Manu, that's who! Promises to be way more interesting than that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25^th anniversary concert airing the 29^th on HBO...

By Blurt Staff

Latin/worldbeat alt-rocker Manu Chao's Baionarena will make its U.S. television premiere on Friday, November 27th at NBC's bilingual youth network mun2. The one-hour "mun2 Presents: Manu Chao" special will air Friday, November 27th at 12am midnight ET/PT, and will repeat on Sunday November 29th at 11pm ET/PT (as well as additional dates throughout December). Holamun2.com is also streaming an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour diary over the next week at holamun2.com/manuchao.

"Manu represents what's great about music: it transcends language, class and politics," said Flavio Morales (VP Programming for mun2) in a statement.  "Offering his music to our mun2 audience really speaks to the duality we as Latinos live everyday."

The  Baionarena double live album/DVD set will be released nationally on December 1^st via the Nacional label. The album was recorded last year in Bayonne, France. Highlights among the 33 tracks include Chao classics like "Clandestino," "La Vida Tombola," "Mala Vida," "La Primavera" and "Welcome to Tijuana." (Baionarena will be released in both standard and limited edition deluxe formats, the latter available on January 12th).

 
Baionarena is the follow-up to the Latin Grammy-winning studio album, La Radiolina, which has been certified Gold and has now sold over a million copies worldwide.

 
In other recent news, Chao has released a "La Colifata" benefit project, now available for a "pay what you want" donation at http://VivalaColifata.org, about which we previously brought you details - read more of our coverage here.

Most eagerly awaited remaster (and maybe some ace concert footage...) of the entire Boss canon? Hey, as good as those Japanese reissues were a few years ago, they were not specifically remasters, just fancy-packaged things, so... Yeah. We're good.

By Fred Mills

Bruce Springsteen's manager Jon Landau, speaking to RollingStone.com yesterday, indicated that the much-rumored, much-anticipated remastered/box set edition of his classic '78 album Darkness On the Edge of Town is about "93 per cent done" - essentially confirming that the project is a "go" for 2010, although Landau didn't disclose a projected release date.

"It's absolutely fantastic and there are just some finishing touches that we need to turn our attention to and finalize and we'll get it out there," Landau said, adding that in addition to the original album finally getting the remastering treatment, is will include " a new documentary about the making of the LP, as well as live footage from the 1978 tour."

Those of us already in possession of professionally-shot, high-quality footage from that tour can only imagine what lurks in the CBS vaults. Needless to say, with appetites whetted by the Born To Run CD/DVD box that came out a few years ago, this amounts to some of the biggest Boss news to date.

Speaking to BLURT about all this, Backstreets magazine editor Chris Phillips agrees, saying, "It's always bittersweet when a Springsteen tour comes to an end, and especially this time, considering it's the last we'll see of the E Street Band for at least a while. And the last dance is just a few days away. But if coming off the road gives Bruce a chance to get back to work on this stuff, that's a heck of a silver lining.

"The Darkness box has been in the works for awhile - we're talking years, not months. And it in particular is something we've been jonesing for, certainly since the album's 30th anniversary last year. Out of all the albums in his catalog, Darkness is the one most in need of remastering. And of course the 1978 tour is legendary, so finally getting some more official live material from that period has been at the top of many fans' lists. Video-wise, it remains to be seen what there might be to represent the tour; I'd be surprised if Bruce has an uncirculated complete Darkness show up his sleeve like the Hammersmith '75 film for Born to Run. But if this thing is anything like the 30th anniversary Born to Run box -- and signs point to yes -- it's going to be a must-have."

Manager Landau further indicated to RS that a concert DVD from the Working on a Dream tour should be ready soon (and prior to the Darkness box). "We're working on some different approaches to a DVD for this tour. We'll release it sometime fairly soon, post-Christmas," he said.

Springsteen and the E Street band will conclude their two-year long Dream tour this Sunday, Nov. 22,  in Buffalo  - no, there will not be a final show in Ohio - where they'll perform as part of the show the complete 1973 album Greetings From Asbury Park.

Latest, acclaimed, album gets "reinvented" as a video album to be released via iTunes. See trailer, below.

By Blurt Staff

The Decemberists' recent album - some pundits are calling it an "epic song cycle," while the BLURT reviewer simply said "it stands up to the best" of rock's classic thematic records - The Hazards Of Love gets reinvented as a full-length video album now: Here Come The Waves: The Hazards Of Love Visualized is  released on December 1 exclusively through iTunes.

Here Come The Waves, which was debuted live in Los Angeles in October to rave reviews, is a collaboration with four filmmakers - Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka and Santa Maria - each of whom created original animation to accompany a section of the music. The animations were produced by Flux and Hornet.

Check out the brief teaser trailer below.

What's interesting are some of the comments that have already been posted by fans at YouTube (go HERE), among them "One of the best shows I have EVER seen, and that says a lot. This was seriously amazing, I can't stop thinking about it!" and "This is going to be so amazing i cant wait until december!" (Actually the "If anyone sneaked a video past the security people, please post it!" comment is pretty cool too... but we digress...)

Anyway, Billboard has already weighed in, calling it "a stunning new ‘visualizer' of four seamlessly-sequenced psychedelic videos inspired by the album's different acts," adding that "the visuals function as impressionistic landscapes and atmospheres evocative of the unfolding drama like a richly imagined liquid lightshow." And the Los Angeles Times gushed, "a tumbling series of visuals with four distinct aesthetic styles. Peter Sluszka's ultra-slow motion capture of exploding mushrooms and elegantly disseminating seed pods... Julia Pott's line art of wolves and foxes hovering in geometric constellations... Guilherme Marcondes' renderings of skeletons caught among leafless branches and verdant human arms that unfurl like ferns... Santa Maria provides context...with cosmic, computer-generated vistas, cartoons of splintering bones."

Hey, we are all about tumbling series of visuals! This might be the best reason all year to get on iTunes... meanwhile, next stop: Tales From Topographic Oceans: The Broadway Play...

Sharin and Sune kick out the jams, no irony necessary: Raveonettes at Bimbo's 365 Club in SF, Nov. 9.

By Zach Bloom

There's a ton of smoke and a noisy loop of guitars emitting from the P.A. as the lights dim. The band casual takes the stage in casual dress, as the loop gives way to the opening riff of "Gone Forever." It's the standout track on In And Out Of Control, the new album that sums up everything The Raveonettes have been about since their hasty inception some eight years ago.

Two things are most immediately clear as the rhythm section kicks in: theirs is a small, heavily-produced drum set (bass drum stood up like a floor tom with a tambourine attached, crash cymbal, snare) that replicates the lush "power drum" sound of the 80s, splashing with every snare hit; the other is that Sharin Foo is kind of impossibly pretty - in the ballpark of the best looking musician, period. What she does because of and in spite of her looks is the focal point of the show. No one in the audience is unaware of what she's doing or where's she's wandered off to - even (or especially) as she leans over to fiddle with her amp. Sune Rose Wagner, her male counterpart on vocals and guitar, wisely harbors no delusions of stealing the spotlight.

This is right where the Raveonettes should be. "Those were some from the vault," Foo remarks, following a string of older tunes ringing with fuzz and disaffected cool-this is highlighted by "Veronica Fever," off Whip It On, their debut mini LP. The bulk of the set, though, focuses on last years' distortion-soaked Lust Lust Lust and the new one-a bit of a redirect, veering away from the acoustic relaxation of 2005's Pretty In Black. The tender moments are meticulously placed to contrast against the ear-bleeding guitars, guaranteed to fill any vacancy. When both Foo and Wagner swap Jazzmasters (or are they Jaguars? Sue me, I can't always tell the difference) for tambourines on a stripped-down, inverted version of "Break Up Girls!," the stage feels incomplete. Playing with the crowd's anticipation, the two take their time in getting back to the guitars, swaying with the bass-line groove.

There's a scene in David Lynch's Fire Walk With Me when Laura and Donna go to an evil Canadian bar that's all strobe lights and blaring music that's probably supposed to sound like the Jesus & Mary Chain but isn't. It's a very Lynch theme, playing on the innocent memories of girl groups by corrupting it with modern noise. Employing a similar approach, "Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)" and "Suicide" anchor the second half of set. Stripped of the dark themes and lines like "Your boyfriend's mean and your mom's a bitch," (or, "Those fuckers stay in your head") the tunes are a joyous romp, and The Raveonettes play it straight. There aren't belying smirks or self-conscious wisecracks. They write about the world they see, and everyone's part of it.

Since we're also talking Colin Newman's other band, Githead, at Blurt today, let's rewind all the way back to the beginning...

By Fred Mills

Most folks have a story about the first time they heard groundbreaking, iconoclastic British punk band Wire, and so do I: In the winter of 1977/78 I was working in the distribution center of southeastern music retailers Record Bar, and with U.S. major labels gradually, if grudgingly, warming up to the then-current exports from England, a shipment from EMI one day was of great interest to me and a couple of my fellow punk-tilting employees: it included the debut album from Wire, whom we'd already been exposed to via Melody Maker and the NME. Among the shipment was a carton of sealed/cut corner promotional copies of Pink Flag intended to be sent around to the various accounts for in-store play, but as we surmised most if not all of them would be wasted - this was the South, after all, and Record Bar, though privately owned, was a mall-based chain - we convinced our supervisor to let us each take a handful of promos for ourselves.

We also set aside one for in-warehouse play. That afternoon my friend Robert furtively slipped the LP into the pile next to the stereo, and it eventually rotated to the top of the stack. Then -

 Thoom... thoom... clang... clang...

"Our own correspondent is sorry to tell

Of an uneasy time that all is not well..."

Perhaps a minute elapsed during which Pink Flag opening track "Reuters" played. Then -

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SHIT?!?"

Talk about your uneasy times. I can honestly say I've never witnessed quite so visceral a (negative) reaction to a piece of music in my entire life as this one: almost to a man, the warehouse employees hurtled verbal abuse in the direction of the office, and the supervisor's assistant scrambled to yank the album from the turntable, summarily replacing it with a Molly Hatchet record. Sigh. Such was life at a warehouse in the seventies. But you can't say we didn't try to subvert from within.

Journalist (and BLURT contributor) Wilson Neate has his First Encounter Of A Wire Kind too: Growing up in England, in 1977 he was 12 and receiving musical transmissions from the likes of John Peel's BBC program and Radio Luxembourg, which eagerly aired the new music of the day. As he outlines in his contribution to Continuum's 33 1/3 series, Pink Flag, his initial exposure was via the single "I Am The Fly," from Wire's second LP Chairs Missing; "I didn't know what to make of the song," Neate confesses, adding that he nevertheless was smitten by its uniqueness. Soon enough he'd backtracked to score a copy of Pink Flag, never suspecting he might one day be interviewing its creators and authoring a book about it.

"A lot of great albums came out in 1977," writes Neate, "but Pink Flag is one of a handful - alongside Low, "Heroes", Before and After Science - that remain objects of fascination to me." And then Neate dispenses with the autobiographical portion of his program and proceeds to outline, in painstaking but rousingly informative fashion, exactly why Pink Flag remains such an object of fascination - to him, to the rest of us, and most of all, to the four men of Wire.

This latter component is of no minor importance, by the way; Neate was able to interview vocalist Colin Newman, guitarist Bruce Gilbert, drummer Robert Gotobed and bassist Graham Lewis at length in order to get the story leading up to and behind the making of Pink Flag. It's not as Rashomon-like as you might presume, either; Wire's subsequent history may be fraught with artistic differences and the comings-and-goings of disgruntled members, but during the early years, at least, it seems they were relatively united in their desire to (a) be different; (b) but not "different" like the punks were "different," as they all chafed at punk orthodoxy; and (c) find new ways of saying old things, i.e., "be different." And it's to Neate's credit that he untangles some of the seemingly contradictory elements of the Wire aesthetic - it's not punk, but it's minimalist, which coming on the heels of bloated ‘70s rock definitely sounded "punk" for lack of a better term; ideas were rampant among the members, but as a group Wire operated via reduction of ideas; etc. - without disappearing up an intellectual journalistic arse-hole.

Although Neate does have a propensity to analyze and dissect in almost dissertation fashion (check some of his reviews and features for BLURT), he's still mindful of spinning an entertaining tale along the way. And that, when you boil down a music volume to its essentials, is what will make or break a book. How many times have you started to get engrossed in a biography when, just as things are really picking up steam, the writer lapses into the dreaded "describe-the-album-track-by-track" syndrome and nearly (or completely) drains the narrative of color and drama?

Hold that thought: Neate's Pink Flag has an entire 60-page section titled "God Those R.P.M.: Pink Flag Track by Track," so if the thought of spending 10 or 15 minutes to read a description of a song that's only 1½ minutes in the first place floats your boat, this dinghy's for you, bro. Only kidding - Neate's well up to the task at hand, and he ably tackles each of the 21 Pink Flag tunes, mixing aural analysis with emotional context, throwing in some cultural or historical tidbits along the way (for example, the trajectory of "Three Girl Rhumba" from original LP to Elastica's 1994 riff appropriation for their hit "Connection" to a European TV commercial that had most listeners mistaking Wire for Elastica, if you can believe that), and adding occasional quotes from Wire members for additional illumination.

And as that tracks section follows some 80-odd pages outlining the history of Wire/Pink Flag - which itself is loaded with copious quotes, enough so that we can justifiably call it The Definitive And Authoritative Treatment of that period in Wire's long career - Neate's book is akin to a wholly filling two-course meal. There's even "dessert" by way of a final coda-like chapter that discusses matters surrounding the 2006 Wire box set and the Pink Flag reissue.

Bottom line: Pink Flag (the book) does Pink Flag (the album) full justice. A lot of the titles in the 33 1/3 series do similarly, but this one deserves to be recognized as one of the top entries to date, period.

***

Incidentally, I still have one of those sealed Pink Flag promos in my collection - I'm looking at it right now, in fact. Oddly, I have an urge to go play some Molly Hatchet. But I'm sure the feeling will pass...

The Higgs Boson of rock descends upon the Bay Area, Oakland's Fox Theater, Nov. 19

By David Downs

Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age combo Them Crooked Vultures tore up their second California date in history Thursday night. Like rapacious raptors, they swept into the Fox Theater in Oakland with a mind to shred, masterfully combining about 100 years of experience in the best rock and roll bands on Earth. Even their roadies looked cooler than normal roadies. Like hand-picked, MVP roadies.

"Fuck it. Let's Dance."

That was the band's status update on Facebook when they began streaming their entire, self-titled debut LP for free this November, and "Dance" was the only mandate to the sold-out crowd. Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and Zep's John Paul Jones warmed up opener "Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I" to wild cheering, but right off the bat, lead singer Josh Homme's guitar refused to work.

Homme stood back unflustered and swigged a beer for a few bars while the guitar tech did his job, but the rest of the band didn't miss a beat. They didn't stop, or get confused or flustered. Grohl just began brutalizing his modest drum kit in an impromptu intro jam with Jones. The rhythmic duel of rock deities didn't feel forced or lost, and when Homme finally came in, they launched as though nothing had happened. Such gleeful, relaxed improvisation set the tone for the whole night, conveying the message that "We are the pro-est of the pros and we are having a damn good time."

The entire phenomenon of Them Crooked Vultures has Christmas coming early in 2009: the first whiff of a project in August; tantalizing video clips of Grohl, Homme, and Jones jamming in some dark, dank studio. Then October radio single "New Fang" - straight from the QOTSA factory, buttressed with a beefier new rhythm section. Call it Vultures of Death Metal. The free iTunes single "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" in late October - a Mondo Generator Classic of robot-rock that set the stage for the big November leak. TCV's people have played the Internet like a keytar, streaming the entire album online after it leaked, and turning "New Fang" into a Rock Band level.

As such, the audience was right there with the new band Thursday, knowing a fair amount of words and going apeshit for the singles. Mosh pits: check. Crowd surfing: check. John Paul Jones switched between about five instruments including bass, keyboards, and mandolin. At one point, Homme played slide guitar with a Corona and he ended the night drinking Ketel One straight from the bottle. Dave Grohl remains a smiling, animalistic blur, a walking rock god.

With a repertoire of thirteen published songs, the show clocked in at just over an hour with no encore and none really expected or needed. Nothing TCV has done or will do threatens to overshadow or undermine what they've already contributed to the rock canon. Instead, they masterfully complement it, as well as deliver that rare feeling of scarcity in an age of abundance.

It was like witnessing an evanescent element, a primitive reordering of elementary particles likely to vanish from existence as fast as it appeared - a super-heavy Higgs Boson of Rock.

[Photos Credit: David Downs]

Wait'll you get a look at the complete list of contributors, below...

By Fred Mills

Word arrives via PR Newswire that Tom Waits, Pete Seeger, Merle Haggard, Jim James, Andrew Bird and others have cut an album of "classic New Orleans" songs with the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Titled Preservation, the proceeds will be a benefit for Preservation Hall and The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program in New Orleans.

The release date:  Fat Tuesday, February 16. Expect a regular CD and a deluxe edition; it will also be issued on vinyl.

In a statement, producer Ben Jaffe, PHJB Creative Director and son of Preservation Hall founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe, said, "Our community is deeply rooted in a tradition of using music to rejoice, heal and overcome adversity. We play music at our funerals to uplift our spirits during our deepest and darkest emotional moments. My goal on this project was to create new works steeped in the New Orleans Tradition with artists from diverse musical genres and backgrounds who all share a mutual admiration and deep appreciation for our cultural heritage."

Waits, certainly, is showing his admiration: his song selection is "Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing," reportedly the "earliest known recorded Mardis Gras song."

The project is being pushed forward via Sony/RED Distribution. According to the PR Newswire press release, RED Distribution approached Preservation Hall for their blessing and collaboration. "We're honored to be the driving force behind a tribute to this iconic body of music and the mission to restore the legendary Preservation Hall and its Music Outreach Program," said Bob Morelli, president, RED Distribution. "We hope this project continues to keep philanthropy at the forefront of the music industry, and restores faith that each of us can make a difference with just the purchase of a single CD. We thank all the wonderful artists who contributed their time and talent."

The complete list of contributors:

Andrew Bird, Terence Blanchard, Pete Seeger, Dr. John, Blind Boys of Alabama, Brandi Carlile, Cory Chisel, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Richie Havens, Jason Isbell, Jim James, Angelique Kidjo, Amy LaVere, Anita Briem, Del McCoury, Bobby McFerrin, Buddy Miller, Paolo Nutini, Tom Waits

Moved from the original venue to a larger one... but still guaranteed to be a sellout...

By Blurt Staff

You'd think by now that we here at BLURT are sick of the Avett Brothers - they're currently gracing the cover of the latest issue of our magazine (order copies here, hint hint...); we reviewed their I And Love And You album and named ‘em one of our Blurt Bands Of The Week; and we've been seeing ‘em on late night television with such regularity we're beginning to suspect they're in line to take over David Letterman's seat when Dave finally retires.

(Check out the video of them on Jimmy Fallon, below, doing "Slight Figure Of Speech.")

But you'd be wrong. We ain't sick of ‘em, which is why it's our civic duty (okay, fanboy duty...) to let you know that their annual New Year's Eve show, set for the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville, NC, has been moved to the considerably larger Asheville Civic Center, and tickets go on sale TOMORROW, Nov. 21, at Ticketbastard.

Turns out the show sold out literally in minutes, leaving thousands of Avetts fans from within and without the NC region wailing, so the decision was made to move it next door to the Civic Center. A wise decision, we think. But here's a prediction: this will also sell out, so if you're planning your New Year's Eve for a Tarheel soirree, best log on tomorrow morning at 10 am if you want to see the show. (Tickets for the Thomas Wolfe show will obviously be honored, by the way.)

New full-length reportedly in the works for early next year.

By Blurt Staff

The Alkaline Trio has announced the birth of Heart & Skull, the band's own label formed in partnership with Epitaph Records. The band will release its seventh album through Epitaph/Heart & Skull in early 2010.

Commenting on the formation of the new imprint, named for the band's longstanding logo, Alkaline Trio singer/guitarist Matt Skiba said, "We made the decision to form Heart & Skull to put out our own records after having been through every kind of label deal in the industry, big indies, small indies, majors. We knew it was time to adapt to the shifting tides of the music industry and we could not be more thrilled about doing that in conjunction with the team at Epitaph. Taking control of our own label situation was something we always wanted to do but never thought was possible, but now thanks to Brett Gurewitz and the fine folks at Epitaph, it is. All three of us in Alkaline Trio have always had the utmost respect for the music and the work ethic of the Epitaph, Anti- and Hellcat family and now we're honored to be working together under one big happy roof. Heart & Skull/Epitaph is truly a dream come true for us."

Alkaline Trio bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano added, "For our band at this time it really makes sense to release our own records, but we wanted to make sure we could partner up with good people who we would want to share in something very special to us.  When Brett called and said he wanted to be involved, that was it. Epitaph is a label I've admired and supported for more than half of my life! I couldn't be more excited for how this is turning out!"

Alkaline Trio first emerged from Chicago in 1996 and has since released the full length studio albums Goddamnit, Maybe I'll Catch Fire, From Here To Infirmary, Good Mourning, Crimson and last year's Agony & Irony, which was the highest charting record of the band's career to date. The band: Skiba, Andriano and drummer Derek Grant, all of whom are partners in Heart & Skull.

One of New Orlean's musical ambassadors now a genuine cultural ambassador.

By Blurt Staff

Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers was formally introduced as the new ambassador of  the Chahta Indian tribe.  All his life, his mother, father and uncle taught him that he was a Choctaw Indian, which he said is correctly pronounced "Chahta." But he only recently found the historical records that document his ancestry. 

Check out this clip via the the Times-Picayune as Cyril Neville sings 'Indian Red,' during his reception as the new ambassador of the Chahta Indians at Bonfouca near Slidell LA.

"I feel humbled and empowered at the same time," Neville said, in a statement. Neville's new role as ambassador will be to speak for the tribes that are centered in St. Tammany and include descendents of the 125 Chahta, Creek and Cherokee who did not leave during the forced relocation under Andrew Jackson, called the Trail of Tears. Members are spread throughout the Florida Parishes, and since Hurricane Katrina, are scattered in 29 states.

Brand New Blues, Neville's first release in eight years, was released in April on MC Records.