Switchfoot battles copy-protection
Switchfoot recently posted instructions on their Sony messageboard illustrating how to crack the copy-proctection of their new CD, Nothing Is Sound. “We were horrified when we first heard about the new copy-protection policy that is being implemented by most major labels, including Sony (ours),” posted bass player, Tim Foreman. “It is heartbreaking to see our blood, sweat, and tears over the past two years blurred by the confusion and frustration surrounding this new technology.” Access the post on Sony's Switchfoot messageboard. ... read more
Bowie Joins Arcade Fire Onstage at CMJ
Looks like David Bowie has made friends with The Arcade Fire. After collaborating with them during New York’s Fashion Week, he showd up at their Central Park show last week, appearing onstage in a white leisure suit. (Photo courtesy of BrookynVegan.com.) ... read more
4AD hosts 25th anniversary concert series
Pictured above: TV on the Radio For 10 days in November, 4AD will celebrate 25 years in the record business with a series of live performances. The concert series will include performances from The Breeders, Blonde Redhead, Mojave 3, The Mountain Goats and TV on the Radio, who will open the event with its only U.K. tour stop this year, on Nov. 17 at Scala in London. As a supplement to the concert series, 4AD is releasing 1980 Forward, a compilation of the label's music from the last 25 years. The album will hit stores Nov. 22. If a mass-produced... read more
Marky Ramone hosts punk show on SIRIUS radio
Marky Ramone will launch his exclusive SIRIUS radio show “Punk Rock Blitzkrieg” on Oct. 4. Every Tuesday from 8 to 10 p.m. EST, Ramone will host the show on Faction, Channel 28, and it will be re-broadcast on Saturday nights. He says that being a DJ is “something [he’s] always wanted to do.” Ramone is excited to broadcast '60s Brit-rock bands and other Ramones influences in addition to punk-rock essentials and rarities. The show will also feature in-studio guests and listener call-ins. Marky Ramone joins a long list of SIRIUS exclusive radio hosts, including Jimmy Buffett, Tony Hawk, Bill Bradley,... read more
Live 8 organization releases DVD
The Live 8 DVD will be released by Capitol Records this Nov. 8. The four-disc set features the full concerts from both Philadelphia's Museum of Art and London's Hyde Park, special selections from the other seven Live 8 locations, highlights from the Pink Floyd reunion and special features that include a behind-the-scenes look at the concert at Hyde Park. Performers on the disc inlcude Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Kanye West, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Joss Stone, Stevie Wonder, Madonna and more. Live 8 was held July 2 in nine locations around the world—London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Tokyo, Moscow, Toronto, Johannesburg and... read more
Americana Radio to carry Americana Tonight!
The Americana Radio Network will carry Americana Tonight! beginning Sep. 17. A weekly showcase series created and hosted by Mark Wehner, the program will feature artists performing live sets at intimate Nashville venue The Sutler. The featured musical acts will range from Americana and American roots to progressive folk and alt.country. “The main thing is to promote Americana music," Wehner told Paste. "The second is to promote the artists that are playing the music. Many of them have an enormous amount of talent, but limited opportunities to display their talent.” Each show will feature a mix of well-known and lesser-known... read more
Edwin McCain signs to Vanguard
Singer/songwriter Edwin McCain has signed to Vanguard Records (Deana Carter, Hootie & the Blowfish, Mindy Smith) and will release a studio album next spring. ... read more
SoundExchange collecting royalties for unpaid artists
Until recently, there has never been an agency that collects royalties on behalf of recording artists. SoundExchange is trying to change all that, as it is the first agency designated by the U.S. government for this purpose. Most interesting, perhaps, is that SoundExchange will find small-yet-influential artists and give them their due. For example, influential '60s garage rockers The Count Five are one of the diverse groups included in the 38,000 unpaid acts the agency is trying to help. For more information, visit www.soundexchange.com. ... read more
Buddy Miller and John Prine take top Americana prizes
(pictured above: Buddy Miller) At the Americana Music Association's 4th annual awards ceremony on Sep. 9, Buddy Miller and John Prine earned two of the top prizes. Miller took Album of the Year for Universal United House of Prayer, and Prine won the Artist of the Year award. Other winners included Marty Stuart and Guy Clark, amongst several others. For more information, including photos, visit www.americanamusic.org. ... read more
Dave Matthews Band raises $1.5 million for hurricane aid
The $1.5 million raised at Monday night's Dave Matthew Band's benefit concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colo., will aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The money will be donated to the Bama Works Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, which provides short-term disaster relief and helps to rebuild communities. ... read more
Farm Aid 20th Anniversary to be held September 18th
The latest installment of the annual Farm Aid benefit will be held in Tinley Park, Ill., Sep. 18. Marking the 20th anniversary of the show, this year, standbys like Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp will perform in addition to other acts like Wilco and Emmylou Harris. This year, in addition to helping out the country's farmers, the show will benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. For more information, including a detailed artist listing visit, www.farmaid.org. ... read more
John Fogerty retrospective in the works
The first ever John Fogerty career-spanning retrospective, The Long Road Home will be released Nov. 1. The set will feature Fogerty solo material, Creedence Clearwater Revival hits and four new tracks. Additionally, Fogerty is working on a new solo album, due sometime in 2006. ... read more
Wilco to release live album
Wilco will release two-disc set Kicking Television - Live in Chicago on Nov. 1. The album was recorded at the Vic Theatre in the band's hometown of Chicago over four nights in May. In addition to this release, Wilco will perform at the Farm Aid 20th Anniversary benefit concert, the Austin City Limits festival and more. Track List: Disc One: 1. Misunderstood 2. Company In My Back 3. The Late Greats 4. Hell Is Chrome 5. Handshake Drugs 6. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 7. Shot in the Arm 8. At Least That's What You Said 9. Wishful... read more
Unknown Instructors super group to release debut
On Sep. 20, Unknown Instructors will release their debut, The Way Things Work. The group is comprised of the former rhythm section of legendary punkers The Minutemen—bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley—in addition to guitarist Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust) and vocalist Dan McGuire. ... read more
WFUV presents Blood On The Tracks tribute
New York's WFUV will present Written In My Soul From Me To You: Blood On The Tracks At 30, featuring a lineup of contemporary musicians, each interpreting a track from Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks. The lineup includes Joan Osborne, Citizen Cope, Ollabelle and more. Recorded live at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, the special is hosted by Darren DeVivo and will air on WFUV (90.7 FM) in New York and at wfuv.org worldwide at 8:00 p.m. on Sep. 21. ... read more
The Power of Sound exhibition opening October 1st
(pictured above: DJ Clark Warner) From Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, an aural art exhibition known as The Power of Sound as Art and Language will be on display at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Curated by Detroit radio host Liz Copeland, the exhibit will include music from artists such as Sonic Youth, Meat Beat Manifesto and the Cocteau Twins. Additionally, selected artists will also perform at a few events associated with the exhibit. For more details, visit www.contemporaryartscenter.org. ... read more
Dwight Twilley Raises Money For Friend, Victim of Katrina
(Above: Susan Cowsill) Artist Dwight Twilley is raising funds for friend and fellow musician Susan Cowsill, a New Orleans resident and victim of Hurricane Katrina. Like so many others, Cowsill—best known as a member of '60s family singing group The Cowsills—lost everything in the storm. Twilley asks that donations be made via his website, Dwight Twilley. ... read more
Bobby Bare Sr. To End 22-Year Absence
Grammy Award winner Bobby Bare Sr. is preparing to release his first album in 22 years, The Moon Was Blue. The album was produced in part by Bare’s son, Bobby Bare Jr., who is the driving force behind the indie band the Young Criminals Starvation League. The father-son collaboration produced an album that lets Bare Sr. approach country music, which he walked away from in the late 70s, in a fresh way. The album will be released on Dualtone on Nov. 1. ... read more
R.I.P. Clarence Gatemouth Brown
American roots legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown died Saturday in Orange, Texas, after evacuating his Louisiana home to escape Hurricane Katrina. Brown had been suffering from lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. He was 81. Funeral services have been scheduled for Saturday, Sep. 17 at 11 a.m. at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (612 N. 3rd Street, Orange, Texas). Visitation has been scheduled for 9-11 a.m. the same morning. Several friends expressed sadness at Mr. Brown's passing: "Gatemouth was the only true guitar player, violia player, violin player that constantly re-invented the music of jazz and blues specifically for those instruments."... read more
World musicians perform at Lonely Planet events
Pictured above: Michael Franti Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet is teaming up with musicians Michael Franti and Karsh Kale to encourage Americans to apply for passports. Lonely Planet is working to increase awareness of the benefits of world travels and has asked Congress declare every September National Passport Month. Franti, Kale and other worldbeat musicians will perform at “Passport to the World” events this month, which will take place on Sept. 22 at the Spirit Club in New York, Sept. 24 at Park West in Chicago and Sept. 30 at the Mezzanine in San Francisco. Attendees will be able to... read more
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