Filed under: Industry News | Tags: Death Cab for Cutie, the Postal Service, Ben Gibbard, Amber Tamblyn, Patti Smith, Tom Waits, Sam Shepard, Robert Hunter Son Volt, Big Sur, Jay Farrar, Jack Kerouac
Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar Soundtrack Documentary One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur.
PREVIEW: Download Death Cab for Cutie’s “Summer Skin” MP3
WATCH: Video below the jump
We all know that Ben Gibbard has incomparable musical talent. Be it his work with Death Cab for Cutie, or side projects like Postal Service that get us permanently addicted, it appears he can do no wrong. Gibbard has cited Jack Kerouac as a major influence on his work before and has now found a perfect outlet to pay his dues.
What started out as a small collaboration with Jay Farrar of Son Volt — in 2007 for upcoming Jack Kerouac documentary One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur — has escalated into a full-length soundtrack of the same title. The album will accompany the DVD release in a special edition, aside from individual release.
With this project, Farrar and Gibbard directly tap into the heart of Kerouac’s work — taking the eerie, lingering lyrics straight off the pages of Big Sur (1962) — and merging them with folky acoustic melodies. Aside from creating the music, the duo also appear in the film. The film includes quite an assortment of artists (film and music), who have been influenced by Kerouac. Tom Waits, Sam Shepard, Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead, Patti Smith and even Amber Tamblyn (yes, even the girl from the Traveling Pants movie), just to name a few. (more…)
Filed under: Industry News | Tags: Air, Astralwerks, Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Love 2, Nicolas Godin
AIR releases new live studio recording of "Do the Joy"
PREVIEW: Download AIR “Do the Joy”MP3
WATCH: Video below the jump
So all you AIR fans have been patiently waiting for the band’s new album Love 2 set for release October 6 on Astralwerks. Thankfully, out of the generosity of their hearts, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel have been releasing small glimpses of what to expect from it.
“Do the Joy,” the first single was released as a complimentary download to existing AIR newsletter subscribers. Earlier this week the band published the live studio recording of “Do the Joy” at aircheology.com. Love 2 is the first album created at their own recording facility, Atlas Studio. If you are interested in where these guys make the music, make sure to check out the video at aircheology.com. (more…)
Filed under: (500) Days of Summer, Industry News | Tags: Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer, She and Him, Marc Webb, John Belushi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hall & Oates'.
Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel dance to She & Him in the new video
PREVIEW: Download She & Him’s “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” MP3
RELATED COVERAGE: 20 Watts Reviews (500) Days of Summer OST
WATCH: Video below the jump
A bank heist, 1960s hoop skirts and a pair of John Belushi glasses is a perfect recipe for yet another treat from the instant classic, (500) Days of Summer. Just two weeks ago, 20 Watts raved about the film’s soundtrack, but it seems that album was just a taste of what this project had to offer.
The film has undeniably succeeded with audiences since its limited release two weeks ago. To mark the nationwide release, the filmmakers put together a music video starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Impeccably choreographed, the video is set to Deschanel’s She & Him song “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”
Now, we all know that Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel not only have perfect chemistry on screen but can also rock some stylish vintage wear. It’s not exactly shocking that they make intense choreography seem like a stroll in the park.
(500) Days of Summer was director Marc Webb’s transition to film. A veteran music video director, it is only natural that he shot this video. However, Deschanel is credited as the original mastermind, inspired by Gordon-Levitt’s Hall & Oates’ dance sequence in the film. (more…)
Filed under: Industry News | Tags: Beck The Velvet Underground & Nico Covers, Devendra Banhart, MGMT
Beck's Record Club Project is uninspiring thus far
Last month, Beck announced on his Web site that he would be starting a new Internet project. The collaborative project, entitled The Record Club, planned to pair artists such as MGMT and Devendra Banhart to re-record classic albums in one day without practicing beforehand. Once the Web site was ready, The Record Club would release one track a week beginning with The Velvet Underground & Nico album. Cool plan, right?
Not so much. The idea is interesting in theory, but it doesn’t really work in practice. The Record Club is already four tracks into the Underground album — you can see some cuts on Vimeo — and so far, it’s just uninspiring.
To quote Juno MacGuff: “It’s just noise.”
The point of re-recording a song is to add something, or make it better than the original. That’s not happening and on top of that, the production quality is very low. The music sounds choppy and it’s hard to understand what’s going on.
Then again Beck is known for his revolutionary approach to music. Perhaps his intent in covering these albums will become apparent with more listening — and Beck does know how to cover a song. It will be interesting to see which album he chooses next.
—Ashley Collman
Filed under: Editor Picks, Industry News, Scene Around Town | Tags: Dirty Projectors, Japandroids, M83, Magnolia Electric Co., Micachu and The Shapes, Real Estate, the Raveonettes, Tiny Masters of Today, Wavves, White Denim
The Village Voice's Siren Festival is this Saturday at Coney Island
Every Monday, we’re going to keep you guys updated with 20 Watts’ weekly concert picks in New York this summer and Syracuse during the school year. There are always awesome shows in the city, and most of this week’s are the best kind — the free ones.
1) Dirty Projectors, Williamsburg Waterfront at 2 p.m. on July 19th [FREE!]
The Dirty Projectors are one of the hottest indie rock bands this summer and this concert is especially interesting, considering it’s one of their first since suffering a car crash in Michigan last months. The opening acts will be Magnolia Electric Co. and White Denim.
2) M83’s Anthony Gonzalez, World Financial Center Winter Garden at 9 p.m. on July 14th [FREE!]
No it’s not the whole band, but one member of M83 is better than none. Anthony Gonzalez will accompany a production by video artist Janet Biggs — the shoegazing at this concert should be well worth the trip downtown.
3) Village Voice’s Siren Music Festival, Coney Island from 12 to 9 p.m. on July 18th [FREE!]
We’re most excited for Japandroids, Micachu and the Shapes, The Raveonettes and the Tiny Masters of Today. There also a bunch of other under-the-radar groups if you check out the websitel.
4) Wavves and Real Estate, Bowery Ballroom at 7 p.m. on July 15th [$13 in advance and $15 at the door]
This is the riskiest show of them all. Wavves is coming off a meltdown in Barcelona, Spain — so the show could suck, or you could witness Wavves’ reawakening. Real Estate, however, is worth checking out.
****UPDATE: According to Brooklyn Vegan, Wavves frontman Nathan Williams broke his wrist skateboarding recently but is still scheduled to play the Bowery Ballroom show. That’s bad ass.****
– Jett Wells, Editor-in-Chief
Filed under: Industry News, Music Videos | Tags: K'naan, Kaki King, Living Colour, Megaforce Records, Mick Jagger, Mos Def
Funk-metal band Living Colour will release its fifth album on September 15
New York City funk metallers Living Colour have announced a September 15 release date for their fifth studio album, The Chair in the Doorway.
It will be the first album in almost six years for the two-time Grammy Award winners, best remembered for their 1988 album Vivid that spawned the Grammy-winning single, “Cult of Personality.” The album will feature 11 songs and will be released by NYC-based Megaforce Records.
Singer Corey Glover has said that most of the material on the album originated after the band re-recorded “Cult of Personality” for the video game “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.”
Over the years, the band members have been involved in a number of side-projects. Guitarist Vernon Reid has collaborated with Mick Jagger and K’naan, while drummer Will Calhoun has worked with Mos Def and Kaki King. Additionally, during the writing and recording of The Chair in the Doorway, Glover was starring as Judas in a touring promotion of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
A single has not yet been announced, but in anticipation of The Chair in the Doorway, here’s a live video performance of the band’s classic track, “Cult of Personality,” under the jump.
Filed under: Industry News | Tags: Brand New, Brooklyn, emo, Jimmy Eat World, Kerrang!, Long Island, Music Hall of Williamsburg, pop punk, Twitter, Upcoming release
Brand New just released a first glimpse of their new album, and one head can never die, which is set to drop in September.
After teasing their fans via Twitter and performing new songs live for the past year, Long Island emo band Brand New finally condescended to spilling some info on their upcoming album. For fans this is an exciting prospect, but for everyone else it’s just another band that’s become too pretentious for their own good.
In a recent Kerrang! interview, Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey expressed doubts over the band’s future and, calling the upcoming album an “exhausting record,” worried that fans would not be able to appreciate it. and one head can never die (all lower-case, according to the publicist) is set to drop September 22, 2009.
Brand New emerged in the 2000s as one of the more popular, critically-acclaimed bands from the Long Island emo scene. (more…)
Filed under: Industry News, Uncategorized | Tags: Aragon Ballroom, bowery ballroom, Echoplex, Henry Fonda, Hollywood Palladium, Jane's Addiction, Mew, Nine Inch Nails, Terminal 5, The Horrors, Trent Reznor, Virgin Festival, webster hall, Wiltern Theater
Trent Reznor performs live with Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has announced that the legendary industrial band will play a final run of North American concerts before calling it quits.
Reznor had originally planned to stop at the conclusion of a tour with Jane’s Addiction in June, saying that the band’s performance at Bonnaroo was to be their last U.S. show ever. But yesterday, in a post on the band’s website, the frontman said NIN would play a final run of small gigs in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles beginning in August.
Reznor also said in the post that the band was invited to perform at Toronto’s Virgin Fest — the dates and locations of which have yet to be confirmed — and that the invitation was the reason for the new, final trek.
The band’s New York concerts will be held at the Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal 5 venues. The Chicago show will be at the Aragon Ballroom, and then the band will trek to Los Angeles for gigs at four different venues – the Wiltern, the Henry Fonda, the Palladium and the Echoplex.
Reznor did not confirm any show dates in the post, but said that opening acts for the shows include The Horrors and Mew (at different gigs) thus far.
– Dan Kaplan
Filed under: Industry News | Tags: Blink 182, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Franz Ferdinand, free music, Girl Talk, Kanye, Lil Wayne, maryland, merriweather post pavilion, Oasis, virgin mobile festibal, Weezer
FreeFest brings bands like St. Vincent and Girl Talk to Baltimore -- for free!
PREVIOUS FREE MUSIC COVERAGE: Free NYC shows this weekend, Free Dirty Projectors show July 19th
This year’s Virgin Mobile Festival– the yearly festival that brings acts like Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Chuck Berry, and Lil’ Wayne to the same venue– will be free of charge! Well, free, except for the recommended $5 donation towards youth homelessness, but I would say that’s a relatively fair trade-off (it’s actually a steal).
The concert will be on Sunday, August 30, 2009 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. I guess people acted fast because free tickets, as well as optional packages WERE available on Ticketmaster.com, but they’re now sold out. However, according to the website, if you sign up to volunteer with homeless youth agencies, you’ll be eligible to win tickets.
Though many of us will already be back at ‘Cuse, if you live somewhat close to the area, you should definitely consider going back a day late because like years past, this year’s lineup (below the jump) is awesome:
