News – Page 162 – 7th Level Music

Levitation Austin releases set times and Thursday night line-up.

Levitation Austin has released its schedule of Thursday night pre-festival shows in downtown Austin and its daily festival schedule as well. I’m happy to see Night Beats playing again, and I’ve already found a couple bands added to the full festival I’d like to see.

The Friday schedule is insane. I’m going to miss a few bands I’d like to see and have to make some tough decisions. The set times are better for my “must-see” lists on Saturday and Sunday, however.

See you there. Keep your mind open.

Les Claypool + Sean Lennon = The Claypool Lennon Delirium

Les Claypool of Primus and Sean Lennon of The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger have teamed up to create a new psychedelic-prog rock project called The Claypool Lennon Delirium.

TGOASTT opened for Primus on their last tour, and Claypool and Lennon would often jam on tour before, during, and after shows. Claypool had hoped to put together another Oysterhead album after Primus’ last tour, but “the stars wouldn’t align” (according to the CLD’s website) and Lennon told him he didn’t have any immediate plans.

The initial tracks of the CLD’s album, Monolith of Phobos, are a trippy mix of Primus, TGOASTT, Beatles, Zappa, Beefheart, Pet Sounds Beach Boys, and acid jazz. This should be an excellent record (due out in June), and their summer tour should be a must-see.

Keep your mind open.

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Kiefer Sutherland to release outlaw country album.

Yes, you read that right. Actor, producer, and director Kiefer Sutherland will be releasing his debut album Down in a Hole sometime this summer. Sutherland has already released tour dates to promote the record and has been playing gigs since at least last year.

It turns out Sutherland has been involved in the music industry since 2002 by producing and releasing records by musicians he liked. He also collects classic guitars. He wrote a couple songs and those songs eventually bloomed into a full album. I don’t know if the title track is a cover of Alice in Chains‘ classic, but clips of Sutherland’s live performances are good. He has an excellent backing band and his rough voice is perfect for outlaw country. Down in a Hole should be an interesting listen.

Keep your mind open.

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Vans Warped Tour 2016 tour dates and line-up announced.

The annual Vans Warped Tour has released its tour dates and line-up for 2016. The show has become a who’s-who of punk, metal core, screamo, and ska acts. The biggest draws so far are Atreyu, Bullet for My Valentine, Falling in Reverse, Good Charlotte, Less Than Jake, New Found Glory, Reel Big Fish, Sum 41, and Yellowcard.

Keep your mind open.

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Bestival Toronto line-up announced.

Bestival Toronto has announced its initial line-up for their early summer festival. The two biggest draws so far are The Cure and Tame Impala. They also have interesting things planned like the “Inflatable Church” and the “Day of the Dead Cocktail Bus.”

Keep your mind open.

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The Five Foot Assassin’s mission is complete. RIP Phife Dawg.

Rest and peace to Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor of A Tribe Called Quest. Phife Dawg was a powerful MC whose flow bounced off Q-Tip‘s like they were winning a doubles tournament at Wimbledon. Phife Dawg’s style of rapping was in the everyman vein. He made you think you could rap, even if you had no flow. He was effortless. His loss is a hard blow to hip hop and music fans everywhere, but we have his rhymes with us forever.

Keep your mind open.

Lollapalooza Chicago 2016 line-up announced.

Lollapalooza‘s 25th anniversary show line-up has been announced, as well as the daily line-ups. Radiohead and LCD Soundsystem were major scores and long-rumored. Other fine artists on the bill are Jane’s Addiction (naturally), Die Antwoord, Bloc Party, The Joy Formidable, and Wavves.

Keep your mind open.

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The Kills’ “Ash & Ice” due out this summer.

The Kills‘ fifth full-length album, Ash & Ice, is due for release on June 03, 2016. The first single, “Doing It to Death,” is already available for download and purchase and puts electro beats with their usual smoky, crunchy guitar riffs and sultry vocals.

They’ll start a tour on April 07, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee and play shows all the way through mid-August. Catch them if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Ceu announces tour dates.

Brazilian singer extraordinaire Ceu has released tour dates for this summer.

I hope to catch her at that Chicago date on June 24th. I’ve yet to see a live bossa nova show, let alone one that combines electro beats with the genre. Catch her if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Suuns’ new album due out this April.

Canadian psych-rockers Suuns have started a PledgeMusic campaign and a Bandcamp page for their upcoming album Hold / Still. The first two released tracks, “Translate” and “Paralyzer,” are good cuts that lace their weird psychedelic sound with electro touches. Hold / Still is sure to be a good record if the rest of the tracks are as good as these.

Keep your mind open.

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