The members of the legendary and influential alternative rock band The Fluid have announced they will be performing select shows starting this January in Brooklyn & Hoboken, after reuniting to perform at Sub-Pop Records 20th Anniversary Festival in Seattle this past July...

...Due to timing and the band's associations with Sub-Pop and various acts of the Northwest underground scene-the group were early boosters of Nirvana, and the two acts even shared a split single in 1991-The Fluid has long been lumped in with the period's so-called grunge movement. But in actuality the outfit's unapologetically rock 'n' roll sound bypassed the shallower sludge metal and hardcore punk influences of its contemporary brethren, reaching deeper to hint at the classic styles of forbears like the New York Dolls, The Stooges, the MC5, the Rolling Stones, and the garage bands of the 1960s...

...The Fluid's upcoming shows at Hoboken's Maxwell's on January 16th [tickets], and Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 17th [tickets] will bring together all five of the band's original members for one of the most rabidly anticipated musical reunions in years-and one that will give metro area fans the rare chance to once again experience firsthand the band's singular brand of timeless and powerful rock 'n' roll.

Continue reading "The Fluid - reunited & playing 2 NYC-area shows "

"Oh Me by the Meat Puppets - In late 1993, when Nirvana played their famous "MTV Unplugged" show, they were on tour with Curt and Chris Kirkwood, the brothers who made up the heart of the Meat Puppets. At this point, Cobain was using pretty heavily, and barely made it through soundcheck. During the taping, the Meat Puppets joined Nirvana for three songs, all Meat Puppets originals.

Each band gave a gift to the other that night: Nirvana, by bringing an influential but essentially underground band up to play with them; the Meat Puppets by basically surrendering those wonderful songs to Nirvana, specifically to Cobain. Obviously, having those songs on Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" album provided the Meat Puppets with some pretty fair publishing royalties (Allah be praised!). At the same time, thanks to that legendary concert, those songs become Nirvana's -- specifically they are associated with Kurt Cobain and that performance. That's got to be an honor for the Meat Puppets. But who knows, maybe it also stings.

I say this only because the originals are so good; indeed, my own preference is for them, especially the fully electric version of "Oh Me," with its fuzz and building distortion and feedback. Curt Kirkwood's soloing is so haunting and sad on this, growing until the sound is profoundly huge. It's a song that deserves to be heard, especially during a season that is supposed to be about giving."
[Charles Bock's holiday playlist of non-holiday treats]

Continue reading "Charles Bock lists songs, updated Meat Puppets tour dates"

by Ryan Barkan

Gogol Bordello @ Irving Plaza (more by Jefferson)

The second edition of this controversial new feature is back. "It's Not Selling Out Anymore" (or is it?)...

Aggressive racing game, Motorstorm, was one of the most successful titles for the Playstation 3 in 2007 (selling over three million copies world wide). It was only natural then, that Sony Computer Entertainment would get a sequel out in 2008. Enter Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The game recently hit shelves in the US at end of October and in the UK this past week. The TV spot announcing the new game brilliantly matched Motorstorm's crazy, edgy style of racing on tracks in exotic locations with the "authentic energy" of Gogol Bordello's "Wonderlust King." Watch the video of the commercial below. Gogol Bordello tour dates are HERE.

While Gogol did not make the in-game soundrack, David Bowie, Clutch, Megadeth, The Hives, Simian Mobile Disco, Death From Above 1979, and more all made the cut. Eight of the forty-five songs are exclusive to the game including a remix by Diplo of Nirvana's "Swap Meet" *.

Speaking of exclusives, The Ramones' classic jam "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" was covered by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and singer Jemina Pearl (from the now defunct Be Your Own Pet). Their version exclusively premiered in this past week's episode of Gossip Girl. Love & Rockets made the episode too...though not as an exclusive.

Other Notable Licensing News:

On the tube, One Tree Hill had songs by Ra Ra Riot and Margot & the Nuclear So-So's; 90210 had Florence & The Machine, The Raconteurs, and The Bravery; Grey's Anatomy had The Bird And The Bee, Whitest Boy Alive, and Brett Dennon.

M83's "You, Appearing" provides a solemn background to a French commercial for Douleurs' "Pain Without Borders" commercial. Watch the video below. M83 is currently on a tour of the US (and in NYC this week).

Cadbury's new "Favourites" commercial features the song "Stars and Sons" by Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene. Watch the video below. Pics from the band's recent show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple can be seen HERE.

Supreme continues its love for musical collaborations with the announcement of a Bad Brains x Supreme collection. The line consists of a couple hoodies, a t-shirt, and two different styles of Vans shoes. Bad Brains have been busy lately playing shows in Austin, NYC and elsewhere.

Vans recently released its fourth Iron Maiden tribute shoe, this time featuring the artwork from the Powerslave album. The Sk8-Hi and slip on models are available at the vans online store as well as local distributors.

Videos below...

Continue reading "It's Not Selling Out Anymore -- This Week in Music Licensing"

by Black Bubblegum

Bruce gets Loose, some dude achieves Nirvana (anthonyrigano)

Flipper are kicking off a tour in the month of November at Fun Fun Fun Fest (um, who isn't playing this thing), scooting up the east coast and then out to Europe. NYC gets a date - it's Nov 15th @ The Knitting Factory with locals Excepter and Monotract. Tickets are on sale.

Flipper 2008 looks like this:

Bruce Loose (Not Original Vocals, but close - joined in 1979)
Ted Falconi (Original Guitarist)
Krist Novoselic (Bass)
Steve DePace (Original Drummer)

You can catch Novoselic blogging about politics at the Seattle Weekly. All Flipper dates below....

Continue reading "Flipper (w/ Novoselic) - 2008 Tour Dates (Knitting Factory)"

The Vaselines @ Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ - July 9, 2008 (Music Snobbery)

The Vaselines played Maxwell's last night.

With their setlist, you pretty much got what you came for, unless you wanted Teenage Superstar. Their set was about 45 minuteslong, focusing on their top songs. Their voices haven't aged at all, even though I'd like to meet the person who saw them back in the day and remembers how they played. I can't emphaisze more how unique and special the night was, and then having it be a tribute to the indie rock of 20 years ago. It seems like it could be made today and not feel dated. [Music Snobbery]

Continue reading "This was written by the Vaselines (who played Maxwell's)"

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....

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

DOWNLOAD: The Decemberists - Perfect Crime (Junior Boys Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Page France - The Ruby Ring Man (live at the Crocodile Cafe) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nirvana - talk to me (crocodile cafe 1992) (MP3)

"I think it's a blow to the scene," said David Meinert, a local promoter and publicist. "Part of the side effect of the mayor's downtown development plan, which seems to have no room for live music in it. The Croc is an institution. At the same time, things change, and keeping a venue open as long as the Croc has been, through all the changes the music scene has been through, is a very difficult job. I feel for any club owner trying to make it in Seattle."

Local musician Chris Martin, a guitarist in local rock band Kinski, called the Crocodile Café "the most exciting club to play in town." [The Seattle Times] (thx Renee)

According to the schedule that is still posted on the club's website "Bobby Bare Jr. and the Decemberists" were supposed to play there on January 26th - which, according to the Tractor Tavern where the show will now take place, is actually Bobby "with members" of the Decemberists. The Decemberists have played with Bobby before, and they're (all of them) scheduled to play Seattle twice just four days later - two of four West Coast shows they have scheduled. It will be the first time they play since cancelling a whole tour due to illness.

Also on the Croc schedule: Atlas Sound, Black Mountain, A Place to Bury Strangers, Tilly & The Wall, Beach House, and Born Ruffians. All Decemberists & Bobby Bare dates below...

Continue reading "Seattle's Crocodile Cafe closed, the Decemberists are back"

It's Mudhoney time in NYC - the first of three shows kicks off tonight (Nov 30) at Maxwell's in Hoboken, and though Mudhoney didn't appear on the show (Meat Pupppets do), I thought this would be a good place to give away one of those new Nirvana Unplugged DVDs. Details on how to win, a video featuring Kurt Cobain playing with Mudhoney, and Blender's list of the "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever", below.....

Continue reading "MUDHONEY are here, win a NIRVANA Unplugged DVD ........... "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever""

You can buy tickets for the Rriiccee show at the Green Room on December 7th. Rriiccee's four members (pictured above) are Vincent Gallo, Rebecca Casabian, Nikolas Haas, and Eric Erlandson from Hole.

Speaking of Hole, have you been keeping with Courtney Love's blog? If not, you're missing out on stuff like,

its not dexactly cake to get tebh fbi to help u despite heaps and masses of documents they had the nerve to leave behind the ftc helping you is bogus too, they dont do JACK whats your best suggestion for clearing up old id theft but MASSIVE old id theft open corps you knew nothing about bogus tax stuff...[Courtney]

Mixed in surround sound by legendary surround mixing engineer Elliot Scheiner, this DVD allows fans to experience this performance like never before, completely unedited including the two songs not originally broadcasted ("Something In The Way" and "Oh Me" ), and with the best sound ever available (to anyone not in the studio for the original taping.) For the purists, also included on this DVD is the original 44 min broadcast version of the show, plus never-before-seen REHEARSAL performances. As an extra bonus to the DVD, a 14-minute interview segment called Bare Witness produced by MTV focuses on the recollections of those who experienced this magical moment in music history, those who produced it and interviews with the band from the day of the taping.

Kurt Cobain was funny. Foo Fighters are playing some shows.

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Look at the Rain (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mudhoney - Halloween (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Melvins - Going Blind (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nirvana - Even in His Youth (MP3)

Meat Puppets formed in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Melvins formed in the early 80's too - in Montesano, Washington. Mudhoney formed in 1988 - out of the ashes of Green River, and with Matt Lukin (who had recently left the Melvins) on bass - in Seattle, Washington. Nirvana became Nirvana in 1988 too - in Aberdeen (or Seattle), Washington (Dave Grohl joined in 1990).

Mudhoney cites Meat Puppets as an influence. Nirvana was influenced by Mudhoney & the Melvins. Kurt Cobain even unsuccessfully tried out to be in the Melvins. The Melvins' Dale Crover played drums with Nirvana for a bit, and then the Melvins' Buzz Osborne eventually introduced Dave Grohl to Nirvana. Kurt Cobain later became a fan of Meat Puppets after seeing them open for Black Flag.

Meat Puppets and Mudhoney both opened for Nirvana at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona on October 18, 1993. In November 1993, members of Meat Puppets appeared on MTV Unplugged with Nirvana - the Meat Puppets were then mainstream. Kurt Cobain died on April 8, 1994. Meat Puppets went on their first hiatus in 1996. Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) and Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) later formed a short-lived band called Eyes Adrift. The Melvins, Meat Puppets & Mudhoney are all currently active bands (again).

Upcoming shows in NYC/NJ, 2007
Oct 05 - Melvins @ Irving Plaza (info)
Oct 06 - Melvins @ Luna Lounge (info)
Oct 17 - Meat Puppets @ Pianos (BrooklynVegan free day show)
Oct 17 - Meat Puppets @ Lion's Den (info)
Oct 18 - Meat Puppets @ Maxwell's (info)
Nov 30 - Mudhoney @ Maxwell's (info)
Dec 01 - Mudhoney @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (info)
Dec 02 - Mudhoney @ Bowery Ballroom (info)

Patti Smith played the new Music Hall of Williamsburg last night (Sept 6, 2007) - two nights later than she was supposed to. I unfortunately wasn't there, but Edwina Hay was on hand do document the festivities. Her report includes the part where Patti humorously read from the Brooklyn Vegan comments. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think that was pretty cool.

Keep reading for more of Edwina's photos & words.....

Continue reading "Patti Smith @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC"

* WOXY Goes Silent Again
* Notes on Today's Webcasters Blackout
* The Verve reunite, playing shows in UK
* The baby on Nirvana's Nevermind album is 17 (Pic) (via)
* Lily Allen flees UK to New York City
* Pela get in scuffle at Sweet Jane's in Hartford
* heartonastick's Mermaid Parade Pictures
* The 25 Most Ridiculous Band Names in Rock History (via)
* Weezer Comes Back To Life With New Album
* The Rentals touring, etc

DOWNLOAD: Neko Case - If You Knew (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nirvana - Jesus Doesn't Want me for a Sunbeam (MP3)

As you may have read on Idolator and then Stereogum and then Gawker and then Idolator again (oops), Doc Martens managed to lose all credibility with their ridiculous new ad campaign.....

"Dr. Martens boots are ‘made to last,’"

Courtney (friend of Billy), and rightly so, got mad. The ad agency even got fired.

Kurt was also spotted this week on the cover of Sassy, wearing a BMX Bandits T-shirt, and expressing his love for Daniel Johnston.

There's also a new Nirvana biography out. PopMatters read it.

Kurt's boxers may or may not show up on E-bay anytime soon, but there is still time to bid on Neko Case's underwear 'vintage 50's bustier girdle corset' on E-bay.

See Neko this summer. She's one of many artists playing free shows at Central Park Summerstage.

Nirvana & Neko Case both start with N. Have a happy Nemorial Day.