There is a great article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Jordan Oakes, the publisher of the defunct "Yellow Pills" power-pop fanzine on the release of his new compilation "Yellow Pills-Prefill" called Power pop lives anew in "Yellow Pills." If you were looking for a quick power pop education then this would be a great place to start.
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Check out the site Atomic Platters for some wild and bizarre audio fun. And if that doesn’t tweak your code, download a couple of air raid sirens (or here) and blast them over your loudpeakers in the backyard one Sunday morning and watch the neighbors reactions! Good times, good times! Have a great weekend everybody.
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If you are curious as to what the new release from Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation will sound like, here is your chance to get a taste by listening to a streaming version of his new single "Shine It All Around." The album "Mighty Rearranger" will be released on May 10th, 2005.
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As I mentioned in the past, The Black Crowes are on tour both as a headlining act and opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (an interesting combo to be sure!). Here are all the dates:
Headlining & Festival dates
Date CITY/STATE VENUE
Tue 3/22 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Wed 3/23 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Fri 3/25 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Sat 3/26 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Sun 3/27 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Tue 3/29 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Wed 3/30 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Thu 4/21 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theatre
Fri 4/22 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest.
Sat 4/23 Gulfport, MS Gulfport Grand Casino
Mon 4/25 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
Tue
4/26 Charleston, SC The Plex
Wed
4/27 Raleigh, NC Disco Rodeo
Fri
4/29 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Civic Auditorium
Sat 4/30 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Sun 5/1 Memphis, TN Beale Street Music Festival
Thu 5/5 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Fri 5/6 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Thu 5/7 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Tue 5/10 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
Wed 5/11 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
Fri 5/13 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino
Sat 5/14 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino
Mon 5/16 Montreal, CAN Metropolis
Tue 5/17 Toronto, CAN Kool Haus
Sun 5/22 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Springfest
Tue 5/24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
Wed 5/25 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Sat 5/28 Little Rock, AR Riverfest
Sun 5/29 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Jubilee
Sat 6/11 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
With Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers:
DATE: CITY/STATE: VENUE:
Wed 6/8 Ft. Myers, FL Germain Amph
Fri 6/10 Tampa, FL Ford Amph
Tue 6/14 Cinncinati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Wed 6/15 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
Fri 6/17 Camden, NJ Tweeter Waterfront
Sat 6/18 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center
Tue 6/21 Wantagh, NY Tommy Hilfiger @ Jones Beach Th.
Wed 6/22 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Ctr
Fri 6/24 Hartford, CT The Meadows
Sat 6/25 Darien Center, NY Darien Lakes Amph
Tue 6/28 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Thu 6/30 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Fri 7/1 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amph-Summerfest
Fri 7/15 Tinley Park, IL Tweeter Center
Sat 7/16 Cadott, WI RockFest
Wed 7/20 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theater
Wed 7/27 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
Sat 7/30 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC
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Just a quick note to let everybody know that I have started contributing again to the excellent Blog Critics review site. If you haven’t been in awhile (like me) I urge you to check it out as it really is an incredible resource and a fun read.
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The volume of comments on The Rock and Roll Report has increased nicely (man that MTV list is quite the topic of "debate!") and I hope it increases as this is what makes blogs so much fun and interactive but please don’t comment spam. If you have a show or a band or something to promote e-mail me and let me know about it, don’t post a comment on some unrelated post on the site announcing your "news" as it will be deleted. I respond to all e-mails and am pretty open and flexible in what I publish so give me a try before you spam the site. Thanks for reading and keep the comments coming.
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If you think that the name The Konks sounds familiar that’s because they are the band that won the inaugural Little Steven’s Underground Garage Battle of the Bands competition last year. Well I have been blasting their brand spanking new CD from Bomp! called The Konks the last couple of days and this is snarling, raging, distorted garage punk that needs to be played loud. And in one of the most surprising covers of an Aerosmith song since R.E.M. did "Toys in the Attic" the Konks end off their CD with a blast through "Let the Music Do the Talking" a surprising choice but one that really works. Whenever you think that snot nosed punk rock is dead, a record like The Konks comes around to bite you in the ass and remind you to junk the iPod and invest in some really big speakers because they pump out the rock and roll just like it was still 1966. How cool is that? Have a listen to King Kong.
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From the IPO group on Yahoo comes this news that "Of Hearts and Hands" is now available. And I quote:
"Of Hands And Hearts: Music For The Tsunami Disaster Fund" is now available, and it’s filled to the brim with great music. Many of the bands are ones that IPO fans are very familiar with, while others deserve (and demand) your attention. Check out some of these pop bands featuared:
THE WAKING HOURS-a great new track called "Someday Soon"
PAUL COLLINS’ BEAT-their classic "All Over The World" is the first song, disc one
THE TALK-you haven’t heard them yet? Along the lines of Franz Ferdinand, the Shins, etc. Classic pop up-to-date
MICHAEL CARPENTER-his "Thinking About You" is one of THE great pop songs of this generation
THE LOLAS-"Silver Dollar Sunday" is one of those trax you can listen to over and over
ROSETTA STONE-Iam Mitchell’s first post-Bay City Rollers band with "Drive On" from their 1978 debut
THE RUBINOOS-"In The Worst Way" is taken from their forthcoming album (and best album in 25 years)
THE LAST-Joe Nolte kindly gave us the demo of "I Know", a new song from their forthcoming album
JOHN WICKS-this is the first airing of "Rising Stars" from his forthcoming album on Kool Kat
THE DONKEYS-one of my fave singles of all time, I can’t believe I got to use this 1980 gem called "No Way"
DRAMARAMA-a brand new track, "Try Five Times", from their forthcoming album
I want to go on and on, but those are just a few of the many many many highlights. Other artists include ADRIAN BELEW, JEREMY, DILLON FENCE, THE SUNBEAMS, BANG SUGAR BANG, THE FIXX, R.STEVIE MOORE (with DAVE GREGORY of XTC), THE RANDIES, BMX BANDITS, KYLE VINCENT, GANGGAJANG, THE DOTTED LINE, ANNABELLA LWIN (of BOW WOW WOW), JEFFREY FOSKETT, THE VIRGINIA SISTERS, WONDERBOY, SUPERSUCKERS, WANG CHUNG, DOG TRUMPET (featuring REG MOMBASSA AND PETER O’DOHERTY formerly of MENTAL AS ANYTHING) and so many more.
100% of the net proceeds go to CARE (www.careusa.org).
Specially priced 2CD set: $13.98 suggested retail price you can find it at your local indie stores, Borders, Tower, Amoeba, etc Or online at:
www.notlame.com
www.idealcopy.com
www.amazon.com
and many others. 49 artists from 7 countries unite for 1 cause! Help support this worthy cause…. And if you DO already have a copy, please let everyone know how good it is. Let’s get the word out……ask for it at stores that you don’t see it in. For complete track list and info, visit us at www.integritydistribution.com
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About.com has an interesting list of the Top 10 Forgoten Classic Rock Albums that really gets you to thinking about that pile of old albums stashed away in your basement and wondering if any are in that pile. The list is as follows:
1) Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970)
2) Traffic - The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (1971)
3) Badfinger - Straight Up (1971)
4) Jo Jo Gunne - Jo Jo Gunne (1972)
5) The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle (1968)
6) Blind Faith - Blind Faith (1969)
7) Love - Forever Changes (1967)
Moby Grape - Moby Grape (1967)
9) Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond (1972)
10) Frijid Pink - Frijid Pink (1970)
Some interesting choices to be sure. I know for myself that I have been rediscovering the joys of Moby Grape and I do have that Frijid Pink album somewhere at home (it also made the list in Lost In The Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide To The Music You Missed). Check out the article for a full discussion and reviews. The hunt begins!
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Aversion has the news that the Sex Pistol’s wonderful (in a Sex Pistols kind of way) The Great Rock and Roll Swindle will be re-issued May 3, 2005 by Shout! Factory. Very cool.
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Just came across a very cool website/e-zine called Thee Cave which specializes in "the garage punk sounds of today." Some very cool reviews of new stuff from Th’ Losin Streaks, The Stoneage Hearts, The Mainliners, The Giljoteens, The Hara-Kee-Rees, The Hekawis, The Midways, The Flashback Five and The Projectiles . They also have released a compilation album called `Thee Cave Comes Alive!’ that was compiled and arranged by Thee Cave and released by Action Records. Very cool stuff so check it out if you can.
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You can listen to the brand new self-titled debut by The Bravery for free now by checking out the streaming version of their album that will be available for a limited time over at AOL. You’re welcome!
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Rock and roll TV is a tough thing to do right but at least Fuse TV is trying and this show to me looks quite interesting. "Steven’s Untitled Rock Show" is hosted by VJ Steven and is a show where he "gets the chance to expose new and potentially influential artists that are bubbling under and over in the worlds of indie, punk and emo." Catch "Steven’s Untitled Rock Show" weekdays at 4pm ET and 9pm ET on Fuse. Sounds like it could be fun. Check it out and see if you can spot the next "Simple Plan" (which is my son’s new favourite band by the way). Beats "American Idol!"
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With the increasingly bitter battles being fought behind the "content" companies and electronics company over the future of entertainment in the digital world, the Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative has been formed to foster cooperation in the areas of electronic entertainment and its many related issues, problems and impacts. From their website:
EEPI — Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative — is a project launched in March 2005 to encourage, foster, and facilitate cooperation between the various interest groups concerned about "electronic entertainment technologies" and their impacts, including current and future technical, legal, policy, and other issues. These groups include a vast range of entertainment industry content providers; electronic equipment manufacturers; consumers and consumer interest groups; entertainment industry artists and their representatives; and a range of other interested parties.
Sounds like it has potential to bring sanity to the current debate, although all eyes are currently fixed on the MGM vs. Grokster court case currently before the United States Supreme Court. With musicians increasingly open to other forms of digital distribution, the landscape is changing faster than even the law can comprehend. We live in interesting times.
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I am a big fan of Canadian band Danko Jones but as is unfortunately often the case, the band seems better appreciated in Europe then here in Canada. Nevertheless they will be hitting the U.S. for a a bunch of dates starting in April so be sure to check them out if they are in your neck of the woods and be careful ’cause they like to play LOUD. For those in Europe, you can pick up the latest Danko Jones release from the very cool Swedish record label Bad Taste Records, a label that features a bunch of cool bands in addition to Danko Jones such as the Hard-Ons, All Systems Go! and the Satanic Surfers (cool name). Check out Bad Taste’s excellent audio and video pages for some great downloads. Man those Swedes know how to rock!
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According to Rolling Stone Magazine, the dB’s (with the original members) will be reuiniting for a new album! Very cool news for the power pop fan in all of us.
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From the 2005 Grammys download this powerful duet of Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone performing a medley of Janis Joplin’s "Cry Baby" and "Piece of My Heart." All proceeds go to the cancer research centers City of Hope and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. It’s a win/win situation for everyone.
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Since The Rock and Roll Report won’t be published March 25th, 2005 I have posted this week’s "Friday Fun" a day early.
From the mid-fifties to the early sixties, Chrysler offered the ultimate "Hi Fi" component for your car, the RCA Highway Hi-FI- "Where the vinyl meets the road." 
Yes, you too could cruise around in your Chrysler boat on wheels listening to an amazing variety of records on custom 16 2/3 rpm vinyl records. I know that they had something similar in England because I can recall stories of John Lennon screeching around in his psychedelic Rolls Royce blaring "Knights in White Satin" on his custom turntable that was installed in the back seat. Obviously, the invention of the cassette and 8 track tape ended this little slice of hi fi history but still, wouldn’t it be cool to install one of these in your "new beatle" or mini-cooper and astound and amaze your friends as they listen in awe to your car record player playing "Come Along for the Ride" by Steve Allen? Ah, just a thought. Have a great weekend everybody!
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Figures. I just post about the magazines that I currently enjoy and now I discover two more that have made my essential list already.
Incredible stuff for true rock and roll fanatics.
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After blitzing SXSW, Danish band The Blue Van should conquer the rest of North America and beyond with some killer rock and roll. When they say "maximum rock and roll!" they aint kidding as these guys are fantastic. Check out the video for Revelation of Love as your first step, and then head over to their Music section for some snippets from their upcoming album "The Art of Rolling" due in the U.S. on April 5th, 2005. Some more great rock and roll by a bunch of guys who throw together all kinds of rock and roll influences into one big sonic stew and then let it explode all over you. Excellent.
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Yes it’s true, here is your chance to go to the Coachella Festival and rock out to probably one of the coolest festivals in the United States. Give it a shot and have a blast. Includes airfare, hotel accomodations and tickets to the festival, the whole none yards. Give it a shot and good luck! Unfortunately the contest is only open to residents of the United States.
UPDATE! This contest is now over.
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OK this is a fun one. As reported in Brave Words, the Evening Times Online quotes a radio station survey on the search for the "best driving song" with the winner being….."Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. The full list is as follows:
Now this list is just goofy. We probably all can agree that when driving, we are often in the mood for some faster music that pumps us up (and correspondingly results in an increase in speeding tickets) but I mean some of these choices are just weird. Where is "Radar Love"? (If it’s good enough for Bart Simpson and Nelson Munz it’s good enough for me!). I have no clue what radio station this came from but really, when exactly did "Vertigo" come out? What songs would comprise your top 10?
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