Unreleased 1978 Talking Heads Live Cut on KALX 7"
Plus tunes from Ride's Mark Gardener, Dengue Fever, Supersystem

Berkeley, California-based KALX has been disseminating goodness via radio waves for 45 years now, and to celebrate its sapphire anniversary, the station has assembled an extra special, super limited double 7".

This being the information age, you probably encounter descriptors like "extra special" and "super limited" all the time, so perhaps some qualification is in order. Just how special is this 7"? Well, it contains a never-before-released live recording of Talking Heads jam "Stay Hungry", captured on tape on the UC Berkeley campus way back in 1978, the same year said song appeared on More Songs About Buildings and Food. I'm no scholar of diction, but I'd say that's pretty darn extra special.

What's more, the 45 rpm 45th anniversary double 7" is rounded out with KALX studio recordings from Ride's Mark Gardener (rocking Ride's trademark tune "Vapour Trail", no less), Dengue Fever, and the now defunct Supersystem. And if that doesn't have you sufficiently geeked, know that the two 7"s-- one on blue vinyl, one on red-- come housed in a nifty gatefold package.

And just how limited is this thing? A mere 500 copies have been pressed. Get yours by pledging $75 or more (tax-deductable!) to the station right now, or add $25 to any other pledge package of $50 or more. Details here-- and although the station's big fall pledge push has ended, they will still gladly accept your donations and hook you up with 7"s while supplies last.

The 45th anniversary festivities don't stop there, however. Greg Ashley, a DJing Yoni Wolf of Why?, and more roll on into San Francisco's Rickshaw Stop tonight (November 8) to fete KALX. [MORE...]

Nirvana's Novoselic Blogs, Talks Anarchy, "Teen Spirit"
"I know for sure that Kurt Cobain did not have any odor problems."

Photo via Seattle Weekly

Krist Novoselic-- the other other guy from Nirvana-- has put the bass (that he nowadays plays in the current incarnation of Flipper) down for a spell, picked up the keyboard, and plunged headlong into the dangerous world of blogging.

The politically-minded Novoselic posted the first of his bloggy musings for Seattle Weekly on the publication's website this week. Topics covered? Well, Nirvana, whose "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video was recently profiled for a special on the Fuse network. As Novoselic tells it, he agreed to be interviewed for the special, but was miffed about the edited quotes that resulted and the relative lack of air time reserved for himself and other guy from Nirvana Dave Grohl.

Novoselic also addressed his late former bandmate Kurt Cobain (choice line: "I know for sure that Kurt Cobain did not have any odor problems.") and devoted a good portion of his writeup to a somewhat muddled discussion of anarchy. Hmm, perhaps the relative lack of structure in his piece is actually an anarchic gesture?

Still, it's good to see this guy up and doing something, so might as well bookmark his blog and see what he dishes out next.

My Brightest Diamond Kicks Off Tour Tonight
Plus cool bonus demo mp3!

When she's not splashing about in fountains, celebrating the music of Huey Lewis, getting her cast signed, or singing about a highway, Shara Worden is traversing the known world as My Brightest Diamond. One of the brightest gems in the Asthmatic Kitty crown, Worden and her Diamond kick off their brief fall tour this evening in Montreal, joined at every turn by Tim "Shaniqua" Fite. She's also got those plans to head to Australia and Japan with her dogg 4 life Sufjan Stevens, but that is so next year.

It also seems Worden's been crafting a new MBD LP since the last time we checked in with her. Oh so many dispatches from the studio have been posted on the band's website, from the somewhat banal to the downright wacky. A mouse infestation? Beatboxing? Oboes? Expect all that and more from the disc, tentatively titled A Thousand Shark's Teeth.

In the meantime, how about a reminder of the first My Brightest Diamond album, Bring Me the Workhorse? Check out the raw demo version of that LP's "Freak Out" below! [MORE...]

Radiohead Doing Something on the Web in Two Hours
Dear god, please not another RickRoll

Big day in Radiohead land.

First, the announcement of In Rainbows' UK release.

And now this, posted just now on Dead Air Space under the subject heading "further research":

helo
there will be something on the box tonight
its another test
but right now we are entangled in cables
however
weather permitting
our technical experts will resolve the entanglement
itll be broadcast as a quicktime h.264 stream
if youve got a mac you could read it with quicktime player
if youve got a pc you might need to download the installer (click here to download and install)

then
www2.radiohead.tv

try it about 10 pm gmt

Stanley

10 p.m. GMT? That's in, like, two hours! Maybe that webcast is coming early?

Ghostface Unveils Big Doe Tracklist, Guests, Cover Art
Raekwon beefs with Wu-Tang Clan

With anticipation levels surrounding Ghostface Killah's forthcoming The Big Doe Rehab fast approaching a boiling point-- particularly since we no longer need divide our anticipation between Big Doe and the Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams-- Ghost has gone and added some kindling to the fire. Album details, people! Have a look.

First, of course, is that classy cover art you see up there, set to adorn copies of Big Doe that Def Jam delivers on December 4.

Next, the tracklist, reprinted in full below. Of note: Kid Capri-featuring first single "We Celebrate" (not just "Celebrate", as reported prior), which samples Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate"; Raekwon-boosted "Yolanda's House" and "Shakey Dog Starring Lolita" (an epilogue to Fishscale standout "Shakey Dog"!); a pair of tracks featuring Ghostface's tourmates Rhythm Roots Allstars; a track called "I'll Die for You" and another called "!".

Then, naturally, there are the guests, including the aforementioned along with Ghost's Wu associates Method Man (as you know), U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna, plus Ghost's posse and More Fish co-stars Theodore Unit, Beanie Sigel, Styles P, and more.

And while Ghostface and the Wu seem to have settled their beef, Ghost apparently isn't the only one upset with the way camp Wu is being run. Billboard.com points us to a MissInfo.tv interview with Raekwon, who revealed his own misgivings. "Bottom line," said Raekwon, "it's a lot of business that's fucking up the creativity." Is that why we haven't seen a second Cuban Linx yet? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Finally, since Ghostface has been blowing up the Pitchfork news ticker in recent weeks, here's a quick, updated roundup of recent happenings:

* Ghostface doll: available now
* Ghostface book, The World According to Pretty Toney: due January 8 from MTV Press (moved from previously reported December 4 date)
* Ghostface's Walk Hard collaboration with Jewel, Lyle Lovett, and Jackson Browne: soundtrack in stores December 4, film in theaters December 21, collab's very notion still blowing minds
* Ghostface-boosted Beatles-interpolating track: set to appear on Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams, out December 11 via Loud/Universal/SRC/Wu Music Group
* Ghostface, Rakim, Brother Ali, and Rhythm Roots Allstars on the Hip Hop Live! tour: happening now, dates below

Phew! [MORE...]

Pitchfork: The Survey!

Hello, readers! Have you ever wanted to tell the people of Pitchfork what you hate about us? What you love about us? Your hopes and dreams for what you wish we could be? Well, now's your chance.

Head on over to the 2007 Pitchfork Media Reader Survey and let us know what you think of us. We're eager to hear it, and to learn a little bit about you, too. If you enter your email address at the end of the survey, you'll be entered to win a copy of the fabulous Rhino box set The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium.

Thanks!

Once again, click HERE to take that survey. 

Blood Brothers Break Up, For Real This Time

They say there's an inkling of truth to every rumor. So, if the announcement of the demise of the Blood Brothers a few weeks back proved premature, that, alas, was only temporary. The Seattle post-hardcore unit announced today that they have indeed parted ways after a decade of truly brutal, boundary-stretching music.

A statement on the band's MySpace blog reads:

Dear Friends,

After 10 years of making music as The Blood Brothers, we have made the collective decision that our time together has come to an end. We feel extremely fortunate to have spent such a deeply memorable and amazing part of our lives with each other. At this point, however, we feel it's best that our futures move forward on separate paths. We'd like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to all the bands we've played with, individuals who have helped us make our records, and fans who have come to our shows and picked up our music throughout the years. Your friendship, support and love hold such a profoundly special place in each of our hearts. We hope that the memories you attach to our music are as fond as those you have given us. Thank you and take care, we'll miss all of you.

Love,
The Blood Brothers

Farewell, Blood Brothers. You were very loud, and we will miss you back.

The Blood will continue to flow through the veins of a pair of side projects that just got a whole lot more serious: Jaguar Love features ex-Brothers Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato alongside ex-Pretty Girls Make Graves member Jay Clark, while the more electronic Neon Blonde is comprised of Johnny Whitney and Mark Gajadhar. Jaguar Love have a few shows on the way with Queens of the Stone Age, and those dates can be found after the jump. [MORE...]

Soulwax Roughed Up by Bouncers in Liverpool

It was a typical club night in Liverpool this past Friday, November 2. A dance-oriented band-- Soulwax-- on stage at the Nation venue, a crowd cutting it up on the floor, and, in between, a bunch of those beefy bouncer dudes. Yet something ran afoul that night, and for reasons that aren't entirely clear, a pack of these security guard types swarmed the stage during Soulwax's set and forcibly removed the band.

A Liverpool Daily Post report cites a number of eyewitness accounts from the event. "There were bouncers standing at the front of the stage making people stand about a meter back because someone got manhandled," described one concert attendee. "The lead singer [Stephen Dewaele] stopped the music and asked the bouncers to let the people come forward.

"One bouncer saw red and jumped on to the stage and waved another couple of bouncers on to the stage, at which point they muscled in and the drummer was pushed over."

The resulting melee was captured on a couple camera-phones and posted on YouTube. The quality leaves something to be desired, but both videos appear to show Soulwax-- the four skinny guys in white-- being roughed up to what would seem an unreasonable degree by a fair number of big dudes in dark clothing.

In one video, you can see a member of Soulwax being pushed across the stage by a bouncer. A second video captures the chaos from a much closer vantage point. If you watch closely (check the vidcap above as well), you can see a hand-- presumably belonging to Soulwax drummer Steve Slingeneyer-- reaching up from the ground. The dense crowd, clearly miffed, also booed the proceedings intensely before erupting into chants of "Soulwax! Soulwax!"

It would seem no one was seriously injured, as Soulwax have pressed on with gigs since the scuffle. Meanwhile, the Daily Post report indicates that Chibuku-- which hosted the club night-- has launched an investigation into the incident. Both Soulwax and Chibuku have also issued statements, which are reprinted after the jump.

Many thanks to reader Nicolas Dalias for the tip.

Undeterred, Soulwax will continue soldiering on with a number of appearances in the coming weeks. Catch them in South America this week. [MORE...]

Hold Steady, Husker Du Guys in Replacements Book

Behind the flannel shirts, mussy hair, and "Beautiful Loser" archetype, the Replacements were just a pretty great (if also pretty self-destructive) rock band with some good stories. Minneapolis rock critic Jim Walsh has gathered those stories for an oral history of the band that goes beyond their chapter in Our Band Could Be Your Life.

The Replacements: All Over but the Shouting is an oral history of the Replacements told through Walsh's interviews with their families, friends, fans, former manager Peter Jesperson, Twin/Tone label co-founder Paul Stark, and musicians who count Paul Westerberg and company's band as an influence-- including the Hold Steady's Craig Finn, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould and Grant Hart.

While officially due November 15, All Over is actually available now via Voyageur Press. Check out some excerpts from it here.

There are a number of All Over-related literary and musical events that will take place this fall and winter, starting with the November 15 reading/signing/general party at Minneapolis' Treehouse Records/CC Club. [MORE...]

Report: I'm Not There: In Concert [New York, NY; 11/07/07]

Photos by Kathryn Yu, words by Amanda Petrusich ABOVE: MY MORNING JACKET

Much like the film itself, the soundtrack to I'm Not There, Todd Haynes' already infamous Bob Dylan biopic (featuring an eclectic mess of actors in the lead role, from Cate Blanchett to Richard Gere to 11-year-old Marcus Carl Franklin) is a compelling, occasionally perplexing collection of interpretations of Dylan's work. Last night at New York's Beacon Theatre, a bunch of soundtrack contributors banded together to perform songs from the film, as a benefit for Dave Eggers' 826 National organization.

YO LA TENGO


Mercifully, talk of "the genius of the work" was kept to a dignified minimum, and the acts that stayed playful were the ones that soared. Collaborations abounded: Calexico teamed up with My Morning Jacket's Jim James ("Goin' to Acapulco"), Mark Lanegan ("Man in the Long Black Coat"), and Joe Henry ("Senor [Tales of Yankee Power]"), while Lee Ranaldo's Million Dollar Bashers (named after a track off of The Basement Tapes, and featuring J. Mascis on guitar) ran through four different vocalists (Ranaldo, Mascis, Henry, and Chris Bailey). Ranaldo also performed with White Magic's Mira Billotte.

JIM JAMES with CALEXICO

Gomez delivered a teasing rendition of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright", and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (introduced by an oddly hirsute, gum-smacking Heath Ledger) embraced Dylan's more absurdist tendencies: Sharpe, wearing no shirt (and, I dare say, no underpants) stared blankly while sound engineers attempted to plug in a guitar, pausing to hug his giggling bandmate, telling jokes ("What do you call a Mexican with a prosthetic toe? Roberto!"), and readjusting his snare drum before launching into a shockingly coherent take on "All I Really Want to Do".

LEE RANALDO AND THE MILLION DOLLAR BASHERS (FEATURING J MASCIS)

Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks shuffled through "Subterranean Homesick Blues"; Hicks had to slip on his glasses and read lyrics from a print-out, but his choreographed, walking-in-place moves with his backing dancers (two women in sparkly black dresses and sunglasses, one wearing a purse) were stupidly charming. Yo La Tengo rolled out "Fourth Time Around" (with Georgia Hubley singing lead) and "She's Your Lover Now" with Buckwheat Zydeco on organ. Mason Jennings strummed and mewed "The Times They Are A-Changin'".

Notably missing was Cat Power, who was billed as playing the show, but was nowhere to be found. No reason has been given for her absence. UPDATE: She apparently canceled weeks ago. Michelle Shocked also couldn't make the show, due to a missed flight.

THE ROOTS

Unsurprisingly, the night culminated in a horrifying "all-star" rendition of "All Along the Watchtower", featuring members of Calexico, the Roots, and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, as well as Ranaldo, Mascis, John Doe, Joe Henry, Mason Jennings, Al Kooper, and more. There were two drummers, four guitarists, two trumpets, three dancers, tuba, bass, organ, violin, six vocalists, and a couple dudes in the back clapping their hands.

But the ticket price was justified by performances from My Morning Jacket, who did "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" (I'm Not There director Haynes, who periodically popped out in between songs, could only respond with "Wow") and the Roots, whose "Masters of War" was both chilling and ecstatic. Rapturous Dylan idolatry is not a particularly new or interesting phenomenon, but I'm Not There's pairings were weird enough to keep all eyes focused for twenty-four songs.

GROUP SING-A-LONG

[MORE...]

Lily Allen to Host TV Show on BBC Three

Photo by Anoulay Tsai

Seems like only yesterday we were bringing you news of Lily Allen's latest not-strictly-musical undertaking. (And if you haven't seen our update to that story, take note: Lily's management company originally confirmed that she would indeed be the new face of Agent Provocateur. However, hours after our story ran, the confirmation was rescinded, with no explanation. Agent Provocateur has not responded to our questions at this time.)

But today's a new day, and Lily's not the type to lay around in her knickers just waiting for the next thing to come along. Starting early next year, she'll be at the helm of a new variety show on BBC Three. According to The Guardian, the show is called "Lily and Friends". BBC News reports that the program is "based on the social networking phenomenon that helped launch her music career." Brits get Lily Allen, and we Yanks are stuck with Tila Tequila? Blast!

The show's audience will apparently consist of Lily's MySpace friends, with viewers presenting some of the show's segments and grilling celebrity guests. Bands both "chart-topping" and "unsigned" will join Lily on the show, and the progress of the lesser known acts-- chosen by the audience-- will be charted at length on a network created specifically for the show. It seems most of the details of the show are still being worked out; in fact, it was just about a month ago that Lily mentioned on her blog that she'd been "having meetings about a potential tv show."

So what else is Lily up to? Well, she's got that Jane Austen movie in the works, and a live track on that WXRT charity comp. And hopefully making a new record.

Vampire Weekend Reveal Debut Album Details

Since Is This It was already taken, NYC's Vampire Weekend-- already the subject of considerable buzz and backlash, a full 18-odd months and zero albums into their career-- have gone the self-titled route for their debut full-length release.

Vampire Weekend sinks its teeth into an eagerly awaiting U.S. populace January 29 (March 3 overseas), via the quartet's coffin of choice, XL Recordings. The 11-song set includes a few jams with which fans of the band will already be familiar, and we can pretty much guarantee that all of the songs, by default, will be better than the band's name.

As previously reported, the boys-- who, full disclosure, count a couple among the Pitchfork ranks as friends-- are vamping it up overseas with the Shins. Beware, as they return to terrorize North American cities in mid-November. Pack plenty of garlic. [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.)