Category Archives: Holy Freaking Crap!

Albert Hammond Jr. – New Song + Tour Dates

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Listen: Albert Hammond Jr. – “Born Slippy”

Today, Albert Hammond Jr. is pleased to share plans to release his third solo album, and first in five years, entitled Momentary Masters. The album’s name derives from a phrase in astronomer Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space – a notion that underscores the truism that every triumph is fleeting.

“I feel like the best songs I’ve written, as soon as I was done, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I did it!’ But in that split second that it comes, that feeling goes,” Hammond Jr. explains. “It’s the same thing when you find complete happiness, you find this complete low. I feel like that’s what being creative is: It’s you bouncing with emotion and what you capture in those bounces. Accept where you are and use it.” And Albert has done just that. In a recent interview with Paper Mag, Hammond Jr. discusses his new domesticity and it’s influence on his third record. “He’s cleaned up, gotten hitched, and moved from the city to upstate New York, but hasn’t lost the ability to create soaring rock riffs and catchy hooks.”

Due to drop on July 31st in the US via Vagrant/BMG, Momentary Masters serves as a follow up to 2006’s Yours To Keep and 2008’s ¿Cómo Te Llama?  “We’re huge fans of Albert Hammond Jr.’s and are excited to be working with him on his best effort yet,” says Jon Cohen EVP of Recorded Music for Vagrant/BMG.

Recorded in Hammond Jr.’s home in upstate New York in a converted barn he calls One Way Studios, Albert created Momentary Masters alongside guitarist Hammarsing Kharhmar (Mon Khmer), guitarist Mikey Hart (Bleachers), bassist Jordan Brooks, and drummer Jeremy Gustin (Delicate Steve, Marc Ribot). The sessions were extremely relaxed which encouraged space for creativity and collaboration. The result offers a new kind of dynamism: you can hear it in “Power Hungry,” with its Morricone-esque grooves and a Mellotron manipulated to sound like violins; or in the aggressive stomp and anxiety-inducing guitars of “Caught By My Shadow.” Even on “Side Boob” – titled so because, hey, why not celebrate a good thing? – there’s a jittery energy that leaves the listener excited.

Momentary Masters is a record that reflects on missed opportunities, choices made, wasted time, and paths not chosen. He calls it “a love letter to my past self.” The music might be largely buoyant-spry, breezy guitar lines locking together and dancing apart – but melancholy frequently seeps into even the sunniest of toplines. It’s a record of acceptance, too. Tucked in the songs is an exploration of the reconciliation of two halves: the best self that you present to others, and the self that slips through and lies exposed when your guard drops.

Albert Hammond Jr. will be on tour in North America from the beginning of September until the beginning of November. All dates (except fests) are on pre-sale beginning today directly via Albert’s website.  A full list can be found below.

Momentary Masters Track List

1. Born Slippy

2. Power Hungry

3. Caught By My Shadow

4. Coming To Getcha

5. Losing Touch

6. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright

7. Razors Edge

8. Touche’

9. Drunched In Crumbs

10. Side Boob

Albert Hammond Jr. On Tour

May 27 Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound

September 09 Pittsburgh, PA @Brillobox

September 10 Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop

September 12 St. Louis, MO @ Loufest

September 13 Lawrence, KS @The Bottleneck

September 15 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge

September 16 Detroit, MI @ Shelter

September 17 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House

September 19 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa

September 20 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

September 21 New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom

September 26-27 Washington DC @ Landmark Festival

September 29 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Restaurant & Lounge

September 30 Nashville, TN @ Exit In

October 02 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks

October 02-04 Austin, TX @ ACL Festival

October 05 Houston, TX @ HOB Bronze Peacock

October 06 Dallas, TX @ HOB Cambridge Room

October 07 Norman, OK @ Opolis

October 08 Little Rock, AK @ Juantias

October 9-11 Austin, TX @ ACL Festival

October 12 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom

October 13 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory – Constellation Room

October 14 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom

October 16  San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

October 25 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile

October 26 Vancouver, BC @ Venue

October 27 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge

October 29 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

October 30 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen

October 31 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake

November 02 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews

November 03 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock

November 04 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon

November 06 Columbus, OH @ The Basement

November 07 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church

 

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New Music From RATATAT!!!!

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Holy shit!!! I haven’t been this excited in quite some time!!!

On Saturday, April 11 RATATAT (the duo of Mike Stroud and Evan Mast) took to the Coachella stage to perform for the first time in four years. During the duo’s performance they debuted new music from their upcoming fifth studio album, due out this summer on XL Recordings.  Directly following their performance a new song from the set, “Cream On Chrome,” was made available, check it out below!!!!!

RATATAT recently completed a handful of sold-out shows in Tulsa, Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.  RATATAT will also perform at Governor’s Ball and Capital Hill Block Party music festivals this summer.

RATATAT on tour:

April 15          Pomona, CA                Fox Theatre

April 16          San Diego, CA             House of Blues

April 18          Indio, CA                     Coachella

May 30           Barcelona, Spain        Primavera Sound

May 31           Paris                           We Love Green Festival

June 5             New York, NY             Governor’s Ball

July 24-26      Seattle, WA                 Capital Hill Block Party

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The Smashing Pumpkins & Marilyn Manson: The End Times Tour

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The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson are joining forces to co-headline The End Times tour. Kicking off July 7th in Concord, CA and wrapping up August 8th in Cincinnati, the tour will span 23 dates in support of Marilyn Manson’s The Pale Emperor and The Smashing Pumpkins Monuments To An Elegy. Tickets go on sale starting April 3rd.  For more information, fans can go to thesmashingpumpkins.com and marilynmanson.com.
Monuments To An Elegy, The Smashing Pumpkins 8th studio album was released on December 9th to rave reviews via Martha’s Music/BMG as part of their ongoing work-in-progress Teargarden By Kaleidyscope.  Click here to buy Monuments To An Elegy.  Marilyn Manson’s critically acclaimed album The Pale Emperor is available now via Loma Vista by clicking here.

The End Times Tour Dates:

7/7/2015 Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion

7/9/2015 Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

7/10/2015 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

7/11/2015 Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre

7/13/2015 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre

7/15/2015 Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion

7/16/2015 Houston, TX @ NRG Arena

7/18/2015 San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum

7/19/2015 Austin, TX  @ Austin City Limits Live

7/20/2015 New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square

7/22/2015 Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheatre

7/24/2015 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds

7/25/2015 Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

7/26/2015 Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater

7/28/2015 Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion

7/29/2015 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center

7/31/2015 Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

8/1/2015 Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino

8/2/2015 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center

8/4/2015 Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

8/5/2015 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre

8/7/2015 Chicago, IL @ FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island

8/8/2015 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center

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Brand NEW Modest Mouse!

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Hoorayyyy! We’ve waited EIGHT years (!) but Modest Mouse is set to come out with their new album, Strangers To Ourselves, on March 3, 2015.

Check out the first track they’ve released, “Lampshades On Fire”, now!

 

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[Brand NEW] Video: Arno Cost & Norman Doray – “Strong”

Arno Cost Norman Doray

By far one of Size’s finest moments of the year so far.” – Dancing Astronaut
All the ingredients for a chart climbing hit.” – EDM Sauce
A dance floor killer.” – Knack For Tracks
(A) spectacular creation.” – Noise Porn
It was a must we post this summer smash.” – Daily Beat
One of the most anticipated singles to be released on Size… a sure shot anthem.” – The Bangin Beats

Just days after “Strong” was released onto Beatport, soaring up the official Progressive Charts as we speak, French house duo Arno Cost and Norman Doray finally unleash the official video in all its 1980’s man-made fabric glory.

Set against a backdrop of bowling balls, perms and long-legged fan-girls, after throwing shade during the pre-match interviews rivals Arno and Norman head down to the lanes to go strike for strike in a pitched battle to determine just who is the strongest out of the two.

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Lorde To Curate Soundtrack For The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Photo Credit: Andrew Whitton

Photo Credit: Andrew Whitton

Multiplatinum GRAMMY® Award-winning recording star Lorde will curate the soundtrack album for the upcoming third installment of the global blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.  In addition to hand-picking the artists for The Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack, Lorde will provide the first single for the highly anticipated film and album. The soundtrack will be available via Republic Records this fall.

The 17-year-old New Zealand native –who will embark on her third national North American tour this fall– exploded onto the scene with her Number One global hit “Royals,” and has taken the music world by storm since the release of her critically acclaimed platinum debut album Pure Heroine.

Her quadruple platinum selling single “Royals” helped earn two Billboard Music Awards for ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best Rock Song,’ and two GRAMMY® Awards for ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Solo Performance.’ She currently holds the record for ‘Longest #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by a Female Artist in 2013’ and longest standing #1 for any female artist in the Billboard Alternative Chart history.

“Curating the soundtrack for such a hotly-anticipated film was a challenge, but I jumped at the chance,” said Lorde.  “The cast and story are an inspiration for all musicians participating and, as someone with cinematic leanings, being privy to a different creative process has been a unique experience. I think the soundtrack is definitely going to surprise people.”

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson, is the latest installment in Lionsgate’s global box office phenomenon based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling “Hunger Games” trilogy and will be released in theaters worldwide on November 21, 2014.

In other news, 17 year old Ella Yelich-O’Connor was recently nominated for two Video Music Awards for her debut single and accompanying video “Royals”, placing her in the “Best Rock Video” category amongst Arctic Monkeys, Black Keys, Imagine Dragons and Linkin Park, and in the “Best Female Video” category alongside Ariana, Beyonce, Iggy Azalea, and Katy Perry.

Lorde will be performing at this years Lollapalooza Festival on Friday, August 1st on the Bud Light Stage at 6:45PM and will be embarking on her third national North American tour on September, 5th in Philadelphia (dates below).

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
08/01 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
08/03 – Osheaga – Montreal, QC
09/05 – Mann Center – Philadelphia, PA
09/06 – Boston Calling Festival – Boston, MA
09/07 – Artpark – Lewiston, NY
09/11 – Ottawa Folk Festival – Ottawa, ON
09/12 – TD Echo Beach – Toronto, ON
09/14 – JBL Live at Pier 97 – New York, NY
09/15 – United Palace – New York, NY
09/16 – United Palace – New York, NY
09/18 – The Red Hat Amphitheater – Raleigh, NC
09/19 – Music Midtown Atlanta, GA – NEW DATE
09/20 – iHeartRadio Music Festival – MGM Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV – NEW DATE
09/22 – Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
09/23 – LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH
09/24 – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH
09/26 – BMO Harris Pavilion – Milwaukee, WI
09/27 – Harrah’s Casino, Stir Grove – Council Bluffs, IA
09/28 – 1STBANK Center – Broomfield, CO
09/30 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV
10/02 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
10/03 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA – NEW DATE
10/06 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
10/07 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – NEW DATE
10/09 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
10/10 – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater – San Diego, CA
10/10 – 10/12 @ Austin City Limits – Austin, TX (Weekend 2 only)

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Weezer Reveals First Single From New Album

Weezer has revealed the first single from their forthcoming, highly anticipated ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End.   The song, entitled “Back To The Shack,” is an ebullient, slice of alterna-rock awesomeness.

“Back To The Shack” can be heard for the first time worldwide on radio stations throughout the country beginning on July 21, with the song available to hear via Weezer’s YouTube channel. Following that, “Back To The Shack” will be available for purchase on iTunes as of Tuesday, July 22nd.  And tonight, the band will drop by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to play the song for the first time on television.

Weezer tour dates:
7/24/14            London, ON @ Rock The Park 2014
7/25/14            Belleville, ON @ Empire Rockfest
7/26/14            Rimouski, QC @ Les Grandes Fetes du St-Laurent
8/1/14              Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan
8/2/14              Del Mar, CA @ Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Summer Concert Series
8/9/14              Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest PNC Plaza
8/13/14            Southaven, MS @ Snowden Grove Amphitheater
8/14/14            Lake Charles, LA @ L’Auberge Casino Resort
8/31/14            Los Angeles, CA @ Made In America
9/6/14              Charlotte, NC @ 106.5 The End presents Weenie Roast ‘14
9/12/14            Paso Robles, CA @ Vino Robles Amphitheatre
9/13/14            Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
9/14/14            Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
9/19/14            Denver, CO @ Riot Fest

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Drum Challenge Between Will Ferrell and Chad Smith Tonight!

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Much has been made of the uncanny resemblance between Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and comedian Will Ferrell. The dopplegangers have been taunting each other on social media for months – Ferrell provoked the iconic drummer during his Reddit AMA, which resulted in a hilarious Instagram face-off between the two (watch HERE). Finally, the look-alikes have agreed to battle it out in a drum-off challenge held live TONIGHT on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon!

Musician’s Friend was privy to this resemblance way back in 2009, when Smith posed as Ferrell’s popular character Buddy the Elf on the cover of the guitar retailer’s Holiday catalog. Check out the hilarious behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot HERE!

Smith and Ferrell are definitely keeping their eyes on the prize; the winner of the battle will receive a giant golden cowbell. Check it out tonight to see who wins!

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Today Only: Free Download of French Horn Rebellion’s Swing Into It EP

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Out today, check out the new EP from French Horn Rebellion. And download it today only for free!

French Horn Rebellion – Swing Into It EP (out 3/25)
1. Swing Into It feat. HAERTS
2. You’re All Right feat St. Lucia
3. Swing Into It (Chordashian Remix)
4. Swing Into It (Ghosts of Venice Remix)

 

 

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Kid Cudi’s New Album: Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon

Click image to head over to iTunes and get the new album!

Click image to head over to iTunes and get the new album!

Album Stream: Kid Cudi – Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon

Kid Cudi wowed fans with the release of his full-length new album, Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon [Wicked Awesome / Republic Records], at midnight on iTunes and all other digital retailers in North America.

Surprising countless fans worldwide, the Grammy Award-winning artist, songwriter, producer, and actor uncovered the album today without any prior hints or notice at all. It’s also only available in its entirety for one week as a full album purchase.

Cudi has been secretly preparing his latest work since wrapping up his last tour supporting 2013’s critically regarded chart-topper, Indicud, which was the #1 hip-hop album in the country upon release.

Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon once again sees the artist steering hip-hop to another galaxy altogether. Already, he gave listeners a taste of the set with the transfixing “Going To The Ceremony”. The album also includes a detour into “space” soul with Raphael Saadiq entitled “Balmain Jeans”, marking their first collaboration. Tempering otherworldly production with his inimitable vocal hooks and divine flow, it’s another entrancing and enigmatic vision from the rap auteur.

Tracklisting:

  1. Destination: Mother Moon
  2. Going To the Ceremony
  3. SATELLITE FLIGHT
  4. Copernicus Landing
  5. Balmain Jeans feat. Raphael Saadiq
  6. Too Bad I Have To Destroy You Now
  7. Internal Bleeding
  8. In My Dreams 2015
  9. Return Of The Moon Man (Original Score)
  10. Troubled Boy

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