Office extends tour, releases
Get out of the office and go see Office. The Chicago-based quintet is nothing like the stiff-collared, memo-obsessed work environment that you may be accustomed to. These guys would be a perfect night cap to any tumultuous corporate day, and we love them so much here at Paste that we featured them as one of our Sept. 4 to Watch artists. With legions of fans already in Chicago, the indie-pop group hit the road this fall to take its super-fun tunes to the rest of the country. Now, the band has extended the tour into the winter. Office will pick... read more
Jason Schwartzman talks Darjeeling, playing Ringo
This one feels like the start of a beautiful friendship. Jason Schwartzman really embodies all of the things that make Paste feel warm and fuzzy inside: art cinema, rad tunes, and an association with Wes Anderson. Editor-in-chief Josh Jackson caught up with Mr. Schwartzman while he was in Atlanta promoting his new film with Anderson, The Darjeeling Limited. Their chat covered everything from the new movie, Schwartzman's cameo as Ringo Starr in Walk Hard, his latest musical project, and the special bond between himself and Paste publisher Tim Regan-Porter. BFF? Sounds perfect. Listen to the complete interview here. Related links:... read more
My Bloody Valentine announces U.K. dates
Just reflect on that image for a moment. "My Bloody Valentine, Live in 2008." Wow. Band mastermind Kevin Shields hinted at this happening in an interview that broke last week, and well before that, too, but it's still something special to see it in official poster form. So here you go, seven dates. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Nov. 16) at the venue box offices and at SeeTickets.com. Please, feel free to go out into the street and set off some fireworks. No word yet on whether the group will rock Coachella or any other U.S. venues, but expect some... read more
Our Ugliest Crime: Holly exposes child-sex trafficking
Like the lead character in his film Holly, writer/producer Guy Jacobson stumbled unaware onto the issue of child sexual exploitation... read more
The Epochs set to tour, release debut LP
Perchance you've heard of up-and-comers the Epochs. Their name's got a pleasant ring to it, doesn't it? And that's not where the ear pleasantries end. Having already built a following during its brief relocation to Seattle, the New York electronic band has since moved back to its Brooklyn stomping grounds to produce a self-titled debut album. Look for the LP during blustery February. If their track "Mouths to Feed" is indicative of what else the album will bring, you're in for low-key piano and synth tunes with a falsetto silver lining. For those of you New Yorkers whose weekends start... read more
Metric readies live DVD
Metric’s website has an appropriate URL: ILoveMetric.com. Appropriate, because, who in their right mind would not love Metric? We don’t know either, but in case there is a black sheep in your family who has not yet been exposed to Metric’s rockin’ magic, February 12 is a date that you’ll want to remember. Yes, we all know that on February 12, 1934, the Export-Import Bank of the United States was incorporated, but on February 12, 2008, Metric will release a live DVD entitled Live At The Metropolis. The DVD chronicles Metric’s appearance at Montreal’s Metropolis concert hall and also features... read more
Dispatch's Zimbabwe aid concert comes to DVD
Here's the latest volume in Paste's "Can Rock Save the World?" series: Dispatch, self-made indie sensation, reunites and sells out Madison Square Garden three times over this summer. But more than just exercises in self-aggrandizement, these shows actually benefit a worthy cause: the refugee crisis in Zimbabwe. Even Bono would take a moment to reflect. Although the band webcasted the shows, several fans got left out in the cold over the whole event. Then there are those who experienced the shows but want to have the moment frozen in DVD-quality audio for the rest of time. Well, maybe that last... read more
Love in the Time of Cholera
Like most adaptations of great works of literature... read more
Animal Collective EP, box set in the works
The Animal Collective experience does not stop. For starters, the hypnotic and compulsively mind-blowing group is set to place two entries into most critics' year-end top twenty lists: Strawberry Jam and Panda Bear's Person Pitch effort (which did quite well for itself on Stylus' final dispatch). As for 2008? Well, let's put it this way: it looks like the band wants to haunt your dreams for another year, dear indie fan. In a message board post, vocalist Avey Tare gave fans a stream-of-consciousness rundown on what the group has planned. Of note: a four-song EP, including b-side "Street Flash" and... read more
Win free tickets to Led Zeppelin in London
For all your diehard Led Zeppelin fans who were not lucky enough to receive one of the lottery tickets for the band's upcoming onetime reunion show, there is still a glimmer of hope. A sweepstakes is being offered to all Led Zeppelin aficionados to enter from now until Nov. 18 for the band's concert in London. The chosen winner will receive two tickets to the performance, along with hotel and travel accommodations. To enter the contest for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity click here. The show was originally scheduled to take place Nov. 26, but due to Jimmy Page breaking an important... read more
Jeff Tweedy performing at two Chicago benefits
The wind's blowing Jeff Tweedy back via Chicago once again. The Wilco frontman is stepping up to the plate for his adoptive home this December, playing benefits at two of the city's most venerable cultural institutions. First up on the Tweedy itinerary: a 50th anniversary benefit for Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music on Dec. 1. The school offers classes and workshops in music, art and dance to some 6,000 students each week. Among the many artists joining Tweedy at the Auditorium Theatre performance are Roger McGuinn and the Bloodshot Family Band - featuring the combined talents of Robbie... read more
Dave Matthews, Galactic, Phil Lesh register voters
[Above: Phil Lesh] Tired of being apathetic toward U.S. political problems? Want to start being an upstanding citizen who is invested in their country's well being? Well, start being a patriot and get thee to a rock show! The nonpartisan group HeadCount has teamed up with the likes of The Allman Brothers, Galactic, Dave Matthews Band and My Morning Jacket to help promote voting in the upcoming election. Attending any concert by a HeadCount partnering artist means the opportunity to register to vote before enjoying the sweet stylings of your favorite musicians. This year, the organization is taking on about... read more
Only in America
I was standing backstage at a recent festival in The Netherlands when a fellow from the former East Germany approached me with a couple of his Dutch friends. He booked a music festival in Germany and was wondering if my band, Over the Rhine, might be interested in making an appearance in 2008... read more
Artist of the Week: Luke Temple
To the imaginative outsider, Brooklyn might seem like some musical Magic Kingdom where all the finest indie rockers romp about together in skinny jeans, tossing out catchy songs like candy from parade floats. But in reality, it’s no fairytale. Luke Temple, who admits his own “romantic love affair” with NYC drew him down from Boston... read more
Catching Up With... Richard Kelly
Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko went from a flop at the box office to cult hit in just a few short years. That feature's eventual success lead him to funding for his next film, Southland Tales, about an energy-cartel conspiracy that's causing the end of the world.... read more
Lemonheads ready to record new album, reissue Ray
Evan Dando is back in the songwriting zone. After taking a decade to follow up 1996's Car Button Cloth, Dando's Lemonheads project will churn out an encore for its self-titled comeback release in under two years. Billboard.com spoke with Dando, and the singer quickly mentioned that he and his sidemen are set to record new songs in January for an April 2008 album release. Apparently he doesn't want to jinx the project, but the online music media is effectively doing that for him. Sorry, Mr. Dando. Billboard also reports on a March reissue for the Lemonhead's 1992 classic It's A... read more
White Stripes shoot new video, record with Beck
All my Icky Thump fans out there, sing it with me: "Coooooooooonquuuest!" Jack and Meg White certainly spiced up that old Patti Page tune with their cover, much as they did to "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" a few years back. And soon we'll have a video to match the Spanish-inflected Stripes version of the number, according to a recent newsletter the band sent out. Filmed in Artesia, Calif., the clip depicts Jack White as a heroic matador. The guitar-slinger actually trained with bullfighter Dennis Borba to bring some authenticity to his depiction. That's dedication, baby.... read more
The Secret Machines in studio for third album
Prog-indie (prindie? proggie?) rockers The Secret Machines are back in the studio. After an impressive debut earning the respect of greats like David Bowie, the band received moderate praise for its sophomore attempt, Ten Silver Drops. Now, the group is taking a cue from its elder admirer and teaming up with a few of Ziggy Stardust’s past collaborators. Scheduled for release sometime in 2008, The Secret Machines third album is being produced by Brandon Mason with additional help from Tony Visconti, who have both steadily worked with Bowie over the years. The record also marks the band's first recording without... read more
Kanye, Interpol, TVotR design lunchboxes for charity
Lunch usually became a competitive sport in elementary school. The battle took place in two separate fields: tastiest dessert and coolest lunchbox. You always felt bad for the kid who was stuck with a lame design on his box - but hey, at least he had food to eat. The Lunchbox Auction, which we last heard from in 2005, is starting up again in '07 to address more important concerns than just having a fly snack carrier. With one in five children in New York City relying on emergency food to eat, just giving kids snacks to carry is priority... read more
Southland Tales
Six years ago, Donnie Darko premiered to a massive audience of no one... read more
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