Tori Amos will release her twelfth studio album, Night of Hunters on September 20 via the German label Deutsche Grammophon. The album was produced by Tori herself and features guest vocals from past collaborators Kelsey Dobyns and Natashya Hawley. The album is also Tori's first without her studio/touring band that she's had for the last decade. She worked with many new musicians on the album, including the Apollon Musagete Quartett.

Tori is touring internationally this fall in support of the album. The tour includes two NYC shows on December 2 and 3 at Beacon Theatre. Tickets for both shows go on sale Friday (7/29) at 10am. All tour dates and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Tori Amos releasing new LP, touring (dates)"

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "

David Byrne w/ Dirty Projectors @ Bowery Ballroom

I have, after many years, finished the Here Lies Love CD project - at least this iteration of it. It will come out [February 23rd] on Nonesuch. It's a collaboration with Fatboy Slim, an upbeat series of songs sung each one by a different singer. The songs are about Imelda Marcos and Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her. The package includes 2 CDs (22 songs), a DVD with videos of 6 of those songs, and a 100-page book that explains it all. Singers include Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine), Sia, Santigold, Nellie McKay, Sharon Jones, St. Vincent, Róisín Murphy and many more (even me on 1 and 1/2)... I am pretty excited about this, but who knows, it might just make people crazy.

We'll see. There will be more concrete news, with links and music, in early January.

In the meantime, I have decided to rebrand myself, inspired by Philip Morris changing their name to Altria, Blackwater to Xe, and the train I'm riding on right now that calls itself Acela - none of which mean anything, but they are cleverly evocative. When I decide on the magic word, you'll be the first to know.

-David Byrne

What should David Bryne's new name be? The full tracklist for the new record, which also features vocal turns by Steve Earle and Allison Moorer (who both just played NYC on Friday), Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos and Martha Wainwright, is below.

Here Lies Love premiered in March 2006 Australia, and Byrne brought the song cycle to Carnegie Hall as part of the venue's Perspectives Series in February 2007. As a stage show, the songs fit into a four act narrative, laid out in detail on Byrne's website. Those at either performance got a first look at the then-in-progress work...

Here Lies Love takes the form of a series of fairly traditional pop songs (verse-chorus-verse) played in a variety of styles (disco, rock, funk, latin, ballad) by Byrne and a small group of colleagues. Augmenting the core of guitar, bass and drums, is a percussionist and a keyboard player. The vocals are shared by Dana Diaz-Tutaan (Imelda), Ganda Suthivarakom (Estrella), and Byrne, who represents the 'voice' of other key players in Imelda's life. The stage itself is unadorned, although behind the band a small screen plays news clips and home movies of Imelda's life.

As already mentioned, the songs themselves are simple pop tunes, leaning heavily on the disco and dance genres, and could fit neatly onto any number of Byrne's solo albums. They are tuneful enough, and skillfully played, but I wonder about the connection of the music to Imelda's life. Would it have been possible to blend some traditional Filipino sounds and flavours into the music of Here Lies Love (although, admittedly, Imelda was a fan of Western dance music)? [Tidy Boy]

David Byrne will appear at a free, unticketed (first come, first served) event at the Bell House on Monday, January 11th. He presents "a short video/audio lecture called 'Creation in Reverse,' speaking to the ways that venue and context shape artistic creation, followed by a Q&A."

More Here Lies Love info and a video on the performance are below...

Continue reading "David Byrne rebranding, releasing an album w/ Fatboy Slim & lots of guests, giving a free lecture in Brooklyn "

"Join hosts Nick and Helen Forster at this 2-plus hour special recording of the nationally syndicated radio variety show "eTown." This "more-than-a-concert" experience will feature live performances PLUS up close and personal conversations with musical guests Tori Amos and Jesse Winchester as well as the presentation of this week's prestigious E-Chievement Award®." That describes what's going on at The Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center on December 7th. Tickets are on sale.

Lady Gaga has added two more shows at Radio City Music Hall making the total four. Tickets to the new shows go on sale Friday morning.

Rosanne Cash, The Low Anthem and Mike Doughty all play a WFUV Holiday Cheer Benefit Concert together at the Concert Hall in NYC on December 8th. Tickets are on sale.

Yeasayer tickets are on American Express presale.

ALL and other tickets are on sale too.

Emiliana Torrini

Emiliana Torrini is playing Highline Ballroom on August 14th. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

America are playing Nokia Theatre on October 16th. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Satanicide are headlining Bowery Ballroom on July 25th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale for the Tori Amos show at Radio City.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the show Seasick Steve is playing at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are on sale for the show he's playing at Southpaw too.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the show Los Campesinos! and Girls are playing at Webster Hall.

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 7th. Tickets are on sale.

"DAVE STEWART, ARETHA FRANKLIN, WYCLEF JEAN, QUEEN LATIFAH, CARLA BRUNI-SARKOZY, JOSH GROBAN, CYNDI LAUPER, ANGELIQUE KIDJO, BAABA MAAL, JESSE MCCARTNEY, TLC, THE SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR, AND OTHER GUESTS" are celebrating Nelson Madela's 91st birthday at Madison Square Garden on July 18th. Tickets are on sale.

The Black Crowes are playing Central Park Summerstage on September 2nd. Tickets go on sale June 12.

Bruce Springsteen tickets go on sale Monday.

Friday night 'dance' events in The Week In Dance.

No tickets needed for Monday's David Byrne show.

Check out some Emiliana Torrino videos below...

Continue reading "America, Emiliana Torrini, Satanicide, Tori Amos, Seasick Steve & other tickets"

"Tori Amos has announced her "Sinful Attraction Tour" in support of her forthcoming album Abnormally Attracted to Sin, in stores next Tuesday, May 19. The tour will launch this July in Seattle, with dates across the US.

Known for her dynamic live performances and ever-changing set lists, Tori is one of the most active touring artists in the world, having played over 1,000 shows since her first world tour over a decade ago.

The groundbreaking singer/songwriter will release her Universal Republic debut album, ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN, on May 19, 2009. A DVD of corresponding 'visualettes' for each track will accompany the deluxe version of ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN. These interlocking episodic films bring to life the narrative arc of the album. The footage was captured over the past year and shot with a noir twist in HD and Super."

One of those "visualettes" (video), and all dates (Radio City Music Hall) below...

Continue reading "Tori Amos - new album & 2009 Tour Dates (Radio City)"

Okay, so the blood part is just a rumor (that I just started)....

Continue reading "new comic book printed with Tori Amos' blood..."

Tori Amos is going on tour in the Fall...

Continue reading "Tori Amos - 2007 Tour Dates"