Mountain Goats proudly release album, head out on tour
For the Mountain Goats fan who has everything: the group’s new album, Heretic Pride, debuts Feb. 19 on 4AD, and lead singer John Darnielle’s 33 1/3 book on the Black Sabbath album Master of Reality will be available on April 15. You shouldn’t be special enough to have either one yet, though you can download a track from Pride ("Sax Rohmer #1"), or request a sample from the book at sabbathsampler@yahoo.com (hat tip, Pitchfork). According to the book description, "John Darnielle describes Master of Reality in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric center... read more
Sam Mendes helming Dave Eggers film
While Sam Mendes is still finishing up Revolutionary Road, his next project has already been announced in Variety. This is a nice change of pace for Mendes, who has released only two films since his stunning debut (1999's American Beauty). Better still, his next film was written by Dave Eggers and his wife Vindela Vida. Originally titled This Must Be the Place, the film will focus on a couple's search for a place to settle down and raise a family. Unlike Mendes' previous films, the movie appears to be a lighthearted comedy. The film will also have a relatively small... read more
Phil Ramone to host/narrate recorded music series
RECORDING: The History of Recorded Music—a documentary currently under production by LRSMedia—will soon explore the history of music from Thomas Edison’s phonograph cylinders to Steve Jobs’ iPod. To narrate this eight-part series, LRS enlisted Phil Ramone, a producer for various well-known artists including Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Elton John. Ramone will join fellow music industry veterans Larry Rosen and Ramsey Lewis in an in-depth analysis of the technological advances that have revolutionized how audiences approach popular artists. Delighted to sign on to the project, Ramone said in a statement, "(The) story of American music and the story of music... read more
Portishead preps Third, tours
It's been an exhilarating week for Portishead fans far and wide, and in particular for those located on the West coast of the United States, the island of Great Britain, and on the great continent of Europe. Not only were we able to recently report that Portishead will be headlining the mystical festival of Coachella, but yesterday Portishead announced via its blog that more show dates have been confirmed in its home country and on the Continent, and that the band's third full-length studio album, appropriately titled Third, will be released on April 14. Not much has been heard from... read more
NBC leaves pilots behind, aims for new strategy
Partially a response to the writers’ strike that has brought Hollywood to a screeching halt over the past 11 weeks, NBC has announced that it will be producing a very limited number of pilots this season, if any at all. "I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that's what's happened here," Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, told the Financial Times. Curtailing this process is estimated to save the network about $50 million a year, according to the New York Times. The average... read more
New Orleans Jazz Fest announces 2008 lineup, schedule
[Above: Galactic performs at 2007's Jazz Fest] For the first time since 2005, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is returning to its full 7-day schedule, April 25-27 and May 1-4. Heavyweight leaders of the freshly-announced lineup include...(deep breath)...Stevie Wonder (Paste's #14 Best Living Songwriter), Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, Santana, Sheryl Crow, Widespread Panic, The Neville Brothers, John Prine, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, Randy Newman, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, The Raconteurs, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, O.A.R., Galactic, Tower of Power, Cowboy Mouth, Bettye LaVette, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dirty Dozen Brass Band,... read more
The Price is Right for primetime, Drew Carey
The Writers Guild of America Strike has led networks into dealing with the quickly disappearing television viewership in some interesting ways. Dexter is about to hit network television, the brawn versus brawn classic American Gladiators is back, and some late night shows are airing once again sans writers. But unexpectedly, as Variety reports, CBS has decided to air The Price Is Right (complete with new host, Drew Carey) during primetime hours. The Price is Right is no stranger to evening airings considering CBS first put the iconic program up against The Cosby Show and Family Ties in 1986. It has... read more
Hoots & Hellmouth go out on the tour trail
Let's make something clear: once a solo artist or band earns a meritorious Paste 4 To Watch designation, that's just the beginning of our publication's relationship with them. We're in their corner all the way, even when the fickle blogosphere moves on to some new buzz sensation. In the case of 42W alums Hoots & Hellmouth, theirs is a sound that may not garner as much play in certain, elitist scenes. And that's just one reason why we love 'em. Stomps, handclaps, heavy twang, church revival backing vocals, mandolin: we'll take all of that, please. Comprised of reformed rockers-turned-backwater-preachers Sean... read more
Tapes 'N Tapes announce April album release
[Above: the Walk it Off cover] Tapes 'N Tapes are set to release their second album, Walk it Off, on April 8. A follow-up to The Loon—critically acclaimed for guitarist/volcalist Josh Grier's consistent Feelies-esque riffs and Stephen Malkmus-like growl—this album may breathe extra life into the band's already lively sound. An invaluable asset (and possible catch) for Walk it Off is its producer, Dave Fridmann, who has mastered several notable albums such as Sleater-Kinney's The Woods, Mogwai's Rock Action and Come on Die Young as well as the bulk of The Flaming Lips' discography. If nothing else, it will... read more
M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel reveal She & Him details
She & Him is not merely an annoyance for all the self-appointed grammar policemen out there. It's also the name of the new M. Ward/Zooey Deschanel music project with the forthcoming album Volume 1. The first release of the duo's work will arrive March 18 on Merge Records. We first reported on Deschanel's transition into music back in December, noting that though this was her first foray into the life of a recording artist, she has been singing for years in If All The Stars Were Pretty Babies, a cabaret act based in Los Angeles. What we didn't mention... read more
Leonard Cohen announces tour plans
Legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen and his band will be touring the U.S. and Canada in May, according to a post made on the singer’s official online forum on Jan. 13. The upcoming tour may seem like frosting on the cake for fans of the poetic Canadian, who has recently celebrated several significant career milestones. Last year, Legacy Records commemorated the 40th anniversary of the release of Cohen’s first LP by reissuing his first three records in a deluxe digipack. And in March, Cohen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The upcoming tour will be Cohen’s... read more
Stars to spend early 2008 touring the world
After a sold-out 2007 tour in support of their latest album, In Our Bedroom After the War, the poppy Canadian heart-tuggers known as Stars will cross the border again this spring, just in time for their special brand of rain (that looks like love) to fall upon crowds and newborn flowers across the East Coast. Stars are a part of the wonderfully incestuous Arts & Crafts label, home to Broken Social Scene (with whom Stars share a few upcoming international dates—see below), Feist, Apostle of Hustle and countless other genre-defying acts. As part of the ongoing Arts & Crafts commitment... read more
Gus Van Sant begins production on Milk
Paste loves Gus Van Sant. Seriously*, that dude owes us a round for all the publicity we give him. But his work is just that good and we can’t get enough of it, so news that he decided to travel south for the winter for his newest film Milk to start production in San Francisco has us excited. We hope that Fred Phelps is too busy to try and protest filming. Milk stars Sean Penn as San Francisco gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk who is known as being the first openly gay politician in California (some posit in... read more
Nada Surf travels North America, preps Lucky
The buoyant popsters of Nada Surf have scheduled North American tour dates to follow the imminent Feb. 5 release of their latest and most fortunate LP, Lucky. After sold-out stops on the West Coast and in New York, followed by a short stint in Europe over the next couple months, the band will return to play SXSW and tour our own fair continent at length. Lucky, Nada Surf's fifth release, will street via Barsuk Records, and is the follow-up to the band's acclaimed 2005 album The Weight Is A Gift. You can sample new songs and get a free download... read more
Dispatch to release Zimbabwe benefit DVD
Take a shower and shine your shoes, you’ve got no time to lose, because Dispatch is releasing its DVD Dispatch: Zimbabwe – Live at Madison Square Garden this very Tuesday (Jan. 29). The DVD features footage from the band’s three-night reunion at MSG in New York. Dispatch donated all the proceeds from the shows to its very own Dispatch Foundation, which helps fight famine, disease and social injustice in Zimbabwe. The DVD features two hours of footage from the band’s first performances since its 2004 farewell show, and will be packaged in eco-friendly material. In addition, the set comes with... read more
Band of Horses kicks off tour, performs with Sufjan
In November, we brought you a brilliantly titled news story that reported on Band of Horses’ then-upcoming tour, and in December, we gave you a generically titled story about a particularly notable date in Louisville. Well, the future is now, the tour is underway, and there are some more dates to add. The band will be playing with Cass McCombs until Feb. 12, and on the following day, it will perform at the Tibet House Benefit in New York with Sufjan Stevens and Philip Glass, amongst others. After its inevitably meditative performance at Carnegie Hall, the band will head to... read more
Yeah Yeah Yeahs at work on new album
Two thousand eight will be a big year for a lot of constituencies: politically engaged individuals, politically frustrated individuals, and individuals who really like to see the number 2008 in print. But you can now add two more groups to that list: people who like the word "dung" and people who are fans of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Both constituencies will be pleased by a recent update to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ website, which recently announced that the band is “currently writing and recording another record. A chunk of December was spent on a musical farm in Mass throwing cow... read more
First Sundance aquisitions trickle in: Choke, Polanski
Although the prizes at Sundance are nice, the festival's ultimate goal for filmmakers is to get their movies picked up by distributors. The first couple of acquisitions have happened and, while there will certainly be more, let's take a moment and look at some of the films that will be hitting the arthouse circuit in the next six months: Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired was picked up on Sunday (Jan. 20), which is extremely fast considering the festival began last Friday (Jan. 18). The feature is a documentary by Marina Zenovich, focusing on the director's rape case and the effects... read more
Independent Exposure Film Festival calls for submissions
Ever wanted to watch you favorite short film backdropped by Antarctic tundra or the cobblestone streets of Andalucian Spain? How about the vibrant, curved spires of Moscow? The Independent Exposure Film Festival is a media source that has committed itself to doing just that, bringing the best of their entries to over 600 cities in over 44 countries. Supported by Microcinema International and Asthmatic Kitty (label home to Sufjan Stevens and My Brightest Diamond) the festival focuses on showcasing all the cultural, the political, and the aesthetically jarring footage that independent shorts have to offer. Most films dabble in some... read more
Roxy Music DVD features the band in flesh and blood
On February 5, Roxy Music fans in the U.S. will have the ability to once again view (for their pleasure, of course) performances by the English art-rock band. Roxy Music: The Thrill of It All - A Visual History 1972-1982 will be released stateside that day, and will feature live performances, promotional music videos, television appearances and more on a double-disc DVD. Disc one of the set spans the years 1972-1976, and the second skips three years into the future, covering 1979-1982. Although it's likely that 1977 and 1978 were omitted because Roxy Music was on an extended hiatus, one... read more
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