My thank-God-I-woke-up-today moment yesterday was receiving Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3′ Ole! Tarantula. I’m not the biggest Robyn buff in the world, but he’s got a lot of stuff that I love. On this one he’s joined by “the Venus 3,” Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin of R.E.M/The Minus 5. The result [...]

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There are a great number of songwriters today that deserve far more recognition than the history books are bound to give them: Will Oldham, M. Ward, Will Sheff of Okkervil River. And now with the release of Fading Trails, it’s time to turn our focus to Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Co. MP3: Magnolia Electric [...]

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The Like Young have announced that the West Coast shows they play in support of Last Secrets will be their last. MP3: The Like Young – For Money or Love From their statement: The release of Last Secrets culminated 15 years of songwriting, recording, touring, and releasing records. With our most fulfilling album behind us, [...]

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Proving yet again that 2006 is the Year of the Festival, Pygmalion, which is this year co-curated by Polyvinyl Records, has announced a stellar line-up including Of Montreal, Man Man, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, and Danielson. Get your tickets. PYGMALION MUSIC FESTIVAL Champaign-Urbana, IL Sept 20-23 WEDNESDAY CANOPY CLUB ($10/12) Elf Power [...]

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Apollo Sunshine, another band I’d love to be able to check off my “must see live” list, have just posted a collection of their new (mostly West coast) dates. MP3: Apollo Sunshine – Today Is The Day MP3: Apollo Sunshine – Magnolia Apollo Sunshine Tour Dates Aug 29, 2006 7:30 PM Larimer Lounge Denver, CO [...]

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Last time De Novo Dahl rolled through Lexington I had to miss them because I was busy making my way to Bonnaroo. With no major life-changing festivals lined up, this time I was ready to rock out with one of the South’s finest bands. MP3: De Novo Dahl – Shout I have heard De Novo [...]

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MP3: Favourite Sons – Tall Grass Favourite Sons Tour Dates 9/1 – NY at Union Pool 9/12 – NY Sound Fix Instore 9/14 – KEXP’s John Richards Show 9/14 – Seattle at Chop Suey 9/16 – San Francisco at Café DuNord 9/18 – Los Angeles at Spaceland 9/19 – Los Angeles at Cinespace 9/22 – [...]

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I’d been hearing a lot about The Bird and the Bee, but only now had a chance to check them out. It’s a nice male/female duo whose album is heavy on the catchy and light on the filler. MP3: The Bird and the Bee – Again & Again MP3: The Bird and the Bee – [...]

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Tonight I’ll be catching the next installment of my “Nashville week” in Lexington: De Novo Dahl. They’ve just wrapped up work on their new album, and are doing a string of dates to celebrate. I’ve been told that their show in Nashville last week was awe-inspiring, so I’m really hoping this one turns out just [...]

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