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Music News - Columbus, Ohio band Caamp have just announced new tour dates which will kick off in the spring of 2020 and include stops in Madison, Portland, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Charleston and more. See all new dates below.
Caamp recently scored their first #1 at radio with their single “Peach Fuzz” and made their late night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! After a victorious festival season playing Firefly, Shaky Knees, Forecastle, Outside Lands, Austin City Limits, Great Escape and many more, Caamp kicked off a major US headlining tour on September 24th and have sold out show after show. Tour highlights include multi-night photo credit: Elli Lauren
stints at Thalia Hall in Chicago, The Basement East in Nashville, Royale in Boston, Brooklyn Steel, 9:30 Club in D.C. and Newport Music Hall in their hometown of Columbus.
In week one of their release, Caamp made multiple chart debuts. By and By entered the Billboard Top 200, was the #1 Heatseeker, #1 on the New Artist Alternative Albums, top 5 vinyl album sales for the week and entered the Alternative and Emerging Artist charts. Caamp’s first impact at radio builds on their existing streaming success of over 540 million combined streams to date.
CAAMP CURRENT TOUR DATES:
11/9/2019 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre **SOLD OUT**
11/12/2019 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
11/13/2019 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
11/15/2019 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom **SOLD OUT**
11/16/2019 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall **SOLD OUT**
11/17/2019 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall **SOLD OUT**
11/19/2019 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East **SOLD OUT**
11/20/2019 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East **SOLD OUT**
11/22/2019 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse **SOLD OUT**
11/23/2019 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
11/24/2019 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel **SOLD OUT**
12/3/2019 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall **SOLD OUT**
12/5/2019 - Montreal, QC - L'Astral **SOLD OUT**
12/6/2019 - Boston, MA - Royale **SOLD OUT**
12/7/2019 - Boston, MA - Royale **SOLD OUT**
12/10/2019 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel **SOLD OUT**
12/11/2019 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel **SOLD OUT**
12/13/2019 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer **SOLD OUT**
12/14/2019 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club **SOLD OUT**
12/15/2019 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club **SOLD OUT**
12/27/2019 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall **SOLD OUT**
12/28/2019 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall **SOLD OUT**
12/31/2019 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall **SOLD OUT**
NEW 2020 DATES
3/3/2020 - New Orleans, LA - Civic Theatre *
3/4/2020 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn *
3/6/2020 - Okeechobee, FL - Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
3/7/2020 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Stopover
3/8/2020 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall *
3/11/2020 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre *
3/13/2020 - Covington, KY - Madison Theater *
3/14/2020 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue *
3/15/2020 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman *
3/18/2020 - Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation at the Intersection *
3/20/2020 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant *
3/21/2020 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall *
3/27/2020 - Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre #
3/28/2020 - Baltimore, ME - Ram's Head Live #
3/29/2020 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes #
3/31/2020 - Providence, RI - Fete Music Hall (Ballroom) #
4/3/2020 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Ballroom #
Music News- The Keith Emerson Estate Announces the Release of the ‘Selections From Emerson Plays Emerson and Other Works’ Music Transcriptions Book – OUT NOW!
The Keith Emerson Estate is pleased to announce the completion and release of the music transcriptions book that Keith Emerson had been approving at the time of his passing.
The 25 transcriptions were created by a group of fans of the late composer’s work, and began as just the compositions on the ‘Emerson Plays Emerson’ album, before the book was expanded to include other works including “Piano Concerto No 1.”
The Emerson Estate would like to thank Jean Casavant and Gianfelice Riccardi for leading the groups of fans preparing these transcriptions. The Emerson Estate has commissioned its own quality control of the transcriptions and approved this book.
Music News- Today, Bat For Lashes, aka Natasha Khan, announces select North American tour dates in support of her critically acclaimed new album Lost Girls out now via AWAL Recordings. These shows will be intimate — vocal and electronic synth and piano sets; euphoric, atmospheric and lush, a never performed before set of previous Bat For Lashes material and songs from the new album Lost Girls plus a few surprises. Tickets will be on sale on Friday, November 8 at 10 am local time in all markets.
Spanning 10 tracks, Lost Girls has been heralded as another diamond in Khan’s incredible catalogue. If her last album, The Bride, was melancholy and mournful, a tone poem of loss and regret, Lost Girls is her mischievous younger sister, widescreen in scope and bursting with Technicolor intensity. It’s an album for driving in the dark; holding hands at sunset; jumping off bridges with vampires; riding your bike across the moon. Within the women of Lost Girls and her character Nikki Pink, Khan unfolds elements of herself; within these songs, we do the same. Filled with gauzy, 80’s-esque power ballads, Iranian-inspired beats, and the sort of epic sonics reserved for film credits rolling up a screen, Lost Girls is a noir, supernatural night-riding adventure, and one of the finest albums in Khan’s rich, varied discography.
Bat for Lashes 2019 Tour dates:
2/10/20 - Seattle, WA @ Seattle Neptune Theatre
2/11/20 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
2/13/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts
2/14/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Theater at Ace Hotel
2/17/20 - Boston, MA @ Royale
2/18/20 - Washington, DC @ Sixth and I Historic Synagogue
Music News- The Allman Betts Band has officially announced the full artist lineup for the third annual Allman Family Revival.
“These Allman Family Revival shows have become an annual reunion for our musical family. This year, going from just one show in San Francisco to 3 shows including Denver and NYC, is going to be epic. The musicians that have signed on have really upped the ante. We are so stoked to jam with our friends in Dad’s honor!” said Devon Allman.
Newly announced artists include JD Simo, Alex Orbison, Eric McFadden, Brandon “TAZ” Niederauer, Charlie Starr, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, G Love, Ally Venable, Lamar Williams, and Lily Hiatt. Before the Revival shows, the band is touring extensively in support of their debut album Down To The River, released earlier this year via BMG, receiving extensive attention and praise around the world.
The current tour will see the ABB touring the US and internationally as the band is set to play the famed Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia
The ABB has also recently announced that they will be supporting Gov’t Mule on Dec 27 during their New Year’s run in Philadelphia and then Lynyrd Skynyrd on New Year’s Eve in Dallas. “We are super excited to be joining our friends Lynyrd Skynyrd on NYE. They are legends and we can’t wait to throw down in Dallas” adds Duane Betts.
For all tour info and up to date news on The Allman Betts Band visit allmanbettsband.com.
Music News - Fresh off their Coachella headlining sets, Tame Impala have announced a series of North American Summer Tour Dates kicking off in Toronto on July 26th and include stops in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Washington DC and the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 21st. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 26 at 10am local time.
In addition to Coachella, Tame Impala will headline Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, GA (May 5), Corona Capital (May 11), Boston Calling (May 25), Barcelona's Primavera Festival (May 31), Glastonbury (June 26), Splendour In The Grass (July 19-21), Lollapalooza (August 1-4) and more, with festival and headline dates planned throughout 2019. Full tour dates below.
Ahead of the festival, Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) released new singles, “ Borderline” and “ Patience,” both via Interscope Records. Parker debuted both tracks on Saturday Night Live on March 30.
Watch Tame Impala perform “Patience” on SNL here .
Watch Tame Impala debut “Borderline” on SNL here .
Tame Impala is Kevin Parker. His last album Currents(Interscope) was released in 2015 earning him a second GRAMMY nomination, RIAA Gold-certification and word-wide critical acclaim. The New York Times labeled it a "a tour de force" and Pitchfork said, "nearly every proper song on 'Currents' is a revelatory statement of Parker's range and increasing expertise as a producer, arranger, songwriter, and vocalist while maintaining the essence of Tame Impala." NPR noted, "[Parker] advocates for constant reinvention... That commitment to evolution helps make Tame Impala an unlikely but worthy candidate for major stardom."
Hailing from Perth, Australia, he first toured the U.S. in 2010, playing small clubs for crowds of 200. A handful of trips to the U.S. later and thanks to the ravenous demand of fans for a transcendent live performance, Tame Impala has gone on to headline festivals and theaters around the world and released three full length albums - Innerspeaker , Lonerism and Currents . As a writer and producer Parker has collaborated with Travis Scott, SZA, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Kali Uchis, Theophilus London, Miguel, A$AP Rocky and more.
Music News - Guster has announced the dates for their third annual On The Ocean Weekend in Portland, Maine set for August 9th-11th. The last two editions of the summer gathering saw more than 5,000 Guster fans venture to the coastal New England city.
The main event will be taking place at Thompson’s Point on Saturday August 10th and feature two sets from the band, including a 20th anniversary Lost And Gone Forever full album set. Guster will be joined at Thompson’s Point by Rubblebucket, Kat Wright, Tall Heights and Portland’s Weakened Friends. Saturday will also include a Joe’s Place stage with performances from former Guster member Joe Pisapia, Spicy V’s Hot Sauce Contest (together with Vermont’s Butterfly Bakery), a lobster bake, food trucks, family games and more.
Saturday night’s festivities at Thompson’s Point will be capped off with an afterparty at Halo at the Point featuring amazing internationally-acclaimed EDM supergroup PIPPI who will be making their first ever public appearance.
Guster will be kicking off the weekend with an intimate acoustic concert on Friday night at Portland’s First Parish and rounding out the weekend on Sunday with events across Portland including a Reverb service project, an island bike ride, and a storytellers event featuring Guster drummer Brian Rosenworcel. Rosenworcel has been documenting Guster’s touring exploits since 1999 in his road journal and this event will feature him sharing the stage with Guster fans in a Moth-like setting.
Following on the success of 2018’s Big Friendly Pale Ale, Guster will be teaming up with Maine-based brewery Mast Landing once again for a limited edition On The Ocean beer. The custom brew will launch on Friday August 9th and be available throughout Portland all weekend.
Guster’s live shows channel their infectious positive energy into raucous performances that have fans singing along to songs old and new with unbridled enthusiasm, while always promising plenty of eclectic surprises, too. Recently, they shared a clip of children flooding the stage at last year’s fest. Watch below-
Music News - As they ready the release their final album, The Cranberries share the record's title track "In The End." The last song recorded for the album, and the last track on the album, it is an apt conclusion to a record that pays tribute to Dolores O'Riordan and brings to a close the band's singular career.
"What a way to finish the record. To have "In The End" as the last song is just perfect," says Fergal Lawler. "Lyrically it is self-explanatory," adds Noel Hogan. " It speaks for itself, it just is a lovely feeling and it's a gorgeous song"
Ain't it strange?
When everything you wanted
Was nothing like you wanted?
In the end
While many bands may aspire to be timeless, or have a sound that transcends the whims of musical fashion, The Cranberries are one of the few to have achieved that. Play one of the Irish rock group's early anthems such as "Linger" or "Dreams," and they sound as fresh - and deliver as much of an emotional sucker-punch - as when they captured a generation's hearts in the 1990s.
Now, nearly 30 years after the quartet of singer/songwriter and musician Dolores, co-songwriter and lead guitarist Noel, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal first appeared, they are releasing their eighth and final album In the End.
The genesis of In The End began in May 2017 while the band was on tour. By winter of 2017 Noel and Dolores had written and demoed the eleven songs, which would eventually appear on the album. "Dolores was so energised by the prospect of making this record and to getting back out on the road to play the songs live" recalls Noel.
Produced once again by Stephen Street, In the End sees the band coming full circle, with a collection that evokes their very first LP. "When we listened to the demos, the three of us and Stephen were thinking 'this sounds much closer to the first album than anything else'. Dolores was singing very softly on some songs, which was closer to how she would have sung back then, and the simplicity of some of the songs as well brought us back to that time," says Noel.
The album kicks off with a formidable one-two, which is a reminder of their range. The driving "All Over Now" is a classic, widescreen Cranberries anthem, with Dolores giving voice to the fractures of a relationship against a backdrop of chiming guitars; then, following it, the haunting string-swept ballad "Lost" dials the tempo right down, while giving space to Dolores' yearning vocals to soar to soul-piercing heights. Elsewhere, they veer from the grungy release of "Wake Me When It's Over" to the tender, country-inflected "A Place I Know" and the upbeat jangle-pop of "The Pressure."
If there's an overall lyrical theme, it's a sense of wiping the slate clean, and new beginnings, which reflected where Dolores was, both in her personal and her creative life: re-energised and ready for a new phase. "I remember talking to her that summer and she said 'I'm starting all over here' and a lot of the songs discuss that," says Noel. But, as ever with The Cranberries, lyrics that may derive from individual experience masterfully tap into universal emotions, framing them in terms that we can all relate to, whatever age, gender or nationality.
As the huge wave of public adulation in the wake of Dolores' passing showed, The Cranberries may be over, in one sense - but they will forever live on in the musical pantheon.
Music News -Conor Oberst today announced a North American tour for summer 2019. Beginning in Portsmouth, NH on July 17th at the Prescott Park Arts Festival, the series of shows goes on to hit Chicago, Bloomington, Cincinnati, Providence, Woodstock and more before culminating in a performance at the Weesner Family Amphitheater at the Minnesota Zoo in Minneapolis on July 28th. All shows will see Joanna Sternberg as main support. Full tour itinerary below.
Photo Credit: Phoebe Bridgers
Oberst's most recent album release was a collaboration with Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Their Better Oblivion Community Center LP was unveiled as a surprise release in January with a performance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His most recent solo album, Salutations, was released in 2017. This short run of shows will see Conor performing songs from his extensive catalog.
Conor Oberst has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will go to The Florence Project and their work providing direct legal and social services for detained adults and children under threat of deportation.
Conor Oberst 2019 Tour Itinerary:
7/17/19 - Portsmouth, NH @ Prescott Park Arts Festival - Free Show
7/18/19 - Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre - TICKETS
7/19/19 - Norwalk, CT @ Wall Street Theater - TICKETS
7/20/19 - Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater - TICKETS
7/21/19 - Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall - TICKETS
7/23/19 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell's Beer Garden - TICKETS
Music News - Beck has offered up a glimpse of the future today in the form of “Saw Lightning,” a stunning new track featuring Beck’s unmistakable raw acoustic slide guitar and harmonica playing. “Saw Lightning” was written and produced by Beck and Pharrell Williams, who contributes drums, keyboards and mumbles.
“Saw Lightning” is out as both a single and as the perfect music to power the new Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats Pro campaign, a high-energy film directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker Hiro Murai.
“Saw Lightning” is the first track to be released from Beck’s forthcoming Hyperspace album, releasing via Capitol Records at an as yet undetermined point in the space time continuum (aka date). In the meantime, Beck you can tide yourself over with his already prolific 2019 output, including “Tarantula” from Music Inspired by ROMA, “Super Cool” (featuring Robyn & The Lonely Island) from The LEGO Movie 2, and most recently his feature appearance on Cage The Elephant’s “Night Running.”
Listen below-
Hyperspace will be Beck’s 14th album, following 2017’s Colors, which won Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 61st GRAMMY Awards earlier this year.
Music News - Based on the huge success of their first tour, which tour industry trade pub Pollstar noted as one of the highest grossing co-headline tours of summer 2018, Ben Folds and CAKE are reuniting for a second round of shows beginning September 5 in Bonner, MT. The co-headline tour will be making stops at venues across the West Coast including Los Angeles, CA's Greek Theater, Mountainview, CA's Shoreline Amphitheater and others. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, April 19. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.cakemusic.com/tour and www.benfolds.com/tour-dates.
"CAKE are masters, and they happen to be my friends," said Folds recently. "So, yes, let's do this!"
"We had so much fun with Ben last summer that we decided to do it again, this time in the west," says CAKE's frontman John McCrea. CAKE's multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist Vince DiFiore adds, "Last year we had the great honor to tour with Ben, who inspired us with incredible musicianship and memorable songs. It was sad to end that tour, so now a great thrill to be anticipating another with the actual artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra."
CAKE & BEN FOLDS TOUR 2019 ITINERARY-
SEPTEMBER:
5 - Bonner, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater
6 - Redmond, WA - Marymoor Park
7 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
8 - Nampa, ID - Idaho Center Amphitheater
10 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
11 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
13 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
14 - Irvine, CA - FivePoint Amphitheatre
15 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
18 - Austin, TX - Austin360 Amphitheater
19 - Grand Prairie, TX - The Theatre at Grand Prairie
During this tour run, Folds will be releasing his first book, a memoir entitled A Dream About Lightning Bugs - A Life Of Music And Cheap Lessons. Before each show on the tour, he'll be hosting pre-show VIP events where he'll sign copies of his book and conduct a masterclass and Q&A. For more on his book, please visit www.penguinrandomhouse.com.
Music News - Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have released a new song, "A World Of Our Own," from their forthcoming album Summer Of Sorcery due May 3 on Wicked Cool/UMe. The soulful, euphoric track, which premiered yesterday who described it as having "a shimmering Phil Spector quality," conjures up visions of young love, summer nights and a simpler era when Girl Groups dominated the airwaves. "Growing up, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Ronettes, The Crystals and The Shangri-Las were really important to me," says Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt. "This song is my take on the type of song I might have written for a Girl Group like one of those fantastic acts back in the day."
Summer Of Sorcery will be released on CD, digitally and on vinyl as double LP on 180-gram black vinyl. A limited edition version will be available as a double LP on 180-gram psychedelic swirl vinyl exclusively via uDiscover. All digital pre-orders will receive instant grat downloads of "A World Of Our Own" and the record's jet-fueled first track release, "Superfly Terraplane."
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have just touched down in Australia for a run of shows that will kick off this Saturday, April 13 in Perth. The 15-piece band will perform a pair of hugely anticipated performances at the 30 th anniversary Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay (April 18 and 20). They will wrap the tour in Auckland, New Zealand on April 27. The band will then head home to the USA to celebrate Summer Of Sorcery with special record release shows at The Saban in Los Angeles on May 4 and at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ on May 8. A wide-ranging world tour will follow, beginning May 16 at Liverpool, UK's 02 Academy and then making headline stops across the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
The first leg of the North American tour will begin July 2 at the London Music Hall in Ontario, Canada and take Van Zandt and band all across Canada and the Eastern U.S., culminating at Outlaw Jam in Annapolis, Md. Each show on the American tour will benefit Van Zandt's TeachRock education initiative and offer an introduction to the Teachrock.org curriculum. Before the show, the TeachRock staff will host free professional development workshops designed to engage educators with techniques and content through which they can comfortably use music to inspire students, even if they've never touched an instrument. The free, multimedia K-12 interdisciplinary curriculum meets prevailing standards in English Language Arts, Social Studies/History, the Fine and Performing Arts, and also includes STEAM and advisory material suitable for K-12 teachers of all disciplines, interdisciplinary best practices, and group activities.
Each ticket purchased online for any of the Little Steven and The Disciples Of Soul U.S. tour dates will include a CD of Summer Of Sorcery. Exclusive VIP Meet & Greet Upgrade Packages are also available for most dates. For complete details, updates and ticket availability, please visit www.littlesteven.com/on-tour .
Summer Of Sorcery - which arrives just two years after Little Steven's acclaimed 2017's solo return, Soulfire , and its 2018 live follow-up, Soulfire Live! - was written, arranged, and produced by Van Zandt at his own Renegade Studios in New York City; the album was co-produced and recorded by GRAMMY Award-winner Geoff Sanoff and co-produced by Disciples of Soul musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler . Summer Of Sorcery was mixed and mastered respectively by Van Zandt's career-long collaborators and friends Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Bryan Adams), and Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Band, Sly and the Family Stone). The album - which features an exclusive introduction written by Van Zandt - is adorned with Frank Frazetta-inspired cover art by Van Zandt's longtime art director, Louis Arzonico.
"My first five albums in the '80s were both very personal, and very political," explains Van Zandt. "I wanted the new material to be more fictionalized. The way records were when I grew up. Before it was an artform. The concept was capturing and communicating that first rush of summer. The electricity of that feeling of unlimited possibilities. Of falling in love with the world for the first time. Obviously, there are occasional personal references, and a bit of what's going on socially scattered throughout, but I achieved what I set out to do. I created a collection of fictional movies scenes that feel like summer. I'm quite proud of it."
Little Steven is joined on this thrilling musical journey with his all-star band the Disciples of Soul, a 14-strong ensemble made up of some of the best studio and live musicians in the business. Leading the charge alongside Van Zandt is musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler (Darlene Love, Roger McGuinn, Carole King) who conducts the band consisting of Lowell "Banana" Levinger of The Youngbloods on piano and Wurlitzer, bassist Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz, Boz Scaggs, Darryl Hall), drummer Rich Mercurio (Ben E King, Sara Bareilles, Idina Menzel), percussionist Anthony Almonte (King Creole and The Coconuts), Andy Burton on B3 organ, piano, synthesizers (Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Ian Hunter), the dynamite horn section of horn director Eddie Manion on baritone saxophone (Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny), Stan Harrison on tenor saxophone and flute (David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Duran Duran), Ron Tooley on trumpet (James Brown, John Lennon, Maceo Parker), Ravi Best on trumpet (Aretha Franklin, Stevie, Wonder, Kool and The Gang) and Clark Gayton on trombone (Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, Rhianna). The band is rounded out with the soulful, synchronized dancing backup singers Jessie Wagner (Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Chic), Sara Devine (Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige) and Tania Jones (Disciples of Soul).
Summer Of Sorcery is another landmark work in a four-decade career full of milestones, a spirited collection of songs which conjure up all the wonder and magic of the eponymous season - the beach and the boardwalk, the young love and unbridled lust, the innocence and experience that somehow starts it all.
"I always work thematically," Van Zandt says. "I can't just throw together a collection of songs; there has to be some kind of overriding idea that drives it. This time I wanted to capture the excitement of that first summer of consciousness. That one special summer where you first fall in love with life, that thrill of just being alive."
Van Zandt's first solo album as Little Steven in close to two decades, 2017's Soulfire saw the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer revisiting songs that spanned the length of his career as artist, performer, producer, arranger, and songwriter, focusing on the "soul horns-meet-rock 'n' roll guitars" sound he first pioneered on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' classic first three albums and later, his own first solo LP. The album saw Van Zandt uniting an all-new Disciples of Soul, complete with three backing vocalists and a full horn section featuring original Asbury Jukes/Miami Horns saxophonists Stan Harrison (tenor) and Eddie Manion (baritone). Little Steven and his 14-piece big band spent nearly two years traveling the world on the SoulfireTour, not to mention last year's "Soulfire Teacher Solidarity Tour" supporting TeachRock, the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation's national initiative to bring music curriculum into schools across the country. Still, the planetary success of the SOULFIRE project left Van Zandt to ponder: Where do I want to go now ?
"Quite honestly, the Soulfire Tour was something special," he says. "It was a definitive type of tour - I told my whole life story and most of the story of the history of rock 'n' roll simultaneously, it was a show 20, 30, 40 years in the making. So it was like, ok, now what? How do we beat that, or at least equal it? You set these standards and now you've got to reach them."
Reach them he did - Summer Of Sorcery is Little Steven at his omnivorous, humanistic best, expertly crafted and deeply rooted in the many classic genres which taught and inspired the self-proclaimed "walking history lesson" from the jump. With their richly bombastic arrangements, floor-shaking groves, and high-powered performances from all involved, new songs like "Soul Power Twist" and the album kick off "Communion"synthesize Van Zandt's incalculable range of cultural and sonic inspirations into a one-of-a-kind brass-fueled brand of Technicolor rock 'n' soul unlike anyone else's. The album features 10 original new songs alongside "Suddenly You," an outtake from the "Lilyhammer" score, Netflix's first original series, which starred Van Zandt who also composed all the music for trailblazing show, and a reimagining of "Education" which was first recorded for his 1989 album Revolution . "The education system needs to be fixed, needs to be improved," he says. "Teachers need to be supported. There needs to be more support, more funding. That's what I'm trying to get across with my TeachRock program and that's all in this song."
The record culminates with the epic title track, "Summer of Sorcery," an eight-minute mission statement that conjures the euphoric rush of a summer romance and limitless possibility. "The whole theme of the album is summed up in that song, that wizardry, that magic mixture of falling in love in the summer," says Van Zandt.
"I wanted to create a hybrid that would be uniquely me ," he says. "I wanted to hear Sly and the Family Stone, I wanted to hear Sam Cooke, I wanted to hear Tito Puente. I wanted to try and get the Beach Boys in there. James Brown, of course. I had certain touchstones of musical influence that I wanted to integrate into my thing."
Recorded last year mid- Soulfire Tour and then mixed whilst on the road once again, Summer Of Sorcery represents a straightforward progression from its predecessor, the first time in Van Zandt's long career that he's maintained a band line-up and sonic approach from one solo work to the next.
"Instead of embarking on a whole new adventure, I decided, I'm going to evolve this thing," Van Zandt says. "I've always wondered where my sound would evolve to if I ever did the same thing twice, if I ever evolved vertically rather than horizontally. All five of my solo albums before Soulfire are completely different genres. I never had a chance to evolve one particular thing to see where it went."
Not to say Van Zandt didn't push himself towards something new and novel - quite the opposite in fact. Where his prior solo canon was irrefutably linked by both his lifelong activism and deeply personal lyricism, this time Little Steven chose to eschew the overly political and explicitly autobiographical for a more overarching approach, one which allowed him a chance to apply his particular style of studied songcraft for his own album instead of another's.
"With this record I really wanted to travel back to a time when life was exciting, when unlimited possibilities were there every day, says Van Zandt. "That was the feeling in the '60s, the thrill of the unexpected coming at you. Our minds were blown every single day, one amazing thing after another, constantly lifting you up. So you kind of walked around six inches off the ground all the time, there was something that kept you buoyant in your spirit. I wanted to try and capture that first and foremost."
If Soulfire stands as the last word at the end of one chapter of Van Zandt's long career, Summer Of Sorcery marks the start of what comes next.
"Making this record was everything I'd hoped for," Little Steven says. "What I'd hoped would happen was, you put the whole tour, all of those songs, into a funnel and out of that funnel comes a new album. And that's exactly what happened."
SUMMER OF SORCERY TRACK LISTING
1. Communion
2. Party Mambo!
3. Love Again
4. Vortex
5. A World Of Our Own
6. Gravity
7. Soul Power Twist
8. Superfly Terraplane
9. Education
10. Suddenly You
11. I Visit The Blues
12. Summer Of Sorcery
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL TOUR 2019 ITINERARY-
APRIL
13 - Perth, Australia - Metro City 16 - Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre 18 - Byron Bay, Australia - Byron Bay Bluesfest *
20 - Byron Bay, Australia - Byron Bay Bluesfest *
23 - Melbourne, Australia - Forum Melbourne
25 - Newtown, Australia - Enmore Theatre
27 - Auckland, New Zealand - Auckland Town Hall
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR ITINERARY-
MAY
4 - Los Angeles, CA - The Saban
8 - Asbury Park, NJ - Paramount Theatre
16 - Liverpool, UK - O2 Academy
18 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy
20 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy
22 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy
24 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town
26 - Derbyshire, UK - Bearded Theory Festival *
28 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley's
30 - Jelling, Denmark - Jelling Muiskfestival *
JUNE
1 - Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
3 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
5 - Hamburg, Germany - Fabrik
7 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique (AB)
9 - Emmen, The Netherlands - Hello Festival *
11 - Zurich, Switzerland - Kaufleuten
13 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
15 - Bilbao, Spain - Music Legends Festival *
17 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Apolo
20 - Kragujevac, Serbia - Arsenal Festival *
23 - Paris, France - La Cigale
JULY
2 - Ontario, Canada - London Music Hall
4 - Ottawa, Canada - Bluesfest
6 - Quebec City, Canada - FEQ
10 - Toronto, Canada - Phoenix Theatre
12 - Buffalo, New York - Town Ballroom
14 - Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall
16 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
18 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
20 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
24 - Richmond, VA - The National
26 - Easton, PA - State Theatre Center For The Arts
Music News - The National have shared another album track “Light Years” off their forthcoming album I Am Easy To Find. You can stream the song HERE and watch the accompanying video, Below-
It features scenes from the short film “I Am Easy To Find,” directed by Academy Award-nominated director Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners), and starring Academy Award Winner Alicia Vikander. I Am Easy To Find is the band’s eighth studio album and will be released May 17th on 4AD. With the recent album announcement, the band shared the opening track “You Had Your Soul With You” featuring the vocals of longtime David Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey. A companion short film with t he same name will also be released with music by The National and inspired by the album. More film details to be released at a later date. Mills, along with the band, is credited as co-producer of the album, which was mostly recorded at Long Pond, Hudson Valley, NY with additional sessions in Paris, Berlin, Cincinnati, Austin, Dublin, Brooklyn and more far flung locations. The album features vocal contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle and more. Tracklisting and tour dates below. Pre-order the album I Am Easy To Find HERE and watch the film trailer here-
This April, the band are presenting “A Special Evening with The National,” five sold out events happening in Paris, London, New York, Toronto and LA. The evening will include a screening of “I Am Easy To Find,” Q&A with the band, Mike Mills and more. An intimate performance will follow with special guests Gail Ann Dorsey (Paris), Kate Stables of This Is The Kit, Mina Tindle, Yuki Numata Resnick, James McAlister, Brooklyn Youth Chorus (New York), and more to be announced. They will then head out on an expansive world tour beginning this June with Courtney Barnett and Alvvays opening select dates. See all tour dates below. For tickets and more information, visit www.americanmary.com .
I Am Easy To Find Tracklisting
1. You Had Your Soul With You
2. Quiet Light
3. Roman Holiday
4. Oblivions
5. The Pull Of You
6. Hey Rosey
7. I Am Easy To Find
8. Her Father In The Pool
9. Where Is Her Head
10. Not In Kansas
11. So Far So Fast
12. Dust Swirls In Strange Light
13. Hairpin Turns
14. Rylan
15. Underwater
16. Light Years
The National 2019 Tour Itinerary:
4/16 - Paris, FR @ Olympia SOLD OUT
4/18 - London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall SOLD OUT
4/22 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre SOLD OUT
4/24 - Toronto, ON @ Roy Thomson Hall SOLD OUT
4/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre SOLD OUT
6/11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center*
6/12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park Bandshell*
6/13 - Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park Bandshell*
6/15 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
6/16 - Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy*
6/17 - St Augustine, FL @ St Augustine Amphitheatre*
6/19 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem*
6/20 - Portland, ME @ Thompson's Point*
6/21 - Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
6/22 - Hamilton, ON @ Pier 8**
6/24 - Columbus, OH @ Express Live*
6/25 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Hill Auditorium*
6/26 - Indianapolis, IN @ Lawn at White River*
6/28 - Chicago, IL @ Northerly Island**
7/10 - Manchester, UK @ Castlefield Bowl
7/12 - Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival
7/13 - London, UK @ Hyde Park
7/15 - Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle
7/16 - Hamburg, DE @ Stadtpark
7/18 - Rättvik, SE @ Dalhalla
8/4 - Waterford, IE @ All Together Now
8/6 - Glasgow, UK @ Summer Nights at the Bandstand
8/7 - Glasgow, UK @ Summer Nights at the Bandstand
Music News - moe. has released the lineup for their 2019 moe.down. The festival, now in its 17th year, will host debut performances by artists such as Drive-By Truckers, Spafford, Cory Wong (from Vulfpeck) and God Street Wine. Booked for July 4 - 6 at Snow Ridge in Turin, NY, moe.down will also include 7 sets of moe. alongside an array of activities.
Tickets for moe.down are currently on sale. All tickets include access to three days of music and general admission tent camping. A VIP ticket option includes additional perks such as early entry to the festival grounds on July 3, golf cart escort to VIP campsites upon arrival, sound check party with moe. and a limited-edition event poster. Layaway plans and RV rentals are also available. For more information, visit https://moedown.org/tickets.
Originally conceived in 2000 as a weekend reunion moe. could host for their friends, family and musical cohorts, moe.down has attracted a wide variety of musical talent including The Black Keys, Gary Clark, Jr. Cracker, TV On The Radio, Ani DiFranco, Umphrey's McGee, Ween and many more.
moe.down officially kicks off moe.'s summer touring season. The band will team up with jam titans Blues Traveler on the co-headline All Roads Runaround Tour presented by SiriusXM JamON. The summer run will showcase one set from each band plus a very special collaborative set each night. Special guest G. Love will join as support. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit https://moe.org/.
Founded in 1990, moe. has carved a niche for themselves with a distinct blend of Americana, melodic turns, clever songwriting, and jam band ethics. Members Vinnie Amico (Drums), Rob Derhak (bass/vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitar/vocals), Jim Loughlin (Percussion/Vibes) and Al Schnier (guitar/vocals) have built a dedicated following through their extensive touring and musical output.
Music News - Winnetka Bowling League have just released a new single from their forthcoming EP, Cloudy With A Chance Of Sun, titled “Slow Dances”. Of the track, the band’s singer/songwriter, Matthew Koma , says “‘Slow Dances’ is a song about obsessing over the different endings that could’ve been. Seeing the annoying as endearing in retrospect and hoping she hears the song somewhere out in the world and knows it’s for her.”
The release of “ Slow Dances ” coincides with a hometown show tonight, April 3rd, in Los Angeles at The Hi Hat in Highland Park. Purchase tickets HERE .
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