The Mendoza Line Preps Two-CD Set, Offers mp3
On August 21, Glurp Records will release The Mendoza Line's 30 Year Low, a two-disc collection comprising both a mini-album of new material and a second disc of demos, live tracks and cover songs of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Richard Thompson, Cole Porter and Arab Strap, amongst others. Not only does this collection of tracks mark the end of band members Tim Bracy and Shannon McArdle's artistic collaboration, but their marriage as well. Yikes. Sounds like pretty lighthearted, happy-go-lucky stuff to us. But hey, Okkervil River's Will Sheff guests on the album, and you can download and listen to... read more
Tom Waits, Kronos Quartet, More Rock For Peace
Recorded at a September 21, 2003 benefit concert held at the Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, the Dalai Lama, Tom Waits, Kronos Quartet, Philip Glass, Anoushka Shankar and more will be featured on Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation. Out July 10 on Anti-, the album will highlight the Dalai Lama's 20-day tour of the U.S., which culminated in the concert. Proceeds from the sales of the CD will benefit Healing the Divide (a non-profit organization Richard Gere formed in 2001 in order to aid humanitarian crisis) and its Tibetan Health Initiative, which... read more
Monolith Festival Reveals Initial Line-Up
Red Rocks isn't just the place for your perpetually-stoned cousin to catch the Widespread Panic/Bob Weir/moe. triple threat hippiethon anymore. In fact, just today the inaugural Monolith festival, which will be held on September 14 and 15, announced its initial line-up. Presented by Esurance, Monolith is the first ever multi-day, multi-stage festival to grace the legendary stage of the Morrison, Colo. venue. With such a distinction, you've got to bring the noise. As such, the first line-up announcement consists of the Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon, Spoon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Broken West, Brian... read more
White Stripes Announce Friday Show in Nashville
In a move of utter last-minute proportions, the White Stripes have announced that they will perform a show this very Friday, May 18, at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, Tenn. The Stripes' website is calling this show "intimate" without further explanation, but a quick glance at the Citysearch entry for the Cannery Ballroom finds users replying in the affirmative when questioned whether or not said venue is crowded. This probably means that you'll want to pay close attention to the pre-sale that launches at noon central time tomorrow (Thursday, May 17) on WhiteStripes.com. Keep in mind the two-ticket limit, though,... read more
Paste Is Turning Five Years Old!
Paste is about to turn five. That's right, we're entering the pre-K realm of music publications, and you can help... Have thoughts about Paste? Write us a note for our expanded letters section in the special July issue of the magazine. Just email editor@pastemagazine.com and include your home city and state. ... read more
Feist To Tour U.S. In June
Feist has announced plans to tour throughout much of June in support of The Reminder, her second U.S. album released May 1. Currently on tour throughout Canada, next month she’ll work her way all the way from Massachusetts to California. In between, she’ll stop in New York City for two nights at Town Hall (the first date sold out in four hours, prompting the addition of a second show) and in Manchester, Tenn., for a performance at Bonnaroo. The Reminder was recorded on the outskirts of Paris at La Frette, a two-centuries old manor house where Feist and her musical... read more
Mark Olson to Release Solo Record
Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson will release his first solo album, The Salvation Blues, June 12 on Hacktone Records. Olson wrote and recorded songs on Salvation over a two year period of intense travel that took him to Norway, Poland and Minnesota, among other worldly places. “I just kind of roamed around,” Olson said in a recent statement. “I was doing what I wanted to. I tried to write as best I could, for once in my life. I pushed myself on this one, more than I ever have.” Related links: Mark Olson with the Creekdippers Mark Olson fansite Hacktone Records’... read more
Suzanne Vega Gets Digital in Time
Suzanne Vega becomes an avatar, then writes about who made her. We don’t know what that really means, either, but last summer, Vega’s appearance on the Infinite Mind public radio show was turned into a virtual concert on the internet virtual world Second Life. She returned the favor by writing a feature on Second Life creator Philip Rosedale in this week’s Time Magazine. “I already knew what an avatar was. But what was Second Life?” writes Vega in her article. “Would I have to wear a special heat-seeking suit against a blue backdrop while I sang?” In other Vega news,... read more
TuneCore Music Service Launches
Although the digital music business is still remarkably young, many competitors have already come and gone. TuneCore Inc. hopes its flat-free distributor, the first of its kind, will earn the start-up some staying power. TuneCore announced its official launch yesterday, coinciding with a series of programs initiated by its strategic partner, Bay Area instrument retailer, Guitar Center. After a year of live-beta testing, which has helped unsigned artists and indie labels generate over $1.2 million from digital downloads, TuneCore's infrastructure is ready to expand to accommodate Guitar Center's massive customer base. As the first and only distributor to work on... read more
Stream New Straylight Run Single
Long Islanders Straylight Run won't release their sophomore LP, The Needles The Space, until June 19. Thanks to the good folks at Universal Republic Records, though, you can stream the album's first single, "Soon We'll Be Living In The Future," now. Just click here, and enjoy the sweet sound of sibling harmony, courtesy of frontpeople John and Michelle Nolan. Related links: Straylight Run’s homepage Straylight Run on MySpace Universal Republic’s homepage ... read more
David Bowie Gets Webby
ALthough far better known for his interstellar rock career and gender-bending alter-egos, pop icon David Bowie is also a modern media mogul, and that's the side of him that will be honored on June 5 when he receives a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award. Once called the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, the Webby Award is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Apparently, the "Thin White Duke" has done more than his fair share to promote the arts via the online world,... read more
Bob Dylan goes to Kindergarten
-Glue sticks -Posters of the alphabet lining the walls -Bob Dylan -A bunch of snot-nosed 5-year-olds Which of the above doesn’t belong? Ok, ok, it’s a trick question. All of the above belong, because Dylan’s Never Ending Tour has brought him to a kindergarten class in California. Well, not exactly, but according to the New York Post, the famed singer/songwriter has been visiting his grandson’s (and son of Wallflower Jakob Dylan) school in Calabasas, Calif. to play some songs for the kids. The students apparently described him and his music as “scary” and “weird.” Related links: Bob Dylan’s site... read more
Albert Hammond Jr. Remains Restless
Judging from Albert Hammond Jr.'s relentless touring onslaught in support of his solo debut Yours To Keep (released March 6 by Scratchie), the scruffy New Yorker must have been quite bored with The Strokes' sluggish recording schedule. The guitarist-turned-songwriter has spent the past four months on the road with Bloc Party and Incubus and has sixteen headlining dates slated for May and June as well his first-ever appearance on CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. And Hammond Jr. still found time to catch up with Paste for a Scrapbook piece in Issue 30. Check it out here. May... read more
Jazz Fest to be Broadcast Live Online
Not going to make it down to the Big Easy this weekend for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival? That doesn’t mean you have to miss it. The AT&T blue room will webcast live performances from the festival May 5 and 6. Scheduled to appear on the broadcast are Norah Jones, the Allman Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer and ZZ Top, among others. Also available in the blue room are archived performances from the first weekend of the festival, which took place April 28 and 29. Other festivals included in this year’s blue room will include Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin... read more
Beastie Boys Shut Up
Mike D, MCA and Adrock aren’t so outspoken this time around. The guys known as the Beastie Boys will release the second instrumental album of their career, The Mix-Up, June 26 on Capitol Records. Featuring the boys also known as Mike Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Adam Horovitz on drums, guitar and bass, the record follows The In Sound from Way Out! in the Beastie’s instrumental catalogue. The Mix-Up includes no vocals, no samples and no scratches. Two spots at this year’s Sasquatch! Festival will kick off the Beastie Boys’ summer world tour. The Mix-Up track listing: 1. B For My... read more
Lori McKenna to Join Soul2Soul Tour
Singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, usually maintaining a low profile in the suburbs of Boston, will become a little more recognizable this summer. In June, McKenna will join country mega-couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul2Soul Tour 2007. The month-long tour precedes the August 14 release of McKenna’s new album, Unglamorous. McKenna wrote three songs, including the single “Stealing Kisses,” on Hill’s 2005 album Fireflies. Related links: Lori McKenna’s site Lori McKenna on MySpace Official Soul2Soul 2007 site ... read more
Apollo Theater To Host
[Above: Roy Haynes] Philanthropic celebrities and jazz greats from all over the nation will converge on Harlem's historic Apollo Theater on the night of May 17 for the Jazz Foundation of America's sixth annual "A Great Night In Harlem" benefit concert. Hosted by Bill Cosby, the event will feature appearances and performances by Danny Glover, Paul Shaffer, David Dinkins, Roy Haynes and Ron Carter as well as more than 60 world-renowned musicians who have collaborated with such legends as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. This year's "A Great Night In Harlem" will... read more
Ralph Stanley to Sing for the Queen
Jolly day, guv’nor, the Queen is coming to Virginia. And Ralph Stanley’s going to be there. What? Queen Elizabeth II will be in Richmond May 3 and 4 to address the Virginia General Assembly on the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. To welcome her, Stanley will headline “Virginia’s Royal Welcome” in Richmond’s Capitol Square, playing his banjo alongside other Virginia natives. Related links: Ralph Stanley’s site Ralph Stanley on MySpace Queen Elizabeth II on Wikipedia England travel guide ... read more
Willie Nelson To Picnic At The Gorge
For more than 30 years, Willie Nelson has strapped on his red, white and blue bandana every Fourth of July and invited fellow musicians, family and friends to join him as he celebrates our nation's heritage in the form of a good ole-fashioned picnic. The first of these annual gatherings was held in 1973 in Dripping Springs, Texas, and every year since the event has been held somewhere in the Lonestar State. That's why this year's picnic will make history, as Son Volt, Drive-By Truckers, a recently-reunited Old 97's and Amos Lee will join Willie in a performance-laden picnic at... read more
Stream Spider-Man 3's Soundtrack
As previously reported, this summer's most anticipated movie (Spider-Man 3, duh) hits theaters everywhere Friday, but that doesn't mean you have to wait until then to hear the film's superb soundtrack. Featuring all-new tracks from The Flaming Lips, The Killers and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Music From And Inspired By Spider-Man 3 dropped yesterday, and thanks to the fine folks over at California label Record Collection, you can stream the album in its entirety now. That's right. Not Friday. Not tomorrow. Now. So what are you waiting for? Related links: Spider-Man 3’s official site Stream the soundtrack Record Collection’s homepage Flaming... read more
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