First in a series of four EPs the Danish band is releasing.

By Fred Mills

The Raveonettes have just announced a series of digital only EPs to be issued on Vice Music. They'll come out over the course of the next three months, leading off with a free remix EP today.

It's a departure from the band's signature glam/shoegaze sound as evidenced on the recent Lust Lust Lust album - they claim it and subsequent releases will "show off new, heretofore unknown creative angles of the group."

Three tracks from Lust Lust Lust, presented in radically different new versions, make up the EP, Japanese electro producer 80KIDZ, Alec Empire-conspirator Nic Endo, and Danish DJ Trentemøeller handling the knob-twiddling. You can nab ‘em HERE.

Tracklisting:

 
1. Dead Sound (80KIDZ remix)
2. Aly, Walk With Me (Nic Endo remix)
3. Lust (Trentemøeller Remix)

Following today's remix EP will be Sometimes They Drop By on September 23, with electronics that "indulge a deeper investment into the sampled beats and textures that have always lurked underneath their sound." According to a posting at the band's MySpace blog some elaboration was provided on the second EP, which was recorded in NYC, Copenhagen and L.A.: "It's an explosive mixture of electronic sounds and a tiny bit of guitar," writes the band. "It was a real blast making it and it also made us a tad nervous cause it's quite different from what we normally do, at least that's what we thought when we recorded it but after a while I see some similarities there, the drum beats, the vibe of the songs, the singing of course and just the overall feel"

Track Listing:

Way Out There
Sometimes They Drop By
Blood Red Leis
Vintage Future

 Two more EPs will follow on October 21 and November 25: the former's to be a "twist" on the band's familiar vibe, while the latter comprises Christmas tunes.

[Photo Credit: C. Davey Wilson]

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:

9:15 AM Showtime Next: Moog

10:00 AM Biography: Jayne Mansfield

12:00 PM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Neko Case

2:00 PM Great American Country: On The Streets: Rodney Crowell

2:30 PM GAC: Jerry Reed Tribute

2:45 PM FLIX: Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

3:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: Roni Size , The Zutons , Razorlight , Mory Kanté , Robin Gibb , Jocelyn Brown

4:30 PM Encore Drama: C'Mon Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story (1999)

5:00 PM PLD HD: Glastonbury 2008: KT Tunstall , The Ting Tings , The Feeling , Candi Staton , Editors , Lupe Fiasco , Crowded House , Duffy , James Blunt , Vampire Weekend , Raconteurs , Elbow , Mark Ronson , Tawiah , Newton Faulkner , Crystal Castles , Goldfrapp , The Pigeon Detectives

6:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: Brian Wilson, Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson

6:00 PM VH1C Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973)

8:00 PM PLD HD: Radio 1's Big Weekend 2008 w/Madonna , Raconteurs , Usher , Nelly, OneRepublic

8:00 PM VH1C: The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story

9:00 PM Great American Country: Opry Live: Jessica Simpson , Patty Loveless , Loretta Lynn

9:00 PM PBS: Austin City Limits:  Brad Paisley / Dierks Bentley

9:00 PM PLD HD: Isle of Wight Festival 2008: The Police , The Sex Pistols , Iggy Pop, The Stooges , Kate Nash , N.E.R.D.

9:00 PM RAVE HD: From The Basement: Damien Rice , Autolux , eels , Architecture In Helsinki

10:00 PM MOJO: Reform School Girls (1986) w/Wendy O. Williams

11:30 PM NBC: Saturday Night Live:  Tina Fey / Carrie Underwood

1:00 AM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Drew Barrymore / Kelis

1:00 AM FUEL: Check 1, 2:  The Cool Kids

1:30 AM MTV2: Celebrity Deathmatch: Jamie Foxx , Ray Charles

2:00 AM MTV2: Celebrity Deathmatch: Xzibit , The White Stripes , Jack Black

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7:

9:00 AM A&E: Private Sessions: Duran Duran

9:00 AM PLD HD: Glastonbury 2008

11:00 AM VH1C: Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun 

12:00 PM PLD HD: Radio 1's Big Weekend 2008 W/Madonna , Raconteurs , Usher , Nelly , OneRepublic

1:00 PM HDNet Concert Series: 2005 Jammys W/The String Cheese Incident , Perry Farrell , North Mississippi Allstars , John Mayer , Buddy Guy , Phil Lesh

1:00 PM VH1C: Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

2:15 PM TCM: Viva Las Vegas (1964) W/Elvis Presley , Ann-Margret

3:00 PM HDNet Concert Series: We Have Arrived - Bonnaroo 2004

5:00 PM HDNet Concert Series: Blues at the Brewery W/Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers

6:00 PM Great American Country: Jerry Reed Tribute

6:30 PM FUSE: Green Day: Making of Boulevard of Broken Dreams

6:30 PM Showtime Next: Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

7:00 PM PLD HD: Green Day: Bullet in a Bible

8:00 PM Great American Country: Brooks & Dunn: Cowboy Town

8:00 PM PLD HD: Rothbury 2008 w/Dave Matthews Band , Snoop Dogg , John Mayer ,Widespread Panic , Rodrigo y Gabriela , Primus

8:30 PM Sundance: The True History of the Traveling Wilburys

9:00 PM MTV2: 2008 MTV Video Music Awards

11:30 PM IFC: Z Rock: John Popper

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Duran Duran , Mariah Carey

11:00 AM VH1: Rock Docs: Last Days of Left Eye

12:00 PM FUEL: Check 1, 2:  Matt Costa

2:00 PM MOJO: London Live!: Boy Kill Boy , David Jordan , Sheryl Crow , Athlete , The Enemy , Akon

2:30 PM MOJO: London Live!: Richard Ashcroft , Heavy Trash , James Dean Bradfield , James Morrison

5:30 PM Noggin: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Supernova , Biz Markie

6:00 PM BET: 106 & Park: Terrence Howard , Alicia Keys

7:30 PM VH1 Classic in Concert: Queen: Live at Wembley

7:55 PM DISN: Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream

8:00 PM BET J: Club J Concerts: George Clinton: Live at Montreaux - 2004

8:00 PM NBC: Stand Up To Cancer w/Mariah Carey , Mary J. Blige , Rihanna , Fergie , Sheryl Crow , Miley Cyrus

8:00 PM VH1: Rock Docs: The Drug Years

8:30 PM FUSE: d'fused: Slipknot "Psychosocial"

9:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: Brian Wilson, Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson

9:00 PM VH1C: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973)

10:00 PM Sundance: New York Doll

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Steve Earle

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Shinedown

12:00 AM FUEL: The Daily Habit:  Liars

12:00 AM RAVE HD: From The Basement: PJ Harvey , Super Furry Animals , Free Blood , Operator Please

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Black Kids

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Gabe Dixon Band

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Local H

[Photo Credit of Gabe Dixon Band, above: Henry Diltz]

Guns N' Roses legend talks licks, riffs, "Guitar Hero" and his old band.

By Blurt Staff

Elsewhere on the site you can read ace reporter Jose Martinez's encounter with Slash this week at the Guitar Center in Northridge, CA; the guitar maestro held forth on his career to date while entertaining the crowd with a plethora of his signature licks.

Meanwhile, check out Jose's exclusive photos from the event, below.

Sure, Palin's a barracuda... and a shark... and a moray eel... and a slimy squid...

By Fred Mills

It may have been one of the more descriptive and accurate appropriations of a rock song for use in a political campaign: Heart's classic hard-rock cruncher "Barracuda" was tapped by the Republicans for usage as the so-called "congratulatory theme" for V.P. hopeful Sarah Palin at the RNC this week.

Unfortunately for the McSame campaign, the writers of that song, Ann and Nancy Wilson, took exception and they have informed the campaign that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to not use the tune.

In a statement, the Wilsons indicated that the Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.

"We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music.  We hope our wishes will be honored," said the Wilsons.

Well, it was a better choice than Obama's bone-headed use of that Brooks & Dunn redneck anthem at the conclusion of his speech at the DNC. But yeah, we're with Heart on this one - Palin may be a barracuda in her own right, but she wouldn't know a rock ‘n' roll riff from the point of conception.

No word yet whether the McSame-VanPalen campaign is planning to borrow the song…

By Fred Mills

John Mellencamp, still riding high on his T Bone Burnettt-produced album Life Death Love and Freedom, just polished off a home recording of Dylan classic “The Times They Are A-Changin’” that has been posted on www.mellencamp.com  exclusively.

When you go to his site, scroll down to the video box displaying Mellencamp with his guitar and specs – it’s on the right side of the page, just click on “play.” (Disable the streaming audio player at the very top of the page first, however, as that’s set to trigger album track “Longest Days” when you arrive at the page.)

Writes Jim Bessman about the recording:

One of the resounding themes of this election year is change.

“Change we can believe in” is Barack Obama’s key campaign slogan, and as this is written, the Republicans are hailing John McCain’s vice presidential choice Sarah Palin as a “change agent.”

Be that as it may, this remarkable moment in our nation’s history has for very many evoked the sense of hope from 40 years ago, when for a brief moment leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy truly embodied change.

That moment was musically foreshadowed in 1964 by the titletrack of Bob Dylan’s third album, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” But this veritable battle-cry for a generation (“Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call”) has never seemed more timely than now. And now John Mellencamp, with this homemade, Web site-only performance, offers it to a new generation at a time of renewed hope.

Dylan, of course, was one of Mellencamp’s biggest influences.

Mellencamp performed “Like A Rolling Stone” during 1988 “Lonesome Jubilee” tour stops (a live version of the song was included as a B-side) and also sang it and “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” for “The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration” at Madison Square Garden in 1992 (both songs are included in the commemorative album). Also that year he performed “All Along the Watchtower” on “MTV Unplugged” and in 2003 he did “Highway 61 Revisited” at shows and for “Sessions @ AOL.”

He covered Dylan’s “Farewell Angelina” on his “Rough Harvest” album, and even directed the video for Dylan’s “Political World” track from his 1989 album “Oh Mercy” (if you look closely you can spot Mellencamp’s guitarist Mike Wanchic playing in Dylan’s band). Both artists also appeared in “A Vision Shared: A Tribute To Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly,” a 1991 documentary including performances by artists influenced by the two folk music legends (Mellencamp, like Dylan before him, was hugely influenced by Guthrie).

As for “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” Mellencamp’s “Peaceful World,” which addressed racism and saluted the words of Dr. King, echoed the Dylan song’s most powerful line (“Please get out of the new [road] if you can’t lend your hand”) with “if you’re not part of the future then get out of the way.” Here, on this new Web site exclusive, he goes directly to the source in reliving the once-again relevant ideals of the past.

UPDATE ON OUR PREVIOUS NEWS ABOUT HEART'S ANNOYANCE AT USE OF THEIR SONG "BARRACUDA" AT THE RNC WEDNESDAY NIGHT:

The song was used again after McSame's speech last night, prompting a frustrated and pissed-off Nancy Wilson to say in a phone call to EW.com., "I feel completely fucked over."

The Heart camp followed that up with an official statement:

"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

"Soulless corporate nature," eh? Sounds like the G.O.P. to us....

Previously unseen footage from 1971 polished and put together  by the Oxford American.

By Fred Mills

Go on YouTube and you can find a sampling of Big Star videos, but there's a catch: they're all either audio dubbed over still images (e.g., not actual performances), or clips of the latterday ‘90s incarnation featuring members of the Posies joining Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens. It seemed that nobody but hardcore collectors would own any real footage of the band in its heyday - if they had any at all.

That's why a palpaple shudder of delight rippled through the musical community recently when the venerable Oxford American, in the July 2008 issue, included a DVD with the third annual "Best Of The South" issue.

From the OA description:

"Get ready to be blown away by some rare and never-before-seen clips. See Elvis warming up the mike in preparation for his greatest performance ever. See lost footage of one of the most influential rock bands in music history: Big Star. (Gathering dust on the shelf until we polished it up for this DVD, these beautiful images were shot by Big Star guitarist Chris Bell and bassist Andy Hummel.)"

Blown away is an understatement. You can see the results below, 1971 images set to the tune "Thank You Friends," from the DVD and recently posted to YouTube. All I'll add is that just to see the late Chris Bell smile semi-selfconsciously as the camera points at him, but still beautifully, is worth its weight in gold. (Purists may quibble over the fact that "Thank You Friends" was recorded long after Bell and Andy Hummel had left the band - Chilton and Stephens cut it for Sister Lovers - but as a tribute to the four men and comradeship, the lyrical and musical sentiments hold up nicely, thank you very much.)

Hell, as long as we're at it, below the Big Star vid is a cool clip we found of the Bangles doing - sort of (you'll see what we mean when you view it) - Big Star's "September Gurls."

Enjoy the weekend, kids, from your friendly neighborhood Blurt.

New super-supergroup to release Dark Developments on Oct. 14.

By Blurt Staff

Songwriter's songwriter Vic Chesnutt has teamed with fellow Athens, Georgians Elf Power and The Amorphous Strums on Dark Developments, due Oct. 14 on Orange Twin Records. The album was recorded over winter by Chesnutt and Elf Power's Derek Almstead in the former's attic studio. From the publicist:

"Dark Developments revels in the intimate, home-recorded atmosphere you'd expect from an Athenian union like this... It's that friction extant between Chesnutt's shadowy worldview and the inventive bounce and bray of Elf Power's euphonious intraband chemistry that buoys Dark Developments, provides its freshness, and makes for rewarding repeated listening."

Halloween-themed collection of tunes from his Wicked Cool label.

By Fred Mills

Little Steven Van Zandt's garage-shock label Wicked Cool has a spooky treat for ya in a couple of weeks: Halloween A Go-Go, a collection of scary, creepy, goony and loony tunes handpicked by Silvio himself. It's due September 16.

Little Steven filled us in: "Our first Halloween collection finds us probing the subconscious to confront our most persistent demons on Garage Rock's favorite holiday. We are visited by some of the usual cast of characters one would expect - Dracula, the Wolfman, Ghosts, Zombies and Witches - but are far more horrified by that which cannot be touched, controlled, bargained with, or avoided - our own dreams. 

"During the course of these proceedings you will find yourself dancing with the devil, laughing in the face of the apocalypse, transported to the mystic forests of your deepest darkest secrets and insatiable lusts, and shocked by the helplessness of your own confessions of the sacred and the profane.  But afterward, if you live, one fact above all with remain clear - now you will learn why you fear the night!"

And dig it, fans and collectors: "Restless Nights," performed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (which Steven is, uh, a member of), is one of those obscure gems previously only available on the Springsteen rarities box Tracks.

Halloween A Go-Go Track List:

01. The Electric Prunes ­ I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night

02. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band - Restless Nights

03. The Chesterfield Kings - Running Through My Nightmares

04. The Fuzztones - I'm the Wolfman

05. Howlin' Wolf ­ Howlin' For My Darlin'

06. Minus 5 - Lies of the Living Dead

07. Roky Erickson and The Aliens - I Walked With a Zombie

08. Jarvis Humby -­ Man with the X-Ray Eyes

09. Sweatmaster - I Am A Demon and I Love Rock and Roll

10. Tegan And Sara - Walking With A Ghost

11. The Stems - She's a Monster

12. Carl Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On

13. John Zacherle "The Cool Ghoul" - Dinner with Drac

14. The Pretty Things - Walking Through My Dreams

15. Donovan - Season of the Witch