Luscious Jackson Reunite for the Kids
Luscious Jill Cunniff to release solo debut

It was children that claimed the life of promising NYC act Luscious Jackson back in 2000, and it's children that have temporarily resurrected the trio of Jill Cunniff, Gabby Glaser, and Kate Schellenbach-- with original Jacksonite Vivian Trimble along for the ride.

LJ disbanded to pursue a career in baby-making, and now they're making something for the babies. In a recent interview with MTV.com, Cunniff revealed that Luscious Jackson have emerged from retirement for the moment and have already completed an album of songs especially for children. They've yet to decide upon a title, and are still shopping around for a label.

"It's fun because adults will be able to enjoy this too," Cunniff told MTV.com. "It's like Luscious Jackson with a kids' angle. It's not goofy kids' music-- it's dance-y and has Luscious Jackson beats, but the [lyrical] content is pretty silly."

She went on to say she wouldn't rule out the possibility of future Luscious collaborations, however those will probably have to wait a bit, as Jill Cunniff releases her solo debut, City Beach, early next year.

The disc, due February 6 via the Militia Group, features 12 tracks, including one with a guest spot from Emmylou Harris. The curious may stream the first three songs on the record-- "Lazy Girls", "Happy Warriors", and "NYC Boy"-- on Jill's MySpace as we speak...err, type...err, as you read? Whatevs. [MORE...]

T.V. Eye: October 16-23, 2006

Pitchfork's T.V. Picks for This Week:

Monday, October 16:

ABC: "Jimmy Kimmel Live": the Killers (rerun)
CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": M. Ward (rerun)

Tuesday, October 17:

Fuel TV: "The Daily Habit": Jason Collett

Wednesday, October 18:

CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": Justin Timberlake (rerun)

Thursday, October 19:

NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Ben Folds (rerun)

Friday, October 20:

CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": TV on the Radio (rerun)
IFC: "The Henry Rollins Show": Frank Black (rerun)
NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": Ludacris
NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Frank Black

Saturday, October 21:

IFC: "The Henry Rollins Show": Frank Black (rerun)

Monday, October 23:

MTV2: "Subterranean": Sean Lennon

Two Gallants Show Erupts Into Violence
Band, audience members Tasered, arrested

An indie rock show descended into chaos Friday night in Houston, Texas, when a police officer investigating a noise complaint at the club Walter's on Washington allegedly attacked the band Two Gallants and its fans. According to various sources, Adam Stephens, singer/guitarist for the Saddle Creek two-piece, was shot with officer G.M. Rodriguez's Taser gun, as were the band's tour manager and two audience members--one, a 14-year-old boy. Two Gallants drummer Tyson Vogel and vocalist/guitarist Andrew Kerwin of opening band Trainwreck Riders were arrested.

Accounts vary as to the exact sequence of events. The Houston Chronicle reports Houston Police Department Sgt. Nate McDuell as saying that Rodriguez "approached management about the noise complaint, filed by a neighbor, and the volume was turned down-- but that as the officer was leaving, the volume went back up." The officer then took the stage and confronted Stephens. Stephens "then used a sexual obscenity and shoved the officer with his shoulder," according to McDuell.

Stephens told the Chronicle "that is 'absolutely' not what happened. Stephens said he was sideways and singing on the stage just before he turned around and saw the officer, who then shined a flashlight at him and said, 'Stop.'

"Stephens, who denied shoving the officer, said he responded, 'Why?' He said the officer moved closer to him and yelled, 'Stop!' Stephens said he again asked why and that the officer then grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the floor."

The photo that accompanies this story shows Rodriguez tackling both Two Gallants simultaneously, before the officer reached for his Taser. More photos, as well as video of the event, can be found here and here.

In the scuffle that followed, the Taser was discharged several times, a 90-year-old stand-up bass belonging to opening act Langhorne Slim was destroyed, and Rodriguez allegedly sustained minor injuries.

The Chronicle quotes McDuell as saying, "An officer gets attacked by dozens of people in a club who have been drinking. If anything, the officer was abused."

The band claims that they noticed no injuries on Rodriguez's body.

Stay tuned for updates on the situation. We hope to talk directly to the band members today. [MORE...]

LCD Soundsystem Makes 45-Minute Track for Nike
Also: James Murphy does Jiu-Jitsu, remixes Justin Timberlake

OK, overweight hipsters. Time to turn off our computers and hit the pavement. We've got some pounds to sweat off, and the DFA's James Murphy is our personal trainer.

Nike commissioned Murphy in his LCD Soundsystem guise to write a piece of music to accompany a workout; the result, titled 45:33, will be available for iTunes download tomorrow via the Nike+ store. Yes, it's one 45-minute, 33-second-long track, and it's going to cost $9.99.

This isn't Nike's first foray into workout-music patronage, as the Crystal Method created a mix for Nike+ this past summer. Nor is it LCD's first foray into corporate sponsorship, having hawked videogame consoles on the PlayStation DualPlay tour last fall.

Murphy explained the reasoning behind creating 45:33 in a press release:

"The idea, to make a long piece of music built around an arc designed for running, appealed to me because it was so anathematic to what you're typically asked to do as an artist: make easily digestible lumps of music for albums, or the radio, or whatever. I'd been thinking of the records I love in which people made one 'song' that took up the entire LP, and realizing that releasing something like this would otherwise be a virtual impossibility for me, I became excited when the Nike+ project came along.

"Our band, LCD, when on tour tends to do a lot of running--mainly to keep sane and resist the inevitability of turning into a bus-bound potato, filled with all that makes one sick. When I was approached to make this 'run,' two different members of the band told me that they ran to two remixes I'd done as DFA-- the UNKLE ['In a State'] and Gorillaz ['Dare'] mixes-- which both were long, sprawling, organic dance songs that eased from section to section for 10+ minutes each. So, the gauntlet had been thrown down to make something longer that was well designed to reward and push at good intervals of a run.

"I train fighting and Jiu-Jitsu three or four times a week, and a big part of that training is treadmill running, so I saw this also as a way to create a run on the treadmill that worked for me (programming changes to speed and incline throughout) and then make sure the music I was making worked along with it. When I was done adjusting things, much to my surprise, the time the run took was 45 minutes and 33 seconds-- the RPMs of records. It was obviously going the right way."

So what does the thing sound like? In the interest of delivering only the finest in hard-hitting interweb indie rock reporting, I loaded the track onto my iPod yesterday and went for my regular run. [MORE...]

Exclusive MP3: Tom Waits: "Road to Peace"

As previously reported, Tom Waits sets his Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards loose on America November 21 and Europe the day before, via Anti. Two already escaped prematurely-- "Bottom of the World" and "You Can Never Hold Back Spring"-- and Pitchfork just scooped up another one.

Its name is "Road to Peace", and careful, 'cause it's one of the brawlers.

It's also quite the political scamp, going on for a good seven minutes about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and questioning the ethics of the sitting U.S. president. At times it sounds like Waits is reading straight off the CNN ticker, but we forgive him, because these are vital topics that ought to be on folks' minds.

Stream: Art Brut: "Nag Nag Nag Nag" + bonus photos!

Surprise surprise! The new Art Brut track features Eddie Argos shouting over punky chords and a sloppy rhythm. No news there. However, the production on their forthcoming single "Nag Nag Nag Nag" (due November 13 on Mute) is much slicker than that of Bang Bang Rock & Roll, and the band seems more sure of itself.

As usual, Argos' lyrics are both simple and profound at the same time, musing on what it's like to be an adult with an adolescent obsession-- rock n roll. Funny, I think about that every day.

Click below for photos from Art Brut's show last night at the Metro here in Chicago, taken by Andres Delahoz, as well as Art Brut's latest tour dates. [MORE...]

Photos: Okkervil River [Chicago, IL; 10/07/06]

Austin's Okkervil River have evolved into a formidable live act with a devoted, wildly enthusiastic fanbase and a quality catalog of tunes, so it was hardly a surprise when they brought down the house this past Saturday at the first of two sold out shows at Chicago's Schubas.

Highlights included Black Sheep Boy scorcher "For Real", rollicker "The Latest Toughs", murder ballad "Westfall", sing-along encore closer "Okkervil River Song", and a spirited cover of Bill Fay's "Pictures of Adolf Again". Conspicuously absent was new ditty "The President's Dead", however Okkervil frontman Will Sheff did promise an almost entirely different setlist for fans lucky enough to score tickets to the second Chicago gig.

Remaining dates and photos ahead. [MORE...]

Video: The Raconteurs: "Level" (live)

Oh, you tried to call me just now and I didn't answer? Sorry, I was busy undergoing the most pointless three minutes and forty-nine second of my existence, and the music was loud.

The Raconteurs have released a live video of Broken Boy Soldiers' track "Level", and boy, is it ever a waste of time. The crystal-clear, super-cinematic footage and rock star Raconteurs "R" painted onstage had me wondering when the narrator would come in with a "coming to theaters near you," but the under-enthused band wouldn't hold an audience for long. And what's up director Sophie Muller's "unsteady as she holds" shaky camera syndrome?

But the real problem is that there just wasn't a need for this video. Plus Jack White's necklace is so last never.

Jenny Lewis to Rock NPR

This weekend, chanteuse Jenny Lewis and her companions the Watson Twins will croon to the nation on both "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and NPR.

The "Conan" appearance, where the band plans to perform the brand new song "Fernando", happens tonight on NBC (12:35am EST). The NPR stint, a recording of Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins' 9:30 Club show, will be webcast live around 7:30pm EST Sunday evening.

As previously reported, Lewis is currently working on new solo material and the next Rilo Kiley album, as well as waiting around to take part in an upcoming Postal Service disc. And getting blown off by Too $hort. She and the Watson Twins will continue their already underway tour through early December. [MORE...]

Pavement Pre-Order Yields Rare Live Show, Single
Matador Wants You to "Wow Out"

Hold that Soulseek-leeching mouse click, because Matador has arranged a special incentive for customers who pre-order Pavement's previously reported Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition from participating record stores. Record stores?! Remember those?!

The "Wow Out" program works like this: pre-order the album and receive a "super rare" live show and an extremely limited 7".

Upon arranging the pre-order, customers will be given a unique code via e-mail; this enables them to download the entire live show, recorded April 24, 1994 at L.A.'s Palace, when Pavement were just introducing Wowee tracks to their audience.

Then, on November 7, purchasers will open their mailbox to find both Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition and the aforementioned vinyl. The latter's A-side boasts a rare version of "Black Out" recorded around the time of Crooked Rain's release. It was originally slated for a Thurston Moore-curated compilation, but that didn't end up happening. The B-side holds a previously unreleased version of "Extradition", with different vocals and a "slightly different mix" than the album brought. [MORE...]

Thievery's Garza Tours With Fugazi, Make-Up Dudes

Move aside Bonnie "Prince" Billy, King Biscuit Time, and Darkel-- there's a new solo sheriff in town, and his name is way, way cooler than yours. Meet Dust Galaxy, aka Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation.

Dust Galaxy's debut LP will hit shelves in Spring 2007 courtesy of ESL Music/ViviColorSound. He enlisted Brendan Lynch to produce the currently untitled record (and occasionally play guitar and accordion), and brought in Primal Scream's Darren Mooney and Martin Duffy, the People's Revolutionary Choir's Jim Townsend, and Cornershop's Adam Blake for guest appearances.

Several singles are slated to emerge this fall, including "Come Hear the Trumpets" (currently streaming on Garza's MySpace) which will feature remixes from Shawn Lee, Fort Knox Five, and Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve.

Dust Galaxy will launch a short tour of the States this Sunday. Supporting Garza in his live band are James Canty (Make-Up, Ted Leo/Pharmacists), Jerry Busher (Fugazi), Ashish Vyas (GoGoGo Airheart), and Salem Steele.

It will run through a few major U.S. cities and conclude with a slot at New York's Delancey club as part of the KCRW's showcase at CMJ. Thievery Corporation have a few shows scheduled as well-- they will perform at two days (October 28 and 29) of São Paulo, Brazil's TIM Festival, and at Miami's BANG Music Festival (November 11). [MORE...]

MP3: Cat Power on AOL's Interface

When you're beautiful--Chanel beautiful--like Cat Power is, you can do things mere mortals wouldn't be able to get away with. Like wear a hideous, ripped-up, tie-dyed t-shirt with your black bra hanging out and hoop earrings and a plastic headband that look like they come from Claire's in the Staten Island Mall...and still look gorgeous.

Which is exactly what Chan Marshall did when she visited AOL's Interface studio to record four tracks and give an interview. The songs are solo versions of "Love & Communication", "John John", the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", and Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man".

Hmm...why does that sound familiar? Could it be because Marshall already did a solo version of "Love & Communication" for iTunes and "Ramblin' Man" for eMusic? Maybe.

The real treat, though, is the interview, in which Marshall schools her idiotic interviewer in Miami rap, feminine hygiene, and M. Night Shyamalan.

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)