JANE'S ADDICTION--singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, and drummer Stephen Perkins--and producer Rich Costey (Muse, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol) recently added TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek to the creative team. Sitek, best known for his production work on TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Foals, will be writing and playing bass on the new album.

The band-who wrote the rule book for alternative music and culture through a combination of genre-defying classic songs and a cinematic live experience--is recording their fourth studio album in Los Angeles, tentatively scheduled for a summer of 2011 release on Capitol Records.
"Dave, Steve and I are fully immersed in the process of making modern music," says Perry Farrell. "It has been a great experience thus far, and the results have so much potential."

"This process has been both inspiring and incredibly freeing," says Dave Navarro. "The events over the last year have proven themselves to be a necessary part of the journey as they have led us to our current creative team and direction." [press release]

The above picture of Perry and Etty was taken to promote their new reality show "Married to Rock."

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Bibi Tanga - "Be Africa" (Dave Sitek Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Little Dragon - Blinking Pigs (MP3)

Little Dragon @ Le Poisson Rouge in 2009 (more by Matthew Taplinger)

Little Dragon announced an early 2011 US tour promoting the release of their upcoming third full length album. The tour makes two stops in New York at Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 20 and Bowery Ballroom on January 21. Tickets are on sale. No openers mentioned yet.

Little Dragon are currently on an international tour (Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand) supporting the Gorillaz, whose most recent album Plastic Beach features Little Dragon on two tracks; "Empire Ants" and "To Binge." LD vocalist Yukimi Nagano also performs both songs live with the band (you may have seen her do it at MSG or on Letterman).

Speaking of Gorillaz, Damon Albarn has announced not only an upcoming Gorillaz album, but two other albums as well. According to an interview with Stuff, Albarn has plans for a second album by The Good, The Bad, & The Queen, and for an album by a new band he's a part of. The new band features Tony Allen (also of The Good, The Bad, & The Queen), Flea, and some of Albarn's "favourite African musicians will be involved also."

Stuff also asked Albarn if Blur, who released a DVD documentary this year, have any plans for a world tour or new album. Albarn responded, "There won't be another world tour for me - for anything - for five to six years; it would seem unlikely. I have a young daughter and it's just not feasible, it's too long away from home. This has been great, but it's too much after a while and so, no, there won't be any tours for me for a while, I should think."

Albarn has also been recording a new Gorillaz album on tour with his iPad. He told NME "I've made it on an iPad - I hope I'll be making the first record on an iPad," he said. "I fell in love with my iPad as soon as I got it, so I've made a completely different kind of record." Albarn wants to release the album "before Christmas."

Gorillaz recorded a new single "Doncamatic" with British R&B singer Daley which will be officially released on November 22 in three formats. The CD version also includes a Joker remix of the song, the iTunes EP adds the third track "Album Mix Tape," and the 7 inch single is "Doncamatic" with the Paul Harris remix of "Empire Ants" on side B. All three formats are currently available for pre-order. There's also a video for the song. You can watch it below.

Little Dragon also recently collaborated with Dave Sitek on one of the tracks off this year's Maximum Balloon release. Sitek more recently remixed the track "Be Africa" by France's Bibi Tanga . It has nothing to do with anything really, but it's being offered as a free download, so grab that mp3 above.

The Gorillaz video and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "new Damon Albarn albums & a Gorillaz video, his iPad, Little Dragon tour dates & Dave Sitek too"

interview by Billy Jones, top photo by Michael Lavine

TV on the Radio guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer David Andrew Sitek has announced his new project Maximum Balloon. Not surprisingly, the TVOTR / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Liars / Dragons of Zynth / Holly Miranda / Scarlett Johansson producer worked with a host of guest artists on the project, which will see the light of day in the form of a self-titled album on August 24th via DGC/Interscope Records.

"...Then Aku (Dragons of Zynth) called and said he was in town and asked what I was up to and I said, "Making a song that you have to come and fix!" So he came by the studio and he laid the vocals down. We pretty much started Maximum Balloon on that day."

Other guest artists on the album will include Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone from TVOTR, Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon, Holly Miranda, Theophilus London and more. David Byrne is rumored. Aku from Dragons of Zynth is featured on "Tiger," the first track to be released off the album. "Tiger" will be available on iTunes and all digital partners on June 15th, but you can also hear it in a video below, or today at www.MaximumBalloon.com. In addition to "Tiger", Maximum Balloon will be regularly releasing a series of digital singles in the weeks leading up to the release of the album.

Billy Jones of new musical project New Moods, who last conducted an interview for this site in 2006, called up Dave on Friday to discuss the making of Maximum Balloon, barbershop quartets, Cyndi Lauper, the future of TVOTR and more. Their chat starts here....

---

Billy: Hey Dave, Can you hear me?

Dave: Yeah...

Billy: I rigged this to be on the speakerphone of my Blackberry to be recording through GarageBand, a slightly complicated setup...

Dave: Awesome, put me through The Crystalizer...

Billy: I actually have you through Long Panning Ping Pong Delay right now...

Dave: I can't wait for Soundtoys to come out with an iPhone app.

continued below....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Dave Sitek of Maximum Balloon (the TVOTR guitarist/producer's new project w/ many guest vocalists)"

After selling out a zillion shows at Comix, it's not surprising that Aziz is now playing Town Hall. The September 16th show is part of a larger tour that also includes Bonnaroo. NYC tickets are on presale now (password = guitar). Get the first single from the Randy (and Dave Sitek) mixtape at Aziz's site. All dates below...

Continue reading "Aziz Ansari touring (dates), headlining Town Hall (tix)"

The DOOM/Mos Def show that was to happen this Saturday (1/30) at Nokia Theatre Times Square has been rescheduled with the pair's two other dates. While abrupt, at least NYC got more notice than Toronto, whose show was tonight. As the Chicago venue writes, "a scheduling conflict resulting from miscommunication between artists' management would make it impossible for Mos Def to make any of his three MOSDOOM dates which include Toronto, New York and Chicago."

The new date for their NYC show at Nokia Theatre is Friday, February 26th. Tickets are on sale - tickets for the old date can be refunded or used for the new show.

This isn't the first time an MF DOOM show has been canceled (or just blown off entirely), though the official story seems to point the blame elsewhere. This is also not the first time (in the past month) that Mos Def rescheduled a NYC show, though he managed to make the impromptu Tribe Called Quest reunion at Knitting Factory on 1/20.

DOOM's Gazzillion Ear 12" came out earlier this month through Lex Records and featured remixes by Thom Yorke and Dave Sitek. A preview video for that and all tour dates (including DOOM in London this March) are below...

Continue reading "DOOM & Mos Def shows rescheduled ---- remix 12" out now "

photos by Natasha Ryan, words by Andrew Frisicano

Dark Was the Night live finally happened Sunday, May 3rd at Radio City. Right before showtime, there were still tickets available, but the auditorium seemed fairly full as the Dirty Projectors set began. The band sounded great with its newly fleshed out six-piece lineup (though I didn't catch the titles of the first Bitte Orca song). The reverb of the room was almost a special guest of its own and a welcome addition throughout the night. On new single "Stillness Is the Move" singer Amber Coffman really let loose with the dance moves and the added vocal acrobatics the song deserves. David Byrne joined the band on their Dark Was the Night collaborations -- the not-on-the-comp "Ambulance Man" and album opener "Knotty Pine."

Red Hot executive director John Carlin (Red Hot being the AIDS advocacy group that put out Dark Was the Night along with many other benefit comps) came out and said a few words about the performers before My Brightest Diamond/Shara Worden burst into her cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." Worden was backed by Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) on keys, members of the National including the two Dessners brothers (who were obvious fixtures through the night), drummer Bryan Devendorf, plus horns and strings. Worden's massive voice filled the hall, but sadly took the lead for only one song.

The rest of The National guys came on stage for Boxer song "Slow Show," followed by new song "England." Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and band were on stage for backups, and for The National's Dark Was the Night contribution, "So Far Around the Bend," Vernon even picked up a guitar and took a solo. The band closed with another new song, which singer Matt Berninger mumbled the title of a few times (anyone catch it?).

For the next set, TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek took the stage in a sharp looking suit and performed one track, his DwtN Troggs cover "With a Girl Like You." Here it was backed by a fuzzed out bass, horns, keys, and a collection of the night's performers on handclaps and tambourines (Dirty Projectors, Dessners, others).

As John Carlin announced earlier, the first half of the show was to close with David Byrne's three Red Hot compilation contributions. Led by five hand percussionists, Byrne opened with Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In." Second, he played "Dreamworld: Marco De Canavesems" with Justin Vernon sitting in on vocals for Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso (who originally collaborated with Bryne on the track). The tune's hyped up bossa nova, with the Dessners on guitars, was one of the night's many highlights. Finally, Byrne sang with Feist (who subbed for the original's Marisa Monte) on the Antonio Carlos Jobim song "Waters of March" ("Aguas de Março"). Even with Byrne starring down at the lyric prompt for nearly the whole song, the jumping melody of that tune was an amazing end to the first set.

continued below...

Continue reading "Dark Was the Night @ Radio City Music Hall in NYC (Brightest Byrne Bon National Feist Projectors) - pics, review & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: The National - So Far Around The Bend (MP3)

as promised...

Sharon Jones @ Nokia Theatre (more by Natasha Ryan)

4AD is pleased to announce Dark Was The Night - Live , a concert commemorating the newest Red Hot release Dark Was The Night. The show will take place Sunday May 3 at Radio City Music Hall and will feature several of the artists that contributed to the compilation including Dave Sitek, Dirty Projectors, Feist, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings plus more to be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, March 13 at 11am 9am via Ticketmaster. Dark Was The Night - Live begins at 8pm (doors will open at 7).

Dark Was The Night was released by 4AD on February 17of 2009, and was produced by Aaron & Bryce Dessner of The National. The compilation, comprised of 31 exclusive tracks, benefits the Red Hot Organization - an international charity dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture. A complete track listing for Dark Was The Night is listed below.

Tickets will also go on Am Ex and "Internet" presale on Wednesday at 9am.

Pitchfork.TV (newly redesigned) seems to be down at the moment, but also:

This week also sees the release of several videos directed by groundbreaking filmmaker Vincent Moon. Moon shot the Dark Was the Night contributors The National, Dirty Projectors and Yeasayer each performing their song from the compilation in early February. These clips will roll out, one a day starting tomorrow, March 10, premiering on Pitchfork.tv

I wonder who else they'll add to this show. Grizzly Bear should still be in town. Sufjan Stevens lives here too. David Byrne? The whole Dark Was the Night tracklist below...

Continue reading "Dark Was the Night Radio City show CONFIRMED - Dave Sitek, Dirty Projectors, Feist, The National, Sharon Jones & more..."

photos by Ryan Muir

Holly Miranda @ Zebulon

Holly Miranda, known most for her part in the Jealous Girlfriends, has at least four NYC shows coming up. Tonight (2/13) you can catch her at Southpaw, part of the Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival, with Motel Motel, The Canon Logic, and Ro Agents.

Wednesday (2/18) she opens for White Rabbits at the the first of their two shows at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are on sale. Ravens & Chimes are also on that bill. Bell and Polite Sleeper are the White Rabbits openers on Thursday.

Fast forward a month: Thursday March 12th you can catch Holly at Zebulon in Brooklyn (that's the venue I last saw her in, and where the pictures in this post came from). Tall Firs and Sharon Van Etten are also on that solid bill.

A month after that: Holly Miranda is opening for Nada Surf at the Bell House on April 15th. Tickets are not yet on sale.

Holly has a solo album coming out some time soon (probably when she finds a label to release it) . It was produced by TV On the Radio's Dave Sitek and Celebration's Katrina Ford. Holly said,

..its been a truly magical journey and a family affair, for sure. between katrina and dave producing, sean (of celebration) playing everything with ivory (including a pipe organ in baltimore we sent him to with a midi recorder), stewart and eric (from antibalas) killing it with the sax, trumpet and clarinet, and i think by the time we are done every member of tv on the radio will appear on the album..how sweet is that. plus katrina and i sing two songs together. OH and brendan (from ludlow lions) sings and plays on 'forest green oh forest green' ( a song we wrote together years ago)... there may still be a few guest appearances still to come.

More pictures and all dates below...

Continue reading "Nada Surf playing Bell House & other HOLLY MIRANDA shows"

"What a fitting day to announce the complete list of artists involved with our upcoming album DARK WAS THE NIGHT - the February 17th 4AD release that will benefit the Red Hot Organization. It's World AIDS Day, and in honor of that, we bring you the exciting news."

More info on the previously mentioned comp below...

Continue reading "Dark Was the Night - full 4AD comp artist list, cover art, etc"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Iran - "Buddy" (MP3 premiere)

Iran has nothing in common with The Muslims.... I mean, except for the fact that the two (bands) are playing the Narnack showcase together with Lee "Scratch" Perry during CMJ at Santos Party House on October 25th.

Who is Iran? Add one Aaron Aites, one TV On the Radio (Kyp Malone), a dash of The Mendoza Line (Peter Hoffman), and a little bit from Grand Mal (Aaron Romanello) and you have a band prepping their third currently-untitled album for Narnack Records.

Produced by David Andrew Sitek (another member of TV on the Radio and producer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Fever to Tell), the album is being recorded at Gigantic Studios in Tribeca and will be released through Narnack Records. ...Aites described the new album as "very hi-fi", and "more structured" and "fully fleshed out" than their previous two outings, Iran and The Moon Boys. He also said it's more lyric-based (in the vein of The Moon Boys), with material sounding "louder and grimmer." They're also planning a single release for "Buddy", but have no firm release date for that either.

OK, no release date yet... but we do have the track, "Buddy", right now. Download it above.

When Kyp Malone isn't playing with Iran, he could be busy controlling the weather or putting out one of the biggest albums of the year, or playing Letterman or touring.

In related news, Tunde Adebimpe (also of TV On The Radio) (and a movie star) & Kyp Malone are set to eat books with Department of Eagles, Paul Simon, Parkey Posey and Bobby Cannavale at Town Hall on Oct 7th. Tickets are still available.

No other Iran live dates that we know of at the moment.

a catch up post....

Mandy Moore and rumored beau Ryan Adams were spotted shopping at Meltdown Comics and Collectibles and Vintage Gear Guitar Shop in Los Angeles yesterday.

The awkwardly-paired duo fell for one another while working closely together on her album Wild Hope last year.

Angster-singer Adams has previously dated a slew of other offbeat brunette actresses, including Parker Posey and Winona Ryder.

This is the first time the happy couple has been snapped together because...well...photogs had no idea who Ryan Adams was until now! [FadedYouth Blog]

Winona Ryder has since moved on to a member of Rilo Kiley. Devendra Banhart and Natalie Portman could not be reached for comment. Check out more (not very nice paparazzi-style) pictures of Ryan, OR watch Scarlett Johansson sing Tom Waits backed by members of Celebration BELOW...

Continue reading "Ryan Adams get your hands off Mandy Moore"

Scarlett Johansson w/ David Bowie & Elijah Wood (2004)

On May 20, Scarlett Johansson's Tom Waits covers album, titled 'Anywhere I Lay My Head,' sees its release, with guest spots from David Bowie and production by TV on the Radio's David Sitek. Spearheaded by Waits' 'Falling Down' -- from 1988's 'Big Time' -- this isn't your average celebrity music makeover.

"When I had the idea to do an album of Tom Waits songs, before I had even met Dave [Sitek], someone suggested I sing 'Falling Down,'" Johansson tells Spinner. "But I decided it was too corny for me to do just because it has the lyric about 'Scarlett and me.' But Dave hadn't even noticed it. When I mentioned it, he thought the synchronicity was crazy and I never even thought twice about it after that. I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"

"With 'Falling Down,' our pursuit of making one song with both Kermit the Frog and David Bowie on it became a success," Sitek adds.

Have an exclusive listen to 'Falling Down' on Spinner.

Scarlett & Natalie Portman on the Today Show, earlier yesterday

I've been trying to find a picture of TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek sitting on the Joe's Pub stage with Scarlett Johansson talking about her new Tom Waits cover album that he produced, and how David Bowie contributed to it. I guess they didn't allow photography. Stereogum had a video from the press conference / listening party, but was forced to take it down. Rolling Stone and Billboard have more info (also no pics).

Earlier in the day (Feb 12, 2008) Scarlett and Natalie were up at the Today Show promoting their new movie The Other Boleyn Girl. Scarlett's Tom Waits CD tracklist is below....

Continue reading "Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, David Bowie, Dave Sitek, Joe's Pub, Natalie Portman, The Other Boleyn Girl"

note: Super Tuesday is today, so don't forget to vote.

Wilco and Obama (CRED)

Music blog Hard To Find A Friend contacted a few musicians & industry people, and not surprisingly found out most of them were voting for Obama. Anyone who saw Joanna Newsom at BAM last week knows what she thinks, and Morrissey wears it on his shirt. Craig Wedren, Wilco, The Grateful Dead, and some comedians have also let us know where they stand.

The Guardian also has an article on this very subject today. They report that.....

...On the Republican side... there are not very many famous activist musicians. Ted Nugent, he who once said "We should Nagasaki [Iraq]" has turned out in favour of conservative Mike Huckabee, while moderate John McCain will have Burt Bacharach tickling his ivories. Libertarian long-shot Ron Paul is backed by Krist Novoselic, formerly of Nirvana. Country-singer Pat Boone has loaned his septuagenarian twang to the campaign of Mitt Romney, who can also count on the help of fellow Mormons Donny and Marie Osmond....

Other musicians for Ron Paul (not Ru Paul) include John Mayer (I think), and TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek. I wonder what his friend Scarlett Johansson would say. You can see her in one of the two Obama-themed music videos below.....

Continue reading "who are musicians voting for on Super Tuesday?"