RJD2 at Webster Hall (more by Chris Doss)

The Glitch Mob, Phantogram, and RJD2 will team up to play Terminal 5 on July 22nd. Tickets go on AmEx presale on Wed, 3/23 at noon, and regular sale on Friday.

No word on whether RJD2 will also perform material as part of his alter ego, The Insane Warrior, who released a debut LP called We Are The Doorways last month.

"A strictly instrumental affair, the album "We Are The Doorways" was loosely inspired by horror and sci-fi film scores of the wonderfully fruitful period of 1976-1984. Several things mark this record - for one, there is a departure from the concise nature of most modern pop-oriented records. Expansive, open passages - often with no rhythmic elements - recall the work of both Eno and John Carpenter. These give way to spastic outbursts of energy in places. At other times, the tension-meets-groove aesthetic of Dario Argento's pet Goblin give birth to some surprisingly funky cuts as well."

Stream that LP below, and head to the bandcamp page to learn how you can submit your own "visual or audible companion to any of the tracks."

RJD2, who also plays Camp Bisco in July, was just down at SXSW (as was Phantogram) but only played a single show which was with Chiddy Bang on 3/15 at The Belmont in Austin (Chiddy Bang also played the BV/Feed The Beat party at Emo's the next day). Videos from the Windows Phone-sponsored SXSW Interactive shindig can be watched below.

In related news, RJD2 is part of a new DJ Hero 2 "indie hip hop" bonus pack that is out now and also features Jaylib, Charisma & Peanut Butter Wolf, The Perceptionists, and Atmosphere.

The Glitch Mob, who will be at Ultra Music Festival in Miami at the end of this month, is also confirmed for STS9's Re:Generation festival, as are STS9, Bassnectar, Beats Antique, The New Deal, Big Gigantic, Tycho, Emancipator, Little People and Lynx, and others TBA. The fest, which takes place in North Plains, Oregon's Horning's Hideout, goes down from June 23-26.

Everything mentioned above, and all known tour dates, below...

Continue reading "RJD2 played SXSW, is the Insane Warrior, playing a show w/ Phantogram & the Glitch Mob, doing other stuff too"

In the midst of his first college tour, promoting his latest #1 album The Blueprint 3 and his recently released video game sensation "DJ Hero: Renegade Edition," the unstoppable JAY-Z confirms North American tour dates for 2010's BP3 tour. The Live Nation-produced tour will come to the NY area for two dates - March 6 at Izod Center and March 12 at Nassau Coliseum. JAY-Z will be joined by Grammy-nominated rapper Young Jeezy who will open all dates on the tour.

Tickets for the Izod Center performance are $139.50, $99.50, $69.50 and $39.50. Tickets for the Nassau Coliseum performance are $129, $99, $69 and $39. Both shows go on sale to the public Saturday, November 21 at 10am.

Tickets to all shows are currently on Citi Cardmember presale.

The Nassau Coliseum date is new since my last post. Jay also canceled all four 2009 dates that were listed in that post. He cited "unforeseen scheduling conflicts." All dates below...

Continue reading "Jay-Z cancels some dates, adds others (Nassau Coliseum) "

photos by Brian Ach/WireImage

"It was 09.09.09, a date burned into the popular consciousness as an almost astrological convergence of music and technology marketing. The date had been set, the branding tie-ins had been tied in, and the product was all set to go on sale to a salivating public.

No, not The Beatles: Rock Band. And not Apple's latest iTunes tweaks, either. Rather, it was time to promote "The Blueprint 3," the latest release in the ever-expanding franchise known as Jay-Z.

For the occasion Jay-Z performed a guerrilla show on Wednesday night at the Blender Theater at Gramercy, a 600-capacity club on East 23rd Street in Manhattan, with help from MySpace Music and DJ Hero, a new video game that adapts the Guitar Hero model for hip-hop. It was announced barely 24 hours before, and 250 fans were given free tickets. (The other 350 or so in attendance were assorted V.I.P.'s from the companies involved, and from the news media. They didn't pay, either.)

Jay-Z's 74-minute, 25-song set, played with a 10-piece band that included two drummers and a three-part horn section, was a muscular, virtuosic and totally satisfying performance, both in older hits like "Big Pimpin'" and "99 Problems" that are now hip-hop standards, and in material from "The Blueprint 3." But that was only part of the experience. Before his set the audience was held captive to a demonstration of DJ Hero -- its controller resembles a turntable and crossfader, and the player scratches virtual vinyl..." [NY Times]

9/9/9 also marked a performance of Boadrum 9 by the Boredoms and the opening of the new Knitting Factory in Brooklyn (not to mention the date of a Motorhead concert at Roseland Ballroom). There was also a spotting of the mysterious Jeff Mangum on that date (last night) which is a nice addition to the overall mythology (apparently he was in the crowd, but unfortunately not on stage, at the Circulatory System show at Le Poisson Rouge) (he appears on their new album) (more on that later).

More Jay-Z show pictures below...

Continue reading "Jay-Z (and DJ Hero) @ Gramercy Theatre in NYC - pics "

Jay-Z's new album, The Blueprint 3, is out today (September 8, 2009). Jay-Z is playing a free MySpace Music Show tomorrow (September 9th) at Blender (Gramercy) Theatre, presented by the video game DJ Hero. Entry for the public is being limited to 200 tickets, which will be available tomorrow at 10am, if you want to wait in line. Full details are below.

Jay-Z plays a charity show on 9/11 at the considerably bigger Madison Square Garden. Tickets for that went on sale this morning. A few hours before that, Jay appeared on Hot 97's morning show with Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg. Video from that appearance with the Gramercy show info, below...

Continue reading "Jay-Z - new album out - playing NYC' Gramercy Theatre Wed."