"What Makes a Pop Song Work" - Carl Newman & Neko Case on NPR's Morning Edition
(photo: Chris Buck)
Back on September 4th, The New Pornographers and National Public Radio took over NYC's historic songwriting hub, the Brill Building to present a special concert celebrating the band's latest release 'Brill Bruisers.' Earlier this morning Morning Edition aired an interview with Carl Newman and Neko Case in which they asked "What Makes a Pop Song Work?" Here what they had to say about the subject and what was running through their heads the night of the Brill show here.
Tour dates:
Sunday, October, 5 — The Showbox, Seattle WA*
Monday, October, 6 — The Showbox, Seattle WA*
Wednesday, October, 8 — Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR*
Thursday, October, 9 — Knitting Factory, Boise ID*
Friday, October, 10 — The Depot, Salt Lake City UT*
Saturday, October, 11 — Gothic Theatre, Denver CO*
Monday, October, 13 — The Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix AZ*
Tuesday, October, 14 — Rialto Theatre, Tucson AZ*
Wednesday, October, 15 — Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, Pioneertown CA*
Friday, October, 17 — The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA*
Saturday, October, 18 — North Park Theatre, San Diego CA*
Saturday- Sunday, October, 18-19 — Treasure Island Music Festival, San Francisco CA*
Tuesday, November, 4 — Cannery Ballroom, Nashville TN*
Wednesday, November, 5 — Orange Peel, Asheville NC*
Thursday, November, 6 — Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta GA*
Friday, November, 7 — Civic Theatre, New Orleans LA*
Saturday, November, 8 — Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin TX*
Monday, November, 10 — The Pageant, St. Louis MO*
Tuesday, November, 11 — Slowdown, Omaha NE*
Thursday, November, 13 — Pabst Theater, Milwaukee WI*
Friday, November, 14 — Riviera Theatre, Chicago IL*
Saturday, November, 15 — House of Blues, Cleveland OH*
Monday, November, 17 — Hammerstein Ballroom, New York NY*
Wednesday, November, 19 — House of Blues, Boston MA*
Thursday, November, 20 — Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA*
Friday, November, 21 — 9:30 Club, Washington, DC*
Sunday, November, 23 — Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro NC*
Monday, December, 1 — The Deaf Institute, Manchester UK
Tuesday, December, 2 — O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London UK
Wednesday, December, 3 — Botanique – Rotunde, Brussels, Belgium
Thursday, December, 4 — La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
Friday, December, 5 — Gebaude 9, Cologne, Germany
Saturday, December, 6 — Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Sunday, December, 7 — Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
* w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
# w/ Perfect Pussy, Pity Sex
^with Iron & Wine, Glass Animals
! with Pickwick, Cool
Matador Store: http://smarturl.it/BrillBruisers_LP
New Pornos Store: http://store.bandmerch.com/thenewpornographers/
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/BrillBruisers
website: http://www.thenewpornographers.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNewPornos
instagram: http://instagram.com/thenewpornographers
The New Pornographers' A.C. Newman: secret Brill Building audition tape revealed
Last week the New Pornographers played a triumphant (no really, they triumphed) concert at the Brill Building in New York City's Times Square to celebrate the release of their new album Brill Bruisers.This morning, tape has surfaced (at Funny or Die, of all places) revealing that last week's concert may not have been Carl "A.C." Newman's first trip to the Brill, the historic home of songwriting tradition in New York City:
Stay tuned to NPR Music TODAY (check in at noon Eastern, why dontcha!) for much more on the New Pornographers and Brill Bruisers live from the Brill Building.
Coming August 26 : The New Pornographers' 'Brill Bruisers'
“This is a celebration record. After periods of difficulty, I am at a place where nothing in my life is dragging me down and the music reflects that. We wanted Xanadu and we wanted Sigue Sigue Sputnik, which translated into sparklier and faster.” - A.C. Newman
(photo : Chris Buck)
On August 26, we'll be releasing the first new album in 4 years from The New Pornographers, the John Collins / AC Newman produced 'Brill Bruisers' on LP, CD and digital formats. The octet of Newman, Collins, Neko Case, Dan Bejar, Blaine Thurier, Katheryn Calder, Kurt Dahle and Todd Fancey recorded in Woodstock and Vancouver (with additional portions done in Brooklyn, Austin and Vermont) from 2013-14 and have emerged with the boldest & brightest work in their unbeaten run. The album's titular track, "Brill Bruisers" premieres today here (and at the top of this post)
track listing :
1. Brill Bruisers
2. Champions Of Red Wine
3. Fantasy Fools
4. War On The East Coast
5. Backstairs
6. Marching Orders
7. Another Drug Deal Of The Heart
8. Born With A Sound
9. Wide Eyes
10. Dancehall Domine
11. Spidyr
12. Hi-Rise
13. You Tell Me Where
A limited edition multi-colored paint splattered version of the LP is available through the Matador and New Pornographers webstores. Pre-order the limited edition LP and receive a 3D poster and 3D glasses (while supplies last)
Pre-order on iTunes and receive the following :
today : "Brill Bruisers"
At later dates in July receive "War On The East Coast" and "Dancehall Domine" (exact dates for these are TBC)
Dates including headlining shows at LA's Wiltern and NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom are found after the jump, in addition to festival appearances at Toronto's Riot Fest and Austin's Fun Fun Fun :
July 18-20 Pemberton Music Festival Pemberton, BC
August 29-31 Sonic Boom Festival Edmonton, AB
August 31 Edmonton Northlands Edmonton, AB
September 6 Majestic Theatre Detroit, MI
September 6-7 Riot Fest Toronto, ON
October 5 & 6 The Showbox Seattle, WA
October 8 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
October 9 Knitting Factory Boise, ID
October 10 Knitting Factory Salt Lake City, UT
October 11 Gothic Theatre Denver, CO
October 13 The Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
October 14 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
October 15 Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace Pioneertown, CA
October 17 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
October 18 North Park Theatre San Diego, CA
November 4 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN
November 5 Orange Peel Asheville, NC
November 6 Buckhead Theatre Atlanta, GA
November 7 Civic Theatre New Orleans, LA
November 7-9 Fun Fun Fun Fest Austin, TX
November 10 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
November 11 Slowdown Omaha, NE
November 13 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI
November 14 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL
November 15 House of Blues Cleveland, OH
November 17 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY
November 19 House of Blues Boston, MA
November 20 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
November 21 9:30 Club Washington, DC
November 23 Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC
The New Pornographers on Facebook
The New Pornographers on Twitter
AC Newman and Bill Fay In A Post-Apocalyptic-Cable-TV-World
(above : this is either a promotional still from "The Walking Dead" or a photo from last April's Record Store Day --- I can't find my notes!)
TONIGHT ON AMC : you can hear AC Newman's version of Bill Fay's "Be Not So Fearful" on season 4, episode 15 of "The Walking Dead".
'The Walking Dead Original Soundtrack, Vol. 2' is out Tuesday on Republic Records.
Yo La Tengo and AC Newman Attempt To Extract Your Cash For WFMU
(above : James and Ira, struggling gamely with Silver Convention's "San Francisco Hustle". Photo courtesy WFMU)
Venerable WFMU, oft-hailed as the finest listener supported free-form station in the world (or alternately, "almost as good as WSOU") is in the midst of their annual fundraising marathon. Though there's prizes & premiums galore, your real reward is an astonishing amount of live and archived material the station makes available over the airwaves, online, and soon, via mental telepathy (this is only part of reason why they spent two weeks a year shaking you down).
Yo La Tengo's vaunted covers-for-cash performances during the WFMU marathon are a 17 year tradition, as Ira Kaplan points out, and this Thursday at 9am EST, not even a concert tour of Germany will stop Ira, Georgia, James and longtime associate Bruce Bennett from once again, murdering the classics (and perhaps the not-so-classic.) This will mark the first time Yo La Tengo have done their covers-for-WFMU broadcast from a remote location (or if you prefer, Berlin), and you'll undoubtedly want to remember that for some kind of Matador Trivia Night we intend to hold in lieu of a company Xmas party later in the year (more on this later --- it's a sensitive subject).
In addition, A.C. Newman will throw himself into the entertainment firestorm that is Tom Scharpling's "The Best Show On WFMU", tomorrow night at 9pm EST.
A.C. Newman on NPR's World Cafe today
(photo by Noah Kalina)
During his last jaunt across these United States, A.C. Newman swung by Philadelphia's WXPN to record a session for the World Cafe program. The fruits of that session will finally be yours to enjoy today at 2:00PM EST. If you would like to partake of said fruits, click on over to the WXPN website, or check World Cafe's website to see if one of the over 200 stations that airs the show is in your neck of the woods, OR listen to the audio stream on NPR's site later in the day, OR if you live in the lovely city of Philadelphia you can tune in at 88.5FM.
Mr. Newman's most recent album, Shut Down The Streets, is available for a variety of reasonable prices on a variety of equally reasonable formats on our webstore.
A.C. Newman - "I'm Not Talking" video
Today Pitchfork debuts the first video from A.C. Newman's album Shut Down The Streets (album available for purchase), a brilliantly subtle, hilarious take on "I'm Not Talking" (directed by The General Assembly):A.C. Newman on The Current tomorrow morning
That's right, everyone: you too can start your Friday morning off right with an A.C. Newman live session on Twin Cities radio titan The Current. I doubt they'll Shut Down The Streets for it, but it's sure to be pretty special nonetheless. The session airs at 8:30AM EDT/7:30AM CDT; listen at 89.3FM in Minneapolis and/or St. Paul, or listen online by clicking here.
Be sure to catch A.C. Newman in St. Paul TONIGHT at the Turf Club, or at one of the other dates below:
November
Thursday 01 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Friday 02 - Winnipef, MB – West End Cultural Center
Saturday 03 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s
Monday 05 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room
Tuesday 06 – Calgary, AB - The Republik
Thursday 08 – Vacouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Friday 09 - Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
Saturday 10 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Monday 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Tuesday 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echoplex
Wednesday 14 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
A.C. Newman - La Blogotheque session, featuring Neko Case, debuts
Today La Blogotheque and The AV Club bring us a stunning live performance session from A.C. Newman. The session - featuring guest vocalist Neko Case (who features prominently on the new, must-own Newman record Shut Down The Streets) - was shot at Old Soul Studios in the woods of Catskill, New York.A.C. Newman is on the road now:
October
Wednesday 24 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
Thursday 25 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
Friday 26 - Washington, DC - Black Cat Backstage
Saturday 27 - Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall
Monday 29 - St Louis, MO - Duck Room
Tuesday 30 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
November
Thursday 01 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
Friday 02 - Winnipef, MB - West End Cultural Center
Saturday 03 - Saskatoon, SK - Amigo's
Monday 05 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
Tuesday 06 - Calgary, AB - The Republik
Thursday 08 - Vacouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
Friday 09 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
Saturday 10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Monday 12 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Tuesday 13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex
Wednesday 14 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
A.C. Newman on WFMU's Cherry Blossom Clinic tomorrow
I'm not generally in the business of imploring people, but I'll make an exception just this once to implore you to tune in to tomorrow's installment of The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T. for a live session by Woodstock, NY's favorite Canadian songsmith, A.C. Newman. Mr. Newman and his band will be performing songs from his most recent album, the just-released Shut Down The Streets. Set your controls for 91.1FM or wfmu.org to listen in.
Purchase your very own copy of Shut Down The Streets at the Matastore.
See it live in the following cities:
10/21 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)
10/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/23 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/24 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
10/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/26 – Washington DC @ Black Cat
10/27 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
10/30 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
11/1 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/2 – Winnipeg, Canada @ West End Cultural Centre
11/5 – Edmonton, Canada @ Starlite Room
11/6 – Calgary, Canada @ The Republik
11/8 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)*
11/9 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile*
11/10 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
11/12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
11/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex*
11/14 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah*
*with special guest Harriet
A.C. Newman at Facebook
@acnewman – Twitter
ACNewman.net (official site)
Say hello to 'Shut Down The Streets'
He's done it again and we're all better off for it, A.C. Newman's new solo effort, 'Shut Down The Streets' is out today!
Last night he rang in the album's release with a short set and release party at Brooklyn's Rock Shop (BrooklynVegan got the photos) and tonight he'll be on the Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling. Tune in!
Catch Carl on tour:
10/21 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)
10/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/23 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/24 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
10/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/26 – Washington DC @ Black Cat
10/27 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
10/30 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
11/1 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/2 – Winnipeg, Canada @ West End Cultural Centre
11/5 – Edmonton, Canada @ Starlite Room
11/6 – Calgary, Canada @ The Republik
11/8 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)*
11/9 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile*
11/10 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
11/12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
11/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex*
11/14 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah*
*with special guest Harriet
A.C. Newman at Facebook
@acnewman – Twitter
ACNewman.net (official site)
Hear A.C. Newman's 'Shut Down The Streets' a week before it's out
It's out October 9, but today you get a first listen at A.C. Newman's third solo effort ‘Shut Down The Streets’ Do yourself a favor and check out what in our completely unbiased opinion we believe to be 10 of the best songs ever put to tape. Then, do your friends a favor and send them this link. Carl, via a blogging on the Huffington Post, sez:
Here is my album, Shut Down The Streets. Maybe you know me from The New Pornographers, and you may recognize Neko Case's voice in these songs, you may even think "This one sounds so much like a New Pornographers song" and you may ask yourself "Who the hell are the New Pornographers?" All that aside, this album is all about birth, death, happiness and sadness, chronicling a time in my life where all those things had to learn to coexist side by side. There was that and a sudden obsession with the song "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty. That led to an obsession with the psychedelic sounds of the late 70s singer songwriter. So my most personal songs ever somehow made the most sense when I played them in a mutated version of an outdated style from my childhood. That's just how things go.
You can own ‘Shut Down The Streets’ on the LP, CD or digital formats next Tuesday. Grab it at The Matador Store (first 300 LP’s are on green vinyl) or at your favorite music retailler.
See it live:
10/8 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Rock Shop (FREE RECORD RELEASE PARTY - a live performance, full album playback, drink specials, album giveaways, + more!)
10/21 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)
10/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/23 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/24 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
10/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/26 – Washington DC @ Black Cat
10/27 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
10/30 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
11/1 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/2 – Winnipeg, Canada @ West End Cultural Centre
11/5 – Edmonton, Canada @ Starlite Room
11/6 – Calgary, Canada @ The Republik
11/8 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)*
11/9 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile*
11/10 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
11/12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
11/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex*
11/14 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah*
*with special guest Harriet
A.C. Newman at Facebook
@acnewman – Twitter
ACNewman.net (official site)
(‘Shut Down The Streets’ is coming out in
AC Newman - Brooklyn Record Release Gig/Party, October 8
"Want You To Know": A Short Film By James Blose set to the music of A.C. Newman's 'Shut Down The Streets'
Do I need to repeat the information listed above? Quite possibly, if your eyesight sucks or you don't have one of those new fancy Retina displays (HINT HINT). On Monday, October 8 our good friends at Brooklyn Vegan are presenting a bash to commemorate the following day's U.S. release of AC Newman's 'Shut Down The Streets' at The Rock Shop (249 4th Avenue, Brooklyn). The evening is said to feature "a live performance, full album playback, drink specials, album giveaways, + more!" and I don't know about you, but it's the whole, " + more!" portion of the pitch that really has my curiosity piqued. Surely a free AC Newman show would be enough to get you out of the house. Throw in the drink specials, swag giveaways, etc. and this already sounds too good to be true. But "more"? Either we're promising more than one mere record release party can possibly deliver (hey, it wouldn't be the first time) or this truly is the can't miss event of early October, 2012 (in Brooklyn. on weeknights). I don't think you wanna risk missing out on the latter. And the former already sounded pretty good to me. In fact, if I see you there, I'll personally buy you a drink (keep in mind the room might be quite dark and my eyesight sucks).
You can score a free ticket to the 10/8 party by purchasing 'Shut Down The Streets' at one of the following NYC area independent shops. The following stores will have the LP/CD in stock the weekend prior :
Other Music
Generation/Bleecker
Academy
Sound Fix
Ear Wax
Halcyon
Permanent
In Living Stereo
Rebel Rebel
Co Op
"Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns" (192 kbps MP3)
Pre-order 'Shut Down The Streets' on the LP, CD or digital formats from The Matador Store (first 300 LP's are on colored vinyl)
A.C. Newman at Facebook
@acnewman - Twitter
ACNewman.net (official site)
Green Day Out Buy Early Get Nows Us
[caption id="attachment_19745" align="alignright" width="193" caption="photo: Nabil Ayers "]
[/caption]If Feist would finally confirm to host the first-ever "Christoper Pell Lombardi Awards For Excellence In Convoluted Marketing Schemes", the fourth installment of Buy Early Get Now (aka The New Ps "Box Of Air") would finally get its due in the Lifetime Achievement category. (Note: Dave Martin still maintains that only time will help folks discover BEGN #4's genius, and Dave knows both time and genius.)
So here we are, five years and two IHeartRadio Festivals later...and the majors have finally decided to embark on the trail toward customer confusion that we so dutifully blazed. To wit, Green Day's foray into the world of selling futures in music.
And because other members of the Matador family have done a far better job lampooning Billie and friends, I'll leave only a link to this space where we can all watch customer ire unfold in real time:
AC Newman - "Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns", The 2nd MP3 from 'Shut Down The Streets'
(of course, by "out now", we mean "out October 9")
As mentioned in this space a few weeks ago, on October 9 Matador will be releasing the 3rd A.C. Newman album, 'Shut Down The Streets'. The '70's folk/pop-inflected masterpiece was dubbed "an album of understated elegance and strength" by one of our more insightful (and good-looking) executives, and here's another example of Carl''s musical & lyrical brilliance to whet your appetite :
"Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns" (192 kbps MP3)
There's further recognition, by the way, for one of the continent's great songsmiths (or, if you prefer, songwriters). Though I'm sworn to secrecy by a colleague (who is so many thousands of miles away, what's she going to do, yell at me?), I'm told one of your favorite New Pornographers songs will be heard next month as the intro theme music for a popular new television comedy that may or may not feature group therapy as a central theme in the show. It's not that new Charlie Sheen thing either, so let's not get into that. There's loads of other places on the internet if all you want to do is complain about Charlie Sheen. He was alright in "Platoon" --- you think you could do better?
Pre-order 'Shut Down The Streets' on the LP, CD or digital formats from The Matador Store (first 300 LP's are on colored vinyl)
on tour this Autumn :
10/21 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)
10/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/23 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/24 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
10/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/26 – Washington DC @ Black Cat
10/27 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
10/30 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
11/1 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/2 – Winnipeg, Canada @ West End Cultural Centre
11/5 – Edmonton, Canada @ Starlite Room
11/6 – Calgary, Canada @ The Republik
11/8 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)*
11/9 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile*
11/10 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
11/12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
11/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex*
11/14 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah*
*with special guest Harriet
A.C. Newman at Facebook
@acnewman - Twitter
ACNewman.net (official site)
('Shut Down The Streets' is coming out in Canada on Last Gang and in the UK on Fire Records)
Coming October 9 : AC Newman's 'Shut Down The Streets'
(photo by Noah Kalina)
On October 9, we'll be releasing the 3rd album from A.C. Newman, 'Shut Down The Streets' (LP/CD/digital) the most powerful and personal solo work to date from the New Pornographers founder. While Newman long ago staked a claim for being one of this continent's finest pop craftsmen, 'Streets' represents a change in tone and a bigger change in subject matter. I'm not about to give the whole thing away (not when we've commissioned a bio writer to do that, anyway), but a year of joy and sorrow in the Newman household has inspired an album of understated elegance and strength. The bar was already set pretty high where this songwriter is concerned, but this isn't nearly so simple as one of your longtime favorites having delivered 10 great new songs. Fantastic lyrical chops and musical invention aren't new territory for Carl, but writing so directly about the most important events in his adult life certainly are.
Recorded in Woodstock, NY (and featuring longtime colleague Neko Case), 'Streets' bears the influence of classic ‘70s folk and pop songwriters ranging from Gerry Rafferty to “Daylight Katy”-period Gordon Lightfoot, Summoning lush sonics with sweeping string & synth backgrounds that are miles away from The New Pornographers' signature sound, 'Shut Down The Streets' is brutally honest, open and affecting in a way Newman has rarely been in the past.
"I'm Not Talking" (192 kbps MP3)
Track Listing:
1) I'm Not Talking
2) Do Your Own Time
3) You Could Get Lost Out Here
4) Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns
5) There's Money In New Wave
6) Strings
7) Hostages
8 ) Wasted English
9) The Troubadour
10) They Should Have Shut Down The Streets
Pre-order 'Shut Down The Streets' from The Matador Store (first 300 LP's are on colored vinyl)
on tour this Autumn :
10/21 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)
10/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/23 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/24 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
10/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/26 – Washington DC @ Black Cat
10/27 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
10/30 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
11/1 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/2 – Winnipeg, Canada @ West End Cultural Centre
11/5 – Edmonton, Canada @ Starlite Room
11/6 – Calgary, Canada @ The Republik
11/8 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)*
11/9 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile*
11/10 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
11/12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
11/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex*
11/14 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah*
*with special guest Harriet
A.C. Newman at Facebook
@acnewman - Twitter
ACNewman.net (official site)
('Shut Down The Streets' is coming out in Canada on Last Gang and in the UK on Fire Records)
A.C. NEWMAN TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM THIS FALL / ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES
photo by: Noah Kalina
A.C. Newman, founding member of The New Pornographers, is excited to announce the completion of his third solo full length. The album was recorded earlier this year in Woodstock, NY and will be released this Fall on Matador Records in the US and on Last Gang Records in Canada.
In celebration of the record -- with a yet-to-be-revealed title -- Newman has announced a tour this Fall, commencing October 21st at Lee's Palace in Toronto, ON, and wrapping up November 14th at the Casbah in San Diego.
A pre-sale for all shows listed below begins Wednesday, July 25th. By buying tickets through our pre-sale, you will be able to get your tickets before anyone as well as save money on service charges. Go HERE on Wednesday to access the pre-sale for each date.
The general on sale for this tour begins Friday, July 27th.
Stay tuned as we announce more details about the new album in the coming weeks.
A.C. NEWMAN - FALL TOUR
10/21 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)
10/22 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10/23 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
10/24 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
10/25 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
10/26 - Washington DC - Black Cat
10/27 - Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall
10/28 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10/30 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
11/8 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret (Exclaim! 20th Anniversary Concert Series)*
11/9 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile*
11/10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge*
11/12 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent*
11/13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex*
11/14 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah*
*with special guest Harriet
A.C. Newman covers "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye"
In case you were wondering what A.C. Newman's been up to during the slight lull the New Pornographers' heavy road-warrioring behind 2010's excellent 'Together'... well, what we can tell you is he's just recorded this great cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye". Watch it below, and knowing Carl, we can be sure there's probably a lot more in the pipeline.Kurt Vile, Ted Leo and Carl Newman, all on The Best Show On WFMU tonight
As part of Matador's continued efforts to spread the word about WFMU's fundraising marathon
Kurt Vile (the man/myth/legend behind the stunning Smoke Ring For My Halo, out today on all popular formats), Ted Leo (star of Reginald Van Voorst's Broadway musical The Brutalist Bricks), and A.C. Newman (inspiration for the character "Carl Newman" from the motion picture Moves: The Rise & Rise Of The New Pornographers) will all be joining Tom on the air tonight. We really don't know what's going to happen, but if it's anything like last week's show with Ted and Carl, it'll be must-listen radio, plus you can get cool prizes for pledging money (including a signed Smoke Ring test pressing and the already-infamous "Rated GG" 7" single). WFMU can be found at 91.1FM on your NY/NJ radio dial, or at wfmu.org.
Finally, lest you think we're done talking about Kurt on his release day, please note that in addition to lending his talents to WFMU, Mr. Vile will be playing not once, not twice, but thrice at some of New York's finest recordmongers this evening: 5PM at Academy Records in Williamsburg (with Thurston Moore & Bill Nace's Northampton Wools), 7PM at Generation Records, and 9PM at Other Music. Who loves ya, indie retail?
Tonight On WFMU, Another Installment Of Yo La Tengo's Covers For Cash
Lest you think Matador Records is quite done twisting arms on behalf of WFMU's annual Marathon, THINK AGAIN. Not only are Ted Leo and A.C. Newman returning to Tom Scharpling's "The Best Show On WFMU" for a second consecutive appearance next Tuesday, March 8th at 9pm, but Yo La Tengo will make their annual visit to the free-form station's Jersey City studios tonight on Psue Braun's program (9pm eastern).
In what should be the greatest fund raising effort to hit the region since.....well, since this, Yo La Tengo will take your requests for covers, but not without an appropriate donation on your part to America's no. 1, 100% listener supported radio station. Unlike the rest of WFMU's sprawling schedule, this program will not be archived for later use on your iPhone, iPad, etc. so if you don't tune in...you must have a pretty exciting Friday night planned.