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Sufjan Announces Tour!

August 10th, 2010 · Sufjan Stevens

Anything Sufjan does is pretty much big news, but a huge North American tour is close to the biggest. Ticket pre-sales start today at 1 PM Eastern time on the ASTHMATIC KITTY WEBSITE. There are a couple strategies in place to limit scalping, so be sure to read the fine print. I can’t wait to see him live on November first, and will be sure to share everything related to this awesome news. Full dates below:

12 October Metropolis Theater, Montreal QC
13 October, Massey Hall, Toronto ON
14 October Royal Oak Music Theater, Royal Oak MI
15 October Chicago Theater, Chicago IL
16 October Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis MN
17 October Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO
19 October The Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin TX
20 October McFarlin Memorial Auditorium, Dallas TX
22 October Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theater, Mesa AZ
23 October The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA
26 October The Paramount Theater, Oakland CA
28 October Orpheum Theater, Vancouver BC
29 October Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland OR
30 October The Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA
1 November Kingsbury Hall, Salt Lake City UT
2 November Paramount Theatre, Denver CO
4 November Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis IN
5 November Bijou Theater, Knoxville TN
6 November The Tabernacle, Atlanta GA
7 November Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville NC
10 November Kimmel Center, Philadelphia PA
11 November Orpheum Theatre, Boston MA
14 November Beacon Theatre, New York NY
15 November Beacon Theatre, New York NY

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Arcade Fire – The Suburbs Album Review!

August 3rd, 2010 · Arcade Fire

The Arcade Fire. There, that assured me some page hits right off the bat.

The Arcade Fire are “just one of those bands.” Thanks to the monumental explosion of their debut LP, Funeral, they have scores of people who listen to nothing but them and tear up at every word. They don’t cause me to cry, but I still love them a ridiculously large amount.

Now before I say what I need to say about their latest release, The Suburbs, please know that this band is in a league all their own. If I were to say “____ is the worst Arcade Fire song”,  it is still an Arcade Fire song, which makes it better than 99.9% of music out there. With that disclosure, I now can safely say:

The Suburbs is Arcade Fire’s worst album.

Did it even have a possible chance to touch Funeral? No way. And it’s close to Neon Bible, but not quite. Why? The energy is a little lacking, which may not bug some of you. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a mellow sentimental song just as much as the next guy. I have, however, always loved the juxtaposition of Arcade Fire’s somber realism to their over the top energy and vocals. With less polarity, it’s not quite as enjoyable as past efforts.

Does this album still rock? Yes. Worth buying? Without a doubt. Better than most albums out there? Uh huh. Better than their first two albums? Nope.

I’ll still be racking up the play-count into the hundreds in no time.

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Free Seve Vs. Evan!

August 3rd, 2010 · Seve Vs. Evan

Seve Vs. Evan is currently working on a new album. To celebrate (or something) they are currently giving away their last album, pictured above, for free! Just CLICK HERE and download away in a variety of awesome formats including my favorite, Apple Lossless!

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New Arcade Fire Album Now Available For Cheap!

August 2nd, 2010 · Arcade Fire

I’m not sure if it’s a mistake or something, but the Arcade Fire’s new album, The Suburbs, is currently available on Amazon for only $3.99! Crazy huh? I bought it right away, and you can too by CLICKING HERE. It doesn’t even technically come out until tomorrow so I am not too sure what’s going on. Review to come soon.

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Modest Mouse – Twilight Concert Series – July 8 2010

July 12th, 2010 · Modest Mouse

Salt Lake City does a neat thing each summer by sponsoring free concerts every Thursday. These concerts have been growing in popularity, and this year were moved to a more “accommodating” venue, Pioneer Park. Then came the announcement that the opening act of the summer would be Modest Mouse. Holy smokes! What sort of attendance was expected I am not sure; what I do know is that the expected attendance could not have been anywhere near 40,000, which is exactly was it was.

After waiting in a giant unorganized line, we found ourselves in a swarm of ant-like people. As we attempted to work our way toward the stage, Modest Mouse’s set began. That’s when all hell broke loose.

For some reason, the set beginning was everyone’s clue to yell, push, cram, jab, and otherwise enact whatever possible chaos they could think of upon all those around them. After being packed absolutely tight to the point of not being able to move for about 10 minutes, I found myself seconds away from a claustrophobic meltdown. (I am used to concerts: I spent half a Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert on the front row. I have been to Disneyland on packed days. I promise you, nothing I have experienced compares to the crowd that night. NOTHING.)

After escaping the death trap which claimed the lives of many, we walked around the park, exited, and realized that we could see the show better from outside the fence. As people around us jumped the fence, got drunk, and cheered for Float On, we enjoyed a very mellow and relatively good (relatively being the key word) view of Modest Mouse.

Don’t let my pessimism thwart the joys of seeing these guys play live, it was just as expected: a blast. They are such a delight to listen to! And it was like our own little listening party outside the fence. They played mostly new stuff, but luckily graced our ears  with my favorite of the night, Dramamine. It was great.

And so ended our adventure into and out of the heart of the devil: thousands of drunk people that want to hear Float On. All in all it was actually quite fun.

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Mates of State @ In The Venue – June 28 2010

June 29th, 2010 · Mates of State

Mates of State are just one of those bands… they really can do no wrong. Standing in the venue last night waiting for them to go on, I realized that it has been three and a half years since I saw them live. That is about three years too long.

Mates of State played one of the most perfectly constructed sets of all time. Their selection of songs covered each of their albums, and somehow managed to choose the perfect tracks from each. It was out of control wonderful.

This is trivial, but their “touring members” were incredible. Usually when a band tours with an extra member or two, it bums me out a little bit. The whole time they are on the stage I can’t help but think “those guys are fakes”. That was not the case last night. The two chaps that played guitar, keys, and trumpet were the most awesome touring members of all time. Their energy and vibe complimented everything Mates of State is about, so hats off to them.

There was some major dancing going on in the crowd as MOS played through new tunes and old favorites. They laughed, smiled at each other, and put a ridiculous amount of energy into making the crowd excited. Yes friends of Lassie, they won our hearts just like a 1950′s collie.

When it was all said and done, the show was over, we were covered in sweat, and nothing but happiness and gratitude permeated from everyone. It was honestly one of the best shows I’ve ever attended, and most people I talked to agreed.

If you’re reading this and don’t know Mates of State, you owe yourself to give them a listen. Allow yourself some dancing room as you do. If you do know Mates of State, keep up the support. It’s super cool that they have continued to make new records and tour as parents, and I think they deserve all the support in the world for their beautiful harmonizing wonder.

*For full res versions of these photos and many others I took of Mates of State, drop me a comment and we can work something out.

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New Mates of State Music Video

June 23rd, 2010 · Mates of State

Mates of State collaborated with ABC (???) to create a music video for “True Love Will Find You In The End”. The result is fantastic. Check it (and a making-of) out below.



I can’t even believe how awesome these guys are. And next Monday I get to see them play live!

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New Fanfarlo Music Video and Tour Documentary

June 23rd, 2010 · Fanfarlo

Sure, it’s like a week old, but still awesome.

You can check out more Fanfarlo info, like the fact that they will be in the upcoming Twilight movie soundtrack (weird) or check out their tour documentary by CLICKING HERE.

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Want a Good Happy Cry?

June 23rd, 2010 · Broken Bells, The Shins

Feel like producing some good old fashioned happy tears? Broken Bells have released the best album so far this year hands down, but wait, that’s not the good news. They did a KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic session last week, in which Mercer talked of the next Shins album, another Broken Bells album, and more. Here’s a quote from the KCRW BLOG:

James announced that in between tours with Broken Bells, he is working on tracks for The Shins, which have been on hiatus. He told host Jason Bentley that a studio is being set up now and that the next thing he’ll probably release is a Shins record.

Brian and James also [said] that there will definitely be a second Broken Bells album. Exciting news all around.

They also dropped some other awesome news about the Dark Night of the Soul album, which is set to be released next month.

To listen/watch to the whole session, CLICK HERE.

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Meet Jenny and Johnny

June 23rd, 2010 · Jenny and Johnny

Most of you know Jenny Lewis. She was in Rilo Kiley and the Postal Service and also has an album with The Watson Twins. She was also in an awesome 80′s Nintendo flick called THE WIZARD in which she co-starred opposite Fred Savage, but that’s a story for a different day. She is now in a band with her bofyriend Jonathan Rice. Have you heard of him? That’s what I thought. But everyone knows that Jenny Lewis can produce some awesome songs, therefore I’m incredibly excited about their upcoming album (artwork above), entitled We’re Having Fun Now, and set to be released this fall. You can HEAD OVER TO THEIR WEBSITE to check out more info, pre-order the album in a plethora of formats, and gawk at their catchy cutesy name. You can also enter your email below to download a copy of their new song, “Scissor Runner.” It should give you a good taste of the awesomeness of these guys. Tour dates after the download boxy box.

09/01 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
09/02 – San Fransisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
09/03 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
09/05 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
09/06 – Seattle, WA (Bumbershoot)
09/08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
09/11 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
09/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
09/13 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
09/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
09/16 – Washington DC @ Black Cat
09/18 – Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
09/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Waterfront
09/21 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
09/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre $
09/23 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
09/24 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
09/25 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
10/03 – Hollywood, CA @ Palladium

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