Hype the hope and fight the fear, yo.

By Blurt Staff

Andrew Bird, Les Savy Fav, Eugene Mirman, Guster, the Fiery Furnaces, Heather Lawless, Alina Simone, BLURT blogger Martin Bisi, John Roberts, Adira Amran, Kumail Nanjiani, Lizz Winstead and unspecified "Special Secret Musical Guests" (rumored to be Franz Ferdinand) will all converge on Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg next week, on Oct. 7, to play a special Obama fundraiser. One additional special guest of note: Josh Hamilton, billed as "reading George Saunders on Palin." (That should be fun!)

Tickets to "Barack Rock" will be $40, and the show will also have television screens set up so attendees can watch that night's debate between Obama and McCain in Nashville.

For details go to the Barack Rock MySpace page, which proudly posts the below blurb:

An Obama benefit! Music, Comedy, Action! At The Music Hall of Williamsburg! Tuesday, Oct 7th! Help us Hype the Hope! With ALINA SIMONE, LIZZ WINSTEAD, GUSTER, EUGENE MIRMAN, LES SAVY FAV (Acoustic Spectacular!), MARTIN BISI, JOHN ROBERTS, THE FIERY FURNACES, ADIRA AMRAM, KUMAIL NANJIANI, HEATHER LAWLESS, ANDREW BIRD, AND SECRET MUSICAL GUESTS! Also featuring the fabulous Obama Room, your full-service debate-watching, voter-registering, sign-up-for-volunteering lounge! Hype the hope and fight the fear. Contribute to the campaign! And vigorously volunteer!

This Land Is Your Land concert draws a huge, diverse crowd.

By Blurt Staff

On Saturday, September 20 Sheryl Crow, Cat Power, The Black Keys, Henry Rollins, Mike Ness, Son Volt, and Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion celebrated the iconic legacies of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie at the tribute concert dubbed  "This Land Is Your Land" at the Concord Pavilion in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Representing their respective families, Sarah Lee Guthrie (granddaughter of Woody Guthrie, natch) and her husband Johnny Irion (grandnephew of John Steinbeck, in case you hadn't heard that tidbit before) performed a featured set and mc'ed the event, which concluded with a jam session including Sheryl Crow and members of each of the bands singing Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land."

Pictured: Sarah Lee Guthrie, Sheryl Crow and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys performing "This Land Is Your Land"; photo by Edward R. Ruiz/Live Nation.

That's right: signs, not songs.

By Brian Creech

There was a time in American history when all you needed was a white sign, black paint and some incendiary words to get people into the streets to tell their leaders "We're Not Gonna Take It!" Or as Wayne Coyne would say, "Just be a Nice Person." Or as Chuck D. would say, "Fight the Power."

Embracing what is feeling like a ground swell of change as Election Day approaches, Under the Radar magazine got together some of the more political and photogenic faces of rock and roll to make their own protest signs and bring some attitude back to music. Sons and Daughters capture the ethos of the project with their sign "Stop Neuterin' Rock N' Roll."

Michael Stipe, Chris Walla, Colin Meloy, Isaac Brock, Stars, Jarvis Cocker, Akron/Family, Peter Moren, Supergrass, Sharon Jones, Spoon, the Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Stars, Noah and the Whale,  Michael Franti, Neon Neon, Les Savy Fav,  Okkervil River, Metric, British Sea Power, Shout Out Louds, Built to Spill and St. Vincent and join Coyne and Chuck D in taking black paint to white posterboard.

The slogans range from the political to the personal, from Fleet Foxes' direct "Capitalism is Unethical (And We're Hypocrites)" to My Morning Jacket's non sequitur "Puppiez y Kittens."

Mostly though, you can tell where each artist stands, as the sign generally eschew raucous platitudes to reflect messages we're pretty sure each band would be sure to endorse. (Michael Stipe's "Gutless Puff Adder Journalists" with "things I hate" written on the back seems particularly characteristic.) 

Turning other people's words into action, Under The Radar is taking all the signs from their "Protest Issue" and here and putting them up for auction on eBay. Proceeds from the sale will support War Child, a humanitarian organization that helps children affected by war throughout the world. The auctions started on September 30th, with most bids starting at $25 or $50, but as of this writing, several signs had already exceeded $100. So if you want to have a memento of a time when speech was free to show your grandchildren in the future neo-fascist technocratic state, act fast.

Esteemed jam band no longer sitting on pantry shelf.

By Matt Recchia

It’s been four long, painfully anticipated years in the making. Phinally, the wait is over: Phish announced Tuesday that they will return to play three dates at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA March 6-8.

The announcement comes a month after the group played at a friend’s wedding, the first time the quartet had performed together since their final show at Coventry. The likelihood of a reunion was always in doubt, but became a serious possibility after keyboard player Page McConnell released a letter on Phish.com about a possible 2009 recommencement.

A limited number of tickets can be requested now through Phish Tickets, Phish’s online ticketing system. (This will end on Wednesday, October 8 at midnight.) Tickets will later be released online through TicketBastard, or by phone on October 18 at 10:00 a.m. No tickets will be sold through the venue, and there is a two-ticket limit per show to deter scalpers.

The band will announce tour dates early next year.

On tour this fall.

By Blurt Staff

Minus The Bear will release Acoustics, an exclusive seven-track EP, this Fall via Tigre Blanco Records. It will be available in two formats and feature newly recorded live acoustic versions of fan favorites and one new track titled "Guns & Ammo." Beginning October 7, Acoustics will be sold digitally via iTunes, Amazon and Emusic. Physical copies of the EP will be sold exclusively at shows MTB's headlining tour, starting in Spokane, WA on October 8.

Track listing:

1. Guns & Ammo (new track)

2. We Are Not a Football Team (from Highly Refined Pirates)

3. Burying Luck (from Planet of Ice)

4. Knights (from Planet of Ice)

5. Pachuca Sunrise (from Menos El Oso)

6. Throwin' Shapes (from Planet of Ice)

7. Ice Monster (from Planet of Ice)

Tour dates:

October 8th             Service Station                       Spokane, WA

October 9th             The Other Side                       Missoula, MT

October 10th           American Legion Hall             Casper, WY

October 11th           Gothic Theatre                        Englewood, CO

October 12th           Slowdown                               Omaha, NE

October 13th           The Picador                            Iowa City, IA

October 15th           Varsity Theatre                       Minneapolis, MN

October 16th           Turner Hall Ballroom              Milwaukee, WI

October 17th           Vic Theatre                             Chicago, IL

October 18th           Newport Music Hall                Columbus, OH

October 19th           The Majestic                           Detroit, MI

October 20th           Grog Shop                              Cleveland, OH

October 21st           Wilbur Theatre                        Boston, MA

October 22nd          9:30 Club                                Washington, DC

October 23rd           TLA                                         Philadelphia, PA

October 24th           Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel         Providence, RI

October 25th           Webster Hall                           New York, NY

October 26th           Starland Ballroom                   Sayreville, NJ

October 28th           The National                           Richmond, VA

October 29th           Lincoln Theatre                       Raleigh, NC

October 30th           Orange Peel                            Asheville, NC

October 31st           Bijou Theatre                           Knoxville, TN

November 1st         Variety Playhouse                    Atlanta, GA

November 2nd        Rion Ballroom                          Gainesville, FL

November 3rd         Revolution                               Fort Lauderdale, FL

November 4th         House of Blues                        Lake Buena Vista, FL

November 5th         Freebird Live                           Jacksonville, FL

November 7th         House of Blues                        New Orleans, LA

November 8th         House of Blues                        Houston, TX

November 9th         Waterloo Park                          Austin, TX **

November 10th       House of Blues                        Dallas, TX

November 12th       Warehouse 21                         Santa Fe, NM

November 13th       The Marquee                           Tempe, AZ

November 14th       SOMA San Diego                    San Diego, CA

November 15th       Glass House                            Pomona, CA

November 16th       Music Box @ Fonda                Los Angeles, CA

November 18th       Empire Events Center             Sacramento, CA

November 19th       Bimbo's 365 Club                    San Francisco, CA

November 20th       Standford University                Palo Alto, CA

November 21st       Lewis & Clark College             Portland, OR

November 22nd      Showbox at the Market           Seattle, WA

Plus Joe Henry chats a bit about Jim.

By Blurt Staff

Luaka Bop's neo-southern and country-gothic Jim White will release a live EP titled A Funny Little Cross to Bear.

Called a "six-song gem" of "roadside rarities," the disc was recorded by Jim at indie record stores, radio programs and concert halls across the world. Among the songs are "Jim 3:16," where he postulates that "a bar is just a church where they serve beer" and a live unreleased version of  "Stranger Candy," a beautiful song left off last year's Transnormal Skiperoo (Luaka Bop).

Elsewhere, Joe Henry has been thinking and talking about Jim White. Henry produced White's Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See. Here's what he had to say:

"I wanted nothing to do with Jim White when, years ago, I first had his demo pressed upon me. I mean, another singer/songwriter-a poet of a particular dark and Southern sensibility (and one that my own wife alleged to be "brilliant and strange" even as she held the aforementioned cassette at arm's length, as if a bit afraid of residue)...

"I sat quiet and I listened. And then I rewound the tape and played it again... And thus began my association and working relationship with Jim White: singer, songwriter, author, actor; Florida native; Georgia taxpayer; former New York City cabdriver and runway fashion model; would-be seminarian; the father of two and, generally speaking, a holistic artist intent on moving forward while seeming to walk backward...a veritable disco moonwalker dressed like Tom Joad. With sideburns."

And here is Joe Henry on the new EP:

"And now here he is, offering a new "live mini album," as if he thinks he'll trick us all into thinking the small gesture doesn't itself draw a plenty-wide arc, doesn't have grand ambitions of its own....

"He must think we're crazy. Or stupid. In any case, I for one refuse to be fooled. I hear within this 7-song collection much ghostly conjuring and revisionist theorizing upon life, liberty and the pursuit of truckstop angels with crooked teeth, checkered pasts, and Jesus programmed on the speed-dial of their cell phones."

A Funny Little Cross to Bear will hit stores on October 14th.

Band will hit the road with Dead Confederate to support Devastator.

By Blurt Staff

Catfish Haven today announced—and began—a U.S. tour supporting their second LP, Devastator (Secretly Canadian). On the first leg, which runs through Oct. 11, the trio will join Athens-based Dead Confederate for six shows, including a My Morning Jacket after-party at Mo’s Pub in Milwaukee, WI. On the 11^th, Catfish Haven will headline a hometown CD release show at the Metro sponsored by WXRT. More dates will be announced shortly.

Devastator will be released Oct. 7.

Tour Dates:

10/01/08 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room   w/ Dead Confederate
10/02/08 Madison, WI - Annex   w/ Dead Confederate
10/03/08 Milwaukee, WI - Mo's Pub - My Morning Jacket After Party
w/ Dead Confederate
10/05/08 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
10/06/08 Cambridge, MA - T. T. Bears   w/ Dead Confederate
10/08/08 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber   w/ Dead Confederate
10/09/08 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge   w/ Dead Confederate
10/10/08 Columbus, OH - Carabar
10/11/08 Chicago, IL - Metro- CD Release Show

MP3: "Devastator"


MP3: "Set In Stone"

Goldrush, Miranda Lee Richards, Hopewell and others on bill to support and protect Joshua Tree National Park.

By Blurt Staff

The Black Angels and Dead Meadow will headline the second annual Clean Air, Clear Stars Music Festival in Pioneertown, CA Oct. 10-12. The festival benefits Global Inheritance, a 501 (c)3 organization that “creates inspirational and educational programs to further environmental awareness with the goal of reversing the effects of global warming and encouraging positive action for a sustainable future.” The fest will feature two dozen other bands including Goldrush, Hopewell and Miranda Lee Richards, as well as the cryptic, tantalizing “special guests.”

Clean Air, Clear Stars was founded as a reaction to the July 2006 Sawtooth wildfire that burned over 61,000 acres and destroyed over 200 homes and businesses in Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown. Presale tickets (www.ticketweb.com) for the event are $40 for the weekend, and $15 for a day pass. Camping accommodations will also be available, please check the website for details.

“Last year was an inspiring and monumental experience,” says key organizer and Sky Parade vocalist Tommy Dietrick. “People's attitudes toward the challenges we face today are resonating throughout our music community. It's this kind of unity that proves we can make a difference when we continue on a path of personal responsibility, determination and hope. What makes this festival so unique is its' grass roots nature and the willingness for change that it represents. The modern revolution of our generation is to take us off this path over-consumption, greed and waste. Our goal is to shift individual habits as well as raise a unified voice to those in industry and the government who continue to choose to pollute our Earth with insufficient standards and legislation that panders to the conglomerate elite.”

CACS will also host a kick off party on Thurs Oct 9th at Spaceland with performances from Sky Parade, Hopewell and Swoon 23. Admission will be free for all artists whom are donating their time to perform at the festival. Full lineup:

Friday Oct 10th

Mere Mortals

LSD and the Search for God

Lower Heaven

Dead Meadow

Acoustic after-hours stage: CB Brand, and He’s My Brother She’s My Sister.

Saturday Oct 11th

The Black Pine

Fauna Valetta

Federale

Cuchillo

War Paint

Restaurant

Eskimo Hunter

Swoon 23

The Black Angels

Acoustic stage: Miranda Lee Richards, Cat Martino, Wayne Everett, and Highway.

Sunday Oct 12^th

Chief Nowhere

Golden Animals

Sundown Machine

Goldrush

Silver Rockets

Mezzanine Owls

Hopewell

“Special Guests”

About Global Inheritance:

Global Inheritance is an organization working to recreate activism for today’s young generation. Their initiatives focus on the power of creativity to communicate and pus for progressive social change while rejecting conflict. For further information please visit www.globalinheritance.org

About the Endangerment of Joshua Tree National Park:

Joshua Tree National Park ranks as one of the most endangered national parks in the U.S. according to environmental groups. Relying on a particular set of weather conditions and well-timed rains, Joshua trees have managed to survive for centuries in the Mohave desert, the only place on the planet that the large yucca species can be found. The slightest disruption in the fragile eco-system would devastate the delicate desert habitat and destroy  all of the native inhabitants and plants, including the trees which are necessary to the survival of a variety of wildlife.

With the acceleration of global warming, climate change directly impacts the dry areas of the American Southwest and the desert ecosystems will be the first to experience the impact of water shortages which will reduce plant and insect populations and in turn accelerate the fire cycle. The increase in greenhouse gases and elevated air pollution have also contributed to the proliferation of an invasive weed known as Red Brome which is new to the area, and in part suspected to be a contributing factor to the expanding fires within the region.

For further information, please visit:

www.cleanairclearstars.com

www.myspace.com/cleanairclearstars

www.pappyandharriets.com

Austin-based band raising money for Texas Democrats, including Dem. candidate for Railroad Commissioner.

By Blurt Staff

On October 13, Spoon, with special guest Gary Clark Jr., will perform a “rare intimate one-off date” at Austin’s The Parish to benefit Texas Democrats and the campaign of Mark Thompson, Democratic candidate for the office of Railroad Commissioner. Tickets for the show will go on sale 10 a.m. Central time Thursday, October 2.

No word as to why the office of Railroad Commissioner is so important to the band, but if we had to speculate, it’s ‘cause everybody loves a train.

For more information on tickets, go to Spoontheband.com.

“Conspiracy to Riot” tells the story of Francis’ friend Jared Paul, arrested at RNC.

By Blurt Staff

Like many other Americans, Sage Francis was outraged by the arrest of journalists and protestors at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN earlier this month. He’s dealing with it by releasing the track “Conspiracy to Riot,” available free at www.conspiracytoriot.com.

The song tells the story of Francis’s friend Jared Paul, one of the journalists--including Democracy Now's Amy Goodman--who were arrested during the convention for no clear (read: real) reason except that they voiced dissent. The press release from Francis’s label, Anti-:

Many Americans watched as scores of those who were providing coverage of the RNC were arrested and jailed, notably the arrest of “Democracy Now!” host Amy Goodman and two of her colleagues, which was captured on video and became the YouTube sound byte of the convention for people who weren’t just watching the network’s coverage.  The aggression of the police became personal for Francis when they arrested his friend, journalist Jared Paul.

Francis writes “out of the thousand unjust arrests that will happen this year, why am I focusing on this one in particular? Jared Paul is a fellow Providence poet and musician. We've lived together, toured together, protested together, argued with one another from time to time, and shared many incredible moments over the past 15 years. He is a social worker, a community organizer, a selfless human being and a champion of justice. He'd do the same for me in return. He'd probably do the same for you.”

The song is intended to raise awareness of the fascism that informed these arrests, as well as cash to cover Jared Paul’s legal defense expenses. Visitors to the website can read Paul’s complete story, and make donations. One reason donations are necessary is that the sheer volume of RNC arrests is too much even for the American Civil Liberties Union to cover. Support from friends—including Slug from Atmosphere, who posted Paul’s bail—has been steady, but not quite enough.

But it’s not all about one man. “This has less to do with a friend of mine possibly looking at jail time, and more to do with citizen's rights continually being trampled on,” says Francis. “There are thousands of innocent people in jail right now because of their lack of finances. This is a principle thing as much as it is personal.”

Preach it, brutha Sage.

Check out videos of Jared Paul performing "Get Dead" and the arrest of Amy Goodman:

JARED PAUL PERFORMING "GET DEAD": AMY GOODMAN'S ARREST VIDEO: