Vermont-based rock group Grace Potter & the Nocturnals has a new music video for their cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” (featured on the Almost Alice Soundtrack) and it’s really, really good. Shot in black and white, “White Rabbit” is a simplistic portrayal of the band in action; utilizing footage from their performance of the song at last year’s Burlington Waterfront show.
The Nocturnals perform a spectacular version of the tune, with Potter almost perfectly imitating Grace Slick’s original vocals, only slightly tweaking them to include a slight Southern drawl near the song’s climax. While “White Rabbit” proves itself as another example of Potter & Co.’s unique and impressive musical talent, the majority of the songs included on Almost Alice aren’t really worth listening to. The original 16-track soundtrack features an odd mix of artists including Robert Smith, Avril Lavigne, All Time Low, Motion City Soundtrack, and Franz Ferdinand (with additional bonus tracks available thru iTunes and Hot Topic) performing a mixture of covers and original tracks inspired by Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.
In other news, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals will be touring the US this month and have officially confirmed the release of their self-titled third album which will come out on Hollywood Records on June 8th. Look below for the album’s tracklist, a short list of US tour dates and that “White Rabbit” video.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals Tracklist: 01. Paris 02. Oasis 03. Medicine 04. Goodbye Kiss 05. Tiny Light 06. Colors 07. Only Love 08. Money 09. One Short Night 10. Low Road 11. That Phone 12. Hot Summer Night 13. Things I Never Needed
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals 2010 Tour Dates: 03/18 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s (American Music Association SXSW Showcase) 03/21 – Snowmass, CO @ Snowmass Mountain 03/27 – Teton Village, WY @ Jackson Hole Mountain Resort 04/25 – Phoenix, AZ @ McDowell Mountain Music Festival 05/14 – Richmond, VA @ Browns Island 06/04 – Hunter, NY @ Mountain Jam Music Festival
“I’ve been getting some calls lately – people asking what’s up with the Virgin Mobile Festival this year. Last year, we made the festival free because the economy was in a meltdown. But as it turns out, we stumbled upon something that was really important to fans. You saw it for yourself – it was such a wickedly fun animal – and an amazing music experience that everyone loved. So, Virgin Mobile has found some pretty creative ways to keep it free again.”
-Audrey Schaefer
As Pollstar reports, Virgin Mobile Free Fest returns this year to Merriweather Post Pavillion and will be free. The lineup is being sorted (as are the dates), but as always, we’ll keep you updated.
Icelandic pop pixie Björk and eccentric French filmmaker Michel Gondry are no strangers to one another. In fact, early last month, we told you the two, who’ve done seven music videos together, would be up to…. something. Turns out, via TwentyFourBit and The Playlist, that the aforementioned something is even more wonderful than we could’ve ever imagined.
Gondry, who was making the rounds at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival with his new documentary, A Thorn In The Heart, is one for a little bit of mystery. And while he wasn’t a wellspring of information, he was slightly less cryptic than before.
“We have a very ambitious project, a sort of scientific musical,” Gondry said. “[It's a movie], but maybe more for museums. Like a 40 minute IMAX project in 3D.”
The “big four” record labels may soon become the “big three,” if a deal regarding a division of EMI comes to fruition. Times Online reports private equity firm KKR is working with Warner Music, another “big four” label, on making a bid to break up EMI, which is expected to be put on sale this summer.
In case you need clarification on how major this move could be, EMI’s library includes recordings by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Black Sabbath, and Queen. Current EMI artists include Coldplay, Katy Perry, Beastie Boys, Daft Punk, Gorillaz, and Robbie Williams. You get the idea.
KKR is eyeing EMI’s music publishing arm, while Warner wants the recorded music division. They will likely not get both, as The Wall Street Journalnotes, due to antitrust concerns. In 2000, EMI and Warner had a merger set before European Union regulators stepped in.
KKR/Warner have made no actual contact with EMI yet; EMI is busy preventing the possibility of its lender, Citigroup, taking over the company in June. The label is currently in debt to Citigroup for billions and must come up with a rescue plan in the next three weeks.
To add insult to injury, Pink Floyd kind of owned EMI last week. In summary, EMI isn’t doing too well and it looks like Radiohead bailed just in time.
The guy who won the Academy Award for sound mixing on Slumdog Millionaire, Resul Pookutty, has seemingly announced to the world that Joaquin Phoenix is giving up the hoax for good (via The Playlist).
In an interview with the Mumbai Mirror, Pookutty had the following to say about his new project:
I couldn’t be happier because I am doing a period film. It is a very special challenge because I have to recreate the sound textures of New York in 1854. It’s an adaptation of “The Beautiful Cigar Girl” by Daniel Stashower and based on an eerie real-life experience of author Edgar Allen Poe which happened just months before his death. Joaquin plays Edgar Allen Poe.
Back in January, we had already begun to expect Phoenix was returning to his day job, as he had lost the beard and the rap career and gotten in shape. Now we have evidence, and this looks to be quite an ambitious role for someone who’s been out of the game and in the tabloids for a year.
The cast and crew, other than Pookutty and Phoenix, have not been released yet, but Stashower’s book is about Poe’s real-life detective work vis-á-vis the death of Manhattan tobacco clerk Mary Rogers. We’re still anticipating the Casey Affleck documentary about Phoenix’s short-lived rap career, which inspired plenty of detective work itself.
We’re still a good two months away from Stone Temple Pilots‘ forthcoming self-titled, reunion LP, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited. Rock fans waiting for some real Scott Weiland action will be pleased to know a new single is right around the corner. How soon? Well, within a week or two most likely, as Spin unveiled a 30-second clip of the first radio digestible, “Between the Lines”, this morning.
With crunchy guitars that get stuck in your teeth and that Jim Morrison-esque fuzz that sounds like Purple-era Weiland, “…Lines” just might be the single every STP fan needs. Of course, it’s only 30 seconds, but we’ll stay optimistic — especially since Robert DeLeo insists it’s going to be “a great STP record.”
Until live cuts leak this weekend from Austin, TX, enjoy the 30 seconds here.
Stone Temple Pilots 2010 Tour Dates: 03/18 – Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall (SXSW) 03/19 – Bossier City, LA @ Horseshoe Tavern 03/20 – Thackerville, OK @ WinStar Casino 03/22 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre 03/24 – Sioux City, IA @ Tyson Events Centre 03/26 – Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom 03/27 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Threatre 03/30 – Louisville, KY @ Palace Theater 03/31 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
So, remember that new LCD Soundsystem album we told you about? The one you’re probably really excited about as you anxiously count down the days until the album’s May 18th release date? Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in an interview with the BBC (via The Daily Swarm), frontman James Murphy has decided the album will indeed be the band’s swan song.
When asked to clarify whether the album would be the band’s last, Murphy indicated it would, a decision he feels completely at peace with.
“I think it is, and l I feel good about it and really positive about it, it’s not like a negative thing,” Murphy said. “I think that its nice to feel like it’s the last one and we’ll tour really hard and then go do something else.”
But before you think this was ever the end-goal in mind, don’t assume the dance-punk wunderkind was ever that methodical; like the tunes we love, said decision was based more on feelings.
“Yeah very much so but only in the second half, in LA I wasn’t really thinking about that at all,” Murphy said regarding the decision to call it quits. “I was just like you know – make a record – kind of like ‘trying to make a record mode’. And then when I get back to New York it was getting to the end of it and all the other things started happening the typical ‘you gotta get your artwork in’ and all this other stuff. And I just decided it’s been a while since I wanted to worry about any of that stuff. So, as much as I love making the record and going on tour and everything like that , I was like ‘man If I have to worry about this stuff anymore’ …. You know . So it just seemed like perfect we’ll (the band) make this the last record and we’ll do exactly what we want and go out happy.”
The as yet unnamed third LP is scheduled to hit stories May 18th via DFA Records. Enjoy the band’s latest tour dates below.
LCD Soundsystem third LP tracklist: 01. Dance Yrself Clean 02. Drunk Girls 03. One Touch 04. All I Want 05. Change 06. Hit 07. Pow Pow 08. Somebody’s Calling Me 09. What You Need
LCD Soundsystem 2010 Tour Dates: 04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival 04/20 – Dublin, IE @ Tripod 04/21 – Dublin, IE @ Tripod 04/23 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy 04/24 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy 04/26 – Birmingham, UK @ Academy 04/27 – Leeds, UK @ Academy 04/28 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands 04/29 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands 05/01 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 05/02 – Bristol, UK @ Academy 05/04 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso 05/05 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique 05/06 – Berlin, DE @ WMF 05/08 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan 05/09 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan 05/30 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival 06/11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival 06/17-20 – Barcelona, ES @ Sonar Festival 06/24 – Ferrara, IT @ Bands Apart Festival 06/25 – St. Gallen, CH @ OpenAir St. Gallen 07/01 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde 07/08 – Novia Sad, RS @ Exit Festival 07/10 – Lisbon, PT @ Optimus! Alive Festival 07/15-16 – Mariaville, NY @ Camp Bisco 9 07/17 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival 07/30-08/01 – Nigata Prefecture, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival 08/12 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival 08/13 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West Festival 09/12 – Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival
Gorillaz, the cartoon band headed by Blur’s Damon Albarn, has triumphantly returned after five years with Plastic Beach, an album which we kinda liked. But with great celebrity comes its share of controversy. Case in point, the fictional band is being threatened with an actual lawsuit.
The potential plaintiff is none other than UK reggae artist Eddy Grant, the man behind “Electric Avenue”. The song in question, though, is Grant’s 1977 track “Time Warp”, which Grant says is way too similar to the band’s song “Stylo” to be mere coincidence.
“I am outraged that the Gorillaz have infringed the copyright of my song “Time Warp”, claiming their song “Stylo” to be an original composition,” Grant said.
EMI Publishing, who represents each of the acts, released a statement saying this was “a private matter between Eddy Grant and Gorillaz.”
You can hear both Grant’s song and the Gorillaz track below and decide for yourself. You can also check out the latter in person when the band’s on tour in the UK starting March 21st before heading to the U.S. for Coachella.
Gorillaz 2010 Tour Dates: 03/21 – Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms 03/22 – Bristol, UK @ Trinity 03/23 – Cambridge, UK @ Junction 03/25 – Brighton, UK @ Old Market 03/26 – Birmingham, UK @ Irish Centre 03/27 – Lincoln, UK @ Shed 04/18 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
The eclectic duo Fuck Buttons has got a full plate this year. At first we thought their upcoming performance at ATP NY’s birthday party on September 4th was just a fluke kind of thing, but now Fuck Buttons plan to spread their intoxicating electro goodness around the world during an exciting two month long tour starting in early April alongside Factory Floor.
And that’s not all! Fuck Buttons also has a brand new 12” single entitled Olympians which will come out on April 12th via ATP Recordings. The three track single includes remixes by Spiritualized’s J. Spaceman and Suicide’s Alan Vega and even has a totally mesmerizing and ultra trippy cover to boot! Just scroll down and have a looksie; we’ve got a full tracklisting of Olympians and the aforementioned dates. Olympians’ stellar cover is to your right.
Olympians Tracklist: 01. Olympians 02. Olympians (Spaceman vs The Olympians) – Remix by J. Spaceman 03. Rough Steez (White Hot Heat Remix) – Remix by Alan Vega
Fuck Buttons 2010 Tour Dates: 04/09 – Rotterdam, NL @ Nighttown (Motel Mozaique Festival) 04/10 – Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun 04/11 – Brussels, BE @ AB (Domino Fest) 04/20 – London, UK @ Koko London * 04/21 – Bristol, UK @ The Trinity Centre * 04/22 – Manchester, UK @ Club Academy * 04/23 – Leeds, UK @ TJs Woodhouse Club * 04/24 – Scotland, UK @ The Arches * 04/29 – Krems, AT @ Donau Festival 05/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour 05/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 05/13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge 05/14 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret 05/15 – Victoria, BC @ Sugar Nightclub 05/16 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey 05/19 – Toronto, ON @ Legendary Horseshoe Tavern 05/20 – Montreal QC @ Il Motore 05/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 05/27 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Festival 06/17-20 – Barcelona, ES @ Sonar Festival 09/04 – Monticello, NY @ ATP New York
Near the beginning of The White Stripes‘ documentary Under Great White Northern Lights, Jack White describes his reasons for the band’s epic 2007 tour of Canada:
Having never done a tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog…from the ocean to the permafrost…We wanted to play out of the way towns that don’t usually get shows…the shows are better, it’s better for the people, it’s a better experience, it’s way more unique, something interesting is going to happen…hopefully.
These are fantastic reasons and an admirable goal: playing for their fans that may not be able to travel hundreds of miles to see one of their shows. But it was not only that. The White Stripes also played free spur of the moment shows in each town they stopped in so that not only could their fans see them, but also they could see them for free in a park or a bar or a bowling alley. Respect and loyalty to fans are things I enjoy most about bands. If I love a group, then see them live, and they’re dicks, I don’t enjoy the music as much. The same is true the other way around. If I am only moderately a fan, and then see someone live being incredibly gracious to fans, I am instantly hooked (case in point: Andrew WK).
In Under Great White Northern Lights you see a lot more than just a devotion to fans. You get an inward glance on a band that is otherwise private and closed off—even if it is just a passing glance. That passing glance, however, was enough for me to see the band in a completely different light than I had in the past—and it isn’t always the best light.
First off, I have been a pretty big supporter of most all things Jack White. I really enjoy The White Stripes, The Raconteurs have some solid songs, The Dead Weather kind of creep me out but are good, and White’s work on the newest James Bond theme is incredible. I really enjoyed this documentary, not only as a chronicle of The White Stripes’ tour, but also as a chronicle of the band’s 10-years together. Also, the concert footage is amazing. Director Emmett Malloy does an incredible job of mixing digital shots with 16mm shots to compliment the band’s high-energy stage show, and also to create some amazing quiet, introspective moments with just White and his drummer/ex-wife Meg White.
I will say this: If you aren’t a huge fan of The White Stripes in general and/or think Jack White is kind of a full-of-himself-prick, you probably won’t like this documentary. I have read a lot of interviews with White and I know that he can come off as pretty egotistical and self-involved. I can imagine that if I had the same amount of talent and determination I would come off as the same…but that’s beside the point and I can’t condone that kind of attitude. This documentary doesn’t do much to help that image of White, but it does help a little.
White has his moments of humor and light-heartedness, and there are some amazing scenes between he and Meg joking around and prodding each other that are highly entertaining, leaving you to forget about the ego that is Jack White. Where the humor slides back and the ego comes out are mostly during the interview portions of the movie—with Malloy laying in the background on a bed in an old hunting shack while Jack and Meg sit in front of the camera in the foreground answering questions. And by Jack and Meg answering questions, I mean Jack talking at length and Meg sitting by his side, smiling, hair in her face, quiet, laughing at his jokes…her usual place. But I’ll come back to Meg later on.
When Jack is at his worst (which still isn’t so bad…I mean he’s no Billy Corgan) is when he’s answering questions about the band and their image. White spends a good portion of time defending himself and Meg from critics who say everything in the band is premeditated, that they are just a gimmick, and that they are just a “flash in the pan.” At times he makes good points, especially in regards to being a “flash in the pan.” White states that they must be doing something right and they should be past that moniker since they are on their sixth studio album and still going strong. However, when it comes to talking about things being premeditated, he seems to move into a braggart mode that just made me roll my eyes. Things like how the band doesn’t make set lists, and how White makes things purposefully difficult for himself so he can “keep learning”—even going as far as to moving his organs and pianos just far enough away so he has to reach a little farther to play them on stage (but as my friend pointed out after viewing the movie: White does that but also has multiple microphones on stage so he is never more than a head turn away from having his voice heard). But again, it isn’t that bad. There are bigger egos with less talent spouting off on a more regular basis than Jack White. I didn’t let this distract me from the amazing footage.
Oh and he still claims, despite concrete evidence otherwise, that he and Meg are brother and sister. I mean…come on. We have seen your marriage license.
Which brings me back to my earlier note on Meg White, and also other things that aren’t in the best light. So I know that Meg isn’t the greatest drummer in the world. It’s obvious. Everyone notices it, but she works in the aesthetic of the band and I always thought that she and Jack work together well. Here is where the movie made me rethink everything. About halfway through, during a scene where Jack and Meg walk across the frozen tundra of northern Canada, to which Jack is in front and Meg is behind keeping up, I began feeling incredibly sorry for Meg. Throughout the movie, she is doting on his every word, smiling at him, following his orders, and being his right hand girl in everything.
There were key points that made me feel this way for sure. One point were all the scenes of them walking around and him always leading the way. Also with those are the scenes where they are interviewing together. Meg rarely says anything during the film. When she does, she is poorly mic’d so all her words are subtitled. At one point, Jack comments on how everyone says he never allows her to talk. He looks to Meg, and says, “Go on and tell them that isn’t true.” She begins to say something and Jack interrupts her, and once he allows her to talk, she just says, “I’m just a quiet person. I’m shy.” She starts to explain further and he interrupts again and doesn’t ever let her finish.
Another point is their interactions on stage together. They do work well together, yes, but it is through Jack’s orders. There are many scenes of them on stage and Jack barking orders at Meg between and even during songs. At one point he even says over the microphone, “Let’s play this one faster Meg,” and after the show talks about how he felt weird during the show, that everything felt off, and that the tempos felt off. All the while, Meg just sits around smoking saying, “I thought it all sounded fine.” It was a sort of awkward moment between them that I’m sure Malloy left in to show their interactions and also to make Jack out to be a perfectionist. To me, it just came off as unnecessarily critical and sort of a passive aggressive slight at Meg.
The final and ultimate scene that supported my sorrow for Meg was at the very end of the film. The last part of the movie is covering The White Stripes tenth anniversary show near the end of their tour. It is a triumphant gig for the band with shots of their first show ever, celebrating backstage before the show, and a final dance between Jack and Meg on stage after the show. The pain comes in the next scene, the final scene, where Jack and Meg are sitting in a studio in one of many scenes of the two of them in a small room while Jack plays music. The difference is in this particular scene Jack is playing “White Moon” off of their newest album Icky Thump on a piano, and as the scene goes on you notice Meg crying. It keeps going for a few more minutes of Jack playing and Meg sitting on the piano bench next to him crying. Not just a few tears either. She is on the verge of a full fledge sob session. Jack finishes the song, looks over to her, gives her a hug, releases, she keeps crying, he hugs her again this time tightly with a kiss on her head. She continues to cry in his arms and then suddenly the title card pops up and the credits role.
That’s it. The scene over. No explanation. No words from either of them just the song and Meg crying her eyes out. It could be that it was just a particularly moving rendition of the song and she really enjoyed it. Could be, but with the rest of the movie behind it, it is a sad scene that sort of tells me this: She still loves him. I don’t want to play counselor or psychiatrist, but with Jack running the show for the last 10 years it makes me wonder. Who initiated the divorce? Jack got remarried, but what has Meg been doing? The White Stripes is all she has while Jack is off playing in other bands, producing albums for Loretta Lynn, and possibly collaborating with Jay-Z. What has Meg been doing? It just makes me feel incredibly sorry for her. Look at it with this in mind, shortly after this Canadian tour the band canceled their US tour due to Meg White’s “acute anxiety” and her inability to travel for the tour. Is that just a spokesperson’s spin? Or Meg’s spin? They did eventually tour after that, but was that scene of her crying a last straw for her? One from which she needed to recover? She did recover, but the band has yet to tour again. She also got married last year…in Jack White’s backyard in Nashville.
None of this takes away from the enjoyment of the movie. Not at all. It is a fantastic documentary and concert film, and I definitely recommend it. However, just be prepared to think about things. Go into it with these thoughts that I’ve laid out in your head, and let me know if you see it too. Go watch it, and comment back on here to let me know if you noticed the same thing. I’m always ready to be told I’ve read too much into it. Maybe it’s just because I secretly love Meg. Call me, Meg.
Which brings me back to my earlier note on Meg White, and also other things that aren’t in the best light. So I know that Meg isn’t the greatest drummer in the world. It’s obvious. Everyone notices it, but she works in the aesthetic of the band and I always thought that she and Jack work together well. Here is where the movie made me rethink everything. About halfway through, during a scene where Jack and Meg walk across the frozen tundra of northern Canada, to which Jack is in front and Meg is behind keeping up, I began feeling incredibly sorry for Meg. Throughout the movie, she is doting on his every word, smiling at him, following his orders, and being his right hand girl in everything.
