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Monday, May 13, 2013
Beyond Cactus Hey Nerds, The Daft Punk Album Is Currently Streaming on iTunes
Posted by David Mendez on Mon, May 13, 2013 at 2:13 PM
I really don't know what else I need to put here: People love them some Daft Punk. I'm not sure if it's the music, or the fact that the two dudes wear the kinds of outfits that make San Diego Comic Con cosplayers look like low-budget Halloween costumes, but Daft Punk causes some severe reactions in music fans.
Anyway, if you want to listen to some sweet, sweet Daft Punk-ing, check out iTunes.
Friday, May 10, 2013
News The RIAA Now Includes Digital Streaming In Its Gold and Platinum Certification
Posted by David Mendez on Fri, May 10, 2013 at 4:22 PM
In news that's sure to be great for another industry that's circling the drain, the Recording Industry Association of America has decided to join in with the times and include song streams as part of their certification process for gold and platinum records.
From Billboard:
The last time the RIAA altered its methodology was in 2006, when it added master ringtones. Two years before that, the organization began counting digital downloads. And prior to that, CDs and cassette tapes were added to the mix. Otherwise, the formula for Gold and Platinum certifications remained largely untouched — 500,000 unit sales for Gold, 1 million for Platinum and 10 million for Diamond.Among the on-demand streaming services the RIAA will accept are MOG, Muve Music, Rdio, Rhapsody, Slacker, Spotify, Xbox Music and others. In addition, video streams from MTV.com, VEVO, Yahoo! Music and YouTube will also count. Under the new formula, the RIAA will distribute awards to 56 new titles, including 30 Seconds To Mars’s “This Is War,” Emeli Sandé's "Next To Me," and Cher Lloyd's "Oath," Thursday night at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers' annual Musiz Biz conference in Los Angeles.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Live Yo La Tengo: It's an All Ages Thing
Posted by Linda Ray on Thu, May 9, 2013 at 3:09 PM
We're thinking Ira Kaplan must have to replace three or four guitars after every tour. He gives new meaning to the term "shredding" with a claw-hammer strum attack and a swing that threatens amps into yet better, bigger and more feedback as he heaps layers of chaos onto the unshakeable constancy of Georgia Hubley's beats and James McNew's chords.
What a show Monday night at the Rialto! Although most songs were from the new CD Fade, the band interrupted their set to accommodate a fan calling for "You Can Have It All" from 2000's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out and, in the encore, "Tom Courteney" from 1995's Electro-Pura. "Autumn Sweater" from 1997's I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One also made the playlist. See the setlist below.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Beyond Cactus Queens of the Stone Age's New Music Video is Creepy as Hell
Posted by David Mendez on Tue, May 7, 2013 at 11:22 AM
"I Appear Missing" is the first release off of Queens of the Stone Age's forthcoming release Like Clockwork, set to be released June 6 — and I'm pumped, if only because Dave Grohl returned to lay down the drums for this album, which is cool in its own right. Bigger to me, though, is that I'm of the opinion that everything Grohl and QOTSA frontman Josh Homme collaborate on (QOTSA album Songs for the Deaf, Them Crooked Vultures, "Centipede" off of the Sound City soundtrack) turns into gold.
Interestingly enough, this is a truncated version of the full song, as the video features about half of the six-minute-long album cut.
Monday, May 6, 2013
News Today in Weird Hip-Hop News: Jay Electronica Breaks Up a Marriage Between Two Wealthy Brits, and Murs Rides a Stripper Pole
Posted by David Mendez on Mon, May 6, 2013 at 5:23 PM
So, if you really dig hip-hop, you might be familiar with Jay Electronica (also known as Jay ElecHanukkah, or Jay ElecYarmulke, or Jay ElectRamadaan Muhammad Asalaamica RasoulAllah Subhanahu wa ta'ala — if you're taking stock in his verse from "Exhibit C") — either because he exploded your mind with "Eternal Sunshine," "Exhibit A" and/or "Exhibit C"; because he's got a kid with Erykah Badu; or because his debut album will never come out, no matter how bad you want it to.
Well, now he's got a new claim to fame: breaking up the marriage of British bank heiress and record mogul Kate Rothschild to British bank heir Ben Goldsmith.
From The Telegraph:
Today, nine months after splitting from Ben Goldsmith and blaming it on the fact that they were “children” when they met, Miss Rothschild has finally admitted she was unfaithful.Their eight year marriage was one of 25 ended in just under a minute at London’s High Court, with no mention made of how they would split their multi million pound fortune.
Mr Goldsmith, son of billionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith, found it “intolerable” to live with his wife after the affair, which formed the grounds for the divorce, the papers reveal.
...
In a later tweet relating to rumours surrounding her relationship with the New Orleans rapper the heiress wrote: “As for Jay Electronica…he saved my life in many ways and I am eternally grateful to him.”
...
Miss Rothschild also claimed in an interview that her love for the hip-hop star —with whom she “just connected” - was not the reason her marriage hit the rocks, instead blaming the fact they were “children” when they got together.
Draaamaaaaa — and also, vaguely weird that someone who lives on the periphery of hip-hop culture (while still being insanely recognizable for no discernable reason) has become a minor figure in British celebrity culture. So, I guess Jay's movin' on up. Good for him — at this point though, I hope he finds a way to pull Pippa Middleton and cozies his way into the good graces of British royalty.
Also, who remembers watching BET Uncut? Anyone who will admit to it? Well, at-least-part-time Tucson rapper Murs put together a video with Fashawn for the hidden track off of last year's This Generation, "Tuition" — which is, in wholly awkward fashion, an ode to thoughtless strip-club bangers that cut off before the song gets good and before you get your money's worth for your dance.
Uh, from...from what I understand, anyway.
Unfortunately(?) the video isn't embeddable, as it's hosted at World Star Hip-Hop Uncut, purveyors of all things relating to stupid street fights and women clapping their booties in their bedrooms to poorly mixed Southern Hip-Hop.
Still, check it out because it decently satirizes strip-clubbin' while paying tribute to it (the cash they're throwing around is literally Monopoly money); it has Murs and Fashawn; and it vaguely recalls the somewhat dirty feeling of watching a hip-hop video with scantily clad women writhing on poles at 1 a.m. on basic cable.
Also, there's scantily clad women. Just make sure you get home from work before you click to check it out.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
News / Beyond Cactus Joshua Levine Was Right: Neutral Milk Hotel Announces Reunion Tour, Haters Can Suck It
Posted by David Mendez on Thu, May 2, 2013 at 9:52 AM
Following Jeff Mangum's Rialto show in March, Neutral Milk Hotel has announced that they're bringing the band back together for a reunion tour.
So far, no Tucson dates have been confirmed, though considering how vehement NMH fans are about defending their band's honor, they may want to consider playing here—if only because there appear to be people champing at the bit to see them in person, regardless of how poorly received Mangum's show was by Weekly writer Joshua Levine—or how poorly received his review was. A taste of that review [emphasis added]:
The recent announcement of Neutral Milk Hotel's upcoming fall reunion tour revealed Jeff Mangum to be a crass businessman, expanding his profit margin by selling out his fans. If he were Britney Spears doing a comeback tour, the scenario would be perfectly logical. But Mangum is not a pop singer; he is an artiste whose music changed and shaped many lives under the guise of honesty and integrity. He desecrated his own parables by turning his work into a 45-minute advertisement for his upcoming Neutral Milk Hotel tour. If he needed the money, he could have licensed his songs for Target or Volkswagen commercials. But he didn't. He disrespectfully pimped out his music to the people to whom it holds untold worth, belittling his audience and reducing them to common johns, impersonally serviced in place of the implicit promise of enlightenment.
That line drew a heated response from a number of people who were all-too-willing to jump down Levine's (and the Weekly's) throat, such as TucsonWeekly.com anonymous commenter george22:
This was the first article I've read in the Weekly in quite some time. I'm glad to say I haven't missed anything. Not only does this article structure its asinine opinion around completely false information, it paints one of the most gifted songwriters of the generation in an absoulutely unnecessarily negative light. God, to let such filth be published in your magazine is inexcusable. I don't even blame the writer; shame on you Tucson Weekly.
Levine was right. You were wrong. Deal with it, haters.
For more information and updates on Neutral Milk Hotel's reunion tour, check http://www.groundcontroltouring.com/artists/neutral-milk-hotel
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Preview Rancid, Transplants Announce Rialto Stop
Posted by Kyle Mittan on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 11:30 AM
- Courtesy, Transplants
Punk giants Rancid and Transplants have announced a show at the Rialto Theatre this summer on July 23 after announcing the release of the Transplants' forthcoming record, In A Warzone, set to drop on June 25.
Tim Armstrong, who fronts both bands, will play both sets at each show, backed by Blink-182's Travis Barker, who is the original drummer for Transplants.
The Tucson stop is one of many scheduled across during a summer tour across the U.S. While the Transplants record is the only one set for release, Rancid announced in February that they too are recording their next album, expected to be released later this year.
More information on tickets for the show will come with the Rialto's announcement.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Preview Rialto's Latest Announcement: Geto Boys, Iris DeMent, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Posted by Kyle Mittan on Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 5:15 PM
- Courtesy, Constellation Records
The Rialto Theatre recently announced a rather eclectic set of upcoming shows, spanning rap, folk and post-rock.
Geto Boys will make a stop in Tucson on June 11 as part of a scattered tour around the U.S. The iconic rap trio hasn't released a new record since 2005, but has continued to play smaller shows and festivals throughout the country. Anyone who shows up with a fax machine and baseball bat will likely be turned away at the door.
On June 20, Arkansas folk native Iris DeMent will drop by before hopping the pond to play an extensive European tour. The country folk veteran is touring to promote October's Sing the Delta, DeMent's first original record since 1996.
A performance by the post-rock instrumental group Godspeed You! Black Emperor will round out the summer on Sept. 16. The Montreal nine-piece will hit a few shows in Europe before a brief tour in the U.S. THe band is promoting ALLELUJAH! DON'T BEND! ASCEND!, their latest record that dropped in October last year.
Tickets to all three shows will go on sale this Friday. Tickets can be picked up at the Rialto's website when they go up.
Preview Obscure Indie-Rock Sergio
Posted by Linda Ray on Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 3:27 PM
We feel like we found the candy house at the end of the breadcrumb trail. It's called Alarma : nine solo tracks revealing a side of Sergio Mendoza we never knew. Not only is it not big-band cumbia, it's not the blue jazz Mendoza started out playing before that fateful night he and his band performed a Perez Prado song at The Great Cover Up.
Jim Blackwood, who mastered the Alarma tracks, made the big reveal today by playing the track "Prison Cell" on his KXCI morning show Your Morning Brew The entire set is just 25 and a half minutes long. Mendoza plays all the instruments.
Mendoza says he created the tracks for a CD he sold on tour with Calexico. He's out of them, now, but plans to make more. Meanwhile, these tracks aren't downloadable, but you can listen all day long.
Enjoy!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Local Tonight: Benefit for Tucson Drummer James Hunt
Posted by Mari Herreras on Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 5:00 PM
From 6 to 10 p.m., and most likely a little later, you can take in some great bands for a good reason. Whiskey Tango,140 S Kolb Road, hosts a benefit for AmoSphere drummer James Hunt, who was recently diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer.
Hunt's news arrived around the same time his mother passed away. To get home, AmoSphere held a fundraiser for their drummer at a Chicago Bar gig on Friday, April 12. Band leader AmoChip Dabney told the Range that fundraiser raised about $3,000 to send their friend home and help pay for Hunt's mother's funeral expenses.
The fundraiser tonight is for Hunt's medical treatment with one goal in mind — helping the drummer with med expenses that can possibly shrink his tumor, which is preventing Hunt from being able to have surgery. The goal tonight is $7,000.
Thirteen bands are scheduled to play tonight including AmoSphere, known for getting a crowd on the dance floor. Other bands include Neon Prophet, Crosscut Saw, Railbirdz, Bryan Dean Trio, Corey Spector, Nod Squad, Top Dead Center, AC Greenlaw and Lodestar, Midnight Blues Band, Tall Paul Band, Chilli Willi, Heart to Heart, comic Dan Wilkins, belly dancers and more.
"We plan to squeeze out every dollar like a Jerry Lewis Telethon thing," Dabney said. "What's wonderful is that the bar is open until 2 a.m., so we'll be playing into the night. I think the even will easily run until 11:30 (p.m.)."
Dabney added that the number of bands who stepped forward to help out didn't surprise him. First, "Tucson is a very empathetic city."
"But James is also a very loved friend and musician. He's a good guy and one of the top six drummers in town and people really just like the guy."
Dabney said he Hunt began playing together around 2004. His drummer at the time had passed away, and he asked Hunt if he wanted to play with him. "He wasn't playing around that much. That sure changed once we started playing together. A lot of bands would have him. He's a profession and a great person."
AmoSphere plays a variety of music — reggae, blues, rock and zydeco. Dabney said Hunt's experience was obvious from the beginning as he easily moved from style to style.
While Hunt is unable to keep working while receiving treatment, he still wants to play with the band as much as possible. "He said to me, 'It's one of the very few things I have left that I really enjoy.'" So, a few drummers are read to give him breaks as needed, and Dabney said he's happy to keep his friend playing with them as long as Hunt wants to be at every gig.
Can't make it to the show tonight? Would be a shame, but there's the James Hunt Fund accessed through a PayPal account. It's posted on Dabney's web page, but only accessed by Dabney's partner.
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