Chicago’s Riot Fest has released the lineup for its 15th anniversary festival, and early price tickets ($129.00) are nearly sold out. Don’t wait too long to get yours.
There are some heavy-hitters on the lineup this year. The Flaming Lips playing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety is almost worth the price of admission by itself. The Raconteurs are sure to put on a solid set, and I’d be keen to see Bloc Party (who are playing Silent Alarm in its entirety, and that’s a good record to be sure), Die Antwoord (as I’m sure their live shows are nuts), the B-52’s, Bob Mould for a second time this year, RIDE, Caroline Rose, Ganser, and how could you not at least check out the set by Village People?
Rock giantesses Sleater-Kinney are back with not only a sharp new, electro-twinged single, “Hurry On Home,” but also a list of tour dates throughout North America starting in October. “Hurry On Home” is a hot cut about hotter love with a blistering guitar solo from Carrie Brownstein. Don’t miss this tour. Many dates, if not all, are sure to sell out.
10/9/19 – Spokane, WA – Fox Theatre
10/11/19 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
10/12/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
10/13/19 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
10/15/19 – Minneapolis, MN – Palace Theatre
10/16/19 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
10/18/19 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
10/20/19 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
10/21/19 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/23/19 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
10/25/19 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
10/26/19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE- Indoor
10/27/19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
10/29/19 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
10/30/19 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
10/31/19 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
11/1/19 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
11/3/19 – Toronto, ON – Rebel Complex
11/4/19 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
11/5/19 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
11/7/19 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
11/8/19 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
11/9/19 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater
11/11/19 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
11/12/19 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
British musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens shares new tracks, “Let It Go” and “Omen,” available digitally now and via limited 12” on July 5th via Smalltown Supersound. “Let It Go” was created for Owens’ DJ set at London’s Fabric earlier this year and made available yesterday via Adult Swim’s Singles Series. “Let It Go” is a high energy club track, featuring hard-hitting beats and Owens’ feathery vocals. “While working on my second album, I had my Room 1 Fabric DJ set coming up, so I decided to make a track for fun, to play out. There’s no better way of testing out new stuff than on that legendary sound system,” says Owens. “Let It Go / Omen” follows her “immensely varied and fully-formed” (Pitchfork) self-titled debut, released in 2017.
After playing dates in Europe, Owens will play DJ sets in New York and California. Then, she will return to Europe to appear at select festivals. All dates are below.
Listen to “Let It Go” – https://youtu.be/gSitKhOPmLY
Listen to “Omen” – https://youtu.be/jF3fT5SYDjk
Kelly Lee Owens Tour Dates: Sat. June 1 – Leeds, UK @ Inner City Festival (DJ Set) Fri. June 7 – London, UK @ Field Day Sat. June 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz (DJ Set) Fri. July 5 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere (DJ Set) Sat. July 6 – New York, NY @ Location TBA (DJ Set) Thu. July 11 – San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom (DJ Set) Fri. July 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 (DJ Set) Sat. July 13 – Mexico City, MX @ Yu Yu (DJ Set) Fri. July 19 – Cheshire, UK @ Blue Dot Festival Fri. Aug. 2 – Ghent, BE @ Absolutely Free Festival (DJ Set) Thu. Aug. 8 – Mon. Aug. 12 – Barcelona, ES @ Boaty Weekender Cruise Fri. Aug. 30 – Salisbury, UK @ End of The Road Festival
Alex Cameron presents the new single/video, “Miami Memory,” directed by Cameron, and starring himself, his business associate and sax player Roy Molloy and actress Jemima Kirke. A love song to the city, “Miami Memory” embraces the lustful air of Miami and explores both Alex’s personal relationship with both the city and his girlfriend. Throughout, Alex’s sultry and playful delivery embraces themes of sex positivity, love and reflection. Premiered this past Sunday on KCRW’s Henry Rollins’ show, “Miami Memory” is the first new music Cameron has released since 2017’s Forced Witness.
“‘Miami Memory’ is a story about how we audition in the present for our future selves to enjoy in retrospect. In that way, tender memories that we share together are captured in thought and stored with the same electricity that keeps our heart beating,” says Cameron. “It’s a gift for my girlfriend Jemima, and it is dedicated to the artist Greer Lankton and her partner Paul Monroe. I am lucky to have learned that a group of people can be a shining light.”
Cameron has announced a fall European and North American tour, including shows in Chicago, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. North American tickets are on sale now.
Thanks again to the listeners of my show on the 28th. I was a bit late getting into the studio due to continuing issues with my campus ID card and entry code at the Duncan Student Center, but it all worked out thanks to UND campus security letting me into the building. Here’s the set list.
“Through layers of warm harmonies, spirited drum fills and bright guitar riffs, Shane Butler and multi-instrumentalist Caity Shaffer craft a kaleidoscopic world that steadily builds on its own momentum” – NPR Music
Olden Yolk – the duo of songwriters Shane Butler and Caity Shaffer – shares their single from Living Theatre, their sophomore album, via Trouble In Mind. “Grand Palais” is “about the frivolous search to seek some semblance of spiritual understanding in various places, things, and people outside of ourselves. Much of the song was written through improvisation in the studio alongside percussionist Booker Stardrum, whose frantic drumming is a driving force in the song. Weaving vocals, synthesizers, and tempo switches all encapsulate the dual feelings of desperation and euphoria found within this type of pursuit,” explains the band.
Olden Yolk is on tour in support of Living Theatre. They’re joined by Ryan Jewell (drums), Peter Wagner (bass) and Frank Maston (synths/keys). A full list of dates is below. Stream “Grand Palais” – https://youtu.be/977uBeouGb4
Wed. May 29 – Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge Thu. May 30 – Chicago, IL @ HideoutWed. May 31 – Grand Rapids, MI @ House Show Thu. June 1 – Columbus, OH @ Dirty Dungarees Fri. June 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog Fri. June 7 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Festival Wed. June 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (LA record release show) Thu. June 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Make Out Room Fri. June 21 – Portland, OR @ Turn Turn Turn w/ Adam Torres Sun. June 23 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern Sat. Oct. 12 – Portsmouth, UK @ The Festing Sat. Oct. 13 – Exeter, UK @ The Cavern Mon. Oct. 14 – Brighton, UK @ Komedie Studio Tue. Oct. 15 – London, UK @ Lexington Wed. Oct. 16 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana Thu. Oct. 17 – Birmingham, UK @ Hair & Hounds 2 Fri. Oct. 18 – Manchester, UK @ YES Sat. Oct. 19 – Oxford, UK @ Ritual Union Festival
It seems that only the legendary Herb Alpert could combine spaghetti western horns with late 1970’s synths and make it work. He did exactly that on his 1979 album Rise – his first without the Tijuana Brass backing him.
The opening track, “1980,” was originally written for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 1980 Olympics and sounds like a vision of what the next decade was going to sound like for all of us – full of futuristic gadgets and obsession over the coming new millennium clashing with old school thinking and ideals (pretty much the 1980’s in a nutshell). The title track is one of the funkiest things ever put on a record, so much so that it was heavily sampled by Biggie Smalls on “Hypnotize” (Abe Laboriel’s bass riffs alone could power two dozen hip hop records). Mike Lang’s piano work mixes well with Alpert’s expert trumpet work, and Alpert knows when to put down his horn and let his band jam.
“Behind the Rain” sounds like unused music from a Roger Moore-era Bond movie with its thrilling string and horn arrangements, machine gun-like drums, and car chase guitar. “Rotation” has this cool, quirky beat to it that mixes simple drum chops with electro-beats that are peppy yet subtle (and Alpert’s trumpet, of course, roots the entire track).
“Street Life” is sassy and brassy, with Alpert’s trumpet taking center stage throughout it while some funky slap bass struts alongside him. Speaking of slap bass, it’s even funkier on “Love Is,” a song that I’m sure was remixed for discos across the country at the time. Louis Johnson practically puts on a clinic on how to lay down a snappy bass groove. Alpert, again, smartly lets his instrument be the backup on the track.
“Angelina” brings in the Central American flair found on so many of Alpert’s records and even some Caribbean beats to boot. That south of the border sexiness continues on “Aranjuez (Mon Amour),” which also throws in disco beats and bass for good measure.
One can’t write about Rise without mentioning Herb Alpert’s nephew, Randy “Badazz” Alpert, who co-produced the record and brought in a lot of the disco / nightclub / funky touches. He helped bring his uncle’s work to even more people by getting “Rise” and other cuts into the hands of club DJ’s. It’s a classic record and worth a listen.
Keep your mind open.
[Slide over to the subscription box before you split, daddy-o.]
Clutch, Killswitch Engage, and Cro-Mags are heading on the road together this summer across the United States in what will surely be one of the loudest tours of 2019. Tickets to all dates are on sale now. Some of the dates include festivals like Clutch’s Earth Rocker (July 13), Rock Fest (July 19th), and Impact Festival (July 28th).
Clutch never disappoint live, so don’t miss your chance to see them.
Keep your mind open.
[Subscribe while you’re thinking about it. You’ll forget later.]
