David Bowie Reissues 1972 Live Set

Put to tape the night of October 20, 1972 in the midst of David Bowie's first U.S. tour, David Bowie: Live in Santa Monica '72 is the stuff of bootlegger legend. The Santa Monica Civic Center gig was broadcast as it happened over the Los Angeles airwaves on the now-defunct KMET, and it served as Bowie's first live American radio appearance. On July 8, Virgin/EMI will reissue the out-of-print set digitally and on limited edition CD and 2xLP.

At the time of the show, Bowie was fresh off the release of his landmark Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust album, and his band the Spiders From Mars (Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Mick Woodmansey, and Mike Garson) was in top form. Even Bowie himself is pretty proud of the gig some three and a half decades after the fact. In a press release, he states, "I can tell that I'm totally into being Ziggy by this stage of our touring. It's no longer an act; I am him."

The set features Bowie and the boys blasting through tracks from Ziggy Stardust and its glamtabulous predecessor, Hunky Dory, as well as covers of Jacques Brel's "My Death" and the Velvet Underground's "Waiting for the Man". He also offers a preview of his next work: "The Jean Genie" from the then-forthcoming Aladdin Sane. Guy was on a bit of a roll back then, huh? [MORE...]

Photos: Les Savy Fav / The Dodos [San Francisco, CA; 04/27/08]
Both bands add dates, Dodos plan UK release for Visiter

Photos by Francis Chung

Poses were struck, clothing was removed, and fans' fingers were, um, liberally sucked on at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall over the weekend. It was, yes, just another night with Les Savy Fav, who unleashed their previously reported live album After the Balls Drop today (April 29). Songwriter and Frenchkiss labelmate Meric Long opened with his outfit the Dodos, and later lent his trombone skillz to Les Savy Fav's glorious racket.

Those Dodos have already delivered a Frenchkiss to their home country in the form of debut LP Visiter, and now they're ready to show some love to the rest of the world. Having signed on with Wichita Recordings, the Dodos will release Visiter in the UK on July 7. The label will herald the album with the single release of "Red and Purple" in June.

Both the Dodos and Les Savy Fav have plenty more live engagements on the docket, recapped for your viewing convenience below. If you look closely, you'll notice Les Savy Fav are due to rock ATP vs. Pitchfork in May, while both acts barnstorm our own Pitchfork Music Festival in July.

Les Savy Fav








The Dodos



[MORE...]

MBV, Aphex Twin, Breeders, Lidell, CSS Do Bestival
Ditto Hot Chip, St. Vincent, Crystal Castles, Fuck Buttons, Fleet Foxes, Lee "Scratch" Perry,

Get pumped for some self-aggrandizement! Bestival, a festival celebrating the joy of smashing two words together-- oh, and music of some sort-- will take place way the hell in the distance over the weekend of September 5-7 at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight.

And as a festival with the chutzpah to call itself the Best(ival) ought, it boasts a lineup that's nothing to cough at. It is, however, something to write about, and so we shall.

The reunited My Bloody Valentine will headline Friday night's proceedings, in what will be their only English festival date of 2008. Aphex Twin will also deliver his only English fest appearance of the year. Additionally, Bestival will welcome the Breeders, Jamie Lidell, Hot Chip, St. Vincent, CSS, Crystal Castles, Fuck Buttons, Foals, Fleet Foxes, Sebastien Tellier, These New Puritans, the Count & Sinden, Two Gallants, the Teenagers, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Baaba Mal, Underworld, Amy Winehouse, Black Kids, Chromeo, Does It Offend You Yeah?, Ida Maria, Lykke Li, Pete & the Pirates, the Duke Spirit, Micah P. Hinson, Gary Numan, Lee "Scratch" Perry, 808 State, Human League, Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Santogold, the Wedding Present, the Sugarhill Gang, Metronomy, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong (so fun to type!), and many, many more.

There'll be DJ sets aplenty as well, from the likes of A-Trak, Kode 9 and Spaceape, Carl Craig, Idjut Boys, Vicarious Bliss, Coldcut, and Bestival curator Rob da Bank of BBC Radio 1.

And don't forget about Bestival's new little sister festival, Camp Bestival, happening July 18-20 at Dorset, England's Lulworth Castle, and featuring the Flaming Lips, Chuck Berry, Hercules and Love Affair, Black Kids, and more.

Nick Cave & Bad Seeds Announce North American Dates
More Nick Cave goodies: new single, art book, Grinderman festival dates

It figures that only a mature adult like Nick Cave would have the foresight to schedule his North American tour five months in advance. No disorganization for him, thanks. Leave that to the kids.

Thus, as Cave and his Bad Seeds traverse Europe through early June in support of the howlin' new Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, the band has announced three weeks of North American shows to take place this fall.

Mute will release "More News From Nowhere", the next single from Lazarus, in the UK on May 12. It will be backed by the non-LP song "Fleeting Love".

Due in June is a tiny (four inch square!) book chronicling the creation of the song "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" as well as the light sculpture artists Sue Webster and Tim Noble crafted for the album's cover art. The book comes with a 3" CD containing the song.

Even though he's been busy with the Bad Seeds lately, Cave hasn't forgotten about his other band, Grinderman. They've lined up a bunch of summer festival shows as well.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' next show in tonight (April 29) in Paris, and just in case you needed reminding, dude is crazy (in a good way). [MORE...]

Jay Reatard Toronto Snafu: Promoters Respond
Reatard signs worldwide multi-album deal with Matador

As previously noted in these pages, Jay Reatard pulled the plug just a few songs into his April 17 gig at Toronto's Silver Dollar after rowdy fans wrecked his (and his bandmates') gear. At least, that's how Jay put it in a MySpace message he posted in response to the incident. Jay blamed poor security and a club filled way past capacity for the mess, decrying "greedy promoters...who don't care about doing right by the audience."

The promoters Jay called out in his MySpace message, however, strongly disagree. One of them is Jeff Cohen, co-owner of Against the Grain, the promotions company that put on the Silver Dollar show. As Cohen wrote in an email to Canada's ChartAttack.com, "Jay's rant on his blog...was not only highly unprofessional[,] it was factually inaccurate. While passionate, it was just a blame the promoter diatribe.

"Not cool. [In my opinion], Jay, everyone who works with him, his agent, his label, the promoters he works with, and especially his fans, deserve much better."

Cohen specifically takes issue with Reatard's handling of the situation (Jay did tear some kid's shirt and jack that kid in the face, after all) and insists there was, as the ChartAttack.com story puts it, "a security person present." He also calls into question Reatard's claim that he "refunded people's money out of [his] own pocket" by insisting Reatard did not take up an offer from Cohen's colleague, ATG co-owner Craig Laskey, to refuse pay and refund show attendees.

Silver Dollar booker Dan Burke, who launched into an anti-Jay Reatard onstage rant following the performer's abrupt departure from the Toronto show, also spoke out to ChartAttack.com. He claimed there were not, as Reatard suggested, 350 people at the Silver Dollar show, and also noted that previous events at the club in question have attracted crowds on par with the Reatard gathering, sans incident. Neither Burke nor the ChartAttack.com report, however, mention how many people were in fact at the Jay Reatard gig.

In non-sensational Jay Reatard news, the previously reported "Painted Shut" 7" single arrives in late May thanks to Matador. The label's signing of Reatard has been extended to a worldwide, multi-album deal, with a brand new Jay Reatard full-length due in early 2009. Additionally, Jay's former label, In the Red, is preparing a collection of early Reatard singles for June release.

For the latest Jay Reatard tour dates, including a newly-minted happening with another crowd-friendly bunch called Les Savy Fav, check out the listings below. And for an admittedly awesome shot of a smiling Ripped Shirt Dude just microseconds before Jay Reatard clocks him in the face, check out photo #11 here. [MORE...]

Cave Singers, Love as Laughter Line Up Joint Dates

East meets West next month as Brooklyn's Love as Laughter team up with Seattle's Cave Singers for a run of shows in early May. Love as Laughter are, of course, building anticipation for their forthcoming album, Holy. Glacial Pace even has a release date for the thing: June 24.

Meanwhile, the Cave Singers are still riding last year's Invitation Songs into a whole spring full of shows. They've even got some summer festival appearances. [MORE...]

Walkmen Update: New Album, New Label

Photo by Natalie Kardos

It's been quiet--maybe too quiet?-- around the Walkmen camp lately. In fact, beyond that brief tour with Spoon and news that they'd be vacating Record Collection for their new LP, Walkmen news has been at a crawl in 2008. But that's about to change.

The Walkmen recently took to their website to announce that their fourth LP (guess they're not counting Pussy Cats, either) will be released August 19 on Gigantic Records. There's no title or tracklist at this point.

They do have one gig scheduled: Labor Day weekend in Seattle as part of Bumbershoot Festival.

Thanks to reader Jamison Webb for the tip!

Dirty Projectors, Phosphorescent Cover Castanets

The circle around Ray Raposa of Castanets is a tight one indeed, as he and some of your favorite Brooklynite musician sorts have been sharing living spaces and swapping songs for some time now. That spirit of community lives on with Tendrils, a new DVD featuring some of Raposa's closest music-making compatriots tackling Raposa's formidable tunes in a variety of exciting locales.

Dave Longstreth and Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors join Phosphorescent, Marla Hansen, and a whole slew of Ray-pals on the Mia Ferm-directed DVD, which arrives May 20 on Asthmatic Kitty. Oh, and as a little preview, the set will be available over there at Pitchfork.tv as part of our "One Week Only" programming the week of May 9. For, you know, one week. Only.

And, since one good turn deserves another, if you preorder Tendrils direct from Asthmatic Kitty, you can nab an exclusive new seven song Castanets EP for download. Among other treasures, the set includes Ray's covers of tunes from Jana Hunter and Deer Tick, plus remixes by Son Lux and Actuel.

Ray will join multi-instrumentalist Meg Noe and head to Europe next month for a fairly expansive tour under the Castanets banner. [MORE...]

Will Oldham Shrooms, Reveals All About New LP
Not at the same time...though these album details will, like, bring god a whole lot closer to seeming like an actual dude

Sometimes, when you rush the product to the people, you can't waste too much energy on details in the early stages. So it went with Lie Down in the Light, the forthcoming LP from Bonnie "Prince" Billy. We reported on the disc's existence last week, but apart from a title, a U.S. label, and a very approximate release date, all we had was our anticipation. Now, we've got that, plus so much more.

Joined by the likes of brother Paul Oldham, Emmett Kelley of the Cairo Gang, Shahzad Izmaily, and Ashley Webber, Will Oldham is at his "brightest" on Lie Down in the Light, if you believe the press release. Mixed by Mark Nevers and sporting a dozen tracks (including a proper version of that "So Everyone" demo you may have heard), the disc is due May 19 in the UK on Domino and May 20 in the States from Drag City. The full tracklist is available after the jump.

And lying down in the light seemed like such a fine idea to Mr. Oldham, he did it again... with the help of director Caveh Zahedi, a video camera, and some psilocybin mushrooms. All this was for a flick Zahedi's working on called Tripping With Caveh. Check Will smilin' big and debating the relative merits of solar vs. lunar dialogue right here.

UPDATE: Whoops! It looks like Tripping With Caveh came out in 2004! Still funny, though. [MORE...]

T.V. Eye: April 28-May 4, 2008

Live music on TV this week:

Monday, April 28:

NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Santogold
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Morrissey
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: the Roots with Chrisette Michelle and Wale
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Georgie James
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Duffy
Comedy Central: The Colbert Report: Feist

Tuesday, April 29:

CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Morrissey
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: the Kills
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Cinematic Orchestra
Syndicated: Live With Regis and Kelly: Lil Mama

Wednesday, April 30:

NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Feist
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Grand Archives

Thursday, May 1:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Robyn
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: She & Him
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Does It Offend You Yeah?

Friday, May 2:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Nick Lowe
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Estelle
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Sleepercar

Saturday, May 3:

PBS: Austin City Limits: Alejandro Escovedo

Death Cab for Cutie Extend Tour

"I wish the world was flat like the old days," Ben Gibbard once sang, so that he "could travel just by folding a map." Unfortunately, it's gonna take planes and trains and automobiles aplenty to get Ben and the rest of his Death Cab for Cutie around on their forthcoming tour, which has gotten a lot longer since our last report. After a set at Coachella last weekend, the trek begins anew May 6 in London before heading back to North America for a spell.

And in case you forgot, Death Cab's sixth LP, Narrow Stairs, will fly into stores May 13 from Atlantic. (The vinyl version will be released by Barsuk later in the summer.) As for Ben's boundary-obliterating Just Jazzin' LP, well, it's still available gratis here. [MORE...]

Wolf Parade Album Gets New Title

Photo by Mego Sam Cecil

The new Wolf Parade album, out June 17 on Sub Pop, now has a 100% official title! And it is...

At Mount Zoomer

Mount Zoomer is name of Wolf Parade's studio, in case you were wondering.

Though the album still contains a song called "Kissing the Beehive", the band chose to eschew that phrase for the album due to the fact that, as previously mentioned, it's also the name of a Jonathan Carroll book.

In an interview with Billboard a few weeks ago Spencer Krug said, "We didn't know that was the title of a book. We might have to change it, but we might not. And we'll have to make it clear that it's not [named] after his book. It's a complicated situation." [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.)