Kim Shattuck and the Pixies part ways

Kim Shattuck, who had been playing bass on tour with the Pixies for the past few months announced on Twitter yesterday that she's no longer going to be performing with the band.

Disappointed to learn that my time w/Pixies ended today. Amazing experience.Focusing attn on Muffs & new album. All the best to everyone.
— The Muffs: Kim (@TheMuffs) November 30, 2013

So far the Pixies haven't commented on Shattuck's departure, and the rumor mill is churning away at full speed. It's important to note that Shattuck never officially joined the Pixies - months ago the Pixies reported Shattuck as would be performing bass and backing vocals on tour, but never called her an official member of the Pixies. The Pixies have made several comments in interviews over the past few months stating that original bassist Kim Deal was always welcome to come back, and Shattuck's departure leaves fans wondering if Deal will be returning.

The Pixies hit the road in North America in January, so they'll likely be making some announcement regarding who will be playing bass shortly.

1/15 - Toronto @ Massey Hall
1/16 - Montreal @ Metropolis
1/18 - Boston @ Orpheum
1/19 - Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theater
1/21 - Newark, NJ @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
1/22 - New Haven, CT @ Shubert Theater
1/24 - Philadelphia @ Electric Factory
1/25 - Pittsburgh @ Carnegie Music Hall
1/26 - Washington DC @ Strathmore
1/29 - Richmond, VA @ National Theatre
1/31 - Durham, NC @ Durham PAC
2/01 - Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
2/02 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
2/04 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
2/06 - St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
2/07 - Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion
2/08 - Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Detroit
2/09 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
2/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
2/13 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore
2/14 - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Tavern
2/15 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Great Salt Air
2/17 - Vancouver @ Orpheum Theatre
2/18 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
2/19 - Portland, OR @ Schnitzer
2/21 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
2/22 - San Jose, CA @ Civic Theater
2/23 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
2/24 - Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
2/25 - Albuquerque, NM @ Kiva Auditorium
2/27 - Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
2/28 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
3/01 - Austin, TX @ Music Hall

Published on November 30th, 2013 @ 9:22 AM

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Anton Corbijn reportedly films Depeche Mode concert in Berlin for DVD release

A new Depeche Mode live DVD is reportedly in the works.  Both of the band's shows in Berlin are rumored to be filmed by Anton Corbijn for a future DVD release. Depeche Mode played Berlin's O2 World last night and returns for a second show tomorrow. So far there's been no confirmation about the filming or release by Depeche Mode, but it seems likely, especially considering the band loves performing in Berlin. plus Corbijn was spotted by fans at the show.  Read a report about the DVD over at a Depeche Mode fansite via Side Line.

UPDATE (10/10/14): Depeche Mode has now officially announced the release of Depeche Mode: Live In Berlin, which arrives on November 17th. Additional details are posted here.

Video from last night's show is posted below:



Published on November 26th, 2013 @ 6:10 AM

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Mazzy Star on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Mazzy Star performed their new single "California" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon yesterday. Watch the performance below. Mazzy Star's excellent new album Seasons of Your Day is out now.



Published on November 26th, 2013 @ 5:44 AM

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Morrissey performing live at annual Nobel Peace Prize celebration

Morrissey confirmed that he'll perform at this year's Nobel Peace Prize event December 11th in Oslo, Norway. The performance will be Morrissey's first live appearance since his ill-fated North American tour which was axed in March. Moz is set to perform three songs at the event. Previous Nobel Peace Prize concerts have been broadcast live to 130 countries including the United States and Canada, so it's likely fans across the globe will be able to watch Morrissey's grand return to the stage. More details are expected closer to the show. More info on the concert is posted here.

Morrissey has a busy December - besides the Nobel Peace Prize gig, his book Autobiography is out in North America on December 3rd; a hardcover version of Autobiography will be published in the U.K. December 5th; and he's releasing a live cover of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" as a digital download on December 5th.

Published on November 26th, 2013 @ 5:38 AM

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Shirley Manson performs with Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie's Martin Metcalfe

Shirley Manson was honored November 23rd at the Tartan Clefs (aka Scottish Music Awards) with the Innovation Award and later performed with Goodbye Mr Mackenzie’s Martin Metcalfe for the first time in 20 years [Manson was a member of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie before forming Angelfish, and later, Garbage]. Together Manson and Metcalfe paid tribute to Lou Reed with a cover of "Candy Says" and also performed the Angelfish song "Sleep With Me."

Other Tartan Clefs winners include Camera Obscura, Mogwai, and Twin Atlantic.  The annual awards ceremony recognizes musical achievement and doubles as a fundraising event - this year proceeds from the ceremony helped raise funds for Nordoff Robins Music Therapy charity. Pictures from the event are posted over at Herald Scotland.

Watch video featuring part of Manson and Metcalfe's performance below:

"Candy Says" (Lou Reed cover)



"Sleep With Me" (Angelfish cover)



Published on November 25th, 2013 @ 11:28 AM

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X-Radio-X samples Robert Smith & the Cure

Athens electro project X-Radio-X released a trio of albums on Bandcamp this month, including a free download album titled Igniis Fatuus.  The leadoff song on Igniis Fatuus is "Kyoto Minimal" - a song that isn't technically a remix of the Cure's "Kyoto Song" but it might as well be.  The song includes the melody of the Head on the Door track plus features samples of Robert Smith's vocals. Stream "Kyoto Minimal" below and download it for free (along with the rest of X-Radio-X's catalog) on Bandcamp:



Because why not, check out a live version of the Cure's "Kyoto Song" with a montage of cool Robert Smith pics below:



Published on November 23rd, 2013 @ 7:56 PM

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Kitchens Of Distinction premiere "Tiny Moments, Tiny Omens" video

Kitchens Of Distinction premiered the video for their new single, "Tiny Moments, Tiny Omens." The clip was filmed in Derbyshire, England; Versailles, France; and County Sligo, Ireland.  Check it out below:



"Tiny Moments, Tiny Omens" is available on the new Kitchen Of Distinctions album Folly, which was released in September. Meanwhile, a fantastic four song acoustic set (including a breathtaking version of "Drive That Fast") is available to stream here.

Published on November 23rd, 2013 @ 6:24 PM

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Morrissey featured in PETA's Vegetarian Celebrity 2013 Photostamp series

Morrissey is one of the stars included on PETA's 2013 edition of Vegetarian Celebrity U.S. PhotoStamps. Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett, Russell Simmons, Bob Barker, and Pamela Anderson are some of the other celebrities included in the series.  Check out the full series here, and order here.

Published on November 23rd, 2013 @ 6:08 PM

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OMD posts update on drummer Malcolm Holmes

OMD posted an update on drummer Malcolm Holmes, who suffered cardiac issues after experiencing severe heat exhaustion while on tour in Toronto on July 19th:

"Malcolm's recovery continues slowly but surely. He is now driving, which makes life a little easier. The doctor says 6-12 months for him to be as fully recovered as he can be. Once again he thanks everyone for their continued good wishes"

After the July incident, OMD canceled all touring plans in 2013 to allow Holmes to recover. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys recently announced a one-off show March 22nd, 2014 at the Night of the Proms festival in Poland.



Published on November 22nd, 2013 @ 6:03 AM

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Stream: Weekend's CMJ session

Weekend (the Brooklyn band, not the R & B artist) played a session inside a New York church at CMJ last month in promotion of their new album Jinx. The session was sponsored and professionally filmed by Seattle's KEXP.  Stream the five song set below:



Published on November 21, 2013 @ 8:07 PM

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Bask in the darkwave glow of New York's Suntalk

Ran into an excellent song today from a darkwavish New York band called Suntalk. Their impressive debut single "Darkness" is available now as a single download on Bandcamp and will also be released on the Darkness EP in January. If the rest of Suntalk's music is like "Darkness" I predict big things for these guys. Stream "Darkness" below and download it from Bandcamp.  Catch up with Suntalk on Facebook.



Published on November 20th, 2013 @ 7:01 PM

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DEMF celebrates Detroit's 313th birthday with festival at Campus Martius & Ford Field

Note: There has been some confusion behind today's DEMF announcement because over the years many people have been incorrectly referring to the annual Movement Festival as the DEMF. The annual Hart Plaza festival on Memorial Day weekend was originally called DEMF when it began in 2000, but after a few years (change in organizers, legal issues, and other city of Detroit drama) the festival was re-named Movement. Though many people have continued to refer to Movement as DEMF they are NOT the same thing. Movement Detroit is organized by Paxahau Event Productions, and the DEMF is organized by Carol Marvin (who was previously involved in the original DEMF festival at Hart Plaza and has retained the rights to the DEMF name).

Detroit gets two techno festivals in 2014 - the annual Movement Festival takes place Memorial Day weekend (May 24 - May 26) at Hart Plaza, and as announced earlier this morning, DEMF returns for the first time since 2002 to celebrate Detroit's 313th birthday (celebrating the 313 in the 313). DEMF takes place July 4th through July 6th and will actually be two simultaneous techno festivals - the free version of DEMF takes place at Campus Martius, and a paid version which has been named FEMT (Federation of Electronic Music Technology) takes place inside Ford Field. The lineup for DEMF/FEMT has not been announced yet other than Underground Resistance, Model 500, and Cybotron, which will be the legendary project's first live appearance ever!  Pre-sale tickets for FEMT are on sale now - there's a three day package for $250 and a three day VIP package for $1200.  General onsale is Friday, November 22nd and three day passes increase to $300; VIP passes increase to $1500, so get in on the pre-sale to save some money.  More info on DEMF/FEMT will be announced shortly, so it's not a bad idea to keep the DEMF Facebook page handy.

As previously announced, tickets for Movement went on sale last month.  Visit the official Movement Detroit website and Movement Detroit Facebook page for more info (official website was down earlier, may want to try again shortly).

Published on November 20th, 2013 @ 12:49 PM

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Skinny Puppy premieres skullcrushing video for "illisiT"

Industrial kings Skinny Puppy released their excellent album Weapon back in May, and this week they premiered the official video for the latest single "illisiT."  The video was directed by graphic artist Jason Alacrity (the man behind industrial/EDM project The Alacrity) and has a bit of everything you'd expect from a Skinny Puppy video: dark and textured graphic scenes, plenty of blood and gore, and even a few insects. Check out the awesomeness below:


Skinny Puppy: illisiT [OFFICIAL VIDEO] from Jason Alacrity on Vimeo.

Skinny Puppy hit the road for a tour of North America in 2014. Though Ogre recently revealed he has an allergy to red dye (apparently it makes him hoarse if he swallows it), Ogre confirmed his allergy isn't going to prevent Skinny Puppy from using blood on their tour.   

1/24 - Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
1/25 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
1/27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theater
1/28 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
1/30 - San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
2/01 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
2/03 - New Orleans, LA @ Tipitinas Uptown
2/04 - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage Theater
2/05 - Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theater
2/07 - Miami, FL @ Grand Central
2/08 - Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
2/10 - Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
2/11 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
2/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
2/14 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
2/15 - Boston, MA @ Royale
2/16 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
2/18 - Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
2/19 - Detroit, MI @ The Majestic
2/21 - Chicago, IL @ The Vic
2/22 - Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights
2/23 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
2/24 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
2/26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Lo-Fi Cafe
2/28 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
3/01 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market
3/02 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Theatre
3/04 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
3/05 - Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theater

Published on November 19th, 2013 @ 6:51 PM

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Morrissey pens lengthy essay 'The World Won't Listen'

Morrissey posted a new essay for True To You titled The World Won't Listen. The lengthy essay mostly attacks the recent celebrities who have proudly killed animals for sheer enjoyment. He also gives props at the end to Russell Brand, endorsing his view on voting and lamenting the end to thoughtful debate, calling the U.K. a "cabbagebrain" nation. Read the full essay over at True To You.

Published on November 19th, 2013 @ 6:12 AM

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Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds announce North American tour

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds return to North America in 2014 in support of the album Push the Sky Away. The 19 date tour includes a stop at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit on July 29th, which should be an AMAZING place to see Cave. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 22nd, but there are several presales leading up to Friday's general onsale including an exclusive 24 hour presale through the Association of Alternative Newspapers (find out more about that here).  For more on the tour, visit the official Nick Cave website.

6/16 - Louisville, Ky @ Louisville Palace Theater
6/18 - Kansas City, MO @ @ Midland Theater
6/20 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Milwaukee Theater
6/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater
6/24 - Denver, CO @ The Buell Theater
6/27 - Calgary, Alb @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
6/28 - Edmonton, Alb @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
6/30 - Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theater
7/02 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater
7/05 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
7/07 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Theater
7/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium
7/19 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live At Moody Theater
7/21 - New Orleans, LA @ Mahalia Jackson Theater
7/23 - Washington D.C. @ Dar Constitution Hall
7/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center
7/26 - New York, NY @ Prospect Park
7/29 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple
7/31 - Toronto, Ont @ Sony Centre

Published on November 18th, 2013 @ 10:12 PM

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Alison Moyet rips through Yaz classics & solo material in San Francisco

Alison Moyet was in North America last week performing a woefully short tour (3 dates!) in support of her new album the minutes. Some fan filmed video shot at the November 11th show in San Francisco has appeared on You Tube. Check out Moyet ripping through a few songs including Yaz/Yazoo classics below.













Published on November 18th, 2013 @ 5:42 AM

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Johnny Marr + Andy Rourke belt out Smiths' classics in New York City

Johnny Marr played Webster Hall in New York City last night and brought out a special surprise guest - his old bandmate Andy Rourke (kinda like he did back in May in Brooklyn). Rourke joined Marr for two Smiths' classics "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" and "How Soon Is Now?" At the end of "Please, Please, Please" Marr gave Rourke props, calling him "Andy Fucking Rourke." Watch the awesomeness below:



Here's closer up video of Please, Please, Please but more distorted audio






Published on November 17th, 2013 @ 7:56 AM

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R.E.M. reunites (sort of) in Athens

Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry all hung out at Athens, Georgia's 40 Watt Club on November 14th to watch Buck perform as the warm up act for Drivin' & Cryin' leader Kevn Kinney.  As it turned out, an impromptu semi-R.E.M. reunion took place when Buck, Mills, and Berry took the stage to perform the classic "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." Stipe opted to sit things out, perhaps because he didn't feel like singing (Buck revealed in an October interview with Salon that Stipe "isn't really into performing publicly right now"), or maybe it was because R.E.M. wanted to stay true to their word about never reuniting. Whatever the case, it's still pretty awesome to see most of R.E.M. up on stage together rocking out. Check out the performance of "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" below via Gigwise. Fun fact: cover for the night was a mere five bucks.



Published on November 16th, 2013 @ 6:14 PM

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Manchester By Piano: Classic Manchester anthems recorded on piano

Fans who enjoyed Stone Roses for Piano will swoon over Manchester By Piano - Manchester classic anthems from Joy Division, New Order, the Smiths, James, Inspiral Carpets, Charlatans, Chameleons and Oasis beautifully covered on piano.  Check out the awesomeness below:





















Published on November 16th, 2013 @ 9:27 AM

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Morrissey releases 'Autobiography' as hardcover with new cover art

Morrissey is releasing his worldwide bestseller Autobiography in North America on December 3rd. Now comes news that a hardcover edition will be available through Penguin U.K. on December 5th, which is the same day as the release of the audiobook version of Autobiography (narrated by actor David Morrissey). The hardcover edition has different cover art (hardcover art posted above). It appears the hardcover edition doesn't have a North American release yet, so fans interested in the hardcover edition may either want to purchase the import or wait it out a little longer.

Morrissey announced earlier this week that he's releasing a live version of his cover of "Satellite of Love" as a tribute to Lou Reed. The cover will be available as a digital download on December 2nd and will have a physical release in early 2014.

Published on November 16th, 2013 @ 8:59 AM

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