Finally that intense gaze and tattooed torso is paying off!

By Blurt Staff

As Pitchfork puts it - "the role the man was born to play." They're talking about erstwhile Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins, who apparently has joined the cast of FX's Sons of Anarchy series. His involvement was previously reported, but last night was the first time fans got a glimpse.

The Season Two premiere featured Rollins as a "rich white supremacist villain," tattoos and all. He's slated to appear in 8 episodes. He recently talked to M&C about his involvement.

Pitchfork was also kind enough to post the Season Two Trailer, which contains a shot of Rollins. Meanwhile, we're calling our cable company to have ‘em sign us up for FX!

Michael Rother in the process of transferring tapes, combing through unreleased material, even mulling over making the back catalog available for download.

By Fred Mills

Word arrives today that a box set of Krautrock pioneers NEU! is being prepped for release by guitarist Michael Rother. Rother of course co-founded the band in 1971 with drummer Klaus Dinger following the pair's departure from an early incarnation of Kraftwerk; with producer Conny Plank overseeing the recordings. NEU! issued a trio of albums (plus several posthumous releases) now considered seminal artifacts of the ‘70s German rock scene, subsequently influencing several generations' worth of fans, among them David Bowie, Johnny Rotten, Stereolab and Radiohead. (Wikipedia page on the band is here.)

The NEU! tale is a long and tangled one, of course, and with Dinger's passing in March of 2008 that tale effectively came to a close. However, in a recent interview with BLURT's Wilson Neate, Rother disclosed the news about the forthcoming box set.

"I'm working on a NEU! vinyl box set, which will include an LP-sized booklet with text about NEU! and some as-yet unpublished photos," explains Rother. "I'm still in the middle of the project. So far, the idea is to release NEU!, NEU! 2, NEU! '75 and a re-worked version of NEU! 4 (which I think will be called NEU! '86 like we'd originally intended) including some material from 1985-86 that is as-yet unknown to the public. Plus -- possibly -- excerpts of Live '72 (the recording of a rehearsal).

"When I've finished editing NEU! '86, I'll check those live recordings and edit the highlights. I'm in the process of reliving that project with Klaus. When we separated, we weren't finished with the project and Klaus decided to do that behind my back because I think he was just paranoid and needed the money, etc. -- well, he'll explain later when we meet again. But now I'm reliving that project and I will do my best also to present what we did in the '80s in what I think now is the best way."

Rother adds that the box is slated for the Grönland label (which is also reissuing the Harmonia-Brian Eno collaboration Tracks & Traces next month; Harmonia was a team-up between Rother and the members of Cluster), and that they "hope to release it later this year, but it could well end up being next year. It would be best to have the box set ready before Christmas for all the fans. We'll see. It depends on how quickly I can find my way around the material."

Among other NEU!-related tidbits Rother outlined:

* "Sometime after the vinyl box set, if everything goes OK, we also plan to release a new CD version of NEU! 4/NEU! '86 and to make available all of NEU!'s recordings for download."

* "I was in the studio today editing one track and I've been transferring music from all the analog tapes to the computer. I also stumbled across some old NEU! music that I'd forgotten because Klaus and I split the tapes and he didn't have all the material in Düsseldorf when he released that version of NEU! 4. This is all quite interesting and another piece of work for the archivist."

We'll be posting the entire, massive (nearly 10,000 words) Neate-Rother interview at BLURT very soon, so keep your eyes peeled. (For more Rother-related news, go to his official site.)

But who needs ‘em now that we got Beatles Rock Band?

By Blurt Staff

Interesting little bit of Beatles trivia surfaced on the web this morning via the popular "Lefsetz Letter." Blogger and music industry watchdog Bob Lefsetz, in discussing this week's release of Beatles Rock Band, made the following observation:

"The Beatles never did reunite.  Their flame burned for less than a decade.  They realized they'd done it, there was nowhere left to go, and the band splintered, its members going in different directions.  You'd like to believe, unlike the Police, unlike every classic act with more members alive than dead, they wouldn't have reunited, solely for the bucks.  We'll never know."

Responding to Lefsetz' comments, superstar manager Bill Silva shared a personal anecdote outlining the time he approached Paul, George and Ringo about getting back together for a one-off concert - with a $100 mil guaranteed payoff!

Wrote Silva:

"When we were partners with Universal we offered them a guarantee of $100,000,000.00 for one show at Dodger Stadium on January 1, 2000. We estimated with worldwide tav, pay-per-view, licensing, sponsorships that the "one show only" would be like a Super Bowl for music, and would have potentially generated over $500,000,000 to them. For one show. We got radio silence from their various reps--all who acknowledged it was a legitimate offer. Finally, months after we'd sent the first proposal, Neil Aspinall agreed to meet with me. He spoke of the various Beatles projects and timelines for the next decade, and saw me out saying, ‘So you see, we can never afford to tarnish the legacy and the memory of the Beatles with a live performance that may not match what fans hope it to be.' I'd say they didn't  put the money first from my one little glimpse..."

Amen.

Why is this man laughing?

By Fred Mills

On this day, September 8, in 1974, President Gerald Ford granted an unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon - this despite the fact that the former President, though disgraced in the aftermath of his resignation stemming from the Watergate scandal, had never been formally charged or convicted of any crimes.

It was an unprecedented moment in U.S. history; in effect, no matter what subsequent revelations regarding the Watergate break-in and the ensuing coverup might be revealed, Nixon couldn't be charged. It was also a shameful moment in our history too. Because while Watergate, the Nixon pardon, etc. certainly ushered in an era where the American citizenry would keep a more watchful eye upon our lawmakers and elected officials, by some estimations the series of incidents also help give credence to the sort of groupthink that led to the rise of George W. Bush's imperial presidency.

As the saying goes - "never forget."

This has been a public service (with Hofner bass-shaped guitars).

(Why are these men laughing? Because they know that in a few years the Constitution will be a worthless piece of paper with which they can wipe their asses!)

Or, How Numerology Saved My Reputation as a Critic: "Too many superlatives, not enough truth."

By Bill Holmes

[Ed. note: Awhile back, official Blurt meta-critic Bill Holmes asked us why we assigned starred ratings (between 1 and 10; no fractions or half stars) to the CDs we review. While our kneejerk response ran along lines of, "Somebody eventually had to assign a one-star rating to John Mayer's last album...", in truth, we don't know! Everyone else does it, though, and Blurt is nothing if not all about following the crowd and never marching to a different drummer. At any rate, Holmes spent the past month pouring over our reviews (at last count, we'd published 1,449 since June of 2008), running percentages, creating spread sheets, parsing mixed metaphors and simplistic similes, and generally laughing himself silly, in order to come up with a coherent guide to our ratings. You, dear readers, can now know what we REALLY think when you spot a review on the site or in the magazine without every bothering to read the actual review! Take it away, Brother Holmes...]

10 - An essential classic that will transcend its era. Think BLONDE ON BLONDE or STICKY FINGERS. You'd get in a bar fight to defend your rating years later. (Would you really do that to defend that 10 you gave No Doubt?). You consider getting a tattoo of the album title on your bicep.

09 - Possibly the apex of an artist's career (assuming the artist is great - Kenny G's best album could be a 3) and a no-brainer purchase for fanatics of the genre. Lands on your Best of the Year list without hesitation.

08 - Among the best of the artist/genre; you'd definitely refer to this album when trying to convince someone to give the artist a shot.

07 - Not perfect, but the good outweighs the bad. You wish it were better but there are enough enjoyable elements to spend your money and feel rewarded.

06 - Enjoyable for fans of the genre, but average for others. Not going to convert the skeptical but a fan will be glad you made them aware of it.

05 - Average, some good but not most. You keep it but probably only play it when you come across it in the stack. You won't look for it on purpose that often.

04 - Momentary pleasures, won't last - not bad but not memorable. Gathers dust.

03 - Bland, dull, nondescript. You'd sell it if you could only find a sucker.

02 - Real problems, poor effort, lazy release. You are pissed that you spent the money and/or wasted your time and you make a point to tell everyone it sucks.

01 - Horrible. Embarrassing. Vapid. Hire a lawyer and sue the artist for damages.

[I hate assigning numerical value to art, but rules are rules; after having to do so for several publications I think this is a good overall barometer even though I still screw it up on occasion. - BH]

Issue covers EP - Santana, Beatles, Doors, more -  and also do acoustic tour with Alejandro Escovedo this fall.

By Blurt Staff

Los Lonely Boys (Henry, Ringo, and Jojo Garza) announce the upcoming release of 1969 (Lonely Tone/Playing in Traffic), an EP of covers, including Santana's "Evil Ways," The Beatles' "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window," Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie," and The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues." It's due on October 13.

Legendary engineer Andy Johns provides his signature sound to 1969. In addition to recording Blind Faith's "Well All Right" - also a featured track on the EP - Johns is well known for his work on Led Zeppelin II, III, IV and The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St.

"Peace, love and gracias to Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Tony Joe White, The Doors - some of the many musicians and songwriters that made 1969 a pathway for us to follow," offers Henry Garza on the upcoming project.

1969 also marks the first one via their new label home, the Austin-based Playing In Traffic Records and their own imprint Lonely Tone Records.

 This fall they're also setting out on their first-ever, acoustic tour fitly named "The Acoustic Brotherhood Tour" with supporters Alejandro Escovedo and Hacienda.

"This tour allows us to play the way we play in our backyards and really show the tradition of our Texican roots," Ringo says about the Brotherhood tour.

September/October Dates

September 2 -10 Iraq, Kuwait Tour for the Troops

September 11 Grand Junction, CO Rock Jam

September 12 Durango, CO Ft. Lewis College

September 15 Arcata, CA Van Duzer Theater

September 15 Redding, CA Cascade Theater

September 17 Lemoore, CA Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino

September 18 Murphys, CA Ironstone, Theater

September 19 Brooks, CA Cache Creek Casino

Sepetember 26  Lewisville, TX Western Day

October 3  Gretna, CA Gretna Festival 

"The Acoustic Brotherhood Tour" dates

October 5-6                    Alexandria VA               Birchmere

October 7                        Philadelphia, PA           Keswick Theater

October 9                        Long Branch, NJ            Pollack Theater

October 10                      Wayne, NJ                      Performing Arts Center

October 11                      New York, NY                Highline Ballroom

October 14                      Manchester, NH            Palace Theater

October 15                      Caribou, ME                   Performing Arts Center

October 16                      Portland, ME                 Merrill Auditorium

October 17                      New Bedford, MA         Zeiterion Theater

October 19                      Princeton, NJ                 McCarter Theater

October 20                      Easton, MD                    Avalon Theater

October 22                      Bloomington, IN           Buskirk Chumley

October 23                      Chicago, IL                      Old Town School

October 24                      Milwaukee, WI              Northern Lights Theater

October 25                      Mankato, MN                 Alltel Center

Also touring this fall with An Albatross.

By Blurt Staff

Athens Georgia's multifarious psychedelic roadwarriors DARK MEAT have geared up for another get-go of pillage-and-freakout in the name of their newest offering, TRUCE OPIUM, due Oct. 20 from Emergency Umbrella. A long period of lineup changes, label complications and heavy touring across North America and Europe has focused the band into a diamond-hard and transformative experience: they've trimmed their lineup to a highly-effective and barely-anemic 9-piece, and, in the process, have organically developed an intense and diverse instrumental chemistry. Truly, TRUCE OPIUM retains all the insane eccentricity, rawness and sonic bombast of their infamous live show, and evinces a sharpened essence and unified vision burnished by the last three years spent spraying themselves across the cosmos in their cramped tour-van.

Check out an MP3 sampling: "The Faint Smell of Moss"

In terms of heightened vision and sonic-execution, TRUCE OPIUM is a huge step forward for the band -- as it augments their celebrated Albert Ayler, Stooges and Neil Young obsessions with more a abstract, cosmic tack: pronounced Eastern influences abide via the use of acoustic drone instruments like tanpura, bulbul tarang and sitar, prayer-like group chants and the study and reverent application of polyharmonic Sygyt and Kargira Tuvan throat-singing. Last year, bandmembers workshopped, rehearsed and performed at The University of Georgia with a carnatic classical troupe from South India. This amazing and humbling opportunity, along with their involvement in several local improv, free-jazz and noise ensembles have broadened the band's sonic and structural scope.

Deep Krautrock and Japanoise bearings also surface; their perpetual tour-van immersion in the sounds of NEU!, Amon Duul II, Les Rallizes Denudes, LSD and Boredoms push their willfully improvisational passages into weirder, wilder territory. And the vaunted Free Jazz and New Orleans Marching Band influences persist through The Vomit Lasers, Dark Meat's longstanding horn-section. However, where the band once enthusiastically essayed pieces by The Ayler Brothers, Pharaoh Sanders and Sonny Sharrock, the ensemble has now organically assimilated the music's feral energies and rarified colors into its aesthetics of arrangement, dynamic and performance. Make no mistake, though, TRUCE OPIUM, at its twisted heart, is a redblooded psych-rock record, as a lived-in and durable love of Velvet Underground, Yardbirds, MC5, Fairport Convention and Crazy Horse continually and joyously warps main songwriter Jim McHugh's approach to composition and execution. And the passage of material into the raw hands of his seasoned collaborators dually insures that the resultant High Magic will be spirited, raw and unlike anything else you've every heard.

* Dark Meat share members with Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, Elf Power, Gnarls Barkley, Instruments, Lil Wayne's Touring Band (for real!) and Nymph.

Tour Dates:

Th    Oct    22    Charlottesville    VA    Tea Bazaar    
Sa    Oct    24    Brooklyn    NY    Union Pool w/ An Albatross
Sa    Oct    24    Brooklyn    NY    Glasslands    
Su    Oct    25    New York City    NY    Cake Shop w/ An Albatross
Mo    Oct    26    Philadelphia    PA    Danger Danger w/ An Albatross    
Tu    Oct    27    Washington    DC    Black Cat Backstage w/ An Albatross
We    Oct    28    Baltimore    MD    Talking Head    w/ An Albatross
Th    Oct    29    Charlotte    NC    Snug Harbor w/ An Albatross
Fr    Oct    30    Athens    GA    40 Watt    w/ An Albatross
Sa    Oct    31    Atlanta    GA    Star Bar    w/ An Albatross
Sun    Nov    1    Ybor City    FL    Crobar    
Mo    Nov    2    Orlando FL    Will's Pub    w/ An Albatross
Fr    Nov    6    Houston    TX    Free Press Block Party w/ An Albatross
Sa    Nov    7    Monterey    MX    Monterey Festival    
Su    Nov    8    Austin    TX    Fun Fun Fun Fest

Helping to kick off the reissues due tomorrow, one track at a time.

By Fred Mills

A coupla months ago we brought you word of the first two, classic, Feelies albums, 1980's Crazy Rhythms and 1986's The Good Earth, getting the expanded remaster treatment by the Bar/None label.

They're due in stores tomorrow, Sept. 8, on both CD and vinyl - although, caveat emptor, the slew of bonus tracks attached to each album will NOT be part of the physical package. Instead, the label circulated this somewhat cryptic note on the project (so you can make what you will, a case of "artistic integrity" weighing in or, um, simply a cost-saving strategy):

"As the band considers each album to be a discrete aesthetic artifact, the copious bonus material including demos, b-sides, EP tracks and some new live recordings from the re-united group will be included on digital download cards."

Uh-huh. At any rate, we'll have a full review in the upcoming issue of BLURT, due on newsstands at the end of the month. "A wonderfully tightly-wound, tense sound," say we of the first album; "mellower and beautifully breezy but still plenty tuneful," of the latter.

Nobody's Daughter leaks yet again - but what form does it take now?

By Blurt Staff

So we get tips... links... MP3s... all kinds of swag. The latest is that Courtney Love's previously leaked, long delayed, reportedly troubled new album Nobody's Daughter has been posted to the web abain, this time at the Music Of Your Life blog.

Recall that Courtney herself had indicated she would be posting the entire thing on line via her MySpace page on Jan. 1 but then the news arrived that it had been pushed back "due to technical difficulties."

That hasn't stopped fans from circulating the tunes, apparently, and last week the aforementioned blog posted the entire thing for download here via a link to a Rapidshare file. (Better run a virus scan, yo.) Is it the real deal, the finished thing? Who knows! Congrats to superfan Asmara Yudha Wijayadi anyway. The RIAA is lookin' for ya...

Album sleeve art is on the site, along with this tracklisting:

01 In Chains
02 Hole To Feed
03 Wrong
04 Fragile Tension
05 Little Soul
06 In Sympathy
07 Peace
08 Come Back
09 Spacewalker
10 Perfect
11 Miles Away / The Truth Is
12 Jezebel
13 Corrupt

Our first pick in a new series: New Zealand band's latest album is what's twirling our tassels as we head into the weekend...

By Fred Mills

What's that smoky-jangly-sexy-cool sound? Why, it's New Zealand's Clean, doing "In The Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul" from their new album Mister Pop. It's due next week from Merge recs, but you can take a listen to the tune to whet your appetite while you're reading our 9-out-of-10 star review of the album.

As BLURT's resident Clean fanatic Jennifer Kelly puts it, "This is easily one of the year's best albums, both a dream-fuzzed journey through non-linear states of consciousness and a well-crafted pop album. Play it a few times first losing yourself in its cloudy textures, then to finding guide ropes of melody that will lead you through to the end."

Everybody could use a little extra rubber soul these days... The Clean is BLURT's inaugural pick for Band O' The Week. Check back each Friday for that week's selection.

Listen up: "In The Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul"