photos by Lori Baily & Ted Barron

DOWNLOAD: Tift Merritt & Norman Blake - Thirteen (Big Star) (MP3)

Tift Merritt w/ Matthew Sweet & friends @ the Big Star Tribute in March (by Lori)

Tift Merritt's is now on tour with Stephen Kellogg, and though tickets are unfotunately sold-out for their show at City Winery (May 6th), she has added another NYC show and this time it's FREE. Tift Merritt will play Madison Square Park on June 22nd at 6PM after her tour with Kellogg, but before she heads out on a string of UK dates with Greg Allman. All tour dates are below.

Add the June 22nd free show to the growing list of free shows happening Madison Square Park this summer. Another is the music portion of the Big Apple BBQ.

Tift Merritt joined an all-star cast that stood up in praise of the late great Alex Chilton (of Big Star) at Baruch College on March 26th, a shade more than one year after he suffered a fatal heart attack. Big Star's Third was the focus of the show, and it featured a revolving cast of musicians on vocals....

"Stipe's performance of "Kanga Roo" was at once fragile and unbowed, while his R.E.M. cohort, singer-bassist Mike Mills, found the holiday in the Christmas song "Jesus Christ." Alternative-country singer Tift Merritt was a vital female addition, showing that the vengeful kick of "You Can't Have Me" could go both ways. Other voices included Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo ("O, Dana," "Take Care"), Norman Blake of the Scottish band Teenage Fanclub ("Nightime"), Matthew Sweet ("Big Black Car") and Django Haskins of the group The Old Ceremony, who carried the bleak weight of "Holocaust" with a wise plain poise." [Rolling Stone]

Continue reading "Tift Merritt covered Big Star w/ Norman Blake, Michael Stipe & more (MP3 & belated pics), touring (playing free NYC show)"

It looks like the above-pictured limited edition "BIG STAR - Third - Test Pressing Edition - Box Set" (1 In Every 300 Sets Will Contain Actual Test Pressings From The 70s.) is the most expensive/most bid on item right now on Ebay from this past Saturday's Record Store Day. People are trying to get $200 for them, which is a bargain compared to how much someone wants for one of the Arcade Fire Coachella balls (note: if you recognize their eBay item description, that's because it's copy & pasted right out of the BV post).

Ted Leo & Michael Stipe @ IFC House during SXSW

"Big Star's third album, Third/Sister Lovers, has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential albums ever produced. Written and recorded when the legendary 70s band was primarily a studio project consisting of Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, the third album was never been performed in public with the original string and wind orchestrations. That changed in December 2010, when an all-star band unearthed the original scores, assembled an orchestra and performed Big Star's Third at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Performers that night included Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Chris Stamey (the dB's) - the creative catharsis they experienced prompted plans for a historic concert in New York City.

Just announced is Michael Stipe of R.E.M. who'll join a mind-boggling array of indie rock all-stars to recreate Big Star's Third at Mason Hall at Baruch College on March 26th. Stipe will perform one of Chilton's most iconic songs, "Kanga Roo". The show's line-up of songs/performers is unveiled today as well (see below)." [press release]

Continue reading "Michael Stipe talked to Ted Leo (video), joins Big Star 'Third' show cast (full artist/song list announced)"

"Big Star's third album, Third/Sister Lovers, has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential albums ever produced. Written and recorded when the legendary 70s band was primarily a studio project consisting of Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, the third album was never been performed in public with the original string and wind orchestrations. That changed in December 2010, when an all-star band unearthed the original scores, assembled an orchestra and performed Big Star's Third at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Performers that night included Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Chris Stamey (the dB's) - the creative genesis they experienced prompted plans for a historic concert in New York City.

On March 26th, a mind-boggling array of indie rock all-stars will gather to perform Big Star's Third at Mason Hall. Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Tift Merritt, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Will Rigby (the dB's), Matthew Sweet, Chris Stamey (the dB's), Jody Stephens (Big Star) and M. Ward (She & Him) will be joined by The Lost in the Trees Orchestra with Jane Scarpantoni, Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony), Brett Harris, Sidney Dixon and Matt McMichaels to recreate the original scores and breathe life into a bittersweet album that has impacted generations of musicians. Some very special guests will be announced in the days to come. As the evening unfolds, Chilton and Stephen's musical ideas that were far ahead of their time 35 years ago will resonate in the hands of a collective of sympathetic, top-notch musicians. "We have been trying to create a concert piece that can have a life in years to come, trying to keep the spirit of the music and make it come across with the right emotions live," Stamey told Indy Week. "There's something about this record that connects with my generation, and apparently many generations."

The assemblage will perform Third/Sister Lovers in its entirety - fans can expect additional Big Star and Chris Bell songs as well. "It's easier as time passes to revisit that album because it came out of such a dark period," Big Star drummer Jody Stephens told the Raleigh News and Observer. "There were brilliant moments in the studio, especially Carl Marsh's string arrangements, which really take it to a whole other world. But it could be emotionally difficult to watch certain things happen. I was so close to it at the time that I could not see what it was.""

Continue reading "all star collective performing Big Star's 'Third' album"

Pete Seeger @ Clearwater Festival 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

City Winery will be hosting a three-night oil spill relief benefit, dubbed Reclaim The Coast, on July 23rd, 25th and 30th. The lineups vary for each...

July 23rd: Pete Seeger, Richard Barone, James Maddock, Elysian Fields, Mike Doughty, Lucy Wainwright Roche, The Roches, Julie Gold, Peter Yarrow (More TBA)

July 25th: Ian Axel, Ed Romanoff, The Madison Square Gardeners, Paula Valstein, The Spring Standards, The Wellspring, Rich Pagano (More TBA)

July 30th: Marshall Crenshaw, Martin Rivas, Christina Courtin, Among the Oak & Ash, Jay Nash (More TBA)

They'll also have a packed house for "Channeling Chilton - A night of Alex Chilton's Music" on July 28th. The confirmed lineup includes Yo La Tengo, Marshall Crenshaw, Jody Stephens, Jon Auer, Doug Garrison, Rene Coman, Alan Vega, Jon Spencer (of the Blues Explosion), Fran Kowalski, Chris Stamey, Lesa Aldridge (Elizabeth Hoehn), Jay Proctor (of Jay & the Techniques), Bill Cunningham, Gary Talley, Terry Manning, Evan Dando, Jesse Malin, Danny Kroha (of The Gories). In light of the recent passing of founding Big Star bassist Andy Hummel, it should be an emotional night.
Tickets are on sale.

More info on the Gulf Coast relief effort are below...

Continue reading "City Winery hosting a 3-night Pete Seeger Oil Spill relief benefit & Big Star tribute night"

The sad news came [July 19th], via a tweet from Ken Stringfellow of The Posies: "Another sad loss for Big Star fans as Andy Hummel passes away after long illness." Over on DC9, in a morning must-read, our own Jesse Hughey confirms it: Hummel, founding bassist of the band that influenced the likes of R.E.M., the Replacements and myriad other power-pop comers, died after a two-year struggle with cancer at his home in Weatherford. The longtime Lockheed-Martin engineer was 59, and his death comes but four months after singer-songwriter Alex Chilton's. [Dallas Observer]

Continue reading "Andy Hummel of Big Star, RIP "

photos by Ryan Barkan

Just as everyone at the SXSW Music Festival was finding their groove Wednesday, news of the death of Alex Chilton hit. "Austin's in shock about Alex," read one of the countless social media memes. On Saturday, heartsick Big Star fans got to hear Chilton songs performed by a cast of guest musicians sitting in on the regularly scheduled Big Star showcase, held down by the remaining members of the band's current incarnation, Jon Auer, Ken Stringfellow and Jody Stephens...

But first a letter from Chilton's widow, Laura, who the 59-year-old musician had only recently married, was read by publicist Heather West [video below]...

...Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets lumbered through "In the Street," otherwise known as the theme song for That 70's Show. M. Ward of She & Him croaked an elegant "Big Black Car." Mike Mills of R.E.M. found his religion with "Jesus Christ." John Doe of X dispatched a crystal clear "I'm in Love with a Girl." And in what was the night's biggest surprise, Sondre Lerche provided an intense, harmonic "The Ballad of El Goodo."

And that's how it went for the entire hour and a half, with guest musicians including Chris Stamey, Chuck Prophet, Evan Dando, Amy Speace, the Watson Twins, Susan Cowsill, and original Big Star member Andy Hummel (who came in from Lithuania for the show) all getting a chance to pay tribute to Chilton. A rendition of the classic "Thirteen" was one of the final songs of the night, the lyrics of which encapsulated not only the special moment that was taking place in the storied Antone's blues club, but the entire SXSW Music Festival: "Rock & roll is here to stay/ Come inside where it's okay." [Rolling Stone]

Continue reading "Big Star members & many special guests paid tribute to Alex Chilton Saturday night @ SXSW - pics, video & setlist"

Big Star @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple in November (more by Lori Baily)

Alex Chilton, the pop hitmaker, cult icon and Memphis rock iconoclast best known as a member of 1960s pop-soul act the Box Tops and the 1970s power-pop act Big Star, died Wednesday at a hospital in New Orleans.

The singer, songwriter and guitarist was 59.

"I'm crushed. We're all just crushed," said John Fry, owner of Memphis' Ardent Studios and a longtime friend of Chilton's. "This sudden death experience is never something that you're prepared for. And yet it occurs."

Chilton had been complaining about his health earlier Wednesday, Fry said. He was taken by paramedics from his home to the emergency room but could not be revived.

Chilton and Big Star had been scheduled to play Saturday as part of the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. [Commercial Appeal]

photos by Lori Baily

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Where was Alex Chilton on Wednesday night? At the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, he was onstage, more or less, standing at the far right, sometimes even near his microphone (and sometimes even using it). But as has been the case on and off for the last couple of decades, he was frustratingly hard to find.

It was the first New York show in several years for Big Star, Mr. Chilton's band, still plying the songs that for a few years in the early 1970s helped shape what power pop was to become, even if it was coolly received at the time. (An impressive Big Star boxed set, "Keep an Eye on the Sky," was released on Rhino in September.)

But memories are made in a variety of ways. The resurrection of Big Star in the early 1990s cemented its legend, and also the lineup: Mr. Chilton, who also played guitar, and the drummer Jody Stephens from the original group, rounded out by the guitarist Jon Auer and the bassist Ken Stringfellow, who were enlisted more than 15 years ago to fill out the band during its first comeback and never left. [NY Times]

Continue reading "Big Star & Kurt Vile @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple in NYC - pics & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: Deerhunter - Carve Your Initials Into the Walls of the Night (mediafire)

Atlas Sound @ MHOW in October (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

Bradford Cox brings his Atlas Sound project to NYC for a show on Wednesday, February 3rd at the Bell House. tickets are on sale.

It's one of two dates currently booked for the group. The other is a February 26th show in San Francisco.

Over the weekend (12/12), Bradford posted a 2005 Deerhunter CD-R, Carve Your Initials Into the Walls of the Night, as a free download on his blog. He writes: "It features only me and Moses and is very experimental in nature. This was during our "tape phase" when we would often play shows as a duo (or as a trio with colin) playing only tape machines and vocal loops." The recording is linked above. Its tracklist, more info, Bradford's favorite albums of 2009, and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Bradford Cox (Atlas Sound) announces shows (dates), releases free 2005 Deerhunter album, lists his 'Best of 2009'"

Kurt Vile on WFMU @ UCB - Oct 7, 2009 (notladj)

"Kurt opened the night with two solo numbers that haven't appeared on any record, to my knowledge. I recognized "Peeping Tomboy" from one of the Ray Concepcion videos from Kurt Vile's last Silent Barn show, which I've posted below. If I had any doubt that Kurt Vile has any more good material left in him after this new album, "Peeping Tomboy" puts my worries to rest. With the October 6th release of Childish Prodigy, it was no surprise that Kurt Vile and the Violators mostly performed songs from that album. However, he performed a couple of songs off Constant Hitmaker, and they were given the Violators treatment. Of course, KV and the Violators tackled "Freeway," the song that Kurt once referred to as their Billboard chart hit, "right above 'Like a Rolling Stone.'" By far, the live version of "Freeway" is my favorite, mostly due to J Turbo's added harmonica part. No "My Sympathy" this night, but Kurt said he would definitely play it at his next NYC show. I will be there." [LAMIMAB]

Kurt Vile and the Violators are now on tour, but they'll be back soon. They were just added as opener on the November 18th Big Star show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple. Some tickets are still available.

A bunch of videos below...

Continue reading "Kurt Vile played UCB & Mercury Lounge, opening for Big Star"

Keep An Eye On The Sky is a 4-CD box set of rarities from Big Star, and is in stores Tuesday. The band plays the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in November.

Another rarities compilation that stands out this week is Local Currency, an album that collects obscure tracks by singer-songwriter Franklin Bruno from 1992-1998. As an added bonus, buyers of Local Currency receive a download coupon for a covers EP of Franklin Bruno songs, with contributions by Lou Barlow, Laura Cantrell, Mac McCaughan, Jennifer O'Connor, and Mecca Normal.

The 7-disc Velvet Underground box set of 7"'s, The Singles 1966-1969 is incredibly tempting, even if I already own most of the songs in multiple formats.

New music I can recommend this week includes The Dodos' Time To Die, Grand Archives' Keep In Mind Frankenstein, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir's ...And The Horse You Rode in On, Simon Joyner's Out Into the Snow, and Slaraffenland's We're On Your Side.

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir are playing the Bloodshot BBQ in Brooklyn later this month.

Two remastered Sunny Day Real Estate (now reunited) discs, Diary and LP2, are available today. Other interesting reissues include six Doors albums on 180 gram vinyl and five New Order LPs.

What new music can you recommend this week? What's on your shopping list?

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"

"Big Star served as a Rosetta stone for a whole generation of musicians." -Peter Buck, R.E.M.

Rhino is releasing Big Star's 4-disc boxed set which includes 98 tracks spanning from 1968-1975. This power pop band created music that turned artists as diverse as Cheap Trick, R.E.M., and The Replacements into Big Star fans. The 4-disc boxed set, Keep an Eye on the Sky, includes extensive liner notes, rare and never-before-seen photos, and insightful essays about the cult of Big Star and the band's history. These influential tracks will be released September 15, 2009.

Also, on RECORD STORE DAY, a special Limited edition Big Star 7" Vinyl will be available. Only 3,500 vinyl will be pressed. These 7" vinyl will only be available at independent records on September 5th.

Big Star is:

Jon Auer
Alex Chilton (original member)
Jody Stephens (original member)
Ken Stringfellow

Alex Chilton still plays shows too, often in Hoboken, and sometimes with The Box Tops. In 2005 he survived Katrina. Posts about him are usually accompanied by comments like "Big Star please!"...

Tickets are on sale for a Wednesday, November 18th Big Star show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

Videos from a show Big Star played in Hyde Park in July, with a picture of the Rhino box set and the tracklist, below...

Continue reading "Big Star releasing box set, PLAYING NYC SHOW (on sale)"

night four of Hanukkah @ Maxwell's....

Alex Chilton & Yo La Tengo - Dec 7, 2007

More photos & video below....

Continue reading "Alex Chilton & Yo La Tengo pics/video (4th Hanukkah show)"