Toto's David Paich To Conduct Orchestra At Emmys

The Academy Is EP

PR reports: The Academy Is have unveiled details of their new five-song EP. "Lost In Pacific Time" will be available digitally at all DSP on September 22nd, with physical copies available exclusively for purchase at any of the AP Tour stops as well as the Fueled By Ramen webstore

"Lost In Pacific Time" celebrates TAI's co-headline role on Alternative Press' hugely anticipated "AP Tour." Dubbed "The Fall Ball '09 Tour, Presented By AP" the trek launches at Clutch Cargo's in Pontiac, Michigan on September 25th and then traverses North America through mid-November (see attached itinerary). TAI will be joined on the tour by fellow co-headliners Mayday Parade, as well as Set Your Goals, The Secret Handshake, and You Me At Six.

As is "AP Tour" tradition, The Academy Is… will be featured on the cover of the next issue of Alternative Press. The magazine's November 2009 issue hits newsstands everywhere on October 6th - more on this story

Muse's Resistance Is Here As The Band Hit The Road

Filter reports: The wait is over. The Resistance, the fifth studio album from UK rockers Muse, has finally arrived in stores. Recorded in Italy, the album was mixed by famed audio engineer Mark 'Spike' Stent, who is known for his work with U2, Depeche Mode, No Doubt, and Oasis, among many others.

This Sunday, Muse rocked the 2009 Video Music Awards, performing three songs from the album- "Uprising," "The Resistance," and "United States of Eurasia."

This fall, the band will open select shows for U2, including two shows at Giants Stadium in New York. Please see below for tour dates. - more on this story

Little Feat Live DVD

PR reports: In 1977, Little Feat performed on German TV's favored musical playground Rockpalast. On September 22, Eagle Rock Entertainment, through its Eagle Vision subsidiary, will release this performance on DVD, when Skin It Back: Live In Germany hits stores.

Filmed at the Grugahalle in Essen, this concert was shot just days before the recording of their renowned live album Waiting For Columbus. Featuring the band's classic line-up, late vocalist/guitarist Lowell George leads the band – vocalist/guitarist Paul Barrere, vocalist/keyboardist Bill Payne, percussionist Sam Clayton, bassist Kenny Gradney, and drummer Richard Hayward – through the 11-song performance. The thirty minutes of never-before-seen alternate rehearsal versions of the songs include "Rock N Roll Doctor," which did not make the cut for the final show.

Formed in 1969, Little Feat is a band without musical boundaries. They meld southern influences, blues and Dixie-land boogie, with R&B, folk and rock into jam band perfection. Getting their start after George left Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, the band's blend of top-notch musicianship and earthy, organic groove made them musical staples. This is perfectly captured on the Skin It Back DVD. - more on this story

Have A Ray Charles Christmas

conqueroo reports: Concord Records caps a year in which it reissued many of Ray Charles' classic albums (Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection, Modern Sounds in Country and Western, A Message From the People and The Genius Hits the Road) with the artist's only Christmas album of his entire career, The Spirit of Christmas.

Concord's digitally remastered reissue marks the first time the album has been available in more than 12 years. Street date is October 6, 2009.

The Spirit of Christmas contains ten songs from the original album: "What Child Is This," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "This Time of Year is Near," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "That Spirit of Christmas," "All I Want for Christmas," "Christmas in My heart," "Winter Wonderland" and "Christmas Time." Also included is a non-album never-before-released bonus track, Frank Loesser's "Baby It's Cold Outside" in a duet with Betty Carter. - more on this story

Steven Stills' Manassas Revisited

Rhino reports: The legendary guitarist, singer-songwriter Steven Stills, and former member of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Manassas has influenced many on his musical path. On September 22, Rhino is bringing back memories of his earlier days with the release of Manasas 'Pieces', a 15-song collection of unreleased recordings from sessions for both of the band's albums.

Stephen Stills has influenced generations with his powerful voice, songwriting artistry, and passionate guitar playing, both as a solo artist and as a member of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Manassas. Rhino reveals a snapshots of Stills' early days with the release of Manassas PIECES, a 15-song collection of unreleased recordings from sessions for both of the band's albums.

After recording his second solo album, Stills formed Manassas in 1971 with a talented group of musicians that included Chris Hillman, a former member of the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Manassas released two albums, 1972's eponymous double-album debut and the 1973 follow-up, Down The Road. MANASSAS - PIECES features alternate versions of two songs from Down The Road: "Do You Remember The Americans" and "Lies" (featuring guitarist Joe Walsh). The collection also includes the legendary group's unreleased performances of "Sugar Babe" and "Word Game," a pair of songs Stills recorded in 1971 for his second solo album. The remaining tracks include "Like A Fox," a song recorded with blues guitarist Bonnie Raitt on background vocals and the Latin-tinged "Tan Sola Y Triste" (Spanish for 'So Alone and Sad').
- Preview it at this listening party via Rhino

Maps Sets New Release

Mute reports: Maps - aka James Chapman – will release his new album, "Turning The Mind" via Mute on October 20th 2009. The album's first single "I Dream Of Crystal" – released digitally September 15th 2009 – features the album version plus remix and dub versions from Solo and Steve Lawler.

"This was one of the first tracks I wrote for the new record and for me it encapsulates the vibe of the whole album – both the highs and the lows. This one is definitely a high tho' – a proper, blessed-out, euphoric monster," says Chapman of writing "I Dream Of Crystal."

Turning The Mind, recorded with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas) at the Contino Rooms in London, is Maps' second album and follows the Mercury Prize shortlisted debut We Can Create (2007). - more on this story

Katatonia Launch Album Preview Site

Fresno Media reports: Sweden's Progressive venders of gloom and doom, Katatonia, have launched a mini-site for their forthcoming album, Night is the New Day, due out November 10th on Peaceville Records.

NightIsTheNewDay.com (link) contains an exclusive album teaser, interviews with the band, artwork, studio updates, and more. Fans that sign up for the Katatonia mailing list at NightIsTheNewDay.com will also receive a free download of a brand new track off the upcoming release, "Forsaker".

Night is the New Day is Katatonia's eighth studio album, and the follow up to their 2006 release, The Great Cold Distance. The artwork for Night is the New Day was done by Travis Smith, whom also produced the art for The Great Cold Distance, as well as numerous other Katatonia albums. Following the completion of the album, Katatonia will head out on a European tour with the likes of Porcupine Tree and Paradise Lost. - more on this story

Winger Album and Tour Plans

Mazur reports: Frontiers Records proudly announces the release of Winger's fifth studio album entitled "Karma" on October 16 in Europe and October 27 in the USA.

Winger reunited after more than a decade in 2006 for the release of the successful come back album entitled "IV," a record that pushed the boundaries of Winger's classic sound to new heights, dealing with the concept of the military life and what it was like to be a soldier, from a soldier's perspective, leaving politics at the door. "After Winger 'IV' we toured the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan, during which we made a live record," said Kip Winger. "When the chance came up to do a new Winger record, I envisioned an upbeat totally rocking record that was a cross between the first Winger album and 'Pull.' So Reb and I sat down and wrote all the music in a month or so. I worked for six months to finish it in the classic Winger style."

The result is an amazing new record where the four band members, Kip Winger (bass and vocals), Reb Beach (guitars now also in Whitesnake), Rod Morgenstein, and John Roth, shine with an incredible instrumental and vocal prowess at the service of superb hard rock songs, but with an uncanny sense of melody. The title itself, "Karma," represents Winger completing its full musical circle, as Kip Winger explained, "We were discussing the very interesting path the band has had and we have all been through so much together. So we went for 'Karma,' as this is a word that truly sums up the experience of being in the band." - more on this story

The Decemberists To Unveil Here Come The Waves: The Hazards Of Love Visualized

PR reports: On October 19, The Decemberists will unveil Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized, a special project that takes their ambitious and acclaimed song cycle to new heights for it's final American performance at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles. This unique live experience will feature The Decemberists in collaboration with four filmmakers—Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka and Santa Maria—each of whom have created animation to accompany a section of the music. Presented in association with Flux, the event will also be a benefit for The GRAMMY Foundation®'s Grammy In The Schools music education programs for high school students.

At Royce Hall, The Decemberists will perform the entire piece synchronized with the animation, as well as an additional second set of older and newer material. - more on this story

Silversun Pickups Add More Dates

PR reports: Silversun Pickups have been headlining shows all across the country, with several high-profile performances at festivals along the way, and will be extending their U.S. tour deep into the fall.

Support for this second leg will come from Cage the Elephant, who are currently opening for the foursome, and Australian duo An Horse who will replace Manchester Orchestra.

Earlier today, MTV premiered the band's video for "Substitution," the second single from sophomore LP, Swoon (Dangerbird Records). Directed by The Malloys (White Stripes, Wolfmother, Jonas Brothers), the clip features the quartet as the house band to a fierce competition between a handful of beautiful women as they vie for the trophy in a game of musical chairs. - more on this story

Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard Kerouac Concerts

PR reports: Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard will perform songs from their collaborative album One Fast Move Or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur, along with other surprise material, at four concerts in October, underscoring the influential author's enduring legacy 40 years after his death on October 21, 1969.

The band features Jay Farrar (Son Volt), Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service), Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie), Mark Spencer (Son Volt) and Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould, The Mountain Goats).

One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur (F-Stop/Atlantic) features 12 original songs composed and performed by Farrar and Gibbard, with lyrics based on the prose of Jack Kerouac's landmark 1962 novel Big Sur. The album will be released October 20 along with a feature-length documentary of the same title in which both Gibbard and Farrar appear. - more on this story

We Are The City Hitting The Road

Must Be Santa reports: With a studio date looming close, Kelowna, BC's We Are The City realized they were going to need some financial support to raise enough money to record an album. They launched a donation page with four different packages and through the online assistance of their loyal fans were able to raise enough money to put towards album costs.

Released in May earlier this year In A Quiet World has won the band new fans, great reviews, and given those donations a true sense of existence.

Now set to tour Canada, We Are The City is a three piece progressive indie rock act featuring three young composers. Cayne McKenzie (vocals, keys), David Menzel (guitar), and Andy Huculiak (drums) paint out a sincere and beautiful interpretation of life; exploring evocative sounds and storytelling. Cayne has been classically trained in piano for eight years and playing for twelve, and David and Andy are both self-taught musicians. - more on this story

. U2 Live in Chicago Night Two (With Photos)

Early on in U2s second 360 Tour show at Soldier Field in Chicago (their second North American show) Bono told the crowd Weve got new songs, weve got old songs, weve got songs weve never played before. It was an ostentatious proclamation that could have meant several things - Read the full U2 Live in Chicago Night Two (With Photos) review

. Rock Reads: Precious Metal -: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Precious Metal is a collection of twenty-five interview pieces that have already graced the pages of the magazine in conjunction with an album being inducted into dBs Hall of Fame. (3 stars) - Read the full Rock Reads: Precious Metal -: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces review

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