Courtney Love proceeds with the master plan.

By Blurt Staff

Last year a new Courtney Love album titled Nobody's Daughter leaked pretty handily to the internet. As we reported at the time, it had been pushed back so many times that bloggers decided to take matters into their own hands, even creating artwork for the "album."

The Music Of Your Life blog, for example, posted the entire thing in MP3 format, although the Blogger.com blog in question has since been removed, so if you follow the link you'll eventually hit a dead end. Try a Torrent site instead. We nabbed the record in time... it's okay, but nothing special. Even presuming that some of the 11 tracks we've heard were at the time works in progress, there's nothing about it that suggests it will be setting the world on fire. Titles include "Pacific Coast Highway," "Letter To God," "Dirty Girls" and "Stand Up Motherfucker" so it's sorta Love-by-numbers, in fact.

Anyhow, Spin reports now that the five-years-in-the-making record is now due on April 27 from Mercury/IDJ, and instead of being a Courtney Love product, as La Love herself threatened awhile back, it's billed as a Hole album - much to original guitarist Eric Erlandson's dismay, who has told the media he's not too pleased.

Spin adds that the current Hole lineup "includes Love's roommate, 23-year-old British guitarist Micko Larkin, bassist Shawn Dailey (of Rock Kills Kid), and drummer Stuart Fisher. Jack Irons, formerly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, played drums on the album." And erstwhile Love collaborators Billy Corgan, Linda Perry and Michael Beinhorn are nowhere in sight.

"One time, Frances was being mean and she said, 'What are you going to do if this record fails?'" Love is quoted as telling Spin. "Well, Frances, it can't fail because I love it, and I've worked really hard to make sure that I love it."

Altogether now... awwwww....

Seriously, anything is fair game. Not they will be forced to answer "anything," but still.... Here's your chance to find out all those things about Spoon you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

By The Blurt Editors

Earlier this month Britt Daniel & Co. released its latest album,Transference, on Merge, and a big national tour will be kicking off in mid-March starting with an NPR Music showcase in Austin at SXSW. We've got the tour details here.

Meanwhile, we're offering you a chance to ask Spoon whatever questions you want, kinda like the way those British mags grill a washed-up classic rock personality each month, but way cooler, ‘cos it's Spoon of course. Wanna know how Britt gets his hair so perfect? Where they got the name Spoon from? Who's a Republican and who's a Democrat in the band? Maybe even some lingering queries about the agony and the ecstasy of their old major label nemesis Ron Laffitte? Ask away! The results will be included in a far reaching and sure-to-be entertaining interview at blurt-online.com and the upcoming issue of BLURT.

And if this goes well, maybe our next contest of this ilk will be "Ask Laffitte".... Hey, it could happen...

Email your questions to: askspoon@blurt-online.com

Incidentally, make sure you identify yourself in some way - it doesn't have to be elaborate, but at the very least give your first name and where you are from, e.g.:

Wayne
OKC, Oklahoma

Hey, it's just common courtesy. Internet anonymity is for pussies.

Pavement, Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Kid Cudi, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Band of Horses and many others. Tickets go on sale this weekend.

By Blurt Staff

The 2010 Sasquatch! Music Festival will proudly feature the recently reunited Pavement, Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Kid Cudi, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Band of Horses and many others. With The Office's Craig Robinson and The Daily Show's Rob Riggle, this year's Sasquatch! Festival also presents the best in up-and-coming comedic acts. Please see below for the complete festival lineup and ticket information.

Sasquatch! returns to The Gorge in Quincy, WA May 29-31 (Memorial Day Weekend) following early sellouts and rave reviews the past several years. Festival tickets are available at sasquatchfestival.com and Ticketmaster. Known for its bucolic location as well as its programming zeitgeist, the Sasquatch! Festival marks its ninth year at The Gorge, a concert venue built in the Columbia River Gorge and offering spectacular views of the river canyon. Tickets go on sale Saturday February 20 at 10 a.m. PST.

Festival creator Adam Zacks founded Sasquatch! in 2002 with the aim of constructing an event that catered to the eclectic tastes of voracious music enthusiasts. Zacks personally curates the lineups for each Sasquatch! Festival, hand-picking the diverse array of artists. "It's our goal each year to present a fresh lineup that reflects the independent spirit of the Pacific Northwest, respects the artists and audience, and celebrates the grandeur of The Gorge."

The Sasquatch! Festival has established a tradition of presenting critically acclaimed emerging artists alongside established headliners. Previous lineups have spanned a broad spectrum of genres from rock to hip-hop, electronic to singer-songwriters; past performers include R.E.M. Coldplay, Kanye West, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, The Cure, Björk, and M.I.A. The festival also has a history of incorporating comedy including performances by Flight of The Conchords, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, and many more.

Also included on this year's agenda are continued greening initiatives with Esurance, the title sponsor for the 2010 festival. For the past three years, the auto insurance provider has teamed up with Sasquatch! to promote a greener festival. By increasing sustainable practices at the Gorge, including an expanded recycling program, eco-friendly signage, and energy-efficient lighting, they were able to reduce the overall carbon footprint at the venue as compared to previous years. As this year's title sponsor, Esurance continues its drive toward a planet-friendly festival by offering numerous ridesharing options with carpool partner, Zimride. Beginning with the launch party in February and following through with the festival itself in May, Esurance makes it easy for folks to share a ride and minimize environmental impacts created by such a large event.

2010 SASQUATCH! FESTIVAL LINEUP

My Morning Jacket
Massive Attack
Pavement
Ween
Vampire Weekend
MGMT
Band of Horses
The National
LCD Soundsystem
Tegan & Sara
Broken Social Scene
Passion Pit
Deadmau5
She & Him
Public Enemy
Nada Surf
The New Pornographers
The Hold Steady
The xx
Dirty Projectors
OK Go
Drive By Truckers
Kid Cudi
The Long Winters
Minus the Bear
The Mountain Goats
Quasi
Camera Obscura
Fruit Bats
Brother Ali
Midlake
Dr. Dog
Caribou
Simian Mobile Disco
City & Colour
No Age
The Temper Trap
Vetiver
Miike Snow
Portugal. The Man
Telekinesis
Mayer Hawthorne
Why?
Girls
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Wale
The Lonely Forest
Japandroids
Boys Noize
Yacht
Freelance Whales
Laura Marling
Patrick Watson
Past Lives
Cymbals Eat Guitars
The Low Anthem
The Very Best
Phantogram
Neon Indian
Nurses
The Tallest Man on Earth
Fresh Espresso
Mumford & Sons
Jets Overhead
tUnE-YarDs
Shabazz Palaces
Fool's Gold
Morning Teleportation
Z-Trip
Dam-Funk
Hudson Mohawke
The Middle East
Local Natives
Avi Buffalo
Booka Shade
A-Trak
Yes Giantess
Craig Robinson
Rob Riggle
Garfunkel & Oates
Luke Burbank
...and more to come!

Everything analog is new again! Jookabox teams up with Kid Primitive Family for some hot cassette action.

By Blurt Staff

On March 9 Joyful Noise Recordings will be issuing an extremely limited cassette split from Jookabox and Kid Primitive Family.

The Jookabox / Kid Primitive Family split is an ethereal, percussive-heavy exercise in existential musical chairs. Jookabox, who just released their third album "Dead Zone Boys" (Asthmatic Kitty/Joyful Noise), re-discover their folk roots on Side A. A far cry from the bombastic-zombie-funk of DZB, these are intimate, home-recorded experiments and re-interpretations of older material going all the way back to the days of Grampall Jookabox's 2007 debut "Scientific Cricket". Side B showcases Chicago's Kid Primitive Family exploring guided meditation, Tuvinian throat singing, and strange new-world mysticism. Throughout the record, hip-hop tendencies weave in and out, pulsating percussion and echoey, layered vocals abound, and consciousness generally expands. Jookabox gets you in the mood, and Kid Primitive lures you over the edge.

The release is limited to just 100 cassette copies, complete with Digital Download coupon, and is now available for pre-order from the JNR site here.

Check out some free MP3s of each band too while you're at it:

Jookabox "John Kill Meets the Brick People"

Kid Primitive Family "The Sun (Dance)"

Jookabox On Tour:

02/15/10 - Mannheim, Germany @ Der Bock
02/16/10 - Lyon, France @ Le Sonic
02/17/10 - Toulouse, France @ Le Lieu Commun
02/18/10 - Rennes, France @ Antipode
02/19/10 - Paris, France @ La Fleche D'Or
02/20/10 - Tourcoing, France @ Le Grand Mix
02/21/10 - Colmar, France @ Le Musee du Jouet
02/22/10 - Strasbourg, France @ Stimultania
02/24/10 - Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom @ The Forum
02/25/10 - London, United Kingdom @ Queen of Hoxton
02/26/10 - Blackburn, United Kingdom @ 41 King Street
02/27/10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
02/28/10 - Ultrech, Netherlands @ Ekko
03/01/10 - Gent, Belgium @ Cafe Video

The Portland songstress, along with Old Believers and Led to the Sea, entrances an audience at Northampton's Iron Horse on February 14.

By Jennifer Kelly

Last December in an interview with BLURT, Laura Veirs said that she had to release the very summery July Flames, her seventh and latest album, in January "for business reasons." Those business reasons became fully apparent at this Valentine's Day concert when a very pregnant Veirs took the stage for what has to be one of the last in a series of concerts before she has her first child. At a stage in pregnancy when many women have trouble standing - and even sitting - for long periods, Veirs had just returned from a string of dates in Europe. Only late in the program did she even acknowledge her condition, announcing, "You know I'm going to have a baby soon," and predicting a little break in the tour schedule - but not a long one. "This baby is going to be a child of the road," she predicted, "So when we tour again, it will be with a baby."

For now, though, Veirs is touring with a three piece band, two of whose members, Alex Guy (as Led to the Sea) and Nelson Kempf (as Old Believers) play opening slots. Alex Guy, sings and accompanies herself on the violin, picking pizzicato patterns during the verse and coaxing long, lush bowed notes in the bridges. Her voice is in the same family as Veirs' - fresh, clear, without much vibrato - and her lyrics, like Veirs' own, littered with evocative natural imagery. Often she sets up a rhythmic loop at the beginning of songs, then adds swoops and throbs of more sustained sounds over it. Her act is a bit like an indie folk version of Anni Rossi, but without the knocking and clicking and bow-banging that Rossi uses for rhythm.

Next, Nelson Kempf plays some acoustic-guitar accompanied songwriter folk, confessing that he's nervous since, after a month in Europe, this is the first time anyone could understand what he's saying. His guitar playing is very subdued, barely audible chords framing songs about childhood homes and familiar territories. His best song comes late in the show and comes from a split with his sometime performing partner Dhani Rosa. It's called "All the Love You Ever Felt Is With You Now," and he brings up Rosa to accompany him on keyboards and the audience in to sing a counterpart of "All the love...All the love...All the love..."

And then with Rosa, there's a welcome burst of absurdity as Old Believers morphs from earnings guitar-slinger folk to a kind of pseudo-electro-soul. This is exuberantly theatrical, acting out a song about waking up and taking a shower with large-scale gestures to Casio beats and Kempf's 1970s wah wah guitar. It's very funny but no one in this very mature audience seems to be laughing. (Kempf is borderline cracking up for the whole set.) "I've got a name for a porn movie," Rosa announces between songs, a propos of nothing. "It's called The Devil Wears Nada." And finally, people seem to get the joke and start to laugh.

Veirs, with her horn rimmed glasses and Hillary headband, fits right in with the Smith College vibe of Northampton. She notes, at one point, that two of her aunts and one grandmother were Smithies and wondered if any of them had ever been at the Iron Horse. She herself could easily be a grad student, even with the bump (grad students have kids, too, after all), and her music, radiantly pretty but with a hard, intelligent spine to it, seems especially appropriate in this town so long dedicated to female empowerment. She starts with "Carol Kaye," the song from July Flame that pays tribute to the 1960s bass player, a feminist icon in her own rite, with Eric Anderson picking out the low-end slides and thumps. Kempf has switched to piano, and Guy plays violin. Everyone sings.

There's no real drum kit on the set, though various players take turns whacking one tom and a kick drum or shaking a tambourine. "Cast a Hook," off the Saltbreakers album, is driven by a thumping bass drum, but many of the songs are more lightly tethered to rhythms set by guitar picking, pizzicato violin or keyboard plunks.

Harmonies are pushed hard, with everyone singing loud and at strident intervals, so that the songs sometimes sound a bit like Sacred Harp gatherings. And Veirs' own voice, which can be soft and reflective, makes sudden leaps and crescendos, chops fluid lines by accenting words unexpectedly and gives the music an unexpected edge.   The tunes, which can seem contained on the record, gain a bit of frenzy live. "July Flame" turns particularly vivid in concert, its slippery guitar slides going vertiginous, its careening violin swooping offkilter. The song is much more intense - and simply better - live than on the record.

The set covers most of July Flame, a couple of songs from Saltbreakers and some older material. Towards the end, Veirs switches to banjo and engages in a speed-dueling hoe-down with Guy. The audience claps along, faster and faster, as the two women accelerate, fingers and bows turning to a blur. Afterwards, Veirs comments, "I know we're getting to about the right speed when we're not smiling anymore. There's nothing left for a smile."

The main set closes with a folky, tightly harmonized cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" and the haunting "I Can See Your Tracks." The band returns for an encore of "Sleeper in the Valley" and "Make Something Good," and leaves on a high note. Afterwards Veirs can be found perched on a stool, friendly, conversing, signing CDs for fans, looking not the least bit weighed down or tired by her soon-to-be extra touring partner.

Emo godfathers also have deluxe vinyl reissue of their classic CD collection.

By Blurt Staff

With only one full-length album to their name alongside a handful of singles and compilation tracks, Cap'n Jazz left a longstanding impression and irrefutable influence on the region's bohemian punk scene and unwittingly spawned a breeding ground for future scene stars such as the Promise Ring and Joan Of Arc. Traces of their sonic fingerprint permeate hundreds of indie records released in their wake. Formed by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella in Chicago in 1989, the band shone brightly until breaking up in 1995.

15 years later, Cap'n Jazz played a short surprise set this past January. The band has decided to reunite again, starting at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago on July 17th with select dates soon to follow, but as things stand now, the group will only be around for a short while during the summer.

Their label Jade Tree is also taking their 1998 retrospective/overview Analphabetapolothology, and reissuing it on vinyl on June 15th. As Cap'n Jazz has grown in popularity, so has the demand for the anthology on vinyl.

Check out the MP3 for "Oh, Messy Life"

The Analphabetapolothology double LP will be packaged in a deluxe gatefold album jacket with plenty of bonus material not included with the original CD release, including never before seen photos, show fliers, and new liner notes by Tim Kinsella.

Album due March 23: MP3 and Video, below.

By Blurt Staff

Bettie Serveert's new album, Pharmacy of Love, will be released on March 23rd by Second Motion Records in the U.S. and by Sound of Pop in Canada. It's the Dutch band's first album in four years. Keep your eyes peeled in the direction of BLURT for some in-depth coverage close to the album's street date.

With the band employing a "back to basics" approach, Pharmacy of Love captures the kind of raw, contagious energy that has long characterized Bettie Serveert's live shows. Recorded earlier this year in a Belgian recording studio, founding members Carol van Dyk (vocals/guitar), Peter Visser (guitar) and Herman Bunskoeke (bass) were joined on the new album by special guest Joppe Molenaar (of the Dutch band Voicst) on drums.

Free MP3: "Deny All"

The back story:

Bettie Serveert released its debut album, Palomine, in 1992. Signed to Matador Records in the States, the band was championed by critics and quickly became a favorite at college radio with singles "Tom Boy" and "Kid's Allright" getting substantial airplay. Lamprey, which Melody Maker praised for having the most tangled, desolate, real life guitar sound of the year, was released in 1995, followed by 1997's Dust Bunnies, which the band recorded in Woodstock, NY with producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Lemonheads). The band toured extensively, opening for bands such as Belly, Dinosaur Jr, Buffalo Tom, Superchunk, Jeff Buckley, Wilco and Counting Crows. After its 1998 live album of Velvet Underground covers, Bettie Serveert Plays Venus in Furs and Other Velvet Underground Songs, the band released a string of studio albums - Private Suit, Log 22 and Attagirl - on its own label, Palomine Records. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Bettie Serveert released Bare Stripped Naked in 2006. A semi-acoustic CD/DVD package of primarily new material, it was hailed by allmusic.com as "a rousing and heroic reminder of what a great band they were and continue to be."

Already out is a digital EP, Deny All, available at the iTunes Music Store.   In addition to lead single "Deny All," the EP will include a long version of "Calling (XL)", a small version of "Souls Travel (small)" plus "Waiting for Control," a bonus track that won't appear on Pharmacy of Love.

Check out the video for "Deny All" below. Incidentally, there are TONS of vids and tunes at the band's official website.

Tracklisting:

1.    Deny All
2.    Semaphore
3.    Love Lee
4.    Mossie
5.    The Pharmacy
6.    Souls Travel
7.    Calling
8.    Change4Me
9.    What They Call Love

Play Select Cities And Release New Album Track In Support Of The Creatures In The Garden Of Lady Walton

By Blurt Staff

Clogs (Bryce Dessner of The National, guitar; Rachael Elliott, bassoon; Thomas Kozumplik, percussion; and Australian composer Padma Newsome, viola) are playing select cities in the coming weeks in support of their forthcoming album, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton (out March 2nd on Brassland).

Watch BLURT for an exclusive interview with the members of the band the week of the album's release.

Featuring extensive vocal work from Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, plus special guests including Sufjan Stevens, Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger of The National, and the Osso String Quartet, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, composed by Padma Newsome, is Clogs' first album of songs after four primarily instrumental releases. The Veil Waltz EP, a prologue to this new album, is now available digitally on Brassland.

Clogs compose and improvise using sounds and textures from across the musical spectrum - the immediacy of folk and rock music, twisted Americana, and the complexity of modern composition.  

Check out the MP3 from the album for  "Red Seas"

MP3 from the EP  for "Three-Two"

Over the past few years, Clogs have performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, at the Sydney Festivals, the Bang on a Can Marathon, Cincinnati, Ohio's MusicNow Festival, the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Warhol Museum. For this release, they will perform at the Southern Theater in partnership with the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, The Bell House in New York and the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Clogs Tour Dates:

Fri. Feb. 19 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Southern Theater

Sat. Feb. 20 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Southern Theater

Wed. Mar. 24 -- New York, NY @ Bell House w/ Ólöf Arnalds and Julianna Barwick

March 26 - 28 -- Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival

[Photo Credit: Seraphina]

Free MP3 of new song offered from the multitasking bard.

By Fred Mills

In honor of V-Day, BLURT fave Joseph Arthur has a new song titled "Love Never Asks You to Lie" that he's made available for free download as his website.

Just head over to his to the JosephArthur.com site and plug in your email in the newsletter signup box and you'll be directed to the download.

Arthur, incidentally, is currently on the latest leg of his solo tour - sans band, he's performing with loops and pedals and additionally devoting part of each show to painting one of his abstract portraits while onstage (and singing, no less). He then auctions off the paintings with proceeds going to Haitian relief.

Check out a video of him painting onstage below - tour dates at his site.

[Photo Credit: Danny Clinch]

A comprehensive new biography charts the blues, racism in America and more - and gets it right, due in part to the blues icon being viewed through British eyes.

By Rick Allen

By the third page of Michael Gray's Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell (published recently by Chicago Review Press), the titular bluesman circa the summer of 1956 is described as "a bit overweight" and looking "about sixty", "old" and "elderly." In the summer of 1956 according to the birth date as determined by the author's own research, Blind Willie McTell was 53 years old. Some sources give his birth year as 1898 which would have made him 58 at the time. Allowing for the burdens of life in the American South for any black man who lived during the first half of the 29^th century and even adding on the wearying pressures that come from being an itinerant, blind musician, the age related adjectives used by Gray, who was 62 when this book was published in his native United Kingdom, seem a little cliché; black + bluesman = old.

Despite that quibble, Gray, who has written extensively if not always to universal agreement about Bob Dylan, has written a very interesting book about the life and times of William Samuel McTell, known to history as Blind Willie McTell. With facts being scarce and obscure, even ones concerning relatively recent history, Gray had quite a task to make McTell's tale as comprehensive as possible and he's done quite a good job of it, creating a book that sparks further interest McTell's life and art and the lives and art of some of his precursor and contemporaries, helping to put back their stories in their proper place in the fabric of American music and history.

The book has its faults; Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Brownie McGee, Josh White, B.B. King and a host of other blues singers seem to counter Gray's belief that McTell's precise diction separates him from the "typical" blues singer. But, hey, half a century after McTell's death, there are people who marvel at the "articulateness" of America's first black president. Apparently Bryant Gumbel has been out of mainstream public view for too long.

On the plus side, Gray goes back, Michener-like to the formation of the world McTell came into and lived through, giving brief but  well- researched and detailed sketches of the Civil War and its aftermath and of slavery and the civil rights struggle, all of which do a great deal toward informing the reader what all the fuss is about concerning American race relations and why true blues - as opposed to the British blues-rock of Page, Clapton etc. - sounds most authentic played by Americans, black or white. Since racism degrades both its targets and its perpetrators, all Americans are in some ways victims of it; their blues is informed by that condition, knowingly or not. 

Any biography of an American black (or southern) musician has got to deal with the history of race relations in order to give a fleshed out portrait. Gray has done a remarkable job of holding up the mirror and, as a non-American is not hampered by some of the inevitable emotionally charged biases - good or bad - that would affect an American writer of any race.

By the time he gets to the particulars, such as they are, about his ostensible subject, Blind Willie McTell, Gray has done a superb job of setting the scene; he gets a lot of it right, not just socially and historically but musically too. He is spot on when he talks about how East Coast Blues is given short shrift by critics who laud the Blues of the delta, Texas and later , Chicago as more authentic, more "bluesy."

Gray reminds the reader of the long connection between pre-country "hillbilly" music and the blues and of the division between them too and he sketches in the recording history of both. He also deals briefly with how the blues (originally an a cappella vocal music, at first on record and gradually in the public perception, went from being a female dominated piano backed music to one dominated by guitar playing men.

By the time the book gets as detailed as it can about McTell the reader has been given invaluable knowledge of things hidden, denied, resented, mis-interpreted and just plain forgotten or written out of American chronicle. If Gray's story of Blind Willie McTell's life and times is more "times" than "life," it's no less readable and worth reading for it.