Every Friday (well, truthfully, most Fridays), we will feature a new release, and today's selection is Katie Toupin's debut EP, Moroccan Ballroom. You will remember Toupin from the band Houndmouth, and we're excited about what lies ahead for the talented singer and songwriter, who is now out on her own. Her Moroccan Ballroom is filled with soul and detailed charm; a wonderful start to her solo career.
Katie Toupin upcoming performances: 3/10 - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA 3/21 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA 3/23 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY 3/25 - Schubas - Chicago, IL
When you're a legend and still writing songs like "Knockin' On Your Screen Door," (listen below Tour Dates) well, congratulations. Prine's new album, The Tree of Forgiveness, is out April 13.
JOHN PRINE 2018 TOUR DATES
April 11—Woodstock, NY—Levon’s Place (SOLD OUT)
April 13—New York, NY—Radio City Music Hall (co-headline with Sturgill Simpson (solo))
April 14—Philadelphia, PA—Merriam Theatre (with Kurt Vile)
April 25—Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theatre (with Milk Carton Kids)
April 27—Chicago, IL—Chicago Theatre (with Milk Carton Kids)
April 28—Champaign, IL—Virginia Theatre (with Milk Carton Kids)
May 11—Beaver Dam, KY—Beaver Dam Amphitheater* (with Tyler Childers)
May 12—Indianapolis, IN—Clowes Hall (with Tyler Childers)
May 18—Los Angeles, CA—Ace Theatre (with Sam Outlaw)
May 19—San Diego, CA—Balboa Theatre (with Sam Outlaw)
May 23—Folsom, CA—Harris Center (with Ramblin Jack)
May 24—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield (with Sam Outlaw)
June 1—Vienna, VA—Wolf Trap (with Margo Price)
June 2—Norfolk, VA—Chrysler Hall (with Margo Price)
June 8—Louisville, KY—Palace Theatre (with Colter Wall)
June 9—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre (with Tyler Childers)
June 13—Burlington, VT—Flynn Theatre (with Valerie June)
June 15—Boston, MA—Wang Theatre
June 16—Concord, NH—Capitol Theatre (with Valerie June)
June 29—Dallas, TX—AT&T Center (with Amanda Shires)
June 30—Austin, TX—Bass Hall (with Amanda Shires)
July 14—Somerset, KY—Musicians Festival
July 20—Pittsburgh, PA—Heinz Hall (with Langhorne Slim)
August 2—Glasgow, U.K. – Kelvingrove Bandstand (with John Moreland)
August 3—Birmingham, U.K.—Town Hall (with John Moreland)
August 5—Cambridge, U.K.—Cambridge Folk Festival
August 8—Oslo, Norway—Konserthurst (with Tanya McCole)
August 10—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Paradiso (with Tanya McCole)
August 13—Dublin, Ireland—National Concert Hall (with Tanya McCole)
September 14—Huntsville, AL—Von Braum Center (with Kelsey Waldon)
September 15—Memphis, TN—Orpheum Theatre (with Kelsey Waldon)
September 19—Eugene, OR—Hult Center (with Todd Snider)
September 21—Portland, OR—Schnitzer Theatre (with Todd Snider)
September 22—Seattle, WA—Paramount Theatre (with Todd Snider)
September 28—Columbus, OH—Ohio Theatre (with Lilly Hiatt)
October 3—Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre (with Kelsey Waldon)
October 5—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
October 6—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
November 7—Breckenridge, CO—Riverwalk Center (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
November 8—Grand Junction, CO—Avalon Theatre (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
November 10—Denver, CO—Buell Center (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
December 12—Las Vegas, NV—Westgate Theatre (with John Paul White)
December 14—Phoenix, AZ—Celebrity Theatre (with John Paul White)
December 15—Tucson, AZ—Fox Theatre (with John Paul White)
News straight from the Neil Young Archives (NYA): keep an eye out for Uncle Neil and Promise of the Real this summer. They will be playing the Arroyo Seco Weekend festival, for starters, in June.
Let's hope this signals more dates later in the year with Promise of the Real, Young's best band besides Crazy Horse.
On an abnormally brisk evening in Phoenix, Mike Gordon (Phish) brought his talented and diverse band to the Crescent Ballroom in support of his 2017 solo release OGOGO. This 550-person capacity venue quickly filled to the brim with eager fans as Mike’s band took the stage, opening with the pulsing reggae of "Stealing Jamaica" and an equally danceable "Crazy Sometimes." With their elaborate lighting system in this small room, the floor began to resemble more of a disco than a rock show. The two set show featured a mix of Mike’s solo work and guitarist Scott Murawski’s (Max Creek) songs "Just A Rose" and "The Field," as well as some covers.
The diversity of Mike’s band is remarkable. Scott Murawski, veteran leader of Max Creek, delivers particular proficiency on guitar and vocals that are at the forefront of a lot of Mike’s songs. Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress) brings a jazzy sophistication to the band with his organ skills. John Kimock (drums) and Craig Myers hold down the rhythm section, which is essential to the Mike Gordon Band sound. Particularly noticeable in the OGOGO songs are the rhythmic qualities of this band, who routinely fall in to really nice grooves as the fans bounce along. The highlight of the night was Steps, an undeniable disco song that makes it impossible to not move your feet. After two fun sets, Mike Gordon Band encored with "Marissa" and "Ruby Soho (Rancid)," showing off an admirable range of musicianship.
Set 1: Stealing Jamaica, Crazy Sometimes, Just A Rose, Morphing Again > The Field > Morphing Again, Got To Be More Careful, Destiny Unbound, Go Away Set 2: Jones, Dig Further Down, Sleep To Dream > So Far Gone, Steps, Say Something, Whirlwind, Noon To Noon, Face
Encore: Marissa, Ruby Soho
Kacey Musgraves is back, primed to release her fourth album, Golden Hour, in March. For now, though, we'll have to settle for two new tracks, "Space Cowboy" and "Butterflies." The former is a goodbye to a past life; the latter is the glow of a new golden hour.
Ever since Josh Ritter picked up a guitar in Moscow, Idaho, he dreamed about playing the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. I only know this because he told us exactly that, early on in his debut performance at the legendary venue this past Friday. And midway through the opportunity to live his dream, Ritter unleashed one of his most ambitious songs to date -- the six-and-a-half minute "Dreams," from his latest album, Gathering.
Where 2013's Beast in the Tracks and 2015's Sermon on the Rocks were somewhat more immediate with songs like "New Lover," "Hopeful," "Getting Ready To Get Down" and "Where The Night Goes," Gathering develops slowly with "Myrna Loy," "Train Go By,"and "Dreams."
The latter two were played, back-to-back, on Friday at the Ryman, perhaps to challenge the sold-out audience, which, for the most part was incredibly respectful throughout the evening, minus the woman near me who filmed most of one song, and then decided it a good idea to actually watch her footage, with audio, right after. I mean...
But I digress.
"Dreams" was absolutely stunning. The song itself is a journey on the album, but when witnessed live, you really get pulled in. It has nineteen verses. Not exactly the type of song you choose to perform if you don't feel like challenging yourself. Ritter, though, made it look easy, singing with his eyes closed -- the look of a focused artist who would not prefer to be anywhere else.
He had me hooked during the entire song, but the final, chilling three verses were the ones that did me in:
What else is there to say but to tell you that I love you I haven't seen much of the world but I know That there aren't any others who know me like you do And your comfort seems to follow me wherever I go I know you're no cure for the darkness inside me But it feels better just to know that you're near And your patience, your joy, and your strength are astounding And I know that without you, I wouldn't be here I know that without you, I wouldn't be here And I know that without you, I would not be here I know that without you, I wouldn't be here I know that without you
When I write in the future about honest songwriting, let me always go back to this song. There's a reason why Josh Ritter is often compared to Bob Dylan, which, let's face it, is unfair, but it also makes sense. Who else, consistently, is writing songs like this? If you have the answer, I'll gladly travel to see him or her.
Or maybe I'll just keep driving across the Midwest to see the sure thing. Because, at this point, that's who Ritter is. His status as one of America's best songwriters -- easily on the level of a Lucinda Williams -- has not been fueled by arena-level hype. It has been earned.
His live performances only cement this belief.
He almost always performs "Monster Ballads" at his shows, because he knows how to drive its magic in a live setting. On this night, he performed it with Sam Kassirer on grand piano, who extended the song with a solo that was as delicate as the stained glass that reflected from the back of the venue. "Out on the desert now and I'm feeling lost," Ritter sang.
During a solo acoustic rendition of "The Temptation of Adam," his words stung a little more than normal. Its ten verses are all worthy of an award that Ritter will probably never win, but, you know, who cares. Here are my favorite four. Oh Marie if you would stay then we could stick pins in the map Of all the places where you thought that love would be found But I would only need one pin to show where my heart's at In a top secret location three hundred feet under the ground We could hold each other close and stay up every night Looking up into the dark like it's the night sky And pretend this giant missile is an old oak tree instead And carve our name in hearts into the warhead Oh Marie there's something tells me things just won't work out above That our love would live a half-life on the surface So at night while you are sleeping I hold you closer just because As our time grows short I get a little nervous I think about the Big One, W.W.I.I.I. Would we ever really care the world had ended You could hold me here forever like you're holding me tonight I look at that great big red button and I'm tempted
That's how the song ends: with temptation.
Ritter's show at the Ryman ended with something more: singing about a girl in the war.
"If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to hell," he sang.
At the end of "Girl in the War," he describes her eyes -- like champagne. "They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain," he sings.
Kind of like the morning after a long dream that somehow came true.
Radiohead will tour North America in 2018, and you will probably want to go. So, like, make plans. No excuses, people!
Tickets will be on sale beginning Friday, February 23. For further information, go to radiohead.com.
RADIOHEAD North America 2018 Sat-Jul-07 - Chicago - United Center Tue-Jul-10 - New York - Madison Square Garden Wed-Jul-11 - New York - Madison Square Garden Fri-Jul-13 - New York - Madison Square Garden Mon-Jul-16 - Montreal - Bell Centre Tue-Jul-17 - Montreal - Bell Centre Thu-Jul-19 - Toronto - Air Canada Centre Fri-Jul-20 - Toronto - Air Canada Centre Sun-Jul-22 - Detroit - Little Caesars Arena Mon-Jul-23 - Columbus - Schottenstein Center Wed-Jul-25 - Cincinnati - US Bank Arena Thu-Jul-26 - Pittsburgh- PPG Paints Arena Sat-Jul-28 - Boston - TD Garden Sun-Jul-29 - Boston - TD Garden Tue-Jul-31 - Philadelphia- Wells Fargo Center Wed-Aug-01 - Philadelphia - Wells Fargo Center
Sorrow found me when I was young Sorrow waited, sorrow won
As you might remember, The National collaborated with Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson to perform the song "Sorrow," a three-minute, twenty-five second song, continuously for six hours. That happened on May 5, 2013.
Today, The National announce a boxed set of that recording, "featuring nine pieces of clear vinyl in clear sleeves held in a translucent, screen printed box." You can pre-order your copy now on www.alotofsorrow.com, and "all profits will be donated to Partners in Health, an organization dedicated to improve the health of impoverished people worldwide."
It's official: Ryan Adams will release his new self-titled and self-produced album on September 9th in the US (September 8th in the UK). This LP follows 2011's Ashes & Fire.
You can pre-order it (and view what we assume to be the album cover) here.
Track listing:
Gimme Something Good (listen here)
Kim
Trouble
Am I Safe
My Wrecking Ball
Stay With Me
Shadows
Feels Like Fire
I Just Might
Tired Of Giving Up
Let Go
Tour dates: July 22nd - Portland, ME – State Theatre
23rd – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center For Performing Arts
25th – Newport, RI – Newport Folk Festival
26th– Camden, NJ – XPoNential Music Festival at Susquehanna Bank Center
August
5th – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
7th – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
TV On The Radio's hiatus seemed like an eternity. Sure we saw the guys in multiple projects, both musically and at the helm in production roles, Heck, they even showed up in independent movies. But, it was not even close to fullfilling to those of us who worship their collective work as a band.
Well, oh happy effing day! TVOTR has cemented its return to the scene by releasing its newest single, "Will Do," for all of us to hear/make music love to. The band also announced that its latest album, Nine Types of Light, will be released on April 12th.
On Valentine's Day, we told you that Radiohead's eighth studio record, The King of Limbs, would be available for digital download this Saturday. Well, Thom Yorke and Co. have pulled a fast one on us, and the record is actually available...NOW. Delightfully tricky.
Go grab the soundtrack to your weekend over at http://www.kingoflimbs.com/. We couldn't be more tickled. Thanks, fellas.
On the morning of what many jilted lovers across the land view as the most superficial and contrived of all holidays, the music world brings us two substantial, significant, and genuine news gifts.
Photo Credit - ET Online - Getty Images - Kevin Winter
1) Last night at the 2011 Grammy Awards, a much deserving Arcade Fire rose up and nabbed the night's top prize, Album of the Year for The Suburbs. While this recognition feels a bit like the Oscars' Best Picture nod for Return of the King (after two preceding films that were generally regarded as "better"), the win for Arcade Fire is a shot across the bow of a recording industry that has recognized commercial viability over true artistry in recent years. Snatching the award from the likes of Lady Gaga, Eminem, and something called Lady Antebellum, the members of Arcade Fire, fresh off a hard rocking performance of "Month of May," seemed as shocked as all of the pre-teens and industry types who had never heard of the inimitable Montreal-based rock collective until just minutes before. Check out their Grammy closing, post-win performance of "Ready to Start" (lamely cut off and interrupted by some corporate nonsense) below.
2) Radiohead has announced that the band's new record, King of Limbs, will be released digitally this Saturday (actual physical release of the record will wait until May). We knew this release was coming sometime this year, but until last night, the release date was shrouded in mystery. With the digital download of the group's previous record, In Rainbows, you were able to choose your price. No such luck this time for those of you wishing to grab another Radiohead album on the super-cheap. On Saturday, grab King of LimbsHERE for $9 or $14, depending on how you like your digital tunes (mp3 or WAV).
Both of these news tidbits make our hearts skip a beat over here at SIC. Happy Valentine's Day.
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