PR reports: Michael Nau, previously well known as the primary singer/songwriter for Page France, will be pushing back the release of his debut full length as The Cotton Jones Basket Ride in favor of an EP series to be released through Quite Scientific records. The album, entitled Paranoid Cocoon, had initially been slated for a spring release but will now be replaced instead by two more limited edition art-book EPs.
An initial EP, limited to 250 copies, was released this past fall but sold out in roughly two weeks. In an effort to allow more fans to purchase the music, a 2nd EP (entitled The Archery) will have a run of 500 copies and will be available on May 13th. The third EP in the series (still as of yet untitled) will have a run of 1000 copies. The books sport a hardcover and are bound with exclusive artwork.
PR reports: The World Famous Nashville Palace will play host to "Breakfast with the Stars" as a tribute to the late Billy & Bettie Walker. The breakfast event will take place on Wednesday, June 4 from 7 a.m. 11 a.m. and will host musical performances starting at 8 a.m. Tickets are $25 per person and include the breakfast. In honor of the family of Bettie & Billy Walker a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Opry Trust Fund.
Artists scheduled to appear include American Idol alum Bo Bice, Stella Parton, Trent Tomlinson, Mel McDaniel, Barbara Fairchild, Ray Pillow, Jason Meadows, among many others. More names to be announced next week!!!
Famed "The Tall Texan", Billy Walker may not have appreciated the irony. Walker died at 77 with his wife Bettie in a horrific Alabama car accident that claimed two of his band members. The singer, known as the Masked Singer of Country Songs, was among the first to share a stage with Elvis and last to tour with Hank Williams. He later cheated death on the 1963 plane-flight that took Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins when Hawkins gave him a ticket for another plane.
PR reports: The next single from Mike Doughty's new album GOLDEN DELICIOUS will be "Fort Hood," Doughty's personal rumination on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Fort Hood" follows the first single from the album, "27 Jennifers," which was in the top ten at AAA radio for more than two months following the album's February release.
Doughty explains the origins of the unorthodox war anthem: "Fort Hood" isn't exactly an anti-war song. It's more of a song about my own guilt for living life without thinking of the war every moment. I was invited by the USO to visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006; I went over and gave CDs to wounded guys, most of them in their 20s, most missing limbs. It was tremendously moving. As we left the hospital, I was thinking that I wanted to never lose that feeling I felt, of incredible gratitude for everything in life.
Fort Hood is the base in Texas that's lost the most people in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first verse is about guilt. That I can go about my daily life without thinking of the violence and the fear in Iraq, and the sacrifice people are making over there.
PR reports: They say there's no rest for the wicked, and evidently Jimmy Eat World qualifies. Despite only recently completing an extensive co-headline tour with Paramore, planning a European tour for June (having already toured Europe and Japan earlier this year), and with a special hometown show at Phoenix's Dodge Theater on June 18th, the band has announced a new string of July tour dates in the US and Canada.
All this globetrotting follows appearances on both The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in support of their latest album Chase This Light, and the band continues to thrill with their live show, which the Boston Globe recently called "forceful, galvanizing, and exhilarating."
Jimmy Eat World has also just released a new two-disc deluxe edition of their breakthrough album Bleed American. Originally released in 2001, the album features the smash hits "The Middle", "Sweetness", and "A Praise Chorus". Bleed American catapulted the band to international stardom and is undoubtedly one of the decade's landmark rock albums. The new deluxe edition features a wide range of b-sides and bonus tracks, as well "Your House 2007", a new recording and re-imagining of the Bleed American track.
antiMusic reports: Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony updated his fans via an online post to his road blog and broke the news that he has teamed up with Sammy Hagar for a new project and recapped his Cinco de Mayo bash.
Here is what he had to say, "Well, another Cinco de Mayo bash at the Tahoe Wabo... and what a party!! I had a great time as usual, and can't wait till the next one. I'll be putting up some pictures on my website to check out, and if any of you crazies who were there would like to share some of your shots, send them on over and Bobo (Brad) will put them up.
"On another note, Sammy and I are working on a new project with a couple of good friends, and it is going to be totally KICKASS!! so stay tuned. Summer is almost here, so get out the suntan lotion, and I'll see you guys out there soon."
antiMusic reports: The worst kept secret in rock n' roll, Foxboro Hot Tubs (aka Green Day) are planning to hit the road next week for a special series of club shows. The Green Day sideband will release their debut album next Tuesday (May 20th)
On the ticket front there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Ticketmaster won't be getting a cut from these dates and the tickets will only be $20 each.
The bad news is this will definitely be a first come/ first serve situation as the band is making the tickets available only on the day of the show at the venue box office. Leave your Master Card at home, these will be cash only and there is a maximum of 2 tickets per person.
antiMusic reports: Last week Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl wrote an open letter to Metallica. The letter inspired laughs, anger and confusion depending on your perspective of Metallica. (Gulf Coast, Florida) 99ROCK DJ Kevin McKay sent us his own open letter. This one addressed to Dave Grohl:
Wow, thanx for that inspiring letter you wrote to Metallica. You want them to rock? Well, maybe start with yourself and your little bubble gum band. Really, what is the Foo Fighters, other than something for girls and middle aged guys who "used to rock" to put on their myspace pages????? Long Road to Ruin???? lame. But you'll try to save it with a quirky video...ahh, good concept.
So, stand in front of your adoring fans, cuz everyone I know LOVES you, (I just don't get it), and chew your gum with a smirk on your face, but I think we all know that Kurt would take a guitar and knock the Mentos out of your head if he were to pop in a Foo Fighters CD.
So, thanx for telling Metallica to "rock out", but please, at least HALF rock out before you go droning on about others' music. Kevin can be heard afternoon on 99Rock / or streaming live at wksm.com.
Blabbermouth reports: Pop superstar Madonna paid tribute to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by playing what sounds a lot like the main riff to Pantera's classic song "A New Level" during her May 10, 2008 performance at Radio One's Big Weekend at Mote Park in Maidstone, UK.
Blabbermouth has the footage and says the "A New Level" riff can be heard six minutes and 20 seconds into the video.
Madonna's current touring guitarist and guitar teacher is none other than Monte Pittman, who has also recorded and toured with Prong.
Blabbermouth reports: One day after a "beta" version of the site went live - only to be shut down a short time later - Metallica has launched the web site MissionMetallica.com to offer fans a wealth of exclusive content and teasers of new songs.
According to Billboard.com, a preview clip shows the band recording and clowning around in the studio. Fans who sign up will be eligible to "win backstage passes to every show this summer," among other special offers.
"Mission: Metallica" also has a "platinum" level, entitling fans to a copy of the new album delivered on street date, weekly "fly-on-the-wall" video clips, contests to travel to shows and/or METALLICA's San Francisco compound, live show downloads, ringtones and more. [no word yet on how much this "platinum" membership will cost, but you can
antiMusic reports: Here are some quick stories to get you going today. The Futureheads new album, "This Is Not The World," is not set for a June 3rd release in the US and Canada, the UK date will remain May 26th. The band also has a US date booked at The Bowery Ballroom in New York on June 17th as well as a host of gigs in Europe. Visit their Myspace for all the dates.
Queen have added more dates to their forthcoming autumn UK tour after tickets for existing shows sold out in record time. more
Rancid have added several West Coast dates to their massive North American tour that kicks off this summer. The punk rock veterans will begin their first tour since 2006 in Tucson, Arizona on June 10. more.
Styrofoam & ascap-doesnt-want-labels-to-promote-their-artists-go-with-bmi-next-time.comhave teamed up to bring you an exclusive listening party for his new album release,"A Thousand Words". The listening party will commence today May 12th/08 and will run for the duration of the week, ending May 16th/08. listen here
Veteran rocker Ted Nugent will reach a milestone this summer when the singer/guitarist will play his 6,000th concert during his three month tour. The trek starts June 7th in Sandusky, OH and concludes September 27th in Reno, NV more
The Offspring have posted the artwork for their long-awaited new album. The record is titled Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace and is due out June 17, 2008. It is the follow-up to Splinter which was released in 2003. Check it out here
A settlement offer has been made by makers of the flammable soundproofing foam that lined the wall of the club where the Great White tragedy took place. According to the Associated Press, several foam manufacturers have agreed to pay $30 million to settle lawsuits brought by survivors and family members of those who died in a 2003 fire that killed 100 people and hurt more than 200. The settlement offers were disclosed in court papers filed Monday. More than $101 million has now been offered to victims of the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick from several companies, including Home Depot and a maker of fireworks. more
Paul Geary, the former Extreme drummer who started his own music management firm after putting down the sticks, has teamed up with talent titan Irving Azoff and veteran booker Paul Jared to create AGP. The new talent division will manage New Kids On The Block, Smashing Pumpkins, 30 Seconds To Mars, Nick Lachey And Kenna.more
A judge in London granted a preliminary divorce Monday to former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. If no one objects, the divorce will be final in six weeks. more
The Spill Canvas will release their digital EP Honestly, I'm Doing Okay tomorrow, May 13th. Included on the EP is "Lay It On Me," a previously unreleased B-side from the recording of No Really, I'm Fine. The band will head out on the road for a month long headlining tour of the U.S. starting May 28th in Milwaukee and wrapping up June 28th at the Avalon in Salt Lake City. Joining the band on the road will be Ludo, Steel Train and Sing It Loud and select dates with Relient K, Liam and Me and Matt Nathanson. Listen to "Lay It On Me"
On Wednesday, May 14th, Richie Havens will perform his song "Freedom" at the opening ceremonies of the prestigious 61st annual Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France. This performance takes place on the heels of Richie's successful February 2008 European release of his latest album Nobody Left to Crown.
Check out My Morning Jacket's performance of "Evil Urges" from this past weekend's Saturday Night Live.
PR reports: Norma Jean, now in the studio with producer Ross Robinson (Slipknot, The Cure, Deftones, At The Drive In, Glassjaw) and engineer Ryan Boesch, will deliver their fourth album The Anti Mother late this summer on indie Solid State Records (exact release date TBA). For a few of the album's songs, the band wrote in collaboration separately with Page Hamilton of Helmet and Chino Moreno of Deftones.
The Anti Mother marks the follow-up to the Atlanta-based post hardcore group's critically lauded 2006 Redeemer album. Fans will get to experience The Anti Mother live this summer when Norma Jean hit the road as one of the headlining main-stage acts on the Vans Warped Tour '08.
"The Anti Mother is a character we created which represents anything that is deceptive, and yet possesses an outwardly beautiful nature," lead singer Cory Brandan says of the album title and theme. Musically, he points out "this record is the most melodic album we've ever created, but it's definitely the heaviest record Norma Jean has done as well--and furious at that."
antiMusic reports: Mashups can be a lot of fun. The Black Album and The White Album mashup fueled the imagination of would be mashers across the globe. Now with the advent of YouTube, people are getting into the art of producing video mashups. Imagine for a minute KISS covering 80s cheese popster Rick Ashley. The following video speaks for itself. Enjoy.
This is what YouTube was made for! Maybe Paul can sing, "YouTube was made for mocking me baby." The sad part is that this song really isn't much different from what we heard from KISS on 'Dynasty' and 'Unmasked.' "Shandy" anyone?
antiMusic reports: 10 Years' sophomore album, Division, hits stores this week. We spoke with drummer Brian Vodinh to get the lowdown on his favorite tracks from the album. Here he is with today's song:
So Long, Good-bye - This song consists of an acoustic guitar, a very sparse piano, and Jesse's voice. This song is summed up by that old saying, "if you love something, you can let it go." It's basically about knowing when a relationship is over and actually doing the right thing and ending it, as opposed to just letting an unhealthy relationship continue on.
The recording of this particular song is very special to us. It was recorded around 3 or 4 in the morning, one take, live. We didn't edit or add anything to this song. We truly captured a performance and a vibe and we are really happy with the way this song turned out. Jesse was also a little loopy on some cheap wine at the time, I think that helped add to the character in his voice, haha.
Preview the album, learn more about the band, grab tour dates and more
Everyone's looking for a higher concept and the big statement. Whatever happened to bands like AC/DC and Skynyrd who just knew how to bring the rawk when it needed to be brought? These songs will rock the hell out of you and thank God. (4.5 stars)
- Read the full The Mother Truckers - Let's All Go To Bed review
Urine-soaked progressive death metal has never seemed so poorly crafted once fans of the genre look at Farmakon's mindless ideology. Be sure to keep those rubber sheets close!
- Read the full Farmakon - Robin review
