Friday Tidbits
The always excellent Jose Gonzalez will be returning to North America for a brief string of dates this June. They mostly consist of festival appearances, but he kicks things off in Nova Scotia at St Matthew’s Church. Gonzalez will be joined onstage during this tour by percussionist Andres Renterria and vocalist Joel Thbodeau (Death Vessel). On a personal note, I cannot believe it’s been 2 years since In Our Nature! Perhaps it is because the record remains fresh and engaging, no matter how many times you play it.
TOUR DATES:
June 25 St. Matthew’s Church Halifax, NS
June 26 Toronto Jazz Festival Toronto
June 27 Winnipeg Jazz Festival Winnipeg
June 28 Vancouver Int’l Jazz Festival Vancouver
June 29 Saskatchewan Jazz Festival Saskatoon, SK
July 1 Ann Arbor Summer Festival Ann Arbor, MI
Spoonfed Media are all about what’s happening in London. Gigs, reviews, interviews…you name it, they’ve got it. They recently posted an interview with one of my favorite bands from this year, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Be sure to check it out here. And if you are out and about in London, be sure to catch the band’s performance at Cargo.
A lot of you will remember Ash’s surprising announcement some time back that they’d no longer release albums, only singles. Just in case you thought they weren’t serious about it, this October will mark the beginning of a year-long release of a singles collection titled ‘The A-Z Series’. The band will release a new single every 2 weeks on limited 7” vinyl and digital download. They’ve decided to mark this occasion by offering a free download of new track ‘Return of the White Rabbit’. The song will also be available on 1000 ltd edition 7-inch’s available June 9th.
TOUR DATES:
Jun 3 – Concorde 2 – Brighton
Jun 4 – Wedgewood Rooms – Portsmouth (SOLD OUT!)
Jun 6 – Bloomsbury Ballroom – London (SOLD OUT!)
Jun 7 – Bloomsbury Ballroom – London
Jul 3 – Bygdalarm Festival – Norway
Jul 4 – Hop Farm Festival – Kent, UK
Jul 18 – Slottsfjellet Festival – Norway
Jul 25 – Truck Festival – Steventon, UK
Aug 1 – Hevy Music Festival – Kent, UK
The Prodigy have returned in full force with their latest record, Invaders Must Die. I called it “abrasive and exhilarating, like the best of the band’s output in years past“, and I stand by that. It’s not a life-changer, by any means, but thoroughly enjoyable. Apparently a fair number of people share that opinion, as the band recently completed a sold-out UK tour. They’ve been on the road here in the states for a short time now, but you still have a chance to catch them. The band also just released new single ‘Warriors Dance’ on May 19th, and you can check out the video for that below.
TOUR DATE:
05/22 – Detroit, MI – The Filmore (w/ Deth Lab)
05/23 – Chicago, IL – Congress Theatre (w/ Tiga)
05/26 – Anaheim, CA – The Grove (w/ The Glitch Mob and The Villains)
05/27 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium (w/ The Glitch Mob and Destructo)
05/28 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre
05/29 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theatre (w/ TCM, Kaskade, LA Riots)
I mentioned earlier this week that the Passion Pit phenom had passed me by, for unknown reasons. Now it seems as though every email I open is about them, even if indirectly so. KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic has recently announced their new live performance schedule, and Passion Pits kicks it off today! I really need to pick up that record. This weekend they have a Memorial Day treat in the form of a rare interview with Sly Stone! And the June 11th show features The Church!!
MBE LINEUP:
Friday, May 22 — Passion Pit
JUNE
Monday, June 1 – James Yuill
Tuesday, June 2 – Eels
Wednesday, June 3 – Cotton Jones
Thursday, June 4 – Silversun Pickups
Friday, June 5 – Band of Skulls
Monday, June 8 — Metric
Tuesday, June 9 – Miike Snow
Wednesday, June 10 – Jason Lytle
Thursday, June 11 – The Church
The gorgeous Great Northern are still on tour, and before their show at the Douglas Fir Lounge they’ll be making an in-store appearance at Music Millenium in Portland, at 6pm on Monday the 26th. So if you’re in Portland or attending the show, be sure to check it out!
TOUR DATES:
22 San Diego, CA @ Casbah w/ The Dears, Eulogies
23 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ The Dears, Eulogies
24 San Francisco, CA @ Indepedent w/ The Dears, Eulogies
26 Portland, OR @ Douglas Fir Lounge w/ The Dears, Eulogies
27 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe w/ The Dears, Eulogies
JUNE
11 Pomona, CA @ The Glass House w/ She Wants Revenge
13 Reno, NV @ 210 North w/ She Wants Revenge
JULY
08 London, UK @ Water Rats
10 London, UK @ Koko (Club NME)
The Juan Maclean are out on the road supporting new record, The Future Will Come. I haven’t had a chance to do a review for the site, but I’ll simply say that this is one of *the* dance/electronic records to own this year. The collaboration with Nancy Whang just works on every level. The band’s tour is co-headlined by The Field, who just released his new record on May 19th, titled Yesterday & Today.
TOUR DATES:
05/22: Philadelphia, PA @ Pure
05/23: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
05/25: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
05/27: Miami, FL @ Liv @ Fountainbleu
05/29: Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
05/30: Houston, TX @ Numbers
05/31: Lobbock, TX @ Cactus Courtyard
06/03: San Diego, CA @ Casbah
06/04: Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
06/05: Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon Hollywood
06/06: San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
06/07: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
06/08: Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
06/09: Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richards
06/11: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
06/12: Denver, CO @ Beta
06/13: Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
06/16: Chicago, IL @ Double Door
06/17: Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
06/18: Toronto, ON @ Tattoo
06/19: Montreal, QC @ Les Saints
Tags: ash, great northern, Jose Gonzalez, passion pit, the church, the juan maclean, the pains of being pure at heart, the prodigy
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