M. Ward performs for Music for Youth

"M. Ward will perform at a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 5, 2007 in cooperation with the Music for Youth Organization. Artists including Los Lobos, Steve Earle and others will be paying tribute to the songs of Bruce Springsteen."

(from www.mwardmusic.com)

Kristin Hersh European Tour Starting Tomorrow

The full list of Kristin's tour dates throughout the next five weeks:

March
01 - Bristol, Thekla
02 - Leicester, Y Theatre
03 - Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
04 - Birmingham, Glee Club
06 - Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
07 - London, Koko
09 - Sheffield, Leadmill
10 - Manchester, Academy 3
11 - Glasgow, Oran Mor
12 - Dublin, Temple Bar Music Centre
14 - Amsterdam, Melkweg
15 - Ghent, Handelsbeurs
16 - Paris, Nouveau Casino
18 - Madrid, Moby Dick
19 - Barcelona, LA 2
21 - Milano, Rainbow Club
22 - Basel, Kaserne
24 - Stuttgart, Theaterhaus T2
25 - Munich, Ampere
26 - Berlin, Postbahnhof
27 - Hamburg, Knust
28 - Kobenhavn, Pumpehuset
29 - Aarhus, Vox Hall
31 - Bergen, Garage

April
1 - Oslo, John Dee
2 - Stockholm, Debaser
3 - Göteborg, Pusterviksbaren
5 - Reykjavik, Nasa (with Blonde Redhead)

M. Ward on Pitchfork's Guest List

"Welcome to the latest edition of Pitchfork's Guest List. Each week, we ask one of our favorite artists to fill us in on what they've been up to lately: which tracks they can't stop spinning, what books they can't put down, and what new bands they've caught on tour. This week it's M. Ward, who tells us about a refreshing Chinese tea that's becoming all the rage, reminisces about playing video games with former tourmates My Morning Jacket, and talks about his favorite Chicago venue and radio show." [more]

Ian Masters News

"Ian joined Luminous Orange (apart from playing a solo set) in Tokyo last month on the 20th January. They played the jointly composed Silver Kiss (from the forcoming Luminous Orange album on which Ian takes lead vocals) and they also played a couple of old Pale Saints' songs (Babymaker and She Rides the Waves)."

(from http://www.dfuse.com/spoons/news.php)

Tanya Donelly Interview

A recent interview with Tanya at Quick Stop Entertainment reveals tidbits on the making of her latest album This Hungry Life, reviews the Belly period and her life as a mother. At one point, she confirms once again that other tracks from her Bellows Falls live sessions might get released via her web site in the near future.

Beirut work on next album, re-schedule Bowery shows

"He's completely rested and working furiously on the next album ...
The whole new Beirut album is already in Zach's head, and about 50% recorded. It's very French." [more]

May
6 - New York City, NY, Bowery Ballroom
7 - New York City, NY, Bowery Ballroom

Beirut, Wolf & Cub to play extra shows at SXSW

KEXP is taking it on the road to Austin, TX for the 2007 South By Southwest Music Festival. The 8-hour broadcast will include a Beirut live performance at Austin City Limits Studios on March 16. The performances are hosted by KEXP DJ's John Richards, Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole and are open to the public. [more]

Wolf & Cub are now scheduled to perform at the SXSW Aussie BBQ at Brush Square on March 16, 2007. The Aussie BBQ is an invite only industry event held by the Australian Music Collective.

New Barbara Carlotti Song

Each month, French band Dominique A invite a guest musician to interpret one of their songs. Barbara's cover version of "L'Amour" can be heard on their web site for a few more days. [more]

Emma Pollock - Limbs

4AD and SXSW serve the beautiful "Limbs" from Emma Pollock's forthcoming album Pendulum as a taster for her festival appearance. [more]

Kristin on WXPN and KEXP

Throughout the past weeks, Kristin Hersh has not only played in-stores but also at radio stations throughout the US. Yesterday's session is now available at the WXPN World Cafe archive [more].

Tracks:
Winter ; Under The Gun

Kristin's last radio date of her in-store tour at Seattle's KEXP is now archived as well. Tune in on the Feb. 22, 2007 date at 3.00 pm [listen].

Tracks:
Day Glo ; Nerve Endings ; In Shock ; Your Ghost

Harold Budd and David Sylvian News

Samadhisound have just released a live recording by Harold Budd performed as a tribute to his late friend, and associate teacher at the then newly formed California Institute of Arts, Jim Tenney. The album, entitled 'Perhaps', was recorded live at CalArts last December, and will be available exclusively as a digital download from the web store.
As with all of the label's downloads the full album download includes a pdf credit sheet and artwork by Chris Bigg.


David Sylvian has just completed a final mix of works commissioned by the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation for their Standard 2 Festival 2006/07. His composition is entitled "When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima" and will be released on the Samadhisound label in a limited edition within the coming months. This material will not be available as a download.

Scott Walker Film at SXSW

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man ("SW30") will be screened at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. "Scott's record label 4AD will be hosting a big label showcase during the SXSW Music Fest, so we're thrilled to be a part of the event to help spread the good word about The Drift and introduce more Young Americans to the World of Walker." [more]

Screening dates:
Tuesday, March 13th at 7:15pm - Alamo Downtown
Thursday, March 15th at 1:45 pm - Alamo Downtown

The film web site now contains a store offering t-shirt designs and a series of limited edition prints.

Robin Guthrie Web Site

A new fan site devoted to former Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie has been published. The site features, among other resources, an extensive solo discography and is home to his new digital label, Soleil Après Minuit. [more]

Face Lift

"Finally ready to peel the bandages back and bravely face the world: enjoy the new look, which comes with new features - pictures, including a link to my very-sporadically-updated Flickr page, and the long-awaited Mountain Goats forums. Yes! At last, more internet!" [more]

(from www.mountain-goats.com)

Emma's Road to SXSW

BBC Scotland are presenting two concerts featuring some of the Scottish bands heading out to SXSW in March. Emma Pollock, scheduled for the 4AD SXSW Showcase on March 14, will play at the Reading Rooms in Dundee on Friday 2nd March along with Popup, My Latest Novel and The Needles. The concerts will be broadcast on Vic Galloway's show in March. [more]

50 Foot Wave Live at the Bowery Ballroom

An approved fan recording of 50 Foot Wave's gig at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City has been uploaded to the Live Music Archive. Originally, the concert had been expected to get an official release on Throwing Music. [more]

Track listing:
Intro ; Long Painting ; Clara Bow ; Pneuma ; Hot Pink Distorted ; Bone China ; The Fuchsia Wall ; Lavender ; Golden Ocean ; Dog Days

Wolf & Cub - UK Club Dates

An older live version of "Thousand Cuts" as a taster to coincide with the start of Wolf & Cub's UK club tour on Monday:



February
19 - Lumiere, London (supporting The Early Years)
20 - White Heat, London
21 - Rock Sound, Water Rats, London
23 - Rattled by the Rush, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
24 - Liars Club, Nottingham
27 - Joseph's Wells, Leeds
28 - Granadaland, Bradford

March
02 - Hello Mr Fast Lane, The Macbeth, Hoxton, London

Limited Edition M. Ward T-Shirt

A clothing company called ODDICA has made a limited edition t-shirt inspired by the art from the video for 'Chinese Translation'. The shirt illustration comes from the creative mind of Joel Trussell, animator/illustrator of Chinese Translation. [more]

Lisa Gerrard Tour 2007: Further Update

The following dates are now officially confirmed and/or tickets are available online:

April (Australia and Europe)
02 - Melbourne, VIC, The Forum
04 - Sydney, NSW, State Theatre
05 - Brisbane, QLD, Performing Arts Centre - Playhouse at the QPAC
11 - Barcelona, L'Auditori
13 - Milan, Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi
15 - Paris, Grand Rex
17 - Bruxelles, Cirque Royal
18 - Duisburg, Theater am Marientor
20 - Den Haag, World Forum Theater
23 - Hamburg, Deutsches Schauspielhaus
24 - Berlin, Tempodrom
25 - Warszawa, Teatr Roma
27 - Praha, Archa
29 - London, Shaftesbury Theatre

May (US and Canada)
03 - Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse
05 - Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of the Living Arts *
07 - Alexandria, VA, The Birchmere
09 - New York, NY, The Concert Hall @ the New Society for Ethical Culture
11 - Montreal, QC, Theater Maisonneuve *
13 - Toronto, ON, Danforth Music Hall *
15 - Chicago, IL, Vic Theater *
17 - Minneapolis, MN, Guthrie Theater *
19 - Denver, CO, Gothic Theatre *
22 - Vancouver, BC, Center for the Performing Arts *
24 - Seattle, WA, Moore Theatre
26 - San Francisco, CA, Palace of Fine Arts *
29 - Los Angeles, CA, Orpheum Theatre *
30 - San Diego, CA, Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay *

(* no tickets on sale yet)

Kristin on MPR

Preceeding her in-store appearance in Minneapolis on February 8, Kristin Hersh got interviewed and performed live on Minnesota Public Radio's "The Current". [listen]

Tracks:
Winter ; Nerve Endings ; Sugarbaby

Kristin on KEXP

Kristin Hersh is listed on the forthcoming schedule at KEXP for February 22. In the meantime, you can listen again to her session at Seattle based radio station KEXP from Oct. 3, 2006 where she previewed songs from Learn To Sing Like A Star [archive].

Emma Pollock live news

US & SXSW Shows
March 8th - Mo Pitkin's, New York NY (Acoustic set)
March 10th - Union Hall, Brooklyn NY (Acoustic set)
March 14th - Emo's, Austin Texas (as part of the SXSW 4ad showcase) This show will be with a full band. A couple of New York shows will also be announced soon once fully confirmed.

UK Gigs
March 20th - Fat Sams, Dundee
March 21st - The Famous Bein Inn, Glenfarg
March 22nd - The Goat, Glasgow

All the above shows will be acoustic and are part of a Versacoustic tour.

See also Emma's latest diary entry which reflects on finishing the album and provides further info on her band.

Lisa Gerrard 2007 Tour

Lisa Gerrard will tour Europe and North America in 2007. So far, the following April shows have been announced by ticket agencies throughout Europe:

13 - Milano, Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi
15 - Paris, Grand Rex
17 - Bruxelles, Cirque Royal
18 - Duisburg, Theater am Marientor
23 - Berlin, Tempodrom
25 - Warszawa, Teatr Roma

Tickets for the above dates are on sale. Further dates to be confirmed.

Shinro Ohtake takes a halt

"The Japanese artist and occasional Puzzle Punk halts his ceaseless activities for long enough to talk to Chris Sharp."

In the recent issue of The Wire magazine, you can watch selected pictures from his 'Zen-Kei: Retrospective 1955-2006' exhibition from late 2006 and listen to sound snippets from his various music projects.

The exhibition, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo from October 14 to December 24, 2006, also has its own website.

(from www.thewire.co.uk)

Miki Berenyi Sighting

"Miki Berenyi, formerly of the band Lush, has agreed to sing on the full-length album that Seinking Ships is currently working on. Both Christopher and I have been fans of Lush for many years and are very pleased to have landed such a beautiful fish as singer for this music we are creating. I just finished writing the vocal melodies for the 3 or 4 songs that Miki will be our featured guest on and it's going to be really, really, really good.

Just thought you should know from me, here, before reading or hearing about it elsewhere. Tune in to www.seinkingships.com for up to date news about all of this as it happens..." [more]

Con Art by v23

Vaughan Oliver has designed the album sleeve for Austrian band Con Art. The album, titled Pilgramgasse, has been released last month. The sleeve art features stunning imagery by photographer Mark Atkins. Mark has been collaborating with v23 on a number of recent commissions including Scott Walker, TV On The Radio, The Mountain Goats, The Late Cord, Tenspeedracer and The Open. Take a look at Mark's image library at panoptika.net.

You can buy the album at Substance.

Celebration News

WINTER 2007

Begining our record.

We find ourselves deep in the cave of Stay Gold Studios with Captain Sitek and First Mate Coady.

The days blend into nights and back into days. I'm sitting in the control room. We arrived on the thirteenth of January. It was 72 degrees in the city. Some say they don't believe in global warming. [more]

Johann Johannsson: New Piece

"Jóhann will perform a a new piece commissioned by the Snowscape:Moere festival in Sapporo, Japan on February 11th. The piece is for 2 cellos and Hammond organ and will include visuals by Tomohiko Himeshima and Katsuya Ishida. The concert is in a large glass pyramid in Moerenuma Park, which was designed by the sculptor Isamu Noguchi."

(from www.johannjohannsson.com)

M Ward to support Norah Jones

M Ward will support Norah Jones and The Handsome Band on their upcoming North American tour. Matt has contributed to Norah's latest album, "Not Too Late".

April
13 - Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre
14 - Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
15 - Portland, ME Merrill Auditorium @ City Hall
17 - Providence, RI Providence Performing Art Center
18 - New York, NY Theatre @ Madison Sq. Garden
20 - Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
21 - Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Casino
23 - Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
24 - Greensboro, NC War Memorial Auditorium
26 - Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
27 - Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
28 - Asheville, NC Orange Peel (headline show)
30 - Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall

May
01 - Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
02 - St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
04 - Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theatre
05 - Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
06 - Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
08 - Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
09 - Cleveland, OH The State Theatre @ Playhouse Square
11 - Toronto, ON Massey Hall
12 - Montreal, QC St. Denis Theatre

M Ward covers Bowie

On March 13, KCRW and Starbucks Entertainment will co-release Sounds Eclectic: The Covers Project at select Starbucks locations (Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C.) and online.

The collection features an M Ward cover of the David Bowie classic "Let's Dance" performed live in the KCRW studio as well as covers by the Flaming Lips (doing Radiohead's "Knives Out"), R.E.M. (John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind", Rufus Wainwright and Chris Stills (Neil Young's "Harvest"), Paul Weller (Rose Royce's "Wishing on a Star"), Damien Rice (Radiohead's "Creep") and others.

Proceeds from album sales will assist the station in digitizing its huge (60,000+ albums) music library.

(from Pitchfork)

The eMusic Dozen: 4AD Records

eMusic have asked music experts have to comb through eMusic's 186,432 albums and come up with the 12 best in genres like '70s Jazz, Beginner's Beethoven, Singing Movie Stars, the legendary 4AD Records, and Post-Millennial Comedy, as well as their 50 Best Albums of 2006.
The (remarkably 80s-focussed) 4AD Dozen is selected and commented on by Simon Reynolds, author of "Blissed Out" and "Rip It Up And Start Again". [more]

ThrowingMusic.com Relaunch

Take a look at the new ThrowingMusic site!

Kristin Hersh on WXRT, video contest

"Love Kristin Hersh's new album Learn To Sing Like A Star? Got a video camera and some time on your hands? Then check out the contest. Make a video of yourself singing one of Kristin's songs, and you could win your choice of being on Kristin's guest list for life, a soundcheck "meet and greet" with Kristin, or Kristin recording your answering machine message! Pretty cool, huh? Find out all the details!"

Furthermore, Kristin will participate in an interview/performance/guest DJ slot on WXRT's The Eclectic Company in Chicago. The segment will air on a special pre-Valentines Day edition of The Eclectic Company on Tuesday, February 13th between the hours of 10pm and Midnight CST.