ROSTAM releases iTunes single today! 13 Dec 2011

R O S T A M
“Don’t Let It Get To You”
iTunes single out today 12/13

ROSTAM, of Vampire Weekend and Discovery will be officially releasing the song “Don’t Let It Get To You” via iTunes today, December 13th. He began writing this song in early 2010 and he finished writing it while driving through LA in his brother’s car.

He says: “I think a lot about the quote 'Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.' An art teacher I had in school once said that and it has stuck with me. Originally it's a quote by Michaelangelo. Writing the music of a song, to me that's like getting the block of stone from the quarry, and then the vocal melody and the lyrics, that's what makes it a sculpture.”

What is the song about? That is ultimately up to the listener to decide, but Rostam expands and states “perhaps my aim is to express optimism as a kind of philosophy. There's so much to be pessimistic about but really what's the point?”

“a glimmering electronic pop piece” – STEREOGUM

“…a seismic event of a song…sometimes it’s slow and pretty and sometimes its drums fire rapidly. Throughout, it’s a lovely adventure.” – THE FADER

““Don’t Let It Get to You” sonically bangs into one’s head with Diplo levels of ferocity, turns around, and then meanders gorgeously along with all of the flute-centric tenderness of something plucked straight from the elusive Joanna Newsom’s discography.” – OUT MAGAZINE

The Strange Boys confirm Generation Records In-Store for 11/20! Playing 2 NYC shows (11/18 and 11/19) 01 Nov 2011

The handful of shows ended nicely with a festive Halloween gig in San Francisco at the Clift Hotel as part of their Clift sessions. Fun was had by all as you can see from these photos:

Next up comes the proper vinyl release of Live Music, which is now confirmed for November 15th, just in time for a couple of NYC Record Release shows, and a newly announced In-Store performance at Generation Records! SEE THE E-FLYER BELOW.

People who purchase a copy of Live Music from now until 11/20 at Generation Records will get a VIP pass guaranteeing preferred entry to the in-store along with a meet & greet with the band!

Friday, November 18 - Mercury Lounge New York NY
Saturday, November 19 - Glasslands Brooklyn NY
Sunday, November 20 - Generation Records (In-Store, Free/All Ages, 4:00pm)

MP3 and video for "Me and You" available here http://promo.roughtraderecords.com/strangeboys/meandyou.mp3 and here http://youtu.be/G2KRB30HVX4


Praise for Live Music out now (CD/Digital) on Rough Trade (Vinyl available 11/15)

"Suffice to say that Live Music is damn near flawless." Eastern Surf

"The are too many highlights to list... 'Live Music' is fun. It's an ode to the past. And it's one of the better releases this year." The Record (NJ)

"...the band has made a huge stylistic leap, incorporating piano as the base instrument of almost every song on Live Music. The result is a pop record, much cleaner and much better than anything the band has released yet." Dallas Observer

"Live Music marks another winner from Austin's Strange Boys" The Stranger

"the Strange Boys’ greatest strength is making the rootsy sounds they love sound fresh and unfettered... Sambol is evolving into a fine lyricist, equal parts poet and philosopher, as well as an expressive singer." All Music

"You should listen to The Strange Boys' Live Music if you’re in the market for some authentically southern Americana that not only pulls from Petty but also Son House and the drones of The Velvet Underground." Ventvox (4/5 stars)

The Strange Boys are:

Ryan Sambol (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano)
Philip Sambol (bass)
Greg Enlow (guitar)
Mike La Franchi (drums)

Ryan stopped by the Rough Trade UK offices and this solo performance of "Walking Two By Two" resulted:
http://youtu.be/e_hCgy_QD_M

THE STRANGE BOYS announce NEW ALBUM out 10/25 via Rough Trade 09 Sep 2011

The Strange Boys  Live Music
Released October 25, 2011 on Rough Trade Records

New MP3 and Music Video for "Me and You"

New Website + Fall shows in LA and NYC



Check out their NEW website here: http://strange-boys.com/
Download the NEW MP3 for "Me and You" here: http://promo.roughtraderecords.com/strangeboys/meandyou.mp3
The NEW music video for "Me and You" is here: http://youtu.be/G2KRB30HVX4



Equally informed by Son House as the Velvets, Austin, Texas's contrarians The Strange Boys release their third album, Live Music on October 25 via Rough Trade (TO BE CLEAR "Live" is in the present-tense, as in living the music, THIS IS NOT A LIVE RECORDING).

Born in 2008, The Strange Boys have released two excellent albums, The Strange Boys and Girls Club (2009, the original sessions of which were equally botched and scrapped production attempts by the late Jay Reatard as well as the band) and 2010's Be Brave.

Half (side A) of Live Music was recorded in April 2011 at the Austin home of producer/Spoon drummer Jim Eno.  The second half (side B) was recorded in December 2010 at producer Mike McHugh’s Distillery, the same studio that Be Brave was recorded in.

"Authentically troubled blues for the modern age" - Geoff Travis.  

Confirmed upcoming US shows (stay tuned for more)
Wed, 10/26 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
Fri, 11/18 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Sat, 11/19 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands


Side A

Me and You
Walking Two By Two
Doueh
Punk’s Pajamas
You And Me
Omnia Boa
Mama Shelter
Saddest

Side B

My Life Beats Me
Over The River And Through The Woulds
Right Before
Hidden Meanings, Soul Graffiti
You Take Everything For Granite When You’re Stone
Opus
 

The core of the band features brothers Ryan Sambol (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano) and Philip Sambol (bass), Greg Enlow (guitar) and Mike La Franchi (drums). Jenna Thornhill-DeWitt (Mika Miko) and Tim Presley (White Fence) contributed saxophone and guitar respectively, with both adding vocals on various tracks.


“It’s passionate, yowling guitar rock at its best” - Rolling Stone

“The Strange Boys hark back to the roots of American music and make it their own.” - Austin Chronicle

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Dylan LeBlanc playing FREE NYC show This Weekend as part of Lincoln Center Out Of Doors! 12 Aug 2011

DYLAN LeBLANC - is in New York this weekend as a special guest performer with Steve Cropper and Friends Tribute to the 5 Royales. Dylan will perform five songs with an all-star lineup that includes Bettye Lavette, Ellis Hooks, David Hood, Uptown Horns and a few more surprises that can't be announced. Also performing are The Bar-Kays, North Mississippi Allstars duo and Big Sam's Funky Nation. The concert is this Sunday 8/14 @ Damrosch Park Bandshell/Lincoln Center - AND IT'S FREE!!!!
Details here: http://www.lcoutofdoors.org/index.php/ood-2011-28th-annual-roots-of-american-music-festival-aug-14-5pm

tUnE-yArDs performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night! 02 Aug 2011

tUnE-yArDs made their Late-Night TV debut last night performing their song "Gangsta" joined by The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and it was incredible!

If you missed it you can watch the performance at either of these links:

http://theaudioperv.com/2011/08/02/tune-yards-gangsta-81-fallon/

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/tune-yards-gangsta-8111/1344379/

New Jeffrey Lewis album coming! 28 Jul 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

JEFFREY LEWIS'  "A TURN IN THE DREAM-SONGS" 
Rough Trade release date: October 11th, 2011
 
Jeffrey Lewis is pleased to announce his new, sixth album for Rough Trade Records. A Turn In The Dream-Songs will be released on October 11th, 2011.  The album follows his 2009 release Em Are I.

Although it's been two years since Em Are I, Jeffrey Lewis has been very busy. In 2010, he released two side-project/collaboration albums ("The Bundles," which was Jeffrey with Kimya Dawson [Moldy Peaches], and "Come On Board," which was Jeffrey with Peter Stampfel [Holy Modal Rounders/Fugs]. He had a tour schedule that took in some far-flung areas like Finland/Russia/Australia/New Zealand and others, plus festival appearances at Primavera, Latitude, Golden Plains and more.
 
He even made ten illustrated/sung historical pieces that were commissioned and filmed for The History Channel (some of which featured Jeffrey performing with Ernie Brooks of the Modern Lovers, and led to Jeffrey's award-winning piece on Sitting Bull).
 
Now, Jeffrey Lewis returns in 2011 with A Turn In The Dream-Songs.
 
All songs were recorded live on two-inch analogue tape at the Analogue Catalogue all-vintage studio in Manchester, UK. A host of Jeffrey's friends guest on the album including members of Dr. Dog, The Vaselines, Au Revoir Simone, The Wave Pictures, Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit, Misty's Big Adventure and Schwervon.
 
The gorgeous artwork for A Turn In The Dream-Songs was done entirely by Jeffrey and will be revealed soon along with the tracklisting.
 
"Hands down my favorite contemporary songwriter" 
-Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie)
"Weird?  Very...  but also downright inspiring" (4/5 stars) 
-Rolling Stone
"[Jeffrey Lewis is] The best lyricist working in the US today." 
-Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
"The Big Apple's best-kept secret....Genius-gone-ignored...mind-blowing." 
-NME
"Bizarre but brilliant" 
-Uncut

JOKER DEBUT ALBUM TO BE RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 8 2011 28 Jul 2011

plus NEW SINGLE "HERE COME THE LIGHTS" OUT THIS FALL   
Stepping out of the shadows in 2007 when just sixteen years old, Joker's stock has risen dramatically since. Aided by him releasing defining cuts like 'Digidesign', 'The Vision (Let Me Breathe)' and 'Tron', he now finds himself thick in the recent resurgence of British electronic music.   
With the world travelled and a deal with 4AD signed, he's finally ready to appease his waiting public and release his debut album, The Vision. To be released on November 8th, his now trademark instrumentals have been augmented by a number of vocal collaborations, including contributions from fellow rising stars like Jessie Ware and Buggsy, making the album one that's been worth the wait.   
Prior to this, new tracks "Here Come The Lights" and "My Trance Girl." are being released on a double A-side 12" and via download on September 27th.   It highlights the young producer's maturing sound, continuing to playfully subvert pop conventions. "Here Come The Lights" features a bombastic and memorable vocal performance from Silas from Turboweekend.  You can hear it here now .   On the flip, "My Trance Girl" is a futuristic six-minute instrumental, more in line with what first hooked Joker fans; its muscular vintage-Sega aping synths and sharp drum snaps a nod to his roots in Bristol's fecund dance music scene.    
Joker is busy this summer playing festivals worldwide seemingly every weekend (he premiered most album tracks at Glastonbury) and is headed to Australia, Japan, the United States as well as most of Europe before the year's end.      
 
  http://www.4ad.com/news/28/7/2011/jokertoreleasenewsingleandalbum  

THE HORRORS make new MP3 off Skying available and move 7/28 NYC show back to release date 8/9 25 Jul 2011

DOWNLOAD:

THE HORRORS “MOVING FURTHER AWAY” MP3

SKYING OUT AUGUST 9TH ON XL RECORDINGS

ON TOUR THIS FALL

NYC: STUDIO @ WEBSTER HALL SHOW HAS MOVED FROM 7/28 TO 8/9. ALL TICKETS WILL BE HONORED.




Download "Moving Further Away" http://promo.xlrecordings.com/thehorrors/movingfurtheraway.mp3

The Horrors may have changed your mind about what kind of band they are when they released Primary Colours in 2009, but with their new album, Skying (XL Recordings), the band has cemented themselves as true players with across the board acclaim in the UK since its release last week. The album debuted at #5 in the same company as Adele, Lady Gaga and Beyonce. “One of this generation’s most important bands”- NME. “They’ve now crafted two of the finest British albums of recent years “- BBC. “The feelgood album of the summer.”-The Guardian

You’ll have to wait til August 9th for the album’s release in the US, but in the meantime, the band is offering up a download of their track “Moving Further Away”. Download "Moving Further Away" http://promo.xlrecordings.com/thehorrors/movingfurtheraway.mp3

For a widget of the track:
http://widgets.beggarspromo.com/movingfurtheraway/

The band recently released the video for their undeniably epic track “Still Life”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQk0jDZx8o

An intimate performance in NYC’s Studio @ Webster Hall had previously been announced for July 28th. The show has now been moved to August 9th and all tickets will be honored. The Horrors have already made plans to spend loads of time in the US, with a fall US tour beginning September 7th that will take the band from the west coast through to the East, ending in NYC on October 4th at Webster Hall. They’ll also take part in this year’s ATP Festival at Asbury Park on October 1st. Tickets are on sale now.

Skying was self-produced and recorded in The Horrors' own self built studio in London, and was mixed by Grammy Award winner Craig Silvey.


The Horrors on tour:

9/7 - Vancouver, BC - Venue
9/8 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
9/9 - Portland, OR - Dante's
9/10 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
9/12 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
9/13 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Detroit Bar
9/15 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
9/16 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
9/17 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
9/19 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's
9/20 - Dallas, TX - The Prophet Bar
9/21 - Austin, TX - The Parish
9/23 - St Louis, MO - The Firebird
9/24 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
9/25 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
9/27 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
9/28 - Montreal, QC - Cafe Campus
9/30 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10/1 - Asbury Park, NJ - ATP
10/2 - Philadelphia, PA%uFFFD - World Cafe Live
10/3 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
10/4 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

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tUnE-yArDs confirm Fall Tour Dates and Late Night TV Debut! 18 Jul 2011

FALL NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINING DATES!

LATE NIGHT TV DEBUT CONFIRMED FOR AUGUST 1ST ON LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON!
 photo grabbed from Brooklyn Vegan
photo grabbed from WXRT

This past week marked two very notable live sets from tUnE-yArDs.  The first was on Thursday at Pier 54's Hudson River Park in New York City, where they played to upwards of 5,000 people as the sun set, followed by a display of fireworks!  It was a transcendent, joyous affair for all involved. No rest for the weary, they more or less ran to the airport shortly afterwards and caught a flight to Chicago in order to perform at the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival the following afternoon! That performance was singled-out as a standout amongst the many acts who played the weekend-long fest, as noted by The New York Times and a slew of Chicago papers.

Whether you were lucky enough to catch either of these sets, or if you're one of the unlucky folks who missed out, you have more chances to see tUnE-yArDs perform.  That's right, they've confirmed a massive amount of Fall North American headlining dates!

If you can't wait until the Fall for your tUnE-yArDs fix, don't fret, as people across the nation will have the opportunity to witness the group make their late-night television debut on August 1st on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon!

Can't even wait until then?  Check out this recent live video of them performing "Gangsta" c/o Yours Truly if you missed that last week: http://yourstru.ly/2011/07/10/video-tune-yards-gangsta/

Also, if you weren't listening to Sound Opinions on your local NPR affiliate station this past weekend, they devoted a rare 45 minutes of their hour-long show to tUnE-yArDs!  The archive of the extensive in-studio segment can be found here: http://www.soundopinions.org/

tUnE-yArDs' breakthrough second album w h o k i l l was released this past April through 4AD, and has received heaps of critical praise, already ending up on many critic's mid-year lists!

NEW YORK TIMES "Tune-Yards’ debut album, “Bird-Brains,” was a confident do-it-yourselfer’s opening salvo: a staticky, low-fi, abrasive attention-getter. “Whokill” has less static (though there’s still plenty of distortion) and more of everything else, including counterpoint, ambition, sociopolitical attitude, funk and melody. Ms. Garbus’s love of rhythm has her touch on parade drumming, African pygmy polyphony, 1980s hip-hop, samba, Joni Mitchell and rural blues. When her voice is hopping through her melodies over an Afro-Caribbean groove, she can sound like a collaboration by Dave Matthews, Bjork, Angelique Kidjo and M.I.A."

PITCHFORK "tUnE-yArDs is the music project of Merrill Garbus, a songwriter, vocalist, percussionist, and ukulele player who has fused elements of acoustic folk, R&B, funk, Afro-pop, and rock into a bold, uncompromising hybrid all her own. Garbus is blessed with an extraordinary voice, and she wields it with great confidence, always coming off in total control of her phrasing while seeming totally uninhibited in her expression." (8.8 Best New Music)

THE NEW YORKER "What is thrilling about "w h o k i l l" is that Garbus needs none of the fetishized authenticity of lower fidelity to charm anybody: she is a musician of startling range, and a better recording of her is simply better music. It isn't likely that there will be music this year that is more infused with the spirit of celebration and physical movement."

ROLLING STONE "whokill overflows with hip-hop, reggae, Afrobeat and funky noise freakouts — plus ukulele riffs, fluttering doo-wop vocals and what sounds like a percussion orchestra composed of pots and pans. It all hangs together thanks to Garbus' voice, which slides seamlessly from Joplin-esque howls to delicate coos."

SPIN "this sophomore album cleans up without sacrificing charm. The songs are more consistent, too, flashing a certain lyrical swagger, careening from terrific sex to celebratory violence to uncomfortable cultural realities." (8/10)

THE DAILY “Let us fall easily into hyperbole: It’s an early contender for album of the year.”


tUnE-yArDs - Fall North American Tour Dates
http://tune-yards.com/

9/19/11 New York, NY - LPR - http://lepoissonrouge.com/
9/20/11 New York, NY - LPR - http://lepoissonrouge.com
9/21/11 Boston, MA - Paradise - http://www.thedise.com/rockclub/index.html
9/23/11 Montreal, QC - Ukranian Federation (Pop Montreal)
9/26/11 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace  - http://www.leespalace.com/coming.php3
9/27/11 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom - http://www.beachlandballroom.com/index.asp
9/28/11 Bloomington, IN - Rhino's - http://www.rhinosyouthcenter.org/club/
9/30/11 Nashville, TN - Exit/In -http://www.exitin.com/tickets/
10/1/11 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree Cafe  -http://www.thebottletree.com/eventlist.html
10/2/11 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks - http://www.oneeyedjacks.net/
10/4/11 Atlanta, GA - The Basement - http://www.tightbros.net/tightbros.html
10/5/11 Carborro, NC - Cats Cradle - http://www.catscradle.com/tickets.html
10/7/11 Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar - http://www.theottobar.com/
10/8/11 Washington, DC - Black Cat - http://www.blackcatdc.com/shows/tune-yards.html
11/2/11 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda - http://themusicboxevents.com/
11/3/11 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
11/7/11 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon  - http://www.jackpotmusichall.com/
11/8/11 St Louis, MO - Off Broadway Nightclub - http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/Search.action?query=off+broadway
11/9/11 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall - http://www.lincolnhallchicago.com/Page/Shows?Month=November&Year=2011
11/10/11 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall - http://www.lincolnhallchicago.com/Page/Shows?Month=November&Year=2011
11/11/11 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall - http://pabsttheater.org/show/tuneyards
11/12/11 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue - http://first-avenue.com/calendar
11/14/11 Winnipeg - WECC - http://www.wecc.ca/
11/16/11 Calgary - Republik - http://www.therepublik.ca/events
11/18/11 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret - http://www.biltmorecabaret.com/schedule.html
11/19/11 Victoria, BC - Sugar Nightclub - http://www.atomiqueproductions.com/concerts.php
11/20/11 Seattle, WA - Neptune - http://stgpresents.org/neptune/
11/21/11 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom - http://wonderballroom.com/pages/calendar.php
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Alela Diane + video + Fleet Foxes = LOVE 20 Jun 2011

ALELA DIANE CONFIRMS DATES WITH FLEET FOXES
+ 1st video for the album debuts on Spinner

ALELA DIANE is excited to announce dates in July in support of her friends in Fleet Foxes. She’s currently in the midst of her own headlining US tour, and the band’s dates with Fleet Foxes begin on July 14th in Toronto.

We are also very excited for the worldwide debut of the album’s first video for the song “Desire” on Spinner.com. The song was written by Alela and her husband Tom Bevitori about a friend. The video was directed by Andy Dunn and filmed in London’s Soho district during the band’s recent European tour.

http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/20/alela-diane-desire-video/

Alela recently released her new album Alela Diane & Wild Divine, which Spin magazine called “a collection of gorgeous, stark tunes”.  The “Wild Divine” part of Alela Diane refers to her band, husband Tom Bevitori on guitar, father and multi-instrumentalist Tom Menig, bassist Jonas Haskins and drummer Jason Merculief.  A self-taught musician, Alela hails from northern California and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. It’s a nice way to work and tour – surrounding yourself with the people you love the most.

Alela Diane & Wild Divine was penned on the road whilst touring in 2009. When acclaimed producer/engineer Scott Litt (Nirvana, REM, The Replacements) caught wind of the circling demos he ceased his seven-year dormancy and invited the group to his home studio in Venice, CA to make the album.

ALELA DIANE HEADLINING:
6/20            Raleigh, NC                       Kings Barcade
6/21            Atlanta, GA                        The Earl
6/23            Birmingham, AL                Bottletree
6/25            Austin, TX                            Stubbs Jr.
6/29            Los Angeles, CA                Echo
6/30            Oakland, CA                     The New Parish
7/1            Big Sur, CA                        Henry Miller Memorial Library
7/2            Grass Valley, CA                The Center For The Arts

SUPPORTING FLEET FOXES:
7/14            Toronto, ONT                   Massey Hall
7/17            Minneapolis, MN            State Theatre
7/18            Kansas City, MO            Uptown Theater
7/19            St Louis, MO                    Pageant
7/21            Denver, CO                      Fillmore Auditorium
7/22            Salt Lake City, UT           Red Butte Garden
7/23            Boise, ID                          Knitting Factory
7/24            Troutdale, OR                 Edgefield

"Death, madness, heartbreak: It's all in an album's work for Alela Diane, who can lend an attractive glow to the most devastating subjects." SPIN - 9/10

“a poetic song-suite on life, memory and fate” Q 4/5

“Diane trades fraught freak-folk for dusty country-rock that recalls the rough-and-tumble outlaw hits of Jessi Colter and Rita Coolidge, if they were backed by the Flying Burrito Brothers” -PITCHFORK