JAMES JACKSON TOTH TO RELEASE DEBUT SOLO ALBUM, WAITING IN VAIN

Photo By: Bo Streeter 

The Tennesee-based singer and songwriter, James Jackson Toth, will release his debut solo album, Waiting In Vain, on Rykodisc on July 29, 2008.

On Waiting In Vain, Toth’s scenarios are intriguingly tawdry, his sounds tantalizing, with beautifully layered, almost-dreamlike harmonies; touches of blues, country and soul; the occasional flash of punk swagger; and even some sweet Fleetwood Mac-inspired pop. With his evocative, world-weary drawl of a voice, Toth assumes the role of storyteller, maybe even confessor, spinning inter-linked tales of hope and misfortune, romantic trials and spiritual yearning with an underlying theme of “temptation and redemption, and the varying ways you can view these things” throughout.

Toth’s approach to recording Waiting In Vain was “to plug in and see what happens, but I certainly had a lot of preconceived ideas, some of which were a reach and some that weren’t. My favorite period of music is rock and roll right before disco, when those elements just started sneaking in. I’m obsessed with mid-period Rolling Stones and Neil Young, Royal Trux, stuff like that. I wanted the album to have a mid-seventies-like feel, prosperity be damned!”

Waiting In Vain is the first album that Toth, long a cult figure among underground rock followers, has chosen to release as a solo artist, and it marks a new beginning for him. For several years, he and wife Jexie experimented with a folk-psychedelic rock hybrid, releasing music under many pseudonyms including variations of the name Wooden Wand. For his last Wooden Wand release, James and the Quiet (2007), Toth stated that he was deliberately trying to make an “un-weird” album, and he set aside the psychedelic ramblings for more concise song-forms leaning toward the sound he’s realized on Waiting In Vain.

Despite his solo billing on Waiting In Vain, Toth, who plays some electric guitar, is joined by a small circle of musician friends, most of them San Francisco-based, including guitarists John Dietrich (Deerhoof), Nels Cline (Wilco) and Andy Cabic (Vetiver); alt-country multi-instrumentalist Carla Bozulich (Geraldine Fibbers); bassist Shayde Sartin (Giant Sunflower Band); drummer Otto Hauser (Vetiver/Devendra Banhart) and Pacific Northwest indie-rock figure Steve Fisk (Screaming Trees, Nirvana) as producer.

Nothing Hides MP3:
LISTEN HERE!

http://www.myspace.com/jamesjacksontoth

CONGRATS: BUCKCHERRY NEW ALBUM, 15, GOES PLATINUM

BUCKCHERRY - “SORRY” - REAL AUDIO:
LISTEN HERE!

BUCKCHERRY - “SORRY” - WINDOWS AUDIO:
LISTEN HERE!

BUCKCHERRY “SORRY” VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:

SAVING ABEL JOIN THE SICK PUPPIES TOUR AS OPENING BAND

SELF-TITLED MAJOR LABEL DEBUT DROPPED MARCH 11TH

Memphis based Southern boys Saving Abel, whose self-titled Virgin Records debut is set to be released on March 11th have announced a string of tour dates as opening band for label mates Sick Puppies beginning today at the Canyon in Las Vegas, NV (full schedule below). With four weeks until Saving Abel’s debut hits stores, the southern rockers first single “Addicted” is quickly becoming a staple at rock and alternative radio. The infectious, sexually charged anthem has been one of the most added new songs at both formats for the last three weeks and charted at active rock during its first official week of airplay.

“We’re excited to tour with the Sick Puppies and we’re ready to take on the world with the release of our album, 08′ is going to be a big year for Saving Abel,” said frontman Jared Weeks.

Saving Abel - named after the Biblical sibling of Cain - was formed by Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null in 2004 in their hometown of Corinth, Mississippi. Influenced by southern rock, hard rock and mainstream alternative, they went through several musicians before arriving at their current lineup which includes guitarist Scott Bartlett, bassist Eric Taylor and drummer Blake Dixon - the perfect blend of chemistry and musical ability. The band’s first break came in 2005, when they hooked up with Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed), who produced their 2005 self-titled EP.

Saving Abel Tour Dates with the Sick Puppies
April 3 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
April 5 Dallas, TX House of Blues
April 6 Houston, TX Meridian
April 7 Austin, TX Emo’s
April 9 Phoenix, AZ The Brickhouse
April 11 San Diego, CA Canes Bar Grill

“Addicted” Audio
LISTEN HERE!

“Addicted” YouTube Video (Dirty Version)

JIMMY EAT WORLD BLEED AMERICAN DELUXE OUT APRIL 29

Photo: Jason Odell

2-Disc Edition Features Rare Import Tracks, B-Sides, Previously Unreleased Live And Demo Tracks, Newly Recorded “Your House 2007″

For every artist paralyzed with fear and frustration as to how to “make it” in today’s terrifying marketplace, the story behind Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American provides both inspiration and a lesson in Perseverance 101.

Circa August 1999, things couldn’t look much more dire for the Mesa AZ foursome. Jim Adkins, Rick Burch, Zach Lind and Tom Linton had seen their two major label full lengths, Static Prevails and Clarity, ignored by mainstream media, radio and their label Capitol Records, who had just unceremoniously dropped them.

However, this same turn of events that has broken the will–and the bank–of many a lesser artist found Jimmy Eat World celebrating its newfound independence with a self-promoted five-week tour of Europe. That their label had never released Jimmy Eat World material overseas was hardly an obstacle: The band began buying its own records from the label’s distributor and shipping them to Europe independently. Within a year, Jimmy Eat World was playing Europe’s biggest festivals as Clarity hit the German charts, self-releasing and independently releasing compilations and EPs, doing Japanese licensing deals, and touring touring touring… ultimately channeling everything back into the recording of Bleed American.

Having recorded it on their own dime as a dedication to the fans that had kept them alive during the lean times, the members of Jimmy Eat World couldn’t possibly have predicted that Bleed American would become a platinum-plus, MTV VMA-nominated bona fide career breakthrough smash. Released in July 2001, in a world with no iTunes store, no MySpace, no Facebook, and charts still utterly dominated by the Britneys, N Syncs and Limp Bizkits, four down to earth guys from Arizona who’d just been dropped by a major label improbably rode this self-funded album to platinum status, their biggest tours to date and an appearance on Saturday Night Live.

For anyone looking to do the same, the path is simple: Just create songs as heartfelt, tuneful and instantly indelible as Bleed American’s title track, “The Middle,” “Sweetness,”  “A Praise Chorus” or “The Authority Song,” all of which remain staples of the band’s live set to this day. And for those who crave something other than the perfect upbeat and optimistic pop anthem, the minor key whisper-to-a-scream “Get It Faster,” the five and a half minute “Cautioners” and the somber “My Sundown” all stand as proof of Jimmy Eat World’s daring and depth.

This 2-disc deluxe edition of Bleed American not only restores the record’s original title-the band re-titled the record Jimmy Eat World following the events of 9/11 and the subsequent deployment of U.S. troops to the Middle East-but also provides further documentation of Jimmy Eat World’s powerful and prolific output circa 2001-2002: Obscure fan favorites “No Sensitivity,” “Softer” and “(Splash) Turn Twist,” the collectors item holiday single “Last Christmas”/”Firestarter,” the band’s cover of Guided By Voices’ “Game of Pricks,” and the piece de resistance, the never before heard “Your House 2007.” The stunning reimagining of the Bleed American track the band debuted on its 2007 stripped down semi-acoustic tour elicited an unexpectedly intense response from fans at the shows and later on message boards, moving the band to commit the arrangement to tape to honor its fans if nothing else…

The 2-disc Bleed American deluxe collects all this and more for the first time in one place, creating an essential and comprehensive document for any fan of Jimmy Eat World-or any fan of what USA TODAY called “euphoric, uplifting, reassuring rock.”

DISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL ALBUM
1 BLEED AMERICAN
2 A PRAISE CHORUS
3 THE MIDDLE
4 YOUR HOUSE
5 SWEETNESS
6 HEAR YOU ME
7 IF YOU DON’T, DON’T
8 GET IT FASTER
9 CAUTIONERS
10 THE AUTHORITY SONG
11 MY SUNDOWN

BONUS TRACKS
12 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS
from the Good To Go EP
13 NO SENSITIVITY
from the German “The Middle” single
14 (SPLASH) TURN TWIST
from The Middle (And More) EP

DISC TWO: B-SIDES AND BONUS TRACKS
1 CAUTIONERS early version
from the Good To Go EP
2 FIRESTARTER
b-side of the “Last Christmas” single
3 GET IT FASTER sessions @ aol version
previously unreleased
4 BLEED AMERICAN live
from The Middle/A Praise Chorus Tour EP
5 A PRAISE CHORUS live
from the Good To Go EP
6 SOFTER live
from the Good To Go EP
7 THE MIDDLE acoustic
from The Middle/A Praise Chorus Tour EP
8 IF YOU DON’T, DON’T XFM session
from the UK “The Middle” single
9 GAME OF PRICKS Radio 1 session
from the UK “The Middle” single
10 THE AUTHORITY SONG demo
from the German “Bleed American” single
11 MY SUNDOWN inner ear recording
from Believe In What You Want
12 SWEETNESS live
previously unreleased
13 LAST CHRISTMAS
limited edition single
14 MY SUNDOWN demo
from the German “Bleed American” single
15 SPANGLE
from the Good To Go EP
16 HEAR YOU ME inner ear recording
from Believe In What You Want
17 THE MIDDLE early demo
from the German “The Middle” single
18 YOUR HOUSE 2007
previously unreleased

www.jimmyeatworld.com

Aimee Mann To Release @#%&! SMILERS On 6/3/08

Aimee Mann announces release of new album @#%&! Smilers,  will hit the road this spring and summer
 
Aimee Mann’s seventh solo release to date, @#%&! Smilers, is a return to form after the artistic detours of 2005’s concept album The Forgotten Arm and 2006’s Christmas CD One More Drifter in the Snow.

You can download “Thirty One Today” in the Media Section here: http://www.girlieaction.com/aimeemann
 
Featuring thirteen new original songs, producer Paul Bryan describes the record as “deceptively powerful…very rich and grand sounding”. The songs range from the stripped-down-to-basics of “Columbus Avenue”, to the almost Cars-esque synth-pop of “Freeway”, along side the classic Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell-era “Phoenix”, and the hushed creepiness of “Little Tornado.” The final song “Ballantines” is a duet with Sean Hayes complete with barroom piano and trombone section. All of the songs were penned by Mann, with the exception of “True Believer”, co-written with fellow singer-songwriter Grant Lee Phillips.
 
An amalgamation of sounds, Aimee explains “we tried not to echo any previous albums…for this one we wanted to use a different palate, thus replacing electric guitars with distorted Wurlitzers, Clavinets, and analog synthesizers. We made the low end and rhythm section full and organic-sounding, with Jay Bellrose’s quirky approach to percussion and my acoustic guitar together. For this album the acoustic guitar is present in a new way, one that melds with Jay’s rhythm section and acts as an adjunct to the high-hat. On top of that we layered detailed interwoven keyboards and on select songs added a lush string section; on others a full horn section.” The album was recorded in the latter part of 2007 at the Sound Factory studios in Los Angeles, engineered by Ryan Freeland and mastered by Gavin Lurssen.
 
After finishing off 2007 with her critically acclaimed sold-out Christmas tour, Aimee will return to the road in support of Smilers this Spring and Summer, including a stop at Bonnaroo. Look for upcoming appearances on NPR’s All Things Considered and the Ovation channel’s Live from the Artist’s Den performance series, amongst others.
 
Aimee Mann On Tour
 
June 2          Los Angeles, CA                Largo
June 6          Anaheim, CA                    House of Blues
June 10        Los Angeles, CA                Largo
June 12        Minneapolis, MN                Minneapolis Zoo
June 13        Milwaukee WI                   Pabst Theater
June 15        Manchester, TN                 Bonnaroo Music Festival
 
July 9           Boulder, CO                     Chautauqua Auditorium
July 11         Denver, CO                     Denver Botanical Gardens
July 12         Park City, UT                   Deer Valley Resort
July 14         Saratoga, CA                   Mountain Winery
July 15         Rosebud, OR                    Stewart Park
July 16         Seattle, WA                     Seattle Zoo
July 24         Calgary, Alberta                Calgary Music Festival
 

Tina Dico Releases ‘Count To Ten’ On April 8, 2008

Singer-Songwriter Tina Dico released her first album ‘Fuel’ in 2001 to critical acclaim. Not happy to rest on her laurels, Tina’s wanderlust took her to London where she embarked on two years of musical isolation and discovery. Along the way, she was invited to feature on Zero 7’s second album ‘When It Falls’. Featuring on two tracks, Tina went on to tour the world with the band. In the midst of this, Tina found time to write, record and release a second album (’Notes’) and an EP that was released solely in the UK and North America (’Far’). This activity culminated in signing a major record deal with Sony in the UK. Tina went on to record what would be her most successful album to date (’In The Red’). The album was produced by Chris Potter (best known for his work with The Verve). With the Sony/BMG restructuring, Tina became a pawn in the merger and the newly formed Sony BMG gave Tina back the masters for her to release independently. Since then, Tina has never looked back. Picking up several music awards along the way, Tina continued to tour extensively, signed a licensing deal with Universal in Germany and gathered further critical acclaim from all quarters. Tina is now about to release her 4th studio album (’Count To Ten’) and already the critics and media are sighting this recording as her most important and personal release to date.

“On The Run” Video

TOUR
May 5 - Joe’s Pub New York, New York
May 6 - Schubas Chicago, Illinois
May 7 - The Khyber Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 8 - Ram’s Head Tavern Annapolis, Maryland
May 9 - La Sala Rossa - w.Teitur Montreal, Quebec
May 10 - Le Cercle - w.Teitur Quebec City, Quebec
May 12 - The Courthouse - w.Teitur Toronto, Ontario
May 13 - The Ark - w.Teitur Ann Arbor, Michigan
May 15 - Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, California

Kaki King Hosts Crafty Mobile Making Contest

Kaki King Gets Mobile with Mobiles! Enter Mobile-Photo Contest To Win Secret Prize!

WHAT?
The always-innovative Kaki King has worked hard to release her most impressive album yet, Dreaming Of Revenge, on March 11, 2008! She is now challenging you to show how artistic you can be with her Mobile Photography contest! Read below for more information and instructions on how to enter and win her secret prize!

HOW?
In the packaging of Kaki King’s album, Dreaming Of Revenge, there are several cut outs, representative of the “four elements”, which can be assembled into a mobile, similar to the one above her on the album cover. Once assembled, fans can e-mail photos of themselves with the mobile, the mobile hanging in a cool place, etc. to: mobile@kakiking.com
Get as creative as you can!

WHERE?
Think you can be more inventive than your favorite celebrities?
Click here to see photo entries made by fans and celebs including, Dave Grohl, Robin Williams, Dave Eggers, Amy Tan and Matt Groening!
VIEW HERE!

WHEN?
NOW!

http://www.myspace.com/kakiking

Gossip’s Live Video: “Standing In The Way Of Control”

Columbia Records / Music With A Twist is set to release “Gossip - Live In Liverpool,” a deluxe live CD/DVD combination package from Gossip, America’s premier indie pop/soul/experimental trio, on Tuesday, April 15.

Recorded live in concert on July 9, 2007, “Gossip - Live In Liverpool” brilliantly captures and focuses the stunning ferocity, energy and intensity at the heart of Gossip’s groundbreaking meld of sound + politics. This incendiary concert showcase breaks out definitive performances of Gossip signature tunes including the band’s UK #1 Indie chart-topping smash, “Standing In The Way Of Control”; the UK Top 40 hit, “Listen Up”; and the #3 UK Indie track, “Jealous Girls” in addition to delightfully provocative covers of Wham!’s “Careless Whisper” and Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?”

Quicktime Stream
Gossip - Live In Liverpool
“Standing In The Way Control”
DOWNLOAD HERE!

Quicktime Download
Gossip - Live In Liverpool
“Standing In The Way Control”
STREAM HERE!

FOO FIGHTERS ADD TO U.S. SUMMER TOUR ITINERARY

Photo: Ben Watts

Foo Fighters have announced that they will headline Virgin Festival 2008 at Toronto’s Island Park. They have also added to their US tour itinerary with newly announced dates at East Ruthorford, NJ among others. The band will continue to announce new dates over the next few weeks. Supergrass will be supporting on all U.S. summer shows.

The U.S. summer tour extends what is shaping up to be an extraordinary year on the road - the Foos recently sold out their first ever show at Madison Square Garden, have sold out two June dates at London’s Wembley Stadium, and between now and July will visit Japan, Finland, and Australia, among others. The reviews of the band’s recently concluded American tour were glowing; the Houston Chronicle called the Foos “a band at the peak of its powers, in all respects,” and the Boston Globe described ringleader Dave Grohl as “the funniest, savviest, and most exciting frontman in rock ‘n’ roll in 2008.”

Stay tuned to FooFighters.com for ticket information and further updates.

July 9 - Seattle WA - Key Arena
July 10 - Portland OR - Rose Garden Arena
July 14 & 15 - Morrison CO - Red Rocks
July 17 - Oklahoma City OK - Ford Center (rescheduled from earlier this year)
July 19 - Kansas City MO - Kemper Arena
July 20 - St. Louis MO - Scottrade Center
July 22 - Grand Rapids MI - Van Andel Arena
July 23 - Indianapolis IN - Conseco Field House
July 25 - Cleveland OH - Quicken Loans Arena
July 26 - Pittsburgh PA - Peterson Events Center
July 29 - East Rutherford NJ - Izod Center
August 9 - Baltimore MD - Pimlico Race Course - Virgin Mobile Festival
September 6 - Toronto ON - Virgin Festival

www.foofighters.com

Lawson Rollins To Release Expansive Multicultural Solo Debut Album May 20th

Infinita is a richly decorated tapestry of jazz and World Music featuring renowned musicians.
 
Exquisite Spanish guitar melodies and ethnically diverse grooves dance and romance on Lawson Rollins’ alluring solo debut album, Infinita, which will be released May 20th on the artist’s Infinita Records label that is distributed by Baja/TSR Records.  Rollins composed the eleven songs that comprise the inspired jazz-World Music disc that he produced with Shahin Shahida (of the Persian-American group Shahin & Sepehr) and Dominic Camardella (Ottmar Liebert, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira).  Graced with gorgeous Portuguese vocals from Brazilian chanteuse Purim, the title track will be serviced to multiple radio formats including smooth jazz, college and non-commercial public radio with an add date of April 21st. 

Infinita is an authentic collection that unites accomplished musicians and disparate influences from around the world such as Latin, Indian, Persian, Arabic, South American, European and American on a unifying, genre-defying mission of infinite possibilities that only music without borders can create.  Leading this United Nations-like effort is Rollins’ multilingual guitar, virtuously crooning with precision, poetry and passion over lavishly produced tracks that vary in mood spanning festive celebrations, mystery and intrigue, and poignant reflections.  With Shahida and Camardella contributing an array of instrumentation, percussion legend Moreira lends vocals as does Afghan vocalist Humayun Khan.  Adding Middle Eastern instrumentation are Azerbaijani kamanche master Imamyar Hassanov and Pejman Hadidi on tombak.  Completing the core ensemble are Grammy-winning violinist Charlie Bisharat, bassist Randy Tico, trumpeter Jeff Elliot and drummer-percussionist Dave Bryant in addition to a string orchestra in Prague. 

“I had a vision of what I wanted from the beginning, but over time, and through the contributions from my guest artists, the project took on a life of its own,” explained Rollins.  “There is a profound cross-cultural connection in the ancestry of the modern Spanish guitar to earlier instruments like the Arabic oud, the Persian tar and even the Indian sitar.  Bringing these styles together is like returning to the roots of the guitar.”  

Originally a drummer from the age of eight, the San Francisco-based Rollins fell in love with classical Spanish guitar as a teenager and studied prodigiously.  He developed an expressive guitar voice along with an inventive classical fingerstyle technique that he utilizes exclusively.  In his early twenties, Rollins was drawn to rhythmically dynamic Spanish folk music and the freedom he found in Latin jazz and South American music.  A decade ago, he partnered with Daniel Young to form the Latin guitar fusion duo Young & Rollins.  They established themselves on the international music scene through four critically-acclaimed albums, widely televised concerts, and extensive live performances in far-reaching venues ranging from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center.  Their original and experimental amalgam of improvisational guitar interplay set in rhythmscapes that incorporate salsa, samba, Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, blues, classical and flamenco landed on the Billboard and radio charts.  Additional information about Rollins is available at www.lawsonrollins.com. 

The songs contained on Infinita are:

“Café Jobim”                           
“Through the Night”
“Echoes of Madrid”                 
“Ceremony”
“In Motion”                             
“New World Raga”
“The Awakening”                     
“Streets of San Miguel”
“Infinita”                                  
“For JoAnn”
“Southwind”

Next Page »