The Interiors - Debut Album Out Now!

Chicago rock trio The Interiors dropped their self-titled debut full-length via 54-40 Or Fight! Records on June 17th and we it's been on near constant spin here at the SWR lair.

The band (Chase Duncan - vox/guitar, Collin Jordan - bass and Brian Lubinsky - drums) kicks out a fierce rhythm, at times pounding - at times syncopated, that's backed with some killer guitar licks, great rock vocals and Americana-style songwriting.

There's nothing fancy or over-produced about what these guys do. They stick to the rock and roll basics and keep it simple and stripped down favoring a strong musical through line and infectious grooves over glitz and glam.

And, if that isn't enough to make you buy the record . . . prepare to go "Ooowww!" . . . guitar player Chase had to have half an inch of his left index finger amputated after those nasty Chicago winds slammed a steel door shut on his hand just one day after they signed their record deal.

Mr. Duncan has made a full recovery since then and that makes us want to do our happy dance (We'd post a video of it but since it looks something like Elaine dancing on Seinfeld we'll spare your eyes.)

The Interiors are currently on the road so go do that ticket thing . . .

Tour Dates:

Thu Jul 10, 2008 Melody Inn Indianapolis,IN
Fri Jul 11, 2008 Peach's Bar + Grill Yellow Springs,OH
Thu Jul 17, 2008 Davey's Uptown Ramblers Kansas City, MO
Fri Jul 18, 2008 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Thu Jul 31, 2008 The Modern Exchange Detroit,MI
Fri Aug 01, 2008 Canal Street Tavern Dayton,OH
Sat Aug 02, 2008 Southgate House Newport,KY
Sun Aug 03, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC
Mon Aug 04, 2008 The Knitting Factory New York, NY
Tue Aug 05, 2008 The Court Tavern New Brunswick, NJ
Wed Aug 06, 2008 Church Boston, MA
Thu Aug 07, 2008 Millcreek Tavern Philadelphia, PA
Fri Aug 08, 2008 Now That's Class Cleveland, OH
Sat Aug 09, 2008 Rock Room Pittsburgh, PA
Fri Aug 29, 2008 The Frequency Madison, WI
Sat Sep 27, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC

Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love" Video

Here they are at McCarren Park Pool . . .


Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love @ McCarren Park Pool 2008 from Amy Wagner on Vimeo.

Tom Tom Club @ McCarren Park Pool

Talking Heads may still be AWOL on the reunion front but band members Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth aren't the kind to sit back and rest on their royalties.

The duo brought their other band Tom Tom Club to McCarren for a set full of funky tunes including their oft-sampled hit "Genius of Love" and our personal favorite "Wordy Rappinghood".

They got the crowd bouncing before the sun had even set.

It was already plenty hot out but leave it to TTC to up the temp by pulling out a cover of Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing".

Enjoy some pics!! Video to come . . .

Design Counting Crows Tour Poster

Feeling artistic?

Fan of the Counting Crows?

Then it's your lucky day!

The band is holding a contest where they are asking fans to submit designs for the group's summer tour poster.

The rules are . . .

1) The poster must be 18"x24" portrait or landscape.

2) Your artwork must be at least 300 DPI and be transmitted through the internet (Files must be jpeg or gif and must be less than 10MB in size)

3) Any graphic elements you use cannot be copyrighted.

The deadline is July 1st.

Send your entries to winner@countingcrows.com.

Counting Crows will kick off their tour July 25th at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, VA. Their support for the first leg will be Sara Bareilles and then Augustana will take over.

Good luck with your artwork!

After The Jump Fest 2008 - Today in Brooklyn!

Here's what you're doing today - Saturday, June 21st!

No need to thank us, just get yourself to Brooklyn today for the block party/concert extravaganza being put on by the After The Jump crew (i.e. our favorite music blogger collective).

ATJ will be closing down N. 6th St. (between Kent and Wythe) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a day/night fest that will feature 30 bands. Besides shutting down the block, the blogger musical melee will also be taking over Galapagos and the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Bands on the bill include Ponytail, The Swimmers, Pela and many many more.

Besides grooving to awesome tunes all day, ATJ will also be offering tons of giveaways (t-shirts and photos) + the opportunity to win tons of prizes like CMJ Badges, VIP passes to the Siren Festival and a new Zune.

The day shows are free but we highly encourage you (PLEASE! PLEASE!) to buy tickets to the night show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (doors at 7:00 p.m.). All proceeds go to NYC school music programs. That means you can support current and future artists all in one day!

Who could ask for more?

Now, get out there!

The Annuals @ Union Pool 6/18

Raleigh, NC band The Annuals will be bringing their lovely alt pop sound to Brooklyn's Union Pool on Wednesday, June 18th.

The six piece will also hit Sound Fix earlier in the day (6:00 p.m.) for an in-store where they'll be playing tune from their new EP Wet Zoo (Canvasback/Ace Fu).

And speaking of zoos, the animal-friendly band is also having a contest where you can win tickets to one of their upcoming shows and passes to a zoo or aquarium in your town or sponsorship of one of those cuddly little zoo critters in your name.

(It's not exactly cuddly, but I'm partial to penguins, myself.)

You can enter the contest here.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

June 18 - Brooklyn, NY at Sound Fix Records (in-store performance)
June 18 - Brooklyn, NY at Union Pool
June 19 - Arlington, VA at Iota
June 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Millcreek Tavern
June 21 - Carrboro, NC at Arts Center

It's Bonnaroo Time!

Time for fun in the sun in the great state of Tennessee!

Well, actually, we've heard it's been on the soggy side so far. (Will someone please tell the weather to have a little respect for festivals!) Still, this year's Bonnaroo promises not only to be the festival of this year but one that could hold the record as "best fest" for many years to come.

If you didn't make the journey, like us (and yes, we're kicking ourselves) you can tune in to the goings on courtesy of a live webcast.

The action starts at 1:30 p.m. EST today where you can catch some of your favorites including Death Cab for Cutie and Broken Social Scene.

Everybody have fun, stay safe and bring us back some awesome pics!