The Avett Brothers release new 3-song EP

The Avett Brothers have a little surprise for fans today. They released a 3-song EP titled I and Love and You EP today on iTunes. All three tracks are from the band's new album of the same name due out on September 29. The EP will help bridge the gap between now and the release date. Check out the track list below.

I and Love and You EP track list:
1. I and Love and You
2. Kick Drum Heart
3. Laundry Room

The band are currently on tour, which still does not include a date in the Triangle, though one is likely coming around the release of the new album. Check out the current tour dates below.

The Avett Brothers dates:
07.09.09 - Norfolk, VA - Norfolk Opera House [Tickets]
07.10.09 - Richmond, VA - The National [Tickets]
07.11.09 - Roanoke, VA - Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
07.12.09 - Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival [Tickets]
07.16.09 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheater [Tickets]
07.17.09 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.18.09 - Tampa, FL - The Cuban Club
07.19.09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker Playhouse [Tickets]
07.24.09 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.25.09 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.30.09 - Buffalo, NY - Thursday at the Square
07.31.09 - Syracuse, NY - Westcott Theatre
08.01.09 - Newport, RI - Folk Festival 50
08.02.09 - Northhampton, MA - Calvin Theater
08.04.09 - Dewey Beach, DE - Bottle & Cork [Tickets]
08.08.09 - Charlotte, NC - Bojangles Coliseum [Tickets]
08.14.09 - Ozark, AR - Mulberry Mountain Festival
08.15.09 - Kansas City, MO - Crossroads
08.16.09 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
08.19.09 - Telluride, CO - Sunset Concert Series
08.20.09 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Streamboat Springs Free Summer
08.21.09 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
08.22.09 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater [Tickets]
08.25.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden
08.26.09 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory [Tickets]
08.28.09 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
08.29.09 - Jacksonville, OR - Britt Festival
08.30.09 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Festival
09.01.09 - Arcata, CA - HSU Van Duzer Theater
09.03.09 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Theatre [Tickets]
09.04.09 - Camp Mather, CA - Strawberry Music Festival
09.05.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre [Tickets]
09.17.09 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston PAC [Tickets]
09.18.09 - Augusta, GA - Westobou Festival
09.19.09 - Tallahassee, FL - The Moon
09.20.09 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Bama Theatre [Tickets]
09.22.09 - Oxford, MS - The Lyric
09.24.09 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
09.25.09 - Little Rock, AR - Robinson Center Music Hall [Tickets]
09.26.09 -Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
09.27.09 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
09.29.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Baton Rouge River Center Theatre [Tickets]
10.01.09 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues [Tickets]
10.02.09 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
10.03.09 - Midwest City, KY - Rose State PAC
10.05.09 - Murray, KY - Lovett Auditorium [Tickets]
10.15.09 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live [Tickets]
10.16.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory [Tickets]
10.17.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 [Tickets]
10.18.09 - Boston, MA - House of Blues [Tickets]
10.20.09 - Iowa City, IA - Englert Theatre
10.21.09 - Madison, WI - The Barrymore Theatre
10.22.09 - Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club
10.29.09 - Huntington, WV - Keith Albee Theatre [Tickets]
10.30.09 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace
10.31.09 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium [Tickets]

The Get Up Kids add new reunion dates, play Carrboro

The Get Up Kids are reuniting for a tour this fall which will be the first since the band's hiatus after their 2005 tour. The tour will kick off in the band's hometown of Kansas City, MO on September 11. The band will play the Cat's Cradle on November 10 with Kevin Devine and The Life and Times. Tickets for the show will go on sale on July 23 for $18 via etix.com.

Check out the dates below as well as a few mp3s from the band.

The Get Up Kids - "Holiday" (mp3)
The Get Up Kids - "Ten Minutes" (mp3)
The Get Up Kids - "Up on the Roof" (mp3)
The Get Up Kids - "Martyr Me" (mp3)

The Get Up Kids dates:
09.11.09 - Kansas City, MO - Harrah’s [Tickets]
09.15.09 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater [Tickets]
09.16.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
09.18.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumo’s
09.19.09 - Portland, OR - Music Fest NW
09.21.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
09.23.09 - Pomona, CA - The Glasshouse [Tickets]
09.24.09 - Hollywood, CA - Avalon
09.25.09 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues [Tickets]
09.26.09 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues [Tickets]
09.27.09 - Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
09.29.09 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
09.30.09 - Dallas, TX - Granada
10.01.09 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
10.02.09 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
10.03.09 - Iowa City, IA - Picador
10.20.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater [Tickets]
10.21.09 - Chicago, IL - Metro/Smart Bar
10.22.09 - Chicago, IL - Metro/Smart Bar
10.23.09 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
10.24.09 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre [Tickets]
10.25.09 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre [Tickets]
10.27.09 - Buffalo, NY - The Town Ballroom
10.28.09 - Worchester, MA - The Palladium
10.29.09 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
10.31.09 - New York, NY - Filmore @ Irving Plaza
11.01.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
11.03.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
11.04.09 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva [Tickets]
11.05.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero [Tickets]
11.06.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
11.07.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre [Tickets]
11.08.09 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall [Tickets]
11.10.09 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
11.11.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
11.12.09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution Live [Tickets]
11.13.09 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues [Tickets]
11.14.09 - St. Petersburg, FL - The State Theatre
11.16.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
11.17.09 - Houston, TX - House of Blues [Tickets]
11.18.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's [Tickets]

NC State Fair line-up announced, fairly typical

This year's Dorton Arena performance schedule for the 2009 State Fair has been announced, and it's not surprising that it follows the same formula we see year after year. There's an assortment of country and Christian music and this year, there's some Nickelodeon music tossed in.

Local boy Jason Michael Carroll will kick things off on October 15 and Eric Church will wrap things up on the 25th. The one interesting show of the bunch is The Temptations on October 20, which will feature lead singer Dennis Edwards.

There's still one hole in the schedule. The October 22 performer is still "to be announced." The notable absence is someone from the Food Network. Bobby Flay was there last year and Paul Dean was there in 2007.

[UPDATE: American Idol contestant and Chapel Hill native Anoop Desai has filled the October 22 spot. My Food Network prediction did not come to pass.]

Tickets for the shows will go on sale on August 3 via etix.com. Check out the schedule and ticket prices below.

NC State Fair Dorton Arena performers:
10.15 - Jason Michael Carroll - $5
10.16 - Third Day - $15
10.17 - Kellie Pickler - $10
10.18 - Nat and Alex Wolff - $10
10.19 - Jamey Johnson - $5
10.20 - Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards - $10
10.21 - Julianne Hough - $5
10.22 - Anoop Desai - $5
10.23 - Jeremy Camp and Tenth Avenue North - $10
10.24 - Blake Shelton - $10
10.25 - Eric Church - $5

Merge video retrospective: She & Him - "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

Jumping right back to recent releases, tonight's Merge Retrospective Video comes from She & Him's 2008 debut album Volume One. It's for the delightful pop tune "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" which we featured here on the blog almost exactly one year ago. It is still one of my favorite videos of 2008.

Click here for the rest of the Merge Video Retrospective series.

She & Him is playing the final night of the XX Merge Fest at Memorial Hall on July 26 with American Music Club and Wye Oak. Tickets are still available here.

"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

Who's Bad tour schedule is growing steadily

While we generally don't talk about cover/tribute bands here, since Michael Jackson's shocking passing, it seems fitting to mention the Triangle's own nationally renowned tribute band, Who's Bad.

The band is in high demand right now and is adding dates left and right as demand for Michael Jackson's music in all forms goes through the roof. Check out a great piece from N&O about their increased demand here.

Among the band's upcoming dates is a show in Raleigh this weekend, July 11 at Fosters in Cameron Village. The band will also play the Cat's Cradle on September 18. Tickets for the show will be on sale soon via etix.com.

I personally stumbled across the band a few years ago in Wilmington, NC and was blown away by how well they performed Jackson's catalog. They are an incredibly entertaining group of musicians and performers.

Who's Bad dates:
07.08.09 - Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head
07.09.09 - Charlotte, NC - Alive After 5 @ Epicentre
07.10.09 - Wilmington, NC - Downtown Sundown
07.11.09 - Raleigh, NC - Fosters Outdoor
07.17.09 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.18.09 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.19.09 - Jacksonville, FL - Freebird Live
07.22.09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution Live [Tickets]
07.23.09 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz [Tickets]
07.24.09 - Isle of Palms, SC - The Windjammer
07.25.09 - Isle of Palms, SC - The Windjammer
07.31.09 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel [Tickets]
08.01.09 - Atlanta, GA - Andrews Upstairs
08.05.09 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues [Tickets]
08.06.09 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues [Tickets]
08.07.09 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues [Tickets]
08.08.09 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues [Tickets]
08.12.09 - Peroia, IL - Festival Park
08.13.09 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues [Tickets]
08.14.09 - Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fair
08.15.09 - Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fair
08.16.09 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection [Tickets]
08.20.09 - Rockford, IL - Tebala Shrine Temple
08.21.09 - Schaumburg, IL - John Barleycorn
08.22.09 -Merrionette Park, IL - 115 Bourbon St
08.26.09 - Boulder, CO - The Fox Theatre
08.27.09 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Ghostranch
08.28.09 - Breckenridge, CO - The Riverwalk Ampitheatre
08.29.09 - Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theatre [Tickets]
08.30.09 - Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre
09.04.09 - Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
09.09.09 - Evansville, IN - Woody’s Outdoor Stage [Tickets]
09.10.09 - Urbana, IL - Canopy Club
09.11.09 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
09.12.09 - Bloomington, IN - The Bluebird
09.17.09 - Johnson City, TN - Electric Cowboy
09.18.09 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
09.19.09 - Greensboro, NC - Greene Street Club
10.02.09 - Mableton, GA - Mable House Ampitheatre
10.03.09 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
10.07.09 - Oxford, MS - Lyric Theatre
10.08.09 - Starkville, MS - State Theatre
10.09.09 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues [Tickets]
10.12.09 - Richmond, BC - River Rock Theatre
10.13.09 - Richmond, BC - River Rock Theatre
10.15.09 - Austin, TX - Stubbs BBQ
10.16.09 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues [Tickets]
10.17.09 - Houston, TX - House of Blues [Tickets]
10.18.09 - Corpus Christi, TX - Brewster Street Ice House
10.30.09 - Wilmington, NC - Soapbox
10.31.09 - Roanoke, VA - Roanoke Civic Center
11.06.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Hard Rock
11.14.09 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
11.19.09 - Torrington, CT - The Warner Theatre
11.21.09 - Troy, NY - Revolution Hall
11.24.09 - Boston, MA - House of Blues