Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones, finally have an official release date for their self-titled debut album, due November 17th in North America on DGC/Interscope. You can listen to the studio recording of "New Fang" above.
The band has also announced a small West Coast Tour. Guess where we will be November 19th?
Nov. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theater
Nov. 19 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Nov. 21 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater
Nov. 22 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Monday, October 26, 2009
Them Crooked Vultures: 1st Single, Album Drop, West Coast Tour
Friday, October 09, 2009
Live Review: Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
GM Place
Vancouver, Canada
9.25.09
When we missed the Ten Club onsale dates for the San Diego and Los Angeles shows we were faced with the grim reality of catching Pearl Jam at the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park. That doesn't really sound that bad until you consider tickets were about $100 a piece and that we would literally have to camp out in front of the stage all day to guarantee a decent spot and catch a glimpse of the band without the aid of the Hubble telescope.
No way. Fuck that.
We haven't logged 12+ years in Pearl Jam's fan club to pee in plastic cups while we endure 7 other bands, drugged out tweeners unable to handle their acid, and maintain our spot in the crowd all day. We did what any other self-respecting Public Health Care Option and PJ fan would do - we went to Canada.
What a glorious decision that turned out to be. Not only did we have a great opportunity to check out the amazing city of Vancouver, we caught one of the better PJ shows we've seen in years.
When the band starts the show with the polyrhythmic rumble of "In My Tree" from 1996's No Code, you know the night is going to be special. Touring in support of their recently released album Backspacer, Pearl Jam left it all on the stage Friday night in Vancouver, erasing any doubts the band was operating in some creative cruise control silo.
Instead, the band hit the ground running - blasting through rockers like "Save You", "Severed Hand", "The Fixer" and "Johnny Guitar" before coming up for air and greeting the rabid Canucks who had packed the GM Place, aka "The Garage". Eddie and the boys quickly acknowledged that it was indeed a Friday night show before lifting the crowd with the soaring "Given to Fly" and then speeding through the Yield album classic "MFC".
With an insane catalog of music to choose from, Pearl Jam kept everyone on their toes playing rarities like "Sad" from the b-sides Lost Dogs album, to the almost never played "No Way" off Yield. Eddie Vedder took time to dedicate the Binaural era "Light Years" to Canadian Terry Fox and his inspirational story, getting a huge roar of approval from Vancouver.
To explain the amount of energy these guys gave to the performance Friday night , you would think we're descrbing some band of 20 year olds jacked up on youth, a couple cases of beer and pure adrenaline. Guitarist Mike McCready bounced, ran, and pumped up the crowd all night between guiar solos. Bassist Jeff Ament and Vedder flew through the air like the skate/surf rats they are, and for the first time in fucking ages, guitarist Stone Gossard criss crossed the stage and head banged like it was 91 all over again.
More aural goodies continued through the night - "I Got Shit", "Breath", "State of Love & Trust" and "Grievance" balanced out by some PJ classics including "Alive", "Even Flow" and "Rearviewmirror".
The band did a masterful job of working the crowd. Early on, Vedder told the audience that the Seattle crowd a couple nights prior "sucked", lathering up fans into a fermented fury that wouldn't leave the rest of the night. Their lighting rig and backdrop were also lowered so the back third of the arena could sit right over the band behind the stage.
And the new songs? Better than how they sound on record. "Got Some" remains a choice song with just a great pummeling start/stop dynamic that sways harder and rocks harder live. "Unthought Known", "The Fixer", and "Johnny Guitar" all escape the 80s rock sheen production sound of Backspacer in the live setting with the amps maxed out and the Matt Cameron Train thundering away.
As a live band, Pearl Jam is firing right now. The band brought out opener/friend Ben Harper to sing with Vedder on "Indifference"creating another show highlight and then drove it home with "Betterman" and "Yellow Ledbetter". The image of guitarist Mike McCready just sitting out on the edge of the PA wailing away on "Ledbetter", looking like he didn't want to ever leave was a polaroid moment and a testment to the energy Vancouver brought to the show.
Great show. Great town. Permanent memories from this trip.
Catch 'em if you can.
September 25, 2009 Vancouver, BC, GM Place
Set List: In My Tree, Save You, The Fixer, Severed Hand, Johnny Guitar, Given To Fly, MFC, Even Flow, Amongst The Waves, Sad, Unthought Known, Light Years, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Grievance, No Way, Got Some, Rearviewmirror
1st encore: I Got Shit, Love, Reign O'er Me, Breath, State Of Love And Trust, Alive
2nd encore: Last Kiss, Indifference w/ Ben Harper, Wasted Reprise, Better Man/(Save It For Later), Yellow Ledbetter
Photos liberated from PearlJam.com
Back From the Dead
Wow, that was a long time between posts.
Anyway, we're back and we have lots to cover....
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Crowes on Letterman
The Black Crowes played the David Letterman show last night to support the release of their just-released album Before The Frost. The band performed the album's first song "Good Morning Captain".
We're still digging our way through this new long player, but after a few initial spins, things sound good in Crowe-ville. There's even an additional mini-album called After the Freeze that you can download with a code contained in the Before the Frost album.
Enjoy.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Look Back in Anger: Noel Quits Oasis
While Noel Gallagher has been hinting at a solo album for a while this year, and has walked away from the band several times in the past only to rejoin, over the weekend the elder Gallagher issued a statement via his blog on Oasis' website that he has left the band.
"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quite Oasis tonight." read Noel's blog post.
"As of last Friday, August 28, I have been forced to leave the Manchester rock 'n' roll pop group Oasis
"The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and bandmates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new.
"I would like firstly to offer my apologies to them kids in Paris who'd paid money and waited all day to see us only to be let down AGAIN by the band. Apologies are probably not enough, I know, but I'm afraid it's all I've got.
"While I'm on the subject, I'd like to say [sorry] to the good people of V Festival that experienced the same thing. Again, I can only apologise - although I don't know why, it was nothing to do with me. I was match-fit and ready to be brilliant. Alas, other people in the group weren't up to it.
"In closing I would like to thank all the Oasis fans, all over the world. The last 18 years have been truly, truly amazing (and I hate that word, but today is the one time I'll deem it appropriate). A dream come true. I take with me glorious memories."
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a family and a football team to indulge. I'll see you somewhere down the road. It's been a fuckin' pleasure."
Will he be back? Did he finally tell little bro Liam that he sounds like a frog shitted in his throat when he sings these days? Time will tell.
Devendra Banhart's To Release New Album in October
During the quiet mellow Sunday's of the last 8 months, we have found independent folk/rock dude Devendra Banhart's music a big part of our Sunday soundtrack( tip of the hat to Jake over at The AmericanUnderground blog for recommending him), and now comes some news that Banhart has left XL Recordings for the big hallowed halls of Warner Bros to release his upcoming album What Will We Be.
Here's the album cover art:
We dug around and Pitchfork had the following tracklisting for the album:
01 Can't Help but Smiling
02 Angelika
03 Baby
04 Goin' Back
05 First Song for B
06 Last Song for B
07 Chin Chin & Muck Muck
08 16th & Valencia, Roxy Music
09 Rats
10 Maria Leonza
11 Brindo
12 Meet Me at Lookout Point
13 Walilamdzi
14 Foolin'
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I’m just dead, I’m not gone. Jim Dickinson R.I.P.
Some sad news, legendary musician/producer Jim Dickinson passed away on Saturday, August 15, 2009. He was 67.
Who is Jim Dickinson? He played with the Rolling Stones, produced Big Star and The Replacements, and Bob Dylan considers him "a brother". Our own introduction to him was Mudhoney's thundering Tomorrow Hit Today. His sons Cody and Luther play in the North Mississippi All Stars and The Black Crowes.
For more background on Jim Dickinson, we'll refer you to a wonderful remembrance written by Dickinson's friend Bob Mehr in the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Such a Tease: Them Crooked Vultures
Catching up on all things rock, two weeks ago at Lollapalooza in Chicago, the big buzz wasn't any of the bands playing the three day fest, it was the buzz surrounding the aftershow at The Metro, where Them Crooked Vultures played their first public show.
Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin are the main players, along with QOTSA alum Alain Johannes. Supergroups come and go (Audioslave/Velvet Revolver anyone?) but this seems to be one supergroup actually worth getting excited about.
An album is allegedly already in the can with a Fall release and full tour slated for later this year/early 2010. Two words sum up the possibilities: Fuck Yeah.
It's time to get excited. You can read a review of the Metro show by the Chicago Sun Times music critic Jim DeRogatis here
Monday, August 17, 2009
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