Keane On Ellen Next Week!

Be sure to tune into to Keane TV performances next week on the Ellen Degeneres show on December 2 and Jimmy Kimmel Live on December 3. Also catch Keane perform live in LA next week in support of the recent CD release Perfect Symmetry. The band will be performing at the Echo on December 4 and the Roxy on December 5.

CLICK HERE To Watch“Perfect Symmetry” Video

CLICK HERE for the "Spiralling” Audio Stream

Keane Ipod Touch Contest! CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Grammy-nominated British trio Keane previews their third album, Perfect Symmetry, with the release of “Spiralling,” August 19, 2008. The song will be available at all major online retailers. The track was made available for free on the band’s website (keanemusic.com), and logged over half a million downloads in one week. “Spiralling” was the #1 most added song on UK radio for its first week of release.

Keane has released two previous albums, 2004’s Hopes and Fears, and 2006’s Under the Iron Sea. Their third album, Perfect Symmetry, was released on October 14, 2008.

CLICK HERE TO BUY "Perfect Symmetry"

Illinois Releases ‘The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe’ Chapter Two on 12.02.08

iTunes pre-release Today! Preview Chapter 2 Exclusively At Blender.com This Week And Download Single ‘She’s So Blonde’ Exclusively At The Tripwire !

Chapter 2 of Illinois’ ‘The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe’ continues the day-in-the-life occurrences of our hero. In this episode, called ‘Arch Sees an Illinois Video on TV,’ Arch indeed sees an Illinois video on TV. Only the video hits a little too close to home. An allegorical replay of relationships past, replete with all the bumps and bruises therein. Then, the real knockout blow: Will it send Arch over the edge? Stay tuned to find out…

As promised, each chapter of the short film comes with a 3-song ep. The songs this month are a bit more seething than the last batch, but the gentle, bewildered ‘Where’s My Woman’ paints a vivid portrait of a man emotionally abandoned – left to figure out for himself how to navigate the threshold between vulnerability and outright heartbreak. The track listing for the second installment is as follows:

‘The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe’ Chapter Two:
1) She’s So Blonde
2) Where’s My Woman
3) I Hate Love (iTunes Exclusive)
Film: ‘Arch Sees an Illinois Video on TV’

Physical copies of the Kid Catastrophe project will be available via custom USB flash drive for $10. Chapters 1 & 2 will be pre-loaded, with subsequent chapters available FREE at download stations set up at any of the band’s record release shows.

Speaking of which, Illinois resumes their record release residency of the East Coast on December 2nd.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
December 2 || Rock & Roll Hotel (Chapter 2 Release Party) || Washington, DC || TIX
December 3 || Rehab (Chapter 2 Release Party) || New York, NY || TIX
December 4 || Great Scott (Chapter 2 Release Party) || Boston, MA || TIX
December 5 || The Fire (Chapter 2 Release Party) || Philadelphia, PA || TIX

Jihae's New "Best Thing" Music Video & Full Album Stream!

Check out the brand new "Best Thing" music video from Jihae. It depicts a summer love story that fits perfectly with the music and the beautiful sunny scenery is sure to warm up your winter.

"Best Thing" MP3

If you haven't heard Jihae's Elvis Is Still Alive in its entirety yet, head on over to her iLike profile page where Jihae is offering fans a chance to hear the full album. Let Jihae take you on the musical journey that is Elvis Is Still Alive.

Purchase Elvis Is Still Alive on iTunes
Purchase Elvis Is Still Alive on Amazon
Purchase Elvis Is Still Alive emusic
Purchase a Physical Copy of Elvis Is Still Alive on ElvisIsStillAlive.com

The So So Glos "Tourism / Terrorism" EP Debuts in CMJ Top 200 At 180

Due To Unforeseen Circumstances The Band Is Canceling The Rest Of Their US Tour, They Will Be Back In 2009! BUT They Will Still Be Playing The Silent Barn Show In New York 11/29!

7" Single "Throw Your Hands Up" Out Now On GreenOwl.com
RCRD LBL Releases Exclusive "99 Degrees" (Ninja Sonic Remix)

Voted Best Local Rock Band In Best Of New York Press 2008 List

Click Here To Listen To "99 Degrees"

Click Here To Listen To "Throw Your Hands Up"

Click Here To View So So Glos Live From The Market Hote

New York Press : Best Local Rock Band 2008 : "Armed with a cache of songs that skillfully surveys all of Clashendom, The Glos is the rare group that can literally (and justifiably) command an audience—lead singer and bassist Alex Levine is prone to telling everyone to move toward the stage ("I know this is New York, but you don't have to pretend you're too cool") and dance. The crowd always obliges"

The SO SO GLOS are four brothers who play the punk rock and roll that they believe in. Originally from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, they now live at the Market Hotel in Bushwick- a space they founded that is both their home and community. Brews, smokes and music blasting, the J train crushing along the tracks outside, non-stop. That is their music: aggressive, urgent, and immediate- political and poetic because it has to be. But these Brooklyn kids aren't just touting the same old punk; Graced with electro MPC breaks, surf sounds, gang vox, and a little tambo it sounds fresh. Still though, after the rubble settles and the smoke clears, its unmistakenly punk rock in its spirit.

They started the infamous Market Hotel venue with promoter Todd P because they felt, with the DIY scene getting stronger; Brooklyn needed a larger all ages DIY venue. They were right- The Hotel has gone to host some of the best bands of now (No Age, The Black Lips, Dan Deacon) and some of the most legendary NYC parties in recent memory. Never content to play hometown heroes The SO SO GLOS self-released their S/T full length in 2007 and supported it with DIY touring at house parties and punk clubs all around the US.

In August The SO SO GLOS recorded "TOURISM / TERRORISM" at Staten Islands SOR studios with Adam Reich producing and mixing done by Spidey (Ghostface Killah). At 27 minutes long, the record is somewhere between an EP and an album. It was made a shortplayer "for the trigger happy iPod generation" half-jokes 21 year old lead singer Alex Levine with a grin. These guys are for real.

Brett Dennen, Spring Tour Announced and Contest!

Brett Dennen just finished his sold-out mini-tour, and has announced his Spring headlining tour!

He has also launched a Thanks Giving contest with Tom’s Shoes and Past Magazine online.

Click here for contest details!

Click Here for a list of his spring tour dates!

Some Melodic Magic from Lydia

From the commotion of the ever changing indie rock scene, tranquil and refreshing ambient sextet Lydia arrive poised and prepared to take the music community by storm. Boasting passionate male and female vocals over a moody, introspective wall of sound led by melodic guitar and keyboards, this group of high school friends have garnered some serious buzz in the underground with their compelling songs and tender approach to songwriting.

"I Woke Up Near the Sea" {MP3}

"One More Day" {MP3}

Illuminate in stores now!
Amazon & iTunes

Don't forget if you are free December 13th!

If you are free December 13th and in Vegas, please come celebrate Smash Magazine's 5 Year Birthday Bash! I've been a writer for them for the past 4 years and nothing is better then partying with our readers! Come see Vegas born Escape the Fate as well as The Seventh Plague, Destruction of a Rose and Eyes Like Diamonds.

For show info. click here!

Click here to buy tickets!

Want to know more about the bands?

Check out my article about Escape The Fate here.
or visit myspace.com/escapethefate

The Seventh Plauge - myspace.com/theseventhplague

Destruction of a Rose - myspace.com/destructionofaRose
Buy Unseen Destroyer EP here on iTunes!

Eyes Like Diamonds - myspace.com/eyeslikediamondslv

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE BLACK KEYS CONTEST!

Noah and the Whale cancel U.S. tour

Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down LP out now!

Amazon.com
iTunes

Sadly Noah and the Whale have cancelled their North American Tour!

They promise to be back in March -- in the meantime read their statement
while listening to "5 Years Time (Sun Sun Sun)":

Some of the most dedicated, blog-aware North American friends of Noah and the Whale have correctly identified North American tour dates circulating on the internet.

"It is with no little remorse and disappointment that we are compelled to cancel these dates. These words are being typed in the studio as we make progress on the next Noah and the Whale album. Between commitments in hereto-neglected Europe, we have made the sad but important decision to take time to develop these recordings over the winter months.

Despite this unavoidable necessity we would like to apologize to all the wonderful friends we made on our most recent American adventure, to anyone who has bought tickets or was preparing to do so.

The whole band enjoys an ongoing love affair with the US. The autumn tour was one of the most intense and heartening experiences of our lives and we were bristling with seasonal anticipation at the prospect of old faces and venues, not to mention new American audiences and experiences too. But there is simply not enough time in the world and we are sure that this next record will justify this difficult call.

With new songs to disseminate and even more America-famished, we will cross the pond to tour across the continent from March 2009. This is a promise, a published, globally-viewable promise.

Once again we want to express our most sincere gratitude for everyone who has seen us play, said they would see us play, or said two good words about the band. Noah and the Whale will be back and we will be back many times." - Noah and the Whale

ANNUALS ANNOUNCE NEW 2009 TOUR DATES!

Annuals just wrapped up an awesome, and hugely successful tour with Minus the Bear, and we're super excited to announce that new dates have been added to their 2009 headlining tour.

Support includes Jessica Lea Mayfield and friends What Laura Says, who are signed to Annuals’ label, Terpsikhore. We're talking about two drum kits, six members, loads of instruments and performances packed with unmatchable energy. So if you haven't seen Annuals live yet, here's your chance.

The new album, Such Fun, embraces a vast landscape of musical richness, combining frontman Adam Baker’s accomplished songcraft with an instrumental palate that is even more colorful than their debut album, Be He Me. Add in cover art that's a painting by Bob Ross and an amazing video for first song “Confessor” by Terry Gilliam’s right-hand man Daniel Auber, and you've got yourself something pretty spectacular.

Annuals recently received the honor of being influential tastemaker station WXPN’s “Artist to Watch” for the month of November.

Also, please take a moment to vote for "Confessor" as MTV2 Subterranean's Video of 2008!!

"CONFESSOR" MP3

"CONFESSOR" VIDEO

ANNUALS 2009 TOUR

1/20/09 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
1/21/09 Iowa City, IA @ Maintenance Shop
1/22/09 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
1/23/09 Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop
1/24/09 Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
1/25/09 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
1/27/09 Boston, MA @ Paradise
1/28/09 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
1/30/09 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
1/31/09 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
2/6/09 Charlotte, NC @ The Visulite Theatre
2/7/09 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
2/8/09 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
2/10/09 New Orleans, LA @ The Parish
2/11/09 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
2/12/09 Houston, TX @ Walter’s on Washington
2/13/09 Austin, TX @ The Parish
2/14/09 Dallas, TX @ Pontiac Garage
2/17/09 Phoenix. AZ @ Rhythm Room
2/18/09 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
2/19/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
2/21/09 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
2/23/09 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
2/24/09 Vancouver, BC @ Pit Pub
2/25/09 Seattle, WA @ TBA

NOISE POP 2009 FESTIVAL DATES AND EARLY ARTIST CONFIRMATIONS ANNOUNCED; FILM SCREENINGS, FESTIVAL PARTNERS ALSO ANNOUNCED

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS, A.C. NEWMAN, NO AGE, GOBLIN COCK, CLUES and DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS set to headline Noise Pop 2009. Noise Pop Festival film screenings will include JOHNNY CASH AT FOLSOM PRISON and AGILE MOBILE HOSTILE – A YEAR WITH ANDRE WILLIAMS. The 17th annual Noise Pop Festival will take place February 24 through March 1, 2009.

Event Producers, Noise Pop Industries, have announced the dates of the West Coast’s premiere independent celebration of music, film and art - Noise Pop 2009. The 17th annual Noise Pop Festival will take place February 24 through March 1, 2009 at venues throughout San Francisco, CA.

Early artist confirmations include New Pornographers front man A.C. Newman, No Age, Pinback side project Goblin Cock, Dear And The Headlights, the Bay Area debut of Clues and a very special performance by Antony and the Johnsons at Davies Symphony Hall. More confirmations will be announced very shortly.

The Noise Pop Film Festival continues its mission of focusing on films that embrace and reflect independent music and culture. Early announcements include “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison” examining the most important day in the career of an American icon, and “Agile Mobile Hostile: A Year with Andre Williams,” which follows the charismatic hit songwriter (he has recorded with Berry Gordy, Ike Turner, Stevie Wonder and Jon Spencer to name a few) and his struggle with his creative vision and his addictions. Many Noise Pop Film Festival screenings will include Q&A discussions with the filmmakers.

Noise Pop has announced that WolfgangsVault.com returns as a presenting sponsor of the 2009 Festival showcasing emerging artists. Wolfgang’s Vault is the home for the past, present and future of live music including The Bill Graham Archives, Daytrotter Sessions, King Biscuit, selections from Noise Pop 2007 and 2008 and more, all available for free streaming online and by iphone. In addition to the Concert Vault music of Wolfgang’s Vault, the site also offers concert posters, rock photography, vintage t-shirts and retro t-shirts, rock gear and concert related memorabilia. Wolfgang’s Vault will offer exclusive Noise Pop 2009 concerts as free streams and free downloads of the bands destined to become household names.

Noise Pop Festival badges, which provide entry to all Noise Pop Festival events will be available to purchase starting at 10:00 AM on December 10, 2008. Festival badges are exclusively available from a dedicated Noise Pop 2009 Festival website (www.noisepop.com/2009) launching on December 3, 2008. Noise Pop Festival news updates will also be featured on Noisepop.com

The Dead Trees bring you a bit of early Christmas Cheer with their ditty “Sit Fuzzy”

NPR featured Dead Trees song “OK Standby” as their Song of the Day

“the group already has an innate understanding of the way great rock 'n' roll can combine the absurd with the vulgar without seeming to try too hard.....it sure is easy to love the way his band sounds.”

The boys continue their US tour with Little Joy as they make their way West

King of Rosa on Milan Records the follow up to their much loved Fort Music EP this fall

Filter Mag 88% “...occasionally, something authentic and great emerges, and this is one of those...this is music that is made by guys who love music, and it’s a love that’s genuinely infectious.”

Blurt: “…the Dead Trees would be held up as one sterling example of what's good about indie rock in 2008. There's something magnificent in the simplicity of their songs, which catch you up in the first listening, the group additionally excelling in the diversity of their musical styles and tempos.”

Listen to SIT FUZZY!

Check out Live Front Porch JAM of Shelter on ran on RCRD LBL

Check out Day trotter: Find out about The Dead Trees AND the Van!

Listen to Shelter from King of Rosa!

Tour dates with Little Joy!

NOV 20- Smith’s Olde Bar- Atlanta, Georgia
NOV 21- Exit/In- Nashville, Tennessee
NOV 22- Duck Room at Blueburry Hill - St. Louis, Missouri
NOV 24- Jackpot Music Hall - Lawrence, Kansas
NOV 26- The Lounge @ Elm Street - Dallas, Texas
NOV 28- Warehouse Live- Houston, Texas
NOV 29- The Parish -Austin, Texas
NOV 30 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom 2nd Stage
DEC 02 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
DEC 04 - Scottsdale, AZ - Martini Ranch
DEC 05 - San Diego, CA - H.O.B. - 5th Street Side Stage
DEC 06 - Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
DEC 07 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
DEC 09 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
DEC 11 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
DEC 12 - Vancouver, BC - The Plaza Club
DEC 13 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan

When it all started out, Matthew, Noah, Tad and Michael weren’t really a ‘band’ exactly but the fruits this “not band” ended up being the much loved Fort Music EP earlier this year.

Last spring, The Dead Trees self released Fort Music EP was widely supported through the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and landed these friends from Boston to supporting Albert Hammond, Jr. on a national tour. They just about burned down the Metro in Chicago, abandoned a broken down van somewhere in Iowa (which is heavily chronicled in Daytrotter.com) along the way playing shows that LA’s The House Of Blues in LA and Webster Hall in NYC.

The band plan on touring in support of King Of Rosa throughout the fall/winter of 2008, and into 2009.

Cut Off Your Hands Launch Myspace Video Channel

RCRD LBL Release Exclusive Track "An Iron Sleep"
“You & I” Out January 20th On Frenchkiss Records
Produced By Bernard Butler (Suede, Duffy & Manic Street Preachers)

Click Here To View My Space Video Channel

Click Here To Download And Share “A Iron Sleep”

After debuting on Speak n Spell Records in 2006 with the bristling Shaky Hands EP, Cut Off Your Hands quickly set stages and airwaves on fire across Australia and beyond. And with steady attention to touring and the production of melodic, musical gems their avid fan base and the cavalcade of media hyperbole has only continued to grow.

With their nationwide billing on 2007’s Laneway Festival and jaunts to Los Angeles, SXSW and New York really getting the ball rolling, it was, tellingly, the band’s first visit to London that would prove their watershed moment.Having been bewitched by the band in Texas, the lovesick indie-maven Steve Lamacq (hosting John Peel’s old show on BBC6) wasted no time in pulling them into his Maida Vale studios for a live performance when he knew they were in town. All of a sudden the boys from the antipodes were a bright pin punched on the British musical ‘map’, and as a consequence, their remaining shows were rammed full of hungry industry folk.

It was also while in London that the group, through various channels and the snowballing momentum, found themselves working with ex-Suede guitarist and Producer de jour, Bernard Butler, for the first time. Their second EP, Blue on Blue, being the fruit of their labours. While the recording’s lead tracks, ‘Still Fond’ and ‘Oh Girl’, settled quickly into the higher echelon of the radio charts at home, things continued to move for the band abroad. For the release of their debut English 7” - the double a-side Still Fond/Closed Eyes – through vinyl-ists Fandango was followed almost overnight by the inking of a deal with 679 Recordings (home to The Streets, Mystery Jets and Death From Above 1979).

Through the heady rush of record deals, single releases and the imminent debut LP however, the group’s dedication to their first love, the live arena, never waned. Incessantly in the van, Cut Off Your Hands forged solid friendships with fans and bands alike through UK tours with the whip-smart Foals, the legendary Edwyn Collins and Florida’s Black Kids - not to mention shows with The Duke Spirit and Les Savy Fav. All this while also treading the festival circuit, playing eight shows in just three days at last year’s CMJ festival in New York before winging their way to Iceland’s epic Airwaves festival and a return to Australia to play Falls Festival and the full Australasian tour of Big Day Out - alongside Bjork, Dizzee Rascal and LCD Soundsystem.

Now based in the dynamic environs of Hackney, London, the band have finished juggling life on the road with life in the studio, (for now) having put the final coat on their debut LP ‘You and I’, with Butler once again at the helm. With such an amazing album waiting in the wings, Cut Off Your Hands couldn’t be set in a better position to win over the World’s hearts.

Right. That’s about enough of the press spiel...let’s hear what Nick Johnston - Cut Off Your Hands’ Iggy-like, whirling dervish of a front-man - has to say about Bernard, recording and the record...

“For the album we all felt Bernard was the best for our band. He just seems to understand us as a group more than most. He’s very hands-on with the pre-production, with a clear vision for how each instrument has a part to play in bringing the best out of a song.

For the first time I’ve written songs with the studio in mind, as opposed to writing for our live show. Once again, this has been just treating each song in the way that best suits the song. Bernard’s really adamant in pushing to treat each song on its merits. Some songs worked straight away, whilst others came together slowly, only sounding amazing once we put all the vocals and overdubs on.

There’s a whole lot more instrumentation on the record this time as well. BB was really keen to make a record which had points of difference to separate us from the droves of British guitar bands around right now. And we've taken a few more risks than usual. Bernard has taken us (as players) out of our comfort zones, deconstructing the way we think. But it's a good, healthy thing - risk taking- because when it works out you progress. I feel that the new songs are definitely an organic progression. In that the songs from the EP Blue On Blue were completely melody based, but all fairly similar. They were bouncy and energetic. Hopefully we've made a LP which listens in a far more dynamic sense than the two previous EP's.

Our pop sensibility has come lately. (While writing the record) I was listening to a lot of doo-wop - in particular Phil Spector produced groups like the Ronnettes, and the Crystals - and I've been obsessed with how melodically centred those old songs are. It's what makes them still relevant and exciting to someone like me, a 23 year old, 50 years later. I also began seriously taking an interest in 1950's artists such as Roy Orbison, Ritchie Valens and Elvis. I found that I was no longer that interested in weird sounds, or noisy groups, all I wanted to hear and recreate were beautiful vocal melodies that are calculated but appear so effortless.

We feel we've really matured as songwriters quite a bit since the last release, and we think that maturity is demonstrated in the depth of this record. I’m happy that Bernard has been so eager to take risks with our music, and has aimed to make a record we'll still be listening to in years to come.”

Band Watch - The Love Willows

The Love Willows had one of their songs, “Strut My Stuff,” featured on an episode of The Real World, this past season as well as on various other MTV shows. You can check out the clip here. They will be releasing their debut album, Hey! Hey, on January 27^th. Below you will find a link to their single, “Falling Faster.”

The Love Willows - "Falling Faster" {MP3}

The Beach Boys harmonized about having “Fun, Fun, Fun.” Cyndi Lauper insisted that “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Now an Atlanta duo wants audiences to climb into that giant colorful teacup at the park and take a spin through Hey! Hey! (Decca), the unabashedly upbeat debut album from The Love Willows – a.k.a. singer Hope Partlow and guitarist/vocalist Ryan Wilson – due for release January 27th.

Hey! Hey!, with all of its tracks written by Partlow and Wilson, and recorded in the attic studio of Wilson’s parents’ home outside of Atlanta, is an emotional chronicle of their relationship told through a pop/rockabilly sound. “It’s all about fetishes, love and hate,” says Partlow. “It’s a product of what we’ve gone through as a couple, the battles and the glories, everything that’s happened in the past few years.”

The tunes are brightly colored, like Hope Partlow and Ryan Wilson when they perform live, yet their accessibility belies a sense of inventiveness and, oftentimes, subtle sophistication. The first single, “Falling Faster,” is mid-tempo romantic narrative, while “A Day in My Life” reveals their sly complexity, with Hope’s enthusiastic vocals layered over sonic themes which embrace pop conventions as they tip a hat to both Irving Berlin and Brian Setzer. “Strut My Stuff,” featured on the season finale of “The Real World: Hollywood,” is a quirky tune with a music-box riff throughout, while “Shoes,” a tribute to soul over soles, is equal pop and polka. Other tracks are more straight-ahead, from the punchy “Gotta Make You Mine” to the encouragement of “Keep Your Head Up.”

Memphis native Hope Partlow released her first solo album through Virgin Records at sixteen and toured with the likes of Jesse McCartney. Ryan Wilson grew up in Atlanta, playing in local bands until auditioning as a guitarist for Partlow’s touring band a half-dozen years back. They currently live, write and record together in Atlanta.

A Colbert Christmas

The excitement is in the air! Or is that just be the buzz of commerce with people lining up to experience STEPHEN COLBERT and his Christmas extravaganza?

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! debuts this weekend!

Now is your chance to preview clips from the show, which airs on Comedy Central this Sunday, November 23^rd at 10pm and check out the new eCard.

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All eCard. Stephen Wants You To Give The Greatest Gift To Your Friends. Click Here to send one to your friends!

Preview the video for "Another Christmas Song". I'm so excited I'm sporting a Yule log!

Preview video "May I Interest You In Hannukah". It's a sensible alternative to Christmas, and last for seven-for you? Eight nights.

Preview "Nutmeg". Serving eggnog without nutmeg is like serving turkey without a duck and a chicken inside.

Tracklisting for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! EP (available for digital download November 25^th)

1 Another Christmas Song" – Stephen Colbert

2 "Have I Got A Present For You" – Toby Keith

3 "The Little Dealer Boy" – Stephen Colbert and Willie Nelson

4 "Can I Interest You In Hannukah" – Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart

5 "Nutmeg" – Stephen Colbert and John Legend

6 "Please Be Patient" – Feist

7 "There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In" – Stephen Colbert and Elvis Costello

8 "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love And Understanding" – Stephen Colbert, Elvis Costello, Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend and Willie Nelson

9 A Cold, Cold Christmas (album-only track)

BUY A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! EP ON iTUNES!

BUY A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! DVD!

A great American holiday tradition will be born this year, joining the classics that have preceded it…Stephen Colbert will make Christmas his own. He's taking ownership for the Colbert Nation. Stephen decided to ignore tradition start the Christmas holiday before Thanksgiving, putting him a step ahead of the competition.

In order to fully dominate the Christmas season…Colbert style, the Colbert Report anchor is unleashing his lethal 1-2 punch of both a TV special and holiday album at the same time.

The Christmas special. A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a one-hour original musical holiday special. It premieres on Sunday, November 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on COMEDY CENTRAL. The musical companion EP of the same name will be available on iTunes.

In the special, Colbert is on his way to meet with Elvis Costello in New York City but is snowed-in at his cabin in upstate New York (bear country). He weathers through the storm with help from his friends Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend, Willie NelsonJon Stewart. A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! features original songs written by David JaverbaumThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and composer Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), with the exception of "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love And Understanding" which was written by Nick Lowe. The songs were produced by Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold. Theme music and score also by Schlesinger and Gold. The bonus features on the DVD include a book burning Yule log, video advent calendar, alternate endings and more. and (executive producer,

Both the digital-only EP and DVD will be available on November 25^th!

Proceeds from the sales of A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! will go to www.feedingamerica.org

Tab the Band- WBCN acoustic set & Xmas Rave

It’s the end of the year AND things are popping for TAB the BAND. After spending the summer touring with Stone Temple Pilots and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and doing select dates this fall, heres what’s happening NOW...

THIS WEEK, their hysterical video for “Where She Was On Monday” is currently on the front page of MTVu.com and being featured at MTV’s Best Film on Campus http://www.bestfilmoncampus.com/filmmaker/default.aspx?filmmakerID=1896

AND they have tons of new dates!

TODAY the band will before a LIVE acoustic set and interview on WBCN in Boston at 9pm
ON 12.3 Tab the Band will open for Scott Weiland for WBCN's Christmas Rave (in Foxboro, MA)

TONS of NYC dates including
Dec 6th at Webster Hall's studio with Bryan Scary for the film premiere of "Let Them Chirp Awhile"
Dec 7th at Mercury Lounge
Dec 14th at Union Hall with War on Drugs

Click here: Tab the Band-Hysterical video for first single “Where She Was on Monday”

Best Week Ever: On the boys’ album and show: “TAB’s album (and plugged-in live show) is big time rock...”
On their acoustic show: “They sounded great…it really felt like we were witnessing something special and different.”

Rolling Stone: “…they play bluesy, sleazy, guitar raunch…one Boston power trio proudly schooled in the past…”

Popmatters: “Be sure to put this little gem on your TAB….This is crazy beautiful driving music. Play it in the car with all the windows down, and watch out for jealous stares”

Blender: “This band rawks”

Wasting No Time At All, Following Hot On The Heels Of Last Year’s Much Loved Gem Pulling Out Just Enough To Win, The Boys Of TAB Headed Back To Their Home Studio To Craft Another Of Their Rough And Tumble Rock Records

Power Trio TAB The Band Second Album, The Self-Produced Long Weekend is out NOW on North Street

THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS READY SOPHOMORE ALBUM, LONELY ROAD, FEB. 3

New release is follow-up to platinum-selling debut, Don’t You Fake It, with new single, “You Better Pray” out now!

Virgin Records Jacksonville, FL, platinum rockers THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS have completed recording their sophomore album, LONELY ROAD, at the Valley Village, CA, studio of super-producer Howard Benson (Hoobastank, P.O.D., Less Than Jake, Daughtry, Seether, All-American Rejects), the follow-up to the DON’T YOU FAKE IT. Their debut breakthrough was two years in the making, a tribute to the label’s commitment to long-term artist development, and has gone on to sell more than 2.1 million singles and scan over a million copies in the U.S. to date.

The new album, LONELY ROAD, streets on Feb. 3, 2009, and is preceded digitally by the current hit track, “You Better Pray,” as well as a fan’s only studio demo for “Pen & Paper,” available at the band’s RedJumpSuitAlliance.com website, and now on MySpace. To mark the release, RJA will embark on a headlining, international tour, starting Dec. 6 at the 97X Next Big Thing 8 in Tampa, FL, then heading to a number of South East Asian countries in late February and March including Australian dates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

“We’re really psyched about these tracks and the new record and hope you are, too,” proclaims lead vocalist Ronnie Winter on the band’s MySpace page. “Just like DON’T YOU FAKE IT, you can be sure LONELY ROAD will tie together these and a bunch of other sounds in a classic, but new-and-improved RJA-sounding way.”

Consisting of Winter, guitarist/pianist/singer Duke Kitchens, bass/singer Joey Westwood and drummer/singer Jon Wilkes, RJA connected immediately with listeners on their first single, “Face Down,” a plea against domestic violence that introduced a band with a commitment to social issues, not just in their music, but in their day-to-day lives.

DON’T YOU FAKE IT charted for 62 weeks on Billboard’s Top 200 while “Face Down” stayed atop the Top 20 Modern Rock airplay list for 52 weeks before being retired. “Face Down” earned the band platinum status by selling 1.5 million digital singles and has been streamed over 16.6 million times on MySpace. Songs from the first album have been streamed more than 50 million times on the band’s MySpace page, along with such favorites as “Your Guardian Angel,” which generated 10.2 million MySpace spins and 455k downloads, as well as marking the festive occasions of thousands of Facebook and YouTube photo flipbooks and videos. Two other songs from their debut, “Damn Regret” and “False Pretense,” are both at almost 100,000 downloads apiece.

Since the release of DON’T YOU FAKE IT, RJA has also been an active force for a wide array of charitable organizations and social causes, including teen suicide prevention (including co-headlining the US Take Action Tour with My Chemical Romance and Rise Against), mental health parity and a strong commitment to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, teaming up with their label Virgin Records, to raise funds.

In addition, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Guardian Angel Foundation has been formed as an umbrella group to support under-funded high school band programs, to promote and enhance student musical development; support individuals affected by domestic violence, to break the cycle of abuse; and contribute to research that focuses on management of acute hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients.

“We’re looking forward to finally getting the new record out and once again hitting the road,” writes Winter on the band’s MySpace blog. “And as you’ll soon hear, it was all worth it.”

Andrew WK Remixes Synth-Pop Dance Floor Anthem, "How We Roll"

Plushgun are wrapping up their West Coast tour in support of the upcoming release of the debut full-length record, Pins & Panzers, on February 17, 2009. NYLON premiered the new video for "Just Impolite" today.

Directed by Tyler Shields, the video features Juno Temple (“The Other Boleyn Girl,” “Atonement,” “Notes on a Scandal,” and upcoming “Mr. Nobody” and “The Year One”), Brittany Snow (“Hairspray,” “Prom Night,” and upcoming “Clock Tower” and “The Vicious Kind”) and Shiloh Fernandez (upcoming “Cadillac Records” and “The United States of Tara”).

Andrew WK remixed Plushgun's track "How We Roll," which you can download here.
Check out NYLON's video premiere here.

"Just Impolite" Video Streams:
Quicktime

Windows Media

Eulogies Announce April 7th Release Date for 'Here Anonymous'

Eulogies Announce April 7th Release Date for Sophomore Album, ‘Here, Anonymous’ Announce West Coast Tour Dates !

'Eulogies simmers with emotion and brims with understated hooks, registering nearest the sensible introspection of Wheat's Hope and Adams, Nada Surf's The Weight is a Gift, or Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism.' - Pitchfork

'Minimalist yet epic.' - Filter

Given the positive response from their solid EP, ‘Tempted To Do Nothing,’ released earlier this fall, LA band Eulogies are anxious to put out a full helping of their luminous, Impressionist pop. Their full length LP, 'Here, Anonymous', scheduled for release on April 7th, is the kind of album, with details and intricacies for days, to get lost in. With Chris Reynolds on drums, Drew Phillips on guitar and Tim Hutton on bass, plus band leader Peter Walker on guitar and vocals, Eulogies renders vivid scenes with a minimalist palette. Written during a Fall 2007 U.S. tour with Film School, the songs on 'Here Anonymous' are deceivingly simple. Riding warm, well-worn instrumental tones and Walker's understated vocals, they build a consistent mood over the album's 12 songs.

'We're not just going in and recording an A-side and a B-side,' Walker explains. 'I love to put a record on and that’s the feeling I'm gonna get for 40 minutes. But it's gotta be exciting, too.'

To that end, Walker shifts tempos and instrumentation and brings along the occasional guest, including Nikki Monninger of labelmates Silversun Pickups. Songs build momentum from one to the next with meticulous track sequencing; drama is evoked not through volume or intensity but subtle counterpoints in composition. There's a gentle, knowing tension to the music that speaks to the bittersweet push and pull of everyday living and dying. Eulogies' songs struggle with broken-down communication, the weight of bad habits, the fear of being alone. That struggle is universal, and it's presented within the music with a directness that's both stark and beautiful.

'Eulogies for me is not about talking about someone who's dead,' says Walker. 'It's saying those things that someone would say only at that moment but wish they had said right now. That's what I'm preaching to myself—don't be quiet. I can't survive down that road.' The result is melancholy music that's upbeat, a record of specific personal intent that speaks to us all. Eulogies offers catharsis; a musical tradition that's ageless and inviolate. Here Anonymous snatches a moment out of that continuum for us to share, here and now.

Eulogies are currently trekking across the country on separate stints with Darker My Love, The Duke Spirit, and Longwave. Their EP, ‘Tempted To Do Nothing,’ is available now on Dangerbird Records. The Holidays just got a bit warmer.

TOUR!
w/ Darker My Love
11/20 || Slowdown || Omaha, NE
11/21 || 7th St. Entry || Minneapolis, MN
11/22 || Vaudeville Mews || Des Moines, IA
11/25 || Berkley Front || Berkley, MI (NO Darker My Love)
11/26 || The Summit || Columbus, OH

w/ The Duke Spirit
11/28 || Bottle Tree || Birmingham, AL
11/29 || 40 Watt || Athens, GA
11/30 || Exit In || Nashville, TN
12/2 || Radio Radio || Indianapolis, IN
12/3 || The Basement || Columbus, OH

w/ Longwave
12/9 || Casbah || San Diego, CA
12/10 || Troubadour || Los Angeles, CA
12/11 || Rickshaw Stop || San Francisco, CA
12/13 || Dante’s || Portland, OR
12/14 || Chop Suey || Seattle, WA

2008 was great for Mason Proper

This past year was a great one for Dovecote's Mason Proper. The Tripwire chose them as one of their favorites at CMJ, lots of looks from RCRD LBL and awesome sessions done with Daytrotter, WOXY and My Old Kentucky Blog on Sirius. They released their newest album Olly Oxen Free, which is starting to pop up on year end lists and their video for "Lock and Key" premiered on MTV2's Subterranean (love fest continues when "Lock and Key" is added to MTVU's Freshman Five on 12/1). THE VIDEO IS ALSO UP FOR SUBTERRANEAN'S BEST OF '08! (vote here) The band accomplished a lot in 2008 and being able to share it with their fav blogs made it even better.



"Lock and Key" video


"Fog" {Mp3}




And the rest of their tour dates...
November 22 - Holland, MI - Lemonjello (w/ The Mighty Narwhale)
November 26 - Detroit, MI - The Magic Stick (w/The Silent Years + Deastro)
December 13 - Chicago, IL - The Beat Kitchen (w/ Everthus the Deadbeats)
December 19 - Indianapolis, IN - Locals Only (w/ Everthus the Deadbeats + Stereo Deluxe)
January 16 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig

New stuff from Larsen & Furious Jane!

“In a sort of half-secret way Larsen & Furious Jane have become Denmark's most personal indie rock band […] Zen Sucker becomes an inspiring maze […] An album where you can work your way in deeper while constantly finding new gold. After establishing themselves as a phenomenon of alternative songwriting Larsen & Furious Jane have started developing in an extremely exciting direction.” – Politiken

Check out these new tracks from Zen Sucker!

"Vietnamese Pool Boy" {MP3}

"Local Nobility" {MP3}


Also check out the video for "Local Nobility" on YouTube!

While WHITE DENIM is away touring Europe, the US press flips for ‘em!

To get your fix HERE while they tear up stages abroad!
check out the band LIVE and UNDERWATER in the Fader offices conference room!

AND LIVE on BBC 6 Radio!


Pitchfork 7.8 : “Exposion isn't so easily characterized--and the group comes off as more versatile, more than DIY Nuggets throwbacks....a band this chaotic and unpredictable probably designed those tracks to twist and turn that way in the first” place...”

New York Times: “...the album accurately captures a stagebound aesthetic that’s messy by design and constitutionally wary of settling into a single groove for too long... the group gives the canny impression of knowing more than it lets on.”

Blender: “This Austin trio makes a uniquely wigged-out noise, like genuine Lone Star lone wolves, mixing psychedelic boogie and spastic punk (á la ’80s titans the Minutemen) into shifty, sharp songs that whirl by like tornados with ADD..”

You can grab Exposion digitally at www.whitedenimmusic.com

Little Bio on White Denim and "Exposion"
In the wake of last years much beloved Let's Talk About It EP and the free RCRD LBL EP, the Austin based power trio will return stateside to release the self produced, full length "Exposion".

"Exposion" is a collection of songs recorded by White Denim in the home studio of drummer Joshua Block. The recordings were made on Saturday afternoons during the spring, summer, and winter months of 2007. This debut reveals the band playing to some of its more subtle strengths, setting itself apart from the group's existing output by unfolding more slowly and methodically. Only during the beginning half of side two do we hear the mad urgency displayed in the majority of the trio's previous work. What we come to know by the end of this record is a band unafraid to take risks.

The three balance familiarity and originality with unassuming confidence, taking great joy in every aspect of the music. "Exposion" is the work of three friends negotiating with infinite possibility.

Guilt By Association Vol.2 Takes On Danceable, Hip Shaking Pop Songs

The second installment of 07’s sing-a-long darling, Guilt By Association, with yet another volume of pop music gems sung by your favorite indie artists. Guilt By Association Vol 2 is brings together your most beloved underground bands with your Top 40 Radio hits of the 80’s, 90’s and today. The series is more “elegy than irony and offers a primer on how to cover songs successfully”. (Harp, 07)

Guilt By Association Vol 2 looks and plays like a cassette tape that you might have made for a friend or, lets face it, your cutie crush in high school with love notes and all. Vol 2 features Robbers On High Street doing New Edition, Matt Pond PA covering My Chemical Romance, Takka Takka tackling Phil Collins, Cassettes Won't Listen covering INXS.

Guilt By Association Vol 2 was conceptualized and produced by Wesley Verhoeve and lends towards danceable covers of some of the artists favorite pop songs. “We wanted to take what was done on Volume 1 and pour it into a cohesive framework. We're big fans of pop music, but also of indie music and in that sense there's nothing ironic about this project. Together with the artists we picked pop songs they loved that might sometimes be painted as guilty pleasures by some (but not us), and then attempted to shine a light on them in a way that exposes what is so awesome about these songs,” says Wes.

The Forms's cover of Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start The Fire' or My Brightest Diamond's take on 'Tainted Love', are transformed into a slamming modern indie dance party track that fits right into today's' Brooklyn scene. Others like Matt Pond PA's version of My Chemical Romance' “I'm Not Okay” provide us with a quick mellow moment of melancholy.

The Guilt By Association is a compilation series conceived by Peter Block, co-founder of Engine Room Recordings, will release the Vol 2 on Feb. 17th with a third not far behind. The first volume was produced by renowned music supervisors Randall Poster and Jim Dunbar (All Wes Anderson films, Squid & The Whale, Lost, etc.) and included tracks by indie luminaries Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, Petra Haden and many others. As an overarching theme for Vol. 1 there was a moody early 90's indie feel.

Click Here To Listen To My Brightest Dimond Do "Tainted Love"

Notes from the bands:
Conrad Doucette of Takka Takka covers Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight”
“I’n The Air Tonight’ is probably the darkest, and weirdest, tune Phil Collins ever wrote. The structure of the song allowed us to drop some of our own atmospherics onto a song already rich in atmosphere. If anything, we feel guilty about not feeling guilty about liking this song.


Alex of The Forms covers Billy Joel's “We Didn’t Start The Fire”
“I grew up playing classical piano and this was one of the first songs that helped me make a transition to rock music, in a nerdy 8 year old kinda way. It’s an impressive song. There are 7 verses and it was a real challenge for us to continually make those interesting. It’s also compelling that the lyrics for a song written in ’88 ring so true in an eerie way for today.”

Alex from Lowry covers Toto’s “Africa”
"We've always been afraid of the return of prog rock. That being said, perhaps we were able to stick our fingers in the dam by releasing a song that was already good and making it bad. LOL. Seriously though, we really like the song. If anyone knows what the hell David Paich was talking about in that song, please reach out to us. . .we're stumped."

Track Listing:
01. My Brightest Diamond - Tainted Love
02. The Bloodsugars - Self-Control
03. Robbers on High Street - Cool It Now
04. Frightened Rabbit - Set you Free
05. Matt Pond PA - I'm Not Okay
06. Takka Takka - In the Air Tonight
07. Kaki King - I Think She Knows
08. Francis And The Lights - Can't Tell Me Nothing
09. Lowry - Africa
10. The Forms - We Didn't Start The Fire Final Mix
11. Rafter - If You Leave
12. Cassettes Won't Listen - Need You Tonight
13. Jukebox the Ghost - It's A Beautiful Life
14. Max Vernon - I Kissed a Girl

Volume 3 is already in the works and takes it down a notch into an a Ditmas Park inspired organic and delicate folk direction with a few bursts of energy from the West Coast.

THE SWORD TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION CD SET ON 11/25

CURRENTLY TOURING WITH METALLICA - HEADLINING DATES CONFIRMED!!!

"HOW HEAVY THIS AXE" {MP3}

On November 25, The Sword will release a limited edition CD set that includes both Age Of Winters and Gods Of The Earth. This special package will be available at all of their live shows (both headlining and Metallica support dates) as well as on Amazon at the link HERE.

THE SWORD ON TOUR

November 19 - Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola's #
November 20 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center *
November 21 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks #
November 22 - Little Rock, AR @ Alltel Arena *
November 23 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena *
December 1 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena *
December 2 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place *
December 4 - Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome *
December 5 - Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome *
December 6 - Saskatoon, SK @ Prairieland Exhibition Hall (w/ Lamb of God)
December 7 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place *
December 9 - Spokane, SK @ Knitting Factory Concert House (w/ Lamb of God)
December 10 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre (w/ Lamb of God)
December 11 - Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre (w/ Lamb of God)
December 12 - Ontario, CA @ Citizens Bank Arena *
December 13 - Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center *
December 15 - San Diego, CA @ Cox Arena *
December 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum *
December 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum *
December 19 - Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theatre (w/ Lamb of God)
December 20 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena *
January 12 - Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Center *
January 13 - Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena *
January 14 - Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel #
January 15 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center *
January 16 - Westchester, PA @ The Note #
January 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center *
January 18 - Boston, MA @ TD Banknorth Center *
January 20 - Albany, NY @ Revolution #
January 21 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground #
January 22 - Buffalo, NY @ The Tralf #
January 23 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls #
January 24 - Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop #
January 25 - Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room #
January 26 - Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena *
January 27 - Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena *
January 29 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum *
January 30 - Bowery Ballroom @ New York, NY #
January 31 - Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center *
February 1 - Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center *
February 25 - Nottingham, UK @ Trent FM Arena *
February 26 - Manchester, UK @ MEN Arena *
February 28 - Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield Arena *
March 2 - London, UK @ O2 Arena #

* supporting Metallica
# headlining date