A British fan of our very own Sonics, a guy who goes by the You Tube handle PGregoire, alerted me of some footage he posted of a recent gig at London’s Forum. Now if only we can get the Sonics to play on their home turf. Hmmmm.
On his self-titled sophomore album – due from Barsuk on April 8 – the British artist bridges the gap between ’60s psych-pop and loungey electronica. His style and quirky sense of humor would make Noir a great opening act for Beck.
This husband and wife duo is one of the most criminally underrated bands of the last decade. For the new album, "L’ Autrichienne," the duo turned to the French Revolution for inspiration. (Don’t worry, headbangers. They haven’t turned into the Decemberists.) And
…Bruce Springsteen is coming to Seattle’s KeyArena on Saturday. So let’s see who the real die hard fans are?
…1. Which New Jersey town does the Boss hail from?
A. Asbury Park
B. Newark
C. East Orange
D. Freehold
2. Which of Springsteen’s albums was the first to go gold, serving as his commercial breakthrough in 1975?
A. "Born in the U.S.A."
B. "Born to Run"
C. "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J."
D. "Nebraska"
3. Which song – actually a cynical anthem about a frustrated Vietnam veteran –
John Doe has already starred in at least one excellent rock doc, “The Unheard Music,” which chronicles influential Los Angeles punk band X’s brush with mainstream fame in the ’80s. And recently, during an interview about X’s 31st anniversary shows Sunday and Monday in Seattle, Doe told me his country-rock outfit the Knitters — which also includes X band mates Exene Cervenka and DJ Bonebrake — will star in their own documentary.
Click the link below to hear what he had to say. And check back later this week to hear Doe discuss X’s legacy, new material
…Country superstar and “American Idol” alumnus Carrie Underwood will return to the Puyallup Fair & Exhibition Center where she will headline the grandstand on Sept. 17, organizers announced today. Underwood — known for hits “Jesus Take the Wheel,” “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” and “Before He Cheats” — last played there in 2006.
The fair will run from Sept. 5 to 21 this year, and you can find the full grandstand schedule by clicking here.
I spoke too soon before I posted that last “video of the week.” Nearly forgot about these clips a buddy of mine told me about, with Nirvana performing at Tacoma’s Legends back in 1990. (They were more of a Tacoma and Olympia band than a Seattle band on the way up, in case you didn’t know.) This is good stuff.
This performance of Portishead performing a new song called “Wicca” was shot at England’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in England in December. Can’t wait for their new album “Third” to come out.
Al Jourgensen is breaking up Ministry, in case you haven’t heard. The influential industrial metal band will kick off its final tour next week, and the March 29 stop at Showbox SoDo represents the last time Seattle fans will get to hear eardrum busting favorites “Stigmata,” “N.W.O.” and “Thieves” live.
Recently, I caught up with guitarist Sin Quirin who mapped out the band’s near future, which involves Louis Armstrong and witches gone wild, apparently. Weird.
Clip 1: Tour surprises
Clip 2: Guitarist Paul Raven’s death, recruiting Static-X’s Tony Campos
Clip 3:
…I’ll give all you the good news first. Pearl Jam just announced a bunch of spring and summer tour dates. The bad new: You’ll need air fare to get to them. But since I know a lot of your Pearl Jam fanatics like to travel, here they are:
Pearl Jam 2008 tour dates…
June 11: West Palm, Florida (Cruzan Amphitheatre)
June 12: Tampa, Florida (St Pete Times Forum)
June 13 to 15: Manchester, Tennessee (Bonnaroo Music Festival)
June 16: Columbia, South Carolina (Colonial Center)
June 17: Virginia Beach, Virginia (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Did the new Nine Inch Nails album creep up on anyone else or just me? It’s Nails’ first instrumental album since that creepy soundtrack Reznor did for the first Quake game. And with nine tracks available for free, 36 digital tracks for five bones and a full CD, with pretty art and everything, for 10, it’s yet another encouraging reminder of where the industry is headed.
"Oxford Comma" Vampire Weekend
I was resistant to these guys at first. I ‘em pegged as the new Arctic Monkeys or
…