What: Sondre Lerche unveils the music video for “When The River”, featuring performance shots spliced into drummer David Heilman’s childhood Super 8 movies.  Sondre Lerche’s self-titled sixth album is out now via Mona Records.

Directed by: Mona Lerche

Like opening presents on Christmas Eve or Uncle Ron’s mistletoe belt buckle, Norwegian pop guru Sondre Lerche has his own annual holiday tradition: covering one of his favorite songs from this year. Having reworked Animal Collective’s “Bluish” and Owen Pallett’s “Owen Takes Off His Shirt” the last two years, Lerche has now recorded a quiet rendition of Beyoncé’s giant-sized “Countdown”.

Lerche explained that the song, even with all its bombast, spoke to him in the most basic of ways:

This year, it’s officially a tradition: for the third time my annual Christmas gift to you is my humble solo acoustic version of someone else’s song; my favorite of the year, no less. In 2011 there was a tie between two incredible songs (“Changes” by Sandro Perri being the non-Beyoncé one), and both proved equally impossible to tackle or do justice to alone. But it’s what I do, and there are worse jobs, so I did it. I took the liberty of making some gender-oriented changes to the lyrics to better accommodate my macho-persona (although I wouldn’t dare tamper with Beyoncé’s appeal to all women to show their man they are the fliest simply by grinding “up on it girl, show him how you ride it”). That being said, the trick is to get passed the novelty-factor and just sing a beautiful song at the best of your abilities. Obviously, a significant part of this song’s appeal and ecstatic energy comes from the dizzying vocal performance and the mind-blowingly cool production work — elements and talents useless to even attempt replicating (especially not in my father in-law’s basement). But as long as there’s a song underneath, there’s a way. That’s how I operate. It’s what I do. Thanks for all the good times this year — and for listening. Happy Holidays, y’all.

The end result is a simple track, without pomp or circumstance or the crazy marching band, where Lerche is able to replicate not the high-energy feel, but the song’s simple message of love and dedication. Thanks to its minimalist nature, the track isn’t a corny display of pop mockery, but a demonstration of how universal great music can be. Check out Lerche’s cover below (via Stereogum), followed by the music video for the original version.

Sondre Lerche – “Countdown” (Beyoncé cover)

Beyoncé – “Countdown”:

Compare Sondre Lerche‘s Tuesday night performance on Letterman to the one he delivered back in 2007 and you’ll find few differences. The Norwegian songwriter still looks a lot like Macaulay Culkin (at least hair wise), and he still smiles in between every verse. He also still has a knack for infectious pop-rock, with last night’s performance of “Private Caller” proving particularly charming. Watch the video replay below (via The Audio Perv).

Lerche’s self-titled sixth LP is out now.

Opting to keep it in the family, Norwegian pop guru Sondre Lerche tapped his wife, Mona, to helm the NSFW clip for “Go Right Ahead”. Following that effort, Mrs. Lerche returns to the director’s chair for the music video for “Domino”. The clip’s plot, though undecipherable, translates into artsy visuals, including a depressing color palette and odd, disjointed camera angles. It’s The Virgin Suicides all over again, but with less James Woods. Check out the video below (via SPIN.com).

Lerche is also going to be on tour in the U.S. starting on November 10th in Dallas, TX. His latest self-titled album is out now.

The production team here put together a paradox of living that every adolescent will experience by the age of 16. At the start of the video, two girls are in their room, filled with toys, dolls, and baby-hues. Once the two occupants are dressed, they’re sporting punk-rock type leggings with Metallica t-shirts. We get to see previews of two different lives; the young girl within, and the hardened shell of rebellion on the outside. The two girls climb trees, smoke cigarettes, and actively give the middle finger. This all goes down while Sondre Lerche sings on a boat!

Director: Mona Lerche
Cinematography: Marius Hauge
Editor: Daniel DeBiasi
Starring: Gitte Witt, Vilde Fastvold and Christopher Abbott
sondrelerche.com

They may not be household names like Gwyneth & Chris, Beyoncé & Hova, or even Thomas & Sofia, but Sondre and Mona Lerche are an indie power couple worth getting to know. For his newest visual offering, Sondre Lerche called upon his wife of six years to give added life to the pop/folk track “Go Right Ahead”, from his recent eponymously titled album. In return, Mona delivered an entertaining series of vignettes, featuring the singer-songwriter’s handsome mug, an innocent nip-slip, fire dancing, and some not-so-innocent making out. Watch all the action, and make sure to catch Lerche live as he travels through the States, all below.

Sondre Lorche 2011 Tour Dates:
10/01 – Rome, IT @ Circolo degli Artisti
10/02 – Milan, IT @ Teatro Martinitt
10/03 – Zurich, CH @ Abart
10/05 – Paris, FR @ Reservoir CLub
10/06 – London, UK @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
10/08 – Brussels, BE @ AB Club
10/09 – Hamburg, DE @ Prinzenbar
10/10 – Berlin, DE @ Privateclub
10/12 – Koln, DE @ Studio 672
10/13 – Amsterdam, NL Oaradiso
10/15 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
10/16 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Slussen
10/20 – Stavanger, NO @ Checkpoint Charlie
10/21 – Bergen, NO @ Kvarteret
10/22 – Bodø, NO @ Sinus
10/26 – Kolbotn, NO @ Kolbern Kulturhus
10/27 – Tromsø, NO @ Drive
10/28 – Trondheim, NO @ Familien
10/29 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
11/10 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
11/11 – Austin, TX @ Parish
11/12 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds *
11/13 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks *
11/15 – Orlando, FL @ Social *
11/16 – Tampa, FL @ The Capitol Theatre *
11/17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room *
11/18 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits *
11/19 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club *
11/21 – Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre *
11/22 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
11/23 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
12/02 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *

* = w/ Peter Wolf Crier

Appropriately enough, Kulash and Co. “get things started”—though, not quite with a Crazy Harry-caliber bang—with their trippy, blip-and-bleep, beat-heavy version of “The Muppet Show Theme Song”. Rivers Cuomo and Paramore’s Hayley Williams pull up a lily pad and trade verses on “Rainbow Connection”, a rendition that finds its niche when Cuomo’s Weezer cohorts join in and turn the final verse into a warm, glowing march.

Alkaline Trio score The Green Album’s first major highlight by taking guitars to road song “Movin’ Right Along” (think The Gimme Gimmes), complete with “dooga-duns” and Kermit and Fozzie’s comedic Studebaker banter. Andrew Bird beautifully channels his inner frog on “Bein’ Green”, Kermit’s classic song of self-acceptance, putting his own stamp on the song with his signature violin and Muppet-esque whistling.

However, it might be the deeper cuts that really make this compilation a winner and also suggest that there are some serious, die-hard Muppet fans behind these mics and guitars. My Morning Jacket deliver a delicate and vocally daring “Brothers in Our World” medley—pulled from the final scenes of 1977’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas—that would make its composer, Paul Williams, proud. Sondre Lerche perhaps fesses up to catching Muppet Show reruns in Norway as a kid with his silly and infectious, mostly acoustic take on Scooter and Sgt. Floyd Pepper’s “Mr. Bassman”.

All that’s “green” isn’t necessarily gold here, but most of it shines. And these tracks, if you’re a 20, 30, or even fortysomething, will probably bring a smile to your now grown-up face. And you’ll probably have no better luck concealing it than Damian Kulash. But, hey, that’s what the frog does.

Essential Tracks: Andrew Bird’s “Bein’ Green”, My Morning Jacket’s “Brothers in Our World”, and Sondre Lerche’s “Mr. Bassman”

Photo by Winston Robbins

After logging some major mileage in the U.S. earlier this year, Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche will return stateside for another round of shows in November. Following some UK and European gigs in October, including a lengthy stay in his home country, Lerche, alongside supporting act Peter Wolf Crier, will hit Dallas, TX on November 10th and wrap up this visit to America on December 2nd in Brooklyn, NY. Check out the entire list of confirmed dates below.

To support the tour/get work done for free, Lerche is holding a contest to pick the best designed fan art to use as the official tour poster (enter here). After submitting a sure-fire winner, the video for the track “Domino” can be found just above the tour schedule.

Lerche’s latest album, Sondre Lerche, is out now.

Sondre Lerche 2011 Tour Dates:
10/01 – Rome, IT @ Circolo degli Artisti
10/02 – Milan, IT @ Teatro Martinitt
10/03 – Zurich, CH @ Abart
10/05 – Paris, FR @ Reservoir CLub
10/06 – London, UK @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
10/08 – Brussels, BE @ AB Club
10/09 – Hamburg, DE @ Prinzenbar
10/10 – Berlin, DE @ Privateclub
10/12 – Koln, DE @ Studio 672
10/13 – Amsterdam, NL Oaradiso
10/15 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
10/16 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Slussen
10/20 – Stavanger, NO @ Checkpoint Charlie
10/21 – Bergen, NO @ Kvarteret
10/22 – Bodø, NO @ Sinus
10/26 – Kolbotn, NO @ Kolbern Kulturhus
10/27 – Tromsø, NO @ Drive
10/28 – Trondheim, NO @ Familien
10/29 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
11/10 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
11/11 – Austin, TX @ Parish
11/12 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds *
11/13 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks *
11/15 – Orlando, FL @ Social *
11/16 – Tampa, FL @ The Capitol Theatre *
11/17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room *
11/18 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits *
11/19 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club *
11/21 – Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre *
11/22 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
11/23 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
12/02 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *

* = w/ Peter Wolf Crier

Expectations and comparisons aside, Lerche’s newest album does provide listeners with a solid 40 minutes of lovely melodies. Opening track “Ricochet” begins with meek and wistful vocals layered sweetly over muted guitar chords. “Shimmering underneath the sea/sentimental echoes spike my memory/hard to make believe nothing means anything to me,” croons Lerche in a melancholy falsetto, before the track builds to an orchestral crescendo rife with spiraling strings and wordless vocal harmonies. Then it’s off to Rome—a.k.a. “Coliseum Town”—where Lerche slips dreamily into the well-worn role of Tourist Using Travel As A Metaphor For His Own Provincial Limitations: “I go stumbling cobbled streets/with the map you drew on me/and I can’t decide/did you leave or ever arrive?”

Ultimately, Lerche retains his flair for quality song making, but hasn’t quite managed to reignite the youthful idiosyncrasies of his earlier albums. While still the lovable, bright-eyed émigré he’s always been, Lerche isn’t 19 anymore, and at times it feels like the endearingly self-deprecating charisma that oozed from his earlier albums has been replaced by a rather blasé outlook on the American adulthood he seems to have settled into. But perhaps that’s just because the whole album was recorded over three weeks in Brooklyn, and thereby reflects just that one particular intersection of time, place, and mood. As Lerche reminds us in “Coliseum Town”, “I try to make another love song rhyme/but it’s harder than it seems/to describe what I just dreamed.”

Clearly, Lerche has not lost his power of introspection, nor has he given up his love for sonic exploration—it’s all just been a bit smoothed over. “Tied Up to the Tide” experiments with breathy, echo-y, M. Ward-style vocals alongside a plodding beat and delightfully unexpected accordion accents. Then “Domino” submerges us into a warm bath of chiming acoustics and soothing percussion alongside a chorus with tones reminiscent of a Wayne Coyne soprano.

To keep listeners from drowning in the not unpleasant but slightly bland soup of sweetly wistful ambivalence that seems to constitute the majority of the album, we can call upon a trio of buoyant pop songs scattered throughout the effort. These upbeat tracks are the record’s true gems, from the radio-ready repetitions of “Private Caller” to the poly-rhythmic sparkle of “Go Right Ahead” to the grand finale “When the River”, which twists Lerche’s pretty falsetto around an unexpectedly funky beat before blossoming into a harmonious choral chant that evokes the kind of hard-won joy depicted at the end of movies, where people with tear-stained but smiling faces sway back and forth with their arms around each other. Ah, redemption. Or at least a pretty way to tie things up.

Roll credits.

Update: Muppets: The Green Album is a tribute compilation, so Ms. Deschanel is safe after all.

Sure, it’s not even July yet, but we already assumed that Zooey Deschanel would leave 2011 with the award for “Most Appropriate And Thus Amazing Choice For A Soundtrack”. That was, however, until Disney went ahead and announced Muppets: The Green Album (via Pitchfork), an accompanying soundtrack for the Jason Segel-written The Muppets movie. Featuring the likes of My Morning Jacket, Weezer, OK Go, Andrew Bird, Sondre Lerche, and more covering classic Muppets songs, no amount of cuteness can save Winnie the Pooh now.

The 12-track effort houses a number of potentially amazing efforts, including OK Go tackling The Muppet Show theme song, Alkaline Trio handling “Moving Right Along”, Andrew Bird’s rendition of “Being’ Green”, and, the piece de resistance, Weezer and Paramore’s Hayley Williams dueting on “Rainbow Connection” (Bethany who?).

The LP’s collaborative nature mirrors the film’s plot, with Segel and Amy Adams’ characters helping Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets in order to raise money to save Muppet Theater. Oh, and Dave Grohl will lend a musical assist.

Check out the entire tracklist below. Muppets: The Green Album hits stores August 23rd, while The Muppets arrives in theaters November 23rd.

Muppets: The Green Album Tracklist:
01. OK Go – Muppet Show Theme
02. Weezer and Paramore’s Hayley Williams – Rainbow Connection
03. The Fray – Mahna Mahna
04. Alkaline Trio – Moving Right Along
05. My Morning Jacket – Our World
06. Amy Lee – Halfway Down the Stairs
07. Sondre Lerche – Mr. Bassman
08. The Airborne Toxic Event – Wishing Song
09. Atreyu’s Brandon Saller and Good Charlotte’s Billy Martin – Night Life
10. Andrew Bird – Bein’ Green
11. Matt Nathanson – I Hope That Something Better Comes Along
12. Rachael Yamagata – I’m Going to Go Back There Someday

The case was very similar for the crowd who’d congregated to see Sondre Lerche in Salt Lake City last night. Only this time, instead of fat, lonely men, there were baby-faced twenty-somethings all standing in front of the stage to see another baby-faced twenty-something play the music he’s been writing for a decade now.

Sondre Lerche is nothing if not charming. Maybe it’s his boyish good looks. Or maybe it’s his sweet, innocent demeanor. But more than likely, it’s the man’s pure ability to jam out (like, really jam out) on solid songs that he quite visibly cares for.

The night was off to a good start with openers Kishi Bashi (who would give a young Owen Pallett a run for his money) and Nightlands, who both slayed it in their respective areas of music. Bear in mind, this is coming from a coldhearted cynic who has intentionally shown up an hour or two late for shows to miss bad openers for years. But it quickly became apparent why these particular openers were so particularly good: Lerche handpicked these two bands, which both had individuals he would later incorporate into his own live band. I later learned that they’ve been on tour with him for nearly a month and would be along for the remainder of the tour.

As Lerche took the stage with his drummer, he was accompanied by Kishi Bashi on violin/keyboard and frontman for Nightlands, Dave Hartley, on bass guitar, completing the four-piece that would take us through the rest of the night.

The 28-year-old apologized for taking 28 years to finally make it to Salt Lake City but promised to make up for lost time musically. Unfortunately, that was a promise he couldn’t keep. After beginning with “When the River” off his latest LP, Sondre Lerche, he then went on to play three more tracks from the album, followed by two off 2009′s mediocre Heartbeat Radio, a deep cut from his work on the Dan in Real Life soundtrack, and then three more new songs.

If you count back, that’s 10 tracks in a row that only the hardest of hard-core fans would know. So, even though they were well-performed and Lerche’s cheerful banter kept the crowd entertained (there was one onstage conversation during which his band members mocked Lerche’s gross misuse of American colloquialisms that was especially funny), the show didn’t really pick up until it was more than halfway over.

It’s understandable when an artists plays a large amount of newer material to get the word out in a live setting, but I feel as though Lerche went a bit overboard. The crowd was not engaged in what was going on because they weren’t given any chances at real interaction or reminiscing during the older tracks they’d fallen in love with once upon a time.

That criticism addressed, after the first 10 songs were out of the way, it was an all-out singer-songwriting riot. After doing a very moving rendition of “Say It All”, he quickly moved through “Phantom Punch” and a sing-along version of his magnum opus, “Two-Way Monologue”, that was well worth the price of admission and the slow start.

The Norwegian then left the stage, only to return to his adoring crowd who’d only received a small taste of what they’d really come for: the Sondre Lerche of days far gone. Much to their delight, he played two oldies: a very rambunctious “Faces Down” and the lovely ballad “Modern Nature”, during which he let the audience do a good portion of the singing for/with him, which was blissfully endearing. He humbly left the stage promising to be back “really soon.”

Hopefully that happens. And hopefully when it does, he’ll try and mold the setlist to be a little more crowd-friendly. After watching Lerche play to a fairly detached audience for the majority of his set, one can only wonder where he’s going to go next with his career. At only 28, he’s already got a back catalog miles deep, but he seems to have lost some steam in recent years, simply treading water at this point.

Regardless of studio output or decisions regarding setlists, the man is a born entertainer, and that’s just what he did in Salt Lake last night. If only he’d been more conscientious of which songs were appropriate at which moments, this surely would have been a show to absolutely rave about.

Setlist
When the River
Private Caller
Ricochet
Tied Up to the Tide
Good Luck
Heartbeat Radio
My Hands Are Shaking
Coliseum Town
Domino
Go Right Ahead
Say It All
Phantom Punch
Two-Way Monologue
Encore:
Faces Down
Modern Nature

Another spoonful of delightful Norwegian folk rock from Sondre Lerche is served. His forthcoming self-titled LP will be his 6th since 2001, and “Private Caller” is the second helping from the album (via TwentyFourBit). It showcases Lerche’s best traits as a songwriter — astute lyrics coupled with a toe-tapping jangle underneath. Check out the tune below.

Sondre Lerche’s self titled album is out June 7th via Mona Records, which you can pre-order here. The first single, “Domino”, as well as “Private Caller” are also available for purchase via iTunes. And surrounding the album’s release, Lerche will be going a big wide US tour — the dates to which are located below.

Sondre Lerche 2011 Tour Dates:
05/31 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theatre
06/01 – Montreal, QC @ Sala Rossa
06/02 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
06/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
06/04 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
06/07 – Washington D.C. @ 9:30 Club
06/09 – Carrboro, NC @ Cats Cradle
06/10 – Nashville, TN @ 12th & Porter
06/11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Variety
06/12 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theatre
06/14 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House
06/15 – St. Louis, MO @ The Old Rock House
06/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
06/18 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
06/19 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/21 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
06/22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
06/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
06/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Croc
06/26 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
06/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
06/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
06/30 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up

Lerche will then hop a plane and head to Austin, Texas to play a handful of shows as part of a little music festival called South By Southwest. (While the conference runs through the weekend, Lerche doesn’t have a show scheduled on March 19th, which gives you the opportunity to attend our Axis of Audio day party.) Following a two-month break, the “Heartbeat Radio” crooner takes his show north for a pair of dates in Canada before sliding down the Eastern Seaboard and into the South, where he has dates in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. He’ll then spend a few days in the Midwest, including back-to-back shows in the Windy City, and take a drive across the Rocky Mountains, which will take him to shows in Denver and Salt Lake City.

The month-long journey finally ends with a trip down ‘merica’s left coast with the last date happening on June 30th at the Belly Up in San Diego, California. Tickets prices vary, but entrance to the Bowery Ballroom show on June 4th is $20. More ticketing information – including links to each venue’s website – is available here.

You can preorder Sondre Lerche – which drops on June 7th via Mona Records – here.

Sondre Lerche 2011 Tour Dates:
03/04 – Jakarta, ID @ Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival
03/05 – Jakarta, ID @ Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival
03/16 – Austin, TX @ South By Southwest (Austin Convention Center)
03/16 – Austin, TX @ South By Southwest (Stage on Sixth)
03/17 – Austin, TX @ South By Southwest (The Liberty)
03/17 – Austin, TX @ South By Southwest (Maggie Mae’s)
03/18 – Austin, TX @ South By Southwest (Presbyterian Church)
05/31 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theatre
06/01 – Montreal, QC @ Sala Rossa
06/02 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
06/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
06/04 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
06/07 – Washington D.C. @ 9:30 Club
06/09 – Carrboro, NC @ Cats Cradle
06/10 – Nashville, TN @ 12^th & Porter
06/11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Variety
06/12 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theatre
06/14 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House
06/15 – St. Louis, MO @ The Old Rock House
06/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
06/18 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
06/19 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/21 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
06/22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
06/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
06/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Croc
06/26 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
06/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
06/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
06/30 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up

In an interview with Vulture, Lerche revealed a few details about the album’s scope. Calling it “essential and intense,” he said the LP, which was recorded and mixed in just three weeks, was made with “..as little as possible in the way of arrangements and production” as possible and instead focuses on “atmosphere and capturing a vibe.” Part of the shift in sound meant a change in scenery, with Lerche recently moving to Brooklyn in order to “be somewhere where I wouldn’t constantly be reminded of who I was.” Those Norwegian fans can get crazy.

While you’re waiting for the record to drop, check out two relatively new songs from Lerche courtesy of TwentyFourBit. First, head here to listen to “Trying To Say Goodbye”, a track he released in December for The Right Track: Tunes to TargetCancer charity concert series. Then, head here to get a late-holiday present in the form of Lerche’s cover of Owen Pallett’s “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”.

Sondre Lerche is due out June 7th via Mona Records.

These new names join a bill that already included the likes of Erykah Badu, Klaxons, A Place to Bury Strangers, J. Mascis, MSTRKRFT, Toro y Moi, and El Guincho. For a more thorough listing of confirmed acts, click here.

The music portion of South by Southwest 2011 runs from March 16-20 in Austin, Texas. For ticket information and all other necessary details, visit sxsw.com.

Tickets, priced at $20, are currently on sale at showclix.com. If you can’t make it, however, don’t worry. The performance is also being recorded. Just make sure you donate.

And though you’ve probably heard it a million times by now, if you are interested in donating to the Haiti relief efforts, please click on the appropriate links below.

Also, if you know of event not listed, please let us (and everyone else) know in the comment section!

Haiti Benefit Concert:

What: All donations will go to Partners in Health.

Who: Amy Millan, Plants & Animals, Jeremy Gara and Tim Kingsbury (of the Arcade Fire), Martin Cesar (of Think About Life), Shapes & Sizes, Jahnice, Tony Ezzy, Doody Le Tigre, & Vox Sambou

When: Sunday, January 17th at 8:00pm

Where: Club Lambi in Montreal, QC

How: $10 – $20 via ticketfly.com

Houston For Haiti:

What: All proceeds will go directly to the Haiti relief fund through CARE.

Who: Bun B, Slim Thug, Trae The Truth, ESG, Lil O, Candi Redd, Just Brittany, Corey Mo, & The Party Boyz

When: Monday, January 18th at 4:00pm

Where: Warehouse Live in Houston, TX

How: $20 via warehouselive.com

DMV Helps Haiti Benefit Concert:

What: All ticket sales will be donated to  Wyclef Jean’s YELE and Partners in Health Organization.

Who: Wale, D.C. Don Juan, Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade, XO, Kingpen Slim, K-Beta, & Que (formerly of Day26)

When: Monday, January 18th at 6:00pm

Where: 9:30 Club in Washington, DC

How: $20 – $100 via ticketfly.com

Benefit for Haiti:

What: 100% of door fees, and 10 % of alcohol sales will go to Doctors Without Borders.

Who: Surfer Blood, John Ralston, Sweet Bronco, & Kill Now?!

When: Monday, January 18th at 8:00pm

Where: Propaganda in Lake Worth, FL

How: $10

Hope for for Haiti:

What: Proceeds from the concert will go to Real Help for Haiti.

Who: Aaron Ivey, Matt McCloskey, Miranda Dodson, Kevin McKinney, & Courrier

When: Monday, January 18th at 7:00pm

Where: The Parish in Austin, TX

How: $10

Emergency Benefit Concert for Haiti:

What: 100% of donations will be distributed to Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders, and Wyclef Jean’s YELE.

Who: Patti Smith, Yo La Tengo, The Swell Season, John Wesley Harding, Lewis Black, Willie Nile, Vernon Reid & Corey Glover (of Living Colour), Rosanne Cash, & more TBA

When: Four nights (January 20, 21, 24, & 25)

Where: City Winery in New York, NY

How: Prices varies depending on day. Find more info via warehouselive.com.

Hope for Haiti:

What: Two-hour television fundraiser; proceeds will be split evenly among five relief organizations currently operating in Haiti: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, and Wyclef Jean’s YELE.

Who: Anderson Cooper, Wyclef Jean, George Clooney, and more TBA

When: Friday, January 22nd at 8:00pm

Where: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT

How: Watch and donate

A Benefit for the Vicitms of the Earthquake in Haiti:

What: 100% of the proceeds will be split between Save The Children and Partners In Health.

Who: Jimmy Fallon, Cold War Kids, Ted Leo, The Wrens, Sondre Lerche, Eugene Mirman, AC Newman (of the New Pornographers), Rhett Miller (of the Old 97s), Nicole Atkins, Here We Go Magic, and more TBA

When: Wednesday, January 27th at 6:00pm

Where: The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY

How: $50 via ticketweb.com

In fact, from the sound of it, Lerche looks to be working as hard as ever. For his fifth studio album, titled Heartbeat Radio and due for release on September 8th via Rounder Records, the now 26-year-old teamed up with producer Kato Ådland mixer Joe Chicarelli (White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, The Shins). He also tapped longtime backing band, The Faces Down, the High Llama’s Sean O’Hagan and a slew of other musicians and contributors to provide the album’s described “full-bodied pop sonics recalling Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, Prefab Sprout, XTC and Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento.” Get an early state of this amibitous release in the form of its title track over at Stereogum.

Heartbeat Radio will be supported by a yet-to-be-announced North America tour in September followed by a European one in October.

Heartbeat Radio Tracklist:
01. Good Luck
02. Heartbeat Radio
03. I Cannot Let You Go
04. Like Lazenby
05. If Only
06. Pioneer
07. Easy to Persuade
08. Words and Music
09. I Guess it’s Gonna Rain Today
10. Almighty Moon
11. Don’t Look Now
12. Goodnight