SOTD: "Coast of Carolina" - Telekinesis

Band Of Horses - Carnegie Hall - On Sale TODAY

Band of Horses tickets for their acoustic show at Carnegie Hall on June 11th go on sale this morning at 11am HERE.

A note from the band: *IMPORTANT - you should register yourself with the Carnegie Hall website in advance of the onsale. It takes a few minutes and will save you time when purchasing tickets.

SOTD: "People Got A Lotta Nerve" - Neko Case

Yeasayer Recording Blog

Yeasayer is working on some new material and keepi​ng a blog about​ the recor​ding proce​ss up in Woods​tock that you can find HERE.

It will be updat​ed with rando​m news,​ image​s,​ etc.

Should be some great stuff in there, I'm really excited to hear their new material.

No Doubt Tour Dates

No Doubt has announced their 2009 summer tour dates, all the info HERE.

No Doubt 2009 Summer Tour:

5/03/2009 East Rutherford, NJ - Meadowlands Sports Complex (Bamboozle Festival)
5/16/2009 Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center (Tiger Jam XII)
5/19/2009 Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
5/20/2009 Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Arena
5/22/2009 San Diego, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
5/23/2009 Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
5/25/2009 Salt Lake City, UT - The E Center
5/27/2009 Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
5/28/2009 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
5/30/2009 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
5/31/2009 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/02/2009 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
6/03/2009 West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
6/05/2009 Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
6/06/2009 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/08/2009 Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
6/10/2009 Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/11/2009 Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
6/13/2009 Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/14/2009 Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
6/16/2009 Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
6/17/2009 Montreal, QC - Centre Bell
6/19/2009 Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
6/20/2009 Boston, MA - Comcast Center
6/24/2009 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
6/26/2009 Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center *** ON SALE TBD
6/27/2009 Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
6/29/2009 Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
7/02/2009 Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheater (Summerfest)
7/03/2009 Detroit, MI - Palace Of Auburn Hills
7/05/2009 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
7/06/2009 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
7/08/2009 St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/10/2009 Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
7/11/2009 Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/13/2009 Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
7/15/2009 Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
7/16/2009 Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
7/18/2009 Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
7/19/2009 Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
7/21/2009 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
7/24/2009 Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
7/25/2009 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/31/2009 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/01/2009 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

SOTD: "Eleanor" - Shannon Worrell w/ Dave Matthews

Back when I was in college I used to listen to a lot of the bands on Aware Records.....From Good Homes, Everything, Vertical Horizon, Edwin McCain, etc. They put out a bunch of compilations and one of my favorites was Aware II, which featured this great song "Eleanor" by Shannon Worrell, with guest vocals by a young "up and coming" singer named Dave Matthews. Hope you enjoy this one....

SOTD (Song Of The Day) Spreadsheet

Last night I sat down with my team (haha) and made a spreadsheet detailing all the SOTD's by date, band and song. It's a good tool for me because I'm getting to the point where I'm forgetting if I've put certain songs up (this is a good thing, right?!?!). If anyone wants a copy, just send me an email at "thetremagazine@gmail.com" and I'd be happy to send you a copy.

It's an excel file so it should be easy to navigate, each year is seperated on a different page/tab. It's a good way to see everything that's been listed to date and might give you some stuff to download on itunes if you're looking for some new music.

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop: San Francisco

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop will be playing this Friday night, the 27th, at the Noise Pop '09 Festival. Tickets are available HERE. I highly recommend seeing this if you're in the area, sounds like a good Friday night out.

SOTD: "Moon" - Dada

Most people probably remember this band for the songs "Dizz Knee Land" and "Dim" which were pretty popular in the mid-90s, but this is my favorite.

DMB European Tour Dates

I know there's some European readers on board so this might be of interest. A few DMB tour dates for the summer:

DATE CITY VENUE
Thu, Jun 25 London, England Brixton Academy
Wed, Jul 1 Paris, France L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix
Tue, Jul 7 Amsterdam, Netherlands Heineken Music Hall

Band of Horses - New Tour Dates

Band of Horse​s have announced some new tour dates,​ inclu​ding a Speci​al Acous​tic Perfo​rmanc​e at the legen​dary Carne​gie Hall in New York City.​ Ticke​ts for the shows​ below​ go on sale this weeke​nd.​

Speci​al guest​s Arbou​retum​ will suppo​rt on all shows​ below​ (​excep​t Bonna​roo)​:​

June 10th – Norfo​lk,​ VA – The Norva​
June 11th – New York,​ NY – Carne​gie Hall - Speci​al Acous​tic Perfo​rmanc​e
June 12th – Balti​more,​ MD – Ram’s​ Head Live
June 14th – Manch​ester​,​ TN – Bonna​roo Festi​val Ticke​ts on sale now at www. bonna​roo.​ com
June 16th – Ashev​ille,​ NC – Orang​e Peel
June 17th – Charl​otte,​ NC – Neigh​borho​od Theat​re
June 18th – Myrtl​e Beach​,​ SC – House​ of Blues​

SOTD: "Pain" - Jimmy Eat World

Great to see these guys touring again. They hit NYC tonight......

U2 - "No Line on the Horizon" Stream

U2 is streaming their new album, "No Line on the Horizon" on Myspace, check it out HERE.

NYC Area Concerts week of 2/23

2/23 Jimmy Eat World @ Terminal 5
2/25 tapes 'n tapes @ Bowery Ballroom
2/25 Thievery Corporation @ Terminal 5
2/25 Ben Kweller @ Town Hall
2/25 Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, Harlem Shakes @ Webster Hall
2/26 Thievery Corporation @ Terminal 5
2/26 tapes 'n tapes, Wild Light @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/26 Toad The Wet Sprocket @ Webster Hall
2/27 Blitzen Trapper @ Bowery Ballroom
2/27 And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/27 David Byrne @ Radio City Music Hall
2/28 Final Fantasy, Grizzly Bear @ BAM
2/28 And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead @ Bowery Ballroom
2/28 David Byrne @ Radio City Music Hall
2/28 Blitzen Trapper @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
3/1 Anya Marina, Greg Laswell @ Canal Room

SOTD: "Atlantic City" - Bruce Springsteen

An appropriate song for hitting the road (and hopefully 21) this weekend......and one of my favorite Bruce songs to boot!

DMB Summer Tour Dates

DMB Summer Tour Dates

DATE CITY VENUE SUPPORT
05/27/09 Darien Center, NY Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center Robert Randolph & The Family Band
05/29/09 Boston, MA TBA TBA
05/30/09 Boston, MA TBA TBA
06/05/09 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/06/09 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/09/09 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Molson Amphitheatre Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/10/09 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Parc Jean Drapeau Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
06/12/09 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center The Hold Steady
06/13/09 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center The Hold Steady
06/16/09 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center The Hold Steady
06/17/09 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre The Hold Steady
06/19/09 Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion The Hold Steady
06/20/09 Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion The Hold Steady
07/18/09 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre Umphrey's McGee
07/19/09 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre Umphrey's McGee
07/21/09 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Old Crow Medicine Show
07/22/09 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Old Crow Medicine Show
07/24/09 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium Jason Mraz
07/28/09 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre Old Crow Medicine Show
07/29/09 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Old Crow Medicine Show
07/31/09 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center Hill Country Revue
08/01/09 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center Hill Country Revue
08/04/09 Syracuse, NY Alliance Bank Stadium Donovan Frankenreiter
08/05/09 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Donovan Frankenreiter
08/07/09 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater Donovan Frankenreiter
08/08/09 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge Donovan Frankenreiter
08/12/09 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre Robert Earl Keen
08/14/09 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre Robert Earl Keen
08/15/09 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre Robert Earl Keen
08/29/09 San Francisco, CA TBA TBA
08/30/09 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center TBA
09/01/09 West Valley City, UT USANA Amphitheatre Yonder Mountain String Band
09/04/09 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band
09/05/09 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band
09/06/09 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band
09/12/09 Chula Vista, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre Switchfoot
09/13/09 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Switchfoot
09/19/09 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain TBA
09/22/09 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center Robert Randolph & The Family Band
09/23/09 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center Robert Randolph & The Family Band
09/25/09 Des Moines, IA Principal Park Robert Randolph & The Family Band
09/26/09 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre TBA
09/29/09 Little Rock, AR Dickey-Stephens Park TBA
09/30/09 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center TBA
10/02/09 Tulsa, OK BOK Center TBA

SOTD: "Maps" - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

War Child Heroes Compilation

War Child is issuing a compilation album called "Heroes" to benefit children affected by war. Artists such as Beck, Lily Allen, Rufus Wainwright and Franz Ferdinand are featured. Sounds like it could be pretty interesting.

SOTD: "Just Like You Imagined" - NIN

Nine Inch Nails & Jane's Addiction Tour 2009

Pretty exciting news that these two bands will be touring together later this year. Dates have not been released yet but should be a great tour. More info HERE.

SOTD: "Starlett Johansson" - The Teenagers

Pearl Jam - "Brother", "TEN" re-release, etc.

A little while back I wrote I bit about Pearl Jam's plans to reissue and remaster the album "TEN", along with their Unplugged DVD, etc. They're doing several promotional things to get ready for this special occasion, one of which is releasing the song "Brother" as a single to radio stations across the country.

"Brother" was a song recorded during the "TEN" sessions but obviously didn't make the cut on the album. It showed up on the B-sides album "Lost Dogs" a couple years ago, however it was just an instrumental version. I remember hearing a full version years ago but the quality wasn't very good so I'm really psyched to have this version on the way. You can hear it on Pearl Jam's Myspace page (along with some other tracks) and here's a youtube clip of the song with lyrics. Great stuff.

SOTD: "Chinese Translation"- M. Ward

NYC Area Concerts week of 2/16

2/16 The Von Bondies @ Mercury Lounge
2/16 Sara Bareilles @ Joe's Pub
2/17 Relentless 7 @ Highline Ballroom
2/17 Sara Bareilles @ Joe's Pub
2/18 Sam Roberts Band @ Bowery Ballroom
2/18 White Rabbits @ Mercury Lounge
2/18 Sara Bareilles @ Joe's Pub
2/19 M. Ward, Vivian Girls @ Apollo Theater
2/19 Leonard Cohen @ Beacon Theater
2/19 Demetri Martin @ Bowery Ballroom
2/19-20 Antony & The Johnsons @ Town Hall
2/20 Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin @ Beacon Theatre
2/20 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ Shubert Theater (CT)
2/20 Jess King @ National Underground
2/21 Delta Spirit, Other Lives @ Bowery Ballroom
2/21 Noah and the Whale @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/22 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ Wellmont Theater (NJ)

In The Rearview Mirror: John Mayer - "Why Did You Mess With Forever" - Feb. '01

Almost exactly eight years ago, John came home to Fairfield for a few days during a short break on his 2001 tour. Some of you may remember this tour, opening for Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket). I had just caught the show in Philadelphia a few days earlier and happened to be back in town when John returned home. When we found out he was coming back, we got about ten good friends together and gathered at our buddy (and Villanova Junction member) Joe Beleznay's house. John stopped by, acoustic guitar in hand, and gave us about a 2-hour impromptu show.

I had been recording a lot of stuff at the time so I had my little DAT recorder handy and set it up so we'd have something to remember the night. This was an exciting time for all of us, seeing a good friend getting his career off the ground, we all just had a feeling that John was destined for big things. Regardless of where you are in life, or where you're going, there's just certain things that you can't put a price tag on and I'm lucky to have some great memories of those early days.

The show consisted of about fifteen songs, some that are well known, some that aren't. Very few people have heard the recording from start to finish, mostly just the gang that was there that night as I've kept it pretty tight (and plan on keeping it that way). We nicknamed the session, "John Mayer @ the Beleznay Ballroom" and it's been something we've had fun listening to over the years.

"Why Did You Mess With Forever" was a song that John was working on and playing occasionally. Some of you may have been lucky enough to hear it at an early show or on a bootleg, but I thought this might be cool since there's absolutely zero crowd noise, almost like a demo version. I decided to load it online this evening and took some "creative liberties" with the set design on the video below. Hope you enjoy this, have a great weekend.

SOTD: "Seasons" - Chris Cornell

From my favorite soundtrack of all time......"Singles". So many great songs on this album.

Coldplay on 60 Minutes

This past Sunday, Coldplay was featured on 60 Minutes. If you missed it and want to check out the interview, follow this link and you should be able to see the video.

SOTD: "Sacred Stones" - Sean Kelly

Sean Kelly was the former lead singer of a band called The Samples, one of my favorite groups ever. Many people have probably never heard of them but they've got a ton of great songs. Definitely check them out when you get a minute.

Brett Dennen @ Webster Hall - 2/11/09

Last night I walked over to Webster Hall to see Brett Dennnen in concert. I have some good friends that work with him so it's always fun to see him knowing that I'm going to see many of them too. I've seen Brett a couple times over the last year or so, on The Mayercraft and at Coachella specifically. Maybe that's one of the reasons I associate his music with being in some kind of tropical (or at least warm) festival-type atmosphere, but I think it kind of matches the mood.

Brett's got a real upbeat sound and the sold-out show had a good vibe with people bouncing along in the crowd. It was definitely a change seeing him perform indoors in a smaller venue, but his voice and band sounded strong and it seemed like everyone had a great time. I've always liked the song, "Ain't No Reason" so it was good to hear that again but I really liked the live version of "Make You Crazy" off his latest album. There was a cool sing-along part where Brett sings, "It's enough to make you go crazy...." and the crowd responded, "Whoa-oh-oh-oh", people were definitely into it.



Standing up in the balcony I had a good view of the crowd and it really seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves. Probably hard to leave a Brett Dennen concert disappointed, just the kind of music makes you leave with a smile on your face. Just the kind of thing people are looking for in these times.

William Elliot Whitmore In-Store Performances

I'm pretty excited to get my hands on William Elliot Whitmore's album "Animals in the Dark" next week and it looks like he'll be doing some in-store performances across the country. Try to check one out if he's in your area, he's an excellent performer.

Insto​re @ Lauri​e'​s,​ Chica​go 2/20 @ 6pm 4639 North​ Linco​ln Avenu​e Chica​go,​ IL 60625​

Insto​re @ Love Garde​n,​ Lawre​nce 2/23 @ 6PM 936 1/2 Massa​chuse​tts Stree​t Lawre​nce,​ KS

Insto​re @ Vinta​ge Vinyl​ St Louis​ 2/25 @ 6pm 6610 Delma​r Ave , St. Louis​,​ MO 63130​

Insto​re @ Cactu​s recor​ds 3/2 @ 6pm 2110 Ports​mouth​ Houst​on,​ TX 77098​

Insto​re @​Park Ave, Orlan​do 3/6 @​6:​00 2916 Corri​ne Dr. Orlan​do,​ FL 32803​

Insto​re @ Crimi​nal Atlan​ta,​ GA 3/8 @​7:​00 1154-​A Eucli​d Ave NE Atlan​ta,​ GA 30307​

The National Tour Dates

The National have announced May tour dates, tickets will be available HERE.

21 May: Kool Haus,​ Toron​to (​on-​sale Feb 14th @ 10:​00 AM)
22 May: Metro​polis​,​ Montr​eal (​on-​sale Feb 13th @ Noon)​
23 May: House​ of Blues​,​ Bosto​n (​on-​sale Feb 20th @ 10AM)​
24 May: 9:30 Club,​ DC (​on-​sale Feb 14th @ 10AM)​
25 May: 9:30 Club,​ DC (​on-​sale Feb 14th @ 10AM)​
27 May: Varie​ty Playh​ouse,​ Atlan​ta (​on-​sale Feb 13th @ NOON)​
28 May: Linco​ln Theat​er,​ Ralei​gh (​on-​sale Feb 13th @ Noon)​
29 May: Elect​ric Facto​ry,​ Phila​delph​ia (​on-​sale Feb 20th @ 10AM)​

SOTD: "In My Place" - Coldplay

I don't listen to these guys as much as I used to, haven't seen them in concert in about six years. Always really liked this song.

Chris Cornell Tour Dates

Former Soundgarden and Audioslave lead singer Chris Cornell will go back out on the road for a tour supporting his solo album. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this new direction (working with Timbaland?) but I loved his Euphoria Morning tour years ago.

Here's the dates:

March 27 : Austin, TX – Stubbs Bar-B-Q
March 28 : Dallas, TX – House of Blues
March 29 : Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
March 31 : New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
April 1 : Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
April 3 : Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
April 4 : Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
April 5 : Washington DC – 9:30 Club
April 7 : New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 8 : New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 10 : Boston, MA – House of Blues
April 11 : Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
April 13 : Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
April 14 : Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater
April 15 : Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre
April 17 : Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
April 18 : St Paul, MN – MYTH
April 19 : Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater

SOTD: "Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star

Friday Night Part II - Bulgarian Bar

Last Friday night, after the Beirut show in Brooklyn, my buddy JayT and I decided to make a trip to Mehanata - The Bulgarian Bar. Word was that Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello was going to be DJing so we figured we'd check out the scene. Needless to say we had a great time, really a fun place with people dancing everywhere.

We spotted Eugene downstairs before he started his set and I said hello and introduced myself. I was pretty pumped last week to find out that someone had passed on my review of their documentary which he then posted to his Twitter account. I thanked him and when I explained that I was the guy that wrote the review, he was certainly appreciative and we shared a couple good laughs. Reason #1,254 why it's great to live in New York City.

Reminder: Lily Allen @ Bowery Ballroom TONIGHT

Reminder that Lily Allen will be performing tonight for FREE at the Bowery Ballroom. More info HERE.

SOTD: "A Song for the Lovers" - Richard Ashcroft

Beirut @ BAM Opera House - 2/6/09

Friday night I met up with some friends over in Brooklyn to see Beirut at the BAM Opera House. This was my first trip to the BAM campus in a few years, the last time for the DMB Storytellers filming. For those of you that haven't been to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, it's just a short subway trip out of Manhattan and comprised of several buildings. The Opera House is a beautiful venue, both from the exterior and interior. You enter into a main lobby and can proceed upstairs where there's a large bar/cafe just outside the opera house (feels like you're in a furnished airplane hanger).



A lot of elements about the venue make it feel like you're seeing a broadway play instead of a typical concert. Just before the show begins, they ring a bell that alerts you that the band is going to come on. You need to finish your drinks in the cafe area because none are allowed in the theater (not such a bad thing to keep people seated during the performance(s). We were ushered in and seated in the center of the first balcony, a pretty good view of the stage.

The band promptly came on and the first thing I noticed was how few members there were. When I saw Beirut last year at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, I think there were at least ten people on stage......this time only six. After the first song, Zach Condon asked the crowd to come closer so a ton of people in orchestra seating rushed the stage making it look like a general admission area by the time everyone had filed in. They continued the set with a pretty solid group of older songs with a few new ones sprinkled in.



About have way through the show, the band invited the Vassar Orchestra on stage to join them. This was a pretty big group (maybe 30 people) consisting of strings, brass, saxophones, etc. I thought this really brought a cool element to the show and definitely added to songs like "A Sunday Smile" and "Scenic World".



The band played for about an hour and a half and overall, it was definitely a good concert. The crowd around us was really respectful, people were glued to their seats and you could hear everything clearly (great acoustics in the theater). Personally, I think I liked seeing them more in a small general-admission type setting but this was something different and I still enjoyed it.

NYC Area Concerts week of 2/9

2/10 Lily Allen, Matt & Kim @ Bowery Ballroom
2/10 Razorlight @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
2/10 The Morning Benders, The Submarines @ Mercury Lounge
2/11 Brett Dennen @ Webster Hall
2/11 The Submarines, The Morning Benders, Dawn Landes @ The Bell House
2/13 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Chairlift @ BAM
2/13-14 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings @ Nokia Theater
2/14-15 Los Campesinos! @ Bowery Ballroom
2/15 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson @ Death By Audio

Bonus SOTD: "Where The Streets Have No Name" - Eddie Vedder

Had to get this up before the weekend, hopefully it stays online. This is Eddie Vedder covering U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" at The Best Western Hotel in Arizona during Karaoke night. I guess he was in town for the Cubs Fantasy Camp. Cool stuff!

New Kings of Leon Tour Dates

Kings of Leon has announced new tour dates, you can get all the details HERE.

2009/4/19 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
ONSALE 2/13

2009/4/21 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
ONSALE 2/20

2009/4/22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Palumbo
ONSALE 2/13

2009/4/24 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
ONSALE 2/20

2009/4/25 - Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum
ONSALE 2/13

2009/4/27 - Norfolk, VA - Constant Convocation Center @ ODU
ONSALE 2/14

2009/4/28 - Raleigh, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre
ONSALE 2/20

2009/4/30 - Charlotte, NC - Bojangles' Coliseum
ONSALE 2/20

2009/5/04 - St Augustine, FL - St Augustine Amphitheatre
ONSALE 2/14

2009/5/05 - Orlando, FL - UCF Arena
ONSALE 2/13

2009/5/07 - Miami, FL - Bank United
ONSALE 2/13

2009/5/08 - Tampa, FL - Sundome
ONSALE 2/13

2009/5/10 - Charleston, SC - North Charleston Coliseum
ONSALE 2/13

2009/5/12 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion
ONSALE 2/14

2009/5/13 - Cleveland, OH - Tower City
ONSALE 2/13

2009/5/19 - Phoenix, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre
ONSALE 2/14

2009/5/21 - San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic
ONSALE 2/22

Relentless 7 @ Highline Ballroom

Ben Harper's group will be back in town next Tuesday at the Highline Ballroom. Tix go on sale Saturday at noon right HERE (scroll down to Feb. 17th).

SOTD: "Homecoming" - Kanye West

Ray Lamontagne Tix

Tickets for Ray Lamontagne's show at the Wellmont Theatre on 4/2 go on sale this morning at 10am. You can get them HERE, but they'll go quickly. Good luck!

Free Lily Allen Show - Tuesday 2/10 NYC

Lily Allen (and Matt & Kim) will play a free show at Bowery Ballroom next Tuesday night (2/10). It will be first come, first serve, so get there early if you're interested in going.

SOTD: "Sometime Around Midnight" - The Airborne Toxic Event

Red Bull Snowscrapers

This should be a pretty cool event to attend if you're in NYC tonight. Admission is free and Anthrax will be playing.

SNOWSCRAPERS

SOTD: "The Noose" - A Perfect Circle

Tom Gabel covers The Boss

Here's a pretty cool link of Tom Gabel (Against Me) covering Bruce Springsteen's "Reason to Believe".

Gabel vs Springsteen

Frightened Rabbit @ Le Poisson Rouge 2/2/09

Monday night I took a trip downtown with some friends to see Frightened Rabbit at Le Poisson Rouge. I've been trying to see these guys for about six months now but haven't had much luck so I was excited to finally get my chance. This was also my first trip to Le Poisson Rouge, which is a pretty nice place. The venue almost has more of a club/lounge feel than most of the regular spots I go to see shows, pretty intimate with a general admission area in front of a small stage. I'd say there were only a few hundred people in attendance and the place was pretty packed, we stood towards the back but had a good viewpoint of the stage.

For those of you unfamiliar with Frightened Rabbit, they're a quartet from Scotland made up of Scott Hutchison (vocals, guitar), Grant Hutchison (drums, vocals), Billy Kennedy (guitar, keyboards, bass) and Andy Monaghan (keyboards, guitar, bass). They've been getting some major buzz over the last year and from this show I could clearly see why.

The show was billed as an "acoustic all-request" concert and basically what happened is that people would write down songs they wanted to hear and literally hand them to the band. Frightened Rabbit kicked off the set with "Backwards Walk", which made Scott crack, "are we really starting off with this song?" (or something like that.....it got a laugh from the crowd). There wasn't a ton of banter but right from the first notes you could tell that the guys were going to put on an excellent show. As the concert went on, people just started yelling out their favorites and the band accommodated the crowd by playing just about everything that was thrown at them. Highlights for me would include, "Poke", "The Modern Leper", "The Twist" and my favorite, "Keep Yourself Warm". One other really cool moment was when they broke into a cover of The National's "Fake Empire" (see video below).

As the show started to wind down, I was thinking how well the songs translated live. They've got some really cool harmonies and the combination of the guitars, drums, and keyboard just works, like a perfect blend. I don't know if I can describe it exactly but it's just a very "full" sound, there's a lot going on but nothing seems forced. Definitely check out some of the tracks mentioned above, I think you'll really enjoy their sound.



One last note, my buddy Chuck and I hung around for awhile after the show and got to speak with the band. They are a really nice group of guys, very down to earth and gracious. I was appreciative that they took some time to speak with us and it felt more like hanging out with some old friends, definitely a cool thing. This was the last show of their US tour so it looks like they'll be heading back to Europe. Keep your eyes peeled, I can see them playing some nice sized venues next time they return to the States.

Dark Was The Night Listening Party

This Friday (2/6), Stanton Public will host a listening party for "Dark Was The Night". This should be a cool event, those DJ sets look good too.

SOTD: "Darlin Do Not Fear" - Brett Dennen

Bonnaroo 2009

The initial Bonnaroo lineup was just released, and let me say........WOW! So far, so good......real good.

BONNAROO

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Phish (2 shows) Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails David Byrne Wilco Al Green Snoop Dogg Elvis Costello Solo Erykah Badu Paul Oakenfold Ben Harper and Relentless7 The Mars Volta TV on the Radio Yeah Yeah Yeahs Gov't Mule Andrew Bird Band of Horses Merle Haggard MGMT moe. The Decemberists Girl Talk Bon Iver Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate Rodrigo y Gabriela Galactic The Del McCoury band of Montreal Allen Toussaint Coheed & Cambria Booker T & the DBTs David Grisman Quintet Lucinda Williams Animal Collective Gomez Neko Case Down Jenny Lewis Santogold Robert Earl Keen Citizen Cope Femi Kuti and the Positive Force The Ting Tings Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 Kaki King Grizzly Bear King Sunny Adé Okkervil River St. Vincent Zac Brown Band Raphael Saadiq Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Crystal Castles Tift Merritt Brett Dennen Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue Toubab Krewe People Under The Stairs Alejandro Escovedo Vieux Farka Touré Elvis Perkins in Dearland Cherryholmes Yeasayer Todd Snider Chairlift Portugal. The Man. The SteelDrivers Midnite The Knux The Low Anthem Delta Spirit A.A. Bondy The Lovell Sisters Alberta Cross More Artists to Be Announced!

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop

On Saturday night, I took a trip downtown to see the new Gogol Bordello Documentary, "Gogol Bordello Non-Stop". A new venue, 92Y Tribeca, was hosting the screening and it's a pretty nice little place. We were scheduled to see the 9pm show so we had to wait a bit in the cafe area while the 7pm show was wrapping up. Just before 9pm, they ushered us into a small theater, I'd guess there were maybe 150-200 people in the room so it was a pretty tight group. A woman from the theater staff came out to introduce the movie and let us know that the director, Margarita Jimeno, was also there and we'd have a short Q&A session after the movie.....and off we went.

"Gogol Bordello Non-Stop" documents the band's rise from New York City local band to a group that now headlines international festivals. The early footage gives us the history of lead singer Eugene Hutz, his travels from the Ukraine to the United States and his early struggles trying to get on his feet. We get to see early performances at the Bulgarian Bar, impromptu jam sessions with Manu Chao and the detailed formation of Gogol Bordello. As the movie progresses, we get to know the band members and learn how the group was assembled through a series of strange and random encounters.

The footage spans a great deal of the band's career, from early performances in the late 90s to recent shows around the world with rabid fans. There's a lot of behind the scenes footage too, interviews with the band members, shots from within their van traveling across the US, studio session clips and just some great and hilarious candid footage with Eugene. Probably the funniest clip is taken from a home video of Eugene as a kid in the 80s dancing to Michael Jackson in his parent's apartment.....there's actually quite a few funny scenes that had the audience laughing.

When Margarita came out for the Q&A session, I asked if there were any plans to take the documentary across the country to other cities. They said that there are plans but they're not solidified yet...... there may be some coordination when the band tours to show it in those cities.

We also found out that they've entered the movie into several festivals and were going to be traveling quite a bit with it......even down to Mexico and Argentina, and perhaps Chile.

The guitarist, Oren Kaplan, was sitting next to us and they also brought him down in front during the Q&A. Someone asked him what the new material's going to sound like and he said "Spaghetti", which got a laugh out of the crowd. He said that Eugene is living down in Brazil and we'll hear some of those influences on the new album that they're going to start recording soon.

I don't want to give too much away, the documentary is about 85 minutes long but seemed to go by quicker than that. It's extremely entertaining and I think any fan of the band would like it, and to be honest I think people that are just fans of music would find it enjoyable.

SOTD: "Mr. Bobby" - Manu Chao

"Sometimes I say: one day
One day my dreams will be reality"

Bruce Springsteen On Sale TODAY

Several Springsteen shows go on sale this morning at 10 am, sure these will go quickly:

- Hartford Friday 4/24: HERE

- Long Island Monday 5/4: HERE

- New Jersey Thursday 5/21: HERE

- New Jersey Saturday 5/23: HERE

NYC Area Concerts week of 2/2

Very excited for one of the best weeks of music I can remember here in NYC. Going to be busy......

2/2 Frightened Rabbit @ Le Poisson Rouge
2/2 Lykke Li @ Webster Hall
2/3 Zac Brown Band @ Bowery Ballroom
2/3 Lykke Li @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/3 Jewel @ The Wellmont Theatre
2/4 Passion Pit @ Bowery Ballroom
2/4 James Morrison, Erin McCarley @ Highline Ballroom
2/4 Beirut @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/4 The Fray @ Webster Hall
2/5 Matt Wertz @ Highline Ballroom
2/6 The Black Keys, Heartless Bastards, Lucero @ Terminal 5
2/6 Cat Power @ Apollo Theater
2/6 Beirut @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
2/7 Gene Ween Band @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
2/7 The Black Keys, Heartless Bastards, Lucero @ Terminal 5
2/7 Cat Power @ Apollo Theater
2/7 Beirut @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
2/8 The Black Keys @ The Wellmont Theatre