Thursday morning music news: Portishead resurfaces, seapunk makes a splash and Les Paul is even cooler than you thought

livepict.com/artist/portishead

Still melancholy over the loss of Davy Jones? Soothe yourself with a nice list of forgotten classics by the Monkee.

The A.V. Club pays homage to the Boss.

What’s Chris Walla into these days? China, for starters.

If you love film scores, you’ll love this PopMatters list.

And speaking of film music: RIP Robert B. Sherman.

The utterly essential Quietus has the scoop on a new Portishead album.

Hear the new single by Free Energy.

Paste thinks these are the best Sufjan Stevens’ songs.

Carl Wilson talks to Stephin Merritt — and it doesn’t go half badly for a change.

Oh how fast fades the indie buzz.

Jay-Z vs. Egypt.

In a week when Rush Limbaugh made way too many headlines, a visit to the Other Woman is in order.

The competition is truly fierce but that won’t stop Drowned in Sound from nominating the biggest sell outs in pop.

NPR is streaming new releases by Andrew Bird, Vijay Iyer Trio and Magnetic Fields. KDHX is streaming the new album by Janiva Magness.

Les Paul really was some kind of genius from another galaxy.

Is seapunk for real? Probably not but don’t tell the New York Times.

Who better to track the emergence of Canadian indie rock than CBC Music?

The pros and cons of the new Beach House album, “Myths.” Me, I’m on the fence, but leaning pro.

Is this really Google’s iTunes moment? (Doubt it.)

How many Jeremy Lin tribute songs are there? More than you’ll probably stand to hear.

If you don’t know what chiptune music is you’re either a) not a hipster or b) haven’t been following Fuse.

Get psyched for SXSW 2012 with a 100-song NPR playlist. And don’t miss the KDHX and Twangfest Day Parties at Jovita’s, March 15 and 17.

Flavorwire picks its favorite albums coming out in March.

Musical taste and politics, as only McSweeney’s can do it.

This van sucks but it can be yours for $100K.

Posted by | March 8, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

Breaking: Polyphonic Spree at the Blueberry Hill Duck Room on Friday, May 11, 2012

facebook.com/polyphonicspree

This one came out of left field. I wouldn’t think Polyphonic Spree could even fit in the club. But very cool all the same.

Tickets on sale March 9 at 5 p.m. I would expect they’ll go fast.

Posted by | March 5, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

RIP Ronnie Montrose, rock guitarist, rock force

commons.wikimedia.org / Jim Summaria

Ronnie Montrose, who founded the band Montrose and performed with the likes of Van Morrison, Edgar Winter Group and Herbie Hancock, has passed away at the age of 64. He died on March 3, 2012, after a long battle with prostate cancer.

According to his official website:

A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose’s 64th birthday. He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn’t take any of our love for granted.

He passed today. He’d battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we’re glad to have shared with him while we could.

Rock on, Ronnie, rock on.

Posted by | March 4, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Davy Jones dies of heart attack, Pitchfork Festival psyches up the Windy City and Bruce Springsteen takes no prisoners

monkees.com

We’ll never wash this cheek again. Rest in peace, Davy Jones.

The July Pitchfork Festival in Chicago is announced, with Vampire Weekend, Feist and Hot Chip headlining.

KDHX Hear and Now is streaming the new forthcoming album by Jennifer O’Connor.

One of the great saxophonists of any generation, Red Holloway, has passed away.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is in trouble.

There’s a body at Rick Ross’ house and it’s not breathing.

The federal prison system discovers the iPod.

Take a trip through UK rock time with the covers of NME magazine.

And speaking of NME: Are these the 10 worst songs of the ’90s?

Hear a new song, “Happy Pills,” by Norah Jones.

RIP blues master Louisiana Red.

Paste lists the 20 best bonus tracks.

If you’re a politician, first, my condolences. Second, follow these rules for using music in your next campaign.

The latest Live at KDHX performances feature Polica, George Worthmore and Davina and the Vagabonds.

If Bruce Springsteen isn’t the best rock ‘n’ roll performer still standing, who is? Watch the E Street Band swing a wrecking ball through Fallon.

If BBC6 is to be believed, Boards of Canada have a double album coming out.

What do the major labels have in store for cloud music? Paid Content, appropriately, has the speculation.

Saturn is the scariest ambient band planet ever.

There’s a new drug in town, if you’re at a club in New Delhi. The kids are crazy for cobra venom.

Watch a new video by Santigold.

What does Apple have planned for audiophiles who fear streaming? The Guardian speculates.

Robin Gibb continues a hard battle against colon and liver cancer.

Metal heads from around the world, courtesy of Flavorpill.

Posted by | March 1, 2012 | Music, News | 1 Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Blur, New Order and the Specials go for the gold, Sleigh Bells ring hollow and Michael Davis and Billy Strange pass on

facebook.com/nekocase

RIP Michael Davis, bassist for the MC5.

The UK music press hasn’t hit rock bottom but it can see it from here.

The Huffington Post reports on a National Blues Museum — in St. Louis.

Justin Timberlake nails Bon Iver on SNL. Watch.

Jack White shares the tracklist and art for “Blunderbuss.”

Blur, New Order and the Specials will close out the Olympics in London.

You think you have the blues? You have nothing on trying to get tickets to Kraftwerk.

Hear “Death to My Hometown,” yet another new song from the forthcoming Springsteen album.

The A.V. Club takes a look at the Elephant 6 collective.

KDHX’s latest feature is called “Hear and Now,” a full album preview stream. The first installment shares Water Liars’ new album “Phantom Limb.”

How much would you pay for a Motorhead box set? $600? Lemmy wants to have a word with you.

The New York Times chats with Lon Bender, sound editor for “Drive” and “The Hunger Games.”

Billboard takes a look at 10 great new or renovated music venues.

Is this the toxic cocktail that killed Whitney?

Sad news about Slim Dunlap. The former Replacements guitarist has suffered a serious stroke.

Hear a new song by Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes.

When music critic titans meet: Simon Reynolds on Greil Marcus.

Take a tour of Neko Case’s Vermont home — brought to you by IKEA and a bunch of designers IDK.

What if the Internets took David Bowie and mashed him up with movie posters?

Joey Ramone is still dead but he still has a new album coming out — featuring Joan Jett, Steve Van Zandt and members of Cheap Trick and the Dictators.

The breakup of EMI isn’t going so well.

Sleigh Bells are the new Lana Del Rey. Or the new Transformers movie. Or something.

Norah Jones, Mudhoney and vintage horror flicks — all separated at birth.

We should be getting a new album from Metric in June.

Björk’s longtime collaborator Leila Arab takes a look back.

Electronic music pioneer Robert Henke takes on Skrillex, Ableton and more.

Rufus Wainwright is back in the game with “Out of the Game,” including a song called “Montauk.” Listen.

LA Wrecking Crew session guitarist and songwriter Billy Strange has died.

This week’s World’s Worst Person in Music (™) award goes to Michael Jackson’s former manager.

What’s on Jeremy Lin’s iPod? Uggh.

Posted by | February 23, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

The top 10 Jane’s Addiction songs

facebook.com/janesaddiction

Jane’s Addiction‘s February 22 show at the Pageant is an excellent opportunity for longtime St. Louis fans to see the band in an intimate setting.

A second show would be ideal for those fans who didn’t buy tickets quickly enough, but there’s no sign of that happening.

Jane’s, arguably the first mainstream “alternative rock” band, last played here in 2003 when they headlined the KPNT HoHo Show at the Savvis Center. According to a Post-Dispatch reviewer, “nearly a third depart[ed] following Deftones’ set and a steady stream of folk exit[ed] while they played.”

This month’s show should be a different story. The Wednesday night show sold out very quickly and the excitement over the show is evidenced in the eBay and StubHub resale prices.

Here are my top 10 Jane’s Addiction songs, with some thoughts on each.

1. “Ted, Just Admit It…” (from “Nothing’s Shocking,” 1988)

This song, along with “Summertime Rolls,” is Jane’s Addiction — epic, hard-hitting, lyrically provocative and full of twists. In my neck of the woods, “Nothing’s Shocking” was the soundtrack to the summer of 1989. When played at parties, it was truly a no-hater zone — skaters, metalheads, goths and Britpop fans were equally thrilled at Jane’s bad-assedness. Mainstream pop fans had no idea who they were.

2. “Ocean Size” (from “Nothing’s Shocking,” 1988)

Elegant and rip-roaring at the same time, I’ve logged more hours on this song playing air guitar, drums, bass and vocals than any other song, no contest.

3. “Been Caught Stealing” (from “Ritual de lo Habitual,” 1990)

From the opening barks, this whimsical track is a non-stop dance party.

4. “Mountain Song” (from “Nothing’s Shocking,” 1988)

Good memory: Watching singer Perry Farrell, bassist Mike Watt and the rest of Porno for Pyros blow the roof off of Mississippi Nights in 1996, playing this song as its encore. Not-so-good memory: At Lollapalooza 2009, Band of Horses inexplicably played over their end time on the opposite stage, drowning out some of this song and the entirety of “Up the Beach.” I like Band of Horses, but disrupting the festival owner’s Sunday night headlining set? Epic FAIL.

5. “Three Days” (from “Ritual de lo Habitual,” 1990)

Seeing this progressive rock-style song live is nothing less than a religious experience for many. This and other B-side songs on Ritual are thought to be about Farrell’s deceased friend Xiola Blue, who died of a heroin overdose in 1987 while still a teenager.

6. “Whores” (from S/T, 1987)

This is the ultimate early JA song, encompassing their unique blend of punk and metal. Lyrically, it set the tone for Farrell’s lifelong fascination with the beauty of society’s underbelly.

7. “Jane Says” (from “Nothing’s Shocking,” 1988)

The song is uber-repetitive, yet mesmerizing and classic — much like what “How Soon is Now?” did for the Smiths.

8. “Just Because” (from “Strays,” 2003)

This explosive single, their most successful hit yet, was a highlight of JA’s first ‘comeback’ album. The song helped introduce the band to legions of younger fans, many of whom had no idea just how much their tastes were shaped by Jane’s.

9. “Superhero” (from “Strays,” 2003)

Do I like this song simply because it’s been pounded into my head as the theme to HBO’s “Entourage”? Maybe, but it’s a cool jam that’s even better when you listen to the full version.

10. “Underground” (from “The Great Escape Artist,” 2011)

This is classic Jane’s, as guitar god Dave Navarro shreds on guitar, tweaking out many cool effects. Farrell’s voice doesn’t show much sign of age. Their latest album got mixed reviews, but I think it’s a good, if not great, effort.

That being said, I hope Farrell is smart enough not to play this entire album at the Pageant. This hungry St. Louis crowd is going to want classic Jane’s addiction songs and lots of them.

Posted by | February 21, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

All Aboard for Fun Times: St. Louis show highlights for February 17-18

All Aboard for Fun Times Train

commons.wikimedia.org

I was sorry to hear the Paper Dolls have called it quits, but it appears that everyone involved has plenty of other things going on.

Such is life (or, as Dick Richmond once put it in his P-D review of an ELP concert, “Sailor Be”).

The Mardi Gras parade is Saturday; all my picks that night are free of charge, so they may not be free of obnoxious drunks. Here’s hoping the doors are staffed by persons who exercise some discretion — the bathroom they save may be their own! Friday is really jammed with jams:

Friday, February 17

Jon Dee Graham
Off Broadway 3509 Lemp 7-9 $10 adv/12 dos (+3 under 21) Smoke-free

Gruff-voiced JDG is an alt-country institution in Austin; voted Musician of the Year in 2006, and is a triple threat in the town’s Hall of Fame (as a solo artist, as part of the Skunks and the True Believers). He’s got a impressive CV, working with many of the town’s best artists and a list of others including Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Michelle Shocked and John Hiatt. Expect a range of sounds, with top-notch songcraft.

Allen Stone / Tommy And The High Pilots / Tidal Volume
Firebird 2706 Olive 7:30-11 $12 (+2 under 21) Smoke-free

Folks who enjoy retro-glancing soul acts like Mayer Hawthorn and Raphel Saadiq should enjoy the sounds of Seattle’s AS. Santa Barbara’s TatHP play jangly, catchy pop-rock. I haven’t heard TV.

The Ransom Note / The Transatlantic / Tok
Schlafly Tap Room 2100 Locust 9-12 Free (minors only with parents) Smoke-free

Smooth, soulful bedroom sounds from TRN — turn down the lights. Springfield (IL) quartet TT offers hook-laden, punchy pop-rock; reminiscent of the Romantics to my ears, albeit with a harder edge. T rock hard, but with a more melodic sensibility than many bands of their ilk.

Murder City Players provide a groove-filled night of reggae/ska sounds at 2720 (2720 Cherokee), with DJ sets during their breaks. This runs 9-1, with an $8 cover (18+ only). Smoke-free

Lookout Joe, a project involving scene vets Brian Henneman, Kip Loui and Richard Tralles, play rock and country at Pop’s Blue Moon (5249 Pattison), starting around 9:30. Cover is probably $5 (21+ only). Smoking is allowed, but in a separate area. Cash only here.

The Trip Daddys / Bible Belt Sinners / Old Capital Square Dance Club
The Crack Fox 1114 Olive 9:30-1 $8 (21+ only) Smoking, moderate to heavy

High-octane, kinda-billy rock from TTD. Rockabilly sounds, with the power-growler vocals of Molly Sims, from BBS. A mix of country, blues and rock sounds from OC(sic)SDC.

Read more

Posted by | February 17, 2012 | Local, Music, News | Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Bonnaroo lineup goes live, Public Image Ltd revives and Dory Previn, Jimmy Sabater and Whitney Houston pass on

facebook.com/pilofficial

Sony says price gouging in the wake of Whitney Houston’s death was a “mistake.”

Houston’s cause of death is still officially “unknown.”

Diamanda Galás fingers Clive Davis.

Did social media save the Grammys? The Record thinks so.

The always excellent Jeff Weiss thinks nothing can save the Grammys.

The week in St. Louis concert announcements includes dates from Ray Wylie Hubbard, Dave Matthews Band, New Edition, Mayer Hawthorne, Béla Fleck and Don Williams.

Songwriter and singer Dory Previn has died at the age of 86.

Is there a science to a good, sad song? The Wall Street Journal makes the case.

The Bonnaroo lineup is out.

Chuck Klosterman reviews the new Van Halen album.

Need more music apps in your life? What, are you as crazy as the Next Web?

Stand-up comic Marc Maron lists his favorite songs at Pop & Hiss.

When it comes to clothes, Iggy Pop may be best known for not wearing any. This fact did not stop this Vice interview.

The A.V. Club is streaming the new album by Damien Jurado.

Gibson lists its favorite 10 mad geniuses of music.

Speaking of which, Public Image Ltd is releasing its first album in 20 years. Hear a preview track.

Band reunions don’t have to suck. L Magazine offers up the evidence.

NPR is streaming new albums by Sinéad O’Connor, Grimes and Lambchop.

Wondering what this whole techno noise underground thing is all about? Resident Advisor takes you there.

Latin soul great, Jimmy Sabater, has passed away.

Valentine’s Day is over, but savor these two features: Love Songs recorded live at KDHX in 2011 and KDHX Facebook fans’ favorite anti-love songs.

In more Cupid news: Flavorwire makes a mixed tape for Romeo and Juliet and Spin lists the 33 Bitterest Songs Ever.

The Quietus gives a sneak preview of “Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-92.”

You may not have noticed, but Spotify Mobile has bumped up its bitrate.

Who is Ellen Fitton and why should you care? She remastered Motown.

Posted by | February 16, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

← Previous Page — Next Page →