Dirty Three's Mick Turner Preps Singles/Rarities Comp

Blue Trees, a compilation of Dirty Three guitarist Mick Turner's singles, cast-offs, and limited-run tracks with a couple unreleased gems thrown in for good measure, will hit retailers via Drag City on July 17.

Many of the previosusly-released cuts from Blue Trees are otherwise out-of-print, making this a one-stop shop for all your Down Under string-bending needs. The disc also includes several selections from the Tren Brothers, comprised of Mick and his compatriot, Dirty Three drummer Jim White. Peep the tracklist after the jump. [MORE...]

Madlib, Cut Chemist, J. Rocc in Brasilintime Doc
Also: Babu, will.i.am, Mamão

Film collective Mochilla will unleash its latest music documentary on the world next week with the release of Brasilintime: Batucada com Discos, a feature-length exploration of the connections between hip-hop and Brazilian musical styles such as samba and bossa nova.

In addition to the still photography of filmmakers B+ and Eric Coleman, Brasilintime consists of conversations between artists working in these genres from both the U.S. and Brazil. DJs appearing in the film include Madlib, Cut Chemist, J. Rocc, and Babu. Paul Humphrey, James Gadson, Derf Reklaw represent for the American old school drummers, and Ivan "Mamão" Conti, Joao "Comanche" Parahyba, DJ Nuts, and Wilson Das Neves represent for Brazil. There are also special appearances by will.i.am and Nelsao Triunfo.

The film will debut in Los Angeles at the Egyptian Theatre's American Cinematheque on July 17. A discussion with B+ and some of the featured musicians, moderated by Stones Throw's Eothen Alapatt, will follow the screening, as will a DJ Nuts set in the Egyptian Courtyard.

In celebration of the film's release, two other Los Angeles-area events will follow. On July 18, "Brasilintime: Still"-- an exhibition of the still photography used in the film-- will take place at Turntable Lab. Then, on July 19, Mochilla and ArtDontSleep will present the L.A. premiere of "Brasilintime: Batucada com Discos Live"-- a performance by the musicians in the film-- at the Mayan Theatre.

Finally, the Brasilintime DVD is available for pre-order now, and you can get yours here at Mochilla's website.

Photos: Os Mutantes [Chicago, IL; 07/11/07]

Photos by Sanchez and Kitahara

It got a little trippy at Chicago's Metro last night, as Brazilian Tropicália legends Os Mutantes took the stage for only their second ever show in the Windy City. You may remember their first.

The psychedelic partnership of brothers Sérgio Dias and Arnaldo Baptista, plus Zélia Duncan-- their latter-day replacement for Rita Lee-- blasted through a set of classics from their 1960s and 70s catalogue. Last night marked the launch of a decent-sized tour of North America and Europe, which will also take our Mutantes to the Lincoln Center Festival in New York and a couple more U.S. cities before heading across the pond.

More photos and remaining tour dates after the jump.






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Battles Smite Foes on Massive Tour

Pray for as few bad trails as possible for bringers of the bombast Battles as they race in and out of venues the world over on an exponentially-expanded tour in support of this year's shiny Mirrored.

Their current slate of shows-- which finds them in Hawkeye country tonight-- will have them bringing those ol' robotic futuristic George Jetson crazy joints to Europe, Japan, and this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival. Wait, that's this weekend? I better buy some shorts or something. [MORE...]

Ida, Secret Stars, Geoff Farina Play Callum Benefits
Plus: Mark Robinson, Chris Brokaw, Thalia Zedek Band

Tiny tyke Callum Robbins, as you'll recall, was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and friends and family of Callum and his parents-- D.C.-based J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels) and Janet Morgan (Channels)-- have come together for a few more benefits for Cal.

This weekend, at Somerville, Massachusetts' P.A.'s Lounge, artists will perform in support of Cal's cause, with all proceeds heading directly to the little guy's parents. Among those performing at the benefit, put together by Geoff Farina (Karate): Ida, Mark Robinson (Unrest), Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Come, the New Year) with Farina, Thalia Zedek (Come), and Secret Stars, who'll reunite for one night only. Full schedules after the jump. [MORE...]

Deerhunter's Cox Explains Recent Blog Posts

Some heavy stuff's been going down on the blog recently inaugurated by the members of Deerhunter; a few silly posts on the band's digestive prowess, followed by one not-so-silly post featuring some rather explicit sexual exploration. And, now, an explanation of sorts. After receiving a number of responses to the band's blog update yesterday, frontman Bradford Cox removed the post and added this statement:

First of all, if you do not like what i'm about don't read this blog or buy our records or come see us play. If you think we are overhyped and shitty then find another band that strikes your fancy and go hang around their blog. I am not trying to shock anyone. To those who recognized it, yeah, Dennis Cooper is a huge influence on me since I was about 15. I highly recommend his blog (denniscooper-theweaklings.blogspot.com). Now onto something more serious... Don't even think about pulling this child pornography shit with me. I have not used a single image that did not come from a legitimate site that keeps age records. Child Pornography is fucked up, and as someone who was sexually abused since I was seven, I take it pretty seriously. I don't need thought police on here. You can eat the shit you'll be seeing photos and journal entries about in the next day. I can't help it that some of you think I am sick or fucked up or twisted. My job is to express myself how I best know how. Usually a mixture of sadness and humor. I was really writing about lonliness. I don't feel like I need to defend the fact that I am fucked up because I was fucked with and sexually abused at a VERY young age. At this point in my life I am a 25 year old virgin with a body image that decreases exponentially everytime some dipshit with a blog takes a jab at how ugly I look. I don't blame myself for my adolescent fantasies because I am still an adolescent, looking for someone to connect to, I guess. Sorry to get all serious but I don't need this shit from cunts that come here expecting "Shock and Awe". That's not what we are about. We are about honesty. Everyone shits. Honestly. And everyone has fucked up things they hide. I show mine with a sense of humor.

When we spoke to Cox today (July 12) about the controversial blog post, he emphasized that, in writing the entry, he was "not trying to create some kind of sensationalistic magnet for attention." He added, "The news article that you guys wrote-- if you want to call it that-- inspired a lot of people to start writing really negative, attacking things about me on our blog, which eventually inspired me to remove that blog entry. I'm not doing anything illegal, or anything I'm ashamed of. There's not a single image I would use that wasn't from a site that had legal documentation, requirements they have to meet for showing somebody's age. Not a single image I used was of an underaged person. I would never, ever support anything that was exploitative of actual children. Child pornography is a fucking hardcore term. And I take that very seriously considering I was abused as a child."

Repeatedly evoking-- as he did in his most recent blog entry-- the name of radical explorations of sexuality in the work of author Dennis Cooper (to whom he considered the entry an homage), Cox opined, "Culture has already gone through so many radical shifts in terms of what's acceptable, realism, dadaism, fucking punk rock. A lot of it has been about not taking yourself too seriously, and just allowing shit to just come out of you, stream-of-consciousness style." Cox saw the recent entry not as an expression of any personal sexual desire, but rather as what he terms 'existential humor.' "The last entry on our blog was violent, and kind of a bizarre fantasy," he says, "but it's not like a fantasy we actually had. Those were presented as jokes."

Cox is aware that many of his actions could be construed as controversial, but repeatedly emphasizes how far controversy is from his intentions. "The blame," Cox admits, "I guess could rest on me for writing something controversial. But the intended audience for that are people who identify enough with our music and the culture surrounding it, and know enough about us to understand the context of it, which is really, really reliant on humor, and not seriousness. It's kind of like absurdist, existential, over the top, funny and sad humor."

Deerhunter will be playing Boston tonight, and the Pitchfork Music Festival over the weekend. [MORE...]

Times New Viking Plunder U.S., Mexico on Tour

Columbus, OH's catchiest caterwauling combo Times New Viking will serve up their hot fuzz to all those willing to stand in its path on a tour kicking off tomorrow night (July 13) in Cleveland Heights. Audiences from Missoula to Mexico will get a chance to peel away the skronky layers of the recent Matador signees' plunderphonic latest release Presents the Paisley Reich, as well as congregate with a bunch of other folks as into fonts as they are. [MORE...]

Tegan and Sara Snag Death Cabbies for LP, Tour

Photo by Autumn de Wilde 

Quin twins Tegan and Sara will release their latest full-length, The Con, via Vapor/Sire on July 24. The follow-up to 2004's So Jealous features production from Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, while Death Cab's Jason McGerr played drums on the record. Other guests include the Rentals' Matt Sharp and AFI's Hunter Burgan, both on bass.

The Canadian duo also has a ton of tour dates stretching into December, the next of which is July 14 in Victoria, British Columbia. What's more, they'll perform "Back in Your Head", The Con's first single, July 31 on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien". [MORE...]

Photos: Flight of the Conchords [Los Angeles, CA; 07/11/07]

Photos by Akmal Naim

Musical comedians Flight of the Conchords, New Zealand's self-described "fourth most popular folk-parody duo," performed a live show last night at L.A.'s El Rey Theatre before a sold out, standing room-only crowd. Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement, as their mothers know them, worked through some of their satirical singalongs such as "Robots (The Humans Are Dead)" and "K.I.S.S.I.N.G."-- an activity they practiced on stage, giving feedback on each other's osculatory talents.

During "Think, Think About It", the Conchords were joined by Spanish translators (see photo below) who not only interpreted the song, but also parodied the voices of McKenzie and Clement as they sang. In case you're not yet initiated to the comedic stylings of the recent Sub Pop signees, you can check out the pilot episode of their HBO series at the show's MySpace page. The duo's debut Sub Pop EP, The Distant Future, arrives August 7. More photos below the fold.

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Your Guide to the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival
Schedules, directions, rules, fun fun fun!

The 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival is nearly upon us! By now you know the basics: the big gig goes down Friday, July 13, Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15 at Chicago's Union Park, tickets are completely sold out, and pretty much all of your favorite bands are playing.

Union Park is located at 1501 W. Randolph Street in Chicago. Detailed directions lie ahead, but first, here's that dream rundown, one more time:

Friday, July 13 (in conjunction with ATP/Don't Look Back):

5:00 Union Park opens

Connector Stage
6:30 Slint perform Spiderland
***Ticketholders take note: SLINT WILL BEGIN AT 6:30PM, NOT AT 7 AS INDICATED ON FESTIVAL TICKETS***

Aluminum Stage
7:45 GZA performs Liquid Swords
9:00 Sonic Youth perform Daydream Nation

Saturday, July 14:

NOON Union Park opens

Connector Stage
1:00 The Twilight Sad
2:00 Voxtrot
4:00 Battles
6:00 Mastodon
8:00 Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues

Aluminum Stage
1:30 Califone
3:00 Grizzly Bear
5:00 Iron and Wine
7:00 Clipse
9:00 Yoko Ono (with special guests)

Balance Stage
1:00 Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound
2:00 William Parker Quartet
3:10 Beach House
4:10 Fujiya & Miyagi
5:15 Professor Murder
6:15 Oxford Collapse
7:15 Dan Deacon
8:30 Girl Talk

Sunday, July 15:

NOON Union Park opens

Connector Stage
1:00 Deerhunter
2:00 Menomena
4:00 The Sea and Cake
6:00 Stephen Malkmus
8:00 The New Pornographers

Aluminum Stage
1:30 The Ponys
3:00 Junior Boys
5:00 Jamie Lidell
7:00 Of Montreal
9:00 De La Soul

Balance Stage
1:00 Fred Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra
2:00 Brightblack Morning Light
3:10 Nomo
4:10 Craig Taborn's Junk Magic
5:15 The Cool Kids
6:15 Cadence Weapon
7:15 The Field
8:30 Klaxons

Not sure what the hell a Connector stage is, let alone where to find it? Looking for the box office? Will call? ATMs? Pick up a handy festival map! Everybody who enters the festival grounds will receive a copy of the map with a schedule and list of vendors.

As with Pitchfork events the past two summers, water will once again be available by the bottle for the meager sum of $1.00. That's less than the price of a ketchup packet at most festivals! So drink up and stay hydrated without incinerating your pocketbook.

What to do with all those extra bucks you won't be blowing on water? Why not take a load off at the DEPART-ment craft fair, the Flatstock 13 poster fair, or the WLUW record fair? It's also not too late to catch the last acts in the festival-sponsored LunchBreak series at the Chicago Cultural Center. And that eMusic comp is still free for the downloading.

Hey! Some travel info:

Address

Union Park
1501 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607
(Corner of Lake St. and Ashland Ave.)
Get map

Directions

Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park is easy to get to via the CTA. For more detailed directions please visit the CTA's Trip Planner.

By Bicycle

We highly encourage biking to the festival, and will provide a guarded bike parking area at which you may store your bike while you attend the event.

By Train

Located, literally, just steps off the Ashland Green Line/Pink Line stops. [Green Line riders take note! There are actually two "Ashland" stops. One, called "Ashland/63rd", might as well be in another time zone. Do not use this stop! Use the "Ashland" stop that's between the "Clinton" and "California" stops. Also, don't use the Orange Line Ashland stop! Only the Green and Pink lines stop at Union Park. Thanks.]

By Bus

#9 Ashland to Ashland and Lake.

By Car

With so many options and directions to come by, we've just listed a few. Please visit maps.yahoo.com for further detailed directions. Also, please be advised that there is no parking available at Union Park. If there's any way you can avoid driving to the festival, avoid it.

I-90/94
Take 90/94 East to Chicago.
Take EXIT 50A toward OGDEN AVE.
Stay straight to go onto N. RACINE AVE.
Turn slight right onto N. OGDEN AVE.
Turn right onto W. Randolph to 1501 W. Randolph.

I-290
Take I-290 East to Chicago
Take EXIT 28B toward PAULINA ST / 1700 W / ASHLAND BLVD.
Stay STRAIGHT to go onto W CONGRESS PKWY.
Turn LEFT onto S ASHLAND AVE.
End at N Ashland Ave & W Lake St.

I-55
Take I-55 N / STEVENSON EXPY N.
Merge onto I-90 W / I-94 W via EXIT 292A toward WISCONSIN.
Take the WEST RANDOLPH ST exit: EXIT 51B.
End at 1501 W Randolph St

And all the fine print:

General Info

The Pitchfork Music Festival is a three-day event showcasing dozens of bands and artists on three stages. With so many blockbuster festivals gouging their attendees out of absolutely obscene sums of money, only to confine them in uncomfortable, tight spaces and skimp on basic necessities, our goal is to do the right thing: create a reasonably priced summer music festival that provides an overwhelmingly positive, comfortable, and fun experience for both attendees and musicians.

Hours

Friday: 5pm to 10pm. Saturday and Sunday: Noon to 10pm. Box office opens July 13th at 10am.

Tickets

If you are picking up tickets at will call, please bring an ID and your Ticketweb purchase confirmation number.

Children

Children of all ages are welcome, and children under the age of 11 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

ATMs

ATMs will be available on festival grounds.

Lost and Found

Please visit the box office for all lost and found items.

Access and Special Needs

For information regarding access for people with disabilities, please e-mail access@pitchforkmusicfestival.com

Rules and Regulations

Re-Entry Policy

Please bear in mind, there will be absolutely no re-entry into the festival.

Prohibited Items

All attendees will be searched upon entering the festival grounds. The following items will not be allowed: Tents, flags, refunds or exchanges, lounge chairs, instruments, knives or other weapons, video cameras, audio recording devices, professional cameras, pets, food, beverages (other than sealed bottled water), drugs or drug paraphernalia.

Cameras

No video recorders and no cameras with detachable lenses will be allowed on the festival grounds. If you are at all unsure about the equipment you're planning to bring, leave it at home!

Non-Prohibited Items

Digital cameras (non-professional), disposable cameras, film cameras (non-professional), fanny packs, sealed bottled water, backpacks/satchels (medium-sized), hats, sun block, lighters, sunglasses, cigarettes, folding chairs.

Alcoholic Beverages

A valid ID is required to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages on the festival grounds.

Security and Safety

Chicago's well-respected and experienced Safety Security Systems will be providing their services at the Pitchfork Music Festival. Please respect and follow all rules and regulations. They were created with your safety in mind.

Weather

The Pitchfork Music Festival will take place rain or shine (forecast is calling for sunshine! Fingers crossed!). All acts advertised have confirmed their appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. However, acts are subject to change without notice. Please visit this website regularly for the most up-to-date information. All rules and regulations are subject to change.

Please Respect Our Neighbors

Union Park and the surrounding historic neighborhoods have been very gracious in welcoming us to their home several years in a row. Show respect for them as you enter and leave the festival. Please don't be overly loud, don't litter, and don't post or distribute flyers in the neighborhood.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation has informed us that they will be ticketing people for posting flyers on light poles, telephone poles, or any other piece of city property. At $250 per flyer, you might want to reconsider whether this will be a cost-effective way to promote your band/energy drink/toothpaste/movie night/etc.

* * * * *

Last but anything but least, we'd like to thank everyone who purchased tickets to the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival. With your help we can all look forward to another unforgettable gathering!

Blitzen Trapper Step Into the Sub Pop Stable

Photo by Jade Harris

And you know Go! Team and Pissed Jeans and Brunettes and Conchords. Oswalt and Cahoone and Archives and these guys. But do you recall...the most recent Sub Pop signing of all?

Step aside Rudolph, as Sub Pop has just welcomed Portland trailblazers Blitzen Trapper into their ever-growing fold. It's been quite a year for today's Guest List guests, whose breakout third LP, Wild Mountain Nation, descended upon the Pitchfork housetop as if by magic and garnered Best New Music status last month.

Since Wild Mountain's still piping hot, it's safe to say our Blitzen boys probably won't be stepping out with their debut Sub Pop release anytime soon. But they are touring up a storm with that feller David Vandervelde. Catch them next delivering good cheer to Los Angeles tomorrow night, and on the road thereafter-- they even play consecutive nights at the Thirsty Hippo and the Drunken Unicorn! [MORE...]

Aesop Rock Announces Huge Fall Tour
Black Moth Super Rainbow, Cage, Octopus Project to Open

Contrary to the title of his forthcoming new record, Aesop Rock Shall Pass through the cities of North America this fall like bran through your grandmother.

Aesop's got two festival dates, one in late July and one in early September, before his tour kicks off in full effect September 8 in Philadelphia. Accompanying him on all dates will be Blockhead (with DJ Signify), Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz (supporting Aesop and Rob on turntables). Opening acts include Cage, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and the Octopus Project.

None Shall Pass comes out August 28 via Def Jux. [MORE...]

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.)