Following their move to Europe to support the international release of their debut album Dystopia, local trio Midnight Juggernauts have just been confirmed to play the UK’s three day music extravaganza, Glastonbury.
Midnight Juggernauts will join a dazzling line-up that includes The Verve, Goldfrapp, Massive Attack, Leonard Cohen, Groove Armada, Hot Chip, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Roisin Murphy, and Aussie pals The Presets for what promises to be one huge party.
With the band on tour for much of 2008, Midnight Juggernauts are making their mark on the international circuit with upcoming festival performances at Primavera Sound (Spain), Eurockeenes (France), Lovebox (England), Rockness (Scotland), Electric Picnic (Ireland), and playing plenty of their own headline shows along the way.
Tour Dates
Fri 9 May - Bowery Room, New York NY
Wed 14 May - Club Quattro, Osaka Japan
Thurs 15 May - Liquid Room, Tokyo Japan
Fri 16 May - Bottom Line, Nagoya Japan
Fri 27 June - Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury UK
The Grates are currently in the studio recording their sophomore album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with producer Peter Katis (Interpol, Tokyo Police Club).
On this album, The Grates have brought a depth and density to the songwriting, the lyrics are raw and poignant, the sonics more biting and aggressive. There’s still that Grates spirit and vibrancy, but there’s also more reflection and more sophistication of expression. Teeth Lost, Hearts Won is looking to capture something of the Flaming Lips’ sense of whimsy and grandness with a fuzzpop edge of Weezer’s “Pinkerton” album.
The Grates had this to say about making the album: “Teeth Lost, Hearts Won is an album in the same high spirit as our first, but with a greater sense of dreaminess, grandness and guts. The last few years of touring really fed our confidence and built our sound. Whilst writing we fought each other, but didn't write songs of frustration, rather respecting the battles as a passage for growth. We chased what excited us and celebrate in our achievements, as friends.”
The Grates sophomore album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won is due out in August through Dew Process.
Visiter, by San Francisco band The Dodos, is their second full length and first for Frenchkiss. Originally formed in 2006 under the moniker Dodobird as a one man acoustic act, Meric Long would gig around SF playing folky guitar with a combination of loops and ambient keyboards.
The Dodos toured in 2007 with Les Savy Fav, Akron/Family, Jennifer Gentle, Wovenhand and Peter and the Wolf. 2008 will bring even more touring for them with stops at the Noise Pop, SXSW and Culture Shock festivals.
Fri 2 May - Natural History Museum, Los Angeles CA
Fri 9 May - Amoeba, San Francisco CA
Thu 29 May - Louisiana, Bristol UK
Fri 30 May - Red Room, Nottingham UK
Sun 1 June - Point Ephemere, Paris FR
Mon 2 June - Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London UK
Tue 3 June - Amersham Arms, London UK
Wed 4 June - Doornroosje Nijmegen
Fri 6 June - 4 AD Diksmuide Belgium
Sat 7 June - Paradiso Amsterdam
Sun 8 June - Magnet Berlin GER
Mon 9 June - Luxor Cologne GER
Wed 11 June - Night and Day, Manchester UK
Thu 12 June - Beat Club, Glasgow SCOT
Fri 12 June - Crawdaddy, Dublin UK
Thu 19 June - Independent, San Francisco CA
Tue 24 June - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland OR
Wed 25 June - KEXP, Seattle WA
Wed 25 June - Neumo’s, Seattle WA
Thu 26 June - The Bourbon, Vancouver BC
Sat 28 June - Sled Island Festival, Calgary AL
Wed 2 July - The Grove Plaza, Boise ID
Fri 4 July - Filling Station Bozeman MT
Mon 7 July - The Aquarium Fargo ND
Tue 8 July - Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis MN
Wed 9 July - The Wisconsin Union, Madison WI
Fri 11 July - Division Ave Arts Cooperative, Grand Rapids MI
Sat 19 July - Siren Music Festival, Brooklyn NY
Sun 20 July - Pitchfork Festival Chicago IL
Fri 25 July - Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle WA
Fri 1 August - Oya Festival, NOR
Fri 8 August - Way Out West Festival, Gothenburg SWE
Sun 10 August - Haldern Festival, Haldern GER
Sun 28 September - Spiegeltent, New York NY
Fri 3 October - Dartmouth College, Hanover NH
Sat 4 October - Pop Montreal, La Sala Rossa, Montreal QC
Fri 10 October - Earlham University, Richmond IN
Fri 17 October - Dickenson College, Carlisle PA
If you still haven't your copy of Whitley's debut album Australian fans can benefit from a special offer. Retailer JB Hi-Fi have a limited special price offer online and in store. At their price you can buy, like, five of them!
Also, side note - The Corner and The Annandale tickets are selling fast!
Tour Dates:
Thurs 8 May - Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay NSW
Fri 9 May - The Zoo, Brisbane QLD
Sat 10 May - Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour NSW
Tues 13 May - ANU Bar, Canberra ACT
Wed 14 May - Oxford Tavern, Wollongong NSW
Thurs 15 May - Clarendon House, Katoomba NSW
Fri 16 May - Annandale Hotel, Sydney NSW
Sat 17 May - Northern Star, Newcastle NSW
Wed 21 May - Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC
Thu 22 May - Golden Vine, Bendigo VIC
Fri 23 May - Jive, Adelaide SA
Wed 28 May - The Loft, Warrnambool VIC
Thu 29 May - Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Fri 30 May - Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc VIC
Sat 31 May - Republic Bar, Hobart TAS
Perth people - hang in there - shows to be announced shortly!
Nik Freitas will showcase his forthcoming Team Love debut, Sun Down on stages across America this spring.
Nik Freitas' debut (due to hit stores hit stores on Thurs 8 May) is the end product of several years of ups and downs. Sun Down is a succinct, concentrated record that will take the listener from Paul Simon's Graceland to David Bowie's Hunky Dory. To support the release, Nik has just announced some special tour dates!
Dates:
Thurs 1 May - Tokyo Gardens, Fresno CA
Fri 2 May - Spaceland, Los Angeles CA
Thurs 15 May - Concerts in the Park, San Diego CA - with Rilo Kiley
Sun 18 May - The Black Sheep, Colorado Springs CO - with Rilo Kiley
Mon 19 May - Ogden Theatre, Denver CO - with Rilo Kiley
Tues 20 May - Slowdown, Omaha NE - with Rilo Kiley
Wed 21 May - Slowdown, Omaha NE - with Rilo Kiley
Thurs 22 May - First Avenue, Minneapolis MN - with Rilo Kiley
Fri 23 May - Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee WI - with Rilo Kiley
Sat 24 May - The Riviera, Chicago IL - with Rilo Kiley
Sun 25 May - Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak MI - with Rilo Kiley
Mon 26 May - House of Blues, Cleveland OH - with Rilo Kiley
Wed 28 May - Pheonix Theatre, Toronto ONT - with Rilo Kiley
Fri 30 May - Palladium, Worcester MA - with Rilo Kiley
Sat 31 May - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence RI - with Rilo Kiley
Sun 1 June - Calvin Theatre, Northampton MA - with Rilo Kiley
Mon 2 June - Terminal 5, New York NY - with Rilo Kiley
Bright Eyes front man Conor Oberst has a new, solo record.
This recording was made in Tepoztlán, Morelos, México during the months of January and February 2008. In Tepoztlán, a place known for Aztec Magic and Extra-Terrestrial Sightings, a temporary studio was created in a mountain villa called Valle Místico at the outskirts of town. It was produced by Conor Oberst with much help from engineer and long time associate Andy LeMaster. A special band was assembled for the recording, known amongst themselves and to friends as The Mystic Valley Band. It was there at Valle Místico that Oberst and the band lived and worked for that time in near perfect harmony, often unaware of the hour or the day. The result is his first solo album in thirteen years, following Water (1993), Here’s To Special Treatment (1994) and Soundtrack To My Movie (1995). In that time he has recorded and preformed in many bands and musical projects including Commander Venus, Park Ave., Desaparecidos, and most notably Bright Eyes, his main musical vehicle for the past decade.
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band will be touring in support of this album throughout the summer and have already announced an appearance at September’s Austin City Limits festival.
Track List in full:
1. Cape Cañaveral
2. Sausalito
3. Get-Well-Cards
4. Lenders In The Temple
5. Danny Callahan
6. I Don’t Want To Die (In The Hospital)
7. Eagle On A Pole
8. Moab
9. NYC – Gone, Gone
10. Valle Místico (Ruben's Song)
11. Souled Out!!!
12. Milk Thistle
Live shows for Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band:
Fri 22 August - Leeds Festival ENG
Sun 24 August - Reading Festival EGN
Sun 31 August - Electric Picnic, County Laois IRE
Sat 27 September - ACL Music Festival, Austin TX
Two Australian artists The John Steel Singers and Cloud Control have joined forces for a harmonious twelve date tour. Jet pack prepared, The John Steel Singers and Cloud Control will be launching their dualheadline Flying High Tour across five states throughout May.
Wed 7 May - Newcastle Uni (lunchtime), Newcastle NSW (The John Steel Singers only)
Thurs 8 May - Transit Bar, Canberra ACT
Fri 9 May - Trisellies, Blue Mountains NSW
Sat 10 May - Spectrum, Darlinghurst NSW
Sun 11 May- Beach Road Hotel, Bondi NSW
Thurs 15 May - National Hotel, Geelong VIC (w/ The John Steel Singers & 78 Saab only)
Fri 16 May - Pony Bar, Melbourne VIC
Sat 17 May - ED Castle, Adelaide SA
Thurs 22 May - The Coffs Hotel, Coffs Harbour NSW (The John Steel Singers only)
Sat 24 May - Street Kid Club- Upstairs @ The Clock Hotel, Surfers Paradise QLD (The John Steel Singers only)
Thurs 29 May - The Rails, Byron Bay NSW (The John Steel Singers only)
Fri 30 May - Bon Amici Café, Toowoomba NSW
Sat 31 May - The Zoo, Brisbane QLD
Their story began as most others does. They came from the same Swedish town, met through mutual friends, had similar interests and musical preferences, made a web-based Christmas calendar, dabbled with electro-pop. And so on, your ususal fodder.
Now ready to hit Australia with their unique blast of sound, WB is happy to announce that The Sound of Arrows are coming to a town near you!
Tues 6 May - The Toff In The Town, Melbourne, VIC
Thurs 8 May - Health Club @ Flinders Hotel, Sydney NSW
Sat 10 May - Spring Hill Pool, Brisbane QLD
Eric Pulido, guitarist of the critically lauded band Midlake, has launched his own brand of coffee. Cappulido Coffee was born in the Spring 2008, and features six different blends of fair traded coffee. With each purchase of Cappulido Coffee, you are giving aid directly back to farmers in developing countries, lending them the financial support necessary to continue developing an excellent product and compete in the world market.
Cappulido's distributor visits small estate farmers in several developing countries to achieve a firsthand understanding of the devastating impact of falling coffee prices and the resulting growing plight of farming families in developing countries.
So why not support small estate coffee farmers and independent music and get caffeinated with Cappulido? There's even a nifty monthly subscription option, where you can have a bag of beans drop on your doorstop at the top of every month.
One festival everyone at WB has been itching to find the line-up of! Finally! Splendour details have hit our desk!
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS will return to warm up your winter this Sat 2 August and Sun 3 August. Australia’s much loved festival event will take place at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay and will feature a veritable feast of musical treasures from around the globe.
In keeping with SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS tradition, each year event organisers handpick a
local community organisation to be the beneficiary of funds raised through a $2.00 (per ticket)
contribution from every event ticket sold. This year the Splendour crew will split proceeds of
these contributions between the Byron Bay Hospital and WIRES Northern Rivers. The Byron Bay
Hospital will use their share of funds raised to purchase some much needed medical
equipment, while WIRES (Wildlife Information and Rescue Service) will use their contribution to
fund an awareness program designed to ensure the preservation of the native Wildlife.
Watch this space for further line-up details in coming weeks!
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2008
DEVO
WOLFMOTHER
SIGUR ROS
THE LIVING END
THE PRESETS
TRICKY
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
BEN LEE
COLD WAR KIDS
THE FRATELLIS
THE WOMBATS
PNAU
LAURA MARLING
THE VINES
THE GRATES
OPERATOR PLEASE
BAND OF HORSES
VAN SHE
THE PANICS
GYROSCOPE
MSTRKRFT
LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION
THE BROWN BIRDS FROM WINDY HILL
SCRIBE
THE MUSIC
THE GIN CLUB
AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2008 TICKET PRICES
Event ticket $199 (inc gst) + bf
Green Event Ticket $206 (inc gst) + bf
Camping ticket $132 (inc gst) + bf
TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY 22ND MAY AT 9AM
Internet sales only – www.qjump.com.au
Bristol’s festival of musical overlap returns for a fifth year of celebratory musical mix ‘n’ match from Thurs 5 June to Sun 8 June.
Following last year’s triumphant edition featuring key sets from Faust, A Hawk and A Hacksaw, Luke Vibert and Zun Zun Egui - Venn 08 retains much the same format, but expands to incorporate a joyful safari through a host of unlikely new venues and contexts. Events will unfold in planetariums, scout huts, skate parks and other mischievously appropriated spots around the city, as Venn maintains its resolve to find fun new ways to flip the urban festival format.
Highlights amongst this year’s line-up, which features nearly 70 acts of all manner of musical stripes, include:
Matmos
Why?
The Heads
Sunburned Hand Of The Man
Fuck Buttons
Murcof
Errorsmith
Flying Lotus
Skeletons and The Kings of All Cities
Snorkel
The Fungus Moth
John Wall
Wildbirds and Peacedrums
MoHa!
Hauschka
Chris Cundy
One More Grain
Some nice news for The Magnetic Fields fans in London! Their romp through the UK includes a London stop with shows on the evenings of Wed 9 July and Thurs 10 July at Cadogan Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
