New SIlversun Pickups coming soon...

It's coming..May 8th. More to come!

Lots of shows..i need money..and time..

Man oh man..concert season is heating up in these parts. If there is one thing I really dig its a live show. There are just a lot of choices (I know..every night..many clubs/venues) but man it seems like they are coming in droves.

Currently I only have “hard tickets” for two things. Andrew WK doing his “I Get Wet” Album in full at the Paradise Rock Club(sold out) and Mogwai will try for a third time to get their show performed in boston after postponing the Paradise, moving to the House of Blues and to postpone that for this new date in June. The biggest plus there...the Red Sox are out of town.

Oh wait, I have a ticket for the Avett Brothers at Lupos in Providence.

Upcoming on sales that are VERY much on the radar are Mark Lanegan (TICKET SECURED!),who FINALLY is doing a solo show here in MA as well as Built To Spill

Otherwise lots of stuff I just am struggling with ticket price wise. I'd honestly really like to see Van Halen and I had the tickets “in my shopping cart” but 130.00 per ticket on the far end of the venue I just couldn't do. Mastodon plays with Opeth at the Orpheum and those tickets are not that expensive all things considered, but I looked for 2 and was in the balcony, looked for a single and was in the balcony further back?? Trying to get in to the Daryl Hall show. Odd as it may sound the clips (see that link and youtube) are awesome. This gig Sharon Jones (sans Dap Kings) will be on the bill as well.....soooooo.

Roger Waters is doing "The Wall" at Fenway Park. Hands down the WORST of the WORST places to see a show, but since I missed the indoor leg of this show, this might be my only chance. Again, had tickets in my “cart” but after fees for 2 tickets on the 1st base line I was looking at over 330.00??! WHAT??!! I realize its a “production” and all..but whoa.

Fiona Apple makes a rare appearance at Royale in Boston end of March...hmmmm..but I dropped the ball and tickets sold out before reacted. (also the venue link always gets me an AVG warning)

Summer concert season is, pardon the pun, heating up. Of all bands I sorta really want to make the effort to see Iron Maiden, who hit our local outdoor shed (Comcast Center) in June. (Tickets on sale this Saturday). Who knows if Phish will hit the road. On their site there is one date for Bonaroo and rumors of 2 shows in June at the DCU Center in Worcester (indoors?? in June? booo. Explosions in the Sky are starting out West and heading East but not sure if they will come back local on this leg. What about The Stone Roses and Refused reunion tour dates (local please). Get on that people!

Sigur Ros is slowly rolling out dates, but I don't think they will be stateside until the fall...October at the earliest (mid to late) is my earliest guess..which throws a kink in where they can play around here. The last time they were intown was the mid sized outdoor venue...but this and the other larger one will be closed for the season by this time. They are not really an “arena band”, not that they can't sell decent, its just their vibe is far more “concert hall”...so maybe 2 nights at the Citi Wang or something like that. I also don't think they've played Providence, so 2 nights at Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC)

Might sound like pretty “commercial” bands but there are a fair number of bands I hope make their way to Boston/Providence. If These Trees Could Talk and The End of the Ocean are two bands that may head this way. Caspian will be doing work on their new album so I figure at the VERY least a cd release party is in the cards. (fingers crossed).

Any PR folks want to send me to shows...i am always (well usually) game. You get me in and I'll promote before and do a review after....(insert grovel here).

Happy 13th Birthday

So, I am the dad of a teenager now.

She is a great kid and I hope it continues.

Check out here blog, remember..she is 13, but she'd love the traffic like any of us.

The Random Empire.

Happy Birthday kiddo..you make be proud every day.

So Van Halen has a new record out eh?

Lets put it this way, it probably is not going to be better than your favorite David Lee Roth era version of Van Halen, but is really not that bad.

The lead off single “Tattoo” is sort of silly, and I read one review that said "When loading to your iTunes playlist skip the song all together" but the second track “She's the Woman” is pretty awesome. You got the finger tapping guitars the love of a ride cymbal..its all here. Really. The brothers (and son) are fast and tight and seem to be really focused. “Honeybabysweetiedoll” takes a little to get rolling, but Eddie is quick to blow it up. Every time I think the bass is sort of buried there is a big bass riff that comes out of no where. Granted their could/should be more, but Wolfgang has plenty of time. (See “The Trouble with Never”)

Yeah people miss Michael Anthony and the high harmonies, and they are missed here but for big guitar and drum riffs the Van Halen brothers seem to be more than willing to help you out.

Does David Lee Roth “speak” the lyrics...sure..but he always did.

It is the same as if you saw Star Wars as a kid (the original in 3) and then saw the prequels. You love the franchise but you are going to find a flaw just because it didn't do to you, or for you what it did when you were 20 years+ younger. Keep in mind, Dave has been out of the band for something like 25 years...25 years!!!

Shared this with some music loving co-workers today as well regarding being sorta “ehh” on the whole idea of this record:

Star Wars came out in 1977..I was seven. I loved it. It was the greatest movie I had ever seen I had the toys..they released two more..I loved those and had the toys...then..it went away..only to come back. I was excited cuz heck..it was star wars. There were some misfires here and there, most of it was tolerable, some parts awful (Jar Jar) some parts awesome (the epic light saber battle in ep III) but I was 20+ years older now. The only reason to slag it hard is because it didn't make me feel like I was 7 again.

Its good, its fun, its harmless...and worth your time.

I was able to grab it for less than $10.00. Grab it, hop in your trans am and cruise the mall. It's all good.

Caspian - Live at Old South Church

Been meaning to post this for some time, but due to being sick for over a week and various other issues..oh well lets get to it.

Followers of this blog know I have a love affair with the band Caspian. The band has just released their first live ep called “Live At Old South Church”.

I wrote a long review of the show [here]

The band culled five songs from the show and have pressed to vinyl. The cool limited edition colors used for the vinyl sold out quickly but you can still order it [here]

Proceeds go to Amirah AND you get a code for a digital download.

You can stream the record [here] as well to be sure its for you.

Really..it is. Get on it.

The Jealous Sound - First album in 9 years..limited stream

Nine years since their debut LP, The Jealous Sound has emerged with their sophomore full-length A Gentle Reminder, to be released January 31 via Music is Subjective and Fontana Distribution. Their previous and debut album Kill Them With Kindness was embraced by critics worldwide, named one of Spin's best albums of ’03 and described by Spin writer Andy Greenwald as “heartfelt guitar rock capable of punching you in the gut and patting you on the back.”

After taking time away from the band, frontman Blair Shehan reconnected with founding guitarist Pedro Benito, whose friendship with Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) helped The Jealous Sound land an opening spot on the 2009 tour for the bassist's previous band, emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate. The old juices started flowing.

Made in the Foo Fighters' Studio 606 with John Lousteau producing, A Gentle Reminder features founding members Shehan and guitarist Benito working alongside Mendel (filling in on bass for the departed John McGinnis) and new drummer Bob Penn. Josh Staples (the Velvet Teen) contributes backing vocals and bass on two tracks.

How the quartet coalesced to recapture the magic is a labyrinthine tale that covers three states and includes a lot of emotional baggage. The life lessons are revealed in the grandeur of the new album, a poignant and emotional triumph that not only proves a worthy successor to Kill Them With Kindness, but reveals the foursome at the top of its craft. Open-hearted, yes, but not really gentle at all, A Gentle Reminder represents a 44-minute epiphany set to cascading guitars, thundering rhythms and Shehan's evocative vocals.

You can stream the record RIGHT HERE but only until Tuesday the 31st.

Tour Dates!
2.3 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
2.4 Scottsdale, AZ @ Rogue Bar
2.6 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
2.7 Fort Worth, TX @ Lola's Sixth
2.8 Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz Rock'n'Roll Chicken
2.9 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
2.10 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
2.11 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
2.12 Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
2.14 Allston, MA @ Great Scott
2.15 Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
2.16 Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
2.17 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
2.18 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
2.19 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
2.20 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
2.21 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
2.22 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
2.24 Portland @ Hawthorne Theatre
2.25 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
2.27 San Francisco @ Bottom of the Hill
2.28 Los Angeles @ The Satellite

Official site here.
Facebook here and finally Twitter

Kim DiVine set to release new ep!

Former Massachusetts based singer songwriter Kim DiVine is set to release her new ep early next week.

THE 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT KIM DIVINE'S NEW EP "FIVE" ---
- Track one on the EP ("Perfect Kind of Love") was featured in an episode of the hit show "One Tree Hill" in May 2011.

- Track three ("Easy on Me") was one of three finalists in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and a semi-finalist in the International
Songwriting Competition.

- Kim wrote all songs on the EP and recorded with producer Bill Lefler (Gym Class Heroes, Ingrid Michaelson, Dashboard Confessional, Cary Brothers) in Los Angeles.

- Kim's first-ever music video (for "Perfect Kind of Love") will be simultaneously released with the EP!

- Fans helped fund the "Five" release by supporting the project on Kickstarter. Those that pledged received a wide range of rewards (in addition to the EP, of course) that included a homemade pumpkin pie (with delivery), original paintings, personalized music jewelry and customized owl guitar picks.

You can stream the ep right here.

The album is due out Tuesday.

Said the Whale - Album News and Tour

JUNO AWARD WINNERS FOR “NEW GROUP OF THE YEAR”

SAID THE WHALE SET THEIR SIGHTS ON U.S. WITH FORTHCOMING RELEASE AND TOUR

LITTLE MOUNTAIN is due on March 6, 2012

This may be Said The Whale’s third LP but the Canadian indie-popsters are still educating the U.S. masses, and their forthcoming album, Little Mountain, is a superb introduction. Their latest effort is their most adventurous to date and will be released in North America on March 6, 2012 via Hidden Pony Records/EMI, and in the U.K and Europe on March 12. The pre-order from iTunes will go live on February 20.

Said The Whale have been making their pretty music for some time, and in this past year were rewarded with the highest accolade available in their home land – a JUNO Award. The band snagged the crown for “New Group Of The Year” in 2011 and made their mark even bigger.

Little Mountain finds the group defying rock conventions without sacrificing any of their pop smarts. Said The Whale enlisted the juggernaut production prowess of Tom Dobrzanski, and multiple Grammy Award winner Jack Joseph Puig, who mixed the 15-track collection. Their combined efforts steered the song suites to explode out of the speakers, as they shepherded the band’s signature sound to a new level.

More diverse than previous albums, Little Mountain is a multi-stylistic tour-de-force that ventures into everything from soaring, horn-laden cabaret ("The Reason") to jaggedly syncopated rock ("We Are 1980") and effervescent guitar pop ("Loveless"). First single, “Heavy Ceiling,” is a dancefloor-ready ditty that reflects the confident and razor-sharp sound that dominates this LP.

Starting in early February and leading up to the release date, Said The Whale will regularly offer videos as exclusives, each coinciding with the 15 album tracks. The band partnered with Vancouver-based production company Amazing Factory for their ambitious endeavor, who helped re-imagine the band’s vivid lyrical imagery. Tune into Exclaim.ca for the premier of “1980” on February 7.

On February 25, the band will host a very special video screening and album launch at the Rio Theatre in their hometown of Vancouver. It will mark the beginning of the customary Said The Whale whirlwind tour schedule that will take the band across Canada, through the US, UK and Europe this year.

Feb 25 Rio Theatre Vancouver, BC
March 2 Q Café Seattle, WA
March 5 Luigi's Fun Garden Sacramento, CA
March 6 Hotel Utah San Francisco, CA
March 8 Silverlake Lounge Los Angeles, CA
March 10 Plush Tucson, AZ
March 11 Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ
March 13-18 SXSW Austin, TX
March 22 Club Café Pittsburgh, PA
March 23 M Room Philadelphia, PA
March 24 The Rock Shop Brooklyn, NY
March 27 Peppers Pub Saint John, NB, CAN
March 28 Reflections Cabaret Halifax, NS, CAN
March 30 Grenfell College Cornerbrook, NFLD, CAN
March 31 venue TBA St. John's, NFLD, CAN
April 5 UPEI Charlottetown, PEI, CAN
April 7 Charlotte St Arts Centre Fredericton, NB, CAN
April 8 Le Cercle Quebec City, QC, CAN
April 10 Le Divan Orange Montreal, QC, CAN
April 11 Ritual Ottawa, ON, CAN
April 12 This Ain't Hollywood Hamilton, ON, CAN
April 13 The Great Hall Toronto, ON, CAN
April 14 London Music Hall (Lounge) London, ON, CAN
April 16 Capitol Theatre Windsor, ON, CAN
April 17 The Lager House Detroit, MI
April 18 Double Door Chicago,IL
April 20 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN
April 21 Park Theatre Winnipeg, MB, CAN
April 23 Artful Dodger Regina, SK, CAN
April 24 Broadway Theatre Saskatoon, SK, CAN
April 25 Myer Horowitz Edmonton, AB, CAN
April 26 MacEwan Hall Calgary, AB, CAN
April 28 The Habitat Kelowna, BC, CAN
May 3 Vogue Theatre Vancouver, BC, CAN
May 4 Alix Goolden Hall Victoria, BC, CAN

For more information you can follow em:

Official Page
Facebook
Twitter

Finally, check out the single right here