Karen O @ Lollapalooza 2009 (more by Paul Birman)

"DGC/ INTERSCOPE TO RELEASE WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK: ORIGINAL SONGS BY KAREN O AND THE KIDS. ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 29! LEAD SINGLE "ALL IS LOVE" OUT DIGITALLY AUGUST 25! MOTION PICTURE IN THEATERS OCTOBER 16!

Inside Karen O is a Wild Thing - as singer for the Grammy-nominated Yeah Yeah Yeahs, her wild thing is in your face, vulnerable, obnoxious, tender, exciting... a self-proclaimed "spazoid." However, to Oscar-nominated Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze, Karen O and her music possess a child-like innocence, a guileless charm that put her exactly on the right emotional wavelength to sonically capture the highly-anticipated film.

To compose music for the film, O enlisted friends and fellow musicians she believed had the musical intuition that would bolster her intent to marry sound to vision. Dubbed Karen O and the Kids, the kids include Tristan Bechet (Services), Tom Biller (co-producer with Karen O and member of Afternoons), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (YYY), Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Oscar Michel (Gris Gris), Imaad Wasif (New Folk Implosion), Nick Zinner, (YYY) and an untrained children's choir." [Where the Wild Things Press Release]

In related news, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on September 29th. That's six days after their much larger Manhattan show at Radio City Music Hall which sold out, I am told, in less than a day (UPDATE: There are a few random single tickets still available for Radio City at the moment, so not completely sold out yet)... I'm sure the MHOW show will sell out in less than a minute when tickets go on sale Friday at noon (2-ticket limit, will call only, opener TBA).

Some related videos below...

Continue reading "Yeah Yeah Yeahs add MHOW show - Karen O & the Kids made the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack (single out now)"

If you didn't hear, Jack White is now in a band called The Dead Weather....

In addition to frontman White, who drums and sings in the band, the supergroup quartet includes vocalist Alison Mosshart of U.K. outfit The Kills; guitarist Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age; and bass player Jack Lawrence, one of White's fellow Raconteurs.

The Dead Weather made their performance debut in Nashville last night in front of an invitation-only crowd of 150 fans, insiders and friends, including Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride and fellow White Striper Meg White.

The 20-minute show took place at the headquarters of the White-founded label Third Man Records, a building designed to serve as a one-stop shop for rockers, housing a record store, photo studio and stage.

"This band is the first project to come out of this new system, which is our new studio in town and this building," White told the crowd before the gig.

The band's debut single, "Hang You From the Heavens," is already available for download on iTunes. Their 11-song debut album, Horehound, will consist of 10 original tracks and a cover of Bob Dylan's "New Pony."

It's set for release on White's Third Man label in June. [E]

Continue reading "Jack White's new band...."