“They’re my favourite band right now” – Fedde Le Grande
“I couldn’t get their album off my stereo by the pool this Summer” – Pete Tong
In the new Goldfish video for “One Million Views”, the fish take a tongue in cheek look at DJ culture and it’s button pushing phenomenon.
“Some people got it right from the start, some didn’t, but it’s cool to know that Joel [Deadmau5] knew what we were expressing. Much respect to him for commenting, a cool surprise for us!” -Goldfish
“One Million Views” is an amazing animated piece of art which was created by longtime Goldfish animator extraordinaire, Mike Scott.
Okay, so “The Walker” is by FAR my favorite song off of Fitz and The Tantrums new album, More Than Just a Dream. It’s been playing on repeat in my car and earlier today I was JUST thinking, “Man, I NEED to see this song live!”
So, what happens? I go through my emails and lo and behold, here’s a video of them performing it LIVE!!!! AND, they are playing here in Pittsburgh on July 8th, so hopefully I will get to go and see it live and IN PERSON!!! Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!
Anyways, the band is performing tonight at 9:00pm on DIRECTV’s Audience Network (channel 239) Guitar Center Sessions.
Entertainment Weekly says:
“DirecTV’s original series Guitar Center Sessions has featured intimate live performances from some of the best names in rock, including Weezer, Jimmy Cliff, Joe Walsh, Smashing Pumpkins, Peter Frampton, Switchfoot, Megadeth, Ben Folds Five and Jane’s Addiction. The latest band to step into the arena (or more accurately, onto the small indoor stage) is Fitz and The Tantrums. The LA neo-New wavers just dropped their new album More Than Just a Dream, but the highlight of their Guitar Center Sessions performance is the skronking “MoneyGrabber,” from their 2010 debut Pickin’ Up the Pieces.”
I do — however — have just one question. WTF is ‘skronking’?
One of the most durable and consistently successful bands ever to come out of the U.K. band scene,Stereophonicsreturn to North America August 20th with the release of their chart topping U.K. album Graffiti on the Train; their eighth studio album, out on MapleMusic Recordings and their own Stylus Records.
Graffiti On The Train Tracklisting:
1. We Share The Same Sun
2. Graffiti On The Train
3. Indian Summer
4. Take Me
5. Catacomb
6. Roll The Dice
7. Violins And Tambourines
8. Been Caught Cheating
9. In A Moment
10. No One’s Perfect
Released earlier this year in the U.K., Graffiti on the Train entered the U.K. charts at number 3 and has remained in the Top 20 ever since. Affirming that this is their best album in a decade, the album has quickly gone gold and is well on its way to platinum status.
Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones and produced by Kelly Jones and Jim Lowe, Graffiti on the Train is the final piece in the puzzle for a newly refined and cinematic Stereophonics, a band that has London’s Sunday Times calling this album their “least conventional yet”, praising its “newfound lightness of touch” and confirming “the album contains Jones’s best work of his career.”
A storyteller first and foremost Kelly Jones unravels storylines and sketches characters with poetic finesse – inspired by the screenplay he has been working on of the same name, Graffiti On A Train is a fascinating, filmic LP unlike anything the group have attempted in the past. Loosely telling the story of two friends who flee the country after a tragic accident, the record is both reflective and surprisingly fragile.
We find Jones at the helm of all the videos from this album, which he has both written and directed including the first North American single, “Indian Summer.” Upon release in the U.K. earlier this year, “Indian Summer” marked the band’s 26th Top 40 hit on the U.K. charts.
As one of the best live bands imported from the U.K. in the last twenty years, North America will be treated to select tour dates and an Indian Summer to be remembered. At a recent U.K. show, John Earls of the Daily Star noted, “Girls sat on their boyfriends shoulders, Welsh flags were held aloft, beer was thrown everywhere and the singalongs kept coming.”
Having spanned decades of success selling over 9 million career albums and currently sitting at the top of U.K. album charts, this return to the other side of the pond is a tour not to be missed. Their North American tour kicks off in Philadelphia on September 19 at the Theatre of Living Arts. See below for more tour dates.
Stereophonics North American Tour Dates
September 19 Philadelphia – Theatre of Living Arts
Warner Bros. Records is joining forces with Threadless, the community-driven design company, to produce band merchandise created by independent artists for some of the label’s most popular musical artists. In an ongoing collaboration between the two brands, Threadless will host design challenges for Warner Bros. talent, inviting the global Threadless artist community of 2.5 million members to design and vote on t-shirts and other products inspired by the music of each artist.
“This partnership with Warner Bros. is an incredible opportunity for the artists on Threadless,” said Threadless Founder and CEO Jake Nickell. “Music is a powerful source of inspiration, and we’re honored to be working with a label that has supported great music for so many years. This ongoing partnership will help to further Threadless’ goal of providing independent artists with new and creative outlets for their art, while providing musical artists on Warner Bros. Records with some incredible artwork for their merchandise.”
The initial design challenge for this new partnership, launched May 13, features The Flaming Lips, a band famous for their commitment to creative innovation and ultra-extravagant live performances. “The Flaming Lips are the perfect band to kick off this partnership,” said Nickell. “Their eclectic, arty image and fearless creativity fit perfectly with the Threadless community’s aesthetic diversity. We expect to receive some of the craziest, most whacked out submissions we’ve ever seen!”
Submissions to the challenge will be open from May 13 to June 3 at threadless.com/theflaminglips. Fans can continue to vote on which designs should be made into t-shirts through June 10. One grand prize winner will receive $5,000 cash, a $500 Threadless gift certificate, 2 tickets to an upcoming North American Flaming Lips show, the Record Store Day exclusive release of Zaireeka 4-LP vinyl box set, a signed CD copy of The Terror, and a double-LP vinyl copy of The Terror. Other top designs will also be sold on Threadless.com and beyond.
The winning design won’t be chosen until voting closes on June 10, but customers can pre-order the winning tee now at threadless.com/theflaminglips/presale. From now until June 30, 2013, $10 from the sale of each tee will go to the American Red Cross to benefit those most affected by the Oklahoma tornado of May 20, 2013.
The Grammy award-winning Lips are touring the world now in support of their 13th studio album, The Terror, released on April 16. As always, THE LIPS continue to command critical accolades:
“The Flaming Lips have been on one of the most remarkable creative streaks of any band, let alone a band that’s been-this is their 30th anniversary, they started in 1983. They are at the peak of their creative career right now at a point when other bands long ago would have hung it up. This band is amazing and they continue to impress just when I think they can’t impress anymore.” – NPR.Org
!!! have just released their fifth full length album THR!!!ER and are hitting the road starting today for a month long US tour. Guest vocalist Sonia Moore (of “2 Legit 2 Quit” fame) will not be joining, so the band is going to choose one fan per city to come up on stage and sing along.
Sing With Chk Contest – Note from the band:
Come on, admit it. You’ve dreamed about singing with !!!. Only a few of us have been able to live that dream but now you can too. We’re not bringing Sonia Moore, the singer from One Girl/One Boy, so we want you to come up and sing w/ us when we hit your town.
Upload a youtube video of you singing along or send an mp3 to singwithchk@gmail.com. No big deal, just you in front of the mirror singing into the hairbrush style will do. We’ll sift through the entries and holler at you if you’ve got what it takes. You’ll of course be judged on your vocal ability, but dance moves and star quality definitely help. If anything, it’s a free ticket for you and your bff for the show. No flakes, no egos, no drug problems.
Click HERE to download instrumental music and lyrics
US TOUR DATES MAY
16 Cambridge, MA @The Sinclair *
17 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
18 Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
19 Durham, NC @ Motorco *
20 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel *
22 Atlanta, GA @ Earl %
23 Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree %
24 New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s %
25 Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Outdoor Stage) %
26 El Paso, TX @ The Lowbrow Palace %
27 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress ^
28 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom ^
29 San Diego, CA @ Casbah ^
30 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw
31 Sacramento, CA @ Cesar Chavez Park
JUNE
1 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre ^
3 Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar ^
4 Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club ^
7 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café *
8 Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge *
9 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
10 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
11 Montreal, QC @ Le Belmont *
12 Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen *
13 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall *
14 Hamden, CT @ Spaceland Ballroom
15 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
AUGUST
25 Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest
31 Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot
Momentum continues to build for NYC’s Lucius as the band hits the road this summer making stops at several high profile US music festivals and events including the Nelsonville Music Festival, Mountain Stage, Bonnaroo,Wilco’s Solid Soundand the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. With emotionally charged, upbeat, 60s inspired songs and a sincere crowd connection, the quintet has solidified its reputation as a must-see live band.
Fans spoke and Lucius listened. Since airing on FOX’s hit show New Girl last week, Lucius’ demo version of “Until We Get There” was uploaded to YouTube by fans and has garnered 45K+ plays. As a sneak peek to the debut album coming in the fall, Lucius is giving a stream of the track to fans (and download for email exchange) HERE.
For a taste of the band’s seductive live show, check out the “Don’t Just Sit There” live studio video among other songs from their WNYC Soundcheck appearance last month and the infamous NPR “Tiny Desk Concert”.
Lucius Tour Dates
6/1: Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsvonville Music Festival
6/2: Morgantown, WV @ Mountain Stage
6/13: Pittsburgh, PA @ Three Rivers Arts Festival (FREE)
6/14: New Albany, IN @ New Albany Bicentennial Park Concert Series (FREE)
6/15: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (New Music Lounge / 5.20 – 6.10pm)
6/16: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (Sonic Stage / 1:45-2:15pm)
6/17: Charlotte, NC @ Stage Door Theater at Blumenthal PAC
6/19: Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery
6/20: Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater %
6/22: North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
6/26: Lewiston, NY @ Artpark *
7/31: Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
8/7: New Haven, CT @ Bar (FREE)
8/16: Lyons, CO @ Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
8/28: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo #
8/29: San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
% co-headlining with Hey Marseilles
*supporting Dispatch
# Touché supports
Yeah, I know — I shoulda posted this yesterday…woopsies.
Anyways, The Lonely Island is coming out with a new album and they have an announcement to make. See below.
The Lonely Island, the comedic rap trio comprised of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, will release the highly anticipated The Wack Album on Tuesday, June 11th. The group’s third studio effort onRepublic Recordswill include new songs featuring Pharrell Williams, T-Pain, Billie Joe Armstrong, Solange, and other special guests to be revealed. These artists join previously announced collaborators Adam Levine, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, and Lady Gaga.
Beginning, well, yesterday – the group is kicking off “Wack Wednesdays” on their YouTube channel. Every Wednesday leading up to the release of The Wack Album, they will debut new content including music videos, exclusive announcements, and world premieres of tracks. These videos will also be distributed on twitter via @thelonelyisland with #wackwednesdays.
Here’s the first video of The Wack Wednesdays Series:
The Lonely Island recently released The Wack Album’s lead single, “YOLO” (feat. Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar), which has garnered over 40 million views on YouTube in only three months. The trio also boasts a staggering 1.2 billion overall views on their YouTube channel. Their 2011 album Turtleneck & Chain, which debuted at #3 on Billboard, was nominated for a Grammy® in the category of “Best Comedy Album” and featured such talents as Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Santigold, and Beck. The album’s first smash single “I Just Had Sex” (feat. Akon) was certified platinum. The second single, “The Creep” (feat. Nicki Minaj and John Waters) has over 74 million YouTube views. Additional singles, “Jack Sparrow” (feat. Michael Bolton) has 105 million views and “Threw It On The Ground” has 52 million views on YouTube.
Their 2009 debut album, Incredibad, included Emmy® winning sensation “D*** In A Box,” featuring Justin Timberlake. The album also featured the follow-up gold records “J**z In My Pants” and “Like a Boss” which have over 234 million views combined on YouTube. The Grammy® nominated third single “I’m On A Boat” (feat. T-Pain) went platinum and catapulted the album into over 430,000 copies sold making it the #1 selling comedy album in 2009 and 2010. The trio established themselves with the enormously popular series of corresponding Digital Shorts for their singles, which were frequently featured on Saturday Night Live beginning with the debut of the pop culture sensation “Lazy Sunday” in 2005.
Italy’s enigmatic Tying Tiffany crafts her own brand of dark, dreamy pop. Her project T.T.L. was featured in the official trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with their track, “Beyond Fire.” Tying Tiffany released her One EP in March via ZeroKilled Music to praise from NYLON, MTV Iggy, MAGNET and more.
Now, Tying Tiffanyjust unleashed a free MP3 of her track, “One Place,” from her One EP. Akin to Crystal Castles or The Knife, it’s a dark, haunting cut with buzzing bass, shimmering synth and ghostly, echoing vocals.
Dutch DJ duo Bingo Players recently dropped “Get Up (Rattle)” featuring Far East Movement, their new single on Casablanca Records. This superstar duo—Paul Bäumer and Maarten Hoogstraten—remains a vital force in electronic dance music as both artists and producers, and the song’s immediate success paves the way for even bigger things to come.
Already, “Get Up (Rattle)” has exceeded 13 million YouTube views for its wonderfully wacky and wild music video, featuring ornery ducks that take down a vicious street gang and restore order to a city. The track, already a #1 hit in the UK, is a new version of last year’s instrumental club and festival anthem “Rattle,” which begins with an impenetrable hook that precedes the rhythmic stylings of Far East Movement, just before a massive drop that comes in to ignites the dance floor. The duo also has a string of tour dates coming up, including a coveted sundown slot at Coachella on April 20.
“Get Up (Rattle)” follows a string of Beatport chart-toppers including “Cry (Just A Little)” and “Out Of My Mind” released on their very own Hysteria label. Live, Bingo Players have performed at the biggest festivals in the world including, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, Creamfields, Electric Zoo and more!
Upcoming Tour Dates
4/11 – Bridgeport, CT – Webster Bank Arena
4/12 – San Francisco, CA – Ruby Skye
4/13 – Indio, CA – Coachella
4/14 – Boston, MA – Prime
4/19 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre
4/20 – Las Vegas, NV – Hakkasan
4/20 – Indio, CA – Coachella
4/21 – Scottsdale, AZ – El Santo Day Club
!!! are set to release their latest album THR!!!ER on April 30, and are now sharing their single “One Girl/One Boy.” A follow up the sample-based club-floor classic tribute “Slyd”, the latest track is pure !!! gold. While working on the album in Austin with Jim Eno of Spoon, the band knew that they wanted a diva level singer for the song and Jim said he knew someone perfect, Sonia Moore, who had previously toured with MC Hammer for two and half years as a singer and dancer.
“We knew she had sang with MC Hammer and Rafael [Cohen, bassist] kept singing the “hey hey” part from “Too Legit To Quit” and we were wondering if that was who was really coming by. That was basically the first thing we asked her and she said, “Hey, Hey. Yeah, that’s me”.
Sonia joined them onstage in Austin during SXSW for their sweat-soaked dance party sets. Following the album’s release they’ll be performing in Europe, which includes a stop at ATP, before heading back to the US for a full tour which kicks off on May 16th.
Musically Amusing 