Video: Michael Stipe opens (again) for Patti Smith in NYC

Last night Michael Stipe once again took to the stage at New York City's Webster Hall opening for Patti Smith. Stipe's setlist from last night was identical to the December 29th show; Stipe explained to the crowd that the December 29th show was essentially a rehearsal for last night's show. Before he performed "New York, New York," he told a few stories about New York City, revealing to the crowd that it was such a big moment in his career to play NYC in 1981 (when R.E.M. opened for Gang Of Four at the Ritz, now renamed Webster Hall), and called it "the pinnacle of feeling like I made it."

Stipe was super chatty during his set -- he told the crowd Patti Smith instructed him to "talk a lot" between songs, which he took to heart.  Wikipedia, Dolly Parton, and rewriting "New Test Leper" eight times (!) were among some of the topics he worked into the set.  Take a look at video of Stipe's appearance from December 30th below, plus watch Stipe and friends sing Happy Birthday to Patti Smith:





Published December 31st, 2014 @ 10:26 PM

Michael Stipe performs surprise solo set in New York City

Ex-R.E.M. leader Michael Stipe was the surprise opener for Patti Smith at her Webster Hall show in New York City last night. Stipe's rare solo appearance was his second live performance since R.E.M.'s disbandment in 2011. His six song set included covers from Perfume Genius, Patti Smith, Vic Chestnutt, and the classic "New York, New York" (made famous by Frank Sinatra.)  Alas, video from the set isn't available, though some great audio of "New York, New York" was posted onto You Tube, and another fan uploaded audio of "Hood" (Perfume Genius), and "New Test Leper" onto Soundcloud (via Spin.)  Stream audio below.

Patti Smith plays a second and final show at Webster Hall tonight. It's Smith's birthday today, so you never know who might show up as a surprise guest tonight!

"New York, New York" (audio)







Published December 30th, 2014 @ 4:50 PM

The Cure perform impressive 40 song concert in London

The Cure kicked off their trio of Christmas concerts in London last night. As has been standard for the Cure, the band performed for almost four hours! During the band's set (and 4 encores!), they dusted off several songs they haven't performed in years like "Piggy In The Mirror," "Wailing Wall," and the live debut of "A Man Inside My Mouth." Every song from The Top was played last night (not in album sequence), and over the next two nights it's expected The Cure will be performing each song from The Head On The Door, and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, to prepare Cure fans worldwide for the next Reflections tour (as Robert Smith talked about in interviews earlier this year).

Take a look at the impressive setlist and watch fan filmed video from the show below:























Shake Dog Shake
Kyoto Song
A Night Like This
alt.end
Wailing Wall
Bananafishbones
The Caterpillar
The Walk
A Man Inside My Mouth
Close To Me
Lullaby
High
Birdmad Girl
Just Like Heaven
Pictures Of You
Before Three
Lovesong
Like Cockatoos
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
Want
The Hungry Ghost
One Hundred Years
Give Me It

Encore 1:

The Empty World
Charlotte Sometimes
Primary
The Top

Encore 2:

Dressing Up
Piggy In The Mirror
Never Enough
Wrong Number

Encore 3:

Three Imaginary Boys
M
Play For Today
A Forest

Encore 4:

The Lovecats
Let's Go To Bed
Why Can't I Be You
Boys Don't Cry
Hey You

Published December 22nd, 2014 @ 6:00 AM

R.I.P. Jim Fry, Big Star mentor/Ardent Studios founder

Legendary Big Star mentor/producer Jim Fry died today at the age of 69. Fry was also the owner of Ardent Studios, which opened in 1966. Throughout the years so many notable acts recorded albums at Ardent including Led Zeppelin, R.E.M. and the White Stripes. Fry died after suffering from cardiac arrest this afternoon. His death comes less than a week after Ardent studio partner John Hampton, who died on December 12th from complications of cancer.

Published December 18th, 2014 @ 9:14 PM

Chris Cornell fronts Mad Season reunion in Seattle

A one-night only Mad Season reunion (of sorts) is planned for January 30th during the 4th annual Sonic Evolution concert.  The unique Seattle Symphony event takes place at Seattle's Benaroya Hall, and celebrates the city's rich musical history.  The first half of the program will include musical compositions influenced by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and concludes with a piece composed by Mike McCready. After the intermission, original Mad Season members (guitarist McCready and drummer Barrett Martin) will be joined by guest vocalist Chris Cornell, and together they'll perform Mad Season songs backed by the Seattle Symphony.

Tickets for the event went on sale yesterday and sold out immediately. Fans interested in obtaining tickets can likely obtain them from a secondary seller, or hope the venue releases some extra tickets closer to the event.

Read more about Sonic Evolution here.

Published December 16th, 2014 @ 8:37 PM

Free download: Mourning Birds "Exile"

Last year UK garage band Mourning Birds blew us away with their intense-and-awesome debut single "Oh Yeh." Since then, the three piece recorded their debut album in Wales, which was subsequently released on Japan's P Vine Records. While we wait for the album to (hopefully) be picked up elsewhere, Mourning Birds has premiered another frenetically charged single titled "Exile" plus they're giving it away as a free download! Head over here right away to grab your free download and stream "Exile" below. Be sure to catch up with Mourning Birds on Facebook.



FYI: If you never got around to checking out "Oh Yeh" be sure to remedy that immediately by streaming the official video below:



Published December 15th, 2014 @ 2:19 PM

Free download: Ministry unearths rare 1983 track

Ministry's Al Jourgensen launched Ministry Mondays earlier this year, and every Monday he goes through his archive and uploads a Ministry-related goodie for fans to download. Today he unearthed a rare previously unreleased song from 1983!  The track was originally recorded for With Sympathy but has never before been released until now. Download "Anything For You" for free here and stream the track in full below.



As previously reported Jourgensen is involved in the film titled The Bridge. Uncle Al will have a role in the film, along with Ministry bandmate Sin Quirin, Joey Santiago of the Pixies, and more. An indie go-go campaign for The Bridge was launched to help raise money for filming, editing, soundtrack recording sessions and more. Find out more about the project on the campaign page, and visit the project's official Facebook page.



For more on Al Jourgensen, catch up with him on Twitter.

Video: Bob Mould rips through 7 song 'Weekender' set

Bob Mould performed a seven song set for the Rolling Stone Weekender, which was held in Germany on November 8th. Watch Mould's full performance below:



Bob Mould's excellent new album Beauty & Ruin was released in June and (in this blog's opinion, anyway) is one of the best releases of 2014.





Published December 14th, 2014 @ 5:44 PM

Noel Gallagher talks new LP, Morrissey, & Oasis in new interview

On December 12th, Noel Gallagher was the Christmas guest on BBC Radio 6. Gallagher joined host Steve Lamacq for an hour of conversation and music selected by the ex-Oasis star.  During the hour, he chatted it up with Lamacq about a wide variety of subjects -- his first "vertical" record player, how the third song on his records are reserved for "the hit," Morrissey ("people think of him as an activist, but he's a music lover...he brings mix cds out with him to the pub"), Bono, and what it would take to get Oasis back together. The full program is a whole lotta Noel, but if you're a fan, it's definitely worth streaming the entire program. Listen over at the BBC website, or stream below while available.



Gallagher's new album Chasing Yesterday will be released on March 2nd. Pre-order from iTunes, Amazon or Gallagher's official store. Two videos associated with Chasing Yesterday are available to view below.





Published December 13th, 2014 @ 6:45 PM

Michael Stipe & Mike Mills discuss REM's history & new releases

Michael Stipe of R.E.M. appeared on CBS This Morning and discussed the band's history in promotion of the new six disc boxset REMTV, which compiles the band's MTV appearances and more. During the interview Stipe talked about growing up with REM, the band's difficult years after Bill Berry's departure, and that REM will never reunite ("I despise nostalgia, I'm not good at looking back.") Watch the full interview with Stipe below:



In addition to the six disc collection REMTV, REM also released a vinyl boxset titled 7in-83-88. which includes 11 singles with replicated original picture sleeve art and labels.  Rolling Stone caught up with Mike Mills to discuss the set, and during the conversation Mills talked about R.E.M. calling it quits, his favorite REM basslines, and his own record collection. He also was asked to give his opinion on people still not really getting what "The One I Love" is all about:

"...it's interesting and kind of funny to see that people get it wrong, but you know, I certainly don't think it's anyone's job to listen that closely to the words. There are 10 or 12 of my favorite songs, I have no idea what they're about or what the words even are. If you think that song's a love song, go hug your boyfriend or girlfriend. If you care to listen close enough, you see it isn't. But there are plenty of R.E.M. songs where I don't know what they're about."

Read the full interview with Mills over at Rolling Stone. The tracklisting for 7IN-83-88 is posted below and the set can be ordered here.

01. "Radio Free Europe" b/w "There She Goes Again"
02. "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" b/w "King of the Road"
03. "(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville" b/w "Catapult"
04. "Can't Get There From Here" b/w "Bandwagon"
05. "Driver 8" b/w "Crazy"
06. "Wendell G" b/w "Crazy" + "Ages of You" b/w "Burning Down" [prev unreleased in US]
07. "Fall On Me" b/w "Rotary Ten"
08. "Superman" b/w "White Tornado"
09. "The One I Love" b/w "Maps and Legends" (live)
10. "Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" b/w "Last Date"
11. "Finest Worksong" b/w "Time After Time" (live) [previously unreleased in US]

Published December 13th, 2014 @ 4:42 PM

Creation Records' vinyl singles boxset due in April

Fans of Creation Records take note: a box set containing replicas of the label's first ten singles pressed individually on 7" vinyl will be released in the spring. A Facebook page for Creation Artifact has been set up, and more details for the release (which appears to be through Cherry Red) are expected soon. In the meantime, the official Creation Records website posted a listing of its first ten singles, so this is what is expected to be included in the Creation Artifact boxset.

CRE001 – The Legend! – ’73 in ’83
CRE002 – The Revolving Paint Dream – Flowers in the Sky
CRE003 – Biff Bang Pow! – 50 Years of Fun
CRE004 – The Jasmine Minks – Think
CRE005 – The Pastels – Something’s Going On
CRE006 – The X-Men – Do the Ghost
CRE007 – Biff Bang Pow! – There Must Be a Better Life
CRE008 – The Jasmine Minks – Where the Traffic Goes
CRE009 – The Loft – Why Does the Rain
CRE010 – The Legend! – Destroys The Blues



Published December 13th, 2014 @ 3:58 PM

David Bowie celebrates 40th anniversary of "Young Americans"

David Bowie's single "Young Americans" will be reissued next year to commemorate the song's 40th anniversary. The classic song, recorded in 1974 and released as the title track to the album Young Americans in February 1975, will be released as a limited edition picture disc through Parlophone on February 23rd. The A-side is the 2007 mix of "Young Americans" (produced/mixed by Tony Visconti) and the AA side is a version of "It's Gonna Be Me" featuring strings (previously released in 2007 on the Young Americans special edition CD/DVD).  Additional details regarding the photos on the picture disc are posted below via David Bowie's official site:

"The black and white image on the A-Side of the disc is by the famous Hollywood photographer of the 1940s/50s, Tom Kelley. The image is probably more closely associated with the session that produced the cover for the CHANGESONEBOWIE album and Suffragette City single in 1976. However, this particular shot was first used for the Italian Fame 45 in 1975.

The photograph on the AA-Side was shot by Steve Schapiro, who recently had this to say about working with Bowie and this session in particular: “I think Bowie is very smart and I think he has a great sense of images and in coming up with new kinds of images. The first session I did with him started at four in the afternoon and ended at four the next morning when I did that picture of him on the motorcycle, and we used the headlights of a car to light it. He would constantly come up with new costumes and I would pick up my camera to photograph him and it would be an incredible outfit, but he would stop me and say, ’Wait a minute, I need to fix something,’ and he would go to the dressing room and come back 20 minutes later in something totally different. Fortunately, there would be a lot of things he would try on, so we would get a lot of pictures."

Pre-orders for the limited edition 40th anniversary Young Americans picture disc will be available soon.

Published December 13th, 2014 @ 3:50 PM

Shoegaze documentary 'Beautiful Noise' streaming

The shoegaze documentary Beautiful Noise, directed by Eric Green, premiered in the spring at the Seattle International Film Festival, then screened in select cities worldwide in the fall. According to the film's official site, those who helped fund the Beautiful Noise campaign on Kickstarter will be receiving a digital download of the film shortly; physical copies (DVD, Blu-Ray, and other "goodies") will be available to purchase in the coming weeks. If you didn't take part in the Kickstarter and can't wait for a physical copy, Beautiful Noise is available to stream on demand through Vimeo (purchase stream on-demand). Details are posted here.

UPDATE: Beautiful Noise is now also available to purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray through the Beautiful Noise store.

Beautiful Noise examines how bands such as Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain, and other seminal shoegaze acts influenced and inspired generations of musicians. One of the exciting features of the documentary is that several musicians who rarely grant interviews, (let alone on-camera interviews), like Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine), Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), and Jim Reid (Jesus & Mary Chain) have participated in the film. Other influential musicians in the alternative scene including Robert Smith, Bobby Gillespie, Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, and Wayne Coyne also appear in the film.





Published December 7th, 2014 @ 7:53 AM

Gaz Coombes preps LP 'Matador'; premieres "20/20"

Ex-Supergrass vocalist/guitarist Gaz Coombes is set to release a new solo album titled Matador on January 26th. Stream a new song called "20/20" from the album below. For more on Coombes, visit his official site.



Published December 6th, 2014 @ 6:04 PM

A Place To Bury Strangers premiere "Straight" video

A Place To Bury Strangers return with the new Transfixiation on February 17th. A few weeks ago the debuted the first track from the album titled "Straight," and now they've premiered the song's official video. Check it out below along with dates for their first tour in support of Transfixiation. The band will be doing another North American tour later in 2015, which is expected to include cities in the midwest.



Pre-order Transfixiation through iTunes and Amazon, and the band's webstore. The webstore is selling a bundle with limited edition pink/blue vinyl, plus a standard version on black vinyl is also available.



02/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Black Box
02/19 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
02/20 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
02/21 – Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre
02/22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
02/23 – Nashville, TN @ The End
02/25 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
02/26 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
02/27 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
02/28 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
03/04 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
03/06 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sisters
03/07 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
03/09 – Tuscon, AZ @ Hotel Congress
03/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
03/11 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
03/13 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium
03/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
03/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
03/17 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
03/18 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
05/08 - Austin, TX @ Levitation (aka Austin Psych Fest)

Published December 6th, 2014 @ 6:01 PM

Johnny Marr premieres video for "Dynamo"

Today Johnny Marr premiered the second video from his latest solo album Playland. Take a look at Marr and his band rocking out "Dynamo" below:



Published December 2nd, 2014 @ 4:06 PM

The Soft Moon announce new LP 'Deeper'

Luis Vasquez's darkwave project The Soft Moon returns with the full length album Deeper on March 31st. Stream "Black," a new song from the record along with the band's excellent single "Feel" that was released last January before the band hit the road opening up for Depeche Mode on the final leg of the Delta Machine tour in Europe.





Published December 2nd, 2014 @ 4:03 PM