Ballads of the Book at Tryptych 07

"[...] our Ballads Of The Book album seems to have been really capturing people's imagination and continues to traipse steadily out of the shops. For those of you in the Glasgow vicinity, be sure to bag some tickets for our all day 'Ballads Of The Book' Triptych bash at the Tramway Theatre on Sunday April 29th. Featuring performances from (amongst others) Idlewild, Sons And Daughters, King Creosote, James Yorkston, Emma Pollock, Mike Heron, Norman Blake, Alasdair Roberts, Trashcan Sinatras, Lord Cut-Glass (Alun from The Delgados), Karine Polwart, Aidan Moffat and Foxface, there will also be readings and personal appearances from writers Robin Robertson, John Burnside, Hal Duncan, Alan Bissett, Bill Duncan, Laura Hird and Rodge Glass (with his band Burnt Island. Want tickets? Go here: http://www.triptychfestival.com/main.html

If you've not had a chance to check out that album, then you should explore our mini-site for that album too... http://www.chemikal.co.uk/ballads

(from Chemikal Underground newsletter)

M. Ward re-release, new single in November

"Just got some great news from Merge Records that an M Ward gem will see a re-release this July. Duet For Guitars #2 is the foundation for Matt's solo career and is an album all M Ward fans should have a copy of. However, it's increasingly difficult to find since its original release in 2000 so it's great to see Merge doing a re-issue.

In other M Ward news, he looks to have some new material slated for this fall as well, as the announcement of a new digital single, called Early Morning Rain will see a release in November."

(from Each Note Secure blog)

Wolf & Cub Australian Tour, new single on Remote Control

"Wolf & Cub are now about to hit the road in Australia on a full national tour on the back of their new single "March Of Clouds". The new single will be released on April 28th. The single will feature a non-album track "Chameleon and the Snakes" and the Serge Santiago Dub Remix of "This Mess".

The tour kicks off on April 26th at The Peninsula Lounge, Mooruduc, VIC and makes its way around the country finishing up in the band's hometown of Adelaide at the Adelaide Uni Bar, SA on Saturday the 19th of May.

Special guest on the tour will be Perth's Snowman." [more]

TVOTR on World Cafe

Thursday, March 29, 2007
TV on the Radio stops by the World Café with host David Dye to perform songs from their latest album, Return to Cookie Mountain. Since the band's formation in 2001, these Brooklyn-based visual artists-turned-rockers have been feverishly collaborating and touring, meanwhile producing some of the most adventurous efforts in indie rock. The latest release is a visceral stew of post-punk, electroclash, hip hop and funk that includes the Café favorite "Wolf Like Me". [more]

TV On The Radio - Live at Amoeba Music

"On September 22nd, 2006, Amoeba hosted an amazing live performance from TV on the Radio - and now you can share in the live energy with a limited-edition “Live at Amoeba” EP!! The 4 tracks were recorded live and will be available exclusively through Amoeba Music (all 3 stores) and through amoeba.com."

The record can now be listened to and bought here.

New Robin Guthrie / Harold Budd Collaboration

Robin Guthrie about his next collaboration with Harold Budd:
"What we have here is a handsome collection of eighteen pieces of music compiled into two albums, twins if you like, experiments in the dualities of music and emotion, entitled After The Night Falls and Before The Day Breaks. At this time I don't have a release date but I am informed it will be in the summer..." [more]

Emma Pollock live in Dundee

On March 2, 2007 Emma played a full band set showcasing material from her forthcoming album at the Reading Rooms in Dundee, Scotland. A 30 mins stream is still available via the Vic Galloway show page at BBC Radio Scotland for today - tune into the second hour of the broadcast. [listen]

New Johann Johannsson Video

Magnus Helgason has made a new promo video for IBM 1401 Part I - Processing Unit:

50 Foot Wave and Tanya Donelly on forthcoming Neil Young Tribute

American Laundromat Records have announced that Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly will contribute tracks to a benefit album called Cinnamon Girl: Women Artists Cover Neil Young. All proceeds from the Cinnamon Girl project will be donated to Casting For Recovery, a national non-profit support and educational program for women who have or have had breast cancer. The CD is due out October 3, 2007.

Comments on the Throwing Music message board reveal that Tanya is likely to cover Heart of Gold while Kristin will supposedly activate 50 Foot Wave to perform Like A Hurricane.

Neil Halstead Live News

"hello people,

please come to this if you can.

i will be trying to play some new songs, it could be funny. lots of art stuff, film and music from the good good people at Brushfire and Woodshed xx"

Friday April 13, 2007 New York, Hiro Ballroom

Lisa Gerrard Rehearsal News

"We are now in the 2nd week of rehearsals and due to the different style of concert that Lisa wishes to travel with this time we have been spending a lot of time on the technical side creating a rich and elaborate sound. As stated previously Lisa will be joined on stage by Michael Edwards on piano and John Bonnar on keyboards.

Lisa has been singing every day and as some pieces haven't been performed live before, or at least not for many years, she is reacquainting herself with them. Pieces from Duality, Immortal Memory, Silver Tree, Gladiator, The Insider, and DCD pieces are being rehearsed, but as yet the set list has not been finalised.

The show will have an aquatic theme with references to the fragility of microscopic life forms and our responsibilities to preserve their enviroment. The "Tour Program", a Chris Bigg masterpiece echoes this theme, introducing those on stage and behind the scenes, as well as thanking those Lisa has worked with creating the pieces to be performed ... [more]

www.blonderedhead23.com

Listen to five tracks from Blonde Redhead's forthcoming album 23 on the album web site. [more]

4AD @ SXSW on Mar. 14

Five bands and artists from the current label roster are on the bill for this Wednesday's 4AD Showcase at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. Here are a few live picks from YouTube to wet your appetite:

Wolf & Cub - This Mess (Adelaide 2006)


Emma Pollock - You Come Around Again (Pittenweem Festival 2006)


Beirut - Scenic World (San Francisco 2006)


The Mountain Goats - Moon Over Goldsboro (SF Amoeba 2006)


Blonde Redhead - Anticipation (FoxRox 2004)

Emma Pollock's Diary, March 8

"New York is freezing my posterior/butt/ass.

I thought Scotland was cold but this is ridiculous. Got here last night only to find American Airlines had lost Jamie and I's guitars and Jamie's personal luggage. Then we stepped outside to get a cab from the airport and got our second shock it was so cold. At least Texas is going through a heatwave just now so we just have to go 5 days before i'll be complaining about melting in the heat.

So we're in New York now, which is lovely, and I've just had my first coffee courtesy of Connecticut Muffin on 1st St in Brooklyn. They do a good cinnamon muffin.

American Airlines (aargh!!) have lost Jamie and I's guitars so we'll just to keep our fingers crossed that they turn up on the next flight from London. I'll find out about that in an hour. So it's off to the local guitar store to buy strings... and maybe a new guitar? And I don't even have any insurance.

Playing Mo Pitkin's tonight. Looking forward to it but the lack of guitars is clearly a problem. Got a lovely preview in the NYC TIme Out. The Union Hall show in Brooklyn on Sat night is almost sold out so that's really lovely too. First foray over the water and all is looking good!"

(from www.emmapollock.com, photo credit: Stuart Reidman)

Kristin Hersh Video Contest Winners

Around the release date of Kristin's latest album Learn To Sing Like A Star, her US label Yep Roc had launched a video contest.

The Grand Prize winning entries have now been chosen:

Wild Vanilla
The Thin Man
Animal
Vertigo (footwear edition)
Hips and Makers

All five will win their choice of (1) Guest list for life, (2) Soundcheck meet & greet with Kristin or (3) Kristin does outgoing message on their answering machine or voicemail! Everyone else who participated wins a special runner-up prize.

All submissions can be watched on YouTube.

Congrats!

Lisa Gerrard - Japanese Best Of 2CD

The Japanese double CD version (4AD/Warner WPZB30001) of Lisa's Best Of Compilation was released yesterday.

From the Lisa Gerrard Forum:

"I have just bought the Japanese edition of the album (one of the perks of living in Tokyo!) and have just watched the mini documentary DVD - it's the same as the one on the 4AD website (an edit of the "Sanctuary" documentary with unseen footage). It's nice to see it properly full-screen without buffering!) There is also an extra text booklet in Japanese giving a potted history of Lisa and her career. [...]"
[more]

Wolf & Cub xfm Session

"Wolf & Cub recorded a live session at the XFM studios for John Kennedy in London last week. The session will air in April as part of the release schedule for the album Vessels in the UK."

Tracks:
This Mess ; Thousand Cuts ; Steal Their Gold ; Vessels

(from www.wolfandcub.com)

hola from Tanya

"Hello!

I’m just dropping in to say Hello! and to apologize to those of you who are waiting for cds ordered through the site. I’m waiting on a shipment myself. I will sign and send as soon as I get them. We are only taking orders on the site for another month -- the last day will be April Fools Day.

Also, the other Windham set should be up by the beginning of April. This is the set from the Whiskey Tango tour, with older songs from solo and Belly albums, with Dean on guitar, Peter Moore on keyboards (and vocals), and Rich Gilbert on guitar and slide.

Dean and I are writing songs at the moment -- I think we started a good one today. I really like it, anyway.

I hope all is well with all of you lovely people, and I’ll have some good news soon. (Not a Belly reunion, though I’d love to see you, Chris.)

Mucho gusto,
xoxo
T"

(from the Slumberland Message Board)

Eyesore: Rare Videos

You are following the weekly series of rare 4AD tracks on the Rare site? In this case you might be interested to read that Eyesore founder Lars has just started to make his collection of videotaped TV appearances in less than perfect recording quality "available for general amusement."

VideoOne is a Heidi Berry interview segment from MTV's 13 Year Itch Special. [more]

Say "G'Day" to Wolf & Cub

Beggars Group US have released a "teaser for much more Wolf & Cub video content" on iTunes. The 2 mins videocast contains recent live footage and is available worldwide. [more]

Ballads of the Book Mini-Site

To coincide with the March 5, 2007 release of Ballads of the Book, Chemikal Underground have launched an interactive mini-site. [site]

A few words from the label's newsletter:
"With an original album cover design by Alasdair Gray, supplemented by a lavish 32 page booklet (designed by Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat) 'Ballads Of The Book' is much more than a compilation album: its a snapshot of Scottish literary and musical culture. From Whitbread Novelists Of the Year (Ali Smith) to TS Eliot Award Shortlists (Robin Robertson) via the UK's #1 best selling crime writer (Ian Rankin); from folk legends Mike Heron (Incredible String Band) and Vashti Bunyan through to new Scottish talent like Foxface and Strike Colours; featuring first outings for established artists in new incarnations (ex-Delgado Alun Woodward as 'Lord Cut-Glass; Aidan Moffat And The Best Ofs) and original material from the likes of James Yorkston, Trashcan Sinatras, Karine Polwart and Malcolm Middleton, the album is full of surprising match-ups with assuredly elegant results."

And it's Emma Pollock's debut solo appearance.

Beirut News

The latest Beirut news update compiles forthcoming live dates and surprising news on the recording schedule:

"After these shows, Beirut will be travelling north to the friendly, almost French, environs of Canada to record with Owen of Final Fantasy for his new album. [...] We'll have many more exciting announcements soon, including some shows in Europe to announce and a new perfume line. We just made one of those up!" [more]

Blonde Redhead: Three Three

AOL Online features three Blonde Redhead tracks, a short Q&A and three band facts in this week's 3x3 update. The live tracks were recorded at the Route du Rock Festival in Saint Malo, France on Aug. 15, 2004. [more]
As with previous features, e.g. the one on TV On The Radio, the videos are available to the US only.

Tracks:
Anticipation ; In Particular ; The Messenger

Slightly Off The Ground Review

The exhibition of Vaughan Oliver/v23 posters at Stanley Picker Gallery closed its doors last Saturday. The gallery web site contains a few pictures of the exhibition space (click on thumbnails) which were taken by London based architectural photographer and Kingston University graduate Ellie Laycock.

Jóhann on BBC's The World

Jóhann Jóhannsson was featured in an interview on BBC's The World on February 16th. [more]

New Jóhann Jóhannsson Project and Live Dates

New Tour Dates

Johann has announced live dates for his second collaboration with dancer and choreographer Erna Ómarsdóttir. The performance is called "Mysteries of Love" and was commissioned in 2005. In this piece they are joined by dancer/choreographer Margrét Sara Gudjónsdóttir and the musicians Flosi Thorgeirsson and Valdimar Jóhannsson.

"Mysteries of Love" is a suite of 10 «songs», which followed a similar structure, i.e. 10 small works that merge music, movements, song, words and performance in a new way [...] In the piece IBM 1401, a user´s manual, we started to work with the voice as an extension of the body and as an instrument. We will in this new piece take this idea further and explore the boundaries between the concert and dance theatre. Erna and Margret use their voices as an extension of the body, not simply in a «musical» capacity, but as a source of sounds and vocal textures. [more]

April
12 - Wien, Tanzquartier (Mysteries of Love)
13 - Wien, Tanzquartier (Mysteries of Love)
14 - Wien, Tanzquartier (Mysteries of Love)
24 - Reykjavik, National Theatre (Mysteries of Love)

May
05 - Bristol (Mysteries of Love)
10 - Glasgow (Mysteries of Love)
11 - Glasgow (Mysteries of Love)
12 - Glasgow (Mysteries of Love)

June
02 - Nottingham (Mysteries of Love)
03 - Wales (IBM 1401, a User's Manual)
05 - Cardiff (IBM 1401, a User's Manual)
08 - London (Mysteries of Love)
09 - London (Mysteries of Love)


Collaboration with Monade

Monade, the side project of Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab will collaborate with Jóhann for a special concert in Iceland on March 28th. The event is going to happen at Reykjavik's National Theatre. [more]

Simon Larbalestier Sale

"Heads Up! Clearance Print Sale of 4AD prints (including Lith Prints) - prints priced from $100-$250 excluding shipping. All prints are on fibre based paper size 12"x16", titled, signed and stamped on the reverse. Please email BEFORE ordering to confirm availability. There are only a small number of these prints available for visitors to this web site... click here for details on available prints or click here to email your request."

(from www.simon-larbalestier.co.uk)

Kristin Hersh reveals next steps

"... Hersh's tour in support of the album comes to the Regent Theatre April 21 with drummer and bassist Bernard Georges and drummer Rob Ahlers — in other words, the raucous 50 Foot Wave line-up playing somewhat more restrained material: 'We call it Pussy Foot Wave.' A noisy album with that band is planned next, followed by a new album with Throwing Muses — this one likely to include Muses co-founder Tanya Donelly (who sang some back-up on the last reunion album in 2002) as a full band member..." [more]