Photo above swiped from Ryan Muir’s Flickr without permission – sorry
Jay, Stephen and Billy are coming back – Flying Vs in tow – for twenty-plus dates across Europe with no days off. We admire their work ethic.
October
28th – Maroquinerie, Paris FR (buy tickets here, here or here)
29th – Luxor, Koln DE (buy tickets here)
30th – 59 to 1, Munich DE (buy tickets here)
31st – Lido (club night), Berlin DE (buy tickets here) November
1st – Loppen, Copenhagen DK
2nd – John Dee, Oslo NO (buy tickets here)
3rd – Babel, Malmo SE (buy tickets here)
4th – Logo, Hamburg DE (buy tickets here)
5th – Matrix, Prague CZ (buy tickets here)
6th – B72, Vienna AT (buy tickets here)
7th – Covo, Bologna IT
8th – La Cooperative De Mai, Clermont-Ferrand FR (buy tickets here, here or here)
9th – Botanique Rotunde, Brussels BE (buy tickets here)
10th – Bar Academy, Birmingham UK (buy tickets here or 08444 772 000 / 08712 200 260)
11th – King Tuts, Glasgow UK (buy tickets here or call 08444 999 990
12th – Roadhouse, Manchester UK (buy tickets here or call 08712 200 260 / 01618 321 111)
13th – Underworld, London UK (buy tickets here or call 08712 200 260)
14th – Croft, Bristol UK (buy tickets here or call 08704 444 400)
15th – Masque, Liverpool UK (buy tickets here or call 08448 472 424)
16th – Whelans, Dublin IE (buy tickets here or 0818 719 390)
Please join us, this Thursday evening, at the lovely ACE Hotel, NYC.
We’ll be playing Julian Plenti’s upcoming 8/4 release, Julian Plenti…is Skyscraper, while enjoying complimentary bourbon cocktails in ACE’s Breslin Bar & Dining Room.
As previously announced, Julian Plenti will be making his first concert appearance in years this September. Keep it tuned here for further details.
Jay Reatard loves giving back.
He loves it so much, in fact, that he’s going to visit some of the independent record stores who have supported him and his records.
He loves it so much, in fact, that he’s playing instores at those record stores.
He loves it so much, in fact, that all of the instores are free and all ages.
That’s right…I said it.
Ten…count ‘em…TEN free all ages instores up the West Coast from San Diego to Vancouver.
So come help Jay celebrate the release of his new record Watch Me Fall with some instore ROCK!!!
August:
18th – 6pm @ Amoeba Music Hollywood (LA)
19th – 7pm @ Fingerprints (Long Beach)
20th – 7pm @ M-Theory (San Diego)
21st – 7pm @ Streetlight Records (Santa Cruz)
22nd – 6pm @ Amoeba Music San Francisco (duh)
23rd – 6pm @ Amoeba Music Berkeley (again…)
25th – 6pm @ Jackpot Records (Portland)
26th – 7pm @ Easy Street Records (Seattle)
27th – 7pm @ Sonic Boom Records (Seattle)
28th – 8pm @ Zulu Records (Vancouver)
And keep in mind that these will be Jay’s ONLY west coast dates in August.
There will be no club shows…meaning…Come!! Watch Jay Play.
Watch Me Fall is available on LP August 4th and CD August 18th.
Though Sonic Youth’s current Western swing was due to end Sunday night in Oakland prior to the heading to Japan, we’re happy to confirm they’ll be playing at The Independent in San Francisco this coming Monday night, August 3, with support from Sic Alps (above).
Today brings us the first clip in a series of five from the upcoming Yo La Tengo album, “Popular Songs”.
“Here to Fall” kicks off director John McSwain’s multi-song visual accompaniment to the diverse and arresting sounds of YLT’s exceptional new album. Each video will debut with a unique partner site (well, the Matablog is kicking it off), one per week leading up to the September 8th release of “Popular Songs”. The videos will be collected here, so check back!
Click here to pre-order “Popular Songs”, or visit Buy Early Get Now for the unstoppable deluxe package. In a related note, the advance stream of ‘Popular Songs’ is available for BEGN customers starting today.
On Tuesday August 4th MySpace will debut “Waiting For Something”, a short documentary about Jay Reatard.
Directed by Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz, “Waiting For Something” explores in detail Jay’s personal history and his roots in Memphis music, and also gazes forward at an artistic journey not yet written.
Though tickets for SY’s 9/29 show at the Wiltern and their October 4 ACL appearance have been available for a while, the rest of the schedule below is on sale starting today.
Fri-Sep-25 Pomona, CA Fox Theatre
Sat-Sep-26 Santa Barbara, CA Arlington Theatre
Mon-Sep-28 San Diego, CA House of Blues
Tue-Sep-29 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
Thu-Oct-01 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
Fri-Oct-02 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
Sun-Oct-04 Austin, TX Austin City Limits
Fucked Up, who by all accounts pulled together the most ferocious set of Pitchfork weekend (two of them if you happened to be at Subterranean on Friday night), also found time to interview fellow fourth-wall breakers the Jesus Lizard.
Watch Pink Eyes hold his own with the heavyweights, and also see an outstanding version of “Crusades” from the festival.
Above: Thor and Kim engaging in double-glock(enspiel) warfare at this year’s Primavera Festival
Having Shearwater play on this side of the Atlantic is always a good thing especially if it means the opportunity to hear more new material. Bring your own glockenspiel/double-bass/hand-made instrument.
September:
10th – Vooruit, Ghent BE
11th – End Of The Road Festival, Dorset UK
12th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds UK (w/ Clinic)
13th – Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester UK
14th – The Luminaire, London UK
15th – Effenaar, Eindhoven NL
16th – Tivoli (De Helling), Utrecht NL
As we gear up for the release of the incredible Popular Songs, we have launched a Buy Early Get Now program for the album, and we now announce the second MP3.
Despite their name, The Cave Singers do not actually hail from any physical cave that we’re aware of – though Seattle can be a dark and mysterious city, with its share of stalactite-esque hangers-on. Metaphysically, however, said Cave Singers have filled a cave-like void in Matador’s collective musical consciousness this summer. In delivering their sophomore album Welcome Joy, they’ve unleashed a followup that builds on the earthy, guitar picking, folkiness of their debut Invitation Songs, but with 10 times better production. Take a listen to the latest MP3, At The Cut, and let the Cave Singers rattle around the recesses of your brain for a while. Tell us you don’t just want to hop into a car and hit the highway full speed simply to see where the open road leads you? [Ok don't actually tell us if you disagree. It's not so much that we don't care but instead know a perfect little cave (between your own ears) that we encourage you to voice your opinions.] At The Cut may just be a little teaser but luckily you don’t have to wait long, the whole album, Welcome Joy, hits stores Tue, Aug 18th!
Also be sure to leave your caves (ok last poorly worded cave reference, we promise) when they swing through a city near you. You’ll be happy you did!
CAVE SINGERS / NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
Fri, 7/24 – Spokane WA – Empyrean Coffee House
Sat, 7/25 – Nelson BC – Littlefest
Sat, 9/5 – Vancouver BC – Biltmore Cabaret
Mon, 9/7 – Seattle WA – Bumbershoot Festival
Fri, 9/11 – Minneapolis MN – 400 Bar
Sat, 9/12 – Chicago IL – Schubas
Sun, 9/13 – Detroit MI – Magic Stick
Mon, 9/14 – Toronto ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Thu, 9/17 – Boston MA – TT The Bear’s
Sat, 9/19 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom
Sun, 9/20 – Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Mon, 9/21 – Washington DC – Black Cat
Wed, 9/23 – Memphis TN – Hi-Tone Cafe
Thu, 9/24 – Birmingham AL – The Bottletree
Sat, 9/26 – Austin TX – The Mohawk
Tue, 9/29 – Phoenix AZ – Modified
Wed, 9/30 – Las Vegas NV – Beauty Bar
Thu, 10/1 – Los Angeles CA – The Echo
Fri, 10/2 – San Diego CA – Casbah
Sat, 10/3 – Merced CA – The Partisan
Tue, 10/6 – San Francisco CA – The Independent
Fri, 10/16 – Portland OR – Mississippi Studios
As mentioned on the Matablog last June 4, The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital album ‘Popular Songs” (OLE 856-1,2) is hitting record shops & e-tailers on September 8. However, as we’ve hinted previously, you can start listening to ‘Popular Songs’ on August 4 via Matador’s award-winning Buy Early Get Now scheme.
Now in it’s 8th incarnation, this version of BEGN features the following for advance purchasers of ‘Popular Songs’ on double LP or compact disc ;
- one of the above configurations, available for collection at a trusted physical retailer on September 8.
- the full album stream starting August 4, with exclusive bonus MP3s to follow.
- a vinyl LP featuring Yo La Tengo’s Orginal Score from the Motion Picture “Adventureland”
- a poster (design TBD, but trust us, you’ll be pleased).
We’re also happy to announce the following North American tour dates, with several additional shows still to be confirmed later this week. Support for this jaunt is still being confirmed, however we can tell you The Black Lips are on the September 25 bill at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom. Shows marked * are on sale today.
9/15 – Burlington, VT at Higher Ground
9/16 – Boston at Wilbur Theater*
9/17 – DC at 9:30 Club
9/18 – Durham at Carolina Theater
9/19 – Atlanta at Variety*
9/21 – Asheville at Orange Peel
9/25 – NYC at Roseland
10/2 – Montreal at Le National
10/3 – Toronto at Opera House*
10/5 – Cleveland at Beachland Ballroom*
10/6 – Chicago at the Vic Theatre *
10/7 – Minneapolis at First Ave*
10/9 – Omaha at Slowdown
10/10 – Denver at Ogden *
10/11 – Aspen at Belly Up
10/12 – Salt Lake City at Urban Lounge
10/14 – Phoenix at Marquee
10/15 – Los Angeles at Avalon
10/16 – San Diego at Soma
10/17 – Santa Cruz at Rio Theater*
10/18 – San Francisco at Treasure Island Festival (tickets on sale)
10/20 – Portland at Crystal Ballroom*
10/21 – Vancouver at Commodore Ballroom*
10/22 – Seattle at Showbox SoDo *
It’s the most impressive Ohio double bill since Bronson Arroyo stole the microphone during a Wussy gig and performed a solo a capella version of Human Zoo’s “Change Me”* ; Times New Viking will be supporting The Breeders on the following midwestern USA dates :
Wed-Aug-05 Newport, KY Southgate House
Thu-Aug-06 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
Fri-Aug-07 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill
Sat-Aug-08 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Sun-Aug-09 Omaha, NE Slowdown
(*- though I have no proof this ever happened, you have no proof it didn’t)
Mr. Plenti will be performing on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on Friday, August 7. He will be making his first concert appearance in years in September. Watch this space for details.
As announced on the True Panther blog, Girls’ debut album, appropriately entitled Album, will be coming out on September 22. Our friends at True Panther inform us that the duo of Christopher Owens and Chet “JR” White continue to “wet the eyes and explode the hearts of the willing.” We enthusiastically agree.
The album will be preceded by a 10″ single of “Hellhole Ratrace,” backed with the non-album B-side “Solitude.” Download both songs here:
Preorder information will be announced momentarily. Catch the band on the road this summer with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart or Los Campesinos!
Jul 20 The Echo Los Angeles, California w/The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Jul 21 Rickshaw San Francisco, California w/The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Jul 23 The Backspace A/A Portland, Oregon w/The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Jul 24 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia w/The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Jul 25 Capitol Hill Block Party Seattle, Washington
Aug 4 Webster Hall new york, New York w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 5 9:30 Club Washington, Washington DC w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 6 Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 7 Hideout Chicago, Illinois w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 11 Firebird St. Louis, Missouri w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 12 Record Bar Kansas city, Missouri w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 14 Emos Outside Austin, Texas w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 15 Granada Theatre Dallas, Texas w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 16 Warehouse (Studio) Houston, Texas w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 19 Launchpad Albuquerque, New Mexico w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 20 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 21 El Rey Theatre L to the A, California w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 22 Glass House Pomona, California w/Los Campesinos!
Aug 23 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California w/Los Campesinos!
They may be New Jersey’s finest, but Yo La Tengo will be serenading the the citizens of the Second City with their debut on-air appearance for WGN AM 720 on The Greg Jarrett Morning Show. Tune in around 8:15AM to hear them wow their about-to-be-new-found fans. Then, if you’re in the Chicago area, make sure to check out their kick ass set at the Pitchfork Festival this evening.
As previously announced, we are releasing über-talented Philly singer-songwriter Kurt Vile’s second album Childish Prodigy this fall. Release date is October 6, and you can see the artwork above. This absorbing, addictive and richly detailed album covers an immense amount of ground compared to its predecessor, from the pounding stomp of “Hunchback” and the hypnotic beat of “Freak Train” to the unexpected, soaring trumpet in “Amplifier.”
(photo by Shawn Brackbill)
The first MP3 from Childish Prodigy is the lovely, haunting “Overnite Religion”:
It’s becoming a habit for us to release a 7″ before an album, and Kurt is no exception. “He’s All Right” will be in stores on September 8. The A-side comes from the album, and it contains two non-LP B-sides.
You will have multiple opportunities to see Kurt Vile this summer, both solo and with his backing band the Violators (those dates are marked *). There will also be a national tour starting shortly after the album release date.
Fri, July 17 – Brooklyn NY – Bruar Falls * – with Blues Control, Coconuts
Sat, July 18 – Boston MA – Homegrown Fest at Church * – with Blues Control, Titan, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and more
Sun, July 19 – Montague MA – Montague Bookmill * – with Blues Control
Fri, July 23 – Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s – with Tyvek, Coconut Coolouts
Fri, July 31 – Brooklyn NY – Rooftop Film Sessions
Tue, Aug 11 – Baltimore MD – Talking Head Club – with Espers
Wed, Aug 12 – Wilmington NC – Soapbox – with Espers
Thu, Aug 13 – Asheville NC * – Transfigurations: Harvest Records Fest
Fri, Aug 14 – New York NY – Cakeshop – with Blues Control, Mad Scene, Hans Chew
Sat, Aug 15 – Ridgewood NY – Silent Barn – with Blues Control
Sun, Aug 16 – Philadelphia PA – Vox Populi – with Blues Control
Tue, Aug 18 – Jersey City NJ – WFMU – Live on Brian Turner’s Show *
Wed, Aug 19 – Philadelphia PA – Rittenhouse Square (Concert In The Park) *
Tue, Aug 25 – Santa Ana CA – Galaxy Theatre – with Built To Spill, Woods
Wed, Aug 26 – Los Angeles CA – Troubadour – with Dungen, Woods
Thu, Aug 27 – Los Angeles CA – Echoplex
Fri, Aug 28- Santa Barbara CA – Muddy Waters – with Woods
Sat, Aug 29 – Big Sur CA – Mexican Summer / Folk Yeah Outdoor Fest
Sun, Aug 30 – San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill – with Dungen, Woods
Tue, Sep 1 – Portland OR – Berbati’s Pan – with Dungen, Woods
Philadelphia’s favorite son, Kurt Vile, invaded drive-time as a guest DJ on hometown station WKDU last Thursday. As you might expect, he brought with him a plethora of high quality music, and the folks at Testostertunes were kind enough to make the show available for download. Get it now, before the frenzied rush of Matablog readers kills the Sendspace links.
On October 6, Matador will be releasing Mission Of Burma’s fourth studio LP, The Sound The Speed The Light. Recorded in Boston with Bob Weston at the controls, the record is a departure from the pinned-needles roar of 2006′s The Obliterati. The new album sounds far more spacious and dynamic. It is more or less divided into 4 sets or suites of 3 songs. Each suite explores a set of moods or colors, across the usual dizzying array of lyrical topics, from alcoholism to fleshly concerns. The anthemic, catchy opener, our first MP3, is a classic Burma rocker on a level with “This Is Not A Photograph” or “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate.” Other tracks, such as “Feed,” “Forget Yourself,” and “Slow Faucet,” the latter a live favorite for some time, are slow, hypnotic builders. “Good Cheer” is a burst of almost uncontainable joy and fun that literally explodes from the speakers.
Of course, all the Burma trademarks are also present: the military snare drum, the melodic basslines high up on the neck, and the furiously experimental guitarwork, refracted and changed back into the songs via tape loops – all punctuated by the hoarse shouts of drummer Peter Prescott. This controlled chaos, this disciplined letting go, is the heart of what they do and it remains as exhilarating and fulfilling as ever.
6 weeks before the album, on August 18, we will be releasing a pre-album 7″ containing two non-LP tracks: “Innermost” and “Here It Comes.”
OK, in addition to the above, previously announced event (careful readers will note we’ve scooped ourselves with some new release information — further information on at least one of these is coming early next week) Mission Of Burma are playing Northampton’s Pearl St. Ballroom tonight (Friday) with Doomstart and Kahoots. And here’s a bunch of forthcoming Fucked Up dates :
7/16 – Phoenix Theatre – Toronto
7/17 – Subterranean – Chicago
7/18 – Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park , Chicago
Jay Reatard’s new album Watch Me Fall comes out on August 4 (on vinyl) and August 18 (on cd and digital). The second promo MP3, entitled “Wounded,” wraps layers of Tall Dwarfs-ish acoustic guitar around a typically complex Jay song structure. In two and a half minutes it builds to an ironically celebratory refrain. We challenge you to get this one out of your head after listening to it a couple of times.
Today on Joe Belock’s Three Chord Monte, hear the Primavera set from Yo La Tengo, recorded live in Barcelona but never broadcast…until now! This is as good a way as any to keep yourself sane while you wait for the new album, Popular Songs.
Tune in to WFMU today from 12 to 3pm Eastern time!
A pox on those who claim the venerable VHS format is dead ; in fact, Times New Viking delivered the master recordings to their forthcoming LP/CD/digital album ‘Born Again Revisited’ (OLE 860) on a Video Home System cassette. Addressing the mountain of constructive criticism they’ve received from self-styled musicologists wanna-be producers and persons with my initials, the Columbus based trio promise their 2nd Matador album (and 4th overall) features “25% higher fidelity”, a percentage our own engineering staff has confirmed after hourse of exhaustive laboratory tests.
Much has been made in the press of late of Cheap Trick’s attempts to steal Adam, Beth and Jared’s thunder by releasing their upteenth comeback album on 8-track, but with all due respect to the state fair fixtures Rockford’s finest, it’s been a generation since they’ve come up with anything as provocative as ‘Born Again Revisited”s “Move To California” or “No Time No Hope” (mp3). While Times New Viking continue to make-it-look-easy, I can assure you it’s anything but that. A cursory glance at the American rock underground reveals a landscape littered with well-intentioned but vastly inferior bands who’ve caught the lo-fi bug ; Times New Viking are well advised to disavow responsibility for the epidemic, but whoever the guilty party is, the ferocity of TNV’s shows and their sheer quality of their songwriting should be enough to win them a presidential pardon, not unlike the one ‘Born Again’ author Chuck Colson never quite received.
And you look very surprised from this vantage point. Tomorrow (July 7), AC Newman’s ‘Live From Montreal’, recording this past March 12 at the Sainte-Catherine Apple Store, will be available exclusively from the iTunes Music Store. Here’s the tracklisting :
1. There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve
2. Miracle Drug
3. Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer
4. Prophets
5. Secretarial
6. The Heartbreak Rides
7. The Palace at 4 A.M.
8. All Of My Days And All Of My Days Off
9. The Changeling (Get Guilty)
10. Submarines of Stockholm
Thu 5 Nov IRELAND, DUBLIN – TRIPOD
Fri 6 Nov SCOTLAND, GLASGOW – ABC
Sat 7 Nov UK, MANCHESTER – ACADEMY 2
Sun 8 Nov UK, LONDON – THE ROUNDHOUSE
Tue 10 Nov GERMANY, BIELEFELD – FORUM
Wed 11 Nov BELGIUM, LEUVEN – HET DEPOT
Thu 12 Nov HOLLAND, AMSTERDAM – MELKWEG
Sat 14 Nov DENMARK, COPENHAGEN – Grå Hal (Gray Hall)
Sun 15 Nov NORWAY, OSLO – COSMOPOLITE
Tue 17 Nov SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM – KAGELBANAN
Wed 18 Nov SWEDEN, LUND – MEJERIET
Thu 19 Nov GERMANY, HAMBURG – MARKTHALLE
Fri 20 Nov HOLLAND, DEN HAGUE – CROSSING BORDER FESTIVAL
Sun 22 Nov GERMANY, DUSSELDORF – ZAKK
Mon 23 Nov GERMANY, BERLIN – POSTBAHNHOF
Wed 25 Nov POLAND, KATOWICE – HIPNOZA CLUB
Thu 26 Nov AUSTRIA, VIENNA – ARENA
Mon 30 Nov FRANCE, PARIS – BATACLAN
Jelly NYC, the folks behind the beloved McCarren Pool parties of yesteryear have shifted their venue this summer to Brooklyn’s East River State Park (90 Kent Ave.) Summer 2009′s kickoff show happens Sunday, July 12 and features Mission Of Burma, Fucked Up, Baltimore’s Ponytail, former Be Your Own Pet vocalist Jemina Pearl and DJ Jonathan Toubin. It all starts at around 2pm and we can promise this will be the hottest free concert to hit the NYC area since Diana Ross played Central Park in 1983. This is an appropriate analogy because a) much like Ms. Ross, Peter Prescott’s performance features many costume changes and b) the two performers previously were a part of historic combos that changed the face of music (Diana with the Supremes, Peter with the Molls).
The is the first chance most of us have had to see Jay perform material from the upcoming “Watch Me Fall” (pre-order it here). The guys perform first-single “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”, and also kick out a pretty killer version of “My Shadow”.
They may be New Jersey’s finest, but Yo La Tengo will be serenading the the citizens of the Second City with their debut on-air appearance for WGN AM 720 on The Greg Jarrett Morning Show. 
