition translucent yellow vinyl* (with yellow cover art), CD (purple cover art), and as a digital album download. Fans who pre-order from Wareham's store will receive a free 4 track live EP as a bonus.

Don't miss Dean Wareham on tour this spring -- the North American tour includes a Detroit area stop at the Magic Bag on April 10th. Check out the rest of the dates below along with two songs from the new album.





4/01 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
4/03 -- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
4/04 -- Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
4/05 -- New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
4/06 -- Philadelphia, Pa @ The Boot & Saddle
4/09 -- Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
4/10 -- Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
4/11 -- Chicago, IL @ Old Town School
4/12 -- St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club

*Wareham announced yesterday that the vinyl edition will be delayed a few weeks due to technical issues, but download codes will be emailed out on release day.

Published on February 27th, 2014 @ 10:06 AM

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Echo & the Bunnymen prep 'Meteorites'

Echo & The Bunnymen return with a new studio album, Meteorites, this spring. The band revealed in a posting that they've partnered with Pledge Music to release the album, and say Meteorites will rank alongside some of their best records:

"Believe us when we say the eleventh album proper will rank alongside the likes of ‘Crocodiles,’ ‘Heaven Up Here,’ and ‘Ocean Rain’ and is in some sense a come back album in the mould of ‘Evergreen.’ It’s been five years since the last record and the interim has seen us involved in numerous side-projects that have leant a new perspective on working together for METEORITES. With Killing Joke: Official's Youth called in for production duties, the record revives a passion for the Velvet Underground, the bluest depths of 60s and 70s soul and soaring rock scripture where ‘Killing Moon’ came from."

Meteorites will be released on April 28th.  For more on the album, visit the Pledge Music campaign here.

Echo & The Bunnymen kick off a tour of the U.K. in May. Dates for North America are expected to be announced soon. Catch up with Echo & the Bunnymen on Facebook.

Posted on February 26th, 2014 @ 5:50 AM

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Oasis celebrates 20th anniversary with 'Chasing The Sun - Oasis In The '90s' series

Oasis is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a reissue series Chasing The Sun - Oasis In The '90s. The first reissue in the series will be the band's 1994 album Definitely Maybe, which will be released as a standard cd, 3 disc special edition with rare recordings and demos, 12" vinyl version, and CD/LP deluxe box set on May 19th.

A limited edition cassette replica of the band's 1993 demo tape (pictured above) is available to purchase on the official Oasis website, which re-launched today and has been updated with tons of multi-media anniversary features.

Oasis' first single, "Supersonic" will be re-issued as a 12" single for Record Store Day (April 19th).

Oasis will reissue What's The Story Morning Glory and Be Here Now as part of Chasing The Sun - Oasis In The '90s later this year. More details on that are expected soon.

Watch the band's short video announcement about the reissue series below and check out the new Oasis website here.



Published on February 26th, 2014 @ 5:36 AM

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Joy Division reissuing 'An Ideal For Living' for Record Store Day

Joy Division are reportedly reissuing An Ideal For Living EP on 12" vinyl for Record Store Day. The info hasn't been confirmed on the official Record Store Day website yet.  The original version of the ep was released in 1978 and includes (A side) "Warsaw" & "No Love Lost," (B side) "Leaders Of Men" & "Failures." More info on official Record Store Day releases should be available soon.  This year Record Store Day is Saturday, April 19th.  Via  Joy Division Central.



Published on February 25th, 2014 @ 5:51 PM

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Documentary on legendary recording studio Smart Studios

A documentary on Smart Studios, the legendary recording studio in Madison, Wisconsin owned by Butch Vig and Steve Marker is in the works. Many influential bands including Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Archers Of Loaf, Tad, and Killdozer recorded at Smart Studios over the years. After the studio shut down in 2010, cinematographer Wendy Schneider started working on a film to memorialize the studio's history and tell the story of the independent music scene. So far, a ton of artists including Billy Corgan, Shirley Manson, Dave Grohl, Chris Walla, and of course Vig and Marker, have participated in interviews for the film.




Schneider has captured over 70 hours of interview footage, however she needs help with funding to complete the project. A Kickstarter campaign launched this week to raise money to finish the film, which Schneider hopes to premiere at film festivals that embrace the spirit of the documentary and the underground.  Read more about the Smart Studios Story and back the campaign, which runs through March 30th, here. The trailer for the Smart Studios Story is posted below:



Published on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:43 PM

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Stream Jonny Greenwood's collaborative LP 'St. Carolyn By The Sea'

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has spent much of the last 10 years composing film scores and soundtracks. For his latest endeavor he's teamed up with the National's Bryce Dessner to release the modern classical album St. Carolyn By The Sea. The first three pieces of music were composed by Dessner, and the rest of the album is a series of Greenwood compositions originally released on the 2007 soundtrack There Will Be Blood. The symphonic album was performed with the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra and was conducted by Andree de Ridder.

St. Carolyn By The Sea is out on March 3rd and is streaming ahead of its release this week over at Pitchfork.

Meanwhile Greenwood performing some new material in London on Sunday night. Read more about the performance here and enjoy some video below:



Published on February 25th, 2014 @ 11:55 AM

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Trust stream synthy new LP 'Joyland' in full

Trust -- the synth project from mastermind Robert Alfons -- is releasing the follow up to 2012's excellent album TRST.  Joyland is full of electro-synthastic sounds, some of which have an interesting story behind them -- Alfons revealed that "Are We Arc" was written on the side of volcano while in Argentina, inspired by patience and lava. Take a listen to Joyland in full ahead of its March 4th release over at Pitchfork. Pre-order Joyland from iTunes and Amazon.

Enjoy the video for the standout track on the album, "Rescue, Mister" below:



Trust hit the road for a North American tour this spring and so far does not include a Detroit area stop. Dates are posted below.

3/07 -- Montreal, QC @ SAT
3/08 -- Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
4/10 -- New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
4/11 -- Boston, MA @ Great Scott
4/12 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Voyeur
4/13 -- Washington DC @ Black Cat Backstage
4/15 -- Durham, NC @ Pinhook
4/16 -- Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
4/18 -- Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
4/19 -- Austin, TX @ Red 7
4/22 -- Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
4/23 -- San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
4/24 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos
4/25 -- San Francisco, CA @ Popscene
4/27 -- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
4/28 -- Seattle, WA @ Barboza
4/29 -- Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
5/02 -- Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
5/03 -- Madison, IL @ The Frequency
5/04 -- Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

Published on February 25th, 2014 @ 10:30 AM

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Morrissey reissues 1992 LP 'Your Arsenal' + Morrissey: 25 Live screening info

The newly remastered version of Morrissey's 1992 album Your Arsenal is out today in North America on cd, vinyl, and as a digital music download. The cd version of comes with a bonus DVD filmed at Morrissey's October 31st, 1991 show at the Shoreline Ampitheater in Mountain View, California. NME posted exclusive video of "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" taken from the DVD which you can watch here.

Meanwhile, two screenings of Morrissey: 25 Live will take place in the Detroit area on February 26th at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield.  Purchase tickets for the 2pm screening and the 7:30 screening.

Morrissey launches his North American tour in May. Several shows on the tour -- Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, San Jose, Wilmington, Austin, Dallas, St. Petersburg, Baltimore, and Hershey -- have already sold out.

5/07 -- San Jose CA City @ National Civic Auditorium
5/10 -- Los Angeles CA @ Los Angeles Sports Arena
5/13 -- El Paso TX @ Plaza Theater
5/14 -- Albuquerque NM @ Sunshine Theater
5/16 -- Salt Lake City UT @ Kingsbury Hall
5/17 -- Denver CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
5/19 -- Lincoln NE @ Rococo Theatre
5/20 -- Lawrence KS @ Liberty Hall
5/22 -- Dallas TX @ Majestic Theatre
5/24 -- Austin TX @ Austin Music Hall
5/25 -- Beaumont TX @ Julie Rogers Theatre
5/27 -- Memphis TN @ Orpheum Theatre
5/28 -- Nashville TN @ Ryman Auditorium
5/30 -- St Petersburg FL @ Mahaffey Theater
5/31 -- Miami FL @ Knight Concert Hall
6/04 -- Atlanta GA @ Cobb Energy Center
6/06 -- Atlantic City NJ @ Revel Ovation Hall
6/07 -- Boston MA @ Boston Opera House
6/10 -- Baltimore MD @ Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
6/13 -- Chicago IL @ Civic Opera House
6/14 -- Flint MI @ James Whiting Auditorium
6/16 -- Lewiston NY @ Artpark Main Stage Theater
6/17 -- Wilmington DE @ Grand Opera House
6/19 -- Hershey PA @ Hershey Theatre
6/21 -- New York NY @ Barclays Center Arena

Published on February 25, 2014 @ 9:24 AM

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James premiere new single; announce new LP 'La Petite Mort'

James return with its 13th studio album La Petite Mort in June.  The album is the band's first record in seven years and was created in Athens, Lisbon, the Scottish Highlands, and tropical paradise of Ancoats.  James revealed that putting the album together was a long and tough journey, but it pushed them to "new heights in craftsmanship and intensity."

La Petite Mort will be released June 2nd in Europe and will be preceded by the song "Frozen Britain," which is available as a free download to those who pre-order the album.  Another song, "Moving On" will be released in April and will be available at that time as a free download to those who pre-order.

Stream "Frozen Britain" below:



For more on James, visit the official site.

Posted on February 24th, 2014 @ 8:28 AM

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The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart preview "Art Smock"

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart is releasing its third album -- the follow up to 2011's Belong -- later this year. The band posted a teaser video which includes a snippet of the new song "Art Smock." More news on the album is expected shortly -- the band is playing South By Southwest in March -- but for now enjoy the clip below:



Published on February 24th, 2014 @ 5:48 AM

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Soundgarden announce 'Superunknown' 20th anniversary

UPDATE: Soundgarden has confirmed the 20th anniversary edition of Superunknown. Post updated below.

Soundgarden's 1994 album Superunknown turns 20 years old this March and to celebrate, Soundgarden is releasing a 20th anniversary edition of the album. Two anniversary editions will be available starting June 3rd, and both include rare demos, rehearsal recordings, and other extra material. The 'deluxe edition' is a two disc set -- the first disc includes all of the original Superunknown material remastered plus adds a bonus disc with demos, rehearsal recordings, and remixes.  The 'super deluxe edition' is a five disc set and includes the original Superunknown material remastered as well as a disc each of b-sides, demos, rehearsal recordings, plus a Blu-Ray audio 5.1 mix of Superunknown.

Additionally, Soundgarden will release a limited edition set of five 10" vinyl singles. The release will ONLY be available in record stores on Record Store Day (April 19th).

Check out tracklistings for all of the anniversary editions here, and enjoy rehearsal audio of "The Day I Tried To Live" below.





Published on February 24th, 2014 @ 5:31 AM

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Erasure release "Make It Wonderful"

Erasure is releasing "Make It Wonderful" as a single in North America tomorrow. The song was released on their Christmas/holiday album Snow Globe, and the official video has a Christmas theme (replete with an animated Andy Bell & Vince Clarke in a flying sleigh), but the song itself has a message that can be relevant year round. Check out the official video for "Make It Wonderful" below:




Published on February 24th, 2014 @ 5:20 AM

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Echo & the Bunnymen unveil 'Meteorites'

Echo & the Bunnymen are releasing a new album produced by Youth later this year. The band will officially announce details of the release this week, but for now they've unveiled the artwork and title for the new album which will be called Meteorites.  Check out the artwork above. 

Dates for a U.S. tour are also expected to be announced shortly.

Published on February 23rd, 2014 @ 8:41 AM

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The Smiths' debut LP turns 30 years old

One of the greatest albums of all time was released on this day in 1984 -- the debut album from the Smiths turns 30 today. Trip back in time and enjoy the music videos from The Smiths, plus watch the band's legendary December 1983 concert which preceded the album's release. The show featured much of the material that would end up on The Smiths.







01. Handsome Devil
02. Still Ill
03. This Charming Man
04. Pretty Girls Make Graves
05. Reel Around The Fountain
06. What Difference Does It Make
07. Miserable Lie
08. This Night Has Opened My Eyes
09. Hand In Glove
10. These Things Take Time
11. You've Got Everything Now

Johnny Marr revealed in a new interview with NME that the Smiths (who signed to Rough Trade) were never turned down by Factory Records. Marr said the Smiths were not interested in recording for Factory:

"So much has been made of Factory apparently turning The Smiths down, but that's a crock of shit. The Smiths would have signed to Factory over my dead body... I didn't want to be assimilated into the Factory aesthetic...

If you were a musician in Manchester at that time, it was almost the law that you went on your hands and knees and begged Tony Wilson for his papal blessing to stick you in the studio, and I wasn't about to do that"

Read the full article over at NME.

Published on February 20th, 2014 @ 5:31 AM

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Tony Wilson born on this day in 1950

Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records and the legendary Hacienda nightclub was born on February 20th. Watch the BBC documentary Factory: Manchester from Joy Division to the Happy Mondays, which was created as a tribute to Wilson (originally aired a month after his death in August 2007).

Factory Records documentary



Tony Wilson interviews the Smiths



Johnny Marr recently made some comments about Factory Records. Read the interview here.

Published on February 20th, 2014 @ 5:22 AM

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Afghan Whigs debut new single & video, announce tour

Afghan Whigs premiered a sultry new song titled "Algiers" - the track serves as the first single from Do To The Beast, the band's first new album in 16 years.  Do To The Beast arrives April 15th and is available to pre-order through SubPop, iTunes, and Amazon (bonus: SubPop's store is offering the "Loser Edition" pressed on white vinyl while supplies last).

Watch Greg Dulli wreak havoc in the western themed video for "Algiers" below.  The video was filmed in Agua Dulce, just northeast of Santa Clarita, California.



Afghan Whigs have also announced initial dates for a North American tour. More dates are expected to be announced soon.

4/10 -- Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's
4/11 -- Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/14 -- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
4/15 -- Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market
4/17 -- San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
4/18 -- Indio, CA @ Coachella
5/15 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
5/16 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise
5/17 -- Baltimore, MD @ Otto Bar

Published on February 19th, 2014 @ 11:22 AM

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R.I.P. Bob Casale of Devo

Bob "Bob 2" Casale of Devo passed away last night from complications related to heart failure. Casale's brother and founding member of Devo, Gerald Casale broke the news to fans on Facebook in a message:

As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.

Casale was 61 years old.







Published on February 18th, 2014 @ 9:17 PM

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The Exploited vocalist suffers heart attack on stage

Wattie Buchan of legendary punk band The Exploited suffered a heart attack on stage at a gig in Portugal on February 13th. According to reports, Buchan dropped to the floor, remained unconscious, and was rushed to the hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment. The Exploited posted a message on Facebook thanking fans for their support. The band has canceled all tour dates through May.

The Exploited had recently signed a recording contract with Nuclear Blast and were planning to release a brand new record before the end of 2014. Three of their previous albums -- Beat The Bastards, Fuck The System, and The Massacre -- will be reissued as expanded sets on March 14th.

Published on February 17th, 2014 @ 5:38 PM

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Wax Trax! film info + music series produced by Dave Grohl/Roswell Films coming soon?

A funding campaign for the highly anticipated Wax Trax! documentary is expected to launch in the coming weeks. Wax Trax! Chicago emphasized in a posting that they're not looking for a free handout, but need some help to pay for logistical and licensing expenses. In exchange for pledging, they're planning to offer some exciting incentive items like limited edition merchandise, rare collectibles, and possibly the opportunity to connect with some of the artists. More info on the campaign is expected to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, the Wax Trax! update also dropped an interesting nugget that should be of interest to music fans: Dave Grohl's production company Roswell Films is working on a new cable series which highlights music scenes in different cities. The full roster of cities hasn't been announced, but Wax Trax! revealed that they were interviewed and featured in the Chicago episode (perhaps yet another reason Grohl was hanging out in Chicago a couple of weeks ago). No details have been announced about the series, so no word on when the series will launch, or where it will ultimately premiere. Stay tuned.

Friend of mine's brother sent him this via text a few minutes ago. Grohl's in Chicago, on the Brown Line. pic.twitter.com/CHhCKj4zSU
— Jim Hanke (@jimhanke) January 21, 2014

Finally, in even more Wax Trax! related news, Chris Connelly's new project Bells Into Machines will be releasing a full album later this year. A few days ago the band debuted a promo video featuring snippets of four new songs ("Your Crime Scene - My Career," "Missions," "Wretched Little Deity," and "Sweet Life In Soaring Light") which you can check out below:



Published on February 15th, 2014 @ 6:24 PM

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Pixies live stream event: February 18th

The Pixies are performing a live session on Tuesday afternoon ahead of that night's concert in Seattle. The performance will stream live from the KEXP studios and is scheduled to start at 12:30 PM ET. The event launches the station's live video stream and will be available to access here on Tuesday.

Prepare for the live event by watching an awesome acoustic session with rehearsal footage filmed in 2005.



Published on February 15th, 2014 @ 5:41 PM

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This is glorious: Marc Almond sings "Tainted Love" backed by floppy disk drives

A few years ago You Tube user Gigawipf came up with the brilliant idea of rigging up floppy disk drives (and in some cases, hard drives) to make music. To date, he's used his contraption to play songs from Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, REO Speedwagon, Gotye, the Batman theme, and my personal favorite -- Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water." Recently Soft Cell's Marc Almond caught wind that Gigawipf covered "Tainted Love" and was so intrigued that he added his vocals to it and uploaded it to his official You Tube account.  Bask in the glory below courtesy of  PolicyMic (via Salon):

(version without Almond's vocals)



(version with Almond's vocals)



Gloria Jones released the original version of "Tainted Love" (written by Ed Cobb) in 1965 and over the years the track has been covered by tons of artists including Coil, Inspiral Carpets, Marilyn Manson, and Paul Young. Soft Cell's version, released in 1981, has enjoyed the most commercial success.

Published on February 15th, 2014 @ 4:06 PM

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Nine Inch Nails announce ACL broadcast & share performance

Nine Inch Nails announced today that their episode of Austin City Limits premieres on PBS on April 5th. The episode was filmed at the Moody Theater last November on NIN's Tension 2013 tour. Check out the performance of "Came Back Haunted" from the episode below:



Tonight's Austin City Limits program features Arcade Fire.

Published on February 15th, 2014 @ 3:26 PM

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Fishbone ordered to pay 1.4 million for stage-diving incident

Fishbone have been ordered to pay 1.4 million dollars to a woman injured at the band's February 2010 show in Philadelphia. The Huffington Post reports the woman suffered a broken skull and collarbone after being "knocked to the floor" by stage-diving lead singer Angelo Moore. The federal judge in the case ordered Fishbone to pay 1.1 million in compensatory damages and added another 250 thousand dollars for punitive damages. The article notes that the judge wasn't pleased that Fishbone continue to stage-dive at shows since the incident and the band refuses to issue warnings about their live shows because it detracts from the "theatrics" of the act.

Read the full report here.

Published on February 14th, 2014 @ 5:11 AM

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Echo & The Bunnymen: New LP & tour announcement TBA soon

Echo & The Bunnymen are finishing up work on their new Youth-produced studio album.  In a new posting on Facebook today, the band revealed they've come up with a title and artwork for the album and will be announcing the details (and release date) for the record soon.  The posting also confirmed that a U.S. tour will be announced shortly. Read the full posting below:

"Echo & The Bunnymen New Album & Tour Announcement very soon.

We are very excited to announce that the brand new studio album produced by Youth (The Verve, embrace etc) is nearing completion and that a title and artwork are decided plus a full European tour already booked. US dates to follow.

Ian feels it's the bands best work for a very long time.

More details to follow."

Seems like a good excuse to post some awesome live video of Ian McCulloch in action!







Published on February 13th, 2014 @ 9:55 AM

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Morrissey announces U.S. dates

UPDATE (February 13th at 12:00 PM): Morrissey confirmed dates for a full U.S. tour.  Tickets for most of the shows including the Detroit area show on June 14th go on sale Friday, February 21st.  Some of the shows will have pre-sales -- Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, Memphis, Atlantic City, and Brooklyn have already announced pre-sales -- possibly more will be announced in the next few days.

UPDATE: (February 20th at 5:30 AM): Pre-sales for Chicago and Detroit/Flint have been added and start February 20th. Flint password: MOZFLINT

5/07 -- San Jose CA City @ National Civic Auditorium
5/10 -- Los Angeles CA @ Los Angeles Sports Arena
5/13 -- El Paso TX @ Plaza Theater
5/14 -- Albuquerque NM @ Sunshine Theater
5/16 -- Salt Lake City UT @ Kingsbury Hall
5/17 -- Denver CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
5/19 -- Lincoln NE @ Rococo Theatre
5/20 -- Lawrence KS @ Liberty Hall
5/22 -- Dallas TX @ Majestic Theatre
5/24 -- Austin TX @ Austin Music Hall
5/25 -- Beaumont TX @ Julie Rogers Theatre
5/27 -- Memphis TN @ Orpheum Theatre
5/28 -- Nashville TN @ Ryman Auditorium
5/30 -- St Petersburg FL @ Mahaffey Theater
5/31 -- Miami FL @ Knight Concert Hall
6/04 -- Atlanta GA @ Cobb Energy Center
6/06 -- Atlantic City NJ @ Revel Ovation Hall
6/07 -- Boston MA @ Boston Opera House
6/10 -- Baltimore MD @ Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
6/13 -- Chicago IL @ Civic Opera House
6/14 -- Flint MI @ James Whiting Auditorium
6/16 -- Lewiston NY @ Artpark Main Stage Theater
6/17 -- Wilmington DE @ Grand Opera House
6/19 -- Hershey PA @ Hershey Theatre
6/21 -- New York NY @ Barclays Center Arena

Morrissey has officially announced a pair of one-off shows later this year: May 10th he'll perform at Los Angeles Sports Arena, and June 21st he plays Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The opening acts for the shows are intriguing: Tom Jones supports Morrissey at the L.A. show and Cliff Richard will open the Brooklyn show. Kristeen Young also is on the bill for both shows. Ticket information is expected to be announced shortly.

Morrissey announced earlier in the year that he's signed a worldwide recording contract and will be releasing a new album later in the year.

Reminder: Two screenings of Morrissey: 25 Live will take place in the Detroit area on February 26th at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield.  Purchase tickets for the 2pm screening and the 7:30 screening.

Published on February 13th, 2014 @ 9:16 AM

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Video: Nick Cave's 20,000 Days on Earth

A new film featuring Nick Cave titled 20,000 Days on Earth premiered at Sundance last month. The film was co-written by Cave and though it is a work of fiction (the film has been described as a fictitious day-in-the-life take on a cult hero by Time), there is a ton of performance footage of Cave performing live at the Sydney Opera House: songs "Higgs Boson Blues," "Jubilee Street," and "Stagger Lee" are all included. The Iain Forsyth/Jane Pollard-directed film won best directing and editing at Sundance and is expected to open later this year. For now watch a short clip taken from the film below and read a review here.



Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds return to North America in June to promote 2013's Push Away The Sky. The tour includes a Detroit date at the Masonic Temple on July 29th and tickets are available here.



6/16 - Louisville, Ky @ Louisville Palace Theater
6/18 - Kansas City, MO @ @ Midland Theater
6/20 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Milwaukee Theater
6/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater
6/24 - Denver, CO @ The Buell Theater
6/27 - Calgary, Alb @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
6/28 - Edmonton, Alb @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
6/30 - Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theater
7/02 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater
7/05 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
7/07 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Theater
7/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium
7/19 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live At Moody Theater
7/21 - New Orleans, LA @ Mahalia Jackson Theater
7/23 - Washington D.C. @ Dar Constitution Hall
7/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center
7/26 - New York, NY @ Prospect Park
7/29 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple
7/31 - Toronto, Ont @ Sony Centre

Published on February 10th, 2014 @ 5:49 AM

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Manchester's Factory 251 & Chicago's Concord Music Hall suffer ceiling collapse

The BBC is reporting that a ceiling inside Manchester's Factory 251 nightclub collapsed in the early hours (2:30 AM) of February 7th. According to the report, plasterboard on the second floor ceiling gave way and debris from the collapse injured several patrons at the club. The seven injured clubgoers were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries. After the incident the venue was evacuated and shut down for the evening, but reopened for business later in the day after passing inspection.  Factory 251 is the club located inside the old headquarters of the legendary Factory Records and is owned in part by Peter Hook.

A venue in Chicago reported a similar ceiling-collapse over the weekend. A ceiling at Concord Music Hall reportedly caved in and fell on concertgoers during a Datsik show on February 8th. Witnesses claim the bass at the concert was so loud it shook part of the ceiling, which eventually gave way and fell onto four people. The victims were taken to a hospital and were treated for non-life threatening injuries. Concord Music Hall has reportedly shut down pending an investigation. Read more here.

Published on February 9th, 2014 @ 8:09 PM

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Video: The Clash rocking out at Motor City Roller Rink in 1980

Previously unseen video of the Clash performing at the Motor City Roller Rink in Detroit on March 10, 1980 has appeared on You Tube!  Video of  "Safe European Home" was uploaded yesterday by Peace Jam's One Billion Acts of Peace account to help promote the new international global citizen's movement designed to tackle humanitarian issues.  The individual who uploaded this particular video happens to be an ex-Creem magazine writer (pen name Mark Norton) who promises to upload more video (presumably from the same show) once "Safe European Home" gets 100 thousand views! Check it out below and read more over at The Clash Blog. Thanks to mega-Clash fan Nikki for the heads up!



A ton of Clash bootlegs, including the entire March 10th, 1980 show at the Motor City Roller Rink are available here.

FYI: The Motor City Roller Rink was located in Warren at 9 Mile & Van Dyke.  By day it was used as a roller rink, but at night was used as a concert venue.  Legendary acts like Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Devo, The Jam, Pretenders, Heaven 17, and Public Image Limited were among the acts who performed there in the late 70s and early 80s. Check out a website dedicated to the Motor City Roller Rink here and enjoy some video of the rink and patrons skating around below:



Published on February 6th, 2014 @ 5:14 PM

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The Machine Room announce new single & 'Sweden' EP

If all was good and right with the world, Scotland's The Machine Room would be on the tip of every indie music lover's tongue. The band have been releasing amazing music since 2011 -- if you missed out on 2012's Love From a Distance EP, do yourself a favor and remedy that now.  On March 17th, The Machine Room returns with a new EP titled Sweden which is named after (and includes) the band's 2013 single. The EP will be preceded by the new single "Chances" on March 3rd, but the song is available to preview now. Stream "Chances" below along with some of the Machine Room's previously released gems below (plus grab a free download of their cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle"). Catch up with The Machine Room on Facebook and Twitter.









Published on February 6th, 2014 @ 1:52 PM

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Front Line Assembly remix LP 'Echoes' coming soon

Front Line Assembly announced a remixed version of their 2013 album Echogenetic will be released shortly. The remixed version will be titled Echoes and includes remixes by Comaduster, Sonic Mayhem, Youth Code, Slighter, rhys Fulber, HECq, henrik Backstrom, Blush Response, Daniel Myer, Haujobb, Tweaker, Primitive race, Cyanotic, Necro Facility, Atiq and Enq. More details on Echoes including the official tracklisting and release date will be announced shortly.



Published on February 6th, 2014 @ 5:23 AM

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Depeche Mode reissue entire back catalog on 180 gram vinyl

Depeche Mode have announced that they're reissuing their entire back catalog on 180 gram vinyl. The albums -- complete with inserts, liner notes, and glossy gatefold sleeves -- will be released individually in three installments. The first four reissues, Some Great Reward, Music For The Masses, Songs of Faith & Devotion, and Black Celebration were released today; A Broken Frame, Ultra, Construction Time Again, and Violator are out March 25th, and finally Speak & Spell, Exciter, Playing the Angel, and Sounds of the Universe complete the reissue campaign on May 27th.

All of the vinyl reissues will be available through Amazon and physical record stores.



Published on February 4th, 2014 @ 6:59 PM

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Video: The Pixies' Tiny Desk Concert live session

The Pixies performed a three song set for NPR recently - the band performed an unreleased song titled "Silver Snail" along with the newly released "Greens and Blues" and mega-classic "Monkey Gone To Heaven." Check out the session below or click here.



The Pixies are also playing another live session for Seattle's KEXP on February 18th at 12:30 PM ET. The session is scheduled to stream live via KEXP's newly launched video channel. More info on that is posted here.

The Pixies head to Detroit on Saturday, February 8th for a show at the Fillmore Detroit. Tickets are available here.

2/04 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
2/06 - St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
2/07 - Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion
2/08 - Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Detroit
2/09 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
2/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
2/13 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore
2/14 - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Tavern
2/15 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Great Salt Air
2/17 - Vancouver @ Orpheum Theatre
2/18 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
2/19 - Portland, OR @ Schnitzer
2/21 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
2/22 - San Jose, CA @ Civic Theater
2/23 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
2/24 - Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
2/25 - Albuquerque, NM @ Kiva Auditorium
2/27 - Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
2/28 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
3/01 - Austin, TX @ Music Hall

Published on February 4th, 2014 @ 5:44 AM

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The Cure confirm new LP, DVD series & tour plans

Last year Robert Smith revealed that the follow up to the Cure's last album -- 2008's 4:13 Dream -- was finished and sitting in his basement, and today the band announced via a press release that the album is coming out this year. The record is tentatively titled 4:14 Scream and was recorded around the same time as 4:13 Dream (this is not the new material Smith said he was working on last year with the band's latest line-up).  Along with the news of the band's 14th studio album comes word that a series of live concert DVDs will also be released soon. No further info was provided on the DVDs, however Smith mentioned a few times last year that the Cure would be releasing live DVDs in the future.

The Cure also confirmed they're heading back on the road this year to perform more of their classic albums in full. This time around, the Cure are going to play The Top, The Head On The Door, and Robert Smith's fave Cure album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, in full. Dates for the trilogy tour have not yet been announced, but if 2011's Reflections tour is any indication, these gigs will likely be a string of multiple dates in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and London, but let's hope the tour is more expansive this time! [Check out video from some Reflections gigs here].

The Cure previously announced they're performing at next month's Teenage Cancer Trust benefit shows in the U.K., though the charity gigs are not being billed as trilogy concerts.

Published on February 3rd, 2014 @ 5:06 PM

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Psychedelic shoegazers Dead Horse One premiere "I Love My Man"

French shoegaze/psychedelic band Dead Horse One emerged on the scene in 2011 and to date have released a split single and 3 song ep titled Heavenly Choir of Jet Engines. In the fall the quintet hooked up with Ride's Mark Gardener, who ended up producing their forthcoming album Without Love We Perish at his studio OX 4 Sound. The album's official release date is still pending, but it'll be out later this year via A Quick Man Records. For now, immerse yourself in the beauty of the album's first single/video "I Love My Man" below.  Also enjoy Dead Horse One's previous material on Bandcamp, and catch up with the band on Facebook and Twitter.



Shoegaze fans - catch up with Mark Gardner's OX 4 Sound on the web and Twitter.

Published on February 1st, 2014 @ 12:31 PM

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