...hang the dj is a music blog. Old school, shoegaze, psych, and darkwave are featured genres.
Legal disclaimer: This blog is my personal, independent website. It is not affiliated with Bell Media, nor does it represents the thoughts, opinions, or desires of Bell Media
...hang the dj
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Contact info
Send music submissions, press releases, or questions/concerns to: cristina [at] 89xradio.com or: hangthedjmag[at] gmail.com
...hang the dj is a music blog. Old school, shoegaze, psych, and darkwave are featured genres.
Legal disclaimer: This blog is my personal, independent website. It is not affiliated with Bell Media, nor does it represents the thoughts, opinions, desires, etc of Bell Media
For music submissions, press releases, or questions/concerns:
Listen to Time Warp on 89X - the long running classic alternative show airs Sunday mornings from 8am - 12pm ET. Listen on the radio (88.7) in Detroit, or stream it worldwide on the net. The Time Warp playlist archive is posted here.
Swedish five piece Makthaverskan return with a new single next month titled "Witness." The band's previous material walks the line between indie pop and noise-pop, but the new single, "Witness" is an all-out post-punk bloody smackdown, with vocals that channel Siouxsie Sioux. The track will be released as a digital single on March 3rd and as a physical 7" single on April 18th. Stream the stunning "Witness" below. For more on Makthaverskan visit the band's Facebook page.
J Mascis appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers last night for a rocking two-song performance. Watch Mascis cover Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You," plus "Every Morning" from his solo album Tied To A Star:
Swervedriver premiered another new track from their forthcoming album I Wasn't Born To Lose You. Stream the album's brilliant opener, "Autodidact" in full below. I Wasn't Born To Lose You from Swervedriver will be released on March 3rd.
Don't miss Swervedriver on the road in North America. Dates are posted below. For more on Swervedriver, visit the official site here.
03/01 -- Costa Mesa, CA @ Maison
03/03 -- Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse Saloon
03/04 -- San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/05 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy Theatre
03/06 -- San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
03/08 -- Seattle, WA @ Neumo's Crystal Ball
03/09 -- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
03/12 -- St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
03/13 -- Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
03/14 -- Chicago, IL @ TBA
03/15 -- Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
03/16 -- Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater
03/17 -- St. Louis, MO @ The Duck Room @ Blueberry
03/19 -- Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
03/20 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/23 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Hell Stage
03/24 -- Durham, NC @ Motorco
03/25 -- Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
03/27 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/28 -- Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03/29 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
03/30 -- New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sonic Evolution, the Seattle Symphony's annual event celebrating Seattle's rich musical history, took place last night at Benaroyal Hall. The first half of the evening featured a piece influenced by Kurt Cobain titled "Ashes," a Pearl Jam inspired piece "Beyond Much Difference," and finally another piece composed by Mike McCready titled "Waking The Horizon." After the intermission was over the Chris Cornell-fronted Mad Season reunion and bonus surprise Temple Of The Dog reunion took place. Cornell, McCready, Barrett Martin, Matt Cameron, Duff McKagan, and the Seattle Symphony began with a trio of Mad Season songs, then later Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard took the stage for a few Temple of the Dog songs. During the evening, several other guests including Kim Virant (Lazy Susan) and Jeff Angell (Walking Papers), and Sean Kinney (Alice In Chains) also took the stage perform with the collective. The night ended on an emotional note -- the band performed Mad Season's "All Alone" using a recording of Layne Staley's haunting vocals.
The setlist and fan filmed video from the concert is available to view below. An excellent review of the show is posted here
01. "Ashes"
02. "Beyond Much Difference"
03. "Walking The Horizon"
Intermission
04. "Long Gone Day"
05. "River Of Deceit"
06. "I Don't Know Anything"
07. "Wake Up"
08. "Lifeless Dead"
09. "Call Me A Dog"
10. "Reach Down"
11. "All Alone"
Tennis System unleashed the official video today for their song "Memories & Broken Dreams." The track is taken from the band's swoon-worthy 2014 album Technicolour Blind (required listening for fans of Jesus & Mary Chain, Crocodiles, A Place To Bury Strangers, etc).
For more on Tennis System, visit them on Facebook.
L7 officially announced their live return today with an entertaining return-from-the-dead video titled A Night At The Morgue. The video urges fans to visit their website, where a few tour dates (festival gigs in France and Spain) have been posted. According the band's website, more live dates will be announced tomorrow.
The band also launched a Kickstarter to fund their documentary, L7: Pretend We're Dead. Learn more about the project by visiting the campaign page here.
Watch A Night At The Morgue below:
L7 tour
6/19 -- Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain @ Azkena Rock Festival
6/20 -- Clisson, France @ Hell Fest
Primal Screamannounced a short North American tour surrounding their appearance at Levitation (aka Austin Psych Festival). So far a Detroit date has not been announced, however the tour will be rolling through the cities listed below, with tickets on sale Friday, January 30th. Primal Scream's last album, More Light, was released in 2013.
5/09 -- Austin, TX @ Levitation
5/11 -- New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theater
5/12 -- Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
5/14 -- Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theater
5/15 -- Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
5/17 -- Boston, MA @ Royale
5/19 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
5/20 -- New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
5/21 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Inspiral Carpets released the video for their new delightfully organ-heavy single "Let You Down" today. The track is available on the band's latest album Inspiral Carpets, which was released last fall. The single and video features 70's punk poet John Cooper Clarke [Clarke performed at punk/post-punk shows in the 70s opening up for Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Siouxsie & the Banshees, New Order, and more].
The Jesus & Mary Chain announced a North American tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Psychocandy. The band will be performing Psychocandy in its entirety along with other greatest hits from their extensive catalog. The Detroit show is May 3rd at St. Andrew's Hall. The pre-sale kicks of Thursday, January 29th with the general onsale Friday, January 30th at 10am. Tickets available here.
Full North American schedule below:
5/01 -- Toronto, ON @ TBA
5/03 -- Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall
5/05 -- Chicago, IL @ Riviera
5/07 -- Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
5/09 -- Austin, TX @ Levitation
5/11 -- Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
5/13 -- Vancouver, BC @ Vogue
5/14 -- Seattle, WA @ Showbox
5/16 -- San Francisco, CA @ Warfield
The Twilight Sad announced the release of a limited edition picture disc for "I Could Give You All That You Want" on February 9th. The vinyl only release will be backed by a new song titled "The Airport," which is available to stream below. "I Could Give You All That You Want" appears on the band's excellent 2014 album Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave.
North American tour dates
2/23 -- Allston, MA @ Great Scott
2/24 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
2/25 -- Philadelphia, PA @ The Boot & Saddle
2/26 -- Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
2/27 -- Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox
2/28 -- Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
3/02 -- Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
3/03 -- Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
3/05 -- Missoula, MT @ Stage 112
3/06 -- Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
3/07 -- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
3/08 -- Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
3/11 -- San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
3/12 -- Costa Mesa, CA @ The Wayfarer
3/14 -- Phoenix, AZ @ VivaPHX
3/17 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
Delerium returns with an an EP titled Glimmer on January 27th. The lead track features vocals by Emily Haines of Metric and was recorded back in 2005. Delerium mastermind Bill Leeb (Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy) explained in a press release that Delerium recently unearthed the long-forgotten song while digging through the band's archive:
"Glimmer reads a bit like a Hollywood mystery having been lost for years, has resurfaced by happenstance. When our music engineer and mixer, Greg Reely, was pilfering through some recordings, he stumbled upon this song that features Emily Haines of Metric. As it turns out, this track comes from the Chimera album sessions when I collaborated with Carmen Rizzo and Jamie Muhoberac. The song's words remind us even in the darkest moments when it seems all is lost, with perseverance and a little luck, we can find our own place and keep that glimmer of hope."
The EP features six tracks -- the single version of "Glimmer" along with five alternate versions/remixes -- and will be available to download from iTunes starting January 27th. "Glimmer" will also be included on a forthcoming b-sides/rarities collection due out later this year (details still to be announced). Stream "Glimmer" below:
Chris Connelly's (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, etc) David Bowie tribute band Sons of the Silent Age was back in action over the weekend. The band headlined the 2015 Pablove benefit in Milwaukee on January 17th to help raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Like the band's Pablove benefit in 2013, Shirley Manson from Garbage was once again invited onstage to rock out a few Bowie covers. Watch some fan filmed video from the event below.
Meanwhile, Garbage has been busy in the studio working on new material. According to the latest update, the band has two original tracks recorded and ready for mastering. Fans should likely expect something new to be released soonish, possibly for Record Store Day.
Perry Farrell, Patti Smith, and the Edge from U2 are among the musicians appearing in the new series Feedback Kitchen. The musicians, who are featured in separate episodes, talk creativity, creation, and the similarities between food and music with host and chef Mario Batali. All five episodes debut on the show's Daily Motion channel Monday, January 26th. For now watch a few trailers below:
A Place To Bury Strangers release a new album titled Transfixiation on February 17th. Last month the band premiered the song/video for "Straight," and now they've debuted another song titled "We've Come So Far." Stream "We've Come So Far" below and pre-order Transfixiation through iTunes and Amazon, and the band's webstore. The webstore is selling a bundle with limited edition pink/blue vinyl, plus a standard version on black vinyl is also available.
North American tour (more dates TBA)
02/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Black Box
02/19 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
02/20 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
02/21 – Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre
02/22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
02/23 – Nashville, TN @ The End
02/25 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
02/26 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
02/27 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
02/28 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
03/06 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sisters
03/07 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
03/09 – Tuscon, AZ @ Hotel Congress
03/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
03/11 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
03/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
03/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
03/17 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
03/18 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
A Jack White baseball card will be released next month. Topps is introducing a new series of insert cards titled First Pitch, which memorialize celebrities who have thrown out the first pitch at baseball games over the years. The photo of White was captured at last year's Detroit Tigers' game (July 29th, 2014), and features him decked out in a vintage Detroit jersey. Fifteen different cards are included in the First Pitch series -- other musicians appearing in the series include Eddie Vedder (Chicago Cubs), Tom Morello (Chicago Cubs), Macklemore (Seattle Mariners), and 50 Cent (New York Mets).
The First Pitch insert cards are rarer than the regular cards and will be randomly included in the Topps Series 1, which arrive on February 6th. For more details visit Beckett (via CBS Sports) and Topps.
Noel Gallagher announced dates for a North American tour in support of his new album Chasing Yesterday. Gallagher will play the Royal Oak Music Theater on May 31st. The pre-sale kicks off January 22nd and the general onsale is January 23rd.
Gallagher has released a few tracks from Chasing Yesterday including the latest single, "Ballad Of The Mighty I" which features Johnny Marr on guitar ( he has a brief appearance in the video too).
Pre-order options for Chasing Yesterday are posted here. Chasing Yesterday arrives March 3rd in North America.
05/03 -- Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre
05/10 -- New Orleans @ Civic Theatre
05/13 -- Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
05/14 -- Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theater
05/16 -- San Diego, CA @ Humphrey's Concert By The Bay
05/18 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
05/20 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
05/22 -- Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel
05/29 -- Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
05/30 -- Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
05/31 -- Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
06/02 -- Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues
06/04 -- Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theater
06/06 -- Boston, MA @ Opera House
06/07 -- New York, NY @ Governor's Ball Festival
Mark Gardener announced today that the album he recorded with Robin Guthrie from Cocteau Twins is called Universal Road and will be released in March (exact release date TBA). The two legends recorded the collaborative album in France over the past couple of years. Back in May of 2013, Gardener had this to say about the album:
"We’ve just finished a new 10-track album together...it's one of the best albums I have ever been involved in – I’m looking forward to releasing and playing more shows with Robin and the band."
A tracklisting and cover art for the collaborative album have not yet been revealed.
While you're waiting for the new album, revisit Gardener and Guthrie's breathtaking single from 2012 titled "The Places We Go."
Gardener fans should also enjoy the track he released with Telepopmusik in 2014. Watch the creepy video for "Sound" below:
The reunited Ride hit the road for a handful of shows later this year. Dates are posted below and more info can be found on the official Ride website.
2/19 -- London, England @ 100 Club (Mark Gardener/Andy Bell acoustic show)
4/10 -- Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/13 -- San Francisco, CA @ Warfield
4/17 -- Indio, CA @ Coachella
5/22 -- Glasgow, Scotland @ Barrowland
5/23 -- Manchester, England @ Albert Hall
5/24 -- London, England @ Roundhouse
5/26 -- Amsterdam, Holland @ Paradiso
5/27 -- Paris, France @ Olympia
5/29 -- Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Festival
6/02 -- Toronto, ON @ DanForth Music Hall
6/04 -- New York, NY @ Terminal 5
6/06 -- Porto, Portugal @ Primavera Sound
6/07 -- London, England @ Field Day
Last week Swervedriverannounced the March 2nd release of the new studio album I Wasn't Born To Lose You and premiered the single "Setting Sun." Today they've premiered the official video for the track which is available to view below. The single, backed with a cover of Television's "Days" was released today and is available physically in record shops and digitally on iTunes.
Don't miss Swervedriver on the road in North America.
03/04 -- San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/05 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy Theatre
03/06 -- San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
03/08 -- Seattle, WA @ Neumo's Crystal Ball
03/09 -- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
03/12 -- St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
03/13 -- Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
03/14 -- Chicago, IL @ TBA
03/15 -- Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
03/16 -- Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater
03/17 -- St. Louis, MO @ The Duck Room @ Blueberry
03/19 -- Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
03/20 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/23 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Hell Stage
03/24 -- Durham, NC @ Motorco
03/25 -- Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
03/27 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/28 -- Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03/29 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Noel Gallagher premiered a new single from his forthcoming album Chasing Yesterday. "Ballad Of The Mighty I" features Johnny Marr on guitar, and Marr also appears in the video for the track which is posted below. The single will be available as an immediate download January 13th to those who pre-order the album through iTunes. Pre-order options are posted here. Chasing Yesterday arrives March 3rd in North America.
Gotta love that they used dangling shoes in a few shots in the video. Wonder if it's the same pair as the ones in the previous video for "Everybody's On The Run."
Having completed a recent tour in European/UK, Morrissey has now announced a new batch of U.K. dates. No North American dates have been announced, and no word on whether the new U.K. tour will include longtime bassist Solomon Walker (who abruptly disappeared from the European tour and was left off Morrissey's thank you posting at the completion of the tour).
Morrissey recently revealed that he's written the follow up to 2014's World Peace Is None Of Your Business and is planning on recording the album in February so it's possible fans attending the U.K. shows will hear a new song or two.
Morrissey 2015 tour
3/13 -- Nottingham, England @ Captial FM Arena
3/14 -- Bournemouth, England @ International Centre
3/18 -- Cardiff, England @ Motorpoint Arena
3/20 -- Leeds, England @ First Direct Arena
3/21 -- Glasgow, Scotland @ SSE Hydro
3/27 -- Birmingham, England @ Barclaycard Arena
The Waterboys return with a new studio album titled Modern Blues on January 20th. The album was recorded in Nashville and features some material the band premiered live over the last few years. Three tracks from Modern Blues, including the album's first North American single "Beautiful Now," are available to stream below. Pre-order Modern Blues through iTunes, Amazon, and the band's webstore -- note the vinyl version is pressed on 2 LPs and includes a bonus demo of album closer "Long Strange Golden Road" which occupies all of side 4.
1. Destinies Entwined
2. November Tale
3. Still A Freak
4. I Can See Elvis
5. The Girl Who Slept For Scotland
6. Rosalind (You Married The Wrong Guy)
7. Beautiful Now
8. Nearest Thing To Hip
9. Long Strange Golden Road
Marky Ramone's memoir Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life As A Ramone will be released on January 13th. Ramone (previously known as Marc Bell until the Ramones knighted him "Marky Ramone" in 1978) told Billboard he spent five years writing the book: "It's not just about the Ramones; it's my whole life story leading up to that, and afterwards. But, y'know, 95 percent of the time I was in a van with those guys, stuck in assigned seats, and you can't jump out the window or anything. So I wanted to tell people what it was really like."
An excerpt (full chapter) from the book is available to read here, and an interview with Ramone discussing the book is available to view below. Pre-order Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life As A Ramone from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Pledge Music.
Ramone will be hitting the road for a short tour to promote Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life As A Ramone. Dates are posted below. More details about each stop on the tour can be found on Marky Ramone's website.
1/17 -- New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
1/20 -- Phoenix, AZ @ Gramercy Theater
1/21 -- Pasadena, CA @ Vroman's Bookstore
1/22 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Skylight Books
1/24 -- San Francisco, CA @ Jewish Community Center
1/26 -- Austin, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
1/28 -- Ridgewood, NJ @ Bookends
1/29 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Free Library of Philadelphia
2/03 -- Huntington, NY @ Barnes & Noble
2/04 -- Staten Island, NY @ Barnes & Noble
2/05 -- New Haven, CT @ RJ Julia & Toad's Place
Last month L7announced that they're regrouping in 2015, and they encouraged fans to sign up to the official mailing list for updates. Yesterday subscribers were given a sweet treat -- a free download of the band's 1999 album Slap Happy, which has never been released as a (legal) digital download. According to the email, the band will be releasing it on iTunes shortly, but for now they are giving it away free to fans. If you love L7, be sure to sign up now to receive your free download, and more importantly, to get updates from the band because more exciting things are on the way in 2015.
Pittsburgh's Tragic Impulse debuted a pretty fun song titled "Mr. Stompy" this week. The industrial/electro track pokes fun at "Mr. Stompy" aka the annoying person at the dance club who hogs the entire dancefloor, and while doing so, pokes/rams/slams into others with blatant disregard. You've seen this play out a zillion times and it's always annoying, so let's revel in the satire!
Stream "Mr. Stompy" below and grab it as a name-your-own-price download from Bandcamp.
For more on Tragic Impulse, visit the official website here.
Afghan Whigs premiered the official video for the song "The Lottery," which is the latest single from the band's stellar album Do To The Beast. At first glance you might think this is some non-official video a fan uploaded onto You Tube, because the entire clip is footage of a tattooed guy dancing around to the song. But as it turns out the man in the video is the Afghan Whigs' monitor engineer Ryan O'Hara. Greg Dulli explains the significance:
"Meet Ryan O'Hara, our monitor engineer and cougar magnet. He wakes up everyday with a smile on his face and something positive to share with you. Every night during the gig he performs a parallel show behind the board and it's phenomenal to watch. Occasionally, I'll forget to sing because I'm watching him turn into Bez from Happy Mondays. But that's rock and roll for you. It keeps you young."
Pretty cool stuff. Check out the video for "The Lottery" below:
Shoegaze greats Swervedriver return with a new studio album titled I Wasn't Born To Lose You on March 3rd. The 10 track album includes the previously released single "Deep Wound" and features cover art by Eddie O'Keefe. Today Swervedriver premiered a song from the album titled "Setting Sun" on Pitchfork which is available to stream below. "Setting Sun" will be released as a single backed with a cover of Television's "Days" on January 13th.
Don't miss Swervedriver on the road in North America.
03/04 -- San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/05 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy Theatre
03/06 -- San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
03/08 -- Seattle, WA @ Neumo's Crystal Ball
03/09 -- Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
03/12 -- St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
03/13 -- Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
03/14 -- Chicago, IL @ TBA
03/15 -- Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
03/16 -- Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater
03/17 -- St. Louis, MO @ The Duck Room @ Blueberry
03/19 -- Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
03/20 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 -- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/23 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Hell Stage
03/24 -- Durham, NC @ Motorco
03/25 -- Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
03/27 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/28 -- Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03/29 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Third Man Records unveiled the details for Vault Package 23, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the White Stripes' album Get Behind Me Satan. The package includes a double album titled Under Amazonian Nights, which captured the White Stripes' June 1st, 2005 show in Brazil at Teatro Amazonas Opera House. The 23 track double album was pressed on blood red vinyl with stark black wisps. The Vault Package also includes a companion DVD with footage from the Brazil performance, a 7 inch single of "Let You Down," recorded by Jack White in 2000, and some newly designed White Stripes postcards.
For more info on Vault Package 23, visit Third Man Records. The deadline to order is January 31st.
Chameleons Vox (featuring Mark Burgess) has announced the band will be performing the Chameleons' classic album Script Of The Bridge in full in North America this fall. Dates for the tour are available to view below (via Brooklyn Vegan) and venue info will be announced shortly.
North American tour (venues TBA)
09/16 -- Vancouver, BC
09/17 -- Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/18 -- Portland, OR
09/20 -- Oakland/Sacramento, CA
09/21 -- San Francisco, CA
09/22 -- Los Angeles, CA
09/23 -- Phoenix, AZ
09/25 -- Austin, TX
09/26 -- Dallas, TX
09/27 -- Memphis, TN
09/28 -- St. Louis, MO
09/29 -- Chicago, IL
09/30 -- Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups 10/01 -- Detroit, MI
10/02 -- Toronto, Ontario
10/03 -- Montreal, Quebec
10/04 -- Boston, MA
10/05 -- New York, NY
10/06 -- Philadelphia, PA
10/07 -- Baltimore, MD
It looks like the classic shoegaze world should prepare for more good news: Curve may very well be reuniting in 2015. The band's Facebook page, run by founding member Dean Garcia, had been pretty dormant for most of 2014 however near the end of the year the page sprang back in action. The latest update, posted on January 1st, is a picture of Curve with the caption "2015 has a nice ring to it!" So it might just happen...
In the meantime, stream Curve's b-sides and rarities collection Rare and Unreleased. The compilation was self-released by the band in 2010 and is available to purchase digitally through Bandcamp.
Last night Michael Stipe once again took to the stage at New York City's Webster Hall opening for Patti Smith. Stipe's setlist from last night was identical to the December 29th show; Stipe explained to the crowd that the December 29th show was essentially a rehearsal for last night's show. Before he performed "New York, New York," he told a few stories about New York City, revealing to the crowd that it was such a big moment in his career to play NYC in 1981 (when R.E.M. opened for Gang Of Four at the Ritz, now renamed Webster Hall), and called it "the pinnacle of feeling like I made it."
Stipe was super chatty during his set -- he told the crowd Patti Smith instructed him to "talk a lot" between songs, which he took to heart. Wikipedia, Dolly Parton, and rewriting "New Test Leper" eight times (!) were among some of the topics he worked into the set. Take a look at video of Stipe's appearance from December 30th below, plus watch Stipe and friends sing Happy Birthday to Patti Smith:
Ex-R.E.M. leader Michael Stipe was the surprise opener for Patti Smith at her Webster Hall show in New York City last night. Stipe's rare solo appearance was his second live performance since R.E.M.'s disbandment in 2011. His six song set included covers from Perfume Genius, Patti Smith, Vic Chestnutt, and the classic "New York, New York" (made famous by Frank Sinatra.) Alas, video from the set isn't available, though some great audio of "New York, New York" was posted onto You Tube, and another fan uploaded audio of "Hood" (Perfume Genius), and "New Test Leper" onto Soundcloud (via Spin.) Stream audio below.
Patti Smith plays a second and final show at Webster Hall tonight. It's Smith's birthday today, so you never know who might show up as a surprise guest tonight!
The Cure kicked off their trio of Christmas concerts in London last night. As has been standard for the Cure, the band performed for almost four hours! During the band's set (and 4 encores!), they dusted off several songs they haven't performed in years like "Piggy In The Mirror," "Wailing Wall," and the live debut of "A Man Inside My Mouth." Every song from The Top was played last night (not in album sequence), and over the next two nights it's expected The Cure will be performing each song from The Head On The Door, and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, to prepare Cure fans worldwide for the next Reflections tour (as Robert Smith talked about in interviews earlier this year).
Take a look at the impressive setlist and watch fan filmed video from the show below:
Shake Dog Shake
Kyoto Song
A Night Like This
alt.end
Wailing Wall
Bananafishbones
The Caterpillar
The Walk
A Man Inside My Mouth
Close To Me
Lullaby
High
Birdmad Girl
Just Like Heaven
Pictures Of You
Before Three
Lovesong
Like Cockatoos
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
Want
The Hungry Ghost
One Hundred Years
Give Me It
Encore 1:
The Empty World
Charlotte Sometimes
Primary
The Top
Encore 2:
Dressing Up
Piggy In The Mirror
Never Enough
Wrong Number
Encore 3:
Three Imaginary Boys
M
Play For Today
A Forest
Encore 4:
The Lovecats
Let's Go To Bed
Why Can't I Be You
Boys Don't Cry
Hey You
Legendary Big Star mentor/producer Jim Fry died today at the age of 69. Fry was also the owner of Ardent Studios, which opened in 1966. Throughout the years so many notable acts recorded albums at Ardent including Led Zeppelin, R.E.M. and the White Stripes. Fry died after suffering from cardiac arrest this afternoon. His death comes less than a week after Ardent studio partner John Hampton, who died on December 12th from complications of cancer.
A one-night only Mad Season reunion (of sorts) is planned for January 30th during the 4th annual Sonic Evolution concert. The unique Seattle Symphony event takes place at Seattle's Benaroya Hall, and celebrates the city's rich musical history. The first half of the program will include musical compositions influenced by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and concludes with a piece composed by Mike McCready. After the intermission, original Mad Season members (guitarist McCready and drummer Barrett Martin) will be joined by guest vocalist Chris Cornell, and together they'll perform Mad Season songs backed by the Seattle Symphony.
Tickets for the event went on sale yesterday and sold out immediately. Fans interested in obtaining tickets can likely obtain them from a secondary seller, or hope the venue releases some extra tickets closer to the event.
Last year UK garage band Mourning Birdsblew us away with their intense-and-awesome debut single "Oh Yeh." Since then, the three piece recorded their debut album in Wales, which was subsequently released on Japan's P Vine Records. While we wait for the album to (hopefully) be picked up elsewhere, Mourning Birds has premiered another frenetically charged single titled "Exile" plus they're giving it away as a free download! Head over here right away to grab your free download and stream "Exile" below. Be sure to catch up with Mourning Birds on Facebook.
FYI: If you never got around to checking out "Oh Yeh" be sure to remedy that immediately by streaming the official video below:
Ministry's Al Jourgensen launched Ministry Mondays earlier this year, and every Monday he goes through his archive and uploads a Ministry-related goodie for fans to download. Today he unearthed a rare previously unreleased song from 1983! The track was originally recorded for With Sympathy but has never before been released until now. Download "Anything For You" for free here and stream the track in full below.
As previously reported Jourgensen is involved in the film titled The Bridge. Uncle Al will have a role in the film, along with Ministry bandmate Sin Quirin, Joey Santiago of the Pixies, and more. An indie go-go campaign for The Bridge was launched to help raise money for filming, editing, soundtrack recording sessions and more. Find out more about the project on the campaign page, and visit the project's official Facebook page.
For more on Al Jourgensen, catch up with him on Twitter.
On December 12th, Noel Gallagher was the Christmas guest on BBC Radio 6. Gallagher joined host Steve Lamacq for an hour of conversation and music selected by the ex-Oasis star. During the hour, he chatted it up with Lamacq about a wide variety of subjects -- his first "vertical" record player, how the third song on his records are reserved for "the hit," Morrissey ("people think of him as an activist, but he's a music lover...he brings mix cds out with him to the pub"), Bono, and what it would take to get Oasis back together. The full program is a whole lotta Noel, but if you're a fan, it's definitely worth streaming the entire program. Listen over at the BBC website, or stream below while available.
Gallagher's new album Chasing Yesterday will be released on March 2nd. Pre-order from iTunes, Amazon or Gallagher's official store. Two videos associated with Chasing Yesterday are available to view below.
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. appeared on CBS This Morning and discussed the band's history in promotion of the new six disc boxsetREMTV, which compiles the band's MTV appearances and more. During the interview Stipe talked about growing up with REM, the band's difficult years after Bill Berry's departure, and that REM will never reunite ("I despise nostalgia, I'm not good at looking back.") Watch the full interview with Stipe below:
In addition to the six disc collection REMTV, REM also released a vinyl boxset titled 7in-83-88. which includes 11 singles with replicated original picture sleeve art and labels. Rolling Stone caught up with Mike Mills to discuss the set, and during the conversation Mills talked about R.E.M. calling it quits, his favorite REM basslines, and his own record collection. He also was asked to give his opinion on people still not really getting what "The One I Love" is all about: "...it's interesting and kind of funny to see that people get it wrong, but you know, I certainly don't think it's anyone's job to listen that closely to the words. There are 10 or 12 of my favorite songs, I have no idea what they're about or what the words even are. If you think that song's a love song, go hug your boyfriend or girlfriend. If you care to listen close enough, you see it isn't. But there are plenty of R.E.M. songs where I don't know what they're about."
Read the full interview with Mills over at Rolling Stone. The tracklisting for 7IN-83-88 is posted below and the set can be ordered here.
01. "Radio Free Europe" b/w "There She Goes Again"
02. "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" b/w "King of the Road"
03. "(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville" b/w "Catapult"
04. "Can't Get There From Here" b/w "Bandwagon"
05. "Driver 8" b/w "Crazy"
06. "Wendell G" b/w "Crazy" + "Ages of You" b/w "Burning Down" [prev unreleased in US]
07. "Fall On Me" b/w "Rotary Ten"
08. "Superman" b/w "White Tornado"
09. "The One I Love" b/w "Maps and Legends" (live)
10. "Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" b/w "Last Date"
11. "Finest Worksong" b/w "Time After Time" (live) [previously unreleased in US]
Fans of Creation Records take note: a box set containing replicas of the label's first ten singles pressed individually on 7" vinyl will be released in the spring. A Facebook page for Creation Artifacthas been set up, and more details for the release (which appears to be through Cherry Red) are expected soon. In the meantime, the official Creation Records website posted a listing of its first ten singles, so this is what is expected to be included in the Creation Artifact boxset.
CRE001 – The Legend! – ’73 in ’83
CRE002 – The Revolving Paint Dream – Flowers in the Sky
CRE003 – Biff Bang Pow! – 50 Years of Fun
CRE004 – The Jasmine Minks – Think
CRE005 – The Pastels – Something’s Going On
CRE006 – The X-Men – Do the Ghost
CRE007 – Biff Bang Pow! – There Must Be a Better Life
CRE008 – The Jasmine Minks – Where the Traffic Goes
CRE009 – The Loft – Why Does the Rain
CRE010 – The Legend! – Destroys The Blues
David Bowie's single "Young Americans" will be reissued next year to commemorate the song's 40th anniversary. The classic song, recorded in 1974 and released as the title track to the album Young Americans in February 1975, will be released as a limited edition picture disc through Parlophone on February 23rd. The A-side is the 2007 mix of "Young Americans" (produced/mixed by Tony Visconti) and the AA side is a version of "It's Gonna Be Me" featuring strings (previously released in 2007 on the Young Americans special edition CD/DVD). Additional details regarding the photos on the picture disc are posted below via David Bowie's official site:
"The black and white image on the A-Side of the disc is by the famous Hollywood photographer of the 1940s/50s, Tom Kelley. The image is probably more closely associated with the session that produced the cover for the CHANGESONEBOWIE album and Suffragette City single in 1976. However, this particular shot was first used for the Italian Fame 45 in 1975. The photograph on the AA-Side was shot by Steve Schapiro, who recently had this to say about working with Bowie and this session in particular: “I think Bowie is very smart and I think he has a great sense of images and in coming up with new kinds of images. The first session I did with him started at four in the afternoon and ended at four the next morning when I did that picture of him on the motorcycle, and we used the headlights of a car to light it. He would constantly come up with new costumes and I would pick up my camera to photograph him and it would be an incredible outfit, but he would stop me and say, ’Wait a minute, I need to fix something,’ and he would go to the dressing room and come back 20 minutes later in something totally different. Fortunately, there would be a lot of things he would try on, so we would get a lot of pictures."
Pre-orders for the limited edition 40th anniversary Young Americans picture disc will be available soon.
The shoegaze documentary Beautiful Noise, directed by Eric Green, premiered in the spring at the Seattle International Film Festival, then screened in select cities worldwide in the fall. According to the film's official site, those who helped fund the Beautiful Noise campaign on Kickstarter will be receiving a digital download of the film shortly; physical copies (DVD, Blu-Ray, and other "goodies") will be available to purchase in the coming weeks. If you didn't take part in the Kickstarter and can't wait for a physical copy, Beautiful Noise is available to stream on demand through Vimeo (purchase stream on-demand). Details are posted here.
UPDATE: Beautiful Noise is now also available to purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray through the Beautiful Noise store.
Beautiful Noise examines how bands such as Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain, and other seminal shoegaze acts influenced and inspired generations of musicians. One of the exciting features of the documentary is that several musicians who rarely grant interviews, (let alone on-camera interviews), like Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine), Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), and Jim Reid (Jesus & Mary Chain) have participated in the film. Other influential musicians in the alternative scene including Robert Smith, Bobby Gillespie, Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, and Wayne Coyne also appear in the film.
Ex-Supergrass vocalist/guitarist Gaz Coombes is set to release a new solo album titled Matador on January 26th. Stream a new song called "20/20" from the album below. For more on Coombes, visit his official site.
A Place To Bury Strangers return with the new Transfixiation on February 17th. A few weeks ago the debuted the first track from the album titled "Straight," and now they've premiered the song's official video. Check it out below along with dates for their first tour in support of Transfixiation. The band will be doing another North American tour later in 2015, which is expected to include cities in the midwest.
Pre-order Transfixiation through iTunes and Amazon, and the band's webstore. The webstore is selling a bundle with limited edition pink/blue vinyl, plus a standard version on black vinyl is also available.
02/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Black Box
02/19 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
02/20 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
02/21 – Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre
02/22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
02/23 – Nashville, TN @ The End
02/25 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
02/26 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
02/27 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
02/28 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
03/04 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
03/06 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sisters
03/07 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
03/09 – Tuscon, AZ @ Hotel Congress
03/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
03/11 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
03/13 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium
03/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
03/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
03/17 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
03/18 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
05/08 - Austin, TX @ Levitation (aka Austin Psych Fest)
Luis Vasquez's darkwave project The Soft Moon returns with the full length album Deeper on March 31st. Stream "Black," a new song from the record along with the band's excellent single "Feel" that was released last January before the band hit the road opening up for Depeche Mode on the final leg of the Delta Machine tour in Europe.
...hang the dj is the headquarters for my old radio show Time Warp, which aired on 89X until March 2017.
Headquarters for all the content from the previous site cristinarocks.com
I currently host an independent, internet-based/streaming Classic Alternative show. Episodes debut Sunday mornings around 9am ET. Stream the archives here or here.
...hang the dj is a music blog serving as a complement to my streaming program and features old school and classic alternative bands. Occasionally new music from shoegaze, dream pop, psych, post-punk, and darkwave genres will be featured. If you have a project that fits one of these genres, feel free to submit music via email.
