Lily Allen & Debbie Harry - Today Show - May 25th!

Calling all Blondie and Lily fans! If you can bear to be seen among those wacky tourists and their cardboard "We love you Matt Lauer!" signs, get yourselves to Rockefeller center tomorrow, Friday - May 25th.

NME is reporting that Debbie (diva) and Lily (diva-in-traing) are going to sing "Heart of Glass" together outside on the Plaza as part of the Today Show's concert series.

Splurge - Releases for Tuesday, May 22nd

Another week + more releases = less and less space for these suckers

But don't you dare suggest that I get rid of any of them!

- Handsome Furs : Plague Park - Sub Pop

- The Maccabees : Colour it In - Geffen

- The National : Boxer - Beggars Banquet (US)

- Stars : Do You Trust Your Friends? - Arts & Crafts

- Voxtrot : Voxtrot - Play Louder

It's Official - Frodo to Play Iggy!

Rumors have been swirling on this one forever, but an article in Variety seems to make it all nice and official.

Frodo Baggins Elijah Wood will play Iggy Pop in an upcoming bio-pic based on the strange but true life story of the invincible Stooge.

Bark if you want Elijah to be your dog!!

Rufus Wainwright - 4 Night Stand in NYC

Rufus Wainwright is hitting the road hard to promote his latest disc Release the Stars.

Beside channeling Judy Garland from time to time, he'll drop in for 4 dates at the Gramercy Theatre New York's Blender Theatre at Gramercy.

Catch him there June 5,6, 8 & 9.

Tix are on sale now.

More dates on pollstar.com

Splurge - Releases for Tuesday, May 15th

I think this week is all about hitting every demographic possible.

If you can't find something from this bunch that interests you - check your pulse!


- Au Revoir Simone : The Bird of Music - Our Secret Records

- Dolores O'Riordan - Are You Listening - Sanctuary Records

- Dungen : Tito Bitar - Kemado Records

- Genesis : 1976-1982 - Yep Roc Records

- Great Northern : Trading Twilight for Daylight - Eenie Meenie

- Ian Hunter : Shrunken Heads - Yep Roc Records

- The Race : Ice Station - Flameshovel Records

- Rufus Wainwright : Release the Stars - Geffen

- Wilco : Sky Blue Sky - Nonesuch Records

The Pipettes - North American Tour Dates

Gwenno, RiotBecki and Rosay are coming around again!

NYC date is June 5th at Highline Ballroom - Tix are on sale now.


More dates:

Fri 06/01/07 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace

Sat 06/02/07 Washington, DC - Black Cat

Sun 06/03/07 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church

Mon 06/04/07 Boston, MA - Great Scotts

Tue 06/05/07 New York, NY - HighLine Ballroom

Thu 06/07/07 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle

Fri 06/08/07 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry

Sun 06/10/07 San Diego, CA - The Casbah

Mon 06/11/07 West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour

Tue 06/12/07 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop

Thu 06/14/07 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey

Fri 06/15/07 Vancouver, BC - The Plaza Club

Help Chevelle Get Their Gear Back!

Chicago's Chevelle had their gear stolen.

From the band's website:

"We regret to inform you that we are unable to perform our scheduled tour dates
(until further notice) due to the entire trailer full of our gear getting STOLEN TODAY
05/09/2007 from the Clarion Dallas Park Central hotel at approx 11:00 A.M.

If anyone has any information, or sees a light gray KZ Cargo trailer, with an Illinois plate 57002. Please call 911 or your local police authority.

Most items are labeled "chevelle" and if you notice anything suspicious on ebay or other online resellers selling "authentic" Chevelle items...guitar, basses, drums amplifiers, risers, backdrops, tee shirts... please call the police... or email:

thestolenchevellegear@hotmail.com

Thank you for your support and understanding. Lets catch these crooked &^*^%!!!"

Help Chevelle Get Their Gear Back!

Chicago's Chevelle had their gear stolen.

From the band's website:

"We regret to inform you that we are unable to perform our scheduled tour dates
(until further notice) due to the entire trailer full of our gear getting STOLEN TODAY
05/09/2007 from the Clarion Dallas Park Central hotel at approx 11:00 A.M.

If anyone has any information, or sees a light gray KZ Cargo trailer, with an Illinois plate 57002. Please call 911 or your local police authority.

Most items are labeled "chevelle" and if you notice anything suspicious on ebay or other online resellers selling "authentic" Chevelle items...guitar, basses, drums amplifiers, risers, backdrops, tee shirts... please call the police... or email:

thestolenchevellegear@hotmail.com

Thank you for your support and understanding. Lets catch these crooked &^*^%!!!"

Sly And The Family Stone Back in Action?

If this "appearance" from the 2006 Grammys didn't scare you away . . .



Then you can book your trip to the U.K.

Nme reports the funky soul masters have a gig scheduled at The Opera House in Bournemouth on July 28th.

I kinda wanna see it . . . in that accident-watching rubber-necking sort of way.

Update! - Arcade Fire @ Radio City

There's Mr. Bowie!

Arcade Fire @ Radio City Music Hall

Arcade Fire played a sold-out show at Radio City last night - a real sold-out show. Not one of those "sold-out" shows where you look around and there are still a 100 or so empty seats.

Every seat in the place was full!

The National opened. They were good (as usual) but it wasn't their night. They were just keeping the space warm.

From the second AF appeared, the crowd was on their feet and those glow stick things you got with your overpriced drinks were flashing red and blue.

The band's two previous shows at United Palace were probably more intimate, but last night was an event. The band has arrived, crossed over . . . whatever you want to call it. For better or worse, I see an MSG gig in their future.

But first, about Radio City . . .

That venue (with the exception of their Christmas Craptacular Spectacular) probably hasn't seen an audience that young and that enthusiastic in a long time.

In fact, the night turned into Win Butler vs. Security.

The AF that used to invite people to play pool with them after their gigs when they were first starting out is still alive and well.

Win wants his fans up close and personal.

After the first song, he told people there was room to come up front. Kids started charging the aisles only to be stopped by security.

The "guards" spent the rest of the night battling kids who needed, wanted, would do anything to get up front. It was hilarious!

Towards the end of the show Win upped the ante by saying, "Just come down! Jesus Christ, what the fuck are they gonna do!"

He was changing his tune after the first encore when he came back and said he was "sorry" to the security people. "I'm a bad boy!" he chuckled.

Ha! I'm not sure he was that broken up about it, but I think he probably did get a lecture on inciting riots and how much it would cost the band if Radio City got trashed!

All security issues aside, the band put on another makes me wanna squeal-type show.

My favorite moments:

- "My Body Is A Cage" - so haunting . . . so perfect!

- Watching Regine bang away on the drums in her black dress with her hair flying.

- Win jumping into the crowd and heading up the aisle to get some serious fan love.

- Watching people throw their glow stick thingys from the balcony. It looked like a blue and red meteor shower - all around gorgeous!

My least favorite moments:

- No Ziggy. No Thin White Duke. No Bowie!!! At least not on stage . . .

Arcade Fire gave the Highline Festival one hell of a start yesterday!

Good luck to Air and the others on topping them!

I wasn't close enough to get pictures but you can see some here.

Enough With the Covers! Gulp . . . Poison

I thought we had heard the last of the many cover albums/tributes (Madonna, Joni Mitchell, Cat Power,etc.) but last and probably least we have one by Poison.

The guys have done plenty of cover songs in the past but Poison'd due out on June 4th is their first complete album of covers.

I know there are still Poison fans out there (they walk among us, looking completely normal during the day before going home and banging their heads at night) so here's the track list:

1. "Little Willy" (originally performed by Sweet)
2. "Suffragette City" (originally performed by David Bowie)
3. "I Never Cry" (originally performed by Alice Cooper)
4. "I Need To Know" (originally performed by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
5. "Can’t You See" (originally performed by the Marshall Tucker Band)
6. "What I Like About You" (originally performed by the Romantics)
7." Dead Flowers" (originally performed by the Rolling Stones)
8. "Just What I Needed" (originally performed by the Cars)
9. "Rock And Roll All Nite" (originally performed by Kiss)
10. "Squeeze Box" (originally performed by the Who)
11. "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" (originally performed by Jim Croce)
12. "Your Mama Don't Dance" (originally performed by Loggins & Messina)
13. "We're An American Ban"d (originally performed by Grand Funk Railroad)

The guys also have summer tour dates - go at your own risk though - that crowd wasn't pretty the first time around!

Arcade Fire @ United Palace + Highline Kick-Off Tonight!

Arcade Fire just finished their Tuesday and Wednesday shows at United Palace.

It's been a little quiet chatter-wise. Is everyone still recovering?

The New York Post loved them though hearing mainstream paper praise like "passionate musicianship" makes me a little queasy.

Did find some video footage from Tuesday's show.



The band will kick off the David Bowie-curated Highline Fesitval tonight at Radio City Music Hall.

I'm hitting this one and I hope to grab a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Annie Lennox's Pad Has Been Trashed!

File this under "You are so grounded, young lady!"

The Daily Mail reports that Annie's teenage daughter invited a few friends over to her $5.5 million home while Mom was away.

The real culprit though is actually that crafty myspace!

Supposedly news of the party passed from friend to friend until 100+ showed up and . . .

"daubed graffiti on walls, broke pictures and lampshades, tore apart books, urinated and vomited on carpets, flooded the kitchen and had a pitch battle in the garden".

And I thought big house-trashing parties went out with the 1980s!

"Lily Loves" . . . Her New Fashion Line

Is your L.A.M.B. gear looking more shabby than chic?

Time to toss it out because the newest pop girl on the block wants to dress you.

U.K. popster Lily Allen (she of the funky dresses) has now made her look available via her "Lily Loves" fashion line which launches tomorrow (May 9th) in the U.K. at New Look stores.

You can even enter to win 1 of 10 graffiti-print dresses.

No word on when Lily wear will invade the U.S. but I'm betting it will be soon.

Splurge - Releases for Tuesday, May 8th

So many choices this week.

Oh, who the hell am I kidding?

GO GRAB YOUR . . .



But, in case you already got your greedy hands on Volta . . . there are a few other things on the list:


-Elliot Smith : New Moon - Kill Rock Stars

-Keren Ann : Keren Ann - Blue Note

-Lavender Diamond : Imagine Our Love - Matador Records

-Sea Wolf : Get To The River Before It Runs Too Low - Dangerbird Records

News Flash!

I have a Monday morning news feature up and
running at kevchino.com.

Click on over and read about all the good, evil and "What were they thinking!" cover songs that will be coming your way during the year.

Are The Kooks Mick Rock-Worthy?

NME is reporting that famed photog Mick Rock is condsidering hopping on a tour bus with The Kooks - if they can "afford" him.

Hmmm . . . .

The Kooks are definitely getting a lot of attention but I'd like to see them release at least two full-length albums before getting the Mick Rock treatment.

In other Kooks news - the guys will sing for David Letterman on Wednesday, May 9th.

The Cribs @ Mercury Lounge

I hit up the first of two sold-out shows at Mercury.

First caught The Cribs about 2 1/2 years ago playing a CMJ party at Tribeca Rock Club. Since then, they've grown up - meaning they might change their clothes more than once a month though Ryan did start the show with some sort of alcohol beverage splashed down his shirt.

But, seriously the new stuff is punkalicious and "Hey Scenesters" is now officially an anthem. You can always tell by the instant moshing.

Now, about that moshing. I expect everyone to be nicely buzzed at a Cribs show, but the sloppy drunk guy who decided to do a grinding version of the jitterbug with his girlfriend (complete with turns and twirls and dips) needs to take it outside!

I really didn't want to be caught in the middle of that!

The Cribs have definitely outgrown Mercury. I understand you want to be able to say you sold-out 2 shows, but next time, let's move to Bowery Ballroom - sloppy and slopette need more space to show off their "dance" routine.

Tom Petty to Reissue Highway Companion

Usually, I have a screaming fit when I hear about an artist "reissuing" an album a year or six months or two months after it originally came out.

Pure money grab from an already used up cash cow!

But, this time around, I'm changing my mind - because I'm a girl and that's just my prerogative and also because . . .

I LOVED this 2006 album from Tom Petty. It's as good as anything that he's ever done with or without the Heartbreakers backing him up.

There were a lot of heavy-hitters, both old and new, releasing albums last year and Highway Companion just didn't sell like it should have or get the love and attention it deserved.

Yes, his tour did well but I think the disc needs some of the same.

This time, the album is going to have some demos and unreleased tracks added. Full details here.

You can pick the new and improved Highway Companion on June 5th!

In the meantime, listen to some tracks at Petty's myspace.

And, in other Tom Petty news, look for the big Peter Bogdanovitch documentary to finally show up in the fall AND those long out of print discs from the Traveling Wilburys will finally be back in print on June 12th!

The Cribs - NYC After Party!

Did I mention that The Cribs are in town?

YAY!!! THE CRIBS ARE IN TOWN!!!

Tonight and tomorrow's Mercury Lounge gigs are sold out.

Did you get blocked out? Well, you have a second chance to get up close and personal with the brothers Jarman.

After Party info: