In what is set to be one of the highlights of the year, Pearl Jam release their eagerly anticipated new studio album ‘Backspacer’, September 21, 2009 (UK release date), produced by Brendan O’Brien.

Their highly charged new single “The Fixer” is out September 7th and released digitally August 24th.

Pearl Jam are a band reborn with their ninth studio album ‘Backspacer’, their first release with Universal/Island records.

The band reunited with producer Brendan O’Brien for ‘Backspacer’ who produced four of Pearl Jam’s earlier albums and the re-master of their seminal debut ‘Ten’, which was released in March.

The band recently premiered “Got Some”, one of the many highlights from their new 11-track record on the debut of US chat show, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, June 1st.

Their performance gained an unprecedented amount of views on YouTube and received the biggest US chat show audience figures in 5 years.

In the US ‘Backspacer’ will be self-released by the band for the first time, following the end of their deal with Sony.

Pearl Jam – Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (guitar) Matt Cameron (drums) and Mike McCready (guitar) play four European dates including two UK shows before touring the US in September 2009.

Buy Music:

Pearl Jam on amazon.com

Pearl Jam on amazon.co.uk

Pearl Jam’s 2009 European Dates are:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

August
Thu 13th ROTTERDAM, Sportspaleis Ahoy
Sat 15th BERLIN, Wuhlheide
Mon 17th MANCHESTER, MEN Arena
Tue 18th LONDON, O2 Arena

For the latest tour dates, music and more, go to:

Pearl Jam Official Website
MySpace

The new video for Ben Harper and Relentless7’s track “Fly One Time” debuted July 8th on AOL Music’s homepage and AOL’s Spinner.com.

The video features clips of amazing footage depicting the highs and lows of life through the eyes of incredible athletes and humanitarians.

Professional Cyclist Lance Armstrong, Pro-Big Wave Surfers Laird Hamilton and Dave Kallama, Pro-Skater Christian Hosoi, Sport Climber Lynn Hill, Tightrope Walker Nick Wallenda, Olympian Jesse Owens and spiritual leader, the Dalai Llama are all featured.

The video for “Fly One Time” also premiered internationally in Italy on MTV on July 8th and on Sympatico/MSN in Canada on July 20th. MSN in France and AOL.de in Germany will premiere the video in the coming weeks.

Ben Harper and Relentless7 will also perform the new single on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Friday, July 31, 2009.

Ben Harper and Relentless7 are in the midst of a world tour supporting their new album ‘White Lies For Dark Times’, which was released on May 5th and debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart.

Buy Music:

Ben Harper on amazon.com

Ben Harper on amazon.co.uk

This marks Ben Harper’s 3rd consecutive Top 10 Billboard debut.

In addition, the album reached the top 10 charts in France (#6), Italy (#7) and Switzerland (#7).

The press is raving about the new album:

The Associated Press gives the album an “A,” calling it “another superb collection” while USA Today says “Harper revisits his blues-rock roots with renewed energy.” ‘White Lies For Dark Times’ is a “Critics Choice” at People Magazine and Spin dubbed it “an impressive array of American music, ranging from muddy blues to eerie folk to Hendrixian wah-wah.”

Ben Harper and Relentless7’s energetic live performance is the heart of the band. On April 22nd, they performed to over 100,000 fans at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy for the Nat Geo Earth Day Festival. The entire set also aired live on the internet for fans across the globe to watch. The band brought the same energy to Manchester, Tennessee in June where they rocked an overflowing tent with an explosive set at Bonnaroo 2009.

The band is scheduled to perform at festivals across the country and abroad including Mile High, Fuji Rock, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Fans can also look forward to a legendary Austin City Limits television performance to air in October on PBS.

Ben Harper 2009 Festival tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

July 9 Ottawa, ON CAN Cicsco Ottawa Bluesfest
July 11 Masontown, WV All Good Festival
July 12 Montreal, QC CAN Montreal Jazz Festival
July 18 Commerce City, CO Mile High Music Festival
July 25 Niigata, JPN Fuji Rock Festival
July 26 Burnaby, BC CAN Virgin Festival
Aug 8 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza
Sept 20 Tempe, AZ Fall Frenzy
Oct 4 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

“Fly One Time” video on Spinner.com

For the latest tour dates, music and more, go to:

Ben Harper and Relentless7 Official Website

Paolo Nutini looks destined for No.1 come Sunday with his stunning new album ‘Sunny Side Up’. The record was top of the midweek’s and looks set to carry on in the same vein.

Paolo sets off on a 15-date tour in September and has summer festival shows booked in Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, T in the Park, Oxygen and V. He also plays the iTunes Live Festival, July 10, 2009 at the Roundhouse.

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Kasabian are also taking part in the month long iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse, July 22nd. The band kicked off their 20-date sold out tour with a trio of emphatic hometown gigs in Leicester and played the first of their 9 massive stadium dates with Oasis in Manchester last night.

Their eagerly anticipated new album ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ is out on Monday. The band’s new single ‘Fire’, which was released on Monday is No.1 on the iTunes Chart and riding high at No.3 in the midweek’s.

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Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appeared on stage for the first public viewing of Beatles Rock Band, released September 9th. The karaoke-style game lets users use adapted game controllers – lead guitar, bass guitar and drums – to play along to various songs. George Harrison’s widow, Olivia also attended the premiere.

The Beatles: Rock Band on amazon.com

The Beatles: Rock Band on amazon.co.uk

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Jersey Budd is setting himself up for a royal summer. He supported his mates Kasabian last weekend in a trio of raucous hometown shows on the opening nights of their tour and plays support to The Enemy, Somerset House, July 11th. Jersey also has 5 festival shows booked including Isle Of Wight Festival and Glastonbury.

He releases his anthemic single ‘She Came Back’ next month, which features guest vocals from Kasabian’s front man Tom Meighan.

—
Just Jack kicks off his short UK tour in Liverpool on Sunday, which features a show at the Electric Ballroom on Thursday (June 11th). No doubt he will be showcasing tracks from his impressive new album ‘All Night Cinema’. Jack also plays Glastonbury this month and supports Lily Allen at Somerset House, July 11th.

Jack was DJ for the night at the Glamour Awards on Tuesday as part of the aftershow party in Berkeley Square.

—
Mark Ronson was also at the Glamour Awards on Tuesday, presenting Adele with her solo artist of the year award. Mark plays the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival, June 14th alongside Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, Sean Lennon and special guests.

Pearl Jam premiered their track ‘Got Some’ from their eagerly anticipated new album ‘Backspacer’ on the debut of the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Monday night. The band’s ninth studio album is set for release in the autumn.

Pearl Jam performance on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien June 1, 2009:

Watch Pearl Jam on The Tonight Show video:

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Vagabond release their free download single ‘Sweat (Until The Morning)’ as an iTunes/Bebo exclusive next week. This will be followed up by ‘Don’t Wanna Run No More’ (August 3rd), which has already received airplay by Radio One’s Jo Whiley from their debut album ‘You Don’t Know The Half Of It’ (August 17th).

Vagabond support The Script at Shepherd’s Bush Hall, June 17th. Check the live schedule for more Vagabond live dates.

—
Tom Hickox was in scintillating form at Earl’s Court Troubadour on Tuesday. He impressed the crowd with his captivating live show and quintessential charm. Tom releases his beautiful track ‘The Pretty Pride Of Russia’ as a limited edition demo, June 15, 2009.

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Elvis Costello released his new album ‘Secret, Profane & Sugarcane’ on Monday, which has garnered many glowing reviews. He releases the lead single from his record ‘Complicated Shadows’ next Monday (June 8th).

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The Fray return with their single ‘Never Say Never’, next week, the second single from their UK Top Ten self-titled album, which went straight to No.1 in the US.

thenewno2 announces the cd release and digital re-release of their debut album ‘You Are Here’. The re-released digital version will be available March 14, 2009 and the CD will be out March 31.

Watch Another John Doe video:

thenewno2 on amazon.com

thenewno2 on amazon.co.uk

The album is coming out through the band’s own Hot Records with Vagrant providing distribution and marketing services for the project. The band also announces some show dates starting with a February 11 show in Los Angeles at the Key Club and later that week they will make their New York City debut playing Brooklyn’s Union on February 15 and the Mercury Lounge on February 17.

Sandwiched between the New York dates, on February 16, the band will make its national television debut on Late Show with Conan O’Brien.

‘You Are Here’ was created by guitarist/synth/vocalist Dhani Harrison (son of late Beatle George Harrison) and drums/synth Oli Hecks. The album plays like a news ticker scrolling across the cultural landscape. Over the course of its creation – a process that took place outside London and inside Los Angeles – the world became a darker place, crippled by war, global warming and fiscal catastrophe.

Dhani Harrison and Oli Hecks are joined by Jon Sadoff on keyboards/guitar/vocals, Jeremy Faccone on guitar/vocals, and Jason Hiller on bass. This combo made a triumphant run of dates at Los Angeles’ Key Club every Tuesday for the month of September.

Word of mouth grew so that by the last show the club was beyond capacity. It was through write ups in LA City Beat and LA Weekly that national press started taking interest, with Rolling Stone featuring Dhani Harrison twice in their pages during the Fall months including the magazine’s Hot Issue.

For music and more information, go to:

TheNewNo2 Official Website

TheNewNo2 MySpace

Mute Records is proud to announce that M83 will be performing “Kim and Jessie,” on Late Night With Conan O’Brien January 27, 2009. This performance marks another giant leap forward in what has been an exciting 10 months for the Antibes, France-based Anthony Gonzalez.

Watch “Kim and Jessie” video:

M83 on amazon.com

M83 on amazon.co.uk

In addition to playing Madison Square Garden with The Killers on January 25th, M83 will play a solo show in New York at Irving Plaza on January 24th. This will be a rare and exclusive event with M83 playing an opening set of ambient music followed by the intense set M83 has been rocking in support of ‘Saturdays=Youth’. Full tour schedule below.

Released in April 2008, M83’s fifth album, ‘Saturdays = Youth’, has taken them to new heights, performing well at radio, receiving accolades from all corners of the media and selling more than the band has ever sold before. The year culminated in a sold-out fall tour, and 2009 promises to pick up where the band left off in December. “Kim and Jesse” is the album’s new single.

‘Saturdays = Youth’ debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top New Artist Heatseekers Chart, went to #1 on the CMJ Top 200, is the #1 record of 2008 at Urban Outfitters and received an NPR nomination for Album of the Year. The record also met with additional critical praise including an 8.5/10 review ranking from Pitchfork, and an 8/10 review ranking from Wired. It closed 2008 with multiple top album and top track nominations.

The video for “Kim and Jesse” ranked in the top-20 at MTV2 Subterranean/Paste Magazine’s Top 25 Videos of 2008.

Mute is currently holding a video contest for the album’s upcoming single “We Own The Sky.” Entries must be submitted by January 20th, 2009. The winner will have their video debuted on Pitchfork TV. To submit an entry visit: http://www.youtube.com/group/m83

M83 2009 Tour Dates supporting The Killers:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

January 2009

17 Denver, CO Magness Arena – Ritchie Center
18 Omaha, NE The Slowdown (solo show)
19 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium
20 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion
22 Detroit, MI EMU Convocation Center
23 Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre
24 New York, NY Irving Plaza (solo show)
25 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
26 Boston, MA Agganis Arena
28 Washington, DC George Mason University Patriot Center
29 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
30 Atlanta, GA Atlanta Civic Center
31 Nashville, TN Grand Ole Opry House

February 2009

2 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
3 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
4 Dallas, TX Nokia Theatre

M83 Official Website
M83 MySpace

VH1 has named singer-songwriter Lenka as its latest “You Oughta Know” artist, with a campaign kicking off in early October.

Her self-titled debut album became available on iTunes last week and in just a few short days had jumped into the iTunes’ Top 10 Albums chart.

The album will be featured on vh1.com’s “The Leak” beginning today and AOL will host a listening party for it next week. Lenka will play a special show at New York’s Mercury Lounge September 23rd, 2008 coinciding with the album’s wide release, and she’ll make her U.S. network television debut the following night on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

She’s also confirmed to perform on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (October 16th) and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” (October 22nd).

Lenka, former vocalist for the acclaimed Australian electronic/ambient band Decoder Ring, continues her residency at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, performing each Thursday in September 2008. On September 27th she’ll be the primary support for Juliana Hatfield’s show at L.A.’s Café Largo and she’ll join the Hotel Cafe Tour on November 11th. In between, she’ll play a couple of shows in her native Australia (see below for full itinerary).

“The Show,” the lead track from Lenka’s album, is climbing the charts at radio and 476,700 copies of the song were downloaded last week when it was featured as iTunes’ “Single of the Week.”

As noted by People’s recent “As Heard On TV” column, it’s been featured in Old Navy’s back-to-school television advertising campaign and in promotional spots for the hit ABC comedy “Ugly Betty”. It’s also been tapped for the Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies’ film Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging.

The video for “The Show,” directed by Moh Azima, received its online premiere earlier this month on iMeem.com. You can check it out here:

Watch “The Show” video:

Two other Lenka songs have garnered early attention as well: “Don’t Let Me Fall” was heard in the season premiere of the The CW’s new series “90210″ and Lenka’s haunting cover of Modest Mouse’s “Gravity Rides Everything” was recently featured as Entertainment Weekly’s “Download This” pick and by Vanity Fair’s “Hot Tracks” (along with “The Show”). The songs are available now on iTunes.

Lenka, who is a Clear Channel NEW! Artist for September (AAA format), has already appeared in the pages of Marie Claire and Teen Vogue and will be featured in upcoming issues of Blender and Spin as well as an episode of vh1.com’s “My Play List.”

Lenka 2008 tour dates:

(Dates subject to change.)

9/18 The Hotel Cafe -”89.9 KCRW PRESENTS” Los Angeles, CA
9/23 Mercury Lounge – Record Release New York, NY
9/25 The Hotel Café Los Angeles, CA
9/27 Largo (opening for Juliana Hatfield) Los Angeles, CA
10/27 Melbourne, Australia The Toff In Town
10/29 Sydney, Australia Oxford Arts Factory
11/11 Hotel Cafe Tour – Bluebird Denver, CO
11/12 Hotel Cafe Tour – Avalon Theater Salt Lake City, UT
11/13 Hotel Cafe Tour – Knitting Factory Boise, ID
11/14 Hotel Cafe Tour – Doug Fir Portland, OR
11/15 Hotel Cafe Tour – Chop Suey Seattle, WA
11/17 Hotel Cafe Tour – Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
11/18 Hotel Cafe Tour – Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles, CA

Lenka Official Website
MySpace

MySpace Music, the worlds most popular music community, is proud to announce one of the most critically acclaimed music bands, Bon Iver, has taken part in the latest installment of MySpace Transmissions, live as of September 9th, 2008 on http://www.myspace.com/transmissions.

Watch “For Emma” MySpace video:

MySpace Transmissions a music program that empowers top recording artists with a new platform to create and distribute exclusive video content available for viral distribution and audio tracks available for purchase in the U.S. MySpace Transmissions underscores the company’s commitment to building unique music programming and business models that benefit labels, bands, and fans. The Bon Iver Transmission is available for free to download.

Bon Iver (myspace.com/boniver) released its debut album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ in winter of 2008 and since has made major waves in critics circles. Bon Iver (pronounced: bohn eevair; French for “good winter” and spelled wrong on purpose) is a greeting, a celebration and a sentiment.

Justin Vernon, the primary force behind Bon Iver, seems to have tested his boundaries to the maximum, and in doing so has managed to break free from any pre-cursing or finished forms.

Vernon had moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter. He lived there alone for three months, filling his days with wood splitting and other chores around the land. This solitary time slowly began feeding a bold, uninhibited new musical focus.

The days slowly evolved into nights filled with twelve-hour recording blocks, breaking only for trips on the tractor into the pines to saw and haul firewood, or for frozen sunrises high up a deer stand. All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song.

Upon release ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ was greeted with rave reviews by the New York Times and Pitchfork and overseas it received “Album of the Month” accolades in both Mojo and Uncut.

Bon Iver currently graces the cover of the September 2008 issue of Paste, and will be making its television debut on Late Night With Conan O’Brien.

Watch Bon Iver – “Flume” video from Conan O’Brien September 2008

The songs for the Bon Iver Transmissions are:

Flume
Lump Sum
Blindsided
For Emma

All content from MySpace Transmissions will be archived and available on-demand on the MySpace Transmissions profile and via MySpace TV. Users will be able to add the content to their profiles and virally share the artists’ videos throughout the network, and purchase the audio tracks via MySpace.

MySpace Transmissions represents a progressive music model that truly encourages artists and labels to generate revenue while still maintaining an organic and intimate connection with their fans.

MySpace Music centers around the more than six million major, indie, and unsigned artists that use their MySpace Music profiles to communicate and intimately connect with fans and friends. Each music profile empowers artists to upload video content, blog, post tour dates, lyrics, and make their music available to fans for stream or download.

As one of the most popular and most trafficked music platforms in the world, MySpace Music has evolved into an offline experience by connecting bands and fans around the world through various concert series and live events including Secret Shows, MySpaceLIVE!, Front to Back and The List.

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago on amazon.com

For Emma Forever Ago on amazon.co.uk

For more information, go to:

Bon Iver Official Website

MySpace Music

The Decemberists will embark on the “Bridesmaid Revisited – Tour 2008″ shortly after an election eve performance (November 3rd) on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien“. They’re scheduled to play their single, “Valerie Plame”.

A limited number of pre-sale tickets have gone on sale to the public on a first-come, first-served basis for the Bridesmaid Revisited Tour.

General ticket on-sales begin on Saturday, September 6th, 2008, for East Coast dates and on Saturday, September 13th, for West Coast dates.

Portland-based band Loch Lomond will open on the tour. See below for itinerary; full venue and ticketing information is available at The Decemberists’ website.

Always compelling live, this time round the band’s shows will include material from its upcoming ‘Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series’, which will be released this fall. Volume I, comprised of “Valerie Plame” and “O New England,” is due out October 14th, 2008; Volumes II and III will follow on November 4th and December 2nd respectively.

The series will be available digitally at DSPs, released by Capitol Records, and on 12″ vinyl via The Decemberists’ own label, Y.A.B.B. Records/Jealous Butcher Records. The vinyl can be purchased at The Decemberists Shop and at select independent retail stores (go to Think Indie to find out where).

The band is presently recording its next full-length album with Tucker Martine, who produced ‘Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series’ and co-produced The Decemberists’ fourth full-length album, 2006’s acclaimed ‘The Crane Wife’.

Upcoming tour dates are as follows:

The Decemberists – “Bridesmaid Revisited – Tour 2008″

(Dates and information subject to change)

11/5 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/6 Boston, MA The Orpheum
11/7 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
11/8 Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head Live
11/9 Ithaca, NY Cornell University, Barton Hall
11/11 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre
11/24 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
11/25 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
11/29 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
11/30 Seattle, WA The Moore Theatre

The Decemberists on amazon.com

The Decemberists on amazon.co.uk

Photo credit: Autumn de Wilde

For more information, go to:

MySpace
The Decemberists Official Website

The Decemberists will release ‘Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series’ this fall.

The three volumes will be available digitally and on 12″ vinyl.

Volume 1, comprised of “Valerie Plame” and “O New England,” will be released on October 14th, 2008.

The band will give “Valerie Plame” its national television debut on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on November 3rd, 2008, the eve of the United States presidential election.

Written from the point-of-view of one of Plame’s inside contacts upon discovering her true identity, the song is an amorous tribute to the onetime CIA operative. The Decemberists will be playing select U.S. dates this November; details will be announced shortly.

Volume II and Volume III of ‘Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series’ will be released on November 4th and December 2nd respectively. (See below for track listings.)

The series will be available digitally at DSPs, released by Capitol Records, and on 12″ vinyl via The Decemberists’ own label, Y.A.B.B. Records/Jealous Butcher Records.

Fans who pre-order all three singles through the band’s website will receive a limited edition version on colored vinyl; the pre-order is at www.decemberistsshop.com. The vinyl will also be available at select independent retail stores (go to Think Indie to find out where). In the U.K., Rough Trade will release the series digitally and on 7″ vinyl.

Formed in Portland, Oregon in 2000, The Decemberists weave spellbinding tales rife with atmosphere and an infallible melodic knack. 2006’s ‘The Crane Wife’ – the band’s fourth full-length album and its first released by Capitol Records – was hailed by Pitchfork as “an enormous folk-prog monsterpiece” while The New York Times called it “one of the most accomplished albums of its kind this year.”

The band is currently in the studio working on a new full-length album with Tucker Martine, who produced ‘Always The Bridesmaid: The Singles Series’ and co-produced ‘The Crane Wife’.

Track listings for Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series:

Volume I. Valerie Plame / O New England
Release date: October 14, 2008

Volume II. Days of Elaine / Days of Elaine (long) and I’m Sticking With You
Release date: November 4, 2008

Volume III. Record Year / Raincoat Song
Release date: December 2, 2008

Photo Credit: Autumn de Wilde

The Decemberists on amazon.com

The Decemberists on amazon.co.uk

MySpace
The Decemberists Official Website

Multi-platinum Scottish-born Relentless/Virgin Records singer/songwriter KT Tunstall will return to the live U.S. stage this summer, with a month of dates scheduled, many of them with acclaimed Zoe/Rounder artist Martha Wainwright.

In this round of touring, Tunstall’s show will highlight the way her vibrant and versatile music “distinguish(es) herself from the herd by demonstrating a wealth of musical possibilities,” as a Boston Herald reviewer put it a few weeks ago.

KT Tunstall notes: “I’m very excited to be bringing my vintage electric guitars over to the U.S. for this month, and mixing the acoustic roots of Eye to the Telescope with the more complex driving sounds of Drastic Fantastic.”

Tunstall’s European and North American acoustic spring 2008 tour, dubbed “The Campfire Tour,” “was a huge success,” Tunstall says. “It taught me to enjoy the subtleties of the set as much as the pedal-to-the-metal foot-stompers.”

The Boston Globe agreed, praising “Tunstall’s easy way with a melody,” and noting that she had “no trouble getting comfy and generating warmth during a sweet and sassy 90-minute set.” The Boston Herald continued: the “Scottish firecracker(’s) unplugged set yielded marvelous results. Her four-piece band improvised ingeniously.”

Tunstall is set to perform on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien on July 15th, 2008, with American pop-soul icon Daryl Hall.

Discussing the pleasure and revelations of touring in the wake of her tremendous commercial breakthrough, Tunstall recently said: “my bar has been raised – I’ve realized what’s possible…touring (a first album) with a band, seeing how that album can turn into something else on stage, and how we can actually make it better…It’s always been about getting onstage and trying to do a mind-blowing show. And if you’re playing the same set night after night, that means playing around with it, and experimenting with what you’ve got. It’s not a CD, it’s a gig.”

KT Tunstall’s second Virgin/Relentless album, ‘Drastic Fantastic’, debuted on the Billboard Top 200 album chart at a career-high No. 9 last fall. The lead-off single, “Hold On,” was No. 1 in the AAA (adult alternative albums) radio format, and charted three months on the Hot AC listing.

First released in the U.K. late in 2004, Tunstall’s debut album, ‘Eye To the Telescope’, became a quintuple platinum smash in the British market, winning Tunstall the Brit Award and the prestigious Ivor Novello Award. It sold in excess of a million copies in the U.S. over an 83-week chart run. “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” was nominated for the 2006 Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy®, and along with “Suddenly I See,” charted a combined 70-plus weeks on the AC and Hot Adult Top 40 radio charts.

She is a founding figure in the launch of Global Cool, an environmental issues action group, and is also affiliated with The CarbonNeutral Company, partnering with CarbonNeutral in a dedicate-a-tree plan in her native Scotland to offset the carbon footprint of her own career.

KT Tunstall August 2008 tour dates:

Dates could be added or changed! Go to KT Tunstall’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

August 1 Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Botanical Gardens
August 2 New Brunswick, Canada @ Moncton Magnetic Hill Festival
(w/ The Eagles, John Fogerty, Sam Roberts)
August 3 West Hampton Beach, NY @ Westhampton Beach Performing Arts
August 4 Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theatre (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 6 Albany, NY @ Empire State Plaza (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 7 Fairfield, CT @ Fairfield Theatre (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 8 Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Music Box (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 9 Baltimore, MD @ Virgin Festival (w/ Foo Fighters, Bloc Party, etc)
August 11 Grand Rapids, MI @ Meijer Gardens (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 12 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Cleveland (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 13 Columbus, OH @ The LC Pavilion (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 14 Interlochen, MI @ Kresge Auditorium (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 15 Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theatre (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 17 Lyons, CO @ Folks Festival (w/ Jakob Dylan, Missy Higgins, etc)
August 18 Denver, CO @ Denver Botanical (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 20 Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre (w/ Martha Wainwright)
August 22 Reno, NV @ Silver Legacy Resort Casino
August 23 Cle Elum, WA @ Suncadia Resort
August 24 Denver, CO @ Mile High Station
August 25 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen (w/ Martha Wainwright)

Myspace
KT Tunstall Official Website

Succeeding where so many have failed, Welsh wonder Duffy is making her mark in the USA.

* Her debut album ‘Rockferry’ has gone straight into the Billboard charts at #4.

* It’s the highest selling international debut ever for Universal U.S.

* The album has been #1 at both Amazon USA and US i-tunes this week.

* Radio can’t get enough! “Mercy“ is the most added song on US radio ahead of established radio favourites Mariah Carey and Madonna.

* A spellbinding live performer Duffy received a standing ovation at her sold out New York City Apollo show. She also played storming sets at SXSW and Coachella earlier in the year.

* USA Today described her as “the most captivating singer to cross the pond in years”.

* In the last seven days she has been on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen, Conan O’Brien, Regis And Kelly and Craig Ferguson. She has been invited back by Jay Leno within the month for the next single “Warwick Avenue”.

Meanwhile ‘Rockferry’ dominates the charts everywhere with physical sales of well over one and half million. ‘Rockferry’ is proving a huge success in Europe and is now gold in Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and platinum in Ireland and Switzerland.

In the UK it is double platinum and incredibly, hasn’t been out of the top ten since its release ten weeks ago. Her Somerset House show on 18th July sold out in 5 minutes.

Gorgeous new single “Warwick Avenue” is released May 26th, 2008.

Duffy will be back in the country later this month to launch her new sellout UK tour.

MAY 2008

Dates and information could change!

Sunday 25TH, CARDIFF, Great Hall.
Monday 26th, NEWCASTLE, Evolution Festival
Tuesday 27th, SHEFFIELD, Leadmill
Thursday 29th, MANCHESTER, Ritz
Friday 30th, LLANDUNDNO, Venue Cymru
Saturday 31st, CHELTENHAM, Wychwood Festival

JUNE 2008

Monday 2nd, GLASGOW, Abc
Tuesday 3rd, WOLVERHAMPTON, Wulfrun
Wednesday, 4th, LONDON, Shepherds Bush Empire

JULY 2008

Sunday, 6th, Wakestock Festival, Abersoch Wales.

Duffy review

Duffy – Rockferry on amazon.co.uk

Rockferry on amazon.com

Myspace
Duffy Official Website

Sia celebrated the album’s release with a performance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on January 8, followed by a tour of New York City in a specially designed bus that escorted her to 3 jam-packed performances at The Apple Store (Soho), Virgin Megastore and Starbucks.

Sia will follow all this with a very special performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on January 25th, 2008 (tune in for a surprise!). Sia will also be featured in an upcoming two-page spread in the February issue of Spin, and a feature in Rolling Stone.

Fans excited for her upcoming North American tour, which kicks off February 15, can also check out exclusive performance videos from her recent show at Hiro Ballroom (NYC) on “AT&T Blue Room.”

Music critics nationwide agree that ’some people have REAL problems’ is one of Sia’s finest:

“…stunning.” – Entertainment Weekly (A-)

“Sia’s Some People Have Real Problems is an exellent soundtrack for a cold January spent bundled up indoors…” – ABC News

“…you’ll want to get caught up in the drama Sia has to offer on her [third] solo cd.” – Associated Press

“From the moment she slips into her [opening track] ‘Little Black Sandals’ she grabs your heart.” – Chicago Tribune

“…a Feist-y, airy crowd-pleaser of jazzy electropop.” – WIRED

’some people have REAL problems’ is a co-release in the U.S. and Canada from Monkey Puzzle Records and Hear Music. The album is available at Starbucks Company-operated locations and traditional music retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

Sia 2008 tour dates:

Dates could change! Go to Sia’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

February 15 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up
February 16 – Tempe, AZ – Club Congress
February 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
February 19 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
February 20 – Vancouver, BC – Richard’s on Richards
February 21 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
February 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Avalon Theater
February 24 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theater & Cafe
February 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
February 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
February 29 – Chicago, IL – Metro
March 1 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
March 3 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club
March 4 – Montreal, QC – Les Saints
March 5 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
March 7 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club
March 8 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
March 10 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
March 11 – New Orleans, LA – The Parish
March 12 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
March 14 – Austin, TX Stubbs (SXSW)
March 15 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
(April 9 – Koko – London)

Sia on Myspace
Sia Official Website

After her successful performance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, Nicole Atkins will be kicking off her 2008 US Tour at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on January 25th.

Stay tuned for the video for Nicole’s upcoming single, “Maybe Tonight”, directed by Josh Forbes (The Shins, Cold War Kids). “Maybe Tonight” is the second single from her full-length LP, ‘Neptune City’.

In the meantime, here’s the video of Nicole Atkins & The Sea performing “Maybe Tonight” on Conan O’Brien:

Nicole Atkins & The Sea 2008 tour dates:

Dates could change! Go to Nicole Atkins’ Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

January 25 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
February 14 – Algonquin Arts – Manasquan, NJ
February 15 – T.T. The Bear’s – Cambridge, MA
February 16 – Soundlab (Big Orbits Soundlab) – Buffalo, NY
February 17 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ONT
February 19 – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH
February 20 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI
February 21 – Subterranean – Chicago, IL
February 22 – Cactus Club – Milwaukee, MN
February 23 – Cafe Montmartre – Madison, WI
February 25 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
February 29 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
March 1 – The Triple Door – Seattle, WA
March 3 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
March 5 – The Casbah – San Diego, CA
March 6 – The Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA
March 9 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
March 10 – The Mink – Houston, TX
March 18 – EARL – Atlanta, GA
March 21 – Snug Harbor – Charlotte, NC
March 22 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC

For more information, go to:

Nicole Atkins on Myspace
Nicole Atkins Official Website