Happy New Music Tuesday! Here Are Some Free CDs!

To thank my readers, here is your chance to win some awesome music.

Win the New CD from Does It Offend You Yea? (You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into), The Duke Spirit (Neptune) and The Virgins (Self-Titled)!

What do you need to do? Simple. Leave a comment to this post telling me why you deserve some awesome music and an e-mail address so I can contact you.

I will put all names submitted in a hat. Come June 17th, I will draw a name and announce the winner! Open to US residents only! Thank you for reading!

Harlem Shakes Play Dates With Vampire Weekend!!

Look Out For Debut LP (Burning Birthdays) Out Early Next Year!

SPIN - “With a garage-rock shimmy and power-pop twinkle, these New York kids craft a sweet
cacophony...”

Pitchfork EP review (7.3) - “Unlike so many up-and-coming New York bands, the Shakes avoid lingering in one narrow-minded
framework. The harmonies may lend themselves to some throwback Spector-era comparisons, and some of the grander choruses may resemble a primordial New Pornographers or Walkmen, but thanksto a frenetic clip of hooks, you can't simply pigeonhole Burning Birthdays.”

Current Tour:
Jun 7 2008 - Club Firestone - Orlando, Florida
Jun 8 2008 - Cafe Eleven - St. Augustine, Florida
Jun 9 2008 - The Filmore at the Jackie Gleason Theater - Miami, Florida
Jun 11 2008 - The Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, Georgia

The 2008 Capitol Hill Block Party - Full Schedule Announced!

Just Added!
FLEET FOXES, MENOMENA, THE CAVE SINGERS, THROW ME THE STATUE, JAGUAR LOVE, AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT, SCHOOLYARD HEROES

Already Confirmed!
Vampire Weekend, Les Savy Fav,
DeVotchka, The Hold Steady, Girl Talk, Chromeo, Kimya Dawson,
The Dodos, U.S.E., Jay Reatard, Akimbo & many, many more!

July 25 & July 26th, 2008 Seattle, WA

The Seattle Times : "Seattle's biggest plunge into pop culture...The Capitol Hill Block Party is the rock-music community's most prestigious showcase."

The 2008 Capitol Hill Block Party takes over Seattle’s South Capitol Hill neighborhood July 25-26 with it’s best lineup yet. The Capitol Hill Block Party is an annual music festival that draws upon and showcases the best indie and underground rock in the US, with a special focus on its Northwest artists. Launched 11 years ago, the Block Party has evolved into one of Seattle’s most anticipated outdoor music festivals. With over 50 bands on 4 stages, great food, and plenty of cheap beer, this is one of the best parties of the summer.

John Richards -KEXP Morning Show Host exclaims, "The Block Party has become the place that people go to discover any band worth discovering in Seattle. With an added push towards better up and coming and some established alternative and independent bands in the mix, its truly a great experience for anyone who attends. Its also has become the one event that really brings the Seattle music industry together, albeit in the VIP section and somewhat intoxicated."

We have partnered with KEXP to broadcast selected live performances from several bands throughout the weekend. John Richards and Cheryl Waters and other KEXP DJ’s will also be broadcasting their shows like from the festival Friday and Saturday day and night. And The crazies at The Stranger will also be filming and posting clips at their awesome music blog. http://lineout.thestranger.com

Partial proceeds from The Block Party benefit two excellent non-profits: Home Alive, which encourages violence prevention, and The Vera Project, a youth run all ages venue and recording studio in Seattle.

The Block Party continues to be one of the least expensive festivals in the country, with tickets only $18 in advance and a 2 day pass for only $34.

Ticket Links
For Friday’s Show
For Saturday’s Show
For 2 Day Discounted Pass

THE CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY SCHEDULE FOR 2008

FRIDAY JULY 25TH, 2008

MAIN STAGE (All Ages)
Vampire Weekend
Les Savy Fav
Girl Talk
U.S.E

NEUMOS STAGE (21+ first come first serve)
SING SING after party feat: DJ’s Pretty Titty and Four Color Zack
Jay Reatard
The Dodo’s
Thee Emergency
Past Lives
Black Eyes and Neck Ties

VERA STAGE (All Ages)
Say Hi
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head
PWRFL Power
Black Elk
Talbot Tagora

KING COBRA STAGE (21+ first come first serve)
Lesbian
The Heavy Hearts
Pleasureboaters
Black Whale
Airborne Toxic Event
Truckasaurus
Champagne Champagne

SATURDAY JULY 26

MAIN STAGE (ALL AGES)
DeVotchKa
The Hold Steady
Chromeo
Menomena
Kimya Dawson
The Cave Singers
Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground

NEUMOS STAGE: (21+ first come first serve)
SING SING after party feat: DJ’s Pretty Titty, Four Color Zack plus special guests.
Fleet Foxes
Throw Me The Statue
Jaguar Love
Darker My Love
The Butchers And The Builders
The Hands

VERA STAGE (All Ages)
Schoolyard Heroes
Akimbo
Grand Ole Party
The Physics
Man Plus
Little Party And The Bad Business

KING COBRA STAGE (21+ First come first serve)
Zeke
Book Of Black Earth
Feral Children
The Loved Ones
New Faces
Angelo Spencer

For More Info : http://www.thestranger.com/blockparty

Tickets Available at www.ticketswest.com, All Seattle Rudy’s Barber Shops, Select QFC’s, Moe Bar/Neumos Seattle, or charge by phone at 1-800-325-SEAT.

Block Party partners include The Stranger and 90.3 KEXP & KEXP.org

In association with Miller Brewing, 107.7 The End, SEIU, The Washington Bus, and Café Vita

THE MARS VOLTA ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL U.S. HEADLINE DATES

THE MARS VOLTA ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL U.S. HEADLINE DATES! AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL APPEARANCE CONFIRMED! OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ ON ROLLING STONE GREATEST GUITARISTS COVER!

"The Mars Volta is a progressive-rock whirlwind, constructing maniacally complex music and performing it with a mixture of rigorous virtuosity, psychedelic euphoria and punk intensity...still rock's finest avatar of excess."--Jon Pareles, New York Times

Upon completion of their current trek through Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, The Mars Volta will return to the U.S. for a run of headline dates beginning September 12 in Columbus and capped off by an appearance at the Austin City Limits festival.

The tour opener will be a make-up performance of the band's twice-canceled previous engagement in Columbus. "Vamos de veras!"

In other news from planet Volta, the band's own Omar Rodriguez Lopez shares the current cover of Rolling Stone with guitar legends Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and B.B. King. The magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs special issue features an in-depth Q&A with Omar, as well as The Mars Volta track "Drunkship of Lanterns" placing in the top 100.

Confirmed dates are as follows:
September 12 Columbus, OH LC AMPHITHEATER
September 14 Boston, MA ORPHEUM THEATER
September 17 New York, NY HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM
September 20 Philadelphia, PA ELECTRIC FACTORY
September 23 Asheville, NC ASHEVILLE CIVIC CENTER
September 24 Atlanta, GA TABERNACLE
September 26 Austin, TX AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL

DRI Debuts Big This Summer!

Ex-Chanteuse From The Anniversary Breaks Away And Delivers Her Divine Debut! DRI Introduces Smoke Rings This Fall On Range Life Records! Plays This Wednesday At The NYC Fader Party, 8 PM @ Shangri La (100 Sutton St At Nassau Ave, Greenpoint)!

The Anniversary B-Sides & Rarities Out June 24th On Vagrant Records

Click Here To View Dri’s Performance At SXSW/Fader Fort 2008 & Video Chat

XLR8R TV Debuts Dri’s Video For “You Know I Tried”

Click here to read The Fader piece on Range Life Records featuring DRI, Fourth of July, White Flight and more

Alternative Press Magazine: “Her irony-free delivery and the legimately funky backdrops allow her to pull off her newfound urban attitude better than any white indie-scene lifer should...this stylistic nomad will likely yield the crown by her next release.”

"Adrianne Verhoeven" has spent her music career lending her vocal and keyboard chops to bands like The Anniversary, Art In Manila and Fourth Of July but "Dri", as Adrianne is known to her friends, has spent her 20's seeing the world, falling in and out of love, getting lost in the hazy days and buzzed nights of Lawrence, Kansas and dreaming all the while of stepping out and rocking the mic on her own. Her debut record, "Smoke Rings", is just that - a collection of kisses (and kiss-offs) blown to past and present loves; a swirl of stoned immediacy, of feelings and melodies coming to life in loose perfection.

With a background in everything from opera to emo, from vibes to horns, Dri's record could have gone anywhere. That she found joy in crafted beats and soulful samples is due largely to the talents of a few local Lawrence, Kansas producers who plied her with tracks that she could turn in to treasures. Those producers are rare soul/funk deejay Josh Powers ("Don't Wait", "What's Real"), protools-stylist SayMyName ("Two Are One", "Indria", "Inspiration", "Hot As Hades"), hip hop producer and emcee Nezbeat ("You Know I Tried", "Free Tonight") and electronic composer 1,000,000 Light Years ("Meet Me Out").

For a female musician in the mix since she was 18, Dri has seen and done it all and these songs work through what mattered ("Don't Wait"), what matters ("Two Are One"), what a girl wants ("Indria", "Hot As Hades"), what a girl needs ("Inspiration"). What makes her happy is connecting with the music and as a distillation of her talents and influences, "Smoke Rings" is all Adrianne.

As a sense of her seductiveness, however, "Smoke Rings" is pure Dri.

"Smoke Rings" was recorded in Lawrence, Kansas by Jim Vollentine and mixed in Austin, Texas by Jim Vollentine. Mastered by Howie Weinberg.

Summer Tour Dates (So Far):
June 4 Shangri-La, Brooklyn NY (The Fader Party)
July 1 The Pageant, St. Louis MO (With Modest Mouse)

ONO Releases "Give Peace A Chance" (The Remixes)

ONO To Issue “GIVE PEACE A CHANCE”(THE REMIXES) As A Digital Release From MINDTRAIN/TWISTED Records Exclusively Through Beatport on June 1, 2008 -- the 39th Anniversary Of The Historic Original Recording.

Featuring Remixes By TOMMIE SUNSHINE, ERIC KUPPER, JOHNNY VICIOUS, DAVE AUDE, MOREL, MIKE CRUZ and DOUBLE B

The highly sought-after and previously unreleased mixes of ONO’s #1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charting single “NO, NO, NO” (THE REMIXES) and the #2 charting smash / #6 dance track of 2007 “YOU’RE THE ONE” (THE REMIXES) also set for digital release June 1st 2008.

New York – Following the massive critical and commercial success of Yoko Ono’s ambitious remix collections – YES, I’M A WITCH and OPEN YOUR BOX (MINDTRAIN/Astralwerks) which paired the seminal performer with the 21st century underground -- ONO readies for the digital release of “GIVE PEACE A CHANCE” (THE REMIXES). The new release (available June 1 at Beatport.com and July 1 at the iTunes Music Store) commemorates the 39th anniversary of the world peace anthem's historic June 1, 1969 recording. The song was recorded during John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s infamous week-long “Bed-In For Peace” in Room 1742 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada.

The enduring, landmark song has been re-recorded by ONO as an uplifting, poetic narrative resonating with a contemporary sense of urgency and optimism. The timely release speaks to today’s tumultuous political, social and environmental climate. And with it, Ono --the tireless humanitarian-- offers a poignant and evocative mantra that is a song of hope, inspiration and limitless possibilities in a time of change.

For this important milestone release, MINDTRAIN Records again partners with legendary dance label TWISTED Records. Together they issued ONO’s #1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart-toppers “WALKING ON THIN ICE” (The Remixes) and “EVERYMAN / EVERYWOMAN”.

Concurrent with the release of "Give Peace a Chance," MINDTRAIN/TWISTED will also digitally issue the highly sought-after and previously unreleased mixes of ONO’s #1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charting single “NO, NO, NO” (THE REMIXES) and #2 charting “YOU’RE THE ONE” (THE REMIXES). “No, No, No” includes superlative reconstructions from international superstars Linus Loves, Tom Novy, Eric Kupper, Friscia and Lamboy, Peter Bailey and more. “You’re The One” (which was the #6 Billboard Dance track of 2007) includes vibrant re-workings by Bimbo Jones, Richard Morel (aka Morel), Friscia and Lamboy, and Claude Le Gache.

Already the Hot Shot Debut (#43 with a bullet) on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart (Issue Date: 6/7/2008) and previously the #1 Breakout (Issue Date: 5/31/2008), “GIVE PEACE A CHANCE” (THE REMIXES) will be released as a series of three digital-only, environmentally-friendly “green” singles, the third of which will feature a diverse assemblage of international dance/electronic music innovators, galvanizing the familiar and timeless rallying cry: “All we are saying is GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!”

The 2008 United States Air Guitar Championships - The Wait Ends Tomorrow, June 3rd!

Winter is in the rear-view. Summer is nigh. We’ve Danced with the Stars and Idol’d American. Now it’s time to get kick-in-the-groin serious. As a wise air guitarist once boldly stated: “We’ve tested the waters. Now it’s time to cause them to boil.”

US Air Guitar and TouchTunes are proud to christen the 2008 US Air Guitar Championships Tour in New York City—where it all began. It was the site of the epic C-Diddy / Bjorn Turoque clash of the titans. It was the site of Hot Lixx Hulahan’s controversial (and death defying) upset in ’06, and William Ocean’s great redemption and coronation in ‘07. It is the birthplace of Gershwin, punk music, and the egg cream. This year, it is the launch pad for a 21-city blitz across America that will test mettle, fortitude… and your tolerance. Ultimately, the last person standing will go down as the next great name in the annals of America’s next great pastime. Albeit the still kind of early part.

Registration is still open to compete and tickets are still available at usairguitar.com

Don’t delay. It’s now.

Each US Regional will each consist of two rounds. In Round 1, each competitor performs to a song of their own choosing. In Round 2, the top competitors from Round 1 perform to a surprise compulsory song. In each round, contestants perform for one minute of a song and are judged on a combination of technical merit, stage presence, and “airness." All guitars must be invisible. In each city, the jury is a panel of independent judges that are hand picked by US Air Guitar. The results of the jury cannot be protested.

One winner from each city, and defending champ William Ocean will be brought to San Francisco in August 2008 to compete in the US Air Guitar Finals for the crown of US Air Guitar Champion. The 2008 US Champ will then be sent to Oulu, Finland later that month to represent the USA in the World Championships, where he or she will compete against national champions from all around the world.

Founded in 2003, US Air Guitar is the official Air Guitar Association of the United States and is responsible for operating the US Air Guitar Championships, official Regional events, and specialized championships. US Air Guitar is devoted to taking our nation's unofficial pastime out of the bedroom and putting it up on the world stage. US Air Guitar is an official member of the World Air Guitar Association. Entering its sixth year in the US and its eleventh year world-wide, official national championships currently are held in the USA, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the United Arab Emirates, with more countries participating every year. The 2008 Air Guitar World Championships will take place this August 20 - 22 in Oulu, Finland.

For the second year in a row, TouchTunes, the largest out-of-home interactive entertainment network has partnered with US Air Guitar as the official digital jukebox of the 2008 Championship. TouchTunes provides digital jukeboxes to over 33,000 bars, clubs, restaurants, and entertainment centers in North America. And this year, TouchTunes is offering a FREE trip to the USAG finals!

TouchTunes invented the first digital jukebox and now leads the way with an unsurpassed music library of over 2 million songs, from air guitar favorites to classic and new songs in virtually every genre – plus, you can create your own playlists on myTouchTunes jukeboxes, rolling out around the country. And TouchTunes jukeboxes are easy and fun to use whether you’re achieving “airness” on stage or just hanging with friends.

In 2007, TouchTunes interactive digital jukeboxes took center stage at each US Air Guitar competition venue so attendees could search through hundreds of thousands of songs and play their favorite hits, including songs from the official US Air Guitar playlist. This year, TouchTunes will bring even more music and fun to the competition.

There will be special promotions for myTouchTunes.com — a great website where you can create your own playlists, play them at your favorite myTouchTunes location, and even share them across the myTouchTunes social network. All myTouchTunes members – current or new -- can enter a sweepstakes to win a FREE trip for two to San Francisco for the National US Air Guitar finals in August.

THE 2008 US AIR GUITAR TOUR
Presented By TouchTunes

June 3 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom SOLD OUT
June 4 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
June 5 Boston, MA @ Middle East
June 6 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore at TLA
June 8 Detroit, MI @ Magic Bus
June 9 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
June 10 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
June 12 Chicago, IL @ Metro
June 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
June 14 DeMoines, IA @ House of Bricks
June 17 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
June 18 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
June 20 Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theatre
June 23 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
June 24 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
June 25 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
June 26 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
June 27 Alpine, CA @ Dream Catcher Showroom (Viejas Casino)
June 28 Las Vegas, NV @ Harrah's
July (exact date TBA) Austin, TX
July 9 Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Music Hall
August 6 San Francisco, CA @ Pacbell Park (SF Giants Game)

US AIR GUITAR NATIONAL FINALS:
August 8 San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom (Another Planet Entertainment)

AIR GUITAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
August 20 – 22 Oulu, Finland