Do Yourself a Favor: New Dr. Dog "Shame, Shame"

I've mentioned the indie/psychedelic rock act Dr. Dog before on the blog when they signed with Anti-Records in the middle of last year.
That same post I mention a "new album in the works"...a followup to their 2008 release "Fate" which was received very positively by most.

Well, here we are almost a year later, and we can run down to our favorite music outlet and pickup a copy of that very album, "Shame, Shame" (Released 4/06/10 on ANTI-).

I'm going to throw this out there, Shame, Shame is in my opinion, Dr. Dog's greatest studio effort to date. The album as a whole naturally comes off with that Dr. Dog feel...often one can relate it to the sound of rock in the 60's...the Beatles, the Beach Boys, etc. Yet the song choices on this album are darker and grittier, more closely emulating the sound of Dr. Dog in a live setting. Other influences are noticeable on the album as well...I hear some very David Bowie-esque moments throughout the record.

The first standout single on the album is, "Stranger" which the guys performed on Jimmy Fallon:



Anyways, Pick this up ASAP - I know Target (blech) was running a special and selling it for $7.99 "while supplies last" so check there first. Personally I think I'm gonna pick it up on vinyl when I catch them on tour May 15!!! (EXCITEMENT!)

Here's their tour dates from this point forward:

April 14 Toronto, ON Lee's Place
April 15 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
April 16 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
April 17 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
April 19 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
April 20 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre
April 22 Boise, ID Neurolux
April 23 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
April 24 - 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
April 27 Los Angeles, CA Music Box at Fonda
April 29 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Company
April 30 Dallas, TX The Loft
May 1 Austin, TX Emo's
May 2 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
May 3 Fayetteville, AR George's Majestic Lounge
May 5 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
May 6 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
May 7 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
May 11 -12 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
May 13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
May 14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 15 New York, NY Terminal 5

Phish Summer 2010

Ladies & Gents,

PHISH SUMMER 2010 IS ANNOUNCED!!!



What more is there to say?  I'm completely, balls to the wall, ecstatic about the announcement.
Particularly because there's about 10 shows within an hour or two from me.

• Love that '09 saw Jones at the very beginning and now '10 gets the 2-night stand at the end to close the tour.
• Hershey?   Yum.
• Good to see the Tellurider's won't waste any money on cancellation fees
• Also nice to see that I'll have 2 weeks POST Mountain Jam VI to relax my bones before venturing out for Phish (whereas last year, I had 1 day until the Jones shows)

PHISH 2010 SUMMER TOURDATES
06/11 - Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
06/12 - Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
06/13 - Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA
06/15 - nTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA
06/17 - Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
06/18 - Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
06/19 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
06/20 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
06/22 - Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
06/24 - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
06/25 - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
06/26 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
06/27 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
06/29 - CMAC Performing Arts Center, Canandaigua, NY
07/01 - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
07/02 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
07/03 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
07/04 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
08/05 - The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/06 - The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/07 - The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/09 - Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO
08/10 - Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO
08/12 - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
08/13 - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
08/14 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/15 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/17 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY
08/18 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY


A limited number of tickets are available directly through Phish Tickets’ online ticketing system at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/. The ticketing request period is currently underway and will end Friday, March 26th at 11:59pm Eastern Time.

Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, April 2nd at 10am ET, followed by more public onsales on Saturday, April 3rd. For complete ticketing info (and there’s lots of it), check out www.phish.com.

Them Crooked Vultures First Single

Them Crooked Vultures have released their first single, "New Fang", off their highly anticipated debut album. I mean HIGHLY anticipated. Perhaps the most anticipated of 2009.

Why?

The band consists of music legends Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin...need I say more?), and Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age)...clearly putting them into "supergroup" category.

The track is available for your listening pleasure below. It's VERY good and will make you want more...which you'll get soon enuogh. They've announced tour dates so far for the West Coast, Australia, and Europe.

Phish 2009 Fall Tour Announced

Glory be...

I present you with the news of the day...because who really cares about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize?

Check the link after the jump to see a sweet video announcement which involves some claymation tree faces I guess...

1. 11.18.09 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
2. 11.20.09 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
3. 11.21.09 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
4. 11.22.09 War Memorial at Oncenter , Syracuse, NY
5. 11.24.09 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
6. 11.25.09 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
7. 11.27.09 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
8. 11.28.09 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
9. 11.29.09 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME
10. 12.02.09 Madison Square Garden , New York, NY
11. 12.03.09 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
12. 12.04.09 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
13. 12.05.09 John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA

http://www.phish.com/fall2009/

Reason To Love David Byrne of the Day

David Byrne, an artist I thoroughly enjoy, took a jab at U2 in his blog today.

Can't help but think he's got a point and I really hope Bono responds!

What do you think?

Here's the excerpt:

Thank You U2!

Mark E pointed out as we prepped for our show last night in Warsaw (at a not so big club/venue called Stodoła) that these undersized dates are in effect being subsidized by U2’s world tour. The promoter of these dates, and of much of the U2 stadium tour, is Live Nation, the global conglomerate. A venue like Stodoła could not possibly afford to pay for us, the catering, or even their local crew given the relatively small number of tickets to be sold here — and it’s not even an “exclusive” VIP-type venue. It’s not like they can charge $200 a seat and make up their losses that way — this is a standing room club… with a floor made of plywood. So in order to book our date, they must (we figure) be losing money now, then making it up with what they expect to earn on the upcoming U2 stadium dates.

Those stadium shows may possibly be the most extravagant and expensive (production-wise) ever: $40 million to build the stage and, having done the math, we estimate 200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe for the duration. It could be professional envy speaking here, but it sure looks like, well, overkill, and just a wee bit out of balance given all the starving people in Africa and all. Or maybe it’s the fact that we were booted off our Letterman spot so U2 could keep their exclusive week-long run that’s making me less than charitable? Take your pick — but thanks, guys!

I Still Miss You MJ

Unbelievable...I'm still sort of devastated by the death of Michael Jackson.

Not in a like a cry-my-eyes-out-nightly way but just, shock and awe.

I read an interview with MJ's close friend, Liza Minelli, who said something along the lines of (don't quote me here)..."When the autopsy/toxicology results are released, all hell is going to break loose. So I am glad we can celebrate Michael now."

Clearly, MJ had issues with pills that should have been addressed. Perhaps they were at some point, but it's hard to tell someone to break an addiction. Especially when that person is the king of pop.

Anyways, CNN just posted this video of MJ doing rehearsals for his final tour. It is from June 23rd...just 2 days before his life would end. So tragic. Almost hard to watch. R.I.P.