Spoon plans tour, preps remix EP
Not content to hide behind their shades (see above), those fellas in Spoon, the pride of Merge Records, are set to release a single/EP April 8, featuring their cover of The Natural History's "Don't You Evah." The track will appear on the EP as it did on last July's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but the eight-song collection will also include the original version as performed by The Natural History. Additionally, the disc features a new Spoon song, "All I Got Is Me," as well as remixes by Diplo, DJ Amaze, Alan Astor, Ted Leo and Matthew Dear. The final... read more
USA Network acquires rights to all four Indiana Jones films
Amidst a new surge in TV networks buying unreleased movies, the USA Network has managed to land the rights to the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. Variety reports that USA acquired Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull along with the original trilogy at a total price of about $40 million, depending on how well the movie does box office-wise. With this purchase, the Indy franchise joins a long list of blockbuster sequels USA has racked up, including all three Pirates of the Caribbean, the two National Treasure movies, Ocean's Thirteen and The Bourne Ultimatum. But... read more
Black Kids announce U.S. tour dates
The boogie-lovin' Jacksonville, Fla., five-piece known as Black Kids had a hell of an '07. Starting in August, they wowed the crowds at Athens Popfest, which was swiftly followed by a cascade of blog posts and swooning reviews of the band's sole output to date: a self-released demo/four-song EP entitled Wizard of Ahhhs that, until recently, the band was offering for free download on its website. The poppy upstarts garnered a dedicated post on the New York Times blog during the weeklong, can't-stop-the-music CMJ Marathon, and there's no rumble strips in sight for '08, either. Black Kids have already been... read more
Peacock to star Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy
Shooting will begin this May on Peacock, the psychological thriller slated to star the intriguing Ellen Page (our Juno darling) and the unsettling Cillian Murphy (most famously of Batman Begins villainy, but also part of our Art House Powerhouse 100 this year for his work in Sunshine and The Wind That Shakes the Barley). Michael Lander will embark upon his directorial debut, having co-writen the film with Ryan Roy. The film, being shot for Mandate Pictures (who also gave us the aforementioned Juno, as well as The Grudge films, and the whole Harold and Kumar franchise), takes place in the... read more
Cat Power extends Jukebox tour into summer
After a brief tour hiatus, Cat Power will return to North America in promotion of this year's covers album Jukebox, toting her blend of Memphis soul from 2006's The Greatest along for the ride. Pitchfork reports the singer-songwriter will paint the west cost with her multifarious discography from Vancouver down to Mexico City. The tour's schedule so far will go as follows: February 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern March 4 - Auckland, New Zealand @ The Powerstation 7 - Cairns, Australia @ Tanks Arts Centre 8 - Brisbane, Australia @ The Tivoli 9 - Sydney, Australia @ Enmore... read more
John Landis returns to big screen with Ghoulishly Yours
Known for directing projects such as Animal House, An American Werewolf in London and Michael Jackson’s mini-epic “Thriller,” John Landis will soon return to making movies on a grander scale. Aside from a documentary, a few television spots and a movie on HBO, this will be Landis’ first project since Blues Brothers 2000 in 1998. This time around, he will return to the silver screen with a controversial biopic on the life of EC Comics’ forefather in Ghoulishly Yours: William M. Gaines. Gaines caused a stir in the magazine publishing world with his somewhat grotesque horror comic books in the... read more
Eddie Vedder books a handful of pre-Bonnaroo solo dates
Eddie Vedder has announced six North American shows in April. This should suffice for all the west coasters who can't make it to Pearl Jam's headlining performance at Bonnaroo this summer. Kiwi artist Liam Finn will be bringing the lightning as opener. And fans will have the rare opportunity to hear Vedder play his new material from the Grammy-nominated original soundtrack for Into the Wild. Vedder also received a Golden Globe for best original song for the track “Guaranteed.” Tickets start going on sale this Friday and will be $65 plus fees. April 2 - Vancouver (The Centre) 5 -... read more
Which musical artist should Michel Gondry work with next?
Michel Gondry's latest film, Be Kind Rewind, hits theaters this Friday. The director also has impressive music-video experience. Which artist would you like to see him work with next? [1035 votes total] Kanye West (53): 5% Wilco (211): 20% M.I.A. (89): 9% The Arcade Fire (229): 22% Gnarls Barkley (67): 6% Radiohead (185): 18% Erykah Badu (21): 2% R.E.M. (35): 3% TV on the Radio (96): 9% Other (49): 5% Full Results Comments... read more
Johnny Depp, Law, Farrell paying tribute to Heath Ledger
UPDATE: According to MSNBC, Tom Waits will play the devil in this movie. Awesome. -- One of the questions left unanswered by Heath Ledger's tragic death was what would happen to his unfinished works. While immediate speculation mostly focused upon his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight, Ledger was actually in the midst of another film at the time of his death. Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus had Ledger playing a lead role, and his passing possibly put the entire feature in jeopardy. Gilliam is somewhat infamous for his production problems, but here it seems he... read more
Beach House releases new video, preps for tour
We haven't seen such creative use of a church, confetti, crutches, a fish and dissolves since, well, ever. Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand of Beach House hop and sway their way through their newest video for "You Came to Me," the first from their upcoming sophomore album Devotion (Feb. 26). The video, directed by Baltimore's Skizz Cyzyk, features the duo shrouded in as much (if not more) darkness as Queen in "Bohemian Rhapsody." Beach House will tour with Papercuts in support of the release just two days after its release. Drumroll, please: Related links: BeachHouseMusic.net Beach House on MySpace Got... read more
Death Cab announces album release date, title
Having been teased with a tiny glimpse of its upcoming album this past December, Death Cab For Cutie is finally letting on some concrete details regarding the upcoming release. The album, Narrow Stairs, is set to come out May 13, just in time for summer. Meanwhile, here is another Death Cab teaser: A certain music, film, and culture publication might just be featuring the band in a prominent way that very same month. Rest assured, you won't be able to predict this story. More will be revealed in the months to come. Narrow Stairs tracklist: 1. Bixby Canyon Bridge 2.... read more
Mastodon to exude energy, mayhem all over U.S., Canada
While Powerthirst promises many things, including "menergy," "rawberry" made with "real lightening" (sic), and the power to make your babies run "abnormally fast," it somehow doesn't promise mayhem. Enter Rockstar. Not only does the energy drink brand have an official URL that was seemingly inpsired by a 14-year-old boy's chat room handle, but it is also the proud/titular sponsor of the Rockstar Energy Mayhem touring festival. Like many traveling fests of this particular ilk, Rockstar Energy Mayhem will include plenty of non-music activities such as autograph signings and video games, as well as other interactive activities and "great surprises" that... read more
Aerosmith to star in its own Guitar Hero game
It used to be that when you loved a band, you learned about them by flipping through books and rock magazines. Video-game maker Activision felt it might simplify matters if you just became the band. Guitar Hero junkies can look forward to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which is slated for release this June and also happens to be the first Guitar Hero title to focus on the music and career of a single band. As players progress through the game, they will play along to Aerosmith’s greatest hits, as well as songs by notable artists with whom the band has collaborated.... read more
Foals announce tour dates in support of upcoming LP
Paste is proud to present (drumroll please) the Top Three Reasons that the Foals love you. 3. Don't let their name fool you. The Foals are neither young nor equine. Formed in 2005 in Oxford, England, the quintet of male 20-somethings are entirely human. Bearing comparisons to both Battles and Bloc Party (but more accessible than the former and more complex musically than the latter), the Foals created their music out of a desire to bring the listener something both intricate and danceable. That's right - this band wants you, the listener, to have fun. Dance! Party like it's ...... read more
Kanye West reveals tour dates, hangs out in car trunk
What better way to celebrate the day after Valentine's Day (take that, Hallmark!) than with a viewing of the new Kanye West "Flashing Lights" video? Why, this Spike Jonze/Kanye-directed clip has everything you and your sweetie need for the day after a night of romance: a roasty-toasty fire, a Playboy model in skimpy lingerie, a speedy automobile, some light bondage (for the adventurous lovers)—and...wait, she stabs Kanye with a shovel at the end? And then the screen abruptly cuts to black? Before the song's even over? On second thought, maybe scrap that whole video-watching idea and consider presenting your significant... read more
Rain (and ninjas) to fall on next Wachowski brothers film
Sometimes a mega popstar needs to do an action movie. Korean pop star Rain—who has sold out countless venues throughout Asia—will star in a new film by the Wachowski brothers (directors of the Matrix trilogy and writers of the V for Vendetta screenplay), slated to shoot in Berlin from March to July. Ninja Assassin will not be Rain's first time starring in an action flick. Under his real name, Jung Ji-hoon, Rain starred in I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK by Park Chan-wook, director of the highly acclaimed Korean thrillers Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. This movie won't mark Rain's first... read more
Rhino revives Replacements, reissues recordings
Rhino Records is continuing its tradition of breathing new life into artists whose work has made a grand impact on music. This time the focus is on The Replacements, a band that made an incredible mark on shaping the alternative sound throughout the '80s and early '90s. As Billboard.com reports, their first three albums (Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash, Hootenanny and Let it Be) and an EP (Stink) will be simultaneously released on April 22. If that wasn’t enough goodness to get music lovers quivering, all the albums will feature previously unreleased material. The recordings feature all... read more
Bob Mould to play select UK dates
Bob Mould, former Hüsker Dü/Sugar fellow and tireless solo artist/formidable DJ, will be bringing the rock to a few lucky UK cities in May following his March North American tour. They are: May 23 - Glasgow @ ABC 24 - Manchester @ Academy 2 26 - Birmingham @ Academy 2 27 - London @ KOKO Mould's massive road trip comes in the wake of the Feb. 5 Anti- Records release of District Line, his most recent full-length solo effort. The milestones keep coming, as Mould also celebrated the fifth anniversary of his Washington D.C. DJ collaboration with Rich Morel, Blowoff,... read more
Enjoy your Weeds with a Call Girl this June
Scandalous money-making side-projects of wholesome-seeming ladies-next-door will light up the fictionalized television market in June, when Weeds returns early for a fourth season, juxtaposed with British import, Secret Diary of a Call Girl. The former picks up with dealer-mom Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) adjusting to a literal, wildfire-induced blaze-up of her own neighborhood, while Diary follows the life of a legal secretary by day, call girl by night (Billie Piper, of Dr. Who fame). O, the duality of woman. Diary, which really should have been called Hookers, just because it’s fun to say, “I need to get home in time... read more
Rothbury Festival reveals bands, environmental concern
It seems that American music festivals are multiplying faster than animals that multiply very quickly. We wish we could be more specific about which animals, but we’re prejudiced toward music news, rather than biology. Time is money, after all. At any rate, the latest event to enter the crowded American festivalplace is Rothbury, billed as the “Next Evolution in U.S. Music Festivals.” One could quibble with the wording, since it’s pretty tough to have successive evolutions, but why be haters when the festival is all about good music and better environmental consciousness, right? Rothbury, which will take place July 3–6,... read more
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