Lou Reed, David Byrne, Antony Play Iraq Peace Benefit
With Blonde Redhead, Scissor Sisters, Laurie Anderson, Moby, Norah Jones

Believe it or not, there are still some folks out there who don't think the decision to invade Iraq was such a good one! Relegated to the outskirts of society, these rabid peaceniks have seen zero representation for their way of thinking in any of the major political parties or their respective pundits. And for good reason, since the Iraq war is going so splendidly. Why would anybody want to complain about it?

On March 18 at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse, a bunch of these weirdos will gather for SPEAK UP!: A Benefit Concert for Peace in Iraq & Justice at Home. They will be entertained by the likes of Lou Reed, David Byrne, Antony, Laurie Anderson, Blonde Redhead, Scissor Sisters, Damien Rice, Moby, Bill T. Jones, and Norah Jones, among others. The performers "will be joined by speakers from the worlds of politics, media, war, and social justice in a call for action," according to the St. Ann's website.

The evening, which marks the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, will also feature a photo exhibit by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders of portraits of injured soldiers.

(Via BrooklynVegan.)

sBACH (Hella's Spencer Seim) Signs to Suicide Squeeze
Sebastian Bach ponders lawsuit for about five seconds before returning to text messaging Axl Rose

Man, this new project from Spencer Seim sounds Hella crazy! Seim, guitarist and founding member of cacophonous Californians Hella, has a new little thing on the side he's calling sBACH.

According to a press release, Seim "promises to have no idea what the record will sound like until he sits down to record." (Though, uh, "kinda crazy" is probably a safe bet, even this far out.) We did note, however, that his MySpace claims "sBACH makes music only old people can hear." Hey, kinda like that other S. Bach!

Suicide Squeeze will release Seim's debut August 19, with an sBACH tour to follow. Since those dates have yet to come to light, and Hella don't seem to be up to much now, we will encourage patience, in ourselves as well as in others.

Battles Sketch out Spring Tour

Photo by Sanchez and Kitahara

So casserolin' with Rachael Ray (and, alas, SXSW at large) is a no-go for Battles. In fact, from what we can gather at the moment, it won't be until late April that the frantic foursome hit another stage, when they make their way to Coachella.

But they've added plenty of dates after Coachella including a brief European tour, a few UK dates (including their appearance at the Explosions in the Sky-curated ATP Festival), a trip to Bonnaroo, and a few U.S. gigs to follow.

But what are they gonna do with their time off? Come up with fancy new intra-band handshakes? Study each other's movements under a microscope in order to better lock in those trusty grooves? Hold a bake sale to raise money to get John Stainier's kinda inhuman cymbal-arm extended even further? Record another kickass space-prog LP? These Battles aren't saying much. (And when they are, it sounds like a crazy alien talking!)

In other Battles news, they recently popped up on Rough Trade's Counter Culture 07 comp. [MORE...]

Fleet Foxes Sign to Sub Pop, Prep EP and Album, Tour

Seattle's self-proclaimed "Baroque / Sacred Harp / Minstrelsy" quintet Fleet Foxes have signed on the dotted line to become members of the Sub Pop family, thus expanding the label's roster of bands who sort of sound like the Band beyond Blitzen Trapper and Band of Horses. And hooray for bands who even sort of sound like the Band!

Sub Pop will release Fleet Foxes' Phil Ek-produced debut full-length on June 3. It's a self-titled affair clocking in at 11 tracks. Preceding the album will be an Ek-produced five-song Sub Pop EP called Sun Giant, which you can get from Sub Pop's website in March and elsewhere April 8-- or pick up a copy on Fleet Foxes' North American tour with labelmates Blitzen Trapper.

That tour starts tonight with a FF headline show in Walla Walla, Washington and doesn't end until late April. Along the way, the Foxes will play a "secret show you can't go to w/ U2, Bob Dylan, Led Zep" in "Rapture, Hawaii," a date at "Carpal Tunnel, Connecticut"'s legendary "Typing This Makes My Hands and Brain Hurt" club, and another in "Norman (Is this a real place?), Oklahoma." They'll even take a "day off, slowly grow to hate each other" in "Transylvania, Alaska." All of this according to their MySpace, naturally. [MORE...]

Kanye Adds Dates to "Glow in the Dark" Tour

More like the "GROW in the Dark" tour, I guess! Kanye West's ol' robotic, futuristic, George Jetson, crazy jaunt with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., and Rihanna has more than doubled in size since our last dispatch. For the sake of the bad pun, we'll just pretend these dates were added sometime during the night.

Feist's new BFF and his posse still kick things off April 16 in Seattle, and will now run through some 33 locales normally reserved for humongous professional sporting events and Rolling Stones concerts before wrapping things up in Calgary, Alberta on May 30. Pretty much all those "conspicuous gaps" from before are now accounted for, and Kanye and Lupe still reunite in June for Bonnaroo.

Still fresh: the "Flashing Lights" video, Kanye's Grammy appearance, Estelle's "American Boy", Beyoncé's Connect Four skillz, and, alas, not Craig Mack. [MORE...]

Photos: 18th Annual Tibet House Benefit [New York, NY; 02/13/08]

Photos by Kathryn Yu

An unlikely collection of music-makers from across the sonic spectrum came together for a common cause last night at New York City's Carnegie Hall. The occasion was the 18th Annual Benefit for Tibet House U.S., and the cause is the preservation of the Tibetan culture and way of life-- or, as the Tibet House organization's mission statement puts it, "ensuring that the light of the Tibetan spirit never disappears from the face of the earth."

Sufjan Stevens treated show-goers to "The Star-Spangled Banner", while Kinks man Ray Davies led a bill-wide sing-along. Also on-hand for the evening of charity and good cheer: Band of Horses, Philip Glass, Marisa Monte, Ashley MacIsaac, Phamie Gow, Tibet-born Nawang Khechog, and the monks of Drepung Gomang. To learn more and find out how you can help, head to the Tibet House U.S. website.

SUFJAN STEVENS




BAND OF HORSES


RAY DAVIES


THE DREPUNG GOMANG MONKS


GROUP SING-ALONG

[MORE...]

Pitchfork Seeks Business Intern in Chicago

Pitchfork Media, Inc. seeks a part-time business intern to work in our fast-paced Chicago office. This position is structured for the self-motivated applicant. This internship is unpaid and growth is limited only to the candidate's willingness to succeed. The ideal candidate will have basic administrative skills, be incredibly organized, and available a minimum of 15 hours a week.

Current college students seeking credit are preferred.

Qualified applicants should submit their resume and cover letter here, with "Business Intern" in the subject line, no later than February 22 at 2 p.m.

Britt Daniel, Grizzly Bear Remix Feist on New Single

Finally, "I Feel It All", the best song on Feist's The Reminder (in my humble opinion-- sorry "1 2 3 4"), is getting the attention it deserves. First came the explosive video, and now it's time for the single.

Out this week digitally via the Arts&Crafts digital store, the "I Feel It All" single features three killer remixes. Spoon's Britt Daniel and Feist collaborator Gonzales each take on the track at hand, while pals Grizzly Bear amp up the disco in "My Moon My Man" (you can stream a snippet here).

As you may have noticed, Feist performed at the Grammys on Sunday night. She was up for four awards, but came home empty-handed. At least she got to hang out with Kanye! (Photo via Kanye's blog.)

And she's up for five JUNO awards (Canada's Grammys), so that's a nice consolation prize.

Feist heads out on yet another massive world tour starting next week. [MORE...]

White Stripes Snuggle up to Best Buy
Too bad red and white tends to clash with yellow

Remember those cool White Stripes "Conquest" singles we told you about back in November? (Not the Spanish one, though that certainly is cool too.) You know, the ones with the B-sides featuring Beck? Well, when the singles were originally released, they were available only on 7" vinyl and digitally.

That was fine if you were a record collector or a downloader, or one of the increasingly few stores that sells vinyl, or a digital music outlet. But what if you wanted to own those precious B-sides on CD? What if your store doesn't sell vinyl or downloads? WHAT THEN?

Best Buy to the rescue! Starting this week, the big box ogre is selling a five-track "Conquest" EP, featuring all of the B-sides. It's available as a free bonus if you buy Icky Thump from Best Buy, or you can purchase the EP all by itself. (Sorry, if you already bought Icky Thump from Best Buy, you can't go back and get the EP for free. Them's the breaks.)

Thanks to Anthony Miano for the heads up.

Death Cab's Narrow Stairs Gets Tracklist, Release Date

You need dexterity to navigate Narrow Stairs, but all you'll get here is a tracklist and a release date to help you through Death Cab for Cutie's previously reported sixth full-length studio offering.

Stairs follows up 2005's Plans and descends May 13 on Atlantic, according to a Billboard.com report. This thing packs in 11 tracks, boasting typically heavy-handed titles like "I Will Possess Your Heart", "You Can Do Better Than Me (But I Can't Do Better Than You)", and the truly devastating "Your New Twin Size Bed". Death Cab, you slay me.

UPDATE: Apparently, the tracklist reported on Billboard.com and printed below is not yet finalized.

Also, the first single is slated to be "I Will Possess Your Heart".

Opening track "Bixby Canyon Bridge" apparently clocks in at nine minutes, so you may want to save that one for the end of your mixtapes. A Narrow Stairs tour, meanwhile, is inevitable but not yet announced. For now, we'll have to settle for appearances at Coachella and Bonnaroo.

In other news from camp Death (ooh, spooky!), Chris Walla's Field Manual is on shelves now, and a digital version of Ben Gibbard's Kurt Cobain: About a Son score with Steve Fisk will be arriving shortly (with a vinyl version to follow, er, longly). [MORE...]

British Sea Power Extend Tour
Get that faraway look in their eyes just thinking about it

Perfectly timed with the North American release of their new album, Do You Like Rock Music? (Why yes, in fact, I do; thanks for asking), British Sea Power have announced an extension of their previously reported North American tour. After all, it's hard to convert the masses to the power of rock when you don't go anywhere. Just ask your local bar band.

The UK foursome's new dates mean they now have a full schedule up until the end of May, and as they cross the North American terrain, they'll team up with the Rosebuds, Colourmusic, and the 1900s on various dates. More immediately, the band will continue its European invasion with a February 15 show in Brussels. Fans in Frankfurt, Germany take note: BSP have canceled a February 19 gig at Cooky's. [MORE...]

Modest Mouse, Of Montreal, Diplo Set for Rothbury Fest
Plus: Black Keys, Flosstradamus, Busdriver, Secret Machines, Drive-By Truckers, Juan Maclean

Summer festivals can feel more like bummer festivals when it comes to all the beloved bands you have to miss in order to catch all the even more beloved bands playing at the same time. That probably won't be the case at this year's inaugural Rothbury festival (no, not this one), however, as most frequent readers of this here website should have no trouble deciding given a lineup like this.

Modest Mouse or Dave Matthews Band? Of Montreal or Slightly Stoopid? Bettye Lavette or Colbie Caillat? Diplo or John Mayer? Shit, this is easy!*

Other acts set to descend upon the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan for this Bonnaroo-like event: the Black Keys, Gogol Bordello, Drive-By Truckers, Secret Machines, Beth Orton, Sage Francis, Flosstradamus, the Juan Maclean, Busdriver, the Crystal Method (DJ set), the Dresden Dolls, and, eh, Gomez, plus a bunch of stuff like Gov't Mule and the Disco Biscuits. Additional performers will come to light in the coming weeks.

Rothbury pops off the Independence Day weekend of July 3-6, 2008, and like pretty much everything else live music-related nowadays, it's not just about live music: Rothbury is also committed to various environmental concerns, and will even donate solar panels to a local school via the Solar Schools Program.

* We're merely speculating, mind you, as set times have not yet been announced.

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.)