Pash this way!

With a title like The Best Gun, you might expect a country album with some dueling vocalists battling back and forth. Sort of like the western version of a dueling piano bar. Thankfully, you'll find no such music on Pash's debut album, which came out the last week of August. Instead, what you will hear is some invigorating and electrifying guitar playing backing up Merideth Munoz's vocals which leap, sail, and soar through upbeat lyrics that remind me of the sweet pop perfection of old school Boston rockers Belly (and new school Boston rockers Static of the Gods).


Pash - Swears and Bearings : The Best Gun

Pash - ABCD : The Best Gun

Visit their website, their label Exotic Fever Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Belly - Super-Connected : King

Static of the Gods - Cycles Follow Signs : Cycles Follow Signs

Division Day Contest

OK, so here's a brainteaser to pose at the next party you go to...

Question: How can you have a debut album that has two different release dates a year apart?

Answer: If your band is named Division Day, you've signed over to Eenie Meenie Records, you've recorded a couple new tracks to add to it, and you're re-releasing it.

That's right, previously released in 2006, Division Day's debut full length album Beartrap Island is getting polished up, added to (two new tracks), and sent back out into the world on iTunes on September 18th and in stores on October 2nd. In anticipation of the excitement, the band will be releasing unreleased cover songs and remixes every Tuesday for the next eight weeks. First up, a cover of Sunny Day Real Estate's song Every Shining Time You Arrive, which you can listen to below.

For those of you who didn't catch the hype wave last year over these Los Angelites, think 80's synth sounds emo-ized with some occasional outburst of absolutely wailing guitar work and feedback that would make a shoe-gazer proud. If any of that makes sense, then give them a try.


And if that did make sense, and you do want to give them a try, now here is your chance to win a copy of the new and improved album, a T-shirt (pictured to the left), and a pair of tickets to catch them play at Union Hall in Brooklyn, NY (look below for schedule and to pick your date). Simply leave a comment (or e-mail me) with your name and e-mail address and I'll pick a winner sometime next Wednesdayish and let them know super pronto.



Division Day - To the Woods : Beartrap Island

Division Day - Colorguard : Beartrap Island

Division Day - Every Shining Time You Arrive (Sunny Day Real Estate Cover)

Visit their website, their label Eenie Meenie Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Sunny Day Real Estate - Every Shining Time You Arrive : How It Feels to be Something On

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October Tour Dates

02 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo [CD release show]
04 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of The Hill [CD release show]
05 Reno, NV - Satellite Lounge
06 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
07 Denver, CA - Larimer Lounge
09 Chicago, IL - Subterranean
10 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café
11 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
13 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwells
17 New York, NY - Canal Room [CMJ ASCAP showcase]
18 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
20 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 [w/ Eulogies & Film School]
25 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall

Will you sleep and dream with me?

Resting (in the past)

dream
are you a dreamer?
are you a dreamer?
do you dream?

sleep
are you a sleeper?
are you a sleeper?
do you sleep?

when your brown eyes close
do blue skies open up?
and when your breathing slows
your mind drawn fast and free
will you sleep and dream
with me?

love
are you my lover?
are you my lover?
do you love me?

save
are you a savior?
are you a savior?
will you save?

when my blue eyes close
will white clouds lift me up?
and when my breathing slows
my mind drawn fast and free
do you hold me when i sleep?
do you hold me when i sleep?

water
i'm walking on water
walking on water
for you

Denison Witmer - Are You A Dreamer? : Happy Birthday Denison (studio version on Are You A Dreamer?)

Hats off to the Fat Man

When many people think about the roots of rock & roll, typically the first name that comes to mind is Elvis Presley. Another name that should be considered is Fats Domino. Fats' song The Fat Man from 1949 is considered by many to be one of the first true rock & roll songs ever released, and in the 50's and early 60's Fats ruled the rock & roll charts with 35 top 40 singles.

If you want to question Fats' influence on present day music, simply take a look at the roster of musicians involved in Goin' Home - A Tribute to Fats Domino, a 2 CD set that's set to hit the shelves on September 25th. It includes some big names such as Elton John, Neil Young, Ben Harper, and Willie Nelson as well as many blues and R&B musicians whose music can be directly traced back to Fats Domino such as Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Marc Broussard, and Toots & the Maytals. And kicking of the first CD is John Lennon's cover of what is probably Fats' greatest hit, Ain't The A Shame.

Not only is this 2 CD set a fitting tribute to one of rock's pioneers, it's also a benefit album for The Tipitina’s Foundation, a 501 ©(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of New Orleans through music education for the youth and providing programs that support working musicians of New Orleans and the Gulf Region. The money raised from the sales of Goin’ Home will also go toward the rebuilding of Fats Domino’s home and to create a community center in the Crescent City’s still ravaged Lower 9th Ward as well as fund additional community related programs.

Disc 1:

1. John Lennon: Ain't That A Shame
2. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: I'm Walkin'
3. B.B. King with Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk: Goin' Home
4. Elton John: Blueberry Hill
5. Taj Mahal & The New Orleans Social Club: My Girl Josephine
6. Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Joss Stone and Buddy Guy: Every Night About This Time
7. Paul McCartney featuring Allen Toussaint: I Want To Walk You Home
8. Lenny Kravitz with Rebirth Brass Band, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker: Whole Lotta Loving
9. Dr. John: Don't Leave Me This Way
10. Bonnie Raitt & Jon Cleary: I'm In Love Again/All By Myself
11. Art Neville: Please Don't Leave Me
12. Robbie Robertson with Galactic: Going To The River
13. Randy Newman: Blue Monday
14. Robert Plant with Lil' Band O' Gold: It Keeps Rainin'
15. Corinne Bailey Rae: One Night (Of Sin)

Disc 2:

1. Neil Young: Walking To New Orleans
2. Robert Plant with The Soweto Gospel Choir: Valley Of Tears
3. Norah Jones: My Blue Heaven
4. Lucinda Williams: Honey Chile
5. Marc Broussard featuring Sam Bush: Rising Sun
6. Olu Dara & The Natchezippi Band with Donald Harrison Jr.: When I See You
7. Ben Harper with the Skatalites: Be My Guest
8. Toots & The Maytals: Let The Four Winds Blow
9. Willie Nelson: I Hear You Knockin'
10. Irma Thomas and Marcia Ball: I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind
11. Bruce Hornsby: Don't Blame It On Me
12. Herbie Hancock with George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste and Renard Poche: I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday
13. Los Lobos: The Fat Man
14. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux with Galactic: So Long
15. Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Theresa Andersson: When The Saints Go Marching In

Randy Newman - Blue Monday (Fats Domino cover) : Goin' Home - A Tribute to Fats Domino

Fats Domino - Blue Monday : The Original Recordings

Taj Mahal & The New Orleans Social Club - My Girl Josephine (Fats Domino cover) : Goin' Home - A Tribute to Fats Domino

Fats Domino - My Girl Josephine (live) : Sold Out!: The Greatest Rock And Roll Show In The World

Mark Olson and The Last Town Chorus, Live

Last night I was lucky enough to see The Last Town Chorus open up for Mark Olson (former Jayhawk founding member) at the Iron Horse Theater in Northampton, MA, both of which are touring in support of their latest albums (Wire Waltz for The LTC and The Salvation Blues for Mark). It was a small crowd that I was a part of, but quite an enjoyable evening.

For those of you not familiar with The Last Town Chorus, the chorus really is Megan Hickey, playing her lap steel guitar. And if you've heard her songs before and have been impressed with her playing, you need to catch her live. The way that she holds the instrument, caressing, plucking, striking, easing spectacular notes that bend and wail. It's simply haunting in its sound, which isn't really completely conveyed via recording.

If you are going to listen to one of her tracks below, You and Modern Love (a David Bowie cover that has an utterly different feel to it compared to the original), please listen to both. They're tracks two and three on the album and they seamlessly meld into one another. The rest of the album is just as good, with Megan's voice conveying a sense of longing and loneliness that mates well with the keening notes of her instrument.


The Last Town Chorus - You : Wire Waltz

The Last Town Chorus - Modern Love (David Bowie cover) : Wire Waltz

Visit their website, their label HackTone Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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After Megan came the main attraction for the evening: Mark Olson and his supporting band. Even if his name isn't instantly recognizable to you, you should know the seminal alt-country band The Jayhawks which he founded in 1985 and played with for 10 years. After leaving the band in 1995 (the band wished to pursue a more pop-orientated style) Mark formed the Creekdippers, with which he recorded several albums. Now he's going solo, although his latest album also features the long-awaited reunion with his former Jayhawks band mate and writing partner, Gary Louris, on three songs.

He started his set last night with Winter Song from the new album, and in fact over the course of the evening played almost the entire album. With a career that stretches back over twenty years, Mark has a deep pocket of material to draw from, and he did so last night, playing some Jayhawks' songs (Blue and Over My Shoulder) as well as a Creekdipper song (Big Old Sign). What impressed me the most though wasn't the breadth of his material, rather the fact that he seemed to enjoy himself on stage so greatly. Clearly he enjoyed himself as much last night as he has for the countless other shows he's put on over the many years of touring.

If you get the chance to see the pair perform, it's well worth the price of admission to see an upcoming artist and one who's had a large impact on music of today. Look below for upcoming tour dates.


Mark Olson - Clifton Bridge : The Salvation Blues

Mark Olson - Sandy Denny : The Salvation Blues

Visit his label HackTone Records and become his friend on MySpace.

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David Bowie - Modern Love : The Best Of David Bowie 1980-1987: Sight & Sound

The Jayhawks - Lights : Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams

The Jayhawks - Blue : Rock Live from Mountain Stage

Mark Olson and the Creekdippers - Give My Heart To You : Pacific Coast Rambler

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Remaining North American Tour Dates

SEPTEMBER

2 - Borders Braintree (Boston, MA) - in-store performance & signing - 1:45p - *FREE*
2 - Paradise Lounge (Boston, MA) - w/ The Last Town Chorus - 7:30p
4 - World Café Live (Philadelphia, PA) - w/ The Last Town Chorus - 7:00p
5 - Borders (Philadelphia, PA - Broad St.) - in-store performance - 12:15p - *FREE*
6 - Borders - (DC - 18th & L) - in-store performance - 12:15p - *FREE*
6 - Iota (Arlington, VA/Washington, DC) - w/ The Last Town Chorus - 8:00p
7 - Hideaway BBQ (Raleigh, NC) - w/ The Last Town Chorus - 9:00p
8 - The Melting Point (Athens, GA) - w/ The Last Town Chorus - 8:00p
9 - Borders (Atlanta - Buckhead) - in-store performance - 2:45p - *FREE*
9 - Smith's Olde Bar (Atlanta, GA) - w/ The Last Town Chorus
10 - Grimey's (Nashville, TN) - in-store performance & signing - 4:30pm *FREE*
10 - 3rd & Lindsley (Nashville, TN) - 7:15p
12 - The Blue Door (Oklahoma City, OK) - 7:30pm
13 - Borders (Overland Park, KS) - in-store performance & signing - 6:30p *FREE*
14 - Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club (Kansas City, MO) - 7:00p
15 - Borders (Colorado Springs, CO) - in-store performance & signing - 6:30p *FREE*
18 - Borders (Tucson, AZ) - in-store performance & signing - 6:30p *FREE*
19 - Plush (Tucson, AZ) - 9:30p
20 - Raven Café (Prescott, AZ) - 8:30p

The Real Tuesday Weld (on Saturday)

I listened to this CD three times in a row yesterday. With all of the new music that I'm able to listen to, that doesn't happen very often, but it did with The London Book of the Dead, the fourth album by The Real Tuesday Weld, the moniker used by musician Stephen Coates.

As with previous albums, Coates blends together an amalgamation of sounds that seem to be diametrically opposite. Lo-fi sounds mixed with hi-fi. Spoken words under instrumentation. Tinny horns tooting under electronic beats. French pop with electro-jazz. Snippets of old radio sounds mixed with very modern music. And somehow, all of these various parts are pieced together to produce a completely satisfying album that holds an element of kitschiness while maintaining an air of real art.

The album's title is a play on The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a book about when one's soul passes from one life on to being reborn into the next. Coates says, "I thought it would be funny if there were a book like that for the English. The album felt like that to me – a way of moving from one state to another, and all set against the backdrop of this city."

The first track below, It's a Wonderful Li(f)e, reminds me of a darkly comic parody of Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. I Believe, the next track, also drips with morose humor and irony. The album is out now, so listen and enjoy Coates' dark humor and realize that life isn't so bad after all.


The Real Tuesday Weld - It's a Wonderful Li(f)e : The London Book of the Dead

The Real Tuesday Weld - I Believe : The London Book of the Dead

And one from his first full length release:

The Real Tuesday Weld - Terminally Ambivalent Over You : Where Psyche Meets Cupid

Visit his website, his label Six Degrees Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

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Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World : My Favorite Things

Yungchen Lhamo - Om Mani Padme Hung : Tibetan Freedom Concert (Disc 1)

Tenzing Tsewang - Banzaguru - Heartbeat Of Tibet : Mantra Mix (Disc 2)

One Chance

OK, here's the deal. I don't have a single entry for my Jamie T contest which was scheduled to end right about now. SO, the first person to enter wins. It's that simple. If you want to see a free show at Great Scott in Boston, and a copy of an absolutely killer album, just do it.

Modest Mouse - One Chance : Good News For People Who Love Bad News

Doing it Ethan Lipton style

Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra are not your average band. They're not even your non-average band. They are out there...I'm talking past Pluto the non-planet out there. And that's a good thing.

Ethan just sounds so damn sincere that when you take a second to listen to the lyrics, any lyrics in any of the songs, it hits you. Jazz, blues, country, tango, rock & roll, it's all here wrapped up in 19 tracks of artfully produced silliness.

Try the two tracks below to see if Ethan tickles your funny bone. The first, Hit It, it just plain catchy. The second, The Flora and The Fauna, is a romantic tune that reminds me of The Girl From Ipanema. It's got a light tropical breeze to it and a happy ending to wrap it up. Typically, I only offer up two tracks from an album, but with 19 slices of goodness, I'm feeling generous, hence the third track, Pirates of the Heart. Do not listen to this one with little ones around or at work...there are far too many swears and you'll want to listen to it several times.


Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra - Hit It : Mr. Softy

Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra - The Flora and The Fauna : Mr. Softy

Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra - Pirates of the Heart : Mr. Softy

Visit their website and become their friend on MySpace.

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Arthur Lyman - The Girl From Ipanema : Cocktails For Two - Romance With A Twist

Listen to The Narrator

Chicagoans The Narrator are packing their bags for a fall tour in support of their latest album, All That to the Wall. In case you haven't heard them yet, preview the two tracks below. The first, Son of the Son of the Kiss, is the album's opening track and starts out with some groovadelic guitar riffs that will bring back the British invasion fresh in your mind. The second, All the Tired Horses, is a cover of the opening track for Bob Dylan's mystifying double album Self Portrait. You have to give them some props for tackling such a song.


The Narrator - Son of the Son of the Kiss : All That to the Wall

The Narrator - All the Tired Horses (Bob Dylan cover) : All That to the Wall

Visit their website, their label Flameshovel Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Tour Dates

Sept. 10: Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL*
Sept. 11: Mojo’s, Columbia, MO
Sept. 12: Record Bar, Kansas City, MO
Sept. 14: 6th Street Live, Fort Worth, TX
Sept. 16: 3846 Government, Baton Rouge, LA
Sept. 17: Beta Bar, Tallahassee, FL
Sept. 18: The Atlantic, Gainesville, FL
Sept. 21: The Boot, Norfolk, VA
Sept. 23: DC9, Washington, DC
Sept. 25: Bowling Green University REV Fest, Bowling Green, KY
Sept. 27: Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY

* FREE show w/Maps & Atlases, Nurses, Karma With a K

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Bob Dylan - All the Tired Horses : Self Portrait

Find your way with Maps

First off, Maps is UK native James Chapman.

Second, his debut album We Can Create, which was released in June and was spliced together in his bedroom sans computer and instead recorded straight into a 16-track recorder, has been shortlisted for the 2007 Nationwide Mercury Music Prize.

Third, there's still time to see him live if you happen to be a North Americaner who lives near an ocean. Check out dates below.

Fourth, in the meantime, if you haven't experienced Maps' flavor of electronic, shoe-gazey, emotionally charging music, listen below.


Maps - So Low, So High : We Can Create

Maps - Back And Forth : We Can Create

Visit his label Mute and become his friend on MySpace.

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NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

Sat 09/22/07 Seattle, WA KEXP Benefit – Crocodile Cafe
Mon 09/24/07 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
Wed 09/26/07 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland (presented by KCRW)
Fri 09/28/07 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Sat 09/29/07 Brooklyn, NY Luna Lounge

Matt Costa opening for Modest Mouse

In case you needed another reason to go out and see Modest Mouse touring for their latest album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, here's another. After touring like crazy for his last album, Songs We Sing, all over the country as well as at nearly every music fest worth its price of admission the last few years (including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits) Matt Costa will be opening for them on a couple upcoming select dates. Check below to see if you're lucky enough to be near one of the shows he'll be an opener for. Further incentive is the fact you'll probably hear some of Matt's new material that will appear on his new album, Unfamiliar Faces, which has been pushed back to be released in January of next year.


Matt Costa - Sunshine : Songs We Sing

Modest Mouse - Spitting Venom : We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

Visit Matt's website, his label Brushfire Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

Visit Modest Mouse's website, their label Sony Music, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Matt Costa Tour Dates:

Aug. 27th Edgefield Portland , OR *
Sept. 8th Virgin Festival @ Island Park Toronto , ONT
Sept. 10th McKay Events Center Salt Lake City , UT **
Sept. 14th Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara , CA *
Sept. 15th The Joint Las Vegas , NV *
Sept. 16th Boulder Theater – etown live radio show taping Boulder , CO
Sept. 22nd San Diego Street Scene @ Coors Amphitheatre Chula Vista , CA

*dates opening for Modest Mouse; ** dates with Modest Mouse and Rilo Kiley

Let's have a Grand Ole Party

I'm going to come right out and say it. Grand Ole Party had to have taken a peak into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' play-book. Both bands are trios fronted by women with extremely similar voices (Kristin Gundred in GOP's case, and of course Karen O from the YYYs) that ooze sensuality in their snarling way while at the same time demanding respect. One difference though would be the instrumentation. While serving as lead vocalist for the band, Kristin also plays the drums, which during live shows are front and center as opposed to pushed to the back in most set-ups.

Since Show Your Bones showed up on my 11 albums of 2006 list, it comes as no surprise that I'm thoroughly enjoying Humanimals, Grand Ole Party's debut album which is set to be released via iTunes on September 4th. The album was recorded live in an amazingly short five days, but you'd never know it while listening. The group enlisted Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennet to help out on the album, and coincidentally, they're touring with Rilo Kiley this fall (tour dates below). And since I've been grooving to Rilo Kiley's latest lately as well (read about it here), it's a safe bet that it's going to be a killer show.


Grand Ole Party - Insane : Humanimals

Grand Ole Party - Bad Bad Man : Humanimals

Become their friend on MySpace.

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion (Diplo Remix) : Gold Lion single

Rilo Kiley - Breakin' Up : Under The Blacklight

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US Tour Dates with Rilo Kiley

September
6 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield
7 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom - MFNW 2007
8 Seattle, WA @ Showbox
11 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
12 Columbia, MO @ University of Missouri - Jesse Auditorium
13 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
14 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
15 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
17 Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
18 Toronto, ONT @ Phoenix Theatre
19 Montreal, QUE @ La Tulipe
21 Boston, MA @Avalon
22 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
23 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
25 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
26 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
27 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
28 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
29 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

October
1 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
2 Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
4 New Orleans, LA @ Republic
5 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
6 Dallas, TX @ Palladium
7 Austin, TX @ Stubb's BBQ
9 Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
10 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
12 San Diego, CA @ SOMA
13 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
15 Los Angeles, CA @ Santa Monica Civic