Around the city of Boston, it's all about Bang Camaro. Over the course of the past year, the heavy metal lovers has an impressive three lead guitarists and an even more astonishing 20 lead singers (made up in the form of a choir) have made a name for themselves around the area and gained notoriety on a more national level by including their songs in those rather popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. In between the sweaty shows and video games, MTV took notice to them while Rolling Stone bestowed them with their Breaking Artist seal of approval.
Now the band is heading out on a national tour that will take them across the country, playing to their fans who know metal is still alive and well. The tour kicks off at the end of this month, as they will play before kickoff and during halftime at the New York Titans lacrosse match at Madison Square Garden. I've had the chance to see them twice now, and trust me, it's an experience worth taking in so grab all your friends who are in to Guitar Hero so they can see what it's all about.
Bang your heads here: 01.31 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (Titans Kickoff/Halftime) 02.01 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's 02.02 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 02.04 Philadelphia, PA @ The Khyber 02.05 Baltimore, MD @ Sonar 02.06 Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre 02.08 Orlando, FL @ The Social 02.09 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Studio A 02.12 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 02.13 Birmingham, AL @ The Nick 02.15 Austin, TX @ Stubbs BBQ 02.16 Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues 02.18 Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck 02.20 Ft. Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre 02.21 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre 02.23 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 02.27 Minneapois, MN @ 7th Street Entry 02.28 Madison, WI @ The Annex 02.29 Chicago, IL @ The Double Door 03.01 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop 03.02 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 03.05 Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre 03.06 Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room 03.07 Buffalo, NY @ Showplace Theatre
Simply put, the 12-year-old version of me really can relive the summer of 1996 again, for one night only.
Nada Surf announced details for their upcoming US tour in support of their upcoming fifth long player, Lucky, including a one-off co-headlining show with the band I recently went ape over reuniting and then seeing in November, Superdrag. Someone call a doctor, I'm about to faint. That show will be taking place on April 11th at Terminal 5 in New York.
The rest of Nada Surf dates start with some yet to be determined sets at SXSW, before going from west to east with support from The Little Ones and What Made Milwaukee Famous:
03/17 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse Music Venue* 03/18 San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues* 03/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre* 03/21 Ponoma, CA @ Glass House* 03/22 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore* 03/25 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's* 03/26 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom* 03/28 Seattle, WA @ Showbox* 03/29 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom* 04/01 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre** 04/02 Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room** 04/03 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue** 04/04 Chicago, IL @ Metro** 04/05 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall** 04/07 Toronto, ON @ Opera House** 04/08 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda** 04/10 Boston, MA @ Paradise** 04/11 New York, NY @ Terminal 5^ 04/12 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club** 04/13 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero**
*with The Little Ones **with What Made Milwaukee Famous ^with Superdrag
Download: "See These Bones" by Nada Surf [mp3] // [Buy Here] Stream: "Live And Breathe" and "I Only Want A Place I Can Stay" by Superdrag [Here]
After spending a few weeks collecting sales via iTunes downloads, our friends at Rhino drop the soundtrack to the recent indie fave Juno today. Made up mostly of songs by Kimya Dawson and her former band, The Moldy Peaches, the soundtrack also features contributions from The Velvet Underground, Belle & Sebastian, The Kinks, Sonic Youth's awesome rendition of The Carpenters "Superstar," and the film's lovers Michael Cera and Golden Globe nominee Ellen Page dueting on the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You." I'm happy to see the Peaches finally getting some exposure; some people think they are this up and coming band or a band no one ever knew existed. I'll always remember listening and chuckling with my friends during our senior year of high school six years ago. Welcome to the party.
Stream: "Anyone Else But You" by Michael Cera & Ellen Page [Stream] // [Buy Here]
I don't know why it is, my guess is to make an extra buck off people like me, but there's already a new two-disc director's cut of David Fincher's phenomenal Zodiac for your viewing pleasure. While just adding not even ten minutes of new footage in to the film, the real point of purchase is the plethora of extras missing from the bare bones version Paramount dropped last summer. This new version is filled with commentaries and enough features and documentaries on the real killings that shook up the Bay Area in the 1960s and 1970s that you could be an expert on the subject. Fans of Fincher have even said this two-disc special edition rivals that of his 90s cult hit, Fight Club. I'll keep you posted.
When Brooklyn's Luna called it quits in 2005, I was a very sad boy. I had raised myself on the band's dreamy melodies and lyrics, and to have no more Luna, especially after Romantica (which was the album they should've ended with, not the swan song atrocity that was Rendezvous,) I started to wonder if I would make it through college or not. But I did, thanks to their 1995 masterpiece, Penthouse. I was lucky enough to catch Luna in the act once, playing to a packed house in Baltimore in November of 04, and was lucky enough to see singer Dean Wareham and bassist Britta Phillips once side project now full time gig as Dean & Brittalast year at the MFA. Now, Wareham is jumping on to the rock & roll memoir bandwagon, a la Mark Oliver Everett (or, commonly known as E from the Eels) and Niki Sixx from the Crue of course.
Being added to my list of must reads for 2008 is Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance, Wareham's memoirs that chronicle not only his time in Luna and his first band, the amazing Cambridge trio Galaxie 500, but also takes a look at ups and downs of being a part of this illustrious industry for the past two decades. I doubt the book will detail any sordid affairs or out people with drug habits, but it will at least give us insight to one of the greatest bands of our time.
Black Postcards will be out on March 13 via Penguin Press. In the meantime, D&B will tour the U S of A once again in February, making the most of their leap year as they even play a hometown show in Brooklyn on February 29th.
Tour: 02.07 Boston, MA @ Museum of Fine Arts 02.08 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret 02.09 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club 02.10 Chicago, IL @ Lakeshore Theater 02.11 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center 02.14 Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards 02.15 Seattle, WA @ Triple Door 02.16 Portland, OR @ Aladdin 02.18 San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi's 02.19 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey 02.20 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress 02.22 Marfa, TX @ Marfa Ballroom 02.23 Austin, TX @ Cactus Cafe 02.25 Atlanta, GA @ Eddie's Attic 02.26 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle 02.27 Washington, DC @ Black Cat 02.28 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's 02.29 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Music Hall of Williamsburg 03.01 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Download: "Words You Used To Say" [mp3] // [Buy Here]
Every few years, the world is graced with the presence of a new record by Stephen Malkmus, some guy who used to front some kind of important band in the 90s. This year will be know different as Malkmus will drop his fourth solo effort, Real Emotional Trash, on March 4th.
For the second album billed to SM and his backing band, The Jicks, he trades famed drummers: once John Moen of The Decemberists, Malkmus & Co. are now joined by former Sleater-Kinney skin beater Janet Weiss for the new collection that spawns an hour long over its 10 new compositions. A handful of the songs were previewed on the road last year, and Malkmus will bring the Jicks on the road with him when they hit the road to support Trash, beginning with a few dates in Arizona next week.
01/09 - Tucson, AZ @ Plush 01/10 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre 01/11 - Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum 01/17 - Bellingham, WA @ The Nightlight 03/19 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 03/20 - Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater 03/21 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre 03/22 - Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theater 03/23 - Newport, KY @ Southgate House 03/25 - Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge 03/26 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse 03/28 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 03/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore 03/31 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 04/02 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 04/03 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club 04/04 - North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA
Could 2008 be the year of the resurgence of the all-girl rock band? Could Toronto's Hunter Valentinebe the new Runaways? The femme trio spent 2007 touring in support of their newest album, The Impatient Romantic, and even came down to New York to take part in last year's CMJ Festival. Now, the band is primed to make 2008 even better than 2007, and will make a return to the Big Apple.
After ringing in the New Year at home at the Tattoo Rock Parlour, and will continue to rock in to 2008 with a show at Arlene's Grocery in New York on January 16th. NYC's own A Brief Smile will kick off the night's festivities.
Say hello to Hunter Valentine, in the form of their video for "Staten Island Dream Tour"
A New Year is rung in by none other than new release Tuesday here at Stranded In Stereo. But do we really need to talk much more about the album that has infiltrated the lives of most bloggers the past few months?
Radioheadfinally drops that tangible version of some In Rainbows record today that you may or may not have read about or downloaded for a price in which you named yourself, somewhere between 0 and 9.99. XL dropped the album in their native UK yesterday, and the 'Head's own TBD imprint unleashes the record today with help from Dave Matthews' ATO.
The question is, with an enormous number of people obtaining the album back in October, and some dropping $81 for that fancypants discbox (some copies are still available if you want one of those,) will they drop the $10 or so to have a real copy? And if so, why would they? Most signs would point to the fact that they would be able to hear it in a sound quality better than the 160kbps the band made it available for on their website. I'll be buying it not just because of that, but more importantly because of the awesome packaging scheme the band has developed for this!
Take that, Beck!
With the new year, Radiohead held a webcast entitled Scotch Mist last night, which found them performing some of the cuts from In Rainbows, among other tomfoolery I'm sure (no pun intended.)
From last night/this morning, it's "Reckoner"
And as a bonus, if you didn't hear of the songs from CD2 of the discbox, my New Year's treat to you is easily the best jam on said disc.
Download Audio/Video Tracklisting
--
Also, make sure to Sign Up for our weekly newsletter, letting you know about what's going on with the blog and website, alongside news about upcoming SIS co-sponsored Rumbles.
--
See your MP3 up here and want me to take it down? Just want to write and say "Hi, you're an awesome blogger?" Feel free to reach me at info at strandedinstereo dot com
Around the city of Boston, it's all about Bang Camaro. Over the course of the past year, the heavy metal lovers has an impressive three lead guitarists and an even more astonishing 20 lead singers (made up in the form of a choir) have made a name for themselves around the area and gained notoriety on a more national level by including their songs in those rather popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. In between the sweaty shows and video games, MTV took notice to them while Rolling Stone bestowed them with their Breaking Artist seal of approval.
