by Ryan Barkan

10. CLOUD CULT: "LUCKY TODAY" - ESURANCE.COM
It's a music video! It's an ad! It's a music videad! It's the band Cloud Cult, fully animated in a TV spot for Esurance, but there isn't a sales pitch to be found. The Minneapolis psychedelic-pop band had traditionally shunned marketers, but the DTC insurance company won them over with some hard-fought green credentials. The result is a charming spot that not only fits in with the visual style of the band, but also features one of Cloud Cult's best songs.
[Ad Age Ad Songs of the Year]

This commercial came out late in 2008...though I think I only saw it one or two times. But thanks to an increase in rotation (January is the busiest month for car insurance!) partially influenced by the above placement in Ad Age, Esurance's Cloud Cult cartoon commercial has been on TV heavily over the past few weeks. The band shows up as animated characters in what comes off more as a music video for their 2005 song "Lucky Today", than as a sales pitch for insurance. A quick jump to Esurance's website and you can find a special Cloud Cult microsite where you can watch the commercial, stream/download a few songs, read why the band finds similarities in their and Esurance's love for being green, and learn how to be more eco-friendly.

According to SoundScan, the band sold more individual digital downloads of "Lucky Today" (1,400) in the last week than they usually sell in a month from all albums...combined.

Other Notable Licensing News:

Radiohead gave gratis (aka free) permission to the National Coalition For The Homeless to use the song "MK1" in a spot that attempts to show homelessness can happen to anyone. (via Songs For Soap). This was their first commercial license ever. Watch the spot below.

Michael Stipe was cool with giving a gratis license for Amnesty International to use REM's "Until the Day Is Done" in a powerful new spot. Watch that below as well.

"In fact, it seems like the one thriving corner of the music business is ad placement. The only people making any money are the artists landing their songs in TV commercials and the royalties that come along with that, so the most successful bands this year will be the ones whose songs are most conducive to selling shit. Which means that Santogold is your Artist of the Year for 2009. Once the shampoo companies find out about 'I'm a Lady', forget about it. It's a wrap." [Tom Breihan in the new L Magazine]

Santogold says 'aha' a lot in the new commercial for the Samsung Pixon phone with her song, "Say Aha". Watch it here.

Audi goes old school in the new spot for the Q5, breaking out Woodie Guthrie's fun "Car Song."

Another car manufacturer went NOT-old school - Volkswagen stayed local (German) with the Berlin electro-group Team on their new (clearly inspired by the movie The Matrix) spot for the Golf. Watch below.

Vancouver band, Readymade, has a song used by Unilever in their new Sun spot, highlighting "Human Potential."

I'm addicted to Diet Pepsi. It's my friend-mesis. Pepsi has rebranded my favorite drink and its overall image with a new "smile" logo. The brand launched its commercial campaign with a spot featuring the music of The Apples In Stereo (Via YANPicasso).

Papa John's sponsored an NCAA football bowl game last month. During said bowl game, the pizza maker debuted a commercial celebrating their 25th anniversary featuring Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".

John Lennon may not be alive, but that didn't stop Yoko Ono from lending his voice to a good cause. Watch the OLPC PSA below.

Walmart promotes the football season with a commercial using Queen's anthem "We Will Rock You".

Fashionista Kanye West is teaming up with one of his favorite designers, Luis Vuitton, to create six shoes for the brand. You may have also noticed Kanye's song "Flashing Lights" in the Season 6 promo to the F/X channel's show "Nip/Tuck". Commercial below.

continued, with videos, below...

Continue reading "This week in Music Licensing"

The Bad Plus are playing a show at Bowery Ballroom on February 17th. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

If there are any left, tickets go on sale (again) (@ noon) for the Cold War Kids show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the recently added Lykke Li show happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Lambchop show happening at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Lucero show happening at Mercury Lounge. Lucero is also opening two Black Keys shows at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the two NYC Demetri Martin shows.

Tickets are now on presale (@ noon) for both of the Levon Helm shows happening at the newly renovated Beacon Theatre (password = bowramble).

Tickets are still on sale for the Primal Scream show happening at Webster Hall.

For more, check out the ticket post from earlier in the day.

Like Cold War Kids, Lucero are a band that, though not the headliner, is playing Terminal 5 and now have a new show at Mercury Lounge. Tickets for the February 8th Lucero show go on sale Wednesday at noon. All dates below...

Continue reading "Lucero - 2009 Tour Dates (Mercury Lounge)"

Continue reading "Langerado Fest, in Miami, in March - initial 2009 lineup"

One night (Feb 6th) at Terminal 5 wasn't enough for The Black Keys, Heartless Bastards and Lucero, so they added a second one. The Am-Ex presale for the new February 7th show starts Wednesday at noon. Regular tickets go on sale Friday at noon. More tour dates HERE.

Photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

If not obvious by the 2008 Fun Fun Fun Fest coverage so far, I was having the most fun (fun fun) over the weekend with all the punk, metal and hardcore on stages 3a and 3b (two connected stages to avoid long times between sets). Highlights and pictures from day one are HERE. Highlights of day two (9/9) were DOA, Frightened Rabbit, the ska punk, politics and crowd of Leftover Crack, Cro-Mags (jam) (John Joseph w/ one of Cro-Mags' past drummers, AJ from Leeway on guitar and Craig Setari of Sick of it All on bass), what I saw of St. Vincent and Black Angels, the vegan sausage pizza, and Bad Brains. I managed to catch a few songs of Islands who sounded great, but totally missed Spinto Band and Annuals. Also saw pieces of Kevin Seconds, Chuck Ragan, and Ben Nichols's solo-frontmen sets. Saw Black Joe Lewis and most of Trash Talk, but neither lived up to my expectations in the daytime festival setting. I went back and forth between the pre-headliner sets of Minus the Bear and Bouncing Souls, and ran over to watch one song of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah during a Bad Brains reggae segment. Despite the competition, CYHSY still pulled in a respectable sized crowd. The stages were far enough away in general, but I could also still hear Alec Ounsworth's unmistakable voice at times between Bad Brains songs depending on where I was standing (I watched Bad Brains from various areas throughout their set). Clipse were headlining on the stage farthest away from Bad Brains so I totally missed them, and Kool Keith, who played that same stage earlier. Bad Brains ended earlier than curfew which meant I got to run over and catch about 20 minutes of Tim and Eric which was a great way (laughing) to end the hectic two day fest.

One unfortunate aspect of the weekend was the dust. It was a problem at ACL this year too. Dry dirt and wind meant you were constantly breathing it in. A signifigant portion of the crowd was wearing bandanas or other gas mask-like things on their faces. I didn't, but I should have because I think it made me a little sick. More pictures from day two below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 - (some of) day two in photos "

The Black Keys @ McCarren Pool (more by Ryan Muir)

The Black Keys will return to NYC to headline Terminal 5, again, on February 6th. Their like-minded, bluesy Fat Possum label-mates and friend Heartless Bastards will be one of the show's openers. Lucero will be the other. Tickets go on sale Friday. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Black Keys - 2008/09 Tour Dates (Terminal 5 w/ Lucero)"

by Black Bubblegum (though not even close to metal)

Last month, indie rock blog Productshop NYC shuttered it's doors (RIP) to make way for Stories In High Fidelity, a place "for bands, record stores, labels and writers to share their stories, tour diaries, memories and so much more", a sort of "Huffington Post of music", if you will. To celebrate the launch, the site lined up a cocktail of noteworthy music writers like Chuck Klosterman (Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs, Fargo Rock City), Dan Kennedy (Rock On: An Office Power Ballad), Rob Sheffield (Love Is A Mix Tape) and Marc Spitz (We Got The Neutron Bomb) along with musical guests Rocketship Park and a full headlining set by Jaymay. The "pre-CMJ extranvaganza" will be held at Highline Ballroom on Oct 20th, tickets are on sale.

After Highline Ballroom, Jaymay will hit the road with The Hotel Cafe tour... and although she won't be in NYC when the tour rolls through town at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg, Thao Nguyen will, along with Rachael Yamagata, Meiko, Emily Wells, & Samantha Crain. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on sale. Full tour dates are below.

Compare/Contrast Hotel Cafe's lineup to the "singer/songwriter" one at the Blender tonight (10/13) with Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Ben Nichols (Lucero), Tim Barry (Avail), and Frank Turner. Tickets are still available. "Chuck Ragan The Revival Tour" will be scooting through the US through mid-November, including a date at the Fun Fun Fun Fest with a shit-ton of great bands (but no Flipper), and a string of dates with Tom Gabel of Against Me! (who recently played a solo show of his own).

Thao Nguyen recently ate books with Paul Simon, Department Of Eagles, Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone, Parker Posey, Ira Glass, Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Hotel Cafe vs Chuck Ragan The Revival - 2008 tour dates, Jaymay, Thao Nguyen, & Stories in High Fidelity"

Speaking of Rocks Off Boat Cruises, Lucero is playing one again with Justin Townes Earl in August. Tickets are on sale. All dates below....

Continue reading "Lucero - 2008 Tour Dates (Rocks Off boat)"

Lucero’s Ben Nichols contributed the track “Dog Day Night” to the Think Syrup Records Arkansas Compilation. With a straight up infectious guitar lick, reminiscent of early Black Keys work, the track has gotten its fair share of repeated spins throughout the day.

You can listen to the track on the Thick Syrup Myspace page and then go ahead and order the record. $10 gets you 24 tracks from Arkansas musicians and bands, most of whom were completely new finds for me since checking out this record. [Muzzle of Bees]

MOKB is also giving the track away for free. Mercury Lounge, Maxwell's and other tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Ben Nichols (Lucero) - 2008 solo Tour Dates"

Lucero just annnounced a bunch of dates that include November 3rd at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the next day at the Bowery Ballroom of Manhattan. The Tennessee band also recently played a Rocks Off Cruise. Were you there? How was it? All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Lucero - 2007 Tour Dates"

Back when the Rocks Off "School of Rock" festival in NJ was announced, I definitely wondered if, and hoped that, the Weakerthans would play their own NYC show as well. The Bad Brains are doing it - also for Rocks Off - on a boat (now sold out). Ends up - so are the Weakerthans, and it's this Friday June 22nd (NOT SOLD OUT).

Lee "Scratch" Perry (tix), Lucero (tix), Clutch (tix) RJD2 (tix), and many others are playing concert cruises too.