AM Taxi Mistake This Weekend, Warped This Summer

Recorded in Austin, TX, with renowned producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Patty Griffin, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead), AM Taxi's major label bow, We Don't Stand a Chance, offers a variety of different styles, from old-school punk to world beat and modern pop. "The Mistake" is a heart-on-the-sleeve confessional that recalls the Replacements, while "Fed Up" is a Springsteen-by-way-of-The Hold Steady classic rock raver, "Dead Street" sports a Police-styled world beat and "Sharissa" a Clash-esque reggae rhythm. - more on this story

Ken Will Morton Sets New Album Release

On February 16, 2010, Sojourn Records will release "True Grit," the fifth solo release from the Athens, GA-based singer/songwriter Ken Will Morton. Sojourn Records is a New York City-based indie label distributed via SONY/Red.

"True Grit" features twelve original songs by Morton. It was recorded at The Madhouse in Queens, NY, and produced by Mark Ambrosino, a renowned percussionist (Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Trans Siberian Orchestra) ), producer (Danny Kalb, Theo Eastwind) and a co-owner of Sojourn Records. Guest players include: Dave Richards on bass (Indigo Girls, Jane Kelly Williams); Dave Morgan on keyboards (Wynton Marsalis, Peter Himmelman); Tom Laverack on guitars and piano; and Ambrosino on drums, percussion and vocals. The CD was mastered at Gateway Mastering in Portland, ME.

Morton is an accomplished artist with six releases under his belt. His songwriting and unique voice has been heralded by No Depression, Harp, Paste Magazine, An Honest Tune, American Songwriter, Southeast Performer, Performing Songwriter, Relix, Blues Matters, Vintage Guitar, Georgia Music Magazine and more. In April of 2008, his song "Oh Lord" was prominently featured in the TV show The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel. - more on this story

Melissa Auf der Maur New Project Features Danzig, Chris Goss, Alan Molder and More

Melissa Auf der Maur has premiered the first music video from her current multimedia project of the same name, "Out of Our Minds". Directed by Tony Stone, the stylishly noir video features MAdM on a mysterious journey into the woods after her car crashes.

Out of Our Minds (OOOM), also includes a solo record that will be released on March 23rd 2010. Consisting of 12 powerful tracks produced and mixed by top-flight collaborators including Jordon Zadorozny (Sam Roberts), Chris Goss (QOTSA, UNKLE), Alan Molder (Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins), and Mike Frazer (Franz Ferdinand, ACDC), the album also features a special duet with legendary Goth rocker, Glenn Danzig.

Out of Our Minds is MAdM's long awaited second solo album, which also extends into a 28-minute, HD film starring and conceived by MAdM, as well as a limited edition comic book and matching Picture Disc Vinyl illustrated by Jack Forbes from Brooklyn, NY. - more on this story

The Plimsouls Live Album Coming Soon, Free MP3 Here Now

Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal showcases The Plimsouls at the height of their power, tearing the roof off and on the verge of starting a riot on L.A.'s old Sunset Strip. Recorded at the Whisky A Go Go on October 31, 1981, this previously unreleased 18 song live album includes many of The Plimsouls' classics as well as plenty of surprises. It has been stunningly remastered, features previously unpublished and gorgeous photos by renowned photographer Bob Matheu, and also includes three pummeling tracks ("New Orleans," "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" and "Run Run Run") with special guests The Fleshtones.

The album will be in-stores (in both vinyl and CD) and digitally online through Alive Records on February 23rd. The first vinyl pressing of the record will also include a poster and is limited to 1,000 copies. Considering that all of The Plimsouls official studio releases are currently out of print, this explosive live document of the band igniting The Whisky nearly three decades ago stands as not only a highly anticipated release from the band, but also as a testament to the power of pure, unadulterated rock & roll.

Formed in 1978 by Peter Case (vocals, guitar) following his departure from The Nerves and The Breakaways, with Louie Ramirez (drums), Dave Pahoa (bass) and Eddie Muñoz (guitar), The Plimsouls effectively blended roots, British Invasion and garage rock into one unique soul-punk, garage-pop combo. "They boasted a soulful front man and gifted songwriter in Peter Case; a brittle, unconventional lead guitarist in Eddie Muñoz; and a gutsy, power-packed rhythm section in bassist Dave Pahoa and drummer Lou Ramirez. The 'Souls didn't just replicate the cliches of power pop, as so many others did – they, and especially Case, were intent on putting their own imprint on the rock and R&B styles they derived their sound from. Their keen originality and their 'let's-rock' attitude removed them from the run of the mill. Despite the misguided notions of observers intent upon categorization, The Plimsouls were always their own men." — Chris Morris

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The Sounds Beatbox Now Online

The Sounds are thrilled to announce the debut of their new video "Beatbox", the next single off of their album Crossing The Rubicon, out now on Original Signal Recordings.

The video is directed by Manuel Concha, of Concha Films and was filmed and produced in Sweden. Earlier this year, The Sounds completed an European arena tour with Fall Out Boy and a US Amphitheatre tour with No Doubt.

The Sounds have captivated fans around the world by playing more than 700 shows, selling out major venues in over 25 countries worldwide. Praised for their "smart, perfectly calibrated indie electro" by Spin Magazine and their "chic new-wave synths, glittering hooks and pop-savvy beats" by Alternative Press, The Sounds' ambition and irresistible songs have taken the band from playing small clubs in their hometown of Helsingborg to entertaining legions around the world. - Watch It Here

Manchester Orchestra Solo Project Gobotron Set Debut Release

On January 19th, the debut album from Gobotron, the solo project of guitarist Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra, will be released digitally via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings. A personal pet project two years in the making, ON YOUR MARK, GET SET... is a purposeful blend of blown out distortion mixed with saccharine sweet poppy hooks and choruses that will make fans of bands like The Lemonheads pucker up for joy.

Gobotron started in the summer of 2008 in the basement of Robert McDowell's parent's house in Atlanta, Georgia. Manchester Orchestra was off the road and McDowell was anxious to creatively move in a new direction aside from working with the band. "I had been a bit lazy when we got off tour. I wasn't recording or writing at all then, so I went to Guitar Center and got a little MIDI controller and just started messing around," he said. "I didn't even really tell anyone I was doing the album until it was done. It was just me alone in my parent's basement."

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET... is a true one-man army of an album with McDowell doing all of the writing, playing and recording himself. Mixed and mastered a full year later in the summer of 2009, he's been busy circling the world the past year with Manchester Orchestra in support of their critically acclaimed sophomore effort Mean Everything To Nothing. "Once I was done creating the album in 2008, Manchester Orchestra went directly into pre-production for our new album. It wasn't until the next summer that I was even able to start mixing Gobotron," McDowell states. "It was nice to be able to work on this solo, because for the past few years everything musically that I was part of was a team of people. I think that's the way it should be, but it's also good to occasionally try approaching things the exact opposite way." - more on this story

Ike Reilly Sets CD Release

In response to the outpouring of fan requests and the success of the download version, Rock Ridge Music will be releasing Ike Reilly's latest album, "Hard Luck Stories," in CD format on February 16, 2010. The digital version of the album was released November 23, 2009.

The songs on "Hard Luck Stories" were recorded in Chicago and produced by Reilly and Ed Tinley, featuring special guests like Shooter Jennings, and David Lowery and Johnny Hickman of Cracker, among others.

Two additional tracks not included on the digital version ("Flowers On Down" and "Broken Parakeet Blues" live) will be added to the CD version, making it a must-buy for all Reilly fans. - more on this story

Joan Armatrading Steppin' Out

On February 23, another gem will be excavated from the Rockpalast vaults, when Joan Armatrading's Steppin' Out is released by Eagle Rock Entertainment.

In 1980, this British singer-songwriter released her seminal album Me, Myself, I. Shortly after, this performance, her second within the year for the German television series, was filmed before a packed crowd at the Grugahalle in Essen.

A reflection upon her rapid ascent into commercial success and popular appeal, this DVD shows Armatrading truly Steppin' Out. Strapping on her guitar as she takes the stage, she regales the crowd with 15 of her strong, soulful tracks. Carried in her thick, full-bodied voice, these songs reverberate with zeal and passion. The DVD also includes an interview with Armatrading. - more on this story

Johnny A Sets Live CD/DVD Release

Virtuoso guitarist Johnny A. announces a March 9 release date on Aglaophone Records for One November Night, a two-disc DVD/CD set recorded live at Scullers in Boston. Filmed using five high definition cameras and recorded direct for amazing sound clarity, the new DVD/CD captures one of America's premier contemporary guitarists in an intimate setting for a truly special experience.

Both discs include many of his fans' favorites taken from Johnny A.'s two previous studio albums, Sometime Tuesday Morning (2001) and Get Inside (2004), including such songs as 'I Had to Laugh," "Tex Critter," "Two Wheel Horse," Lullabye for Nicole," "Ignorance Is Bliss" and "Get Inside." Also featured is the previously unrecorded "Jimi Jam," a sonic salute to Hendrix and such other iconic guitarists as Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.

The DVD also includes bonus interview segments, and concludes with his transcendent solo rendition of The Left Banke classic, "Walk Away Renee," filmed outdoors against a vibrant New England mountain sunset. - more on this story

Blue Bella Records Offer Up 4 Blues Releases Just In Time For St Paddy's Day

Blue Bella Records is making 2010 its biggest year ever, releasing four varied and exciting new releases on March 16, 2010. Nick Moss returns with his eighth studio album, Privileged, while The Kilborn Alley Blues Band offers up their third release on the imprint, Better Off Now. Blue Bella Records is also pleased to announce debuts by two new additions to the label: Cash Box Kings with I-94 Blues and Matthew Stubbs with Medford & Main. All CDs will be distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution.

After seven critically-acclaimed traditional blues releases (along with two Blues Blast Music Award wins and 16 Blues Music Award nominations under his band's collective belt), Nick Moss is taking a fresh approach and heading in an exciting new direction on Privileged. As Blogcritic Josh Hathaway writes in the liner notes, "Privileged represents a change in direction but not inspiration. Before Nick met Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Dawkins and Lurrie Bell, he met their musical offspring in the form of Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Free, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Cream and other legends who drew their inspiration from Mississippi's Delta and the immortal treasures that sprang from his beloved nearby Chicago."

Moss has written some of the finest songs of his career, and by stretching beyond the traditional blues idiom, he has expanded his sound without losing his identity. That growth can be heard in the album's first track, "Born Leader" as well as new originals "Privileged At Birth" and "Tear 'Em Down." Those songs, combined with Moss' stunning covers of Cream's classic "Politician" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," continue the path Moss began with his award-winning song "Mistakes From The Past" (from 2007's Play It 'Til Tomorrow) to form a narrative that looks forward and back to assess current events. Perhaps Moss' greatest achievement on Privileged is creating a musical universe diverse enough to incorporate those topical songs with his more traditional side, represented by his cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Louise," and his original tune, "Georgia Redsnake." And what Moss album would be complete without the instrumental that puts Moss' skills as one of the top guitarists of his generation center stage? The eight-minute album closer, "Bolognious Funk," combines his incendiary lead with one of the hardest grooves he's ever recorded. - more on this story

. Rock Reads: Bam Margera's Serious as Dog Dirt

Having grown up just minutes outside of West Chester, PA, the relatively obscure little city that produced Bam Margera and the series Jackass, it is no small wonder that the fates have decided to drop me his book, Serious as Dog Dirt - Read the full Rock Reads: Bam Margera's Serious as Dog Dirt review

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