Black Crowes to soon tour on Warpaint
Fans of the Black Crowes have plenty to celebrate aside from the pending release of the band's new album, Warpaint. In addition to an official apology from Maxim for reviewing the album without hearing it (And hey! Nas too! Those Maxim folks sure exemplify journalistic integrity, no?), The Crowes have released the dates for their world tour. The international dates come promptly after a stint of "One Night Only" shows where they will be performing the entire Warpaint album onstage, a first for the band. Their world tour so far only takes them on an extended hop down under and... read more
R.E.M. adds European tour dates
R.E.M. has added four more dates to the European leg of its 2008 world tour, meaning fans across the Atlantic have exactly 24 chances to catch one of the band's shows this summer. This year is shaping up to be a big one for the band. First, frontman Michael Stipe announced back in December that the band’s latest album, “a great fucking record” in the singer's own words, would be released this year on April Fool's Day. Next, the band announced it would be taking Modest Mouse and The National along on a two-month U.S. tour beginning in May. Then... read more
Dress up Devendra Banhart on the Internet
Where to turn when boredom comes knocking? Is it the wilds of MySpace, the feed of Facebook, the mezzanine of YouTube? Nay, no, nine—who can save us from the monotony? Devendra Banhart. Yes, that’s right. Devendra saves the day. His "DRESS ME" site has all the charm of Victorian paper dolls and all the weirdness that is Banhart, Vitruvian-man style, in his skivvies. Masterminded by OSK Design, which is best known for its artists’ work for Genghis Tron, this page has everything that Banhart could possibly ever need to face the day. Feeling a little college professor-ish? Here, try some... read more
Béla Fleck to premiere African banjo doc at SXSW
Béla Fleck, 30-year banjo-wielder extraordinaire and head of bluegrass crossover group Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, has made a documentary chronicling his recent trip to Africa. Throw Down Your Heart follows Fleck to Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia and Mali, working with many local musicians and attempting to trace the origins of his beloved musical instrument. The musicians he meets vary in skill and situation, from superstars like the Malian diva Oumou Sangare, to families that make and play their own versions of the banjo, to one who has mastered a twelve-foot xylophone. Fleck recorded an album featuring many of these... read more
O'Death tours, works on new album for fall
A stomp and a clap and Appalachian jug band sensibilities are all that’s needed to get along at an O’Death show, though a straw in the mouth and a farmer’s tan would be nice touches. Bring that fresh-from-the-field/mountain stream look to one of the group’s shows as the group hoots and hollers its punkish-oldtime on a tour with Langhorne Slim this March, before supporting Murder by Death through April. Gigantic music recently released O’Death’s “Spider Home” 7”, which features the b-side “Silk Hole.” Vocalist Greg Jamie told Paste that the band is now in pre-production with Alex Newport (At... read more
Ani DiFranco expands Canon tour, brings Over the Rhine
Ani DiFranco plans to continue her tour across the U.S. in support of her first compilation album Canon (2007). As reported at LiveDaily, The self-described “Little Folksinger” will be joined by her regular ensemble of Todd Sickafoose on upright bass and Allison Miller on drums. Another free-spirited band plans to contribute its sound to some of her powerhouse shows as well. Over the Rhine will join DiFranco at 11 venues next month, culminating in a show at the original House of Blues. Afterwards, DiFranco will trek through the west coast all the way up to Canada: February 28 - Concord,... read more
Jay-Z, Barclays, more named in $5 billion reparation suit
Now that the Oscars are over, it's time to reflect on the new season that's apparently upon us. Lawsuit season! It's that time of year, folks, and it's either sue or be sued. Yesterday, it was announced that the Foo Fighters had filed suit with Marvel Comics for allegedly using two of their songs without permission in a trailer for an upcoming television series. Meanwhile, yesterday, The New York Observer reported that Clive Campbell, a Brooklyn-based activist (and incidentally not DJ Kool Herc, as was initially reported) has named none other than Jay-Z (née Sean Carter) himself alongside developer Brett... read more
Flaming Lips, The Cure, many more to play Sasquatch! fest
Thank goodness this year’s Sasquatch! Music Festival was expanded to three days: they are going to need the space. R.E.M. is one headliner, and the Flaming Lips are coming too, UFO in tow. The Cure, Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie will also be topping out the bill. The Flaming Lips will also debut their long-awaited film Christmas on Mars at the festival, Billboard.com reports. Paste favorites The National will be there, as will Four to Watch artist Thao Nguyen playing with the Get Down Stay Down. Flight of the Conchords will be bringing the funny, and don’t forget... read more
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon are Bourne again
A lengthy article in Variety recently detailed Universal's changing environment and expanding content. It's an informative piece that is well and good if you work in the industry, but it's deciding less exciting stuff for the everyday movie goer. Hidden amidst its depths, though, was an announcement that Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon will be back for a fourth Bourne film. After the release of The Bourne Ultimatum last summer, Greengrass and Damon were "ready to wrap [the franchise] up." Ultimatum also concluded the three-film story arc, making it surprising that things could continue. Not that surprising, though, as each... read more
"World's greatest" record collection garners fraudulent bid
Music collectors around the world took notice last week when an unidentified buyer purchased one of the world’s largest record collections for $3 million on eBay. As previously reported, the collection belongs to 69-year-old Pittsburgh collector Paul Mawhinney. “The World’s Greatest Record Collection” is comprised of more than three million records and 300,000 CDs that took 60 years to assemble. The collection contains a number of extremely rare records, including 15 copies of Elvis’ Christmas Album and an unreleased, untitled album of early Rolling Stones singles. Online bidding opened at $3 million on Feb. 11, and username jopsoup made the... read more
The Jayhawks' Louris and Olsen, together again
Gary Louris and Mark Olson just can't stay away from each other. The two men have been playing music together since 1985, when they formed rootsy outfit The Jayhawks in the tundra of Minnesota, and, despite disbanding the critically acclaimed project in 2006 (which once earned an article in the New York Times entitled "What If You Made a Classic, and No One Cared?"), they have continued to come together to tour and occasionally record music over the past few years. Now, Louris and Olson have officially entered the studio once again according to Billboard.com, and have recorded their first... read more
The Hold Steady: "Record 4 In The Can"
It seems The Hold Steady, last May's Paste cover dudes, have turned months of beard-growing, er, studio recording into results. The very charming photoblogging at TheHoldSteady.com reveals that the band completed its fourth full-length last week. The album's tentatively slated to be called Stay Postitive, Pitchfork reports, and by the looks of those photos, the band certainly has done so (through the trials of laying down tracks and disqualifications from their beard-off contest). Producer John Agnello (who says he turned down a recording job with Cyndi Lauper because he was working with The Hold Steady) once again took the helm... read more
Jonathan Richman kicks off tour tonight, preps Her Beauty
Tonight, in the largest city of Oklahoma's Cleveland County, Jonathan Richman will kick off a stint of tour dates that will have him speeding around the United States like a roadrunner. Richman and drummer Tommy Larkins (pictured above) will perform 20-odd shows throughout the midwest, south and east coast that will keep the pair busy until the end of March. But that's not all. The former Modern Lover also has a new record on the way. "Jonathan and Tommy Larkins have just completed a brand new album, Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild. The album will be in stores... read more
MySpace Music deal attracts big labels
Rupert Murdoch is at it again—this time with his sights set on online music distribution. According to Reuters, MySpace's recent parent company News Corp met with Sony BMG, Vivendi Universal, EMI and Warner Music Group to discuss licensing for what will become MySpace Music. This new commercial component will offer free advert-supported streaming and a digital music store. News Corp also floated a subscription music service as an additional feature. Initial plans include a music player that can be embedded on other sites like the videos on YouTube. News Corp is not sure yet if MySpace will run the digital... read more
It's not TV...it's HBO programming on YouTube
HBO and YouTube announced a deal earlier today where video clips from the former's original shows, from Flight of the Conchords to The Wire, will be available for free on the latter's online-video service. Which isn't to say that they're not available there right now for anyone willing to search, but now they'll be legal instead of resting snugly in the strange gray realm of streaming Internet rights. Joseph Giraldi, director of digital distribution and partnerships for HBO, commented in a press release that, "We invest significantly in developing HBO programs and are always searching for new promotional platforms." Based... read more
Foo Fighters sue Marvel for copyright infringement
You wouldn’t like the Foo Fighters when they’re mad. The band filed a copyright infringement suit last week against Marvel Comics, accusing the company of using two of its songs in an online trailer without permission. The band’s suit alleges that Marvel used substantial excerpts from the songs “Best of You” and “Free Me” from the 2005 album In Your Honor in a trailer for the new television series Wolverine and the X-Men. Roswell Records Inc., which owns the master recordings to the songs, was named as a co-plaintiff in the suit. Dave Grohl and Co. are seeking unspecified damages,... read more
Iron & Wine adds U.S. tour dates
Sensitive souls take heart; Iron & Wine has added a few dates to its U.S. tour in April. The U.S. shows are scheduled between international jaunts for Sam Beam, Sam Beam’s beard, and Co. In March, the band will be in Australia and New Zealand. In May, it'll be in England, Ireland and Scotland. Alternately, you can just wait until June and see Iron & Wine at Bonnaroo with like every other band in the universe. Complete U.S. dates: April 9 - New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues 10 - Tallahassee, Fla. @ The Moon 11 - Orlando, Fla.... read more
Mike Doughty and band take Golden Delicious on the road
It’s been just over a week since Mike Doughty bore his Golden Delicious fruit, with first single “27 Jennifers” making it into the top 10 on AAA radio (the original version debuted on 2003’s Rockity Roll EP). And because Doughty knows his fans want a piece, yearning for the moment they too can wave their lighters and scream out a request for “It’s Raining Men” (which Doughty once declared The New "Freebird"), the former Soul Coughing frontman and his band of people who have been in other bands (Pete McNeal, formerly of Cake, John Kirby of Black Eyed Peas) have... read more
Bell X1 announces March tour
Last month, we got excited about Bell X1, an Irish band that proved to be much more than an O.C. soundtrack fixture (though, indeed, our review provides a thorough description of Mischa Barton’s moment of sexual angst, as accompanied by the band’s “Eve, the Apple of My Eye”). This month, we report that next month, Bell X1 will travel through the United States. This means that if you live in USA, you have no excuse not to partake in the band’s Irish rockery. If, however, you prefer a more intimate listening experience, head over to your local record store and... read more
Interpol + Swervedriver = Magnetic Morning = EP
It’s possible that the term “supergroup” gets applied too frequently these days. For example, despite what was widely reported, this writer’s collaboration with a ferret on a YouTube video did not constitute a supergroup. But when Adam Franklin from Swervedriver and Sam Fogarino from Interpol get together, then it does constitute a combination of individuals (read: group) that is, indeed, super. The two are releasing a debut EP on April 19 as Magnetic Morning. The name corresponds nicely to the group’s sound, which is both languid and edgy. Franklin and Fogarino will be touring in the spring of 2008, and... read more
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