Dan Black
Black sews the modern pop fabric of Blake Lewis and Robbie Williams (though he claims influence from Sigur Ros and Jay-Z). Either way he leans towards polished pop. You know, sometimes...Dan Black....i don't knowww about youuu. Love the designs of your virtual promo materials. This includes the inventive video for "Symphonies," which takes on many classic film title intros. -Kenyon

Dan Black - Symphonies

DAN BLACK MySpace Music Videos

Tour dates too holy cow!
February 18 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
February 19 - Montreal, QC @ Belmont
February 20 - Toronto, ON @ WrongBar
February 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Cinespace
February 25 - San Francisco, CA @ Popscene / 330 Ritch

www.myspace.com/danblacksound

Sweet Apple

The latest signing to the great Tee Pee records is supergroup Sweet Apple, which is yet another band with J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. It also includes Tim Parnin and John Petkovic of Cobra Verde and Dave Sweetapple of Witch. Obviously he made up that name Sweetapple for the band. Just like Pat Battle from NBC news. I mean come ON. Obviously made that up to sound all tough news-like. The one track from Sweet Apple, which indirectly formed as a result of the death of Petkovic's mother, is on their myspace. "Do You Remember" is gritty old school indie rock. Album is out end of March 2010. Very futuristic. -Kenyon

www.myspace.com/sweetapplesongs

Ship Wrecks

This indie-folk duo from Elizabethtown, PA is the kind of people that would have fit in real nice when there were frequent local house shows here in Long Island. But now...nothing that i know of like that is happening, at least in my circles of peoples. Cause too many kids moved to Brooklyn, dammit! Check the Ship Wrecks tenderness on their EP, the Good Old Days, via www.myspace.com/shipwreckspa or download at www.gimmesound.com/shipwrecks . -Kenyon

Piney Gir--i prefer calling her Pony Girl--is in London making cupcakes and knitting twee with country. And by country, i mean old school original country like Patsy Cline, especially for the butter-churning "Of All the Wonderful Things." With help from backing band the Age of Reason, Piney Gir is supporting her new album The Yearling, which is released next month. It includes first focus song "Say I'm Sorry" and "For the Love of Others," which features a sing-along of "he loves me, he loves me not" and a tuba! -Kenyon

http://www.myspace.com/pineygir

Wowzer holy cow! new Circulatory System and tour dates and junk.

The very long awaited Signal Morning will be in CD and digital September 8, 2009. Taking seven years to finish, Circulatory System is pretty much Olivia Tremor Control and a couple people from Neutral Milk Hotel. Amazingly, leader W. Cullen Hart put this together while battling Multiple Sclerosis. New cut "Overjoyed" is available now and is a stunning piece of subcultural bliss. Are we looking at the next Loveless? Prolly not, but it's still gonna RULE. -Kenyon

[mp3] - "Overjoyed"

Dates with the nite-

08/15 - Asheville, NC - Transfigurations 2009
09/07 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
09/08 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
09/09 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
09/10 - Worcester, MA - The Grind at Clark University
09/11 - Purchase, NY - The Student Center at SUNY Purchase
09/12 - Monticello, NY - All Tomorrow's Parties
09/14 - Boston , MA - YMCA Theatre
09/15 - Geneseo, NY - Union Plaza at SUNY Geneseo
09/16 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
09/17 - Pontiac, MI - Pike Room
09/18 - Chicago, IL- Chopin Theatre
9/19 - Lexington, KY - Al's Bar
09/20 - Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light

With Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t and Nesey Gallons except 8/15 and 9/12.

Pete Yorn.
New album + dates.

If i wanted to make fun of Pete Yorn, i would say, "Pete Yorn? More like Pete YAWN." But i am not making fun of him. I was down with Yorn when his first record was out in 2001, when he showed he was more interesting than John Mayer and a little less deep than Joseph Arthur. Now he's opening for Coldplay. Nothing is higher than that. Except for doing a collaborative album with Scarlett Johansson. That album was released digitally last week and physically in September. Now there is nothing left for him to do. Except headline his own tour! He'll be promoting his fourth album, the suggestively titled Back and Fourth, which comes out June 23. It includes "Don't Wanna Cry" and "Shotgun," both at his myspace. -Kenyon

July 09 San Diego CA - House of Blues
July 10 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
July 11 Tucson, AZ -Rialto Theatre
July 13 Austin, TX -La Zona Rosa
July 14 Houston, TX - Meridian
July 16 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
July 17 Atlanta, GA - CW Center Stage
July 20 Washington, DC - 930 Club
July 21 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head
July 25 Philadelphia, PA - XPN Radio Show - Wiggins Waterfront Park
July 26 Boston, MA - House of Blues
July 28 New York, NY - Webster Hall
July 29 New York, NY – Webster Hall
August 02 Pontiac, MI – Clutch Cargos
August 03 Chicago, IL - Park West
August 04 Chicago, IL - Park West
August 07 Kansas City, KS - Harrah's Voodoo Lounge
August 08 Council Bluffs, IA - Whiskey Roadhouse at Horseshoe Casino
August 09 St. Louis, MO - Pageant
August 12 Minneapolis MN Fine Line Music Cafe
August 13 Minneapolis MN Fine Line Music Cafe
August 15 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
August 16 Salt Lake City, UT - Murray Theater
August 21 Vancouver, BC - Venue
August 22 Portland. OR - Roseland Theater
August 24 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
August 27 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
August 28 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre

The Charlatans UK Announce U.S Fall 2009 Tour
Tenth album You Cross My Path out now and in September

What a better band than the Charlatans to post about after two weeks of dead blogging. Remember, blogs are like sharks. Stop blogging and we're dead. So i guess Advance Copy was injured. The irony here is that the Charlatans were around long before blogging, well before digital cameras, and haven't been on any hiatus.


We read about them in British magazines NME and Select and saw their first videos on 120 minutes. I was lucky enough to see them at the Limelight in 1992, when it was a given to crowd-surf at nearly every rock show. Unlike several bands that were spawned from the same heyday of Madchester (Lush, Happy Mondays, Ride, Stone Roses), the Charlatans--although the line-up changed a little bit since 1991--are still around, surviving many storms in the shifty music industry environment and consistently released record after record. They now have ten, which is rather remarkable, considering all factors. I admit i stopped listening to them closely when the third album, the less-inspiring Up to Our Hips, came out in 1994. Since then i've all but ignored them. Now that it's been almost 20 years (!) since their inception, i can honestly say--along with Primal Scream--i've found new respect and love for the Charlatans, even in the wake of vocalist Tim Burgess' sobering up.

Mixed by the one and only Alan Moulder, You Cross My Path was first released last year for FREE in MP3 format. The new album already got physical release via Cooking Vinyl and will get more physical release for us Americans. The video for single "Oh! Vanity" is so 1992, while the band itself stays slick and true to its signature sound. -Kenyon

US FALL 2009 TOUR
Sept 17 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA
Sept 18 - Henry Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Sept 20 - Double Door - Chicago, IL
Sept 21 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
Sept 22 - London Music Hall - London, ON
Sept 23 - The Mod Club Theatre - Toronto, ON
Sept 24 - Les Saints - Montreal, QUE
Sept 25 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
Sept 26 - Music Hall Of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
Sept 27 - Theatre Of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Sept 29 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Sept 30 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ
Oct 2 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
Oct 3 - Black Cat - Washington, DC
Oct 4 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
Oct 5 - The Loft - Atlanta, GA
Oct 6 - One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA
Oct 7 - The Parish - Austin. TX
Oct 8 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
Oct 12 - The Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA
Oct 13 - Glasshouse - Pomona, CA
Oct 14 - Bimbo's 365 Club - San Francisco, CA

www.myspace.com/thecharlatans

artist to watch or something in 2009 >>> The Whip

Thanks to this Manchester, UK band's debut, music in 2009 is here. Not to mention the Whip's technologically efficient videos. X Marks Destination is destined to be within the top 10 albums of the year, lead by the dance-rock single "Trash." But i'm sure all you hipsters who never heard of Primal Scream know that already, since the whole thing was released in the UK last spring. So it doesn't matter. None of this matters. Destination is scheduled for release March 3, the same day as the new U2 album. That's like going up against Lord of the Rings. The Whip's got usb wristbands. When i put those songs in my itunes, what follows? White lion. Yea that's right. And before the Whip? Wham! Now get off your cell phones and start living. -Kenyon

Margot Blanche [New York] - Her name fits into the first half of the 20th century, just as her music does. But Blanche updates it, using big band/jazz backgrounds ala the Real Tuesday Weld, complete with back-up singers. Comparisons to Amy Winehouse are futile. Margot Blanche's sultry voice helps keep her true to the roots and with exceptional composure to boot. It's quite a surprise she hasn't had more exposure in the mainstream. You know, like stupid Entertainment Tonight or something. -Kenyon

www.margotblanche.com
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Moosejaww [Brooklyn] - Thank goodness they're not Moosejaw (one w). That band is HORRIFIC. This Moosejaww band with extra W needs to be careful not to be confused with them. Which should not be difficult. The band harnesses 90s pop-rock with a smooth vocal style somewhere between Sebadoh and Coldplay, especially for "Rollercoaster" and ballad "It Takes Two to Know One." -Kenyon

www.moosejaww.com
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Wounded Buffalo Theory [Brooklyn] - WBT is progressive not so much for the music itself, but rather because they don't limit themselves. They're influenced by Pink Floyd, Eno and Sigur Ros as much as heavier bands like Tool. "Didn't Go Outside" even has in there some Husker Du (one of their influences). It's a connundrum how and why they stretch across the rock spectrum like that. They like to play really long sets, so that helps. The cosmic jam "Revolution Mine," which better damn be an original, is a direction the band should persue. -Kenyon
www.myspace.com/wbt

Cannonball Jane [Connecticut] One-girl force Sharon Hagopian is cool enough being an elementary school music teacher just over the Long Island Sound from me. As CJ, she loves to mash hip-hop beats, samples and sweet vocals. Already, she earns my jealousy for going out there with the Go!Team and Le Tigre among others. Hogopian's Knees Up! EP is so hip it's wearing argyle socks.

mp3 - The Secret Handshake




dates with the nite:

6/10 – New London, CT @ O’Neill’s Brass Rail
6/12 – New Paltz, NY @ 60 Main w/ Quitzow
6/13 – Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theatre w/ Palomar
6/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Galapagos, NYC Popfest
6/17 – New Haven, CT @ Café Nine w/ Quitzow
6/20 – Columbus, OH @ Wholly Craft
6/21 – Lakewood, OH @ Bela Dubby

Remi Stevens and the Gang of Thieves [Canada] This guy (or band, Remi prefers to be mysterious) posted negative reactions to the music because even "the Sex Pistols, Nirvana and the Beatles would have experienced this type of division." i gotta give props for that. Someone said "bad bad bad. The production is awful. The vocals are painful. The song is just a series of strange sounds with a distorted bass track and incoherant vocals...this has no musical value whatsoever." Wow. Well, i'm going to be a "detractor" as well, Remi. But at least my response will be written a little better. "Girls Dig Musicians" is some of the most hilarious shit i've heard this year and it's so bad it's good. Like movies that are so bad that they're good. Unfortunately, there's little more worth the time. Jesus, you know what? Maybe if you slowed down the Blood Brothers and tossed in the Bee Gees and Beck, this would be the result.

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Dead Leaf Echo [New York City] "Pale Fire" was mixed by Ulrich Schnauss, so of course THAT track is great! He made it all ethereal and stuff. Dead Leaf Echo played with the Black Angels and Soundpool, so at least they can brag about that. Me not too fond of the dramatic yawning vocals though, sorry!

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Cavedoll [Salt Lake City] Cheesy band name, semi-cheesy music. But look at them! How can you not love them! The band has and plans to put out a ridiculous amount of albums, wooo. i'm not sure if their disco-synth dance rock is tongue in cheek or being taken very seriously. Maybe a little of both. "Tokyo" is pretty fun and "Mexico" is upbeat as if the Bravery got very happy. "Full of Awe" is the sound of the B-52's forced to adjust to electro.

into. the. future.

Switches - [U.K] - Gosh damn. These guys were really easy to hate. Look at them! Lucky for Switches, they blend their influences into a form of friendly pop, spiked early David Bowie and Queen-esque vocals in "Killer Karma" (not two Radiohead songs combined, no). In a few winks of the eye they go to "Emily Don't," which, after knowing they heart Brian Wilson, is a straight-forward update of the Beach Boys. Covering these particular grounds leads to a minor identity crisis, and the ultra-hipster look of the band suggests ultra-trendiness, but the songs are indeed here for the girls to melt over. And for that, we can hate them. [US debut record Lay Down the Law out March 18, 2008 on Interscope]. -Kenyon. Photo Cred: Autumn de Wilde

die Kinder- [New York City] with a name like die Kinder ("the Children") we may be thinking something like the hard-electronic machinery metal of Rammstein or KMFDM. This electro-rock duo (featuring an ex-member of the Pilfers) is more like the Sounds or Republica. "Their beautiful blondeness will blind you" their blurb says. Over the top pretentiousness. However..."Tonight is All There is" has the horsepower for an imported car commercial.
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Brian Speaker - [New York City]- He picked up the guitar at age 12 and wrote his first song within a few months. Congrats, haven't we all. i did that too and look where i am now. Nowhere! okay calm down. Speaker should be addressed here for this reason and this reason only: among his cameos, his voice is in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game. i love grand theft auto, i play it every nite. Psyche! He does voices in commercials too. Therefore "Brian Speaker" is obviously his stage name.
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Novus Dae - [Connecticut] - The band firmly wears the influences on the sleeve: Stone Temple Pilots, Tool and other 90s hard rock staples. This could have been destined to hate. But it's bands like this --similar to Long Island band Dearly Departed-- that are sometimes a necessary emotional live experience. Come on dudes, you know you're going to quote me on this.
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i Concour - [Leeds UK] - "Lucky Jack / Build Around Me" single (March 10 on Brew records). I thought i made this clear on this blog. Don't mess with Kenyon when giving yourself a tag of shoegaze. i will call you out. i Concour, who has played with the Hold Steady (one of the most overrated bands in recent memory) is not making this sound natural. The guitars are shoegaze but there are no striking melodies. The vocals are way too clear and clean to be shoegaze. In fact, the vocals are being belting out from beyond. There is little in which to get lost. You will find yourself out in 20 seconds.
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Ten Minute Turns - [Brooklyn] - This eccentric outfit's lo-fi, almost primitive shenanigans produce off-kilter melodies too tough to tame. Most notably in "Red Light Room."
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Joe Calderone - [Connecticut] - From the "the Bang Song": "Gonna shoot you bang bang gonna shoot you bang bang bang bang with my love". Ok? ok cool.
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The Shapes [New York, New York] - Jagged garage pop akin to Be Your Own Pet and Art Brut, the Shapes' tight 3 to 4-minute blasts of fresh rock n' roll have earned the band opening spots with the Bravery and Jill from Lucious Jackson at NY venues such as Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory and Southpaw. "I wanna watch you like a television" is one of several smarty lines from "Dreaming of an M16," which is one of many examples of the Shapes' dueling guy/girl vocals. The spot-on continous harmonies, monster bass lines and high energy keep this dance-rock party going. [rating: ***1/2]

www.myspace.com/theshapesband
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The Metapuffs- [Chicago] - "Hey there you girl/why don't you do more to please your man. you know it girl/i wanted to quit ya/but i can't..no i can't." You can't make this stuff up. These Metapuffs are not convincing. In fact it's irritating. Like an extremely horrible version of Sonic Youth. i do believe the Metapuffs are stuck in a low-budget 1980s movie. Don't try so hard people, this doesn't sound natural. "Either blessed or cursed with the inability to not write songs" they say in the bio (choose your own response). Did you see/hear Stewie in Family Guy singing "Lost in Your Eyes" by Debbie Gibson? That's what this is like. But worse. "Retro-futro" my Native American ass. i'm 1/4 native american, you have no idea what my people have been through. [rating: *] -Kenyon