ThisSmallPlanet.com

"So, let us not be blind to our differences - but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." JFK, June 10, 1963.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Awesome Line-Ups for Upcoming 2013 Festivals

Wow! Got some awesome festivals coming up this summer (and Fall)...

The first is Bob Dylan, playing in select cities with Wilco and My Morning Jacket...

A few lucky cities get to also see Richard Thompson open the event... We have to assume each artist will do complete sets of their own. Still.... the possibility of Jim James or Jeff Tweedy dueting with Dylan is tantalizing indeed! (The closest this comes to Portland is the August 4th showing in Northern California at Shoreline...)

Clic here for more info on the Dylan/Wilco/MyMorningJacket Americanarama Festival of Music...

The so-called First City Festival in Monterey, California in late August has an impressive line-up, feat Modest Mouse, MGMT, and The Hold Steady...

More info on First City Fest here....

And San Francisco's Treasure Island Festival in October promises to be one of the premiere West Coast events for Fall 2013... another chance to see one of the UK's best-est new bands Palma Violets on the rise... and the interesting Thom Yorke/Flea project Atoms for Peace, Diplo's Major Lazer, and many others...

Click here for the Treasure Island Festival site...

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Guardian: Sir Paul Says, "Free Pussy Riot!"

Paul McCartney writes to Russian leaders over treatment of Pussy Riot

Former Beatle lauds country's 'great tradition of fair-mindedness' in handwritten letters pleading for the release of jailed band members

Dan Martin, The Guardian (UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/may/23/paul-mccartney-pussy-riot-russia

We can work it out … Paul McCartney performs in Orlando, US, on 18 May, during the first US concert of his Out There tour. Photograph: John Raoux/AP

Paul McCartney has protested to the Russian government about the treatment of the members of Pussy Riot, after it emerged Maria Alyokhina has gone on hunger strike in prison after being refused the right to attend her own parole hearing.

Now McCartney has written to Russian officials, urging them to reconsider the jailing of Alyokhina and bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, asking them to remember the country's "great tradition of fair-mindedness". In the letter concerning Alyokhina, McCartney writes: "My personal belief is that further incarceration for Maria will be harmful for her and the situation as a whole, which, of course, is being watched by people all over the world. In the great tradition of fair-mindedness which the Russian people (many of whom are my friends) are famous for, I believe that you granting this request would send a very positive message to all the people who have followed this case."

In a separate letter regarding Tolokonnikova, who last month was denied parole, he writes: "I have had a long relationship with the Russian people, and, with this in mind, I am making the following request in a spirit of friendship for my many Russian acquaintances who, like me, believe in treating people – all people – with compassion and kindness."

Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were jailed for two years in August 2012 for breach of the public order motivated by religious hatred after staging their now infamous "punk prayer" protest against Vladimir Putin in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February 2012. A third woman, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released last October after being given a suspended sentence.

Arctic Monkeys Debut New Song Live "Do I Wanna Know"

Last night in Ventura, California (USA), Arctic Monkeys debuted a new song from their forthcoming fifth album, which fans are calling AM5.

It's called "Do I Wanna Know" and it's pretty frreakin' cool....

Thanks to superfan Anna Garcia for the heads up on this. Told her yesterday she puts the "fan" in fanatic....

Here's another version from last night, with more distant visuals but pretty good audio...

Anna took this pic of last night's (amazing) setlist...

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Awesome Lineup at Monterey First City Festival in August!

Grant Hart (ex-Husker Du) Has Some Great New Material....

Grant Hart, former drummer and one of the two singer-songwriters in seminal punk band Husker Du, has some brand new stuff and it's pretty damned great!

The Argument, a double-album, said to be inspired by William Burroughs AND John Milton's Paradise Lost?!?!?...

Talk about high concept! I'm suddenly impressed in a way I haven't been since I heard Titus Andronicus was doing a "concept album" about the U.S. Civil War, feat. soundbites by Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln.

Grant is on Domino Records, the UK indie powerhouse best known for releasing all of Arctic Monkeys' work.

You can take a listen to some of Grant's new songs here...

Now the whole album is streaming here....

Thursday, May 16, 2013

ThisSmallPlanet Review: Jim James Live, Crystal, Portland, May 14, 2013 (feat videos and set list)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JIM JAMES

Jim James of My Morning Jacket performed at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon on May 14, 2013.

Many people still think of Kentucky-based My Morning Jacket in terms of alt-country rock, Americana, roots music, but they are increasingly apt to experiment with soul, jazz, R&B, Motown, and world music sounds.

Leonine leader Jim James has stepped out on his own, sometimes under the monicker Yim Yames, on such instant classics as 2009's Tribute To... (George Harrison) and as part of the supergroups Monsters of Folk (with M. Ward and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Moggis) and New Multitudes (Jay Farrar's Woody Guthrie project).

He recently released his first solo album and is touring with a very strong road band, performing songs from the solo album, as well as other material, such as Woody Guthrie's "Changing World".

The solo album can best be described as "indie soul", and the gospel music played before the show helped set the tone for the show. Opening act Cold Specks put on a great set. Very impressive.

Jim James and band took the stage and the good news is, the material rocked a lot harder in concert than on the record. Everyone in the band is great, and Jim was in fine form, singing, playing guitar, and sax, moving around the stage like an uncaged panther.

Some of these videos are a bit dark, but the later ones seem better.

May those who were there recall it fondly. May those who were not there get a little bit of the spirit that was in the air that night by watching and listening to these videos.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Billy Hayes (Jay Reatard/Wavves drummer) new project Cretin Stompers has a new album coming out...

Billy Hayes, best known as a drummer for Jay Reatard and Wavves, is actually a multi-instrumentalist who is also a singer and composer (he wrote a couple of Wavves' coolest songs). He's been active but keeping a lower profile lately back home, but that's about to change.

His new project, Cretin Stompers, has a new debut LP Looking Forward To Being Attacked coming out in the Fall...

Their Official Facebook page is here...

Check it out!

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Classic Thatcher Parody Album Re-released to "celebrate" her life (and death)

Our friend Martin Lewis of course had much to say about the passing of The Thatcher.

His Huffington Post piece is here...

To "celebrate" Thatcher's life (and death), he's re-releasing the classic Thatcher parody album The Iron Lady...

The official website is here...

Welcome to the official website
for the notorious satirical album

Written by John Wells of Private Eye (Writer of the "Dear Bill" columns & books and "Anyone For Denis?")

Produced by John Lloyd (Producer of "Spitting Image", "QI", "Blackadder" and "Not The Nine O'Clock News")

Conceived & Co-Produced by Martin Lewis (Co-Creator/Producer of The "Secret Policeman's Ball" series)

Starring the "Prime Mimicker" Janet Brown (BBC TV's "Mike Yarwood Show") - and John Wells

Tells the unexpurgated story of "The Coming Of The Leader"! (From the Garden of Eden to her coronation in Westminster Abbey!)

Sixty minutes of Prime Ministerial satire!

Three sassy songs including "The Iron Lady" and the orgasmic "I'm There!" (Maggie as Madonna!)

Originally released in 1979.

Long unavailable. Never on CD or digital.

Now being rush-reissued in digital format. In honour of Margaret Thatcher's principles... "You should reissue it! I think it'll find a much bigger audience now..."
- Margaret Thatcher to producer Martin Lewis in 1991

LISTEN TO EXTRACTS FROM THE ALBUM!
VIBRATE WITH MAGGIE'S DANCE TRACK!
SEE & HEAR THE TITLE SONG!
BUY THE ALBUM!

BUY SINGLE OF
MAGGIE'S ORGASMIC DANCE TRACK!
"I'm There!"

BUY SINGLE OF THE TITLE SONG!
"The Iron Lady"

If you live outside the UK or US, please visit your
iTunes store and search using all of these three words:
IRON LADY THATCHER

Consumer enquiries: maggie@TheIronLady.com

Media enquiries: media@TheIronLady.com

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Christopher Owens Update

Pitchfork reports that Christopher Owens is releasing a free acoustic version of his recent solo debut album on his website.

Even better news is that he also announced an upcoming tour which will feature songs from Girls as well as solo material. There was a concern by some fans that he would avoid Girls songs in order to establish a new career as a solo artist with all new material. At a recent Portland show, fans were pleasantly surprised to hear the Girls song "My Ma" during a solo set which most expected to be limited to new solo material and selected covers. So this announcement means we might hear such Girls instant classics such as "Vomit", "Lust for Life" and "Hellhole Ratrace" live again.

Here are some videos from the recent Portland show:

http://newmusictoday.blogspot.com/2013/04/thissmallplanetnewmusictoday-review.html#more

The Pitchfork article is here: http://pitchfork.com/news/50370-christopher-owens-releases-acoustic-lysandre-lp/

Christopher Owens Releases Acoustic Lysandre LP, Announces Solo Acoustic Tour

By
Jenn Pelly
on April 17, 2013 at 07:36 a.m.

Former Girls frontman Christopher Owens launched his solo career this year with debut full-length, Lysandre, a concept album with a narrative centered on a former love and time spent in his old band. Now, Owens has released a fully acoustic version of the record for free via his website. A physical version of Lysandre Acoustic will also be available on 10" vinyl via Turnstile/Fat Possum.
Check out the acoustic version of one of Lysandre's best tracks, closer "Part of Me (Lysandre's Epilogue)", above.
Coinciding with this release, Owens has also announced a solo acoustic tour for June, during which he'll play "songs spanning his entire career."
Watch Owens discuss Lysandre with Pitchfork.tv after the dates.
05-24 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera ^
06-07 Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room *
06-08 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre *
06-11 Minneapolis, MN - Icehouse *
06-12 Chicago, IL - Hideout *
06-15 New York, NY - The Slipper Room *
06-16 New York, NY - The Slipper Room *
06-19 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
06-20 Nashville, TN - High Watt *
06-21 Oxford, MS - Lamar Lounge *
06-23 Austin, TX - Cactus Cafe *
^ with full band
* solo, acoustic

Pete Doherty Acoustic London Gig

Wish he could play in America.....

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Mick Jones (The Clash) offers a "Big Surprise" with Carbon/Silicon

Really wonderful to see Mick Jones of The Clash and B.A.D. continuing to make great tunes with Carbon/Silicon. Carbon seemed to have a creative burst a couple of years ago, but I hadn't heard anything for a while, so this was a nice surprise.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

ThisSmallPlanet Review: Christopher Owens, Star Theater, Portland, March 30, 2013

Putin Has Pissed Himself (Again) - FREE PUSSY RIOT NOW!!!!

Members of the all-female Russian performance art-punk band Pussy Riot have been jailed for a performance-protest in a Moscow cathedral.

FREE PUSSY RIOT NOW!!!

You can hear their music and read more about them here: http://newmusictoday.blogspot.com/2012/01/telegraph-uk-russian-female-punk-band.html

Great New British band The Palma Violets live on BBC6

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Musical Musings

Yes, due to the miracle of the iPod, I carry 5,000 songs around to listen to while I'm walking or driving. The other day I put on Stephen Malkmus' 2011 Mirror Traffic, an album I liked considerably when it first came out and listened to incessantly for months. I also saw the triumphant hometown show in Portland featuring songs from the album

It had been forever since I'd listened to the album, and it was a joy to hear it again.

It made me think, for a minute, of this phenomenon of loving and living and breathing an album for a while... and then completely dropping it for something new, never to listen to it again.

But more than that, it made me remember how great Malkmus is, as a writer, singer, frontman, and, especially, guitarist.

Hope he comes back to Portland eventually after his "Berlin period".

Lots of good shows coming up in Portland soon - Christopher Owens, Spiritualized, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Things I want to download right away - new albums from Wavves and The Foals, new songs from The Smith Westerns and M.I.A., an Atoms for Peace album... and I guess I will give The Strokes new album a chance, but I'm not expecting much based on the first songs we heard from it... and... that single featuring Brittany Howard and Ruby Amanfu sounds interesting....

Sasquatch 2013!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

NME: Jack White

March 8, 2013 17:12

Jack White on White Stripes: 'It was always shocking people started caring after three albums'

White also speaks about his new project with Scotland's Document Records to reissue early blues albums

Jack White has said he was always surprised that his former band The White Stripes started getting recognition after three albums.

"It was always shocking that people started caring after three albums," White told The Guardian of the band's third album 'White Blood Cells', which propelled them into the mainstream. "What, now people are getting it?! We'd assumed it was a style of music that nobody would be into and had resigned ourselves to always playing to 50 people. It was good for us, because we'd made up our minds to never care about that, and that's when success happened. It was sorta weird like that, but I think if we'd have watered it down it wouldn't have worked."

White was speaking about his new project with his Third Man Records label, which will see him work with small Scottish label Document Records to reissue early blues material. White's label has partnered up with Document Records to reissue the complete works of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and the Mississippi Sheiks on remastered vinyl.

Speaking about the Mississippi blues artists that inspired him, he revealed: "As a songwriter, even if you're singing about other people or making up characters, it's still your job to be against the world and that all began in the 1920s and 1930s with these blues singers. It was the first time in history that a single person had been recorded to tell whatever story they had to the world. Before that you had to be in a German polka band with a tuba, or jazz orchestra…But suddenly anybody – they didn't even have to be good singers – could have their own voice."

Jack White was recently named as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, which will take place on April 20, 2013.