Pearl Jam Giveaway

Backspacer, the ninth studio album from Pearl Jam, was released this week on its own label Monkeywrench Records in the United States and through Universal Music Group internationally. It also marks a return to working with producer Brendan O'Brien.

To celebrate the release, we're giving away a real life vinyl copy of the record! Hit me on e-mail if you want to win. First person wins.

Monday Morning Newsletter (7-13-09)

The terrifying and somewhat dangerous Middlesbrough, UK band Drunk in Hell have put up their demo for free download. These are soaked in fury and feedback. This is a band that will kick you in the balls and laugh. Download here.

Former Silver Jews frontman David Berman has written a book of cartoons called The Portable February. For some reason Drag City Records thought that was reason enough to print it up. The band only broke up in January… so one can only assume it didn’t’ take long to write or alternately that Berman already had a plan B.

Yeti has published The Art of Touring by former Electrelane guitarist Mia Clarke and Erase Errata’s Sara Jaffe. It features contributions from Devendra Banhart and members of Times New Viking, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Thurston Moore. It comes with a DVD loaded with backstage footage.

Word has it that Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme are recording a project. Rumors have been persistent since 3005, but recently Homme's wife Brody Dalle of Spinnerette blabbed that the rumors were true. She did comport herself like a good secret agent : "I'm not at liberty to talk about it.”

Pearl Jam has announced that they will be the headliner for the first night of the Virgin Festival in Calgary, Alberta, Canada this August. It will be their first show this year.

Lady Gaga recently admitted that she has gone bankrupt for the fourth time. Columnists lay the blame on her excessive wardrobe and touring stage show. José blames the ultimate freshmaker: cocaine. The devil’s dandruff is more expensive than any bustier.

The Fall Of Troy have finished their new as-yet-untitled album. This will be their third for Equal Vision records and is scheduled for a release this Fall. In an unrelated note the band has pulled out of their European tour with Alexisonfire, Anti-Flag and The Ghost Of A Thousand. José suspects passport trouble.

Dinosaur Jr. have recalled a European pressing of their new CD Farm. Ironically the album was mastered about 3 dB too loud causing unintended clipping and distortion. Buyers can either check the bar code – copies with the number 5414939004926 are affected. Pias Entertainment is offering a free swap program to replace the bad pressing.

Monday Morning Newsletter (5-18-09)

Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Donald "Ean" Evans died this week after a battle with cancer. He passed at his home in Columbus, Mississippi. The band released a statement that read in part: "Ean put up a valiant battle with an aggressive form of cancer and he will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans." He was 48.

The record label Scotch Tapes is releasing the new We All Inherit The Moon album on 8-Track tape. This is a super-limited release of 30 units. The post-rock impresarios managed to find 30 blank 8-tracks despite the fact that 8-tracks have not been made in 25 years. It will also be available as a free download Here.

Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell was hospitalized last week following an onstage injury at an Atlanta tour date with Nine Inch Nails. Farrell tore a calf muscle during the first song of the band's set but limped through the rest of the show. Against medical advice he is continuing to perform on tour.

Who gives a crap about Notre Dame. Obama appeared with Alice Cooper at the Arizona State University graduation ceremony. Cooper performed ‘Schools Out” backed by his Son Dash Cooper’s band Runaway Phoenix, Obama performed without accompaniment.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament was assaulted and robbed at his recording studio last week. Outside Southern Tracks Recording studios in Atlanta, 3 men in black masks with knives smashed windows, threw people to the ground and made off with $3,000 and another $4000 in hardware. No arrests have been made. Jose suspects Sammy Hagar.

EMI records have put the kibosh on the anticipated Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse collaboration. The cock-blocking comes as a result of a dispute between Mr. Mouse and EMI. As a result the Dark Night Of The Soul will only be released as a blank CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: "For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.'"

Monday Morning Newsletter (9/22/08)

Politics continue to permeate our music news. Former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann have signed on to headline a fundraiser for Senator Barack Obama in Pennsylvania this October. Though some members have appeared together previously, all four have not shared a stage as a group since their 2004 tour. The Change Rock Event is October 13th at the University of Pennsylvania. McCain tried to schedule a competing fundraiser concert, but then discovered that Frank Sinatra was dead.

Disturbed will be releasing a live album, titled Live & Indestructible, exclusively through iTunes on September 30th. Their Music As A Weapon tour is scheduled to begin in March of 2009. This should be about as exciting as Milli Vanilli’s live album.

The Chicago Cubs, a team that hasn’t won a World Series for 100 years, now has their own theme song. Eddie Vedder, vocalist for Pearl Jam has released a song for the Chicago baseball franchise. It's called "All the Way." It’s crap.

Richard Wright died this week due to cancer–related complications. He was 65. Wright was one of Pink Floyd's founding members, playing keyboards in an early incarnation of Sigma 6. Wright was fired from the group in 1979, but returned for the 1987 album A Momentary Lapse of Reason. He last performed with the group in 2005 for Live 8.

One of the most bad-ass drummers in rock n’ roll died this week. Earl Palmer was a session drummer for an unnameable number of hits including such classics as Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin," Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High," Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" and "I Hear You Knockin'" by Smiley Lewis. He was 84. Palmer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Chiodos is releasing a limited edition CD, Bone Pallace Ballet: Grand Coda, on October 28. This augments their original Bone Pallace Ballet album from last year with four new songs, 2 acoustic versions, and a 30-minute DVD.

It was revealed this week that 39-year old rapper Nate Dogg has had another stroke. He was hospitalized on September 5 and degraded to the point of requiring life support. He has stabilized but is paralyzed on the left side of his body. A spokesperson claims that this is due to his bad eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle. José would like to know what the hell Nate Dogg is eating that is so dangerous?

Also reporting from the ICU is vocalist Natalie Cole. She been hospitalized due to complications arising from her chronic Hepatitis C. Her current location is currently undisclosed, but a spokesperson concedes that she likely contracted the disease through her drug use years ago. Dr. House says that Hep C requires blood-to-blood contact so “drug use” means smack. José says smack is wack babe.

One of the creators of the Motown sound died this week. Norman Whitfield died Wednesday after a long battle with diabetes. His producer credits included "I Heard It through the Grapevine,” by Gladys Knight, "War" by Edwin Starr, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by the Temptations, and "Car Wash" by Rose Royce. In 1973 he left Motown and founded his own eponymous label where he released early albums by Junior Walker among others. He was 67.

If you saw the cover of Vibe this week, you may not have seen what you thought you did. Ciara (who graced the cover naked), claims that she was not naked at the photoshoot. In her version of the story, artists removed her panties digitally, as opposed to using rum. Vibe contends that the girl was butt naked and they have the pictures to prove it.

Monday Morning Newsletter (07/07/08)

This week former senator Jesse Helms died of natural causes. José would like to state that he was a bigot, homophobe, racist, and xenophobe, the worst kind of gringo that there is. While it is callous to celebrate the death of any man, there is no ugliness in silently celebrating the death of an evil one. Amigos, please light a votive candle for Senor Jesse, may he burn in hell for all of eternity.

Rage Against The Machine broke up in October of 2000. It was then that Zack De La Rocha promised us a solo album. It’s been eight years later and we’ve got bupkis. Ok so we have a couple of tracks he did with DJ Shadow, but a solo album that is not. The new rumor is that Rocha is working with Jon Theodore from Mars Volta. The project is called One Day As A Lion and Anti- will be releasing their self-titled debut EP July 22. His mystery album recorded with Trent Reznor remains in the vault.

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band was severely injured in an ATV accident recently. He was on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia and flipped the vehicle. He is at the University Of Virginia Medical Center. Amigos don’t let amigos drive borracho.

Red Sparowes will be releasing their next EP, Aphorisms, digitally on August 1. Sargent House will be handling the downloadable duties and the physical release this fall. As with their previous releases, all song tiles are ridiculously long. It’s difficult to explain how but this entire newsletter is a song title.

The BBC reports that the gravestone of late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis has been stolen. The stone simply read "Ian Curtis. 18-5-80. Love Will Tear Us Apart." A police spokesperson told the BBC that there are no security cameras in the cemetery. Anyone with any information about the missing gravestone can contact British authorities here.

In a last-ditch effort to regain their former fame, ZZ Top has allied with Rick Rubin. ZZ Top ended their relationship with RCA two years ago after a decade of neglect. Rubin’s label American Recordings will be issuing their comeback album sometime next year. I guess that guest appearance on Deadwood didn’t help.

Eddie Vedder will be touring the East Coast solo this summer. His string of East Coast dates runs throughout the month of August. If you recall his last set of solo dates he performed songs from his soundtrck to the film Into The Wild, along with other Pearl Jam deep cuts and some random covers. Here he is last summer at a Cubs game.

As has become traditional, Slipknot have unveiled new masks in preparation for their newest album. The new masks are even more detailed and frightening than in the past. This set includes horror icons such as Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld and others. They are said to be grotesque and more terrifying than anything previous.

We had major drama in St. Louis this week. Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes was arrested on one count of third degree assault. As you might have guessed the assault did occur during the band’s set at a Warped Tour stop. Apparently some redneck broke out the N-word and McCoy smashed the inbred little ditchpig cracker with his microphone. Anybody have video?