Death Cab For Cutie Name New Album

Death Cab For Cutie have named their upcoming album Narrow Stairs.

The disc, a follow-up to 2005s Plans, will drop in May.

The band recently announced they would be playing Coachella on April 26th.

My Blood Valentine Playing Roskilde

In addition to their nine sold-out gigs in the U.K. in June, reformed shoegazers My Bloody Valentine are now on the bill for the Danish festival, Roskilde.

Waiting patiently impatiently for U.S. dates!!!

If you're heading to Denmark, Roskilde takes place from July 3-6, 2008.

Splurge - Releases for January 29, 2008

Good stuff to choose from today . . .

She Writes Rock Pick = The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath (umvd label) - read a review at Short And Sweet NYC


More releases . . .

- Chris Walla : Field Manual - Barsuk Records

- Joe Jackson : Rain - Rykodisc

- Louis XIV : Slick Dogs and Ponies - Atlantic Records

-Vampire Weekend : Vampire Weekend - Beggars XL Recording

- Willie Nelson : Moment of Forever - Lost Highway

Grizzly Bear To Play With L.A. Philharmonic

Disney might be getting out of the mouse business and moving on to bears.

NME.com is reporting that Grizzly Bear will co-headline a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The band's one night only appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra will take place on March 1st and is designed to bring together experimental and orchestral rock.

The first half will be orchestral pieces that influenced Brooklyn's favorite bears and the second half will be a set by Grizzly.

Tickets go on sale February 2nd via laphil.com.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2008 Tour

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers half-time performance at the Super Bowl on February 3rd will not be a one-off gig.

The Gainesville rockers have booked a summer stadium tour that will take them across the U.S. and Canada from May-August with special guest Steve Winwood.

2006's "Highway Companion's" tour, where they took Stevie Nicks along for the ride, was supposed to be the group's last full-scale outing but we're glad to have them back!

Petty and his Heartbreakers will hit the NYC area for two dates in June.

- June 17th - Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
-June 18th - Prudential Center - Newark, NJ

Full dates at pollstar.com.

Tickets for most shows are set to go on sale on February 4th.

The Von Bondies @ Blender Theatre - NYC

Detroit's The Von Bondies roared their way into my garage rock-loving heart all over again on Wednesday night at the Blender Theatre.

The band has a solid teaser/ EP out now called We Are Kamikazes in advance of their new LP Love, Hate and Then There's You due out this summer.

Besides the new tunes (they're a little more pop than they have been before), the band also has some new members - Leann Banks on bass, Alicia Gbur on guitar/keyboards and Matt Lannoo on guitar.

Look for a full review and more (i.e. better) photos coming soon at punkphoto.com.

Vineland Moved to Summer 2009

The battle of east coast festivals has ended even quicker than a bout of American Gladiators with New Jersey’s Vineland Festival (outside of Philly) blinking in the unofficial standoff with Jersey City, NJ’s All Points West Music and Arts Festival.

Both festivals were due to take place August 8-10, 2008.

Vineland promoters Festival Republic and C3, citing “overall festival traffic in the northeast” this year have decided to move their three day event to early summer 2009.

While we’re not surprised that All Points West emerged the victor (better locale), it’s always sad to see bands lose another chance to get their music out.

All Points West Music & Arts Festival - NJ

The newest east coast festival on the block has a name!

Drum roll . . . . (with a little high hat)

The first annual All Points West Music & Arts Festival will be held August 8-10 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ.

AEG Live/Goldenvoice are producing in conjunction with NYC's Highline Ballroom.

Tickets, line-up and all those other things that make us salivate will be coming soon!

Coachella 2008 Lineup Announced

The lineup for Coachella was announced today and as previously reported in the L.A. Times, heavy-hitting acts like the reunited U.K. group The Verve, The Raconteurs, Jack Johnson, My Morning Jacket and Rilo Kiley are on the list.

The "classic act" is not David Bowie or Prince as rumored but Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, who will be performing his legendary band's "Dark Side of the Moon" on the main stage.

Coachella will return to the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California April 25-27.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 25th at 10:00 a.m. (pacific)

Here it is . . .

FRIDAY
Jack Johnson
The Verve
The Raconteurs

SATURDAY
Portishead
Kraftwerk
Death Cab for Cutie
Cafe Tacuba

SUNDAY
Roger Waters (Dark Side of the Moon)
Love And Rockets
My Morning Jacket

AND...
Spritualized
Justice
The Breeders
Fatboy Slim
Tegan and Sara
Madness
The National
Animal Collective
Mum
Pendulum
Sharon Jones
Stars
Battles
Enter Shikari
Aesop Rock
Midnight Juggarnauts
Does it Offend You, Yeah?
Spank Rock
Minus the Bear
Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Diplo
Adam Freeland
Santogold
Vampire Weekend
Dan Deacon
Sasha & Digweed
Jens Lekman
Rilo Kiley
M.I.A.
Hot Chip
Cold War Kids
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Gogol Bordello
Chromeo
Metric
Danny Tenaglia
Booka Shade
Murs
Cool Kids
Sia
Les Savy Fav
Holy Fuck
Black Kids
Black Mountain
Man Man
I'm from Barcelona
Kid Sister
Horrors
Austin TV
Shout Out Louds
Luckyiam
Autolux
Modeselktor
Porter
The Bees
Professor Murder
Cut Copy
Busy P
Institube DJs
VHS or Beta
Dan Deacon
Mark Ronson
Datarock
The Streets
Flogging Molly
Dwight Yoakam
Slightly Stupid
The Swell Season
John Butler Trio
Devotchka
Turbonegro
The Field
Dimitri From Paris
Sons & Daughters
Manchester Orchestra
Dead Mouse
American Bang
Mos Elektrik
Rogue Wave
Rev and the Maker

What do you think?

Me . . . umm . . . I think I'll be staying east this year.

Bruce Springsteen - "Girls In Their Summer Clothes"

We're still waiting on the Coachella lineup which should be announced at some point today, but in the meantime, here's a new video from Bruuuuuuce . . .


"Girls In Their Summer Clothes":

R.I.P. John Stewart

John Stewart, one of our favorite singer/songwriters, passed away today at age 68 after suffering a massive stroke.

Stewart joined the legendary folk outfit, The Kingston Trio in 1961 and spent six years singing with them before the group disbanded in 1967.

Besides his work with the Trio, John Stewart also wrote The Monkees hit "Daydream Believer" and went on to record over 40 solo albums where he would work with and influence many other great artists.

On of our favorite albums here at the SWR lair is John Stewart's 1979 album Bombs Away Dream Babies. It's one of those gorgeous California albums and one of the last to carry that perfectly-produced 1970s sound.

The album also features appearances by Fleetwood Macers Lindsey Buckingham (who has always named Stewart as one of his biggest influences) and Stevie Nicks.

Bombs Away hit #10 on the Billboard charts and features a wonderful duet with Nicks called "Gold" which went to #5.

If you have a good vinyl store near you, they'll probably have it or you can start out with a greatest hits collection called The Earth Rider which is available on amazon.com

John Stewart left behind a musical legacy that includes some 600 songs.

Coachella East @ Liberty State Park?

Billboard is reporting that AEG Live/Goldenvoice are planning to bring a big musical festival east though it probably will not be sporting the "Coachella" tag.

It look like the yet-to-be-named festival will be held in Liberty State Park (across the Hudson River from Manhattan) in New Jersey from August 8-10.

Rumors are flying that Radiohead ( :))) ) and Jack Johnson ( :(((( ) will be headlining.

Could be an interesting show down between this one and another new kid on the festival block - Vineland, which will be also be held in New Jersey on - you guessed it- August 8-10.

May the best festival win!

Where to Get a Great Bagel in NYC

We're taking a short break from music today to turn to one of the other necessities of life - food!

Out of towners always ask me two questions:

1) What band should I see?
2) Who has the best bagels?

Well, I kind of cover #1 every day so here's the official answer to #2 via a great site called Short And Sweet NYC who is dropping into the SWR lair for a guest spot today.

From Short And Sweet NYC . . .

While the best bagel in NYC can be (and is) disputed depending on who you’re talking to, to me, what makes a great bagel is one that is crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and still hot, coming right out the oven if possible. Below is a list of my favorite places to grab a piece of that doughy goodness.

Ess-a-Bagel
359 1st Avenue (21st St)
Tel: (212) 260-2252
Other location:
831 3rd Avenue (51st/52nd Sts)
Tel: (212) 980-4315
Without a doubt, Ess-a-bagel is my favorite in all of NYC. Why? Consider what the perfect bagel is: crusty on the outside and hot and chewy on the inside. Not only do these people have the formula down to a science, they also make their own cream cheeses on premises and have a variety of smoked salmon. The bagels are so fresh, if you ask to get yours toasted, they’ll look at you like you’re crazy! Go to the one on 1st Avenue, the bagels are better and the place has more charm and characters.

H&H Bagels
2239 Broadway (at 80th Street)
Tel: (212) 595-8003
Fax: (212) 799-6765
Other Location:
639 West 46th Street
Tel: (212) 595-8000
Fax: (212) 765-7391
Founded in 1972, H&H is one of the older bagel shops in NYC that hasn’t succumbed to high rents. It’s been featured on “Seinfeld,” in movies and on television shows and has garnered a very good reputation. While I’m not going to claim these as my favorite, the bagels are always hot and great tasting, but taste more like a soft pretzel than the real deal bagel. I’d advise you to try their original location at Broadway and 80th Street and judge for yourself what makes this place great.

Murray’s Bagels
500 6th Avenue (12th/13th Streets)
Tel: (212) 462-2830
Other location:
242 8th Avenue (22nd/23rd Streets)
Tel: (646) 638-1335
With a nice neighborhood feel to this small bagel shop, Murray’s serves up great tasting bagels that are a little smaller than the giant bagels you may be used to from the cart on the corner in the morning, but are delicious and eclectic. For instance they offer spinach and multi-grain bagels along with a variety of cream cheeses and tofu cream cheese spreads.

Kossar’s
367 Grand Street (Essex and Norfolk Sts)
Tel: (877) 4-BIALYS
Fax: (212) 253-2146
Info@kossarsbialys.com
The joy of going to Kossar’s is the fact that the place is also a bakery and there’s always trays and carts of fresh dough just out and ready to go into the oven. The bagels are phenomenal and the bialys are even better. Don’t forget to try the bulka’s, pretzels, and sesame sticks to taste the art of authentic jewish baking.

The Bagel Hole
400 7TH Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215-5058
Tel: (718) 788-4014
Located in Park Slope, on the outside, you might pass by this place thinking it’s a hole-in-the-wall, but inside, the bagels are fantastic and truly authentic to what real New York bagels were, back in the day. Plus, a new batch of bagels is made every ten minutes.

Rolling Stones Docu To Premiere in Berlin

The ever-Rolling Stones are heading to Germany for the premiere of their Martin Scorsese-helmed documentary Shine A Light which will open the Berlin Film Festival on February 7th.

Besides lots of rare behind-the-scenes stuff culled from the rockers' years on the road and just on earth in general, NYC home boy Marty S. also shot live footage of Mick, Keith and the gang during the band's two night stand at the Beacon Theatre back in 2006.

The Stones will definitely be making an appearance at the Festival but no word yet on whether or not they'll take their act off the silver screen.

I do hope though, that Scorsese did some last minute re-shoots so we can get shake the truth (or at least the semi-truth) about the coconut tree incident out of Keith.

Basia Bulat - "In The Night" - Video

Canadian singer/songwriter Basia Bulat is getting some major play time today at the She Writes Rock HQ.

Her debut album "Oh, My Darling" (out Feb. 5th on Rough Trade) is full of whimsical tunes that sway back and forth between folk and chamber pop.

It's amazing that she wasn't snapped up by Broken Social Scene.

What I also find amazing is that she was a background singer for The Veils when they were on the road.

Say what??? This is no background singer!

Vocally, I know a lot of people are going to pull out the Feist and Joni Mitchell comparisions because she's Canadian but I don't think either one really fits.

Her voice actually reminds me more of early Jewel mixed with Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries.

Basia kicks off her tour January 16th in Ontario.

After a few Canadian dates, she'll criss-cross the U.S.

NYCers be on the alert - she'll be playing Bowery Ballroom on February 29th with St. Vincent.

Should be an out of this world show!!

Here's the video for Basia Bulat's single "In The Night".

It's one of the best giddy fun videos that I've seen in a long time or at least since the last time I saw Feist's "1234".

Check out this video: In the Night



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Kate Nash @ Virgin Megastore - January 8th

Kate Nash was greeted by a HUGE crowd at Virgin Megastore - Union Square last night where she performed and signed copies of her debut LP Made of Bricks.

Tonight, she plays a sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom.

Here's a video of Kate singing "Foundations" at her instore.

Help Find Brian Transeau's Daughter!

Electronic pioneer Brian Transeau's (a.k.a BT) 3 1/2 year-old daughter Kaia is missing.

You can read a press release on his website btmusic.com.

The little girl has been placed on the national missing persons NCIC (National Crime Information Center)list. Ph: 1-304-625-2000.

Please contact them if you have any information regarding Kaia.

Kate Nash @ Virgin Megastore - January 8th

U.K. songbird Kate Nash will be performing and signing copies of her debut CD Made of Bricks (Interscope) at Virgin Megastore - Union Square in NYC tomorrow, Tuesday, January 8th.

The instore is a warm-up for her sold-out Bowery Ballroom show that's going down a day later.

Word of advice - get there early!!!