Colin Meloy in Ohio, June 1st '09 (unruly badger)

Ah, yes, young Meloy....Colin, isn't it? Yes, yes...jolly good. I must say he is a springy lad...most flexible...hewn of wands, you know...they splice them down by the river...he was part of a group that lost contact with the main tribe, and drifted to Montana. I found him in the bushes, whistling to a frog. He later said it was me, perhaps he was right. A majestic performer, at ease with himself, his audience and his material in away that makes me quite...envious. He is...well, he's not old, you know...still green of leaf and...always springy, did I mention? Oh yes, well, the thing is: he's young but he goes back a long way. That's right - he leads from the old path. The deeper your roots, the broader your branches, I always say. Especially if you're a tree. Colin has magnificent roots, he showed me them in a forest. What did you say? Prog Folk? Or Fog Polk? In San Francisco, probably, I know he was there...or was I there?...yes, we were both there, but not at the same time. I get confused with the other chap...not Dr Partridge...he's sitting over there, I think it's him...no, Colin is very...to me he's the ultimate British rock star...in a way that he couldn't be if he was from Britain, because he's have to come from some sector of society that the other sectors would resent him for....(Canon Morrisey, that's the fellow - or is he dean now?)...no Colin has it in perspective and can be it in a way that only an outsider can. So he has the brogues, and the lamps, and the canvas...the pavilion...the lashes and the brand...although he's most careful with them both...and most of all, he has the voice. With a little technological help, he could yet be duetting with
Sandy Denny

- if he hasn't already. Hmmm? Did I say he was springy? Ah yes...young Meloy....

- Robyn Hitchcock [to Paste]

The Decemberists are still on the road, playing their new album Harzards of Love from start to finish -- they'll be touring North America (with some time off) till August. Updated dates are below. The band visits NYC's Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, June 10th (TONIGHT). Tickets are still on sale.

"Apropos, the stage backdrop was a silk screen draped with tumbling, gauzy cocoons and lit in blood and chlorophyll. Meloy, dressed like he wanted to borrow just a moment of your time to discuss the Good News, played the role of Narrator/William the Forest Prince. Becky Stark, as Margaret, wore a white sequined gown of the sort usually found in a giant trunk in the attic; I'd bet anything it originally came with a giant cone-shaped hat. Shara Worden, as The Forest Queen, dressed in a loose black dress and silver tights, leaving her free to steal the show with some body-rocking that was extemporaneous and silly and improbably sexy." [Washington City Paper]

Becky Stark and Shara Worden are reprising their guest spots on Hazards of Love, and more, live. See a video of Stark, Worden and Meloy cover Heart's "Crazy On You" on tour, below.

Speaking of guests, Robyn Hitchcock, who played some guitar on Hazards, is opening select dates for the Decemberists with his band, the Venus 3. That group consists of Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows) and Bill Rieflin (Ministry). They'll open the Decemberists' Radio City gig.

The guys in that band -- McCaughey and Buck, specifically -- are also in The Minus 5. That group will release an album called Killingsworth on Yep Roc on July 7th. From that record, the song "Scott Walker's Fault" features Colin Meloy on lead vox. Meloy also sings on Robyn's newest disc.

Robyn Hitchcock has his own NYC headlining show on Thursday, June 11th (the night after the Decemberists gig) at the Bell House. Tickets are still on sale. The openers for that show will be Ken Stringfellow and Takka Takka.

Takka Takka's singer and guitar player Gabe Levine was recently interviewed by MC Steinberg on NY Noise, and Gabe recently went solo - playing and recording under the name Samuel Izdat.

Storefront Hitchcock, a 1998 concert film directed by Jonathan Demme and featuring Robyn Hitchcock, is now streaming online. See that video, and an exclusive interview with Hitchcock from SXSW earlier this year, with all Decemberists tour dates, below...

Continue reading "The Decemberists are here - Radio City tonight w/ Robyn Hitchcock who is in Brooklyn w/ Takka Takka Thursday"

Rachel Getting Married

Jonathan Demme's new movie Rachel Getting Married stars Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt & Tunde Adebimpe (of TV On The Radio) and features Robyn performing two songs: "America" and one written for the movie, "Up to Our Nex." The film competes at the Venice Film Festival September 3rd, premieres at Toronto September 6th and opens October 3rd in New York. A screening at the London Film Festival will be announced shortly.

Robyn will be doing a short US tour in November, performing I Often Dream Of Trains with Terry Edwards on keyboards, horns, & bass and Captain Tim Keegan on guitar. They will be appearing in NYC at Symphony Space on November 22, which is being filmed by John Edginton for the Sundance Channel and DVD release on YepRoc. More dates will be announced in a couple months.

Tickets for the NYC show are on sale. TV on the Radio is touring this fall too. The Rachel movie trailer, and all Robyn dates, below...

Continue reading "ROBYN HITCHCOCK performing 'I Often Dream of Trains' on tour, songs in Jonathan Demme/Tunde Adebimpe movie"

Alejandro Escovedo is having a good year....

- For the first time in his 30 year career, Alejandro Escovedo has charted on Billboard's Top 200 coming in at #122 with his 9th solo album REAL ANIMAL. Released on June 24th, REAL ANIMAL also enters Billboard's Heatseeker/New Artist Chart at #3 with 6,178 in first week sales. A noted and accomplished artist, Escovedo was named No Depression's "Artist of The Decade" in 1998 and has enjoyed a loyal fan base that includes such luminaries as author Stephen King and filmmaker Jonathan Demme who provided REAL ANIMAL's evocative liner notes.

Alejandro has two NYC shows coming up. One is tonight at Highline Ballroom (July 9). The other is free and in exactly a month at Central Park Summerstage.

An Unexpected Mexico
Kinky
Alejandro Escovedo with Strings
Pistolera

Saturday, August 09, 2008, From 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Central Park SummerStage

Alejandro also appears on this:

Columbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 'Magic Tour Highlights' on July 15 via all digital download stores, including the iTunes Store. The release will consist of four audio tracks with four accompanying videos, all recorded live in concert during the 'Magic' tour.

1. "Always A Friend" (performed with Alejandro Escovedo) (video)
Recording Date: 04/14/2008 (Houston, Texas)
2. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (performed with Tom Morello)
Recording Date: 04/07/2008 (Anaheim, California)
3. "Turn Turn Turn" (performed with Roger McGuinn)
Recording Date: 04/23/2008 (Orlando, Florida)
4. "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" (Danny Federici's final performance with the E Street Band)
Recording Date: 03/20/2008 (Indianapolis, Indiana)

AA Bondy was recently added as the opener for the Highline Ballroom show tonight. Aquarium Drunkard recently spoke to Alejandro. Alejandro Escovedo recently played Coman O'Brien and The Today show. Those videos and all tour dates below....

Continue reading "ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO - 2008 Tour Dates, AA Bondy tonight, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Conan, Today Show, and other stuff"