Roy and Barbara Orbison

With his voice, his look and being known as one of the nicest guys in showbiz, many music fans and fellow musicians alike will agree that Roy Orbison was one of a kind. From the beginning of his career in Texas, playing the same venues as Buddy Holly, his time at Sun Records in Memphis alongside Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, causing riots at shows, his lifelong friendship with Johnny Cash, touring with the Beatles - you would think that alone would be enough to seal the legendary status that would follow Roy Orbison’s career up until and after his untimely death in 1988 at the age of 52.

The Beatles and Roy Orbison

“Roy Orbison was the only act that The Beatles didn’t want to follow.” - Ringo Starr

However, unbelievably, there was much more to Roy’s life, which included family tragedies, the ups and downs of the music industry and the eventual resurgence of his career in the 1980s. He collaborated with Emmylou Harris as a duet on “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again”, with the song going on to win a Grammy Award in 1981, “In Dreams” was featured in the 1986 David Lynch film Blue Velvet - which would in turn inspire Bono from U2 to write the beautiful “She’s A Mystery To Me”, in 1987 he re-recorded his 1961 hit “Crying” with k.d. lang, which earned him another Grammy and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Roy’s marriage to Barbara is another incredible story, alongside his musical career. Barbara, originally from Bielefeld, Germany, had been spending time in England when she met Roy in 1968 while he was on tour in Britain. She was eighteen when they married the next year. They went on to have two boys together, Roy Kelton Jr. and Alexander Orbie Lee as well as Wesley Orbison by Roy’s first wife Claudette.

Barbara Orbison

In the ’80s she managed Roy’s career and was the Executive Producer of his 1987 album, In Dreams: The Greatest Hits. She was responsible for, and helped to produce the very successful 1988 TV music special, Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night, which featured Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Steven Soles with backing vocals by k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes and Bonnie Raitt and now there’s the release of the 4 CD Box Set, ‘The Soul Of Rock And Roll‘, compiled by Roy Kelton Jr., it includes liner notes, demos, live recordings and 12 previously unreleased cuts spanning his entire career. Today, Barbara continues to watch over Roy Orbison’s music and business affairs as well as her own music publishing company, “Still Working Music”.

At the beginning of my phone interview with Barbara, I was a little nervous, but eventually things settled and our conversation became relaxed, as though I was talking to an old friend. It’s amazing to think that the woman on the other end of the line was the inspiration for one of my favorite Roy Orbison songs, “You Got It”.

Jenny May: Did Roy have a lot of input on the backing vocal arrangements of his songs?

Barbara Orbison: He wrote all of those - he was quite an architect.

What was one of your favorite “Roy Orbison” moments - is there a particular live performance that stands out?

I loved him…they were all good moments…I always loved that he would hardly ever give encores, he was very tough to push into an encore, but sometimes the crowd, I mean they would always push him into one, two, but sometimes they would push him into seven encores of “Running Scared” or “Crying”. I loved it.

Who stands out as someone that Roy liked singing with the most?

He was a solo singer, but there was The Traveling Wilburys (Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan), or when he did the Black and White Night or the Class of ‘55 (Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins), so you can really see that he loved being part of a group as well.

Were there many songs that he wrote about you?

Yes there were and there’s some on the Box Set, like there’s a song called “Precious”, “You Got It” was for me, there were many…”California Blue”.

What was one of Roy’s favorite performances by another artist, of one of his songs?

One of his songs…you know, of course he loved Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou”, Van Halen “Pretty Woman”, Tom Jones sang “In Dreams”…there were many people that have sung Roy songs…k.d. lang sang “Crying”.

The story about Bono and how “She’s A Mystery To Me” (watch Bono’s video interview) came together seems a very special story…

Yes it was special as we didn’t really know Bono, and we went to a concert because of a mutual friend of T-Bone Burnett. I had listened to the band, Bono and the U2 album, and I had seen them in LA, but Roy was on tour and we happened to be in London, and so when we walked backstage, it was like Bono had been waiting for Roy and he said, “Oh my God I can’t believe you walked in, I had been listening to ‘In Dreams’ all night long”, and they started writing the song together.

It’s beautiful. How did Roy feel about singing that - did he talk a lot about how that came together?

Bono and Roy met and they really became good friends through it and they would meet and talk and structure the song. So Bono came in to LA and produced that song and it was just so amazing.

Did the two of you spend much time in England together?

All the time.

Did you have a favorite place here?

We loved England. London would be our favorite place. Some of the coastal sites were great. It was like a second home. I mean, it still is, I’m calling you from my flat now.

I wasn’t sure where you were. Are you in London?

Yes.

Not too far from me. I’m in Oxford.

I love Oxford too.

Yes, me too. With the release of the Soul of Rock And Roll box set, I know that your son had a lot to do with getting the songs together, but was there a special process of selecting the songs?

There was. The process was an incredible, tedious one, because you have to select everything that reflects the artist’s work, and the sense of history, and then you have to line them up. You know, with you being a musician you know that one song doesn’t flow into the other one easily. You can see that this 4 CD Box Set plays so well because Roy Kelton just lined it up where it would flow, he’s a musician, I just know by when he started working on it because I would see all these little pieces of paper that would say one song is 2.8 minutes one is 3.4 one is a ballad one has a guitar part in there that corresponds to the other one…you know, you will so enjoy, Jenny, listening to the CDs.

I’m looking forward to it, and it sounds like he put a lot of time and care in selecting the songs and the order of them.

Yes - and you know I can’t wait for you to write your blog, because we write blogs for Roy in America too. My son would love to see it when it comes out…there’s always so much of Roy coming out. We’re doing a big salute to him with bands and everything.

I can’t wait. In the first band that I sang with back when I was seventeen, the band would sometimes go out and do Roy Orbison songs for a night and he would pack the places. I sang back up with this other woman and it was one of the most exciting experiences, singing those parts.

They were quite difficult to sing, I always get that feedback, but do you still have some recordings from those nights?

I’ll have to get back in touch with the band to find out - but people absolutely loved going out to those shows.

———-

Barbara wanted me to be sure to mention that there’s a BBC documentary in December 2008 and a BBC radio show with lots of good things coming out about Roy. She also has her special pet project: to petition for Roy Orbison to get a stamp in America. She asked that readers go to the website to sign up for the stamp petition. She said, “Bill Clinton, Bono, everybody has signed it, it’s totally safe.”

Roy Orbison Commemorative Stamp Petition

Roy Orbison - The Soul of Rock ‘n’ Roll on amazon.co.uk

The Soul of Rock and Roll on amazon.com

Roy Orbison Official Website

By: Jenny May

Eric Hutchinson, one of the latest artists to be featured in VH1’s high-profile “You Oughta Know” program, will kick off a headlining tour on November 7th, 2008. Charlotte Sometimes and Matt Hires will open on the tour, which will conclude December 13th with a show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom.

Sounds Like This on amazon.com

An exclusive iTunes edition of ‘Sounds Like This’, Hutchinson’s debut album, will be released on October 14th, 2008. It will feature two bonus tracks - “OK, It’s Alright With Me” and “You Don’t Have To Believe Me” - that Hutchinson recorded earlier this year while guesting on NPR’s “World Cafe” - plus the official video for lead single “Rock & Roll.”

Watch “Rock & Roll” video:

Lensed by U.K. director David Mullett (Babyshambles, Lucky Soul, Vinyl), the video is currently being played on VH1, MTVu and LOGO. “Rock & Roll,” which is a Top 10 hit at AAA radio, will be released as a digital single October 14th. It was featured in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as well as the film’s soundtrack, ad and viral campaign. Hutchinson, who recently performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” has been confirmed for appearances on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “The Bonnie Hunt Show.”

Tapped by MSN’s “Ones To Watch” program for the month of October and as an “Artist to Watch” by Clear Channel’s “NEW!” program for November, Hutchinson was hailed as “a new pop sensation” by Entertainment Weekly and has also appeared in the pages of USA Today, The Washington Post, Wired, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Hutchinson, who has been on the road this year with OneRepublic, Missy Higgins, Marié Digby, Ingrid Michaelson and Blind Melon, heads out on tour with Jack’s Mannequin on October 14th. ‘Sounds Like This’ will be released in Japan on October 22nd and Hutchinson will tour there in late January.

Eric Hutchinson 2008 North American Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

As direct support for Jack’s Mannequin:

10/14 Atlanta, GA The Loft
10/15 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
10/17 Orlando, FL The Social
10/18 Delray Beach, FL City Limits
10/19 St. Petersburg, FL The State Theatre
10/21 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
10/22 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
10/23 Austin, TX Antone’s
10/26 Tucson, AZ The Rock
10/27 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
10/28 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
10/30 Santa Barbara, CA UCSB
10/31 San Diego, CA House of Blues
11/2 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
11/3 Sparks, NV The New Oasis

Headlining with Charlotte Sometimes and Matt Hires opening
(except where noted otherwise):

11/7 Seattle, WA The High Dive
11/8 Portland, OR Berbati’s Pan
11/9 Vancouver, BC The Plaza Club
11/10 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory w/Augustana opening
11/11 Boise, ID The Venue
11/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
11/14 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
11/15 Lincoln, NE Knickerbockers
11/17 Des Moines, IA People’s Court
11/18 Chicago, IL Double Door
11/21 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue w/Mofro & Trombone Shorty opening
11/23 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
11/25 Columbus, OH The Basement
11/28 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
11/29 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Cafe
11/30 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
12/2 Montreal, QC Les Saints
12/3 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
12/4 Troy, NY Revolution Hall
12/5 Portland, ME The Station
12/6 Hartford, CT Webster Underground
12/7 Cambridge, MA The Middle East
12/9 Baltimore, MD The 8 x 10
12/10 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall
12/13 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom

Eric Hutchinson Official Website
MySpace

EMI Music is thrilled to announce that it has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with multi-platinum recording artists Depeche Mode. EMI Music’s Mute label has been the best-selling British trio’s international home since 1981 when the label released the group’s debut single “Dreaming of Me” in the U.K. The new deal means that EMI Music will now release Depeche Mode’s music in the U.S. for the first time, as well as in the rest of the world.

Depeche Mode on amazon.com

Depeche Mode on amazon.co.uk

Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode said: “We are so pleased to be continuing our relationship with Mute, and we feel very positive about the new team and set-up at EMI. This is going to be an exciting new chapter.”

Nick Gatfield, EMI Music’s president - A&R Labels, North America, the UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be extending our relationship with Depeche Mode, and to be supporting them in the US for the first time. They are one of the world’s most innovative and successful bands who continuously push boundaries and excite fans with their recording and live work.”

Daniel Miller, chairman, Mute, said: “I am really happy to be continuing to work with the band. They have been reaching new creative heights in the studio and they have one of the most devoted fanbases of any band in the world today. I believe that the Mute and EMI teams are extremely well positioned to help Depeche Mode build on their success.”

The first release under Depeche Mode’s worldwide agreement with EMI Music is a new studio album, the band’s twelfth, due outside the U.S. on April 20th, 2009, and in the U.S. on April 21st. Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher are currently in New York working on the album, which will be the follow-up to Depeche Mode’s 2005 release ‘Playing the Angel’, which reached No. 1 in 18 countries.

In addition, Depeche Mode has announced dates for the European leg of its “Tour of the Universe 2009″ - the group’s first - ever stadium tour in which they will perform in 28 cities across 21 countries. The tour, which kicks off in Israel on May 10th, is the band’s first since 2005;’s “Touring the Angel” trek, which smashed European sales records with 1.8 million tickets sold across 87 shows.

Formed in Basildon, England, in 1980, Depeche are considered the founding fathers of the ’80s synthpop movement and have become one of the most influential pop groups of the last 25 years by inspiring generations of new artists with their sublime, superlative electronica. The group has racked up multiple hit singles, including “Just Can’t Get Enough,” “Everything Counts,” “Enjoy the Silence,” “People Are People,” “Master and Servant,” “Personal Jesus,” “Policy of Truth” and “Precious”. Their 11 studio albums — 1981’s Speak & Spell, 1982’s A Broken Frame, 1983’s Construction Time Again, 1984’s Some Great Reward, 1986’s Black Celebration, 1987’s Music for the Masses, 1990’s Violator, 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion, 1997’s Ultra, 2001’s Exciter, and 2005’s Playing the Angel — have collectively sold more than 75 million copies worldwide.

Depeche Mode Official Website
MySpace

MySpace Music announces that one of the most respected names in punk rock Rise Against will be playing a club show at TT The Bears in Boston on October 7, 2008 as part of MySpace’s Secret Show series.

Rise Against - Appeal to Reason [Ecopack] on amazon.com

Appeal To Reason amazon.co.uk

The Secret Show is a free, exclusive performance for the MySpace community. Rise Against and MySpace are asking fans to donate food which will go The Greater Boston Food Bank for entry into the show. The band has also partnered with Peta2 for the show who will be distributing literature inside the show.

This is the first ever Secret Show in which MySpace have partnered with a charity. After talking with the band, the program realized this was the perfect band to do this with and an incredible way to kick off the release of their new album.

For their fifth studio album, ‘Appeal To Reason,’ Rise Against teamed up with Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendants) and Jason Livermore to record at the Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, CO - the same production team and studio used for “The Sufferer & the Witness” and “Revolutions Per Minute.” First single “Re-Education (Through Labor)” is already a top 5 Modern Rock hit.

Rise Against are vocalist Tim McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair. In spring 2001, the band released their debut CD ‘The Unraveling’ on Fat Wreck Chords. After two years of solid touring, Rise Against recorded Revolutions Per Minute (2002), followed by Siren Song Of The Counter Culture produced by Gggarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, Melvins, Sick Of It All). The Sufferer & the Witness was released in 2006 and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

The Greater Boston Food Bank’s mission is to help end hunger in eastern Massachusetts. To achieve its mission, The Food Bank feeds more than 320,000 people annually in nine counties in eastern Massachusetts.

MySpace Music has organized more than 150 Secret Shows since the franchise launched in February 2006 with artists like Gnarls Barkley, The Offspring, Neil Diamond, Slayer, Fran Ferdinand, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing in cities around the world.

For more information about the artists and upcoming schedule, visit:

MySpace Secret Shows Official Profile

Rise Against MySpace

Rise Against Official Website

The Fireman returns after a 10-year break with ‘Electric Arguments’, scheduled for U.S. release on November 18th, 2008, via MPL/ATO Records. The follow-up to 1998’s ‘Rushes’, ‘Electric Arguments’ is the duo’s third studio album - and its first to feature vocals.

The Fireman - Electric Arguments on amazon.com

Electric Arguments amazon.co.uk

With the release of its 1993 debut, ‘Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest’, the identities of the musicians behind The Fireman were initially unknown. But soon the press revealed them as none other than Paul McCartney and Youth. “Paul McCartney has discovered dance music - the results are staggeringly brilliant,” said Melody Maker. “They take a melody and, with dexterous genre-hopping through ambient, trance and house, evolve a number of breathtaking variations.”

Last year, McCartney and Youth went into the studio with no master plan, no record company restraints and no set release date to work to. Thus ‘Electric Arguments’ emerged organically: 13 eclectic tracks, each written and recorded in the space of one day.
The record opens with a stylistically diverse trifecta: the classic rock attention-grabber “Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight,” the acoustic driven “Two Magpies” and, in another hairpin turn, the euphoric, melodic “Sing The Changes.”

‘Electric Arguments’ continues in this fashion, each track exhibiting an entirely different personality yet all meshing perfectly. “Lifelong Passion” - a track The Fireman donated earlier this year to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield - showcases a traditional, song-based sound with vocals, completely unlike anything on the duo’s previous two albums.

Other standouts include “Light From Your Lighthouse,” “Sun Is Shining” and “Dance ‘Til We’re High,” all demonstrating McCartney’s unending interest in pure musical possibilities.

The track listing for The Fireman’s Electric Arguments is as follows:

1. Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight
2. Two Magpies
3. Sing The Changes
4. Traveling Light
5. Highway
6. Light From Your Lighthouse
7. Sun Is Shining
8. Dance ‘Til We’re High
9. Lifelong Passion
10. Is This Love?
11. Lovers In A Dream
12. Universal Here, Everlasting Now
13. Don’t Stop Running

Produced By Paul McCartney & Youth
All tracks written by Paul McCartney

The Fireman Official Website

Paul McCartney

Historics are ready to reveal the swirling and dreamlike “Taverns,” the first single and music video off their forthcoming debut album.

Watch “Taverns” video:

The hypnotic track stems from the combined forces of three veteran musicians and their diverse backgrounds: Don Devore (Ink & Dagger; Icarus Line), Mickey Madden (Maroon 5), and Josh Grubb (VietNam).

The song is a warm and bittersweet trip laced with Grubb’s narcotic, eastern-tinged guitar licks. Madden’s steady bass lines provide a subtle yet cathartic anchor, often maintaining the heart of the song while the other instruments erupt into moments of chaos. Devore speak-sings melancholy lyrics such as “breath that smoke, lose your hope” in a beautifully weathered voice - one that sounds like it belongs to a man who has seen and done it all.

The video, directed by Brendon Devore, features multiple planes of footage draped on top of one another, mirroring the production of the song and it’s layered sonic tapestry.

Golden hues outline the band members, giving them a spectral quality while cityscapes float across the screen. Adding to the surreal atmosphere is ominous interspered footage of a bat flying in slow motion as well as the spooky shots of an owl that bookend the video.

Keep a lookout for Historics’ full-length album in early 2009, with special guests including Kool Keith and other surprises.

Historics MySpace

More than 40 years in the making. 62 career-spanning tracks and well over three hours of Move magnificence on one superbly remastered 4-CD box set!

The Move Anthology 1966-1972 features classic hit singles, b-sides, choice album cuts, a wealth of previously unreleased material including never-before-heard songs, demos, alternate takes and live recordings from 1966-72. The full-colour 72-page booklet with rare and unseen photos & memorabilia includes extensive 10,000-word Move history & band interviews by with complete track-by-track info and UK discography. Set for release 27 October, 2008 on Salvo/Fly.

The Move - Anthology 1966-1972 on amazon.co.uk

The Move Anthology amazon.com

The story of The Move is as mad, bad and dangerous as any rock ‘n’ roll tale gets. The cast includes four loutish hot-heads, one shy songwriter, and a scheming, Mexican ‘tached manager. And let’s not forget one furious British Prime Minister. Travelling with the band in the back of the van is one nasty looking axe and a case of smoke bombs. Chasing them out of the nation’s clubs and ballrooms is a queue of fist-waving venue managers demanding explanations for the crowd disturbances and splintered stages.

That’s hardly the start of it. There’s a quite brilliant procession of singles that helped create a second golden age of British pop. Secret service agents loitering menacingly in the shadows. Acid-induced breakdowns. Boozy blackouts. A High Court appearance decked out in granny perms, floral jackets and dark glasses. Probably the most notorious and costly postcard ever produced. High jinx with Jimi Hendrix. Endless rows, punch-ups and changes in personnel. And, quite possibly, the most protracted split in pop history.

On a happier note, The Move’s work has never been so highly regarded, and this latest, career-crunching 4-CD collection, the sovereign set in Salvo/Fly’s programme of 40th anniversary releases, presents the band in various hues. From Who-influenced mod mavericks to beat group harmony specialists, flower power opportunists to power pop sophisticates, and psychedelic jamming band to progressive and hard rock pioneers, The Move are revealed here as a defining example of late ’60s /early ’70s pop era eclectics.

2008 Tour Dates:
featuring Bev Bevan & Trevor Burton

(Dates and information subject to change. Go to The Move’s website for the latest tour dates and information.)

11/10/08 Artrix Centre Bromsgrove, UK CANCELLED
01/11/08 The Barn Birmingham, UK Tel. 0121 356 5706 The Move
07/11/08 Butlins Bognor Regis, UK The Move
22/11/08 Nailcote Hall Birmingham, UK www.ricksbar.co.uk The Move
05/12/08 Kings Heath C.C. Birmingham, UK Tel. 0121 444 1913 The Move
13/12/08 Aston Wood G.C. Sutton Coldfield, UK Call Helen on 0121 580 7800 ext 4 The Move
19/12/08 The Asylum Birmingham, UK CANCELLED

Tracklisting:

CD 1: 1966 - 1967

1. You’re The One I Need *
2. I Can’t Hear You No More *
3. Is It True *
4. Respectable *
5. Night of Fear (alternate version) *
6. Disturbance (undubbed alternate version)
7. I Can Hear The Grass Grow (full-length version) *
8. Move
9. Wave The Flag And Stop The Train
10. (Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree (stereo) **
11. Flowers & Lemon Tea (Tony Visconti talks to the players…) *
12. Flowers In The Rain
13. Cherry Blossom Clinic (enhanced stereo) **
14. Vote For Me (mono)
15. Fire Brigade (early piano version; rough mix) *
16. Useless Information
17. Yellow Rainbow (enhanced stereo) **
18. Kilroy Was Here (enhanced stereo) **
19. Fire Brigade
20. The Girl Outside (alternate take) *
21. Mist On A Monday Morning (enhanced stereo) **
22. Flowers In The Rain (acoustic version; rough mix) *
23. Simple Simon (take 6 backing track; rough mix) *

CD2: Live at the Marquee 1968

1. Move Bolero (live) *
2. It’ll Be Me (live) *
3. Too Much In Love (live) *
4. Flowers In The Rain (live) *
5. Fire Brigade (live) *
6. Stephanie Knows Who (live) *
7. Something Else (live) *
8. So You Want To Be A Rock’n'Roll Star (live) *
9. The Price Of Love (live) *
10. Piece Of My Heart (live) *
11. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher (live) *
12. Sunshine Help Me (live) *

CD3: 1968 - 1969

1. Somethin’ Else (EP version)
2. Sunshine Help Me (EP version)
3. Wild Tiger Woman (UK single edit) **
4. Omnibus (enhanced stereo) **
5. Blackberry Way
6. A Certain Something (piano version; rough mix) *
7. Curly
8. Second Class (She’s Too Good For Me) (part 1) *
9. Second Class (She’s Too Good For Me) (part 2) *
10. Beautiful Daughter (reduced mix) *
11. This Time Tomorrow
12. Hello Susie (abridged) **
13. Don’t Make My Baby Blue
14. The Last Thing On My Mind
15. Open My Eyes (live at Fillmore West 1969) *

CD4: 1969 - 1972

1. I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Fillmore West 1969) *
2. Brontosaurus (US promo edit) *
3. When Alice Comes Back To The Farm
4. Turkish Tram Conductor Blues (take 5; rough mix)
5. Feel Too Good
6. Lightnin’ Never Strikes Twice
7. Ella James
8. Tonight (US edited version) **
9. Do Ya (edited version)
10. Chinatown
11. California Man
12. The Duke Of Edinburgh’s Lettuce

* Previously unreleased
** Previously unreleased on CD

The Move - Live

The Move Website

It’s so refreshing putting on music that when the first breath of a note begins, you can already tell the sweetness of what’s to come. Inchworm captures that sweetness with ease throughout “Simple Days Without Money”, the breezy, catchy opening track on their EP ‘Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing’.

I’ve been an Inchworm fan for awhile now - ever since dedicating a whole Band Weblogs Podcast Show to the Chicago based band - which is a very rare occurrence, and it’s great to hear their music again after being away from it for awhile. It’s always a good personal ‘test’ so to speak, when a band that stirred you the first time you heard them gives you that same exciting feeling the next time you listen to their music after a long break. There’s just an all around wholesome sound that Inchworm brings to the table - similar to The Band - endearing vocals and harmonies, quality musicianship and well written timeless songs.

“Green House Grown” swings along with a wonderful rhythm and piano with harmonies reminiscent of The Band. “You I Aim For” is another sweet, classic sounding track on the EP. “Learn to Grift” steers the listener in a different direction from the previous Americana feel of the other tracks. A more modern/indie sound along with superb drumming. “Waltz Through the Ashes”, as you can gather from the title, is a darker track with standout, sultry vocals and cool guitar parts - and tone - throughout.

“Silent Observers” is an appropriate closing track. I love the rustic sound of the piano at the intro, and the vocals waste no time coming in. There’s a great build to this song, with its humble beginning, then the beautiful harmonies, excellent dynamics, soaring guitar, steady bass and then gradually building up to a somewhat experimental grand finale. Brilliant.

This EP is HIGHLY recommended and goes into my “great music for sitting around a fire at night” category.

‘Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing’ Track Listing:

Simple Days Without Money
Green House Grown
You I Aim For
Learn to Grift
Waltz Through the Ashes
Silent Observers

If you happen to be in the Chicago area on October 10, 2008 - I’ve got the perfect night out for you. Inchworm’s CD Release Show!! If I could be there, I would.

10/10/08
Darkroom
2210 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL
Time: TBD
w/ Swell and Sleep with the Fishes
$8 adv, $10 door

Inchworm Official Website
Inchworm MySpace

By: Jenny May

I’ve been enjoying Brett Dennen’s new “Make You Crazy” track from his upcoming release ‘Hope for the Hopeless’ out October 21, 2008. The song features the legendary Femi Kuti.

Luckily for me and all of you, the track is available right here as a FREE download!!

Download “Make You Crazy” MP3

Watch the video of Brett performing “Make You Crazy” on NYC NPR station WFUV:

Brett Dennen - Hope for the Hopeless (Dig) on amazon.com

For more music and information, go to:

Brett Dennen Official Website
MySpace

MySpace Music is proud to announce that the self-proclaimed “King of the South,” T.I., will be performing a free show for his MySpace friends at the Key Club in Los Angeles, CA, on Friday, October 3, 2008 - a show being powered by AT&T.

200 limited tickets will be available for pick-up for the 15+ show from 10 a.m - 1 p.m. on Friday, October 3 and no early line-ups will be allowed for the 8:30 p.m show. Admittance will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Key Club
9039 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA, 90069
310.274.5800

Releasing a string of consistent albums since his debut in the early-’00s, Atlanta’s T.I. has come to be known by hip-hop enthusiasts as “the Jay-Z of the South.” Now with his new Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records album ‘Paper Trail,’ T.I. is aiming to further solidify his place in the upper echelon of hip-hop artistry and innovation.

For the creation of the album, T.I. implemented a back-to-basics approach to his lyricism. Reverting back to the days where he would physically pen his lyrics, the new album maps out the journey he has taken since first emerging on the scene and hints at what’s in store for him in the future.

As his most focused work to date, ‘Paper Trail’ features guest shots and production by Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Usher, Rihanna, and Swizz Beats, among others, and is exactly what you’d expect from such a relevant, forward-thinking emcee of this caliber.

T.I. - Paper Trail on amazon.com

Please visit T.I.’s MySpace page for the very latest news items, tour dates and media:

T.I. MySpace

MySpace Release Shows

Antony and the Johnsons have just released a trailer for the title track from their forthcoming EP ‘Another World’ (October 7, 2008 Secretly Canadian).

On ‘Another World’, Antony lists things he treasures about the natural world, and expresses that he will miss them; the result is hypnotic and affecting, with the accompanying video reflecting the song’s theme.

Watch the Trailer:

Antony and the Johnsons emerged onto the international stage in 2005 with their breakthrough ‘I Am A Bird Now’. The group were awarded the Mercury Prize in the UK and toured the world.

Since then Antony has collaborated on tracks with Bjork for her latest album ‘Volta’, appeared in the Leonard Cohen documentary I’m Your Man, featured as vocalist with Hercules and Love Affair, recorded for the Todd Haynes bio epic of Bob Dylan I’m Not There, and collaborated with Charles Atlas on a European tour of their stage spectacle Turning.

Now Antony and the Johnsons have emerged with a new album, ‘The Crying Light’, which will be released January 2009. “Another World” is the first single, and it will be released as part of the five-song ‘Another World’ EP.

The EP ‘Another World’ also includes “Shake That Devil”. Part exorcism and part Shangri La, Antony calls out perpetrators, and banishes them one by one.

Two other songs, “Crackagen” and “Sing For Me” are pastoral and surreal. Finally the epic “Hope Mountain” closes the EP; an episodic narrative set after a flood; people gather on a mountainside to witness a girl walking on the water.

Another World Tracklist:

1. Another World
2. Crackagen
3. Shake That Devil
4. Sing For Me
5. Hope Mountain

Antony and the Johnsons October 2008 tour dates:

10/14 Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, CA
10/16 Apollo Theatre New York, NY
10/30 The Barbican London, ENG
10/31 The Barbican London, ENG

Antony and the Johnsons on amazon.com

Antony and the Johnsons on amazon.co.uk

MySpace
Antony and the Johnsons Official Website

Grayson Capps has had quite a life so far. A childhood spent listening to his father and friends getting drunk, telling stories and strumming guitars, a spell at Tulane University as a theatre major, during which time he formed two bands which enjoyed ‘moderate national success’ (The House Levelers and Stavin’ Chain), a period squatting on the outskirts of New Orleans, a lucky break writing songs for the movie ‘A Love Song for Bobby Long’ (based on his own father’s unpublished novel) and a move to a farmhouse in Tennessee in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which was the venue for the sessions that resulted in his latest album, ‘Rott ‘n’ Roll’.

And what a blast the sessions sound - afternoons rehearsing, evenings spent sitting round the bonfire in Capps’ backyard, cutting a track ‘if the spirit moved them’ (notice the absence of any activities in the mornings). Fun to record, then, and fun to listen to. This is Southern roots music at its very best, respectful to the past, yet uninhibited by history, recognisably of its place and yet not formulaic, just a bunch of good musicians kicking about a bunch of good songs.

“Grand Maw Maw” and “Big Ole Woman” are joyously dumb and dirty rock and roll, “Psychic Channel Blues” beautifully smoky, “Arrowhead” glorious country in the outlaw style, “Ike” in the grand old tradition of country story songs, “Bacon” a good old-fashioned rockin’ instrumental. We even have, with “Fear Fruit Bearing Tree”, a spoken word track (that’s right, whisper it, a poem) which, although occasionally marred by some obsessive rhyming (’we create the confusion/so take a dose of seclusion/to dilute the delusion’), also contains some effective poetic conceits (greed is the seed of a fear fruit bearing tree / … / now did Eve give it to Adam / or did Adam give it to Eve / … / well, they bit then, and we all bite now / because we’re constantly taught how / and we are now the seeds of a fear fruit bearing tree’), and is saved from mediocrity by the sheer passion of Capps’ performance.

All the performances on this CD are excellent. It is invidious to pick any one band member out for special praise - Tommy MacLuckie’s guitar is sweet and dirty, gentle and fierce, Josh Kerrin’s bass solid and understated, which is to say everything he plays is in the service of the song (a dream bass player in other words), John Milham’s drums swing or rock as required and Capps’ vocals just so warm and easy, cracking in all the right places. These performances are beautifully captured in the recording (for which Trina Shoemaker is credited), which focuses on the individual instruments enough to let the cymbals hiss like metal rain and the guitars sing and cry, but also weaves the sound of the whole band together so that you can hear where the guys were standing in the room when they recorded. There are overdubs on the album, but it is no surprise to hear that the bones of most of the tracks are first takes recorded live - after a suitably enjoyable evening round the campfire no doubt.

If you are a fan of Americana, or looking for a way in to contemporary country music that avoids the flag waving corporate slickness of much of the output of Nashville these days, my advice is to pack a bag and head on down to Capps’ farmhouse; if you can’t afford the airfare, then buy this CD and transport yourself there for a fraction of the cost.

Grayson Capps - Rott ‘N’ Roll on amazon.com

Rott ‘n’ Roll amazon.co.uk

Photo Credits: top - Collin Peterson; bottom - Karen Will Rogers

Grayson Capps Official Website
MySpace

By: Jim Driscoll

MC Frontalot, The Godfather of Nerdcore Rap, is at it again, bringing his parsecs of knowledge to your cochlea with his newest album, ‘Final Boss’, set for release November 4th, 2008. Featuring guest spots from Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), Jonathan Coulton and Wil Wheaton, ‘Final Boss’ is unabashedly geek-tastic.

Download “Wallflowers” MP3

MC Frontalot holds forth on topics ranging from cryptozoology (“Scare Goat”) to improper use of punctuation (“Tongue-Clucking Grammarian”) to a new dance based on a grand-dame (“Wallflowers”).

The album takes its title from Front’s track of the same name, featured in the video game “On the Rainslick Precipice of Darkness” from the makers of the popular webcomic, Penny Arcade.

Front’s chameleon-like adaptability is on full display with the release of ‘Final Boss’. Tongue-twisting lyrics lie over swathes of eclectic samples and beats from a wide variety of genres. A true master of ceremonies, Frontalot ushers us through his multi-faceted offerings with wit and aplomb.

MC Frontalot, also known by his given name Damian Hess, pioneered nerdcore, a subgenre of hip-hop performed by nerds for nerds. Hess recorded his first Frontalot rhyme in 1999 (before an adoring audience of Robotech figurines), subsequently posting music to his own website and SongFight. The independently produced tracks earned him a devoted audience, including the founders of Penny Arcade who named Front their “official MC” in 2002 and invited him to play at their annual Expo. In 2005 he released his first album, ‘Nerdcore Rising’.

One year later, Front embarked on his first US tour with bandmates G minor 7, Blak Lotus and The Categorical Imperative and filmmaker Negin Farsad. The material that Farsad came away with was eventually turned into the prize-winning documentary “Nerdcore Rising: The Movie” which premiered to rave reviews at SXSW 2008. After the release of ‘Final Boss’, Frontalot looks forward to touring this fall.

MC Frontalot 2008 Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

11/01: Long Island, NY @ Crazy Donkey
11/03: Boston, MA @ Harpers Ferry
11/04: Teaneck, NJ @ Mexicali Live
11/05: Albany, NY @ The Linda
11/13: Boulder, CO @ Blacksheep
11/16: Seattle, WA @ High Dive
11/19: Oakland, CA @ The Uptown
11/21: Bakersfield, CA @ Jerry’s
11/23: Las Vegas, NV @ Jillian’s
11/28: Austin, TX @ Flamingo Cantina
11/29: Dallas, TX @ Double Wide
12/05: Marrieta, GA @ Swayze’s
12/07: Charlotte, NC @ Milestone
12/09: Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java
12/10: Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
12/11: Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records
12/12: Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber Upstairs
12/14: Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s

“MC Frontalot, who defined the subculture with 2000’s “Nerdcore Hip-Hop,” crams tons of words into raps about goth girls and text-adventure games; his look is strictly ’70s math teacher, while his quirky cadences are reminiscent of Kool Keith or late-’90s Anticon MCs.” - XLR8R

Photo Credit: Phil Palios / Philthy Photography

For more information on MC Frontalot, go to:

MC Frontalot Official Website
MySpace

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey return to Europe in October. Touring in support of ‘Lil Tae Rides Again’ (Hyena), JFJO will perform in Great Britian, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Germany and Sweden over the course of the three week tour.

Highlights will include performances at Guinness Cork Jazz Festival in Ireland and the 40th Umea International Jazz Festival in Sweden, as well as a Halloween performance in London to finish the run. Before jumping the pond, the Tulsa-based trio (Brian Haas on keys, Reed Mathis on guitars and Josh Raymer on drums) are set to play their final east coast shows of 2008, including legendary jazz venue, The Blue Note, in New York City.

The tour will conclude a banner year for JFJO whose latest studio album was widely praised by publications like Downbeat, The Village Voice and San Francisco Weekly, while a relentless touring schedule featured stops at Newport Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center and the The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Watch a live performance by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey:

“Autumnal” video

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey 2008 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

October 4 / Coalessece Festival / Eureka Springs, AR
October 5 / Oklahoma State Fair / Tulsa, OK
October 8 / Regattabar / Boston, MA
October 9 / Chris’ Jazz Cafe / Philadelphia, PA
October 10 / The Blue Note / New York, NY
October 16 / Oxidant / Berlin, Germany
October 18 / SJU Jazz Podium / Utrecht, Netherlands
October 21 / Jazz I Malmo / Malmo, Sweden
October 23 / Glen Miller’s Café / Stockholm, Sweden
October 24 / 40th Umea International Jazz Festival / Umea, Sweden
October 26 / Guinness Cork Jazz Festival / Cork City, Ireland
October 27 / Matt & Phred’s / Manchester, England
October 28 / The Jazz Bar / Edinburgh, Scotland
October 29 / Colchester Arts Centre / Colchester,UK
October 31 / Charlie Wright’s International / London, England
December 31 / Blank Slate / Tulsa, OK

What’s being said about JFJO’s Lil Tae Rides Again:

“As abstractly hallucinatory as it may sound on disc, expect material from the Tulsa keyboard trio’s most recent album, Lil Tae Rides Again, to unfold gloriously on-stage. Expectations, though, are hardly the stock in trade of keyboardist Brian Haas, guitarist Reed Mathis, and drummer Josh Raymer’s improvisatory head-fu**ery, which embraces Beatles covers, free jazz and just about everything in between.” — Village Voice

“Lil Tae Rides Again bathes in electro-blackness, a blood-red island in a skewed fantasy. Gorgeous or beastly, it sticks to your shivering bones.” — Under The Radar Magazine

“Clearly, keyboardist Brain Haas and bassist Reed Mathis could be considered masters of their respective instruments, but they avoid exhibitionistic soloing in favor of sonic ambience and subtle group meditations. Structure and context is the name of the game, building an orchestral majesty into the mix and amplifying the sense of expl oration within the band’s creative process.” — Downbeat

“Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey step through the looking glass to emerge from the shadows of their disparate rock and jazz influences with something wholly fresh. Producer Tae Meyulks transforms these sessions into a sonic wonderland.” — The Absolute Sound

“‘Tether Ball Triumph’ layers shimmering, overlapping melodic fragments over hushed drum ‘n’ bass rhythms. The eerie ‘Santiago Lends a Hand’ sounds like a lullaby for the post-apocalypse before ominous, lurching beats come to the fore. One of the few uptempo pieces here is the dub-tinged ‘Discovering the Time Capsule,’ where sweet, nostalgic accordion sighs waft through thick, metallic piano chords — imagine Tortoise in waltz mode.” — SF Weekly

“…truly intoxicating.” — East Bay Express

“….powerfully evocative, making the listening experience alternately trying and transcendent.” — Bass Player

Download “Tae Parade” from the Hyena Records website

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Official Website

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine has released his anticipated solo album, ‘The Fabled City’. The 11-song album, produced by Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), is the first release to bear the political and social activist’s birth name and features appearances by System of a Down’s Serj Tankian and Shooter Jennings.

With more complex electric arrangements than displayed on the sparse solo debut ‘One Man Revolution’, ‘The Fabled City’ is the synthesis of his groundbreaking work as an innovative rock guitarist and revolutionary acoustic troubadour. For the first time, this album bridges the gap between Tom Morello, the acoustic protest singer and Tom Morello, the guitar legend.

Watch “Whatever It Takes” video:

Whatever It Takes

The tour in support of ‘The Fabled City’ will display both sides of Morello’s guitar prowess with both an acoustic set and full-band electric set performed each night. In regards to the format of the performances, Morello stated “On The Fabled City Tour, I will be playing both acoustic and electric guitar. I want to start off with the darker acoustic songs and then build to some of the wildest electric guitar playing I have ever unleashed on stage in my career. The idea is half Dylan/Half Hendrix. I have been practicing my ass off and can’t wait to rock.”

In addition to the tour, Tom Morello has been confirmed to appear at the annual New Yorker Festival in New York City on Saturday, October 4th, 2008. Morello will be performing songs and talking with James Surowiecki, staff writer at The New Yorker since 2000. The performance and interview takes place at the Acura Stage at Cedar Lake Theatre, 547 West 26th Street. For more information, go to the New Yorker Festival website.

THE FABLED CITY November 2008 Tour Dates
* More dates to be announced:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

11/1 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
11/2 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
11/5 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
11/7 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
11/8 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
11/9 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
11/11 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
11/12 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
11/13 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
11/20 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
11/21 New York, NY The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza

“The Rage Against The Machine guitarist’s remarkable transformation from purveyor of weapons-grade funk-metal riffs into introspective protest folkie yields even more impressive fruit on his second solo effort. A-” Entertainment Weekly

Tom Morello MySpace
Tom Morello Official Website