Coachella

So the big story this past weekend was of course Coachella. Seeing as I didn't attend, I'm going to send you over to Stereogum's coverage. My big summer festival is as always ACL, and it's not until the end of summer. The atmosphere is almost identical as I recall a couple of years ago. If this was on TV, it would be the part where the screen does that cool wavy thing and goes back in time. I remember sitting in a 110° dust storm, with the only thing between me and the white hot sun was a flimsy-ass paper shade. I still to this day don't know how that fucking thing didn't burst into flames. But hey, it's the price to pay to hear 3 straight days worth of great live music. And I'm glutton for punishment goddammit.

In other West Coast Festival news, there's the KROQ Weenie Roast on May 19. For the lineup, go here.


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Frank Black To Release Solo Retrospective

It is an undeniable fact that the Pixies had a massive impact on the genre of music we know and love as "alternative rock." The band's frontman, Frank Black, has been releasing solo albums since 1993, during which he has cranked out a whopping nine albums. Cooking Vinyl has compiled a two-disc set of some of his best songs, covering a decade of his solo material. Frank Black 93-03 will hit stores on June 12, and will include some live tracks from his '06 tour as well as the brand new tune "Threshold Apprehension."

About the history of his music, Black said: "There is totally a narrative arc to my solo career. It sounds trite, but in basic language this is what's happening on these songs: it's me breaking away from the Pixies and finding myself as a solo artist, finding a band again and forging that together, then losing it and my marriage, and finally getting my obsession with two-track recording out of my system. It's a total arc."

Continue story here.

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B Boys' "The Mix Up"

Beastie Boys have revealed exclusively to NME.COM that their new album will be called 'The Mix Up' and will be released in June.

Bandmember Mike D said the follow-up to 2004's 'To The 5 Boroughs' will be "radically different" to its' predecessor. The rockier record will instead hark to the style of the band's classic albums 'Check Your Head' and 'Paul's Boutique'.

Mike D said: "We play instruments on the whole album, as opposed to sampling. There's more rock on there. If you know us you can trace the influences and they're no completely surprising. Someone who listens to us casually might think 'What the hell are these guys doing?'

"It might make you flip your wig right off, or your hairpiece, if you're a casual listener."

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New Releases This Week

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Fishbone - Still Stuck In Your Throat
The Fucking Champs - VI
Radiohead - Airbag/How Am I Driving
Sly & the Family Stone - various re-issues
Patti Smith - Twelve

Save Internet Radio!

Well these money-grubbin' corporate fucks are at it again ...

"The Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC has more than tripled the royalty rates for webcasters and left unchanged they will kill Internet radio. These exorbitant rates go into effect on May 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). Without Congressional action the majority of webcasters will go bankrupt and silent on this date."

Everyone needs to sign the petition here.

I usually don't have to get on my soapbox too often, but this shit is out of hand. These record company douchebags continue to fuck the artists & the listeners. They ARE NOT raising royalties for the musicians. That money goes directly into the record companies pockets. A lot of people don't realize that artists don't get shit from selling records. All of their money comes from touring & merchandise. So please take a moment from your day and sign the petition.


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New Releases ...

Cowboy Junkies - At the End of Paths Taken
Greyboy Allstars - What Happened to TV?
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

Josh Homme Is A Cowbellaholic

Pitchfork just got a cool interview with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age ...

Pitchfork: What's the story behind the title?

JH: It sounds like "the Vulgar Era", which I like, because that sounds like something that I would like to be part of.


Pitchfork: So you don't think we're in the vulgar era, just that it's something to shoot for?

JH: I mean, I think we're in it, and I'm stoked.

Pitchfork: Is there a U.S. tour in the works?

JH: Yeah, it starts in Bakersfield [California]. We're playing Bakersfield, Medford, Oregon, Duluth, all the cities that we never have gotten to. We're just going to play to the kids that don't often get shows.

Pitchfork: Will that be before the summer festival dates or after?

JH: Right after those. We go to Europe first, and then we're going to do what we're calling "The Duluth Tour".

Pitchfork: Where is the cowbell on Era Vulgaris?

JH: You know, it's like that old saying: "Drink one beer, but you're not an alcoholic. But play one cowbell, and you're a cowbellaholic."


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Flaming Lips DVD

The Flaming Lips have announced the release of their much-talked about DVD entitled 'U.F.O.s at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City' for July 10.

Filmed last September at the band's show at the Zoo Amphitheater in their home city of Oklahoma, the performance features a typically over-the-top stage show including a giant UFO shaped lighting rig, hundreds of stage props and effects and of course, Wayne Coyne crowd surfing in a giant bubble.

In addition to the actual performance, the DVD features interviews, backstage access and a ringtone application in which fans can make and buy their own ringtones.

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Aluminum Guitars

MusicThing has found a guy that makes some crazy looking guitars out of aluminum. I'm really curious how these sound.

"Dave in Alaska carves guitars out of blocks of aluminum on a CNC machine. He's only built four so far, but is planning more. He'll also be selling the electronic plans, so you can plug a block of aluminum into your own CNC machine, and it will spit out a guitar body."

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Foo Fighters Upcoming Album

The Foo Fighters have signed a new, long-term deal with RCA Records, and the band is returning to the studio this month to begin work on their sixth album. The Foos will work with producer Gil Norton, whose credits include 1997's The Colour And The Shape as well as classic albums by the Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen and Patti Smith.

Dave Grohl comments, "With all the crazy shit that's gone down in the record business over the last 10 years, it's been a huge comfort to know that the people at RCA have always had our backs. The support and freedom they've given us has been invaluable and I'm glad to have them continuing with us into this band's second decade."

I really hope this album will rock. The last one was disappointing. What were they thinking making a double disc??

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New Albums Today

Blonde Redhead - 23
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Grinderman - Grinderman
Hell Yeah - Hell Yeah

Radiohead Video Post

Radiohead has posted a video with random studio footage. I'm not sure if it's anything that will turn up on their forthcoming album, but the clip is here. There's no volume control on it.

Eddie Spaghetti Check-In

Supersuckers from the bowels of Europe...

"Hello there my wayward friends (all right, so I'm the wayward one), greetings from deep in the heart of our European tour. Things have been going very well so far and we're just about to hit some interesting places. Namely Prague, which we have never been to before, so we're all pretty stoked to go there and Vienna, which is always nice to visit.

When we return from this odyssey, we will be doing a two night stint at the Viper Room in Hollywood, CA. on May 1st and 2nd. That's right the first night will be a rock show and the second night will be a country show! So don't miss that if'n you're in the area, it'll be nothing short of awesome, as per usual."

So for all of my L.A. peeps, DON'T MISS IT!

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Low Announce Tour

Low will leave the confines of Minnesnowta to celebrate spring on their previously reported tour, which begins tonight in New York.

For the sake of their European fans, we hope they can clear customs with Drums and Guns in tow.

West Coast fans will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer than expected to catch Low live, as the band's June dates in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have been postponed until September.

Continue story for tour dates.

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New Releases April 3rd

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Strange Form of Life EP
DJ Vadim - The Sound Catcher
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Soundtrack - Grindhouse