Lifehouse has confirmed a new release date for their fifth studio album, Smoke & Mirrors.

The album will now hit stores February 2, 2010, and will be available in a standard edition as well as a deluxe edition that will include four additional tracks.

Buy Music:

Lifehouse on amazon.com

In anticipation of the release, however, the band recently debuted the cover art on their official website.

In the meantime, “Halfway Gone” – the first single from Smoke & Mirrors – is rapidly climbing the charts. It is available for purchase now on iTunes.

Lifehouse on Twitter
Lifehouse Official Website

THE BEATLES Box Of Vision® Ushers In A New Era For Beatles Fans And Collectors

Deluxe Companion to the Newly Re-mastered BEATLES CDs Includes First LP Size Book Of Complete Album Artwork And Storage For The Entire Beatles CD Catalog

In anticipation of the September 2009 release of The Beatles‘ digitally re-mastered catalog, THE BEATLES Box Of Vision® is now available for pre-order at www.BoxOfVision.com for late August 2009 delivery, and will be available at select retailers this Fall.

Officially licensed by Apple Corps Ltd., the stunning collection includes:

*A 200-page LP-size book containing all of The Beatles’ LP artwork, brilliantly restored in pristine new art prints. This is the first time that all of The Beatles UK and US album artwork has been collected together in a single LP sized book. From PLEASE PLEASE ME and MEET THE BEATLES through LOVE, this book includes front covers, back covers, gatefolds, inserts, and the complete LP booklets from MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, LET IT BE…NAKED and LOVE, arranged to create the feeling of holding and enjoying the entire LP collection in your lap.

*The “Catalography,” a brand new, full color discography guide with photos, text and track-listings, providing the first-ever side-by-side presentation of the UK albums and their US counterparts, with an exclusive essay by Beatles author and historian Bruce Spizer.

*The BoxOfVision storage book, a unique and elegant way for fans to organize and display all 32 discs of The Beatles’ core catalog. Fans may insert CDs and booklets from their existing collections or the new digitally re-mastered versions-the BoxOfVision was built to store and display the digi-pak boxes that will house the newly re-mastered CDs.

Ideal for fans, collectors and holiday gift giving, the set is housed in an elegant black, linen-covered box with silver embossed Beatles logos and faux Beatles LP spines. The 13″ x 13″ box features the iconic image of The Beatles photographed by Robert Freeman for the cover of WITH THE BEATLES (released as MEET THE BEATLES in the US).

Once a fan inserts their CDs, they are able to store and display The Beatles entire body of work in a single, elegant book.

THE BEATLES Box Of Vision was conceived by Jonathan Polk, a music industry veteran with more than 20 years experience. “It’s the ultimate fan piece,” says Polk, who served as Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer for Capitol Records during the period in which it released The Beatles LOVE album, LET IT BE…NAKED, and THE BEATLES CAPITOL ALBUMS VOL. 1 and VOL. 2.

“The Beatles invented the rock album format and it was my goal to help ensure that fans can continue to discover and appreciate this single greatest catalog of music the way it was originally created.”

“I have always been frustrated with the available options for organizing and storing CDs,” continues Polk, who is also the inventor of the Box of Vision’s patented CD storage structure. “And, I hated the fact that the beautiful LP artwork I grew up with was reduced to almost postage stamp size on CDs. The Box Of Vision gives fans the best of all worlds.”

For a limited time, individuals who pre-order at www.BoxOfVision.com will reserve a limited edition, individually numbered first edition/first printing of THE BEATLES Box Of Vision. This collector’s edition will not exceed 7,200 copies. Shipment will commence in mid-August, just prior to Apple Corps Ltd and EMI Music’s September 9, 2009 release of the original Beatles catalog, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time.

Buy Music:

The Beatles on amazon.com

The Beatles on amazon.co.uk

For a “virtual tour” and more information on THE BEATLES Box Of Vision visit:

Box Of Vision Official Website

Photo Session, 1965, © Apple Corps Ltd, 2009

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated The Beatles: Rock Band video game.

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, © Apple Corps Ltd, 2009

Buy Music

The Beatles on amazon.com

The Beatles on amazon.co.uk

Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

Photo Session, 1962, © Apple Corps Ltd, 2009

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the ‘Past Masters’ set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. ‘The Beatles in Mono’ gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on ‘Past Masters’). As an added bonus, the mono “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

For the latest news and information, go to:

The Beatles Official Website

Additional information:

The Stereo Albums (available individually and collected in a stereo boxed set)
The stereo albums have been remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee
All CD packages contain original vinyl artwork and liner notes
Extensive archival photos
Additional historical notes by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley
Additional recording notes by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett
* = CD includes QuickTime mini-doc about the album
Please Please Me* (CD debut in stereo)
With The Beatles* (CD debut in stereo)
A Hard Day’s Night* (CD debut in stereo)
Beatles For Sale* (CD debut in stereo)
Help!*
Rubber Soul*
Revolver*
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band* (also includes 1987 notes, updated, and new intro by Paul McCartney)
Magical Mystery Tour*
The Beatles*
Yellow Submarine* (also includes original US liner notes)
Abbey Road*
Let It Be*
Past Masters (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett)

‘The Beatles in Mono’ (boxed set only)
The mono albums have been remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke
Presented together in box with an essay written by Kevin Howlett
+ = mono mix CD debut
Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day’s Night
Beatles For Sale
Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+
Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+
Revolver+
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band+
Magical Mystery Tour+
The Beatles+
Mono Masters

Buy Music

The Beatles on amazon.com

The Beatles on amazon.co.uk

Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue

The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.

From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs.

In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting – to increase the volume level of the CD – has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.

When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson.

Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction.

New Notes/Documentaries Team

Kevin Howlett (Historical and Recording Notes)
Kevin Howlett’s career as an award-winning radio producer spans three decades. His music programmes for the BBC have included many documentaries about The Beatles, including ‘The Beeb’s Lost Beatles Tapes.’ He received a Grammy nomination for his involvement with The Beatles’ album ‘Live At The BBC’ and, in 2003, produced the ‘Fly On The Wall’ bonus disc for ‘Let It Be… Naked.’

Mike Heatley (Historical Notes)
Mike entered the music business via HMV Record Stores in 1970, transferring to EMI Records’ International Division three years later. He eventually headed up that division in the early Eighties before joining the company’s newly created Strategic Marketing Division in 1984. In 1988, he returned to International, where he undertook a number of catalogue marketing roles until he retired in December 2008.

During his career he worked with many of EMI’s major artists, including Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden. However, during the last 30 years he has formed a particularly strong relationship with Apple, and has been closely involved in the origination and promotion of the Beatles catalogue, besides solo releases from John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Bob Smeaton (Director, Mini-Documentaries)
Bob Smeaton was series director and writer on the Grammy award winning ‘Beatles Anthology’ TV series which aired in the UK and the USA in 1995. In 1998 he received his second Grammy for his ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ documentary. In 2004 he gained his first feature film credit, as director on the feature documentary ‘Festival Express.’ He subsequently went on to direct documentaries on many of the world’s biggest music acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John, Nirvana and the Spice Girls.

Julian Caiden (Editor, Mini-Documentaries)
Julian has worked with Bob Smeaton on numerous music documentaries including ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ and the ‘Classic Albums’ series, featuring The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John and Nirvana among others. He has worked on documentary profiles from Richard Pryor to Dr. John to Sir Ian McKellen, Herbie Hancock and Damien Hirst and on live music shows including the New York Dolls and Club Tropicana.

The Abbey Road Team

Allan Rouse (Project Coordinator)
Allan joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time he frequently worked with Norman (Hurricane) Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer.

In 1991, he had his first involvement with The Beatles, copy­ing all of their master tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital tape as a safety backup. This was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary ‘The Making of Sgt. Pepper’s’ and the CDs ‘Live at the BBC’ and ‘The Anthol­ogy.’

In 1997, MGM/UA were preparing to reissue the film ‘Yellow Submarine’ and, with the permission of Apple, asked that all of The Beatles’ music be mixed for the film in 5.1 surround and stereo. Allan requested the services of Abbey Road’s senior engineer Peter Cobbin and assistant Guy Massey and, along with them, produced the new mixes.

Two years later, he proposed an experimental stereo and surround mix of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ engineered by Peter Cobbin. Following lengthy consultations with Yoko Ono, the album ‘Imagine’ was re-mixed in stereo and the Grammy award-winning film ‘Gimme Some Truth’ in surround and new stereo. This led to a further five of John’s albums being re-mastered with new stereo mixes and the DVD release of ‘Lennon Legend’ being re-mixed in 5.1 surround and new stereo.

Further projects followed, including The Beatles ‘Anthol­ogy’, ‘The First US Visit’ and ‘Help’ DVD and the albums ‘Let It Be…Naked’ and ‘Love’ along with George Harrison’s ‘Concert for Bangladesh’ DVD and album.

For a number of years now, Allan has worked exclusively on Beatles and related projects.

Guy Massey (Recording Engineer)
Guy joined Abbey Road in 1994, and five years later assisted on the surround remix for The Beatles film ‘Yellow Submarine.’ This led to The Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and later, along with Paul Hicks and Allan Rouse, they mixed and produced ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ In 2004 he left the studios to become freelance and has engineered The Divine Comedy: ‘Victory for the Comic Muse,’ Air Traffic: ‘Fractured Life,’ James Dean Bradfield: ‘The Great Western’ and Stephen Fretwell’s ‘Magpie,’ co-producing the last two. Since leaving, Guy is still a vital member of the team, and has been the senior engineer for the re-mastering project and was responsible for surround and new stereo mixes for the DVD release of ‘Help!’

Steve Rooke (Mastering Engineer)
Steve joined Abbey Road in 1983 and is now the studio’s senior mastering engineer. He has been involved on all The Beatles’ projects since 1999. He has also been responsible for mastering releases by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Paul Hicks (Recording Engineer)
Paul started at Abbey Road in 1994, and his first involvement with The Beatles was assisting engineer Geoff Emerick on the Anthology albums. This was followed by ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack,’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ Like Guy Massey, he has also become a freelance engineer and since leaving the studios he has been responsible for the surround mixing of Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years’ and The Beatles’ ‘Love.’ Paul has been in charge of the mono re-masters.

Sean Magee (Mastering Engineer)
Sean began working at Abbey Road in 1995 with a diploma in sound engineering. With a wealth of knowledge in analog and digital mastering, he has worked alongside Paul Hicks on the mono re-masters.

Sam Okell (Recording Engineer)
Sam’s first job as a member of the team was in 2006, assisting Paul Hicks on Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years,’ and during that same year he was responsible for the re-mastering of George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World’ CD along with Steve Rooke. This led to him restoring the soundtrack to the Beatles film ‘Help!’ in surround and stereo, in addition to assisting Guy Massey with the song remixes.

Sam has re-mastered ‘With The Beatles’ and ‘Let It Be.’

Simon Gibson (Audio Restoration Engineer)
Simon joined Abbey Road in 1990. He has progressed from mastering mostly classical recordings to include a much wider range of music, including pop and rock, with his specialized role as an audio restoration engineer. Apart from the re-mastering project, his other work includes George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World,’ John Lennon’s ‘Lennon Legend,’ The Beatles’ ‘Love’ and the ‘Help!’ DVD soundtrack.

Renowned stencil artist Logan Hicks, who has been busy stenciling his way around the world for the past 10 years, will be teaming up with the two-man painting team known as Broken Crow for the Broken Horse exhibit running May 1 – 3 at the former Hamilton Savings and Loan Bank in Brooklyn, NY (498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231).

Known for his meticulous, multi-layered stencils, Hicks’ work captures the sensory overload with which a city can inundate a person. His art captures the sprawling urban inhabitants and juxtaposes them against the stark, grey environment they dwell in.

Also known as Workhorse, Logan Hicks has a work ethic second-to-none. “My tip is to stay awake 24 hours a day and work like a crackhead. That’s what I do, and it has seemed to do the trick,” Hicks told Behance Magazine last year.

Hicks’ art has been shown in nearly 30 countries in cities as far away as Cape Town, South Africa and Shanghai, China. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Hicks currently calls New York City home. Citing NYC as the ‘city of all cities,’ he can often be found wandering the subway system at 4AM taking pictures for his artwork or simply observing the army of people coursing through the tunnels like blood through a body’s veins and arteries.

A leader in an incredible art movement that features artists such as Shepard Fairey, Blek Le Rat, and Banksy, Hicks had his first solo show last July at the prestigious Black Rat Press Gallery in London where he sold more than 115 paintings to collectors on opening night.

Hicks was also one of the main painters featured when graffiti artist Banksy turned a half-mile of disused road tunnel in South London and created Cans Festival, a collection of works by the world’s most esteemed street/stencil artists. According to the reclusive organizer, the exhibit was to “transform a dark forgotten filth pit” into “an oasis of beautiful art.” Over 120,000 fans showed up on the first day alone to view the show.

Logan Hicks’ art has been featured in a series of cutting-edge Nike commercials staring Le Bron James. The artist also had his own apparel line in partnership with Japanese company Medicom, in addition to having his own Logan Hicks signature K-Swiss sneaker backed by a massive MTV ad campaign in Asia.

2009 will be a breakthrough year for Logan Hicks who will have his first-ever solo show in America to be held in Los Angeles this October.

Logan Hicks on amazon.com

Logan Hicks on amazon.co.uk

For more information, go to:

Logan Hicks Official Website

It was announced today that on March 31, 2009, Pony Step Online Magazine, fashion and music icon Roisin Murphy and popular DJ/personality Jodie Harsh will be celebrating with Simon Henwood at his book launch. “Censorship is Like Racism” will be the underlying theme for the Simon Henwood Book Launch at nightclub Vanilla (131 Great Titchfield Street, London) tomorrow.

This theme ignited a firestorm in the media world on the subject of Censorship’s irrational controlling grip as compared to Racism’s irrational hatred. The theme ties into some of the paintings that have brought the press and art community to talk about Henwood’s provocative creations such as the Disney Golly which is a reflection back to Henwood’s childhood memory of the Golly on jam jars, and children’s books.

To add to the party Simon is setting up a photo booth to record new portrait subjects and party goers. Former Boombox Promoter, now online editor of art magazine Pony Step, Richard Mortimer is lending an influential hand. He will be bringing a true tastemaker crowd down to celebrate Henwood’s book launch. Roisin Murphy, Jodie Harsh and other scenester DJ’s will be on deck to keep the music flowing.

Simon Henwood on amazon.com

Simon Henwood on amazon.co.uk

For more information please log onto:

Simon Henwood Official Website

Look familar? The cover art is a painting by none other than Bob Ross, who you’ve definitely seen painting “happy little trees” on TV, probably when you were home from school with a cold. He’s a cultural icon for sure, but the band gives the following reason for choosing one of Ross’ paintings for the new Annuals album:

“The way that Bob made his paintings, and the way he paints in particular, is pretty similar to the way that our band makes a record. Bob Ross starts his paintings with simple little smudges and blotches, making ‘happy trees’ or ‘cute little bridges,’ and he seems to be having ’such fun’ doing it. But when it’s finished, and his blotches take form, we see that his paintings are actually intricate landscapes – layer on top of layer of what are seemingly a bunch of fun, whimsical drawings are actually quite complicated. Continuing this dichotomy, it seems like all of the happy, lovely places he paints always have a bit of sad loneliness and isolation to them too, and some of the songs on our new album can definitely relate to that duality.

Download “Confessor” MP3

‘Such Fun’ is out October 7, 2008 on Canvasback Music.

Such Fun Tracklisting:

1. Confessor
2. Hot Night Hounds
3. Springtime
4. Down The Mountain
5. Always Do
6. Talking
7. Hardwood Floor
8. Hair Don’t Grow
9. The Tape
10. Blue Ridge
11. Wake

Annuals October/November 2008 Tour Dates w/ Minus the Bear

(Dates and information subject to change.)

October 8 – Spokane, WA – Service Station #
October 9 – Missoula, MT – The Other Side#
October 11 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre #
October 12 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown #
October 13 – Iowa City, IA – The Picador #
October 15 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theatre #
October 16 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall #
October 17 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre #
October 18 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall #
October 19 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre Center #
October 20 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop $
October 21 – Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre
October 22 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
October 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
October 24 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s at the Strand
October 25 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
October 26 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
October 28 – Richmond, VA – The National
October 29 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
October 30 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
October 31 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
November 1 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
November 3 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution !
November 4 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues !
November 5 – Jacksonville, FL – Freebird Café !
November 7 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues !
November 8 – Houston, TX – House of Blues !
November 9 – Austin, TX – Waterloo Park (Fun Fun Fun Fest) !
November 10 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues !
November 12 – Santa Fe, NM – TBA
November 13 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre !
November 14 – San Diego, CA – Soma @
November 15 – Pomona, CA – Glass House @
November 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre @
November 18 – Sacramento, CA – Empire @
November 19 – San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s @
# with Themes
$ with The New Year
with Sylvie
! with 27
@ with Helms Alee

For more music, information and updated tour dates, please visit:

Annuals MySpace

Aimee Mann has collaborated with critically acclaimed visual artist Gary Taxali on her 7th solo release @#%&! Smilers, to be released on June 3, 2008 on her own SuperEgo Records.

Taxali has contributed 17 original illustrations for the packaging of the CD, art directed by Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz, and designed by Marowitz and Ed Sherman.

Los Angeles art gallery La Luz De Jesus will host a showing of the 17 new artworks which will kick off with a combined art show and CD release party on May 31st, 2008 at 8 pm. Both Taxali and Mann will be present to sign copies of the new CD.

Gary Taxali is an award-winning illustrator who has worked for such clients as Rolling Stone, Time, Esquire and The New York Times. His work has received recognition from Graphis, Communication Arts, American Illustration, Print, SPD, a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators, a Gold Medal from the National Addys and a nomination for a Cannes Lion. He is a Founding Member of IPA (The Illustrators’ Partnership of America) and sits on the Advisory Board of 3×3: The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration. Gary’s latest toy figures, “Oh No” and Oh Oh”, were mass produced by his new company, Chump Inc. His first children’s book, which he wrote and illustrated, “This Is Silly”, is being published by Scholastic and slated for a summer 2009 release. This summer, he will be having his first major show in Europe at “Iguapop Gallery” in Barcelona, Spain. Taxali lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

Aimee Mann has long championed visual artists, collaborating with them to create her work-of-art CD packages. In 2003 she teamed with literary comic book writer and artist Seth who illustrated her CD Lost In Space. In 2006 Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz won a Grammy award for Best Recording Package for their work on Mann’s Forgotten Arm, illustrated by painter Owen Smith, a five time cover artist for the New Yorker.

After originally breaking onto the music scene during the 80’s leading the post-new wave pop group ‘Til Tuesday, Aimee Mann has gone on to establish herself as one of the most prominent singer-songwriters of her generation. Her successful solo career has spanned across several critically acclaimed albums, including the massively popular soundtrack for the film Magnolia, which garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Song in 2000. Time magazine has said of her, “Mann has the same skill that great tunesmiths like McCartney and Neil Young have: the knack for writing simple, beautiful, instantly engaging songs.”

Check out the video of Aimee Mann – Artists Den Performance of “Freeway”

Aimee will be touring throughout the summer and fall in support of Smilers; see tour dates below.

2008 tour dates:

Jun 2 ‘08 Largo Los Angeles, CA
Jun 6 ‘08 House of Blues Anaheim, CA
Jun 10 ‘08 Largo Los Angeles, CA
Jun 12 ‘08 Minnesota Zoo Mineapolis, MN
Jun 13 ‘08 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI
Jun 15 ‘08 Bonnaroo Festival Manchester, TN
Jun 17 ‘08 La Zona Rosa Austin, TX
Jun 18 ‘08 House of Blues Dallas, TX
Jul 9 ‘08 Chautauqua Auditorium Boulder, CO
Jul 11 ‘08 Botanical Gardens Denver, CO
Jul 12 ‘08 Deer Valley Resort Park City, UT
Jul 14 ‘08 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
Jul 15 ‘08 Stewart Park Roseburg, OR
Jul 16 ‘08 Woodland Zoo Seattle, WA
Jul 18 ‘08 Vancouver Music Festival Vancouver, BC
Jul 19 ‘08 Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
Jul 24 ‘08 Calgary Music Festival Calgary, AB
Jul 26 ‘08 Berklee Performance Center Boston, MA
Jul 28 ‘08 Washington Park Albany, NY
Jul 30 ‘08 The View (tent.)
Jul 30 ‘08 The Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
Jul 31 ‘08 Barnes & Noble Union Square New York, NY
Aug 1 ‘08 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
Aug 2 ‘08 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Aug 4 ‘08 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
Aug 5 ‘08 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
Aug 7 ‘08 Edmonton Folk Festival Edmonton, AB
Aug 28 ‘08 The Music Hall Toronto, ON
Aug 29 ‘08 Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak, MI
Aug 31 ‘08 Ravina Highland Park, IL
Sep 2 ‘08 The Pageant St Louis, MO
Sep 3 ‘08 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
Sep 4 ‘08 Bama Theatre, Tuscaloosa, AL

@#%&! Smilers on amazon.com

Aimee Mann Myspace
Aimee Mann Official Website

The Hives release the infectious, funky anthem that is “We Rule The World (T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S)” as a single on 25th February 2008 (Polydor). Recorded with hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams in Miami for ‘The Black and White Album’ it is an electrifying collaboration, a meeting of great minds and big ideas, taking The Hives into new sonic terrain.

The single will be released digitally and as a Limited 10″ Vinyl backed with exclusive remixes: Matt Helder from Arctic Monkeys shakes up “We Rule The World (T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S)”, as does Russell Leetch from Editors while Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs gets his magic fingers on previous single “Tick Tick Boom” with his Post Colonization Mix.

SINGLE ARTWORK COMPETITION WINNER:

The Hives recently invited fans to submit artwork in a competition for the sleeve of the new single which yielded a hearty response. The band got their heads stuck in to the virtual postbag, whittling down the few hundred entries to a strong shortlist, and then a final favourite featuring first class portraits of the band by one Rowenna Harrison from London. Rowena’s design will adorn the 10″ single sleeve and accompany the digital release.

The Hives UK tour in April 2008:

Dates could be added or changed! Go to The Hives Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

14 April – Norwich, UEA (01603 508 050)
15 April – Newcastle, Academy (0870 771 2000)
16 April – Nottingham, Rockcity (08713 100 000)
17 April – Bristol, Academy (0870 771 2000)
18 April – London, Brixton Academy (0870 771 2000)

Tickets 17.50 GBP REGIONAL / 18.50 GBP LONDON Buy from 0844 576 5483 or Live Nation (all tickets subject to booking fee)

The Hives on Myspace
The Hives Official Website

TalentDatase.com was founded by Jimi Beach, an entrepreneurial artist from Orlando, Florida and also a fellow musician, who played in the surf rock band Lo Presher.

At first, there’s a lot to take in on TalentDatabase.com – there’s so much information available on the site. The good thing, though, is that it’s set up nicely and navigation is clear and to the point. I’m actually quite surprised with the number of talent “Channels” (categories) that are available for people to create profiles in.

At the time of this writing, the Channels are:

Art, Body, Comedy, Communication, Computer, Crafts, Dance, Design, DJ, Fashion, Film, Food, Gaming, Magic, Modeling, Music, Photography, Sports, Theater, Unique and Writing.

From what I’ve checked out in the Art, Fashion and Music Channels, there are indeed profiles created by some very talented individuals. It’s funny to see Magic listed, only because I’m not familiar with seeing Magic included on other social networking sites, but for any magicians out there, this would be the place for you!

TalentDatabase.com also includes directories, featured listings, most popular within Channels, the ability to add links to users websites in profiles and to get contacted directly. Musicians can add music, artists can add art etc. There are newsfeeds by genre and relevance which allows users to stay on top of breaking news and ahead of the trends affecting their industry. I’m a news junkie, so this is a handy feature.

The search options are great. Talent can be searched for by location, interests, specialties, tags and popularity. A person’s popularity or “POPfactor” is determined by how active they are on the site. The more you network, the higher your ranking. By connecting with other members, adding portfolios, being acknowledged, bookmarked or viewed by other members, among other things, improves a person’s POPfactor. The benefit to being more popular is that you end up with a higher position in the search rankings, which helps to increase exposure by user profiles getting found easier.

This isn’t “just another social networking site”. The free opportunities available to musicians, artists and more, along with the look and feel of the database, and the art that’s prominent throughout, helps for it to stand out as a quality website with a positive community environment.

For more information and to sign up, go to TalentDatabase.com

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

I became aware of Joe Strummer way back in 1977. I was about 13 years old and at the right age for a teenage rebellion.

Yeah, punk rock came along and killed any chance of educational qualifications. I was going to gigs in Portsmouth, England. The Locarno was my favorite haunt. At the age of 14 the door supervisors would turn a blind eye and let us under agers in. This is when I saw The Clash live for the first time. It is hard to explain with words the energy and positiveness and passion of that night. An explosion is the best way to describe it. The anger of Joe Strummer on stage I always thought left the cabaret of the Sex Pistols standing.

The Clash were the real deal live, even though most gigs the guitars were out of tune. “I’m just gonna tune up so it sounds like it does on the record. Who wants it to sound like the record? Me neither,” said Joe at one of the gigs.

To explain how The Clash educated me politically and musically is hard in these days of bland bands singing about love and boogying. To quote one of Joe’s lyrics from “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”: “The new groups are not concerned with what there is to be learned. They got Burton suits, ha, you think it’s funny turning rebellion in to money.”

I bunked off school and followed The Clash with some friends. We were always on the guest list, got to hang out with Joe and Paul Simonon mainly. They gave us food and booze and shelter occasionally. This was a man who didn’t want to be a pop star (I think Mick Jones did). He would take the pi** out of you and you could take the pi** back. Joe always had time for other people.

To lose Joe Strummer (real name John Mellor) back in 2002 was probably one of the biggest losses to popular music. Joe’s spirit will always be with me.

The picture above was created by a good friend of mine Milek Jakubiec.

Joe Strummer – Strummerville Official Website

By: Dave Tommo

As a special exclusive to the upcoming touring partnership, Manchester Orchestra and Annuals have created an exclusive, limited edition 7-inch for fans attending the shows. Only available on the upcoming tour dates, this split vinyl 7″ contains each band covering each other’s tracks: Annuals cover Manchester Orchestra’s “Where Have You Been”, and Manchester Orchestra cover Annuals “Brother”, the Mp3s of which are available below. For the artwork, each band re-interpreted the other’s album art, featured below.

Tour Split 7″ Cover Art:

MP3 Download: Annuals covering “Where Have You Been”
MP3 Download: Manchester Orchestra covering “Brother”

Annuals are also set to release a digital-only EP, entitled ‘Frelen Mas’ (Be He Me B-Sides) which contains b-sides from the Be He Me sessions and also includes their cover of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Details coming soon.

‘Frelen Mas’ EP Tracklisting:

1. Nah Keseyi
2. River Run
3. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
4. Misty Coy
5. Sewn to Kites
6. Such a Mess
7. Ease My Mind
8. Frelen Mas

Watch Annuals’ new video for “Carry Around” directed by Peter Sand:

Manchester Orchestra and Annuals Co-Headlining 2007 US Tour:

Dates could change! Go to the bands’ Official Websites for the latest tour dates and information.

October 26 – Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
October 27 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
October 28 – Rock and Roll Hotel – Washington DC
October 30 – Northstar – Philadelphia, PA
October 31 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
November 1 – Great Scott – Boston, MA
November 2 – Le Gymnase – Montreal, QUE
November 3 – Mod Club – Toronto, ONT
November 5 – Shelter – Detroit, MI
November 6 – Subterranean – Chicago, IL
November 7 – Varsity – Minneapolis, MN
November 10 – Crocodile Cafe – Seattle, WA
November 11 – Plaza Club – Vancouver, BC
November 12 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
November 14 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
November 15 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
November 16 – Epicentre – San Diego, CA
November 17 – The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ
November 19 – HI-Dive – Denver, CO
November 20 – The Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS

Annuals: “Carry Around” YouTube video link

Annuals Official Website
Manchester Orchestra

Producer, writer, and director, Emmitt Thrower and Hip Hop Artist/Activist “Shakka” have teamed up to undertake the psychological and emotional issues around Katrina with a multimedia production on Broadway called Katrina: A Whole Lotta Water.

Emmitt Thrower is a former NYC Police officer who utilizes art and theater for social expression and change with his company Wabi Sabi Production Inc. Thrower has produced over 11 plays on and off Broadway during the past 16 months. His plays address social, health, and political issues. The other half of the team is Shakka, a Harlem resident whose family is from Baton Rouge. He also uses art for social change, namely the Shakka child abuse project. The partnership made sense and blossomed into creative expressions on stage through music and acting.

The opening of the hip-hop multimedia musical Katrina: A Whole Lotta Water is Nov 9, 2006 at 8 PM at the Producers Club II located at 616 Ninth Ave, New York City. Five performances have been added for November 10 through November 12, 2006: Friday 8 PM, Saturday 2 PM & 8 PM, Sunday 2 PM & 6 PM. Tickets are available at www.theatermania.com and by calling 212 352-3101. Groups can call 917 716-6635 for tickets. The cost of admission ranges from $20- $30.

Company: Wabi Sabi Productions
Contact: Emmitt Thrower
Address: 890 Trinity Ave, Bronx NY 10456
Cell: 917 716-6635
Email
Website

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