Riding high on across-the-board praise for just-released album, bookers lining up to get ‘em before their fees escalate.

By Blurt Staff

Twee-rockers Vampire Weekend may be getting all the attention and the hype over topping the Billboard charts (which ain't hard to do depending on how you time a new release), but Florida's Surfer Blood is getting the real press kudos. New album Astro Coast, which arrived in stores last week, has critics utterly smitten - including our own, who enthused thusly in the BLURT review:

This is gonna be 2010's Shins or Band of Horses, so mark these words. Yes, it may be a little early for such proclamations, but these boys make lofty postulations like this easy. It's safe to assume the members of the band were raised on a steady diet of Weezer, The Pixies, Built To Spill, as well as various influences in the outer regions of indie rock. But they've managed to absorb all of this and more and regurgitate something all their own.

Other, er, tastemakers like BLURT were similarly chuffed. A sampling:

"But even after so many listens, its snowblind-ish reverb is still disorienting-- especially contrasted with its crisp, power-chord hook. It may sound like they're hitting you with their best shot, but after an impassioned "oh oh oh!" from singer John Paul Pitts, Surfer Blood explodes into an even bigger chorus and "Swim" becomes almost overpoweringly fist-pumping." - Pitchfork [Best New Music]

"Crunchy riffs, sunny harmonies, inscrutable humor, occasional strings, and Afropop touches. Adolescent anthems like "Swim (to Reach the End)" and "Catholic Pagans" show latter-day Rivers Cuomo who's daddy." - Spin

"They dress up their guitar-mad escapades in a stadium-echo kick that Nineties indie kids were too grumpy to try. " - Rolling Stone

"They're young, and so is their music, but we all could use a little Vitamin D this time of year." - Vanity Fair

"The way Surfer Blood balances escapism and grit is a neat trick, and one that never really loses its sense of wonder."- The Onion

So anyhow, the band already had a tour set to kick off next week with a handful of UK dates, followed by a U.S. trek starting Feb. 16 that would steer towards SXSW in March. They've now expanded the tour so it's effectively doubled in duration and stretches well into April. Here are the dates:

02-03 London - Hoxton Bar and Kitchen

02-04 Kingston - Hippodrome 

02-05 London - KOKO

02-09 London - Scala 

02-16 Orlando, FL  - Backbooth  %

02-17 Deland, FL - DaVinci %

02-18 Tallahassee, FL - Engine Room %

02-19 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn %

02-20 Nashville , TN - The End  %

02-22  Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor - %

02-23 Morgantown, WV -123 Pleasant Street %

02-24  Washington DC - Dc 9 %

02-26 Hanover, NH - Dartmouth College  !

02-27 Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel *

02-28 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *

03-01 Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary *

03-02 Allston, MA  - Great Scott *

03-03 Providence, RI  - AS220 *

03-05 Montreal - Il Motore *

03-06 Toronto - Sneaky Dees *

03-07 Geneseo, NY - Suny Geneseo College *

03-08 Meadville, PA - Allegheny *

03-09 Detroit MI - Magic Stick  *

03-11 Bloomington, IN - the Bishop  *

03-12 Columbia, MO - Mojos *

03-13 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge  *

03-14 Oklahoma City - The Conservatory *

03-17 Austin, TX - SXSW

03-18 Austin, TX - SXSW

03-19 Austin, TX - SXSW

03-20 Austin, TX - Mohawk  [ Panache Booking SXSW Showcase ] *!

03-24 Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space *
03-25 Claremont, CA - Pitzer College @

03-26 San Diego, CA - Bar Pink Elephant @

03-27 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex @

03-28 Las Vegas, NV - The Beauty Bar *

03-29 Isla Vista, CA - Biko Garage *

03-30 Visalia, CA - Howie and Sons *

04-01 Santa Cruz, CA - Metamusic *

04-02 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill * $

04-02 Portland, OR - Doug Fir *

04-04 Seattle, WA - Vera Project *

04-05 Vancouver, BC - Bitmore Cabaret *

04-06 Missoula, MT - The Palace *

04-08 Minneapolis, MN - 7^th Street Entry *

04-09 Madison, WI - Der Rathskeller *

04-11 Columbus, OH - The Summit *

04-12 Ithaca, NY - The Shop (Ithaca College) *

04-13 Buffalo, NY - Big Orbit Soundlab *

04-15 Princeton, NJ - Terrace Club @ Princeton *

* w/ Turbo Fruits

^ w/ Holiday Shores

& w/ Monotonix

# w/ Drums

! w/ Small Black

% w/ Turbo Fruits & Holiday Shores

@ w/ Best Coast

$ w/ Ganglians

Deluxe editions of Tiger Bay and Finisterre announced, plus new Twitter presence, a fun remix, and a rarities auction to benefit Haiti.

By Fred Mills

And the Saint Etienne world takeover via achival releases continues apace. A year or so ago the band started issuing remastered/expanded 2CD deluxe editions of titles from its back catalog, a project that extended throughout 2009. There was the Foxbase Beta album, comprising a complete remix/overhaul of their classic debut album from the early ‘90s Foxbase Alpha; deluxe editions of both Alpha and 1997's Continental; even a fanclub-only freebie of vintage live material, the Trumpton Comes Alive EP.

Now comes word they're putting the finishes on deluxe editions for 1994's Tiger Bay and 2002's Finisterre, and plans at the moment are to release them at the end of March. According to the band,  "We've spent most of January digging through tape boxes and orange crates from the Tiger Bay and Finisterre eras which will be coming out soon. It's unbelievable how much we started and discarded.

"[There is] a 'sequel' of sorts to ‘Mario's Café' called ‘Drinking At The Black Horse.' It switches the locale and the time of day, and features some 'tight axework' from Mr Ian Catt. It was (half) recorded before we decided on the direction for Tiger Bay. Some of the most intreeging outtakes yet. Plus the usual glut of b-sides, and - for digital completists - the first CD appearance for ‘Highgate Road Incident,' ‘You Know I'll Miss You When You're Gone,' ‘Sushi Rider' and ‘Gimp Crisis.' My favourite demo so far is ‘The Wedding Of Stacy Dorning,' a tribute to the legendary Black Beauty actress. What were we thinking?"

In other Etienne news, they how have established a Twitter feed here and promise "music, competitions and up-to-the-minute(ish) news."

The band also remixed Pains Of Being Pure At Heart not long ago and the track can be heard at their MySpace page.

Lastly, they want folks to know the following:

"We're helping raise some cash for Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Appeal by auctioning off a selection of rarities and memorabilia - click this link to see what's on offer and get bidding, all in a very good cause."

Here's some of the swag you can get (current bid, with 3 so far and 5 days left, is £421.00):

Sarah Cracknell's Feather Boa
1 x signed copy of the the bands legendary 'I Love To Paint" fanclub CD from 1994 - long deleted and highly sort after
1 x rare limited edition Saint Etienne 6" Subbeteo player and Foxbase Alpha deluxe set - rare and deleted
1 x copy of Boxette - fanclub only 4 disc set - rare and deleted
1 x copy of Foxbase Beta numbered double disc CD - rare and deleted
2 x fanclub EP's - rare and deleted
1 x signed triple disc Best of CD and DVD.
Plus assorted badges, posters and signed pictures.

Indeed, get clicking, and get bidding, fans.

Legendary drummer is vying for the title of "Hardest Working Man in Showbiz"...

By Blurt Staff

Tony Allen-best known for his work as drummer and musical director for Afrobeat kingpin Fela Kuti-makes his World Circuit/Nonesuch debut with Secret Agent, on April 13. Following its European release earlier this year, Secret Agent has received generous critical praise. The Guardian proclaimed, "There is no question that Tony Allen is a genius, one of the greatest percussionists in the history of popular music," while Observer Music Monthly said, "If you're wondering why Afrobeat is hip, start here."

Allen's been pretty busy of late, having teamed with Jimi Tenor for the album Inspiration Information soon. Go here for details, along with a promo video clip on the project, and here for the BLURT review we recently published.

Together with Fela Kuti, with whom he played for 15 years, Allen co-created Afrobeat-the hard-driving, horns-rich, funk-infused, politically insurrectionary style that became such a dominant force in African music and is now one of Africa's most popular styles among international listeners.

Allen produced Secret Agent, which was recorded with his touring band of musicians from Nigeria, Cameroon, Martinique and France. The music is four-square in the Afrobeat tradition-rhythmic tenor guitar, funky keyboards, call and response vocals, and full-throated horns-with a few twists (including keyboard player and arranger Fixi's accordion on some tracks). Allen's playing meanwhile draws on four different styles-highlife, soul/funk, jazz and traditional Nigerian drumming. At Afrobeat's heart is the beat, even more prominent now than it was in Fela Kuti's legendary Afrika ‘70 band.

Secret Agent is Allen's first solo release since he became a founding member of The Good, The Bad and The Queen (alongside Damon Albarn, Paul Simenon and Simon Tong). This association has helped encourage a recent upsurge of interest in Afrobeat. Over the years Allen has appeared on dozens of albums and his continued relevance in 2009-fans of hip-hop, funk and jazz clamor for his recordings-speaks to the staying power of the Afrobeat music that he helped create in the 1960s.

Oz mainstay from the Scientists/Beasts of Bourbon revs up his other classic outfit for March album; Scientists will be doing ATP as well.

By Fred Mills

A little over a year ago we sat down with Australian guitar god Kim Salmon, of the legendary Scientists (an influence on Mudhoney, Sonic Youth and scores more) and Beasts of Bourbon. For that "Blurting With..." interview he talked primarily about his then-current project, the Darling Downs, a collaboration with Died Pretty vocalist Ron Peno. However he also brought us up to date on the Scientists, who'd gotten back together briefly in 2007 for a European reunion tour. And he added that the band he formed following the Scientists' initial split, the Surrealists, had a new lease on life as well, following some dates they'd done in 2006. Offered Salmon:

"It has been great revisiting what the Scientists did, and it has rekindled something that I can pursue with the Surrealists, who never actually broke up and are, I believe, able to grow and evolve. For me, Blood Red River [Scientists, 1983], The Human Jukebox [Scientists, 1987] and Hit Me with the Surreal Feel [Surrealists, 1988] follow a natural path that I got diverted from throughout the nineties. Anyway, it put me back in touch with what I was trying to do back then, and a lot of ideas that have been mulling over in my head for a decade and a half have just fallen into place since doing the Scientists tours. I'd never get any of it past some of the Scientists members and they're just not the right people for it now - and I'm not knocking them either, just saying it like it is.

 "The Surrealists, on the other hand, have just picked up all the ideas and run with them. It's amazing. We're definitely going to do another album and it's going to follow on seamlessly from Hit Me With The Surreal Feel, which was so far ahead in time compared with anything I've done subsequently that it won't be a step back in time." 

The Surrealists essentially had picked up the ball from the Scientists, although the Surrealists were a bit jazzier and more freeform than their decidedly skronky, swampy predecessor, and in a very real sense, the Surrealists were able to make greater commercial inroads too, touring Europe and America with bands like the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Cramps. Key release: 1993's Sin Factory, which did quite respectably at college radio.

So today news arrive that, indeed, the Surrealists are back on the boards: due March 6 in Australia (early May in the US) is Grand Unifying Theory, on the Low Transit Industries label. According to the Salmon camp:

With the 2006 reunion of the Surrealists, for the Spanish Azkena Festival, Kim was re-acquainted with the free jazz/noise/ fusion bug and resolved to get the band back together for at least long enough to work through what it started back in the late 1980s. Recorded throughout 2008 and 2009 over a series of live sessions, ‘Grand Unifying Theory' has the band given some framework compositions by Kim. The band - Kim, Stu Thomas and Phil Collings - then takes these ideas to the outer limits of punk/jazz/ thrash freakout!. The results are taken by Kim and producer Mike Stranges and assembled into the most far out music Kim Salmon has been responsible for to date! ‘Grand Unifying Theory' with its polyrhythmic beats, its atonal keys, its heavy funk/punk grooves, its spaced out use of equipment buzz and Dictaphone is coming on Low Transit Industries.

The album also will features appearances by Dave Graney and Clare Moore (from the late, great Oz band The Moodists), both of whom had pitched in on Darling Downs records.

 Incidentally, sharp-eyed readers will recall that Salmon and the Scientists will be performing at All Tomorrow's Parties New York series with The Stooges & Mudhoney later this year - and now, apparently, a special U.S. Surrealists show is also in the works, so stay tuned for details on that.

Track listing:

Turn Turn

Order Of Things

RQ1  

Grand Unifying Theory I

Grand Unifying Theory II

Pathological

Predate  

Childhood Living

Kneel Down At The Altar Of Pop

First studio album in 7 years due in April; tour, including dates with Eric Clapton, begins in March.

By Blurt Staff

Jeff Beck, has announced plans for a worldwide tour beginning in Seoul, South Korea on March 20^th before heading onwards to Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and the United States.  The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will be showcasing songs from his latest studio album, Emotion & Commotion, his first in seven years.  The first leg of the U.S. tour will begin on April 16^th in San Francisco and wrap up at the world famous New Orleans Jazz Festival on May 1^st, with more dates for the second U.S. leg to be announced soon.

Just prior to the start of his world tour, Beck will unite with fellow Hall of Fame guitarist, Eric Clapton, in February for a series of exclusive shows in London, New York City, Toronto, and Montreal. The guitarists - both former members of the Yardbirds - will each play separately before taking the stage to perform together.

Accompanying Beck at these special engagements, as well as the World Tour, will be a brand new touring band, including the Grammy award winning producer and songwriter, Narada Michael Walden on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass and Jason Rebello on keyboards.  Walden has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Tom Jones.  (He was also featured on and composed four tracks for Beck's classic 1976 album Wired.)  Smith has played bass for Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Prince, while Rebello has performed previously with Beck, as well as Sting and Chaka Khan.

"I'm thrilled to be working with Narada Michael Walden, he's an inspiration to me," Beck said, in a statement. "I've been lucky enough to have been working with Jason since 2006 and Rhonda came highly recommended by Narada; I was blown away when I heard her play."

Jeff Beck Tour Dates (with Eric Clapton)

February

13        London                  O2 Arena

14        London                  O2 Arena

18        New York City      Madison Square Garden

19        New York City      Madison Square Garden

21        Toronto                 Air Canada Center

22        Montreal                Bell Centre

Jeff Beck's Emotion & Commotion Tour (First Leg of U.S. Tour):

April

16        San Francisco         Nob Hill Masonic Centre

17        Los Angeles            Nokia Theatre LA Live

18        Temecula                Pechanga Resort & Casino

19        San Diego               4^th & B

24        Houston                  Verizon Wireless Theatre

25        Dallas                     Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie

27        Tulsa                       Brady Theatre

28        Kansas City             Starlight Theatre

29        St. Louis                  Fox Theatre

30        Memphis                 Beale Street Music Festival

May

1          New Orleans            Jazz Festival (Gentilly Stage)

Song nabbed from forthcoming album due in April.

By Blurt Staff

London's Tunng is set to drop their fourth album in April via Thrill Jockey. Titled ...And Then We Saw Land it's described by bandmember Mike Lindsay as "full of adventurous spirit. We wanted to make a record that would be a great live set. My friend described it as ‘Epic Folk Disco Brass Magnificent,' and I'm not sure you could call any other Tunng record that."

Free MP3: "Don't Look Down Or Back"

The  band have been on adventures both personal (Mike went to India, Ashley moved to Somerset) and shared - such as their ten-day voyage of discovery with Malian desert bluesmen Tinariwen, a unique collaboration that aimed to fuse the sounds of the two bands together.  An experience that helped shape Tunng's approach to the new album, "We learned that you don't always need structure!" added Mike. "As long as there is presence, emotion and groove. It taught us that everything is open and adaptable..."

Three songs contain what the band describe as The Mega Chorus - a 15-strong group of collaborators and drinking buddies who lent their voices to the album one rainy night in an abandoned school hall in Old Street.  The same blend of rustic acoustic based folk, kitchen sink experimentalism, delicate electronics, and pop melodies that don't let go still pervade and remain the core of Tunng's musical approach.

Key reissues from Cluster plus members Roedelius and Moebius guaranteed to tickle your inner krautrocker.

By Ron Hart

Much ado is made about the ‘70s output of German electronic music pioneers Cluster. And as it should, given the wealth of adventure and innovation Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius presented to avant-garde music fans over the course of that entire decade, both on their own and in collaboration with the likes of Brian Eno and Can's Holger Cuzkay as well as Michael Rother from Neu! as part of the Krautrock supergroup Harmonia.

However, as the excellent Bureau B label continues to deliver the goods with their reissue series of the Cluster family's Sky Records catalog, it should be well noted that the dynamic duo's ‘80s output is well worth one's attention, too. We've got a look at four of those key reissues today in our CD review section, so check it out and dig deep.

Cluster pictured above in a recent picture; below, in the ‘70s.

Nick Jonas & the Administration tie with Lil Wayne, with Vampire Weekend a relatively close second place.

By Fred Mills

The BLURT readers have spoken: for our most recent poll we asked you to select, from a list of a dozen first-quarter '09 new releases currently being hotly hyped by record labels and trendy/tastemaker bloggers alike, which titles were the least anticipated.

As you can see from the stats tally below, Nick Jonas & the Administration's Who I Am and Lil Wayne's Rebirth, both of which arrive in stores next week, Feb. 2, were the clear frontrunners, and it's interesting that they were tied for first place with 26% of the total vote apiece. (Given Lil Wayne's token status as a Pitchforkian hipster, maybe this represents a reactionary vote aimed at Pitchfork - the Jonas nod was kind of a no-brainer, after all, and we have to admit that record's inclusion in the poll was kind of a setup. Hey, go take your OWN poll if ya don't like it!)

Band du jour Vampire Weekend is currently ripping up the Billboard charts with 100k-plus first week sales and counting (must have been a slow first week - apparently every person on the planet has already bought Susan Boyne and Taylor Swift, and the only thing that's left to do, marketing wise, is airlift copies of those two monster sellers to Haitian refugees). So it's not surprising a backlash has already started, and we're chuffed to report that V.W.'s Contra officially comes in at second (or third) place. Natalie Merchant's Leave Your Sleep, due March 2, comes in next. Sorry Vampire Weekend and Ms. Merchant, it's not us, it's you.

Everything else is pretty well evenly spread out, although since Liars' Sisterworld, due March 9, received zero votes, that makes the band technically the winners here. We're eager to hear that one too, to be perfectly honest, so congrats to Liars, who have won an all-expenses paid trip to Orlando to see Nick Jonas & the Administration open their world tour - don't forget to cover up first, boys.

Poll Results (54 votes total)

15% w/8 votes Vampire Weekend - Contra (1-12)

4% w/2 votes OK Go - Of The Blue Colour of the Sky (1-12)

2% w/1 vote Editors - In This Light and On This Evening (1-19)

6% w/3 votes Spoon - Transference (1-19)

26% w/14 votes Nick Jonas & the Administration - Who I Am (2-2)

26% w/14 votes Lil Wayne - Rebirth (2-2)

2% w/1 vote Hot Chip - One Life Stand (2-9)

2% w/1 vote TobyMac - Tonight (2-9)

4% w/2 vote The Game - The R.E.D. Album (2-16)

9% w/5 votes Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep (3-2)

6% w/3 votes Butch Walker - I Liked it Better When You Had No Heart (2-23)

0% w/0 votes Liars - Sisterworld (3-9)

Marketers' heads abuzz with possibilities. Meanwhile, Holly Golightly, Gemma Ray, Spinnerette and State Radio get to share column space with Tom Waits, She & Him, Black Keys and Aimee Mann, so it's all good!

By Blurt Staff

The New Jersey-based Independent Music Awards announced last night the winners of the 9^th annual IMAs.  Among the top winners: All That Remains, Spinnerette, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs (pictured above; see our recent live review of Holly here), The So So Glos, Alaska In Winter, Beat Circus, Gemma Ray, Illa J and State Radio.

There are tons of winners who you've most likely never heard of too, but hey, that's why they're called "independent," so obscure or not, congrats to everyone. You've got a brand spanking new marketing opp staring you in the face now.

More than 50 categories for albums, songs, music videos and design comprised this year's competition, and winners were determined by the votes of a panel of "80 influential artists and industry pros." Those artists and pros included Tom Waits, The Black Keys, Ricky Skaggs, Pete Wentz, Mark Hoppus, Aimee Mann, The Apples in Stereo, David Garrett, Suzanne Vega, Bettye LaVette, Judy Collins, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.

"The IMAs celebrate artists who follow their own muse and the true music fans who support them," IMA Executive Director Martin Folkman, in a statement. "The artists who've been honored by The IMAs create some of the best music you may never have heard, and we're delighted to promote them at the world's largest music retailer," he added, noting that iTunes has set up a section for releases from the winters at the iTunes store "Indie Spotlight" page.

Additionally, regular every day music fans can vote on their fave nominees for the IMA People's Voice competition. Deadline is June 25 and you can register at IMA and vote here.

Complete List of Winners:

ALT. COUNTRY - ALBUM

Artist: Beat Circus
Album: Boy From Black Mountain
Label: Cuneiform

AMERICANA - ALBUM
Artist: Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Album: Dirt Don't Hurt
Label: Transdreamer

BLUES - ALBUM
Artist: Joe & Vicki Price
Album: Rain or Shine

CHILDREN'S - ALBUM
Artist: Charlie Hope
Album: I'm Me! A Collection Of Songs For Children
Label: Little Maple Leaf Productions

COLLEGE LABEL RELEASE - ALBUM
Album: AEMMP Records Chompilation
Label: AEMMP Records, Columbia College Chicago

CONCEPT - ALBUM
Artist: Phil Roy
Album: In The Weird Small Hours
Label: Ear Pictures

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN - ALBUM
Artist: John Mandeville
Album: We Belong To Heaven
Label: I.P.O. Records

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL - ALBUM
Artist: Heritage Orchestra feat. DJ Yoda
Album: G. Prokofiev Concerto for Turntables
Label: Nonclassical Recordings

COUNTRY - ALBUM
Artist: Dale Watson
Album: The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 2
Label: Hyena Records

DANCE/ELECTRONICA - ALBUM
Artist: Alaska in Winter
Album: Holiday
Label: Milan Records

ECLECTIC - ALBUM
Artist: Gemma Ray
Album: Lights Out Zoltar!
Label: Bronzerat Records

FOLK/SINGER-SONGWRITER - ALBUM
Artist: Michael Zapruder
Album: Dragon Chinese C0cktail Horoscope
Label: Side Cho

GOSPEL - ALBUM
Artist: Russell Leonce
Album: Culture of Love

HARD ROCK/METAL - ALBUM
Artist: All That Remains
Album: Overcome
Label: Razor & Tie Entertainment

INDIE LABEL PROMO COMPILATION - ALBUM
Album: Cedille On The Move
Label: Cedille Records

JAZZ - ALBUM
Artist: Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets
Album: Echoes Of Ethnicity
Label: Owl Studios

LATIN - ALBUM
Artist: Maestros del Joropo Oriental
Album: ¡Y Que Viva Venezuela!
Label: Smithsonian Folkways

LIVE PERFORMANCE - ALBUM
Artist: Danielia Cotton
Album: Live Child
Label: Cottontown Records

NEW AGE - ALBUM
Artist: Rocky Fretz
Album: The Path Ahead...And Steps Then Taken

POP/ROCK - ALBUM
Artist: Spinnerette
Album: Spinnerette
Label: Anthem

PUNK - ALBUM
Artist: The So So Glos
Album: Tourism / Terrorism
Label: Green Owl

R&B - ALBUM
Artist: Michael Olatuja
Album: Speak
Label: Backdrop/ObliqSound

RAP/HIP-HOP - ALBUM
Artist: Illa J
Album: Yancey Boys
Label: Delicious Vinyl

WORLD BEAT - ALBUM
Artist: Oran Etkin
Album: Kelenia
Label: Motema Music

WORLD TRADITIONAL - ALBUM
Album: Blodeugerdd Song Of The Flowers: An Anthology Of Welsh Music And Song
Label: Smithsonian Folkways

[IMA SONG CATEGORY WINNERS]

ACOUSTIC - SONG
Artist: Joanna Chapman-Smith
Song: "Melodies"

ALT. COUNTRY - SONG
Artist: My Cousin, The Emperor
Song: "A Long Way From Home"

AMERICANA - SONG
Artist: Tim Easton
Song: "Burgundy Red"
Label: New West Records

BLUES - SONG
Artist: Used Blues Band
Song: "Palm Reader Blues"

CHILDREN'S - SONG
Artist: Charlie Hope
Song: "I'm Me!"
Label: Little Maple Leaf Productions

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN - SONG
Artist:Christopher Williams
Song: "Anything But Fail"
Label: BiG ReD VaN Music

COUNTRY - SONG
Artist: Codie Prevost
Song: "Spin"
Label: Goos Spirit Records

COVER - SONG
Artist: Daisy Chapman
Song: "Umbrella" Orig. by Rihanna
Label: Dandyland

DANCE/ELECTRONICA - SONG
Artist: Codebreaker
Song: "Follow Me"
Label: Disco Demolition Records

FILM/TV/GAMING & MULTIMEDIA - SONG
Artist: The Submarines
Song: "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie" from the Apple iPhone 3GS ad
Label: Nettwerk

FOLK/SINGER-SONGWRITER - SONG
Artist: Wolf In the Fold
Song: "Death"

GOSPEL - SONG
Artist: Noreen Crayton
Song: "Walking in the Faith"
Label: Angelic Star Records

HARD ROCK/METAL - SONG
Artist: Moving Atlas
Song: "Becoming Blue"

JAZZ - SONG
Artist: Austin McMahon
Song: "Platone"
Label: Fractamodi

LATIN - SONG
Artist: Jimmy Fontanez
Song: "Mi Salsa Vocal"

LOVE - SONG
Artist: Emma-Lee
Song: "Until We Meet Again"
Label: Bumstead Productions

NEW AGE - SONG
Artist: Tom Yoder
Song: "Locked In"

POP/ROCK - SONG
Artist: fun.
Song: "All The Pretty Girls"
Label: Nettwerk

PUNK - SONG
Artist: The So So Glos
Song: "My Block"
Label: Green Owl

R&B - SONG
Artist: Shoshana Bean
Song: "Superhero"
Label: Shotime Records

RAP/HIP-HOP - SONG
Artist: Miles Jones
Song: "Coast to Coast"

SING OUT FOR SOCIAL ACTION - SONG
Artist: State Radio
Song: "Calling All Crows"
Label: Nettwerk

STORY - SONG
Artist: Lisa Carver
Song: "Bullets"
Label: Adroit Records

WORLD BEAT - SONG
Artist: The Very Best
Song: "Warm Heart of Africa" feat. Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig
Label: Green Owl

WORLD TRADITIONAL - SONG
Artist: Roman Miroshnichenko
Song: "Unforgiven"
Label: Raritet

[IMA MUSIC VIDEO CATEGORY WINNERS]

SHORT FORM
Artist: Anj
Video: "Gorbachev"

LONG FORM

Artist: The Jimmies
Video: Trying Funny Stuff DVD

[IMA DESIGN CATEGORY WINNERS]

ALBUM PACKAGING
Designer: Tri-Plex Packaging Corp. of New York
Package: Pete Seeger - American Favorite Ballads: Vol. 1-5

ALBUM PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographer: Michael Aghajanian
Photo: Sholi

ARTIST/BAND PUBLICITY PHOTO
Photographer: Jason Grover
Photo: Blake Berglund

CONCERT/PERFORMANCE PHOTO
Photographer: Killshot Photography * Brooks Institute
Photo: GWAR

BAND/VENUE POSTER
Designer: Matt Kelley - One Lucky Guitar
Poster: Lead Belly

BAND WEBSITE
New Rhodes

INDIE LABEL WEB SITE
Razor & Tie

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Album due April 13 on Hawk Race Records; March tour opening for Coheed and Cambria is locked in.

By Blurt Staff

Tracklisting:

1. The Eyes Of Cassandra (Part 1)
2. The Eyes Of Cassandra (Part 2)
3. Oye Vaya
4. Ghost And The Witness
5. Shotgun
6. Holy Immortality
7. Sea Of Japan
8. Black Sea Vacation
9. Bill Evans
10. Out Of Air
11. Misty Morning




Tour Dates:

Jan 30 - Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn, NY
Mar 23 - Harro East Theatre & Ballroom w/ Coheed and Cambrial - Rochester, NY
Mar 24 - The Westcott Theater w/ Coheed and Cambria - Syracuse, NY
Mar 25 - Northern Lights w/ Cohee d and Cambria - Clifton Park, NY
Mar 26 - Higher Ground w/ Coheed and Cambria - South Burlington, VT
Mar 28 - Port City Music Hall w/ Coheed and Cambria - Portland, ME
Mar 29 Webster Theater w/ Cohee d and Cambria - Hartford, CT
Mar 30 Hardware Bar w/ Coheed a nd Cambria - Scranton, PA
Mar 31 - Music Hall of Williamsbu rg w/ Coheed and Cambria - Brooklyn, New York
Jun 4 - Wakarusa Festival - Ozark, Arkansas
Jun 5 - Wakarusa Festival - Ozark, Arkansas