Ben Folds to make Chapel Hill appearance

As the promo is amping up for the release of Ben Folds' latest album, Way To Normal, the Chapel Hill legend has alluded to a hometown appearance on a fansite.

We've been planning something for Chapel Hill on Sept 18th that I'm told we have to wait a few more days to announce. There will be those who shit. I know I will.

Very intriguing, Mr. Folds! We'll be sure to keep you all posted as details unfold.

Any theories on what might be shit-your-pants-worthy, as Folds put it? I know I have a few...

Stars set to release 'Sad Robots' on Monday

One of my favorite bands, Montreal's Stars, is gearing up to release a new EP this Monday. Yeah, Monday. The six-track EP titled Sad Robots will feature five new songs as well as live version of the Nightsongs track "Going, Going, Gone."

The EP will be available on Monday, September 1 as a digital download exclusively via sadrobots.ca. Physical copies will only be available at Stars shows. Check out a list of North American tour dates at the bottom of the post. Sadly, no Triangle or North Carolina dates are on the books.

This lack of the usual notice prior to releasing new music is not a new thing for Stars. They released their most recent full-length record, In Our Bedroom After the War, digitally days after it was completed. The physical release came a few months later.

Check out our review and photos of Stars' sold out show at Cat's Cradle last October here.

[Update: The CD version of Sad Robots will also be available via sadrobots.ca. The CD will ship on September 16.]

Sad Robots track list:
01 Maintenance Hall, 4am
02 A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife
03 Undertow
04 Going, Going, Gone (live)
05 14 Forever
06 Sad Robot

Stars tour dates:
09-17 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
09-18 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
09-19 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
09-20 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-22 Columbus, OH - Milo Arts
09-23 Newport, KY - Southgate House
09-24 Chicago, IL - The Vic
09-25 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
09-26 Lawrence, KS - The Granada
09-28 Austin, TX - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Music Festival)
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
10-02 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
10-03 Santa Barbara, CA - UC Santa Barbara
10-04 Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre
10-06 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
10-07 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
10-08 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
10-09 Seattle, WA - Showbox Theatre
10-10 Bellingham, WA - Western Washington University
10-29 Fredericton, New Brunswick - SUB Ballroom
10-30 Moncton, New Brunswick - The Manhattan Club
10-31 Charlottestown, Prince Edward Island - The Wave
11-01 Halifax, Nova Scotia - The Marquee Club
11-03 St. John's, Newfoundland - Club One

Owen Beverly marks his return with 'Shooting the Bull,' show at Mansion 462

It's always interesting when a musician, well, disappears off the face of the earth for a little while. Upon their return, you never really know what to expect. Will they still play your favorite song? Will the music even sound the same?

Such is the case with Owen Beverly, who will be opening for Steven Fiore tomorrow night at Mansion 462 in Chapel Hill.

The last time I personally saw him perform was in late 2003, at a Halloween night show with Jump, Little Children somewhere in South Carolina (Spartanburg, maybe) on the way to see some friends in Chattanooga. If my memory serves me right, he wore old-school gym clothes (knee socks, headband and the whole nine), performing the hard-ish rock songs of his then-recent release, The Drunk Lover EP. (Entourage fans may recognize that EP's title track.)

Not too long after that, it was radio silence while Beverly went home to Mississippi and awoke with a new musical direction in alt. country. He's back with a full-length album, Shooting the Bull, and a lengthy tour taking him through the fall.

Beverly had proven himself a worthy songwriter in the past, but there's something different about these new tracks. It's not just the mellow pace or the inflection in his voice, but the stories that he tells.

Check out some of his songs on MySpace and see what I mean for yourself tomorrow night. Tickets to the show are $7 or $5 for students. Beverly goes on at 9 p.m. with our buddy Steven Fiore following at 10 p.m. And maybe, just maybe, he'll make a sappy old fan happy and pull out "For Mia."

iTunes single of the week: Black Kids "I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You"

It's pretty rare that a free song pops up on iTunes that I actually own, but that's the case this week. The song is "I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance You" by Jacksonville, Fla., band Black Kids.

The track is a groovy little dance tune driven by reverb-drenched guitars and retro synths. The melody melody is catchy and the song just feels like a great party song with big group vocals chiming in on the choruses. Think Hot Hot Heat but looser and more dancey.

I definitely recommend this song.

Black Kids have a show coming up at the Cat's Cradle on September 25. The Virgins and Magic Wands will open the show. Tickets are on sale now via etix.com for $15.

Bands rock for Obama at the Cradle

With the political season getting more intense as November 4 draws closer and closer, local bands are getting involved. Hammer No More the Fingers, Tooth, Kaze and AC Bushnell Mosadi Music will be joined by Washington, D.C., band Caverns for a night music supporting presidential hopeful Barack Obama. The night will feature everything from metal to hip-hop to Americana to experimental music. This diverse bunch of musicians have found common ground in their support for Senator Obama which brings them together for this unique show.

100 percent of the proceeds from the event will go to the Barack Obama campaign fund. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the show. Advance tickets are available via etix.com.

Check out mp3s from some of the bands at the bottom of the post.

Arcade Fire/Superchunk played in Carrboro in support of Senator Obama prior to the North Carolina primary. Check out a review and pictures from that show.

As election day draws closer, the Triangle is likely to see more election themed shows since Sentator Obama has declared North Carolina a battleground state.

[A.C. Bushnell is no longer playing, but Mosadi Music has taken his place.]

Hammer No More the Fingers - "O.R.G.Y." (mp3)
Tooth - "Moderate Monster" (mp3)
Caverns - "This Are Syntax" (mp3)

Ryan Adams to publish "Infinity Blues"

Oh my. Ryan Adams is publishing a book.

One can only hope it is as crazily awesome as his blog.

Adams signed with Akashic Books, an indie Brooklyn-based publisher, in July. The book, a "collection of prose," is due to hit shelves some time in 2009.

Sorta new Portastatic - "Some Small History"

We have a new old Portastatic song for you from the upcoming 2-disc rarities collection Some Small History. It's the the title track from the collection. "Some Small History" was originally available on the Merge Records 15th Anniversary compilation, Old Enough To Know Better released in 2004.

Portastatic will celebrate the release of the album at Local 506 on September 12 with Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies. They will also play a show at Soapbox Laundro-Lounge in Wilmington on September 18.

Some Small History will be out via Merge Records on September 9. Pre-order the album here.

Portastatic - "Some Small History" (mp3)

Will Hoge in stable condition after accident

We're very glad to report this afternoon that our friend and talented musician Will Hoge is on the mend.

Will has been upgraded to stable condition at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center after a scooter accident gave us all a good scare Wednesday night. He suffered several broken bones, but friends say there is no spinal cord damage or brain injury.

Will's next few tour dates have been canceled, as is to be expected, but there's no word yet on how his recovery will affect the rest of his fall tour. He has an upcoming date at Cat's Cradle on Oct. 31 with the everybodyfields.

Please continue to send Will and his family your thoughts as he begins to recover.

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies shine in downtown Raleigh

I've been meaning to see Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies live for a while, and now that I have I'm disappointed that it took this long. The three gals and two guys put on an energetic show last night in downtown Raleigh during the Art on the Edge festival.

The band played their 60s pop-inspired, psychedelia-laced tunes for a small crowd shortly after the sun set. The set included songs from their aptly titled debut release EP I, as well as some newer songs. One awesome inclusion in the set was a great cover of the Cheap Trick song "Southern Girls."

The band said that they plan to hit the studio in the fall to record some new tracks which will include some of the new songs that they're playing live.

Will Hoge in critical condition after auto accident

Nashville singer/songwriter and my old friend/boss, Will Hoge is in critical condition in Vanderbilt Hospital after colliding with a van last night. He was riding his scooter in downtown Nashville when the van failed to yield at a turn, causing him to crash into the passenger side of the van.

Will is in critical condition but we're hearing he is expected to make a full recovery. Our thoughts are with Will and we hope he makes a speedy recovery.

Please send send good thoughts to Will and his family during this trying time.

New music from The Broken West - "Auctioneer" + tour info

As I posted in June, The Broken West have a new record out on September 9 titled Now or Heaven?. We now have another new song for you to check out. It's the second track from album titled "Auctioneer" (download it at the bottom of the post).

To coincide with the album's release, the band have scheduled a US tour that includes a stop in Chapel Hill. The show is at Local 506 on September 25 and tickets will be $8. They're not on sale yet, but most likely will be soon via etix.com.

9-09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive
9-10 Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr.
9-11 Iowa City, IA - The Picador
9-12 Madison, WI - Orpheum Stage Door
9-13 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
9-15 Chicago, IL - Schubas
9-16 Pontiac, MI - Pike Room
9-17 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
9-21 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
9-22 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
9-23 New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine
9-24 Washington, DC - TBA
9-25 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
9-26 Mt. Pleasant, SC - Village Tavern
9-28 Nashville, TN - The Basement
9-29 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
9-30 Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf
10-1 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
10-4 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland

Pre-order Now or Heaven? here.

The Broken West - "Auctioneer" (mp3)
The Broken West - "Perfect Games" (mp3)

iTunes single of the week: Gran Ronde "Wisdom"

This week's free single comes from Los Angeles band Gran Ronde.

The song is "Wisdom" and it's a catchy little alt-pop song. It has a good beat and the singer sounds a little life Craig Pfunder of VHS or Beta. The guitar tones in the song cut nicely through the mix and the main riff is a great hook.

I recommend this one. It's only 2 minutes and 11 seconds long, so give it a spin.

LeRoi Moore: 1961-2008

Our deepest condolences go out this evening to the friends, family and fans of LeRoi Moore. The Durham-born musician, best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews band, died this afternoon in an L.A. hospital from complications stemming from his June ATV accident.

The following statement was posted on the band's website:

"We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program."

Moore suffered several broken ribs and a punctured lung from the accident and was re-hospitalized in July for complications.

Flecktones saxophonist Jeff Coffin had been filling in for Moore on Dave Matthews Band's annual summer tour, which is playing tonight and tomorrow at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band opened the show, which began a few moments ago, with "Bartender" and asked fans to send good thoughts for LeRoi.

Smashing Pumpkins and...kazoos?

While we didn't attend Smashing Pumpkins' show at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium this past weekend, it's certainly worth mentioning that it happened.

Check out this review from our friend at Community Shoes.

Set list:
Tarantula
G.L.O.W.
Eye
Mayonnaise
Tonight, Tonight
Speed Kills
Transformer
Superchrist
United States
Once Upon a Time
The Crux
Rose March
Today
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Batman
Heavy Metal Machine
Glass Theme
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
--------
We Only Come Out at Night
In the Summertime

Check out this video of a shirtless Corgan singing We Only Come Out at Night from the show.

The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers plan co-headline tour

After playing a sold-out show at the Cat's Cradle just last week, The Hold Steady have announced that they will hit the road for a month long co-headline tour with Drive-By Truckers. The tour will be dubbed the "Rock and Roll Means Well Tour."

The tour will kick off in Louisville, Kentucky on October 30 and run through November 25 in Los Angeles. The two bands will swap the closing set each night. A Raleigh date is on the books for November 3 at the Lincoln Theatre. Tickets for that show go on sale this Friday, August 22 via etix.com for $23. Drive-By Truckers will close the show that night.

10-30 Louisville, KY - Coyote's at City Block *
10-31 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium !
11-01 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle !
11-02 Tallahassee, FL - The Moon *
11-03 Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre !
11-05 State College, PA - The State Theatre *
11-06 New York, NY - Terminal 5 !
11-07 New York, NY - Terminal 5 *
11-08 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory !
11-09 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre *
11-11 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Theatre !
11-12 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall *
11-13 Bloomington, IN - Bluebird !
11-13 Chicago, IL - Riviera *
11-15 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue !
11-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue *
11-19 Boise, ID - The Big Easy !
11-20 Seattle, WA - Showbox *
11-21 Seattle, WA - Showbox !
11-22 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
11-23 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore !
11-24 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore *
11-25 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern *

* The Hold Steady play last.
! Drive-By Truckers play last.

The Hold Steady - "Chips Ahoy!" (mp3) from Boys and Girls in America
Drive-By Truckers - "A World of Hurt" (mp3) from A Blessing and a Curse

The Faint get the Cradle moving

It was a steamy night at the Cat's Cradle on Friday. A sold-out crowd packed in to see The Faint play a flawless set of electro-dance rock songs.

The Nebraska quintet kicked off the night with an old tune "Glass Danse" from their 2001 album Danse Macabre. Lead singer Todd Fink took the stage wearing a long white lab coat and goggles, looking like the mad scientist. The look fits his on-stage persona.

The band sounded amazing all night, playing a mix of old and new songs from their new album Faciinatiion. One interesting inclusion was the song "Take Me to the Hospital," available only on Saddle Creek sampler, Saddle Creek 50.

The packed house really took the night from great to phenomenal. The crowd returned the energy the band exuded from the stage and their willingness to let loose and dance/bounce, made the experience all the more enjoyable.

The visual elements on stage also added to the overall vibe of the show. The band brought in their own lighting as well as a screen projected images of the band behind the stage. The lighting technician for the show put on a great show himself. He grooved to the music, manually hitting the lighting cues in sync with the music. Well done, sir.

The Faint were at the top of their game Friday night. Let's hope they make another stop in the area again soon, because their shows are just a damn good time.

The Faint set list:
Glass Danse
Dropkick the Punks
Take Me to the Hospital
Forever Growing Centipedes
Psycho
Call Call
I Treat You Wrong
Desperate Guys
Machine in the Ghost
? (I missed this one)
Worked Up So Sexual
The Conductor
I Disappear
Victim Convenience
Paranoiattack
-----
Birth
The Geeks Were Right
Agenda Suicide

------

The two-piece New York band Shy Child was the first of two openers Friday night. The band's two instruments were drums and keytar. Yes, keytar. The band played a short set of fun little dance numbers, and lead singer/keytar player Pete Cafarella rocks the keytar like no one I've ever seen. [Ed. note: Ben Folds circa "Rockin' The Suburbs would be a contender. Keytar machine gun! Come on.] Check out this video to see what I mean. The band were joined by a saxaphone player on a few songs which "funked" things up a bit. These guys were good, but thirty minutes of them was definitely enough.

The second opener was Jaguar Love. I had high hopes for these guys going into the show, but the antics of their lead singer Johnny Whitney ruined the show. He looked like he belonged in a 80s metal cover band and sounded the same. When he sang and spoke to the crowd, he shrieked everything and I and I'm fairly sure everyone else could hardly understand a word he said besides "thanks" and "Chapel Hill." [Ed. note: I swear he told everyone to look at his balls toward the end of the night.] Check out the mp3 below which is pretty cool, but I don't recommend the band live.

Shy Child


Jaguar Love


The Faint - "Call Call" (mp3) from Blank-Wave Arcade
Shy Child - "Astronaut" (mp3) from Noise Won't Stop
Jaguar Love - "Bats Over the Pacific Ocean" (mp3) from Take Me to the Sea

New Bowerbirds video - "In Our Talons"

Animated videos have become quite popular lately. Maybe with the major video networks no longer showing videos, its not fiscally responsible to spend the money to make a live-action video.

Local forest folk group Bowerbirds are the latest band to join the trend. Below you'll see the new video for "In Our Talons" from the fantastic album Hymns For a Dark Horse. The video makes use of stop-motion animation to show three different animals whose habitats have been destroyed by the actions of man. It's a beautifully executed video.

Bowerbirds are currently on a European tour that will run through the beginning of October. The band will return to the states and will tour more in the late fall.



Check out other recent animated videos from Annuals and Ben Folds.

Violet Vector, Birds of Avalon, Old Ceremony play Art on the Edge

From August 21 to August 23, downtown Raleigh will be a buzz with music, theater and art. The event is called Art on the Edge and it will take place in Lichtin Plaza and Fletcher Hall at the Progress Energy Center.

The event will feature local bands The Huguenots, The Cartridge Family, Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies and Birds of Avalon on Thursday and "An evening with" The Old Ceremony on Friday. The Old Ceremony's set will feature aerial dancing by Rebecca Drake and Argentine Tango dancing by Tangophilia.

Thursday's music is free in Lichtin Plaza and Friday's is at Fletcher Hall and tickets are $10. There will be other theater and art events going on each day. For more information, check out the Art on the Edge website.

Art on the Edge music schedule:

Thursday, August 21
5:15 PM - The Huguenots
6:30 PM - The Cartridge Family
8:00 PM - Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies
9:30 PM - Birds of Avalon

Friday, August 22
8:30 PM - The Old Ceremony w/ Rebecca Drake and Tangophilia


Birds of Avalon - "Measure of the Same" (mp3)
The Old Ceremony - "Stubborn Man" (mp3)
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies - "Tame Me Tiger" (mp3)

New Rosebuds - "Life Like"

The Rosebuds new album Life Like is due out on October 7 via Merge Records, but you can download the title track of the album now at the bottom of this post. You can also stream three more tracks from the album on The Rosebuds' MySpace page. They may get rotated out but they currently include "Bow To The Middle," "Nice Fox" and "Cape Fear."

Check out the details of the new album here.

Don't forget, The Rosebuds will be playing with Superchunk and Birds of Avalon at the Cat's Cradle on August 29 to benefit Cy Rawls. Tickets are available via etix.com.

The Rosebuds - "Life Like" (mp3)

Counting Crows offer live show downloads

Counting Crows fans can download a bit of concert memorabilia thanks to a new site, livecountingcrows.com, which offers recordings of the group's concerts.

The band's Sept. 29 show from Raleigh's Walnut Creek is currently available in MP3 and FLAC format, along with shows from Charlotte, Jones Beach and Boston. Subsequent concerts will be up a couple days after they happen but are available for pre-order.

At $9.99 for a full concert MP3 download it's not a bad deal. CDs are also available for $21, which seems a little steep unless it came with customized liner notes with photos from the show.

Though it will mostly be hardcore fans to purchase these shows, more bands should do this sort of thing. I'm still meaning to head over to playedlastnight.com and download The Swell Season's show at Meymandi Hall back in May.

Know of any other bands or sites offering this service? Let us know in the comments.

Once Counting Crows finish their U.S. tour in early October, they'll gear up for a round of European dates with our homeboy Ben Folds and The Hold Steady.

Dec. 2 Newcastle Arena (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 4 Nottingham Arena (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 5 Wembley Arena (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 7 Manchester Arena (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 8 Cardiff Arena (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 10 BIC - Bournemouth
Dec. 11 Brighton Centre (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 13 NEC Arena, Birmingham (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 14 Sheffield Arena (w/Ben Folds & Melee)
Dec. 16 Brabanthallen - Den Bosch, Holland (w/The Hold Steady & Melee)
Dec. 20 The O2, Dublin (w/The Hold Steady & Melee)
Dec. 21 Odyssey Arena, Belfast (w/The Hold Steady & Melee)

iTunes single of the week: SLO-O "Soul On Ice"

This week's free single comes from San Francisco rapper SLO-O. This song is "Soul On Ice" and while it's not the worst thing in the world, it's nothing to write home about. The beat is pretty uninspired and the song goes nowhere.

I really don't have much to say about this one except I don't recommend it. As always though, I'll include the download link below and you can decide for yourself.

Portastatic stream new album, celebrate release in Chapel Hill

We brought you the details of Portastatic's new double-disc rarities collection, Some Small History, a few weeks ago and now you can stream the entire album. Go to Merge Records website and click Listen/Watch to find the album stream.

Some Small History is due out on September 9 and the band will celebrate the release with a show at Local 506 on September 12. No openers or ticket prices are available yet, but we'll let you know once we know.

Check out our review and photos of Portastatic's recent show at Duke Gardens here.

Pre-order Some Small History here.

Conor Oberst brings his best to the Cradle

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band played a phenomenal set Saturday night at the Cat's Cradle.

Oberst and the five members of the Mystic Valley Band played an amazing set to the sold out Cradle crowd, mostly from his newly released self-titled solo album. The energetic, passionate set kept the crowd engaged, some of which were from as far away as Buffalo.

Highlights of the set included the foot-stomping tune "NYC - Gone, Gone," "Souled Out!!!," a blues standard "Corrina, Corrina" and "Cape Canaveral." Mystic Valley guitarists Nik Freitas and Taylor Hollingsworth even got a chance to take the lead on a song each. Hollingsworth belted out "Central City" from his album Bad Little Kitty while Freitas sang the song "Sun Down" from his recent album aptly titled, Sun Down.

The band was tight and sounded amazing all night. Kudos are definitely due to the band's front-of-house sound engineer who mixed the best sounding show I've heard at the Cradle.

Local buzz band I Was Totally Destroying It was the first of two openers Saturday night. The band played a raucous set of pop tunes which was okay, but not phenomenal. They have a lot of energy and potential. I'd like to hear what they sound like in a few years.

Oklahoma band Evangelicals was the second opener of the night. These guys have built quite a buzz but there set was disappointing. Frontman Josh Jones' vocals were so drenched with reverb and echo that it was just irritating. There may have been some good songs under the wall of noise, but it was hard to tell.

Conor ruled the night, though, proving that maybe he doesn't need to use the Bright Eyes name anymore — as a solo act he's just as good or better.

-----

Check out Oberst's brand new video for "Souled Out!!!" below.



Conor Oberst - "Danny Callahan" (mp3)
Nik Freitas - "Sun Down" (mp3)

Funk legend Isaac Hayes dead at 65

Funk legend Isaac Hayes, best known for his music in the 1971 movie Shaft, has passed away today at the age of 65.

He was found at his home in Memphis by family next to a running treadmill. He was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital after 2PM.

In recent years, Hayes was best known for his voice work as Chef on South Park, though he left the show in 2006 after the show's creators poked fun at scientology which is Hayes religion.

I never had a chance to see Hayes perform but I did visit his restaurant/nightclub once in Memphis which is quite nice. He will always be remembered for his funkalicious music and that deep voice.

Against Me! and Ted Leo join forces

Against Me!, had one of the biggest breakthrough albums of 2007 and are now gearing up for a fall tour with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. UK alt-punksters Future of the Left will open the entire tour and will fit right in.

Against Me! have been touring non-stop since the release of New Wave last July, including touring with Foo Fighters earlier this year and a performance at Bonnaroo in June. Ted Leo have spent the last year and a half supporting the album, Living With the Living, including opening for Pearl Jam on a few dates this year. Both bands have had exciting years and will undoubtedly put on a great tour this fall. The complete list of dates can be found below.

The month-long trek will include a stop at Greene Street in Greensboro. It's not quite the Triangle, but it's close. The Greene Street show is on October 7 and tickets are available for $17 via etix.com.

Against Me!/Ted Leo and the Pharmacists tour:
09-30 Birmingham, AL - Workplay
10-01 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
10-02 Hilton Head, SC - Stages Music and More
10-03 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
10-04 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
10-05 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
10-07 Greensboro, NC - Greene Street
10-08 Washington, DC - Black Cat
10-09 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
10-10 Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
10-11 New York, NY - Webster Hall
10-12 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
10-14 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
10-15 Des Moines, IA - People's Court
10-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-17 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater
10-18 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
10-20 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
10-21 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theater
10-22 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb." (mp3)
Future of the Left - "adeadenemyalwaysmellsgood" (mp3)

Wolfmother split, but will continue?

Australian band Wolfmother announced today that they've split up, citing "longstanding friction." The band played their last show on Sunday in Australia which was described as "fraught" and "tense."

Bassist/keyboard player Chris Ross decided to leave first and drummer Myles Heskett followed as opposed to staying in a new incarnation of Wolfmother.

The Wolfmother brand is not dead though. It seems the band name will live on with lead singer Andrew Stockdale and a new line-up.

Will Wolfmother 2.0 rock has hard as the original? Only time will tell.

Wolfmother - "Woman" (mp3)

New of Montreal - "Id Engager"

Of Montreal are gearing up to release their new album Skeletal Lamping on October 7, the same day they'll kick off their tour at the Carolina Theatre in Durham.

Now, we have a new song from the album for you to download below. It's the last track from Skeletal Lamping titled "Id Engager." The song is a fun, danceable and cheeky and not a big departure from the band's last two albums. The song does have a bit of a tribal feel at times which is a bit different.

Tickets for the Carolina Theatre show are available here. For the complete list of tour dates, the Skeletal Lamping track list and other info, check out this post from July.

of Montreal - "Id Engager" (mp3)

Minus the Bear hit the road, Annuals open

Seattle indie rock band Minus the Bear are gearing up to hit the road for six weeks to play shows across the country. The band just re-released an EP They Make Beer Commercials About This in June. The EP was remastered and includes a bonus track, "Houston, We Have Uh-Oh."

Minus the Bear will be joined by local superstars Annuals for the entire tour, who have a new album titled Such Fun due out on October 7, the day before the tour begins.

The tour includes a stop at Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh on October 29. The two bands will be joined by Canadian band, Sylvie for the Lincoln Theatre date. Tickets for that show are on-sale now via a fan club presale and will be available to the public on August 9 via etix.com. Tickets are $16 in advance.

Minus the Bear & Annuals tour dates:
Oct 8 -- Spokane, WA -- Service Station
Oct 9 -- Missoula, MT -- The Other Side
Oct 11 -- Denver, CO -- Gothic Theatre
Oct 12 -- Omaha, NE -- Slowdown
Oct 13 -- Iowa City, IA -- The Picador
Oct 15 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Varsity Theatre
Oct 16 -- Milwaukee, WI -- Turner Hall
Oct 17 -- Chicago, IL -- Vic Theatre
Oct 18 -- Columbus, OH -- Newport Music Hall
Oct 19 -- Detroit, MI -- Majestic Theatre
Oct 20 -- Cleveland, OH -- Grog Shop
Oct 21 -- Boston, MA -- Wilbur Theatre
Oct 22 -- Washington, DC -- 930 Club
Oct 23 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Theatre of Living Arts
Oct 24 -- Providence, RI -- Lupo's at the Strand
Oct 25 -- New York, NY -- Webster Hall
Oct 26 -- Sayreville, NJ -- Starland Ballroom
Oct 28 -- Richmond, VA -- The National
Oct 29 -- Raleigh, NC -- Lincoln Theatre
Oct 30 -- Asheville, NC -- The Orange Peel
Oct 31 -- Knoxville, TN -- Bijou Theatre
Nov 1 -- Atlanta, GA -- Variety Playhouse
Nov 3 -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- Revolution
Nov 4 -- Orlando, FL -- House of Blues
Nov 5 -- Jacksonville, FL -- Free Bird Cafe
Nov 7 -- New Orleans, LA -- House of Blues
Nov 8 -- Houston, TX -- House of Blues
Nov 9 -- Austin, TX -- Fun Fun Fun Fest
Nov 10 -- Dallas, TX -- House of Blues
Nov 13 -- Tempe, AZ -- Marquee Theatre
Nov 14 -- San Diego, CA -- Soma
Nov 15 -- Pomona, CA -- Glass House
Nov 16 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Henry Fonda Theatre
Nov 18 -- Sacramento, CA -- Empire
Nov 19 -- San Francisco, CA -- Bimbo's 365 Club

Minus the Bear - "Knights" (mp3) from Planet of Ice
Annuals - "Sore" (mp3) from Wet Zoo EP

iTunes single of the week: Jamey Johnson "In Color"

This week's free single comes from country singer Jamey Johnson. The song "In Color" is about as generic as they come in country music.

The song evokes black and white pictures and the Great Depression among other things in the lyrics to no avail. On top of that the arrangement is boring and the melody is stale.

This is one that I don't recommend at all.

Everybodyfields play three new songs for Daytrotter

The Everybodyfields are currently taking a month and a half off from touring to rest up and write some songs for a new album they hope to release next year. You don't have to wait to hear new songs though.

Daytrotter recently posted a four song session from the band that includes three new songs. The new songs include "I've Been Riding On A Strange Wave," "Suite: Motown" and "Worth Keeping" along with "Lonely Anywhere" from Nothing Is Okay.

Download/stream the session here.

The Everybodyfields will be back in the Triangle on Halloween to play the Cat's Cradle with Will Hoge. The two bands will team up for a series of dates from October to November.

Check out reviews and photos of Everybodyfields' shows at The Pour House in January and at Cat's Cradle in March.

The Everybodyfields - "Everything Is Okay" (mp3)

New Ben Folds - "Hiroshima"

Ben Folds has made the first track from his upcoming album Way To Normal available to stream online. It's the hilarious track titled "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)" which Folds played at his recent show in Cary. You can stream the track on Folds' MySpace and iLike pages.

Also, check out the album art for the album to the right. It's fantastic.

Way To Normal will be out on September 30.

[UPDATE: Check out the new stop-motion video for "Hiroshima" on Spinner.com.]

Local rockers rally for Cy Rawls

The Triangle music community has quickly, and emphatically, rallied around Cy Rawls, described as a tireless supporter of local music, who is being treated for an aggressive brain tumor.

Cy, seen on the right in this photo, is clearly adored by so many in the area. Friends, local bands and club owners have all jumped in to raise money for his treatment. You can read more from his friends on this blog.

The most recent show that's been announced is, well, pretty impressive. Superchunk (in their first gig since the Obama event in May), The Rosebuds and Birds of Avalon will play at Cat's Cradle on Friday, Aug. 29. The $25 cover seems a little steep until you remember these are all great bands, and the show is for a great cause. Kick in some more cash, and for $100 Superchunk will play any song you want. Seriously. It's TBD if they mean from their catalogue or just any song in the universe, but it will make for an interesting show either way.

UPDATE: Mergerecords.com says, "For those of you plan to attend the show, Superchunk will play your request for an additional $100 donation! Superchunk songs are preferred, but cover songs will be considered. Song requests are limited so get yours in quickly!"

You can make an additional donation here.

Local 506 also has a metal show benefit planned for Aug. 21 with Tooth, Grappling Hook and Up the Irons, an Iron Maiden tribute band. The cover that night is $8.

UPDATE: Another show has been added to the roster. The Magic Babies, Cantwell, Gomez, & Jordan, Polvo, Double Negative and Fin Fang Foom will play Cat's Cradle on Sunday, Aug. 17. Cover is $15.