Jay-Z coming to NC for Obama

The Obama campaign have just announced that Jay-Z will come to North Carolina this Saturday (Nov. 1) as a part of the get-out-the-vote effort. The two events dubbed "Last Chance For Change Rallies" will be held in Charlotte and Greensboro.

The first event of the day will be in Charlotte at Phillip O. Berry Academy. Doors for this event are at 11:15 AM. The second is in Greensboro at North Carolina A&T University at Memorial Student Union. The lawn for this event opens at 2:30 PM.

Tickets are not required for the events, but an RSVP is encouraged. You can RSVP and get more details about the events here.

Also, don't forget that the NC Rocks For Change event with Superchunk and Billy Bragg among many others will begin at 9 AM at UNC on Saturday. Find more on that event here and here.

It's a shame that all these fun events in North Carolina are coming to an end. It's been fun while it lasted.

[UPDATE: It turns out that the Charlotte Jay-Z event was canceled at the last minute.]

Billy Bragg to play Chapel Hill early voting event

This just in from the Portastatic blog: Billy Bragg will play a set at this Saturday's early voting concert in support of Barack Obama. Just another reason to get your butt up early and head out to Morehead Planetarium.

The concert will start at 9am and go until 1pm. And if you live in Orange County you can early vote on site. And if THAT weren't enough, we hear there will even be free donuts. The concert will take place at Graham Terrace, adjacent to the planetarium.

Here's the full lineup, updated with times:
9am Portastatic
9:30 Regina Hexaphone
9:50 Greg Humphries
10:15 Bowerbirds
10:35 I Was Totally Destroying It
11 Megafaun
11:30 Ivan Rosebud
11:50 Superchunk
12:15pm Billy Bragg

Earlier: dBs, Superchunk, Ivan Howard and more to rally for Obama

Annuals play "Confessor" on Conan

Annuals were on Conan last night and played the song "Confessor" from their new album Such Fun. The band were joined by a string quartet which included Daniel Hart of The Physics of Meaning (he's on the far left).

When Conan came over after the song, he wished keyboardist Anna Spence a happy birthday. Conan seems like an incredibly nice guy.

Watch the performance on hulu.com.

Annuals will play Lincoln Theatre tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 29, with Minus the Bear and Sylvie.

Violet Vector hits a home run at Local 506

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies headlined Saturday night's Daily Tarheel Diversions show at Local 506 and the club was packed.

The band took the stage after a great set from Schooner and launched into a set of 60s-inspired psychedelic pop. The group seemed more at ease with the packed house at 506 than the smaller crowd at the Art on the Edge Festival in Raleigh in August. The band gave a lot of energy and the crowd returned it.

The set included a bunch of great new tracks that I don't know the titles for except "Apple Sweet," but they are all killer. The new songs are a step up from the EP I tracks which should make EP II super groovy.

Annuals on Conan tonight!! Late warning!

I don't know how we didn't know about this sooner, but Annuals are performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in about 45 minutes. The show just started, but there's still time to tune in a see the band.

Basketball player and potential future Alabama governor Charles Barkley and actor Justin Long (the Mac guy from the Apple ads) are tonight's other guests. Oh, I'm not kidding about the Charles Barkley thing. Read here.

Annuals made their network television debut on Conan's show in January 2007. The band played "Carry Around" but unfortunately, the video we posted last year has been removed from YouTube.

Hopefully we'll be able to post a video of tonight's performance before the internet cops take it down.

Roman Candle prep new album, EP and tour

Roman Candle are gearing up for a busy 2009. They have been working on a new album Oh Tall Tree in the Ear in Nashville with Jason Lehning. Lehning has worked with Thad Cockrell, Guster and Emerson Heart among many others. The band plan to have the album mixed by Christmas and out in March via Carnival Music.

Fans won't have to wait that long for new music though. Roman Candle are working on an EP at home that they plan to release in early December. They will launch a national tour in January to support the release.

For the latest Roman Candle updates, check out the band's Twitter feed. Roman Candle drummer Logan Matheny is currently playing shows with The Rosebuds, filling in for regular drummer Matt McCaughan. The Twitter is currently updated with his activities and culinary experiences with the band at the CMJ Festival in New York City.

Violet Vector play last show of the year tomorrow!

One of my favorite new local bands Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies will play their last show of the year tomorrow night at Local 506. The show is presented by The Daily Tarheel's Diversions series and is totally free. Schooner and Max Indian are on the bill as well. The show is scheduled to start at 10 PM.

Violet Vector have started recording a new EP, the follow-up to the aptly titled EP I. The band hope to release the new EP in February or March.

And even more news. The band's percussionist and bells player Cathleen Keyser is learning to play the guitar, so look out for even more rock when the band returns in the new year.

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies - "Tame Me Tiger" (mp3)

James Taylor films Obama promo while in NC

One more quick thing about James Taylor's recent tour of North Carolina for Barack Obama. Taylor took the time to film a quick promo about his home state and its participation in this historic election. The video is backed by an instrumental version of "Carolina In My Mind." Check it out below.

Ben Folds Five reunion now streaming!

The Ben Folds Five reunion show that rocked our socks last month is now streaming on MySpace. Watch the Messner portion of the show "Front to Back" here or watch the songs individually here. You can also watch the concert below if you wish. If nothing else, be sure to check out "Your Most Valuable Possession." It is superb.

As originally stated, the MySpace stream only includes the Reinhold Messner set and not the encore. We're still crossing our fingers for a DVD release in the no-so-distant future.

Ben Folds Five - MySpace Front To Back concert

Stream Ryan Adams' 'Cardinology' on iLike

Don't want to wait until next Tuesday to hear Ryan Adams & the Cardinals' latest?

Mosey on over to Facebook to stream the whole thing now, thanks to iLike.

Cardinology, which garnered 4 stars from Rolling Stone, will be released Oct. 28 on Lost Highway Records.

The Rosebuds to play Slim's tonight

Need a show to break up the monotony of your week? Well you're in luck.

The Rosebuds will play a show tonight at Slim's in Raleigh. The show will start around 10:30pm and the cover is just $5. The Shame Club will open.

The band will venture north for CMJ this weekend before heading back home for Troika on Nov. 7 and a cross-country tour through the rest of the month.

dBs, Superchunk, Ivan Howard and more to rally for Obama

Merge Records announced today that there will two shows in North Carolina before election day to rally support for Barack Obama. The first show is in Asheville at the Grey Eagle on October 28 and the second is in Chapel Hill at Graham Terrace at UNC on November 1.

The schedule for both shows is like a "who's who" of North Carolina bands including Tift Merritt, Superchunk, Bowerbirds, Ivan Howard (of The Rosebuds), The dBs, Megafaun and many more. Check out the full list below. It should be an awesome time.

The Chapel Hill show will mark the second time that Superchunk has rallied for Obama. The first time was during the primary with Arcade Fire. Check out the review and photos from that show.

Asheville tickets are available starting at 10AM on October 23 UNC-Asheville's Zeis Hall. You get a ticket when you early vote and they'll be given away until they're gone. The show at Grey Eagle starts at 8PM.

The Chapel Hill show is outside at Graham Terrace (adjacent to the Morehead Planetarium early voting site) and there are no tickets. The show at UNC will start at 9AM and run to 1PM.

Asheville, October 28 line-up:
The Reigning Sound
Tift Merritt
Chris Stamey (dBs)
Portastatic
Greg Humphreys (of Hobex)
Electric Owls (ex Comas)

Chapel Hill, November 1 line-up:
The dBs
Superchunk (acoustic)
Ivan Rosebud
Megafaun
I Was Totally Destroying It
Bowerbirds
Greg Humphreys
Regina Hexaphone
Portastatic

James Taylor stumps for Obama at UNC

I think I've been to enough campaign events for Barack Obama at this point that I can confidently say when they have an event, they do it right. Last night's James Taylor concert at UNC's Fetzer Field was no exception.

"It's really time for us to get back to work," Taylor told the crowd of several thousand. "I am proud to be among you as a member of your community in supporting Barack Obama."

Taylor urged everyone in attendance to take advantage of early voting across the Triangle to keep lines down on Nov. 4 so people don't get discouraged and go home without casting their ballot. He challenged everyone to find a friend and make them early vote. "Corral 'em. Put a gunny sack around their waist," he said.

If you've never seen James Taylor perform, and I hadn't, you really should go next time he's in town. Not just for his performing ("He sounds just like on his albums!," I heard one student incredulously remark as concertgoers climbed the bleachers after the show.) but also for the comedy act that goes along with his songs.

It's no surprise that as a talented songwriter, Taylor would be a great storyteller too, but the guy is funny! Introducing his song "Sweet Baby James," he told the crowd, "This is a song I wrote driving to North Carolina—in 1903. ... I was abroad for a year—that never sounds right."

He talked about his years with Carole King before singing "You've Got a Friend," saying, "We were sharing a stage, we shared a band — we shared a toothbrush," adding that he'll never forget the first time he heard the song, at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. "Of course I didn't realize I'd be singing it every night for the rest of my life," he said.

When a woman in the bleachers yelled out "I love you!," Taylor replied "I love you too! I think it helps us not to know each other."

Before singing the song "Mexico," he commented "This is a song that usually has a lot of musicians on it. So you'll have to fill them in with your brains."

Not to undermine the cause of the event — to promote support for Barack Obama and Joe Biden — Taylor spoke often about his belief that Obama would bring the change our country needs. He spoke about the late former Gov. Terry Sanford and the creation of RTP, reflecting that he sees the same spirit today in his home state's support of Obama for president. A victory for Obama in North Carolina would mark the first time our state's gone blue since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Set List:
America, the Beautiful
Something In the Way She Moves
Sweet Baby James
You've Got a Friend
Go Obama
Happy Birthday (to an 8-year-old)
Suzanne
Wichita Lineman
(I'm A) Road Runner
Fire and Rain
Carolina In My Mind
---
Mexico
You Can Close Your Eyes
Go Obama



[photos by Kevin Norris]

Merge announces new M. Ward album

Matt Ward (better known as M. Ward) has stayed busy recently. He's toured as the opening act for Norah Jones and produced and performed as half of the duo She & Him. He apparently has not taken much time off in-between projects, because he has a new album due out in February.

The album is titled Hold Time and will be out on February 17, 2009 via Merge Records. The album will be available on CD, LP and as a digital download.

Hold Time will feature some prominent guest contributions from the like of Lucinda Williams, Jason Lytle (of Grandaddy) and Tom Hagerman (of Devotchka). The album will also feature Ward's She & Him counterpart, Zoey Deschanel.

Ward and Deschanel are reportedly working on new tunes for She & Him 'Volume Two.' Ward told Paste that "it's going to be twice as good as Volume One."

A side note about Merge Records: check out David Menconi's fantastic interview with Mac McCaughan about Merge, Portastatic and family life.

Hold Time track list:
01 For Beginners
02 Never Had Nobody Like You
03 Jailbird
04 Hold Time
05 Rave On
06 To Save Me
07 One Hundred Million Years
08 Stars of Leo
09 Fisher of Men
10 Oh Lonesome Me
11 Epistemology
12 Blake's View
13 Shangri-La
14 Outro

The Old Ceremony sends out a call to arms

With a new album, Walk On Thin Air, on the horizon early next year, The Old Ceremony is looking for fans to lend a hand.

"I'm no David Geffen!" frontman Django Haskins joked in an email to fans. He outlined three ways fans can help the band gear up for its February album release.

1. Interns for their label, Alyosha Records. "In the past, we've had interns earn college credit, get great college/work recommendations, pad their resumes, and start a small business empire with stolen post-it notes. You can follow in this illustrious tradition with however much time and love you're willing to put in. The period between now and February is the most crucial time for The Old Ceremony and we'd love for you to be a part of the team. You'll also get exclusive goodies, show tickets, and free merch (and many heartfelt thanks) for your efforts. With the wonders of the internet and telephone, you don't even have to live in NC. we have operators standing by 23/6 at toc@djangohaskins.com."

2. Street team members. "So you have a "job" and you can't "afford" to "work" for TOC as an "intern." Fine, we can still find outlets for your desire to help TOC become the next big thing. just drop us a line and let us know that you'd like to help get the word out, whether it be networking via facebook and myspace, calling your local radio station, or hanging fliers in your hometown and we'll let you know how you can help."

3. Video and design gurus. "If you or someone you know likes to work with video production or animation, we're looking for someone to do a music video for one of the songs on the new album. we're open to suggestion and would love to see what you come up with (and will prominently post em everywhere). Also, we're always looking for new poster/t-shirt designs, so feel free to send those to us anytime at toc@djangohaskins.com."

In the meantime, you can support the band by checking out their upcoming local shows. The Old Ceremony is set to play at Carolina Theater in Durham on Friday, Nov. 7, as part of TROIKA and at The Pour House on Thursday, Nov. 20.

James Taylor shows for Obama, now with details

We now have the info on those James Taylor shows for Barack Obama next week. I'll keep the chatter sparse and get right to the details, because there's a lot of them.

Here's the schedule:
Sunday, October 19 - Charlotte - Ovens Auditorium - 1:30 PM doors
Sunday, October 19 - Asheville - Martin Luther King Park - 6:30 PM doors
Monday, October 20 - Chapel Hill - Fetzer Field (UNC) - 5:00 PM doors
Tuesday, October 21 - Raleigh - Moore Square - 11:30 AM doors
Tuesday, October 21 - Wilmington - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater - 5:00PM doors

Venue details:
Ovens Auditorium - 2700 E. Independence Ave., Charlotte
Martin Luther King Park - 50 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Asheville
Fetzer Field - UNC (behind Carmichael Auditorium on South Road), Chapel Hill
Moore Square - 200 South Blount St., Raleigh
Greenfield Lake Ampitheater - at 3rd St. & Park St., Wilmington

Ticket distribution:

Charlotte tickets available on Friday, October 17 from 11 AM to 7 PM at:

• South County Regional Library - 5801 Rea Rd., Charlotte
• Plaza Midwood Regional Library - 1623 Central Ave., Charlotte
• University City Library - 301 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte

Asheville tickets available on Friday and Saturday, October 17 and 18 from 10 AM to 6 PM at:

• UNC Asheville, Zeis Building - 1 University Heights, Asheville
• West Asheville Library - 942 Haywood Rd., Asheville
• Asheville Senior Opportunity Center - 36 Grove St., Asheville

Chapel Hill tickets available Friday thru Sunday, October 17-19 from 9 AM to 4 PM at:

• UNC Chapel Hill Planetarium - 250 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
• Carrboro Town Commons - 301 W. Main St., Carrboro
• Orange County Public Library - 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough

Raleigh tickets available Friday thru Sunday, October 17-19 from 9 AM to 6 PM at:

• Raleigh for Change HQ - 130 E. Morgan St., Raleigh
• Boleyn Heights for Change HQ - 600 St. Mary’s St., Raleigh
• Galaxy Theater - 770 Cary Towne Blvd., Cary (9AM-6PM Sat., 12PM-6PM Fri. & Sun.)

Wilmington tickets available Friday and Monday, October 17 and 20 from 2 PM to 5 PM at:

• Government Center Plaza (Patio of Sombrero Azul) - 127 S College St., Wilmington

Duke Coffeehouse hosting reopening bash

Ditch the crowds at the State Fair this Saturday and head over to Duke Coffeehouse for a free event with something for everyone.

Duke Coffeehouse is celebrating some renovations with a reopening bash this Saturday starting at 2 p.m. Head on out for some quality free entertainment, including t-shirt making with the Scrap Exchange, music from WXDU DJs from 3-5 p.m. and live music from Lost in the Trees, The Beast, Stella by Starlight, Down River and Panda Force from 2-7.

Check out the Coffeehouse schedule for more great shows throughout the season. Personally, I'm excited for The Explorers Club and The Never on Nov. 7.

James Taylor to span state for Obama

James Taylor's bringing it home — literally — to encourage North Carolina voters to go the polls for Barack Obama on November 4.

The crooner will swing through the state, from Asheville to Wilmington, in a series of free concerts next week, confirms the N&O's David Menconi.

Taylor will stop in Raleigh on Tuesday, Oct. 21, with whispers putting him at Moore Square around noon. We'll bring you details on exact times, locations and any ticket info as we get them, but Obama's NC home page is usually a good place to check for event tickets.

The Ting Tings cancel some US dates

It looks like The Ting Tings may have canceled at least two shows on their US tour which kicks off tonight in LA. The show due to take place at Lincoln Theatre on October 26 is definitely canceled according to the venue site as is the show at the House of Blues in New Orleans.

I'll post a list of dates below and cross out the ones that I can confirm are canceled. I'll try to keep the list updated if more shows are canceled.

[UPDATE: Vegas is also canceled.]

The Ting Tings tour:
10/14/08 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern *
10/16/08 - Las Vegas, NV - Jillians
10/17/08 - Dallas, TX - Pontiac Room @ House of Blues
10/19/08 - Austin, TX - The Parish
10/20/08 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
10/21/08 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10/23/08 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Theatre
10/25/08 - Williamsburg, VA - College of William & Mary
10/26/08 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
10/29/08 - Hartford, CT - Connecticut Expo Center (Boo Bash)
10/30/08 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club (Boo Bash)
11/01/08 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

Cheap tickets to see Magnetic Fields at Meymandi

Want to go to The Magnetic Fields show at Meymandi Hall but don't want to pony up the $25 plus fees? If you answered yes, then you're in luck.

The Cat's Cradle is promoting 2-for-1 balcony seats for the show. The tickets actually are listed for $13 and it appears that you don't actually have to buy 2 tickets to get the deal. Yes, TicketBastard is still going to charge a $5.50 convenience charge for tickets, but $18.50 is better than $25 plus.

The special will run until all the balcony seats are sold according to the Cat's Cradle.

The show is at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh this Saturday, October 18. Portastatic will open the show, so get there early, or at least on time.

Ringo doesn't want your damn fan mail

Been working on the perfect fan letter to send Ringo Starr? Well, you'd better get that shit in the mail ASAP.

After 45 years of receiving fan mail and drafting his thoughtful replies, everyone's favorite drumming Beatle has had damn near enough of it. If your letter's not postmarked by Oct. 20, it's going in the trash.

"It's going to be tossed," he says in a snippy little video on his website. "I'm warning you with peace and love, I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love."

I'M WARNING YOU WITH PEACE AND LOVE, the man says.

You guys, Ringo's got shit to do. No fan mail from you.

Zeppelin to tour after all without Plant?

So we reported a few weeks ago rumors of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour which a statement from Robert Plant quickly squashed. Well, it looks like Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonaham have decided that Plant needs to get his shit together and agree to the tour or suffer the consequences.

How exactly do they plan to get him to agree to the tour you ask? Apparently, the band have been rehearsing with a new singer, Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge. The potential shitiness of Zeppelin touring with Kennedy on vocals is expected to make Plant come around and agree to the tour. Just for some perspective, Kennedy and Alter Bridge played Downtown live in Moore Square this past July. Moore Square is a far cry from Madison Square.

Now this report comes from Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, so take it with a grain of salt, but it would seem that at least two-thirds and one offspring really want to bring the music to the people again and I'm all for it. I think I speak for a lot of people in saying, we don't want to see this ass clown Myles Kennedy singing with Led Zeppelin. He may be a decent guy, but his band is shit.

So I say this, get off your high horse Plant and give the people what they want. The world could use some Led Zeppelin right now.

Check out more on Much Music's blog.

Troika announces full schedule

Last week, the full line-up for the Troika Festival in Durham was announced. The festival will run from November 6 to 8 and there's a bunch of great bands playing, but the big show will be Friday night at the Carolina Theatre. That show will feature The Rosebuds, Kimya Dawson, The Old Ceremony and Bellafea as well as a showing of the Girls Rock NC movie.

3-day passes for the festival are available for $20 via troikamusicfestival.org. A ticket for just the Carolina Theatre show are $15 and available at the theatre box office. Thursday and Saturday passes are $5 each and available at any participating venue on the day of the show. These tickets will get you into any of the shows on that day.

So check out the schedule and plot your course now.

Thursday, 6 November

Durham Central Park
8:30PM Future Kings of Nowhere
7:45PM Lost in the Trees
7:00PM Paleface
6:15PM All Your Science
5:30PM Angelo Spencer

Duke Coffeehouse
11:15PM Red Collar
10:15PM Sorry About Dresden
9:30PM Le Weekend
8:45PM Sequoya
8:00PM Pink Flag

The Pinhook
11:15PM Future Islands
10:30PM Screaming Females
9:45PM Juan Huevos
9:00PM Dylan Gilbert
(DJ) Alex Kotch

The Marvell Event Center
10:45PM Midnight Gladness Band
10:00PM Doly Toro
9:15PM Oso Optimo
8:30PM Sawteeth McTweedy

Alivia's
9:00PM Brett Harris
8:15PM Bob Funck
7:30PM Matthew Boles

James Joyce
10:15PM Jews and Catholics
9:30PM Simple
8:45PM Sugar in the Dirt
8:00PM Fujiyama Roll

Broad Street Café
11:30PM Puritan Rodeo
10:45PM Fontana
10:00PM Shakermaker

- - - - - - - - - - -

Friday, 7 November

The Carolina Theatre
10:45PM The Rosebuds
9:30PM Kimya Dawson
8:30PM The Old Ceremony
7:30PM Bellafea
5:00PM Girls Rock NC Program

Bull McCabe's
12:45AM Ex-Monkeys
11:55PM Wigg Report

- - - - - - - - - - -

Saturday, 8 November

Broad Street Café
12:15AM Hammer No More The Fingers
11:30PM The Dry Heathens
10:45PM The Scott Waite Debacle
10:00PM Death to the Details

The Pinhook
11:00PM I Was Totally Destroying It
10:15PM The Travesties
9:30PM The Pneurotics
8:45PM Resist Not

Duke Coffeehouse
11:35PM Tooth
10:45PM Midtown Dickens
10:00PM The Curtains of Night
9:15PM Cantwell, Gomez, and Jordan
8:35PM The Gates of Beauty
8:00PM Clawform

James Joyce
10:15PMVelvet
9:30PM *SONS
8:45PM The Heist and the Accomplice
8:00PM Sea Cow

The Sirens Lounge
11:00PM Schooner
10:15PM Nathan Oliver
9:15PM The Proclivities
8:30PM Rat Jackson

The Marvell Event Center
10:30PM A Rooster for the Masses
9:45PM Dr. Powerful
9:00PM Veronique Diabolique
8:15PM The Virgo 9

Alivia's
9:30PM Spencer Scholes
8:45PM Tea & Tempests
8:00PM Clayton Sabine

Slow Runner, William Fitzsimmons, Caitlin Crosby hit the road for Paste

One of our favorite regional bands, Slow Runner, will hit the road with the incredibly talented William Fitzsimmons and Caitlin Crosby in late October. The tour is sponsored by Paste magazine who recently named Slow Runner one of it's 25 "Best of What's Next."

Slow Runner have deemed the tour the unofficial Mermaids tour. The band just released Mermaids, their third album, earlier this year.

Slow Runner guitarist Scott Baumil will not be accompanying the band on tour due to scholastic commitments, but William Fitzsimmons will fill in for the tour.

The tour will come to The Pour House in Raleigh on November 3, the night before election day. Tickets for the show are available via musictoday.com or Slow Runner's ticketing site for $10 plus fees (they're offering a free Paste subscription with a ticket purchase via Slow Runner's ticketing site).

Slow Runner, William Fitzsimmons, Caitlin Crosby tour dates:
Oct 28 2008 - The Pour House - Charleston, SC
Oct 29 2008 - The Hummingbird - Macon, GA
Oct 30 2008 - The Crimson Moon Cafe - Dahlonega, GA
Oct 31 2008 - Eddie's Attic - Decatur, GA
Nov 1 2008 - Douglas Corner Cafe - Nashville, TN
Nov 2 2008 - Evening Muse - Charlotte, NC
Nov 3 2008 - The Pour House - Raleigh, NC
Nov 7 2008 - Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA
Nov 8 2008 - The Chameleon - Lancaster, PA
Nov 9 2008 - Canal Room - New York, NY
Nov 11 2008 - Iron Horse - Northhampton, MA
Nov 13 2008 - Johnny D's - Somerville, MA
Nov 14 2008 - Tin Angel - Philadelphia, PA
Nov 15 2008 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 16 2008 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
Nov 17 2008 - The Ark - Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 19 2008 - Canal Street - Dayton, OH
Nov 20 2008 - Lucas School House - St. Louis, MO
Nov 21 2008 - Cafe Montmartre - Madison, WI
Nov 22 2008 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL

Chinese Democracy finally has a release date

Well, after years of speculation, hilarity and ridiculous BS, it looks like the long-awaited Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy will finally be released according to Billboard. I personally have never been a fan of the band, even when one of it's members didn't wear a bucket on his head, but the drama surrounding this album's release has been amusing.

So now for the information. Chinese Democracy will is set for release on November 23, a Sunday. The album will be available exclusively at Best Buy and the Sunday release date was set up to coincide with the Best Buy sales week.

In the spring, Dr. Pepper announced that if the album was finally released any time in 2008, the company would give "everyone in America" a free Dr. Pepper. In a quote given to Billboard, Dr. Pepper's VP of Marketing Tony Jacobs said "If the rumors are true, we're putting the Dr. Pepper on ice."

Is it sad that I'm more excited about the free Dr. Pepper than I am about the album?

[photo by George Chin]

Bowerbirds cancel almost all North American dates

Local band Bowerbirds have decided to cancel all of their upcoming North American tour dates except for two. According to Pitchfork, the band are citing exhaustion as the reason for the cancellations. The band just wrapped up an European tour and have been touring heavily all year.

The canceled shows includes two weeks of shows with Calexico. That exposure would have been great for the band. The dates with Calexico included a Cat's Cradle date on November 12 which is among the canceled shows. It has yet to be announced who, if anyone will replace the Bowerbirds on the Calexico dates.

Bowerbirds dates still on the books:
Oct 11 08 - Norfolk, VA - Attucks Theatre
Dec 13 08 - Madison, GA - Madison-Morgan Cultural Center

Bowerbirds - "In Our Talons" (mp3)

Royal Bangs to drop by Schoolkids after the Rodeo [Canceled]

Knoxville band Royal Bangs, who opened for The Black Keys last night at Disco Rodeo, will stop by Schoolkids Records this afternoon. The band will play a set today at 5:30PM sharp!

[UPDATE: Well, the in-store has been canceled. Here's the statement that Schoolkids received from the band's label.

"We are so sorry to tell you that Royal Bangs had to return home after last night's show. apparently one of the band members had something he had to attend to. It was important enough to cancel with you guys, something they know is not cool. We totally apologize. We really wanted this to happen."

So within a few hours of this post, the show was off. Sorry guys.]

Royal Bangs debut album We Breed Champions is out now via Audio Eagle Records.

Royal Bangs tour dates:
Oct 7 2008 - Coyotes at City Block - Louisville, KY *
Oct 8 2008 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN *
Oct 9 2008 - LC Amphitheatre - Columbus, OH *
Oct 10 2008 - Madison Theatre - Covington, KY *
Oct 11 2008 - EJ Thomas Hall - Akron, OH *
Oct 25 2008 - CMJ (L Magazine Party) - Brooklyn, NY
Oct 25 2008 - Cake Shop (CMJ Music Fest) - New York, NY
Nov 6 2008 - Skull Alley - Louisville, KY
Nov 7 2008 - The Basement - Nashville, TN
Nov 8 2008 - Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN
Nov 9 2008 - The Milestone - Charlotte, NC
Nov 13 2008 - Khyber - Philadelphia, PA
Nov 14 2008 - Death By Audio - Brooklyn, NY
Nov 17 2008 - The Bug Jar - Rochester, NY
Nov 20 2008 - Corktown Tavern - Detriot, MI
Nov 22 2008 - The Picador Iowa City, Iowa
Nov 23 2008 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN
Nov 24 2008 - Lemp Arts Neighborhood Center - St. Louis, MO
Nov 25 2008 - The Buccaneer - Memphis, TN

* w/ The Black Keys

Mates of State hit the road, play Cradle

Husband-wife duo, Mates of State will hit the road on their own after a run of dates with Santogold this month. The headline run kicks off on October 16 with a trio of Michigan dates and before truly kicking off on November 7 in New Jersey. The tour includes three North Carolina dates including one at the Cat's Cradle.

The Cradle show is on November 22 and tickets go on sale this Saturday, October 4. Tickets will be $12 in advance and will be available via etix.com.

Mates of State released their new album Re-Arrange Us in May. Download a track from the album at the bottom of the post.

Mates of State tour dates:
Oct 16 2008 - Northern MI University - Marquette, MI
Oct 17 2008 - Calvin College Fine Arts Center Grand - Rapids, MI
Oct 18 2008 - Kalamazoo State Theater Kalamazoo, MI
Oct 19 2008 - Magic Stick Detroit, MI
Nov 7 2008 - Wonder Bar - Asbury Park, NJ
Nov 8 2008 - The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
Nov 9 2008 - West Virginia University Creative Arts - Morgantown, WV
Nov 11 2008 - Black Cat - Washington, DC
Nov 12 2008 - Gravity Lounge - Charlottesville, VA
Nov 13 2008 - Neighborhood Theatre - Charlottesville, NC
Nov 14 2008 - The Dame - Lexington, KY
Nov 15 2008 - Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY
Nov 16 2008 - Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall - Asheville, NC
Nov 17 2008 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN
Nov 19 2008 - Freebird Live - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Nov 20 2008 - The Loft - Atlanta, GA
Nov 21 2008 - The Handlebar - Greenville, SC
Nov 22 2008 - Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Nov 23 2008 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD

Mates of State - "My Only Offer" (mp3)