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Animal Collective, Meat Puppets, Diane Birch, Baboon |
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Monday, June 15, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE has released an official video for "Summertime Clothes." MEAT PUPPETS played the World Cafe on Friday; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR. ELVIS COSTELLO has an interview+tracks with NPR's Weekend Edition. DIANE BIRCH also has an interview+tracks with NPR's Weekend Edition. SOLID GOLD stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming on demand via MPR. THE POSIES do a little bit of "Black Night" before covering Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos." THE MONSTERS OF FOLK: Conor Oberst, Jim James and M Ward are making an album. SONIC YOUTH is profiled in Newsweek. BLUR: The story of their supposed re-formation is ultimately about Graham Coxon's exit and reconnection after battling the bottle. YO LA TENGO: Ira Kaplan talks to Drowned in Sound about playing a gig curated by Ornette Coleman. WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Hangover occupied the No 1. slot with 33.4 million, actually repeating, as it snuck past UP for No. 1 last weekend, once the actual receipts were all counted. Indeed, The Hangover has also had boffo weekday receipts; with over 105 million so far, it could end up being the biggest R-rated comedy evah. PIxar's Up came in second (again) with 30.5 million on a modest 31 percent drop and has already outgrossed its large 175 million production budget. It's on track to make 250 million domestically. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 debuted at No. 3, with 25 million, which is right in the range of a Denzel Washington movie (Travolta is less predictable). Night at the Museum 2 is No.4 with 9.6 million; it has now grossed 143.4 million - still less than its production budget, but it has earned close to 300 million worldwide. Land of the Lost rounds out the Top Five making only 9.2 million on a steep drop. That's a bomb you here, but an even bigger bomb may be the No.6 debut for Eddie Murphy's Imagine that, which opened with 5.7 million against a 55 million budget. DAVID CARRADINE: Tom Selleck, Jane Seymour, Lucy Liu, and hundreds of other friends and family members turned out for the late actor's funeral in Los Angeles Saturday evening. BRADGELINA gave a million bucks to St. John's Hospital in Pitt's hometown of Springfield Saturday. JENNIFER ANISTON made light of her love life at the Women in Film Awards. CHRISTOPER LEE is among those knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Dude was a spy before he was an actor. THE TIME-TRAVELER'S WIFE, starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, has a trailer online. IRAN, as you may have heard, had an election naming Pres. Ahmadinejad the winner, which most believe was either the mullahs flipping the bird at the rest of the world (at best) or Ahmadinejad staging a coup with the aid of his base supporters in the Revolutionary Guard. I write "may have heard" because so many news outlets covered it so badly. The Guardian did a nice backgrounder, and the NYT and HuffPo did alright trying to keep up with breaking news, while CNN blew it. Many people turned to Twitter, one of the few outlets still accessible to Iranian disssidents. Services like Twazzup became handy for aggregating news (and rumors and speculation) from inside the crackdown in real-time. Bloggers like Michael J. Totten have also been excellent. Although all of the candidates were ultimately approved by the mullahs, the result here should be a wake-up call to those who have been pretending that Iran is capable of even allowing a so-called "reformer" to put a happier face on nature of the regime. NORTH KOREA said it was enriching uranium and would weaponize all plutonium, in a defiant protest against the UN Security Council's move to tighten sanctions against it. PAKISTAN: Progress in Pakistan's two-month-old military campaign against insurgents in the Swat Valley has provoked Pentagon optimism that government forces will soon move decisively into the more rugged frontier region where al-Qaeda's leaders are based. The leader of Taliban tribesmen who has turned on al-Qaeda's most ruthless ally in Pakistan has vowed to help rescue his country from a reign of terror that has pushed it close to collapse. A BABOON carjacks French tourists in South Africa. TWO TORTOISES have been fitted with pink plaster casts to help repair their shells after they were attacked by a dog. A VIXEN FOX has stolen more than 120 shoes from doorsteps in the German town of Föhren over the last year. Little bite marks on the laces suggest they're intended as toys for her cubs. RADIOACTIVE WASPS NESTS at the Hanford nuclear reservation. No word on how big the wasps are. SNAKES in a police station.
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3297 Reads |
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Storefront Hitchcock, Petra Haden, Wye Oak, Cutout Bin, Slinky Cat |
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Friday, June 12, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: ...with STOREFRONT HITCHCOCK! The Jonathan Demme concert documentary, in its entirety. Songs include: "Devil's Radio," "1974," "A Filthy Bird," "Let's Go Thundering," "I'm Only You," "Glass Hotel," "I Something You," "The Yip Song" "I Am Not Me," "You and Oblivion," "Airscape," "Freeze," "Alright, Yeah" and "No, I Don't Remember Guildford." PETRA HADEN's cover of the Bellamy Bros' "Let Your Love Flow" is available for download from Toyota. THE RAVEONETTES posted a demo of a new song, "Last Dance," via Twitter. WYE OAK is streaming their new album, The Knot, via Merge Records. BLACK LIPS did the three free songs thing for Daytrotter at SxSW. SILVERSUN PICKUPS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set streaming now via NPR. TRENT REZNOR & STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB "Kick Out the Jams," with four-syllable profanity. Yep, that's Tom Morello on guitar, too. BUILT TO SPILL: Doug Martsch does a Q&A with Westword about his son, touring vs. recording, and the NBA. SON VOLT: Jay Farrar answers five questions at Muzzle of Bees. (Thx, LHB.) WILCO: Jeff Tweedy talks to Metromix, while Nels Cline talks to CityBeat. (Thx, Chromewaves.) JAY REATARD is profiled by Straight as he moves to Matador Records. PRINCE could use a couple of spare hips. CUTOUT BIN: From Ciccone Youth to Sonic Youth (covering the Kinks), from CSN&Y to Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (covering Kenny Rogers), from Marvin Gaye to the Stooges, plus Eddie and the Hot Rods, the Beatles, the Clique, the Decemberists w/Peter Buck, the Lemonheads covering Gram Parsons and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, currently scoring 41 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, and Eddie Murphy's family comedy, Imagine That, currently scoring xx percent. CHASTITY BONO is becoming a man, man. DAVID CARRADINE: An independent autopsy requested by the late actor's family revealed he did not commit suicide. BRET MICHAELS of Poison is showing off his Tony Awards injury. MEGAN FOX talks to Entertainment Weekly about fame, creepy men, jealous women, and refusing to be a "publicity android." SHUTTER ISLAND: Here's the first trailer for Martin Scorsese's next movie. G.I. JOE: Director Stephen Sommers was reportedly removed from the movie after a disastrous test screening. Producer Leonardo di Bonaventura denies it. JESSICA ALBA is still under investigation for possible vandalism charges in Oklahoma City. WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN? As people become disillusioned from financial woes and a downtrodden economy and look to put new purpose in their lives, everyday folks are becoming masked crimefighters. (Thx, Ken.) PAKISTAN: The Pakistani military said more than 130 Taliban fighters were killed during a three-day-old offensive in Bannu, while a Taliban assault on two forts in the neighboring tribal agency of South Waziristan has been repelled. AFGHANISTAN: A Taliban commander thought to have been killed in a US airstrike in western Afghanistan has survived the attack, while fighting in northern and western Afghanistan intensifies. IRAQ and Turkey have signed a preliminary accord on military cooperation, according to the Turkish army. SLINKY CAT: It comes down stairs, alone or in pairs. ROTTWEILER & WOLF CUB, living together... mass hysteria. BABY CHEETAH attacks a safari Jeep. Awww...some pic. A WHALE sinks a British yacht in the Caribbean. Obligatory Moby Dick or Kraken joke goes here. MASS GEESOCIDE plotted by NYC. IT'S RAINING TADPOLES: Now will you let the people go?
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3237 Reads |
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John Vanderslice, Harlem Shakes, FoW, Waving Goat |
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Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
JOHN VANDERSLICE does an orchestral version of "Too Much Time" at ABCNews's Amplified blog. PASSION PIT & HARLEM SHAKES played DC the other night; you can stream either set or both via NPR. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE played Mountain Stage; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR. COWBOY JUNKIES also played Mountain Stage; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR. RICHARD HELL is interviewed by The Virgins' Donald Cumming at ClashMusic. (Thx, LHB.) MAYER HAWTHORNE goes full-on doo-wop for "When I Said Goodbye." BAT FOR LASHES: Natasha Khan talks to Pitchfork about the new LP, touring, etc. JARVIS COCKER is interviewed by director Wes Anderson for Interview magazine. GOMEZ: Olly Peacock talks to the Dallas Morning News about trying to invade America and placing songs on House and Grey's Anatomy. THE LEMONHEADS: Evan Dando is suing General Motors for re-recording "It's a Shame About Ray" using it in an ad. BRITNEY SPEARS is dating her agent. HUGH GRANT kicked a paparazzo in the groin. Video at the link. DAVID CARRADINE: More photos, more bizzare. PHIL SPECTOR mugshot, sans funky toupee. BRAD PITT spent almost a million bucks on a painting. HARRY POTTER & THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE has a new clip online. JESSICA ALBA apologizes for some alleged vandalism. JESSICA BIEL & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE are being pressured to procreate by Timberlake's mother. IRON MAN 2: USA Today has your first look at Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. IRAN: Powerful cleric Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, issued an open letter on Tuesday complaining that the country's supreme leader has remained silent in the face of "insults, lies and false allegations" by incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But keep in mind this election is maybe a notch above WWE wrestling. AFGHANISTAN: US strike kills Iranian-backed Taliban commander in western Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the new American commander in Afghanistan has been given carte blanche to handpick a dream team of subordinates, including many Special Operations veterans, as he moves to carry out an ambitious new strategy that envisions stepped-up attacks on Taliban fighters and narcotics networks. DARREN the WAVING GOAT: Let's go to the video. A DOZEN DUCKLINGS, rescued by police officer Eileen Emiddio. Awww...some pics at the link. JIMMY the MONKEY is working on re-creating the works of Shakespeare. MOONLIT MANATEE BEACH ORGY attracts peeping toms to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
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3017 Reads |
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Grizzly Bear, Sunset Rubdown, Camera Obscura, Sleepy Kitteh |
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
GRIZZLY BEAR brought Feist onstage for "Service Bell" and "Two Weeks" at the Dark was the Night benefit. The band also stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming now via MPR. SUNSET RUBDOWN is advance streaming their Dragonslayer album at NPR. CAMERA OBSCURA stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming now via MPR. DINOSAUR, JR. did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter. A CAMP: Nina Persson talks to the Denver Post about the band's all-covers EP. SPIN is streaming the cover of Grace Jones's "I've Done it Again," while Spinner has their take on Pink Floyd's "Us and Them." (Thx, Chromewaves.) FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: "Hey, Julie." HANDSOME FURS: Dan Boeckner talks to the Seattle Times about his songwriting formula and why the Face Control LP sounds like it does. RHETT MILLER talks to PopMatters about fatherhood, songwriting, plus Jeff Tweedy and Ryan Adams. TEN CULT ROCK MOVIES you need to see, according to MusicRadar, with embedded video. (Thx, LHB.) FREE MP3s and deals at Amazon include tracks from Neko Case, Robyn Hitchcock, Beirut, My Morning Jacket and more... DAVID CARRADINE's third wife says the late actor was often fond of tying himself up in the bedroom of their California ranch, and even experimented with drowning himself in their pool. Video at the link. LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON: Together again? LEO DiCAPRIO & BAR RAFAELI haven't split, a source close to the couple tells Us magazine. MILEY CYRUS, otoh, has reportedly dumped Justin Gaston. MEGAN FOX has reportedly dumped Brian Austin Green for Twilight star Robert Pattinson. Tabloids had linked him with co-star Kristen Stewart, but she claims they are just friends. THE 100 BEST MOVIE LINES in 200 seconds, according to LiquidGeneration. MADONNA will be given the go-ahead to adopt four-year-old Malawian Mercy James, according to press reports. RUSSELL CROWE and director Ridley Scott are said to be squabbling like a couple of gladiators on the British set of their latest collaboration, Universal's big-budget Robin Hood flick. LIAM NEESON & BRADLEY COOPER are in talks to co-star in The A-Team. NORTH KOREA: Journalist Shane Smith calls it "an alternate universe. It's like going back in time to Stalinist Russia. We used to joke about it being a sort of Disneyland ride of a socialist utopian state. It's crazy." He he hopes Pyongyang uses the two American journalists held there as pawns, or they may starve to death in a war camp. AFGHANISTAN: Heavy weapons are continuing to stream across the Afghan border from Iran. Quantities regularly run into the hundreds and the weapons are usually brand new. SLEEPY KITTEH: Let's go to the video. TOO MUCH BEAVER? Around the nation, decades of environmental regulation, conservation efforts and changing land use have brought many species, like beavers, so far back from the brink that they are viewed as nuisances. RICK'S CUSTOM SQUIRRELS all look like militants. A DOG out on a walk in Germany happened upon a live US grenade from World War II and eagerly delivered it to his master.
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3224 Reads |
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New Releases, Sonic Youth, Great Lake Swimmers, Hamster |
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Tuesday, June 09, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
CHAIRLIFT has released a new video for "Bruises," a song more twee than its title. NEW RELEASES from Sonic Youth, Rhett Miller, Kasabian, the Low Anthem and more are streaming in full this week via Spinner. SONIC YOUTH, btw, is essentially taking over PitchforkTV this week. SONGS OF THE WEEK: The logical extension of NPR's Song of the Day. GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS played a Tiny Desk Concert for Bob Boilen at NPR. GUIDED BY VOICES: "Auditorium/Motor Away" are your Twofer Tuesday. BIG STAR drummer Jody Stephens tells Billboard about an upcoming box set with four discs worth of unreleased demos, alternate takes, rarities, and live cuts. JENS LEKMAN talks to Straight about finishing his next album, and to the Santa Barbara Independent about moving from Sweden to Australia. (Thx, Chromewaves.) CAT POWER: Flavorpill covers the biography Chan Marshall doesn't want you to read. ROSE ELINOR DOUGAL: The former Pipette talks about her upcoming solo LP with Under The Radar. DAVID CARRADINE, according to TMZ, the purported photo of the late actor tends to support the auto-erotica scenario. LINDSAY LOHAN complained of feeling 'caged' and curled up in a ball on the floor of a London club, according to the ever-reliable Daily Mirror. PETE DOHERTY was arrested in Switzerland after being accused of taking drugs on a British Airways flight. BRET MICHAELS of Poison was injured at the Tony Awards after missing his mark in a production number. Let's go to the video. BRITNEY SPEARS: The News of the World as entirely gratuitous topless photos of the pop wreck, taken during the 2007 video shoot for "Gimme More." CONAN O'BRIEN addresses the similarity of his new Tonight Show set to the original Super Mario Bros. video game. (thanks, Lance.) HEATHER GRAHAM explains the joys of tantric sex, playing poker, growing old disgracefully and why asking her to help you with your tax returns after a night of passion is a relationship killer. STEPHEN COLBERT did his shtick for US troops in Iraq. The idea for taping the show here came about last summer, he said, at the suggestion of Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and a guest on "The Colbert Report." KORTH KOREA sentenced two US journalists to 12 years in a labor camp Monday. OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS showed a movie for the first time in 30 years. Women were not invited. PAKISTAN: Pres. Zardari said there is a possibility that its nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of the Taliban if democracy "fails" in his country and the world doesn't help. HAMSTER runs a dog agility course. A FROG that constantly changes colour is being worshipped as a god in India. A LION escaped from its cage in a China zoo and swam a river for nearly 400 meters before it tried to climb up into the campus of Rudong Shiyan Elementary School. A CUB in Wisconsin was spotted with a bird feeder stuck on its head. Silly old bear!
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3937 Reads |
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