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Thursday, June 25

Benefits in Brief: Jeff Tweedy, Robin Pecknold, TV on the Radio, Chairlift

Benefits in Brief: Jeff Tweedy, Robin Pecknold, TV on the Radio, Chairlift

Photo by Natalie Kardos

Who: Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy
When: August 8
Where: Emanuel Congregation in Chicago
What: A benefit for Emanuel Congregation

Who: Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold, Throw Me the Statue
When: July 11
Where: Neumos in Seattle
What: A benefit for the all-ages Seattle music/art venue the Vera Project

Who: TV on the Radio, Chairlift
When: August 7
Where: Double Door in Chicago
What: A benefit for Chicagoan Colleen Malone, who suffers from thyroid cancer

Who: Lightspeed Champion, Adam Green, Chairlift
When: July 9
Where: The Shank in Brooklyn
What: A benefit for Lightspeed Champion/Adam Green collaborator Jon Wiley, who is afflicted with multiple sclerosis

Posted by Tom Breihan on June 25, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

Tags: Adam Green, Benefit, Chairlift, Fleet Foxes, Jeff Tweedy, Lightspeed Champion, Throw Me the Statue, TV on the Radio, Wilco

 

Echo Chamber: Morrissey

Echo Chamber: Morrissey

"I think there's just something about the printed word. It's all very well meeting and speaking with people, and generally it goes quite well. But when the writer has the seclusion of the darkened den, some strange monster develops within him, and something breaks out of his stomach."

-- Morrissey, on music critics (or possibly aliens). (via Filter)

Posted by Tom Breihan on June 25, 2009 at 3:55 p.m.

Tags: Echo Chamber, Morrissey

 

Join the Vampire Weekend Tribute Band!

Eat some tacos! Join the Vampire Weekend Tribute Band!

UPDATE: It turns out the Vampire Weekend cover band is real, or at least real-ish. According to an email from manager Katharine Brandes, the band now has a name, the VW Bugs, and four members, all of whom are former Princeton students. In your face, Columbia! They've also got a MySpace page and a Twitter and everything, and they "are now busy practicing up, tacos in hand." Brandes reports that they're in talks to throw a party at the New York nightclub Santos Party House in August, and a documentary about the formation of the band is already in pre-production. Amazing.

Are you nostalgic for 16 months ago? Do you miss those carefree days of presidential primaries and Josiah Leming and still having a job? Do you have vaguely wavy hair and at least one pair of fake Wayfarers? Well, then you could relive those long-gone glory days as a member of the Vampire Weekend tribute band!

As Idolator points out, some aspiring Brooklyn-based hipster svengali has posted a Craiglist ad looking for members of a Vampire Weekend cover band. Applicants should be able to play their instruments and should also look at least a little bit like the member of the band they're supposed to be emulating.

The ad also says "tacos will be provided," though if they eat enough of those, they probably won't look like members of Vampire Weekend for much longer.

Maybe Scott Baio can try out for the part of Chris Baio! (They are cousins, actually.) I wonder if Scott Baio plays bass.

And yes, this whole thing is probably a joke. But we really hope it's not. Click below for the full text of the ad.

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New Release: Joe Pernice: It Feels So Good When I Stop

New Release: Joe Pernice: It Feels So Good When I Stop

Artist: Joe Pernice
Album: It Feels So Good When I Stop
Release Date: August 4
Label: Ashmont

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Listen: Wale + Peter Bjorn and John

Listen: Wale + Peter Bjorn and John

Wale is the latest rapper to utilize a bouncy Peter Bjorn and John back beat for a mixtape track, after Kanye West rolled over "Young Folks" on his 2007 tape Can't Tell Me Nothing and up-and-comer Drake swiped "Let's Call It Off" for a cut on his excellent recent So Far Gone release.

Taken from his new Back to the Feature primer, the DC hip-hop hopeful takes on "Nothing to Worry About" from PBJ's Living Thing LP. Note to indie-baiting rappers: When it comes to pimping Swedish sorta-funk, how about moving on to Jens Lekman? Dude's got beats for days.

Download Wale's version of "Nothing to Worry About" here.

Posted by Ryan Dombal on June 25, 2009 at 1:30 p.m.

Tags: Audio, Collaboration, Peter Bjorn and John, Wale

 

Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe on Mark Mulcahy Tribute Album

The National, Dinosaur Jr., Frank Black also cover Mulcahy songs Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe on Mark Mulcahy Tribute Album

Musical visionary types take care of their own. Mark Mulcahy was the frontman for the 1980s Connecticut-based alt-rock band Miracle Legion, who released a few hard-to-find albums of R.E.M.-esque college rock jangle before breaking up in the mid-90s. He also led Polaris, the band who did the music for the beloved Nickelodeon kids' show "The Adventures of Pete & Pete". Since then, he's released three solo albums.

Late last year, Mulcahy's wife Melissa died unexpectedly, leaving him to take care of his three-year-old twin daughters. If Mulcahy is going to keep making music, he'll need help. And fortunately, he's getting it.

On September 29, Shout! Factory will release Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, a tribute album to Mulcahy that will also serve as a benefit for him. An amazingly stacked lineup of indie rock greats have contributed their versions of Mulcahy songs. Thom Yorke takes on "All for the Best", Michael Stipe turns in his version of "Everything's Coming Undone", and the National handle "Ashamed of the Story I Told". Dinosaur Jr., Mercury Rev, and Frank Black also contribute songs.

Tracklist below.

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Video: Wilco: "You Never Know" (Live on "Conan")

Video: Wilco: "You Never Know" (Live on "Conan")

Wilco (the band) stopped by Conan (the late-night show host)'s desk last night to perform a track from the upcoming Wilco (The Album): the rootsy, Summerteeth-y "You Never Know".

And if that's not enough for your Wilco fix, the band will be webcasting this Saturday night's sold-out show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, via http://wilcoworld.net and Wilco (the iPhone app). Tune in Saturday at 10 p.m. CDT.

Posted by Tyler Grisham on June 25, 2009 at noon

Tags: video, Wilco

 

R.I.P. Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon

R.I.P. Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon

Austin360.com reports that Sky Saxon, frontman for the L.A. garage-rock legends the Seeds, died this morning in an Austin, Texas hospital.

After falling ill from an undiagnosed condition last week, the man born Richard Marsh performed a set at the Austin club Antone's on Saturday night but then was rushed to St. David's Hospital early Monday morning, according to a press release. Doctors believe an infection of the internal organs may be to blame. It is unclear what Saxon's age was.

Saxon's wife Sabrina posted the news of the death on Facebook, according to Austin360: "Sky has passed over and YaHoWha is waiting for him at the gate. He will soon be home with his Father. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep him here with us. More later. I'm sorry."

In the mid-60s, the Seeds were responsible for scrappy, gnarled proto-punk anthems like "Pushin' Too Hard" and "Can't Seem to Make You Mine". The former song appeared on the legendary original 1972 Nuggets compilation.

Posted by Tom Breihan on June 25, 2009 at 11:50 a.m.

Tags: Sky Saxon, The Seeds

 

News in Brief: Musicfest NW, Jaguar Love, Lord Cut-Glass, Chad VanGaalen

News in Brief: Musicfest NW, Jaguar Love, Lord Cut-Glass, Chad VanGaalen

-- Musicfest NW welcomes bands including the reformed Sunny Day Real Estate, Explosions in the Sky, Beach House, Girl Talk, Bad Brains, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Frightened Rabbit, the Twilight Sad, and others to venues around Portland when it touches down September 16-19.

-- After releasing their last album on Matador, jittery rockers Jaguar Love are now recording their sophomore LP for Fat Possum. They're also on tour with Patrick Wolf right about now. Jaguar Love is also now a two-piece consisting of ex-Blood Brothers Cody Votolato and Johnny Whitney.

-- Former Delgados singer-guitarist Alun Woodward is now going by the name of Lord Cut-Glass. The Lord's self-titled debut album-- featuring drumming from fellow ex-Delgado Paul Savage and a slew of Glasgow classical musicians-- is out now via Chemikal Underground.

-- Black Mold-- singer-songwriter Chad VanGaalen's electro-freak moniker-- is readying its debut LP, Snow Blindness Is Crystal Antz, for an August 11 release via Flemish Eye. Here's hoping it's an album-length tribute to the movie Antz.

Posted by Ryan Dombal on June 25, 2009 at 11:20 a.m.

Tags: Album, Black Mold, Chad VanGaalen, Festival, Jaguar Love, lord cut-glass, Musicfest NW, Signing, The Delgados

 

R.I.P. Rock Scribe Steven Wells

R.I.P. Rock Scribe Steven Wells

Photo via Philadelphia Weekly

Steven Wells-- the famously vitriolic NME scribe who brashly pissed off bands and incited fans for decades-- died of lymphatic cancer yesterday, June 24, according to the Philadelphia Weekly.

Known for his outrageous style and anti-blowhard stance, the writer commonly referred to as Swells was the guy you didn't necessarily agree with but respected nonetheless. A loving Guardian tribute says Wells "was obsessed with class war, masturbation, dogs, cancer, Jello Biafra and the multiple use of the exclamation mark."

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