…and, the “supergroup” is forced to rename itself. The new name? “Rockstar Supernova.”
According to Billboard, their album is set to release November 21 on Epic.
Trademark Dispute Over Supernova Name Settled…
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Category Archives: Bands/Artists
Archie Bronson Outfit – Derdang Derdang (review)
Although the onomatopoeiacally named album Derdang Derdang from The Archie Bronson Outfit is their second album, I hadn’t heard of them before listening to this album. According to the Domino website they were discovered by Domino label head Lawrence Bell in a pub he frequents. Domino’s website describes Archie Bronson Oufit as being one of the most unique and brilliantly out-of-step British bands in years.
I guess that pretty much sums it up for me, too. I’m tempted to draw comparisons, but really come up empty handed. The album is consistent in its sparse feverish gallop. As many reviewers point out, it has a Nuggets feel– the Sixties garage psychedelic sound. I read that the band locked themselves in a flat in south London for weeks straight and wrote this album and flew to Nashville to record it with Jacquire King who evidently produced Tom Waits and The Kings of Leon and I think you can hear that in this record. A clostrophobic sense of urgency colors the canvas of this album. This makes the album both entertaining in an edgy way and sometimes a bit cloying. In some ways this album reminds me of Talking Heads ’77 and “Psycho Killer.” The stripped down and angular approach feels similar to me. This album has as much in common with the post-Punk/pre New Wave artists like Jonathan Richman, Talking Heads, and Television as it does with 60’s psych bands like The Monks.
I agree with the sentiment that The Archie Bronson Outfit are in a way have their own sound and are out-of-step with many of the acts that are popular today. Really, though, how many more Sufjan, Will Oldham, and Animal Collective sound-alikes do we need? I think this band is one to watch.
Lindsey Buckingham News – New Album and Tour
Lindsey Buckingham’s website is streaming a preview of five tracks from his new album Under The Skin which is first his official solo album since 1992’s Out of the Cradle due out October 3rd. Here is the tracklisting for Under The Skin:
1. Not Too Late
2. Show You How
3. Under The Skin
4. I Am Waiting
5. It Was You
6. Try For The Sun
7. Cast Away Dreams
8. Shut Us Down
9. Down on Rodeo
10. Someone’s Gotta Change Your Mind
11. Juniper
Under the Skin includes three tracks from Gift of Screws that Lindsey aborted in favor of Fleetwood Mac’s 2003 album Say You Will. Say You Will also benefited from his work in turn by getting a number of tracks from Gift of Screws. Under the Skin also includes the track “Shut Us Down” which was used in the soundtrack to the movie Elizabethtown. If you have heard the Gift of Screws tracks, then there are really only four new songs, here. Not that I’m complaining, however. I welcome any new release from Lindsey whether it is solo or as Fleetwood Mac.
At one point there was a leaked copy of what was purported to be the final version of Gift of Screws out on the Internet. This was a lossless copy of the CD that evidently was submitted to the label. Here is the tracklist with my annotation of where each song was released:
1. Someone’s Gotta Change Your Mind (Under the Skin)
2. Miranda (Say You Will)
3. Steal Your Heart Away (Best Buy presents Fleetwood Mac Tour ’97 2 CD set you could get with a coupon during the Dance Tour)
4. Red Rover (Say You Will)
5. She Smiled Sweetly (unreleased)
6. Come (Say You Will)
7. Down On Rodeo (Under The Skin)
8. Gotta Get Away (unreleased)
9. Try For The Sun (Under The Skin)
10. Shuffle Riff (updated 11/8/08: becomes “Wait For you” on 2008 Gift of Screws)
11. Murrow (Say You Will)
12. Gift of Screws (updated 11/8/08: Title track on 2008 Gift of Screws)
13. Bleed To Love Her (The Dance as a live track)
14. Twist of Fate (updated 11/8/08: Becomes “The Right Place to Fade” on 2008 Gift of Screws)
15. Go Insane (this was a live version of the song from Go Insane)
16. Say Goodbye (Say You Will)
17. The Singer Not The Song (unreleased)
The songs that aren’t released, yet are really good ones. I’d be interested to see if he will use them as b-sides or bonus tracks in the future.
He has also announced tour dates starting in October. If you pre-order his CD from Ticketmaster you can get pre-sale tickets for upcoming shows, which might be worth doing.
10/06/06 8:30PM Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
10/07/06 8:00PM Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
10/09/06 8:30PM State Theatre – Falls Church, VA
10/10/06 8:00PM Town Hall – New York, NY
10/13/06 7:30PM Orpheum Theatre – Boston – Boston, MA
10/14/06 9:00PM Foxwoods Casino – Mashantucket, CT
10/15/06 9:00PM The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Event Center – Atlantic City, NJ
10/17/06 8:00PM The Pabst Theater – Milwaukee, WI
10/20/06 TBA Lakewood Civic Auditorium – Lakewood, OH
10/22/06 TBA Emerald Theatre – Mt. Clemens, MI
10/24/06 7:30PM Park West – Chicago, IL
11/01/06 8:00AM Celebrity Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
11/02/06 8:00PM Viejas Casino – Alpine, CA
11/03/06 8:00PM The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA
11/06/06 8:00PM Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco, CA
11/10/06 TBA The Wiltern LG – Los Angeles, CA
Lindsey has a myspace page, too.
A Mashup Perfect for an overcast Sunday A.M.
I’ve been a fan of mashups for a couple of years and have amassed a pretty sizeable collection. This morning I was cruising the blogs I follow closely and I visted Mashuptown and he posted about this incredible mashup of Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult and a New Order track I haven’t identified yet titled “Hurts Like Teen Spirit.” Evidently this is the first mashup from DJ Dangerous Orange. Wow! What a great start!
As stated on Mashuptown, it’s a song that gets stuck in your head. The main hook guitar lines from two of the greatest rock songs ever helps quite a bit. Also, the three main songs sampled are similarly dark– regret, death, disappointment. I recommend downloading this!
Black Eyed Peas Cancel Cedar Rapids Show
The Black Eyed Peas have canceled their Cedar Rapids show originally scheduled for September 26th due to “an unforseen scheduling conflict.” The Rapid City, SD show is impacted by this as well. According to the press release, the ticket sales were strong and it looked like this one might have been a sell-out. There is not a re-schedule for this show, and ticket refunds are available starting tomorrow, Friday, August 18. I guess I know what I’m doing over lunch tomorrow.
Before Rockstar: Supernova, there was Supernova… and Supernova
I’ll admit that my wife and I have been watching CBS’s “Rockstar: Supernova.” We watched “Rockstar: INXS” last year and like most, we were disappointed in the choice of JD. This year is a much different deal. This conglomeration of sidemen from other bands fronted by an unknown is, in my opinion, less a less cohesive idea than taking an established band missing a lead singer. I thought the rumor that Van Halen was going to be the next bad on “Rockstar” was a good one. Who cares about any of the members of Supernova aside from Tommy Lee? Gilby fricken’ Clarke– wasn’t he fired from GnR before Slash? Jason Newstead who was hired on to replace legendary Metallica bassist Cliff Burton isn’t a first-tier member of that band, either.
To add insult to the injury (from the car accident that this show is), they couldn’t even come up with an original name for the band. “Man, that name “Supernova” sure is cool!” Enough so that two other bands picked it– one of which is still around! The one that is still around is suing the band and the producers of the show. The original Supernova has been recording since 1989. The rules about band names that I remember is that a band has to provide proof that they have been performing under that name. If they have CD’s dating back to ’89 that should be a simple win. Depending on how the ruling turns out the Rockstar folks may need to pick another name!
There is also another band in New Jersey called Supernova who perform Bon Jovi covers. I think that this band might have more claim to the name than Tommy Lee does as well!
Coincidentally, I managed a website for a band out of Portugal for a short period of time called– you guessed it– Supernova in 1999. I met a guy who managed artists for a couple of Portuguese record labels through the In/Flux Mailing list– which was a listserv of DJ Shadow fans talking about music. He sent me some promos and white label stuff which included a couple CD’s from the Portuguese Supernova. At the time, they were being positioned as being Post Rock, which they kind of fit into. Their first album Storafile released in 1996 sounds a lot like the Breeders. Their follow up record called The Atari Series #1 was a deconstruction of some songs they were working on, including remixes. I think this album sounds a lot like Stereolab. I liked them enough to offer to help them get a website up– which they were pretty excited about. There was supposed to be a follow up to the Atari Series, but the band broke up in 2000. All that is left is an obscure reference on the Internet. Here are some tracks for you to listen to:
Body from Storafile
Modem from The Atari Series #1
Bo Ramsey and Stranger Blues and Solo Live Dates
The much-anticipated (at least as far as I’m concerned) new Bo Ramsey album Stranger Blues has been out since July 18th and I ordered it as soon as the fine folks at CDBaby sent me an e-mail telling me it was available. I’ve been listening to it on and off since I got it. Stranger Blues is the mark of a seasoned performer– a consistent, balanced recording — a calling card showing why so many artists have asked Bo to contribute to their albums.
Bo’s last album In The Weeds was released in 1997, so it’s been nine years since we last heard him solo. It isn’t like Bo has been kickin back with his boots on the porch rail with his signature straw hat pushed down on his nose taking a nap, though. He spent this time in the studio contributing the signature Bo Ramsey sound for what looks like over twenty records for artists like Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams, Joan Baez and the Trailer Records regulars like The Pines, Kevin Gordon and Dave Zollo. He contributed to Pieta Brown’s last records and has spent most of the last two or three years touring with her.
My first live show at a bar was in the mid-Eighties at the bar at the then-newly-renovated Potter’s Mill in Bellevue, Iowa with Bo Ramsey and the Sliders which included Radoslav Lorkovic. I was hooked. Over the years I had seen Bo many times at all kinds of bars in Eastern Iowa– some still around, some not. The Corner Tap in Cascade, The Silver Dollar in Dubuque, Jimmy B’z in Dubuque, Fife’s in Maquoketa, Goose Island Tap, and in Cassville, Wisconsin opening for the remainders of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (I think only the drummer was an original member).
When I moved back to the Eastern Iowa area in 1997 after over two years in the Twin Cities, one of the things I was looking forward to was seeing Bo play live. I managed to get about six or so shows in before he switched to primarily being a sideman for the Brown Family, including a couple of real barnburners– one of the last ones I saw was billed as “Bo Ramsey and the Body Electric” at the former Green Room (R.I.P.) in Iowa City. This was Bo fronting Dave Zollo’s band. I brought my wife’s aunt and uncle from Minneapolis down for that show and they loved it. Sometimes when the mood is right, Bo moves into this space and plays these blistering guitar solos and that night had couple of those great moments. The last Bo show I got in was at the Mill where he did a largely acoustic set in a three piece band that was completely different than I was used to. In retrospect, this show was the precursor to Stranger Blues as it was largely old blues covers, which is where Bo’s heart is.
Stranger Blues is an album of blues songs interpreted by Bo in his distinctive style. Most of the songs are delivered in a slow deliberate almost smokey way. Bo seems to be mellowing like fine scotch as the years go on. When I compare the songs on Blues with the songs on Bo’s 1988 more-rocking release Either Way you can hear the passing of time between the two releases– maybe wisdom or maybe reflection? This is a record, after all, of his influences that says “this is how I got here.” One of the things I find most interesting about this release is that while these are blues songs originally performed by such greats as Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Willie Dixon and Howling Wolf, he didn’t pick the obvious songs– these are deep catalog choices picked by someone who is well-educated in blues history.
How Bo manages to be so connected and respected by the music community and not become more widely known is beyond me. I know he prefers to stay out of the limelight and it seems his career is exactly how he wants it.
Here are some samples from Stranger Blues thanks to CDBaby (you can listen to more samples here):
My favorite track from In The Weeds is Forget You cowritten by Greg Brown.
In the Weeds from In The Weeds
A great track from his Trailer Records release Live is Sidetrack Lounge
555 x 2 from Down to Bastrop
Bo will be doing some live shows in support of Stranger Blues. The first one will be on 9/22 at River Roots Live. Then, on 10/5 he will be doing a live show at the Reverb in Cedar Falls sponsored by KUNI. I don’t know if they will be broadcasting this– but it is conveniently taking place during the timeslot for “Down on the Corner” which is a show about regional music. This will be followed by a show at the Mill in Iowa City on 10/6. I sincerely hope we will get more solo dates! More news as I get it.
Update: I just heard back from KUNI and they said that they don’t currently have plans to broadcast the 10/5 show at the Reverb. If they do decide to tape it, it will be for later broadcast and not a live broadcast.
Black Eyed Peas to play at USCellular Center 9/26/06
Compass Events and USCellular Center in Cedar Rapids, IA announced on Monday that the Black Eyed Peas will be performing on Tuesday, September 26th with Rihanna opening. BEP is a particular favorite around our house, and we also dig Rihanna’s “S.O.S” with its extensive debt to “Tainted Love” and the funky grime of “Pon de Replay.” Tickets go on sale at 10AM this Friday from ticketmaster or at the USCellular ticket office for $35.50 and are General Admission as most shows are at the USCellular Center.
Update: This show has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. See update post.
Calexico Not In Line Up for River Roots Festival
According to The Air Strange, Calexico is no longer in the line-up for the River Roots Festival scheduled for September 22-23 in Davenport (see earlier posting). It looks like a scheduling conflict based on the fact that they will be playing Louisville and St. Louis on those dates. Calexico will be playing The Englert in Iowa City on the 29th. The tickets are available for pre-sale. Go to the Calexico site to get the link to DucatKing if you are interested. I ordered my tickets last weekend!
River Roots Live Festival Lineup Announced : Calexico, Escovedo, Ramsey and more
As reported in The Air Strange the River Roots Live Festival has announced their first round of acts to play in their yearly festival which takes place September 22-23, 2006 at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA. River Roots Live is one of a number of events put on by the River Music Experience which is one of seven components of Davenport, Iowa’s, River Renaissance, which is in partnership with Iowa’s “Vision Iowa” program. Typically, Vision Iowa monies are used to rebuild areas of Iowa cities and build attractions like casinos and museums. I have to admit that this is a unique and cool use of those monies. The inital lineup for this year’s festival is very impressive and includes (so far):
CalexicoCancelled
Scott Biram
All of this for only $35! Your Iowa Tax Dollars at work! This will be the second time I’ve seen Calexico this year (review to come). I love the Alejandro Escovedo album, and his live shows are typically great. Although, I’m just about as excited to see Bo Ramsey solo as anything else! He’s been playing a supporting role with Greg Brown and Pieta Brown for the last couple of years in addition to his production work. He’ll be playing songs from his upcoming “Stranger Blues” album, likely. More news as I get it on this show.
