Spinner

Northern Exposure: TMDP, 'Self-Taught Learner' (Lissy Trullie Remix) -- Free MP3

Tabassum Siddiqui — 2009-11-09T18:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Exclusive, Northern Exposure, Canada

Put a cool song by a buzzworthy artist in the hands of a couple of equally-hyped electro wizards and the result is one hot track. While NYC downtown diva Lissy Trullie's been garnering plenty of ink for her recently rereleased 'Self-Taught Learner' EP, rising Toronto disco-dabblers TMDP are likely to turn heads themselves with their remix of the title track, which grabs hold of the power-pop original and pulls it firmly onto the dance floor.

Instead of simply buffing an already-shiny pop song with an extra layer of gloss like too many other tepid dance remixes, TMDP's Jeffrey Addison and Gavin Rough take the opposite approach, stripping off the tough-girl veneer of Trullie's version and giving it their own unique spin by taking the tune into almost minimalist territory with chilly synths and downtempo beats.

Apsci, 'Crazy Crazy Insane' -- Video of the Day

Adam Horne — 2009-11-09T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Video of the Day

Artist: Apsci
Video: 'Crazy Crazy Insane'
Highlight: A glitchy dance tune finds the right visual match courtesy of some jittery animation and a retro-kitsch aesthetic.

Matthew Sweet Has Happy 'Apeman' Feet

Matthew Sweet — 2009-11-09T17:33:00+00:00

Filed under: Exclusive, Guest Blogger

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs have teamed up again for another collection of cover songs on 'Under the Covers, Vol. 2,' and are currently on the road together for a small acoustic tour in support of their latest record. Sweet will be checking in with personal photos and anecdotes for his fans as the intimate club run continues this month. In his first entry, the singer-songwriter explains his love for his shoes and why everyone should get in touch with their inner apeman.

Make like an apeman! They're called Five Fingers, even though Five Toes would describe them more accurately. I wear them religiously. They are shoes. Susanna Hoffs and I have been on the road playing informal acoustic shows in support of our covers records, 'Under The Covers volume 1 & 2.' One of the most asked questions for me at the venues is, "Tell us about those shoes!" "Those shoes" are the Five Fingers by Vibram, and they are a dream come true -- a shoe for people who would rather be barefoot, like me!

The Chum Bucket: 'Beat It' Goes Indie + More

Adam Horne — 2009-11-09T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: The Chum Bucket

'Beat It' gets the indie rock treatments. [Youtube]

Ashlee Simpson is heading to Broadway to star in 'Chicago,' because apparently the CW was, um, stifling her craft. [Best Week Ever]

A Capella singing has never been so educational ... or disgusting. [Prefix]

Dirty Projectors bring their impressive harmonies to the 'SIRIUS XMU Sessions.' [Youtube]

The Foo Fighters Reveal Their Proudest Moments

Steve Baltin — 2009-11-09T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Exclusive

Dave Grohl has rolled with a lot of music's biggest stars, from Metallica to his current bandmates in Them Crooked Vultures, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. But he found himself in maybe the oddest company of his musical life recently. "I wound up hanging out with Barry Manilow, Kenny G and Johnny Mathis," Grohl tells Spinner. "I was like the sore thumb on the Mount Rushmore of soft jazz."

How did this unholy quartet of titans come to be? "I have a family friend who was getting a star on the Walk of Fame, Dave Koz, so I went out to show Dave some love," he says. The best part is Grohl got some approval from at least one of the acts. "I f---ing had Barry Manilow tell me he was a fan about two weeks ago. That was a 'what the f---?' moment," he adds.

James Husband, 'Window' -- Video Premiere

Ashley Iasimone — 2009-11-09T15:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Video, Exclusive

Under the name James Husband, Of Montreal's James Huggins has publicly released his debut solo album, 'A Parallax I,' after years of keeping his project underground. The album, which came out on Oct. 20, contains a collection of songs that were written over a 12-year period and recorded between 2003 and 2008 -- the first third was recorded on cassette, the next third on analog and the final third in digital format. Now, the multi-instrumentalist has filmed a new video for one of the album's tracks, 'Window.'

The video, directed by Matthew Harfield, features Maria Taylor and Azure Ray's Orenda Fink, who are treated as puppets that are posed to play various parts of the song. Check out the exclusive premiere after the jump.

The Dead Weather Book Intimate New York Gig

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-09T15:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

The Dead Weather have announced a special New York performance at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg on Nov. 17th. Members of The Vault, the subscription service of Jack White's Third Man Records, can purchase advance tickets starting Tuesday, Nov. 10 at noon, with any remaining tickets being released to the general public on Friday, Nov. 13 at noon.

White's latest band, which also counts Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence, just wrapped a successful run through Europe. The Dead Weather's touring schedule has counted some unique performances, including three surprise appearances at the limited-time Third Man Records pop-up shops in New York City, L.A. and London .

'Pirate Radio' Salutes Rebel Rock Broadcasters

Emily Tan — 2009-11-09T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Movies

While the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and the Who may have all ruled US airwaves in the '60s, the UK played only an hour or two of rock 'n' roll on the radio each day. Some radio DJs rebelled against the government and broadcasted from boats just off the UK territorial waters, and a new film sheds light on one of these renegade stations.

Robert Curtis -- writer and director of 'Love Actually' and screenwriter of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' and 'Notting Hill' -- dug deep into his childhood and wrote and directed his new comedy, 'Pirate Radio.' The film follows an eclectic group of rock DJs who broadcast live 24/7 from an old tanker that's been anchored in the North Sea and fight to stay on the air despite the British government's plans to shut them down.

Chicago Musician Christian 'C.T.' Ballentine Found

Dan Reilly — 2009-11-09T14:41:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Holy Hell

UPDATE: According to posters on the Facebook group, as well as Ballentine's magazine, THE2NDHAND, Ballentine has been found. Tonight's "So You Think You Have Nerves of Steel?" reading has been canceled.

Christian "C.T." Ballentine, a Chicago writer and musician, has been reported missing by friends. The 26-year-old was last seen on Friday, Nov. 6 at 3PM at his apartment in the McKinley Park neighborhood on the city's South Side.

Chicago Police have described Ballentine as white, 6-foot, 135 pounds, with brown eyes and a "badly shaved head," which, according to a Facebrook group set up by his friends, means that "he'll either have patchily shaved hair, no hair or be wearing a hat." According to reports, he was last seen in "a blue jean jacket and blue cut-off shorts with sweatpants underneath." A post on the Chicago Reader says Ballentine's eyes are actually blue and that he has "tattoos of a flower on his left forearm and a man with a cassette deck head on his right bicep." The Sun-Times says friends told police Ballentine was recently "going through some difficult times," but the article doesn't elaborate any further.

Ballentine is known for his involvement in Chicago's music and literary scenes. He's a member of the indie folk band Cup'N'String, provided production work for local band Plan B and works as a sound engineer at venues Ronny's and The Whistler. He's a co-editor of local magazine THE2NDHAND, has profiled bands like Of Montreal and the Stills for UR Chicago Magazine and produced several radio plays.

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Rocks to Bach in California

Pat Pemberton — 2009-11-09T14:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Given the right circumstances, you really can rock out to Bach. Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson proved that at the sold out Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif. on Saturday, when his solo band jammed to a classical composition penned two centuries before the advent of rock 'n' roll.

Jokingly introducing it as "a disrespectful take on a piece of music [Johann Sebastian Bach] wrote," Anderson launched into 'Bourree,' inspired by Bach's 'Bourree in E Minor.' Originally included on Tull's 1969 album 'Stand Up,' Anderson said it's a tune you might expect to hear on a "cruise from hell."

Ray Davies Concerned by Simon Cowell's Influence

Robin Milling — 2009-11-09T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

After four decades of writing hits, Kinks frontman Ray Davies continues to rejuvenate the art of songwriting, an art he feels has been tainted by music reality showman Simon Cowell. Davies, who penned hits like 'You Really Got Me' and 'Lola,' says he's concerned that musicians today might be motivated more by reality television stardom than making music that matters. "I think what Simon Cowell does brings enjoyment to many people," Davies tells Spinner. "It's entertainment but it should be treated like that. My concern is that a whole generation of people will just be growing up thinking that that's the only sort of music that people can do.

"When I was a kid making music, I did it to please myself and the world would have to come to me and listen to what I was doing," he continues. "Now I think people write songs just because someone like Simon could enjoy them but his taste isn't everybody's taste. Music represented freedom to me when I started out but I was lucky -- I got hit records but still remained I think to a degree, free. I think there's a danger that musical aspirations might get trapped in a bubble of mass media acceptance. It's the desire to be on TV over the fact that you want to say something and be an individual. I think if it's accepted that it's just a popular TV show ['The X Factor' in England and 'American Idol' in America] that's fine. I'd like to think that there are young musicians growing up and evolving all over the world, that they're not influenced by it and are just going to do their thing."

The Get Up Kids Bring Youthful Attitude to Ohio

Jillian Mapes — 2009-11-09T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

When they're not dissing Weezer or disowning emo's origins, alt-rockers the Get Up Kids are on a worldwide reunion tour playing their old favorites -- and forgetting the words to them, too. At the band's Columbus, Ohio show with Kevin Devine at the Newport on Sunday , loyal Get Up Kids fans filled in the lyrical gaps after singer/guitarist Matt Pryor lost his way around the song 'Holy Roman.'

In fact, fans at Sunday's show sang along to almost every song performed, with the exception of several new cuts. Excitement surrounds these songs, including 'Keith Case' (which has been played consistently throughout the tour), as an upcoming Get Up Kids release has been confirmed in recent interviews with the band. But as soon as the crowd of 20-somethings heard the songs that made them fall in love with the Get Up Kids during adolescence, they began unabashedly fist-pumping and belting out the words yet again.

Potent Quotables: Mayer Defends Spears

Kim Davis — 2009-11-09T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Potent Quotables

"If you're shocked that Britney was lip-syncing at her concert and want your money back, life may continue to be hard for you." --John Mayer

The guitarist spoke out against Australian concertgoers who walked out on the pop singer's recent shows.

Next Quote

Muse Unveil Opera-Inspired Stage Production

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-09T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

With their three-week tour supporting U2 in North American stadiums behind them, Muse are finally ready to tackle enormous venues as a headlining act. For the band's new tour of Europe in support of 'The Resistance,' the trio -- bassist Chris Wolstenholme, singer Matt Bellamy and drummer Dom Howard -- will mostly fill arenas, although it says its live show is a stadium-worthy spectacle.

"We've got the biggest production we've ever gone out with," Wolstenholme told the Birmingham Mail in advance of its tour opener Tuesday at the city's National Indoor Arena. "We've spent a lot of time and money putting the production together. It's our most ambitious stage show ever. It's on the edge of being too big for arenas. It would work really well in a stadium."

ALO Perform at Medical Marijuana Benefit

Benjy Eisen — 2009-11-09T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music, Exclusive

Last April, ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) holed up in Hawaii with their longtime friend and cohort, Jack Johnson, at his north shore studio, Mango Tree. With Johnson in the producer's seat, the band was able to complete work on their new album, which will drop in February. "We had a great month experimenting and coming up with sounds, writing lyrics and songs with Jack," bassist Steve Adams tells Spinner. "It was a real sweet experience for us."

In anticipation of the album's release, all has been relatively quiet on the ALO front since then. But the band did emerge on Saturday to headline the Harvest Dance, a celebration and benefit for medical marijuana, held in the heart of California's Sonoma County, a region known worldwide for both its wine and its (cough, cough) medical weed.

Bono and Wyclef Jean Receiving RFK Center's Ripple of Hope Award

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-09T11:30:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Politics as Usual

Bono and Wyclef Jean will both be honored this month with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights' Ripple of Hope Award. Presented at the Center's annual dinner on Nov. 18, the organization intends to recognize the bold leadership demonstrated by these honorees in the area of humanitarian issues.

"As champions of justice, Bono and Wyclef have brought the national spotlight to human rights violations, empowered local activists and transformed the lives of millions of people living in poverty from Port-Au-Prince to Darfur," Kerry Kennedy, founder of the RFK Center, said in a statement. "Their efforts evoke the spirit of my father and we are honored to recognize them."

Peter Hook Calls Madonna a 'Black Widow Spider'

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-09T11:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Holy Hell

Never one to mince words, former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook has insulted yet another musician, this time calling Madonna is "horrible." If that's not enough, Hook, who's currently working with Freebass, also says that the Material Girl is "like a Black Widow spider."

"She tends to use people, then they shrivel up and disappear," the musician told Absolute Radio, recanting how he once met Madge on the night of her first British concert. It was held at the notorious Manchester nightclub the Hacienda, which Hook, 53, helped run.

Iggy Pop Says Stooges Will Resurrect Unrecorded Material

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-09T10:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music

Look for the Stooges to record several old songs that were only performed live now that Iggy Pop and onetime guitarist James Williamson have reconciled. According to Iggy, he and Williamson -- who was a principal contributor to the group's 1973 album 'Raw Power' -- are itching to hit the studio to record the songs in advance of their 2010 tour plans.

"James Williamson is really hot to trot and there's a lot of old stuff that the Stooges failed to record," Iggy explained to BANG Showbiz. "We wrote a load of songs that we only ever played live, so I'm looking forward to doing some studio recordings."

Monsters of Folk Play Over 40 Songs at New York Show

Kenneth Partridge — 2009-11-09T10:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Maybe it was a desire to keep pace with Bruce Springsteen, who was performing all 20 tracks of 'The River' a couple of miles downtown, that inspired Monsters of Folk to play such an epic set Sunday night at New York City's Beacon Theatre.

More likely, though, it was the sheer number of songs the supergroup's members -- Bright Eyes mastermind Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, acclaimed solo artist M. Ward and indie producer extraordinaire Mike Mogis -- have at their disposal.

"Thanks a lot, New York -- we're only halfway done," Oberst said after about 35 songs, leading fans to momentarily wonder whether he was being serious.

Saharan Nomads Beat Wilco and Bob Dylan to Album Prize

Stephen Dowling — 2009-11-09T09:59:00+00:00

Filed under: News, UK

Tinariwen, the North African collective whose music has become a cult sensation across Europe, have won the Uncut Music Award for best album.

The Saharan musicians, who are all members of the Tuareg tribe, won for their fourth LP 'Imidiwan: Companions,' which beat the likes of Uncut staples Bob Dylan, Wilco and Kings of Leon.

The prize is handed out each year to the album the magazine judges "most inspiring and rewarding" of the past 12 months.

Tinariwen, who formed in 1979 in northern Mali, were the only non-US band to appear on the Uncut list.