WAVED RUMOR

Surfer Blood - new single 'Demon Dance', LP forthcoming

2013-03-20T14:10:00.001-05:00

I saw Surfer Blood a few years ago when they toured Phoenix, and the first encore was Guided by Voices' 'Game of Pricks'. And the singer-guitarist John Paul Pitts did a great version of it. So I ended up liking them more than the average indie-rock-pop band.

Now the new Surfer Blood LP is coming out in June - here's the first single 'Demon Dance' - it ain't edgy or aggro, but it sounds like the best Pixies song you'll hear all day by a band not called the Pixies:

You can buy it on iTunes.

Here's an early version of 'Demon Dance' the band played last summer in New York:

The new LP is called 'Pythons" out on Warners in June. Read more about it at the Surfer Blood band site. Check their Facebook page for all the band's upcoming tour dates.

International Pop Overthrow: Phoenix Show, March 15-16

2013-03-13T17:50:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the Phoenix-Tempe area plays hosts to the traveling rock 'n roll circus known as the International Pop Overthrow.

It's a weekend-long event, showcasing local music in cities where the IPO (as it's known) plays throughout the year. This is the 5th year in greater Phoenix area.

International Pop Overthrow started 14 years ago in Los Angeles. David Bash is the founder and CEO of IPO and has spent the last 14 years building up the enterprise to include more and more cities in its yearly itinerary. For 2013, Bash and Co will bring his emceeing and organizational talents to the following cities:
Phoenix - March 15-16
Detroit - April 4-6
Nashville April 11-14
Chicago April 18-27
New York April 30-May 5
Liverpool May 14-21
London May 24-26
Los Angeles July 26 -Aug. 4
San Francisco August 7-10
Portland August 14-17
Seattle August 22-24
Vancouver August 27-31
Austin Sept 19-22
New York Nov 12-17
Boston Nov. 20-23
Toronto Nov. 27-30

Here's the Phoenix weekend flyer above. My band Dfactor is happy to again play on the IPO stage. We'll be rockin' our set on Friday night, with a set full of cool originals and swell pop covers. Powerpop lovers who dig cool, catchy chords and great melodies should catch this weekend's set! This weekend's shows are to be held at Sail Inn in Tempe, AZ. Hope to see you come on out!

Follow the IPO festival on its Facebook page.

'This is My Jam' looking for New Avenues

2013-03-07T18:43:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite fun music curation-discovery-sharing thingamajigs on the Internet is This is My Jam. It's a easy-to-use site to let you find music via URL or download and post it as your weekly fave track.

Here's my Dfactor Jam page.

When you share a 'jam' online with friends, everyone gets to see a cool new or old track. And with YouTube's music vaults as expansive as anything, anyone can link a URL to This is My Jam to share with friends. Now, according to GigaOm tech news site, This is my Jam founders are looking at how to grow the service from an inside pet project into a bigger independent entity.

GigaOm's Bobbie Johnson wrote:
"The site is one of my favorite services to have launched in the last year or two, and it’s one I’ve found myself going back to more often than I expected. Posting your favorite tracks and browsing the tracks of others turns the site into a curious mixture of status update and radio station. It’s a great tool for telling people about the music you like — lots of people use it to showcase their mood, for example. But it’s also a treasure trove of music, allowing you to dig around in the tastes of others. Because it’s almost exclusively focused on what people are listening to now, it has a real-time quality to it… yet the conscious decision that goes into making your choice means that the end result is more personal than Pandora but way more curated than Spotify’s frictionless sharing."

I agree. It's fun and interesting to curate a new songs for friends every weekk or so. You can get all historical archive with it and dig out that late great rare Wilco song from inside Jeff Tweedy's cabinet drawers, or just go with the current flow and pick out an up-n-comer playing at SXSW next week. It's the randomness of it all that keeps people's picks interesting to me.

And now the This is My Jam creators are thinking ahead. They are looking to tinker with new ways for users to browse the site, according to the GigaOm article. "Explore categories will include “Breaking” (songs that have been jammed for the first time recently, and subsequently shared), “Rare” (songs that have been jammed only once), and another one that lists just the first jams of newly-registered users. Although it could act as a way for users to introduce themselves to the service, the first jams could also become a sort of Greatest Hits package."

Stick with The Jam. And stick with This is My Jam.

Warner Brothers SXSW showcase with Surfer Blood, Blondfire, The Wild Feathers and others

2013-03-06T15:34:00.001-05:00

Warner Music is hosting a three-day live music residency March 12-14 at South By Southwest (location is The Belmont Austin). It's the "The Warner Sound Captured by Nikon" showcase. Surfer Blood, Blondfire and The Wild Feathers are all on the bill and will also be playing a handful of other shows and events throughout the week. See below for more info and full schedules.

Surfer Blood
West Palm Beach rock band Surfer Blood are gearing up for the June 11th release of its Warner Bros. Records debut, Pythons. Pythons is the follow-up to Surfer Blood's critically-acclaimed debut album Astro Coast, which earned spots on "best of" lists from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Filter, Paste, NME and the BBC. NPR's Bob Boilen called Astro Coast his "favorite album of 2010" and declared Surfer Blood to be "America's best new pop band."

Monday, March 11th
10 p.m. - Transmission Entertainment Showcase @ The Mohawk
Wednesday, March 13th
5 p.m. - Under The Radar Showcase @ Flamingo Cantina
Thursday, March 14th
6 p.m. - Filter Showcase @ Bar 96
8:30 p.m. - Warner Sound Showcase @ The Belmont
Friday, March 15th
1 a.m. - Fat Cat / Kanine Showcase
4 p.m. - Noise Pop Showcase @ Red Eye Lounge
Saturday, March 17th
12:30 p.m. - Rolling Stone Showcase @ La Zona Rosa
5 p.m. - KCRW + Filter Mag @ Cedar Street

Blondfire
Fronted by singer Erica Driscoll's soft, breathy vocals and rounded out by a catchy, danceable beat, LA band Blondfire is releasing their Warner Bros. Records debut, Young Heart, this year. The single "Where The Kids Are" became a Sirius XM Alt. Nation #1 late last year and is currently featured in the new Honda Civic campaign. Catch them on tour now with AWOLNATION and later this spring with Foals and Surfer Blood.

Monday, March 11th
8 p.m. - Will Call Showcase @ Javelina
Tuesday, March 12th
4 p.m. - Mood Party @ Clive Bar
9 p.m. - Warner Sound @ The Belmont
Wednesday, March 13th
12:30 a.m. - Blah Blah Blah Science Party
3 p.m. - Filter Party @ Clive Bar
4 p.m. - Crave Party

Wild Feathers
The Wild Feathers take inspiration from across the musical spectrum - country, blues, folk and rock - and spin it into a roaring web of warm, cosmic melodies with vintage roots and modern tones. The band is gearing up to release their self-titled debut album this summer, which was produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, the Wallflowers, Emmylou Harris). They are currently on a Southern residency tour until SXSW.

Wednesday, March 13th
2 p.m. - Macbeth Showcase @ Lustre Pearl
8:50 p.m. - ASCAP Showcase @ Red Eyed Fly
Thursday, March 14th
12 p.m. - Warner Sound Showcase @ The Belmont
Friday, March 15th
11:35 a.m. - Whole Foods Showcase
3:30 p.m. - Hype Music Showcase @ Rusty's
Saturday, March 16th
3:00 p.m. - Baeble Music Presents: The Launch Pad @ The Knuckle Rumbler Lounge

New Dfactor single 'Yes & No Girl', upcoming shows

2013-02-26T01:18:00.000-05:00

Singer-songwriter Dfactor announces the release of a new pop song 'Yes & No Girl' and two upcoming live appearances.

The Phoenix-based guitarist-rocker has released a bubblegum rocker called 'Yes & No Girl' about the politics of indecision and the quality of relationships. You can stream 'Yes & No Girl' at the Dfactor Soundcloud page or below.

"I am stoked to share 'Yes & No Girl' with my friends and fans," said Dfactor. "As with many of my songs, this title came about in a conversation where the phrase was dropped. It sounded good to my ears, and the song practically write itself."

In lieu of a current rock trio, Dfactor will perform two upcoming shows in solo mode, with a mix of acoustic and electric material, drawn from new songs and old fan favorites.

On Friday, March 8th, Dfactor will perform at famed rock biker bar Chopper Johns, appearing with local garage rock favorites Scorpion vs. Tarantula and The Breakup Society.

On Friday, March 15, Dfactor will perform at the Phoenix tour stop for the International Pop Overthrow, to be held at the great Sail Inn rock club in Tempe, AZ.

You can follow this talented singer-songwriter at the Dfactor Facebook page or follow him on Twitter.

The Hives and Pink - Tour Dates 2013

2013-01-07T01:32:00.002-05:00

So excited that The Hives are opening up Pink's 2013 arena rock tour. Here are the majority of the dates, as seen from The Hives website. See all the dates below and get your tickets now!

The first show of the Pink-The Hives tour is in Phoenix on Feb 13th!

FEBRUARY 2013
01 February 2013 - Kalmar, Sweden Palace
02 February 2013 - Örebro, Sweden Club 700
07 February 2013 - Malmö, Sweden KB
08 February 2013 - Karlstad, Sweden Nöjesfabriken
09 February 2013 - Oslo, Norway Sentrum Scene
13 February 2013 - Phoenix, AZ U.S. Airways Center
15 February 2013 - Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center
16 February 2013 - Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
18 February 2013 - San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose
20 February 2013 - Austin, TX- HEADLINE SHOW Emo's East
**Presale begins 10am Thurs Dec 20 with code: hivesatx**
21 February 2013 - Houston, TX Toyota Center
22 February 2013 - Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
24 February 2013 - Orlando, FL Amway Center
25 February 2013 - Fort Lauderdale, FL BB&T Center
27 February 2013 - Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum

MARCH 2013
01 March 2013 - Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
02 March 2013 - Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
05 March 2013 - Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
06 March 2013 - Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
08 March 2013 - Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
09 March 2013 - Chicago, IL United Center
11 March 2013 - Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
12 March 2013 - Montreal, QC Bell Centre
14 March 2013 - Washington DC Verizon Center
22 March 2013 - New York, NY Madison Square Garden
23 March 2013 - East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
25 March 2013 - Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
27 March 2013 - Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
28 March 2013 - Boston, MA TD Garden

Rolling Stones 'Paint It Black' Live (Dec 8, 2012)

2012-12-13T23:51:00.000-05:00

The Rolling Stones are doing shows on the East Coast all week - a couple in Brooklyn last weekend, then the 12-12-12 appearance Wednesday night, then two shows in New Jersey tonight and Friday. Nice work if you can get it.

The New York Times wrote:
What is a Stones show? Musically, now that they’re in their 50th year and a long time before now, it doesn’t seem to be so much about the performances you’re actually hearing in real time. It’s an oldies show that can become a flickering re-enactment ritual: momentarily you hear a sound that’s both well-worn and alive, with a huge amount of meaning attached to it — it’s almost always a guitar riff or a drum fill — and then it’s gone, pulled under into a more functional or starchier or sometimes sloppier passage. And visually it’s about Mick Jagger’s stamina. Saturday’s show was the start of the American part of the Stones’ “50 and Counting” tour; as long as he was on stage, during the show’s two and a quarter hours, he never stopped."

The brilliant rock and roll muckrakers at Brooklyn Vegan has loads of info on this week's shows. They wrote:
"We already knew that Bruce Springsteen, The Black Keys, and Lady Gaga will be showing up at The Rolling Stones second of two Prudential Center shows (12/13 and 12/15), and we're now excited to find out that former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, who played with the band from '69 to '74 and showed up at their London shows but not their Brooklyn show will be joining them at both Prudential Center shows."

Gotta hand it to Mick for rallying the guys to do a few shows in honor of the 50th anniversary as a band. It had to take a lot of encouragement to get those guys back in form, even if they are a half-step slower than last seen.

Here's Paint It Black from last Saturday's show:

The Movement - Put the Lights On (2012), German shows

2012-12-03T23:53:00.000-05:00

I've heard the band name The Movement a few times in recent years, but being 6,000 miles away, didn't hear it enough to listen closely. But tonight, I'm hearing a good chunk of the band's songs from their 2012 LP Fools Like You and it's flooring me.

The Movement is a power-trio from Copenhagen/DK. They play mod-rock! Their sound is influenced by The Jam, The Who and The Clash. The Movement is a well dressed band who always wears suits, they know the old mod-slogan: "Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances". A great combination of urgent rhythms, snappy guitars, killer bass and awesome, fast drums, it's like listening to a mix of The Jam and Joe Jackson (rock) Band fronted by Lemmy - it's a pretty fierce combination.

At The Movement website, their manifesto reads:
"WE as a modern rock group, can only inspire and encourage people to resist. There’s a new and constantly growing generation of young kids interested in political questions, expressing deep fundamental critic and rejection of the global effects of capitalism and its mechanisms of exploitation, war and oppression – young people searching for truth and enlightenment in times of total manipulation, lie and darkness. This Band is dedicated to all of them."

If you're in Germany, the Movement is playing a few shows next week by you:
07 Dec. BREMEN – Lila Eule
08 Dec. PFORZHEIM – Bottich
09 Dec. KÖLN – Underground
10 Dec. KIEL – Schaubude

Here's a clip from their new LP: The Movement - Put the Lights On

Dig The Movement on Facebook.

The Hives to Open for Pink's Arena Tour 2013

2012-11-12T18:44:00.001-05:00

Yay - The Hives get to plays for chicks!

The Hives will return to the U.S. in February for a nationwide arena tour in support of Pink! Kicking off February 13 in Phoenix, the dates will take them to 25 cities across the U.S. See below for details.

The Pink tour is called "The Truth About Love" tour.
"She burst onto the scene with "There You Go" and "Get The Party Started" and now she's back on tour celebrating her latest album, The Truth About Love. Pink is unlike any female pop star of her generation, going against the grain with pop rock party anthems packed with attitude and style. Get ready for a night in the Funhouse with this incomparable superstar live by getting your set of tickets for the Pink Tour 2013 today!"

Ok, now back to The Hives. The band is currently in the midst of a world tour - kicking off their European headline dates next week - in support of their widely-acclaimed new album Lex Hives that has included show-stopping sets at Coachella, Reading & Leeds and Jay-Z's Made in America festival, as well as appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Conan, Last Call with Carson Daly and more. Carson will air a second episode with The Hives on December 10, featuring two songs from their October 8 set at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

The Hives are Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Vigilante Carlstroem.

THE HIVES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
February 13, 2013 - Phoenix, AZ @ U.S. Airways Center
February 15, 2013 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
February 16, 2013 - @ Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
February 18, 2013 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion at San Jose
February 21, 2013 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
February 22, 2013 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
February 24, 2013 - Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
February 25, 2013 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
February 27, 2013 - Tampa, FL @ Tampa Bay Times Forum
March 1, 2013 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
March 2, 2013 - Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
March 5, 2013 - Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
March 6, 2013 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
March 8, 2013 - Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
March 09, 2013 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
March 11, 2013 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
March 12, 2013 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
March 14, 2013 - Washington DC @ Verizon Center
March 22, 2012 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
March 23, 2013 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
March 25, 2013 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
March 27, 2013 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
March 28, 2013 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Green Day - Uno! and Dos! songs!

2012-11-09T01:52:00.002-05:00

Green Day isn't touring for the rest of 2012, Billie Joe Armstrong is recuperating somewhere and all we've got is what the band recorded this year. And I like a lot of it.

The new stuff from Dos! is out. Here's several of the songs that Rolling Stone called "a short but sweet platter of 13 tracks that rock hard and fast."

Fuck Time is fun, right?

Here are three Green Day songs from its 1st Lp 'Uno!' in the trilogy:

Here's the video for their poppy single 'Stray Heart' - a song nicely nicked straight from Nick Lowe and Rockpile's nugget 'Heart' straight out of a 1972-1982-1992-2002 hitlist!

The Soft Pack new LP 'Strapped" out now!

2012-11-09T00:37:00.002-05:00

I'm still catching up on cool new releases that have flown by me in recent months. Here's another one.

The Soft Pack from sunny CA has a new release out. It came out in September when I was sleeping, clearly. It's called 'Strapped' and it's full of catchy cool songs laced with 70s pop vibe and loads more.

photo courtesy of You Me and Charlie

The band is just finishing up a month-long tour across the East and West USA rock halls, winning fans with their echo-laden propulsive power rock. Their site describes how...
"The group also took their time while making Strapped, making it over the course of two years. This pace allowed them to integrate new ideas and approaches into their existing sound, not just outright cop them. The Soft Pack’s pop rock foundations are undeniably still present—nine of the songs don’t break three minutes and from the first seconds of glorious album opener 'Saratoga' it’s obvious they haven’t abandoned the fuzz."

Here's Tallboy - a poppy, hornsy drinking song (or fear of drinking song!)

Here's a chance to listen to the whole LP of the Soft Pack 'Strapped' LP, courtesy of its Brooklyn label house Mexican Summer's vinyl copy. Here's Side A:

Here's Side B:

Dig The Soft Pack - bringing psychedelic pop back to the trenches!

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead "Lost Songs"

2012-10-30T23:09:00.001-05:00

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is a veteran Austin, TX-based pop-punk metal hardcore rock band that has blown the minds of many audiences in their decade or more together. Their songs are anthems, even if you can't hear them past their hardcore volume, but you know, you should. Cuz their songs are brilliant loud exercises in intellectual and physical ferocity.

The band's new CD is called "Lost Songs" and it's described by head Dead guy Conrad Keely (in this Paste Magazine interview) as a natural extension of the band's previous work. Except this time, everythng came out of a pretty collaborative, spontaneous process. Keely said:
"All of the writing for the music came really fast, so fast so that we didn’t have much time to think about the direction it was going. We just let it carry us through the process. We wanted to just let it flow. If something’s not working, go to the next thing; if you let it flow, most of the things you try just work somehow. It was a really collaborative writing experience. We were all coming up with ideas together, which is a lot different compared to how I wrote in the past."

One Amazon.com fan described their music as "part punk, part prog, and park alt rock, the band has slick sensibilities, but they do a great job creating a sonic atmosphere (complete with rolling intensity) around their tunes."

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is doing a few overseas shows, then starting a US tour in San Francisco next week, leading up to Thanksgiving break. Here are the dates. See them and enjoy the volume and intensity.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead US Tour Dates:
November
4- Austin, Texas @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
8- San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent
9- Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Echoplex
10- San Diego, Calif. The Casbah
15- Washington, D.C. @ Rock and Roll Hotel
16- New York, N.Y. @ Irving Plaza
17- Cambridge, Mass. @ Middle East
18- Philadelphia, Pa. @ First Unitarian Church
20- Toronto, Ontario @ Lee’s Palace
21- Chicago, Ill. @ Bottom Lounge

Bob Mould and Band - Keep Believin' // Conan O Brien (live)

2012-10-30T16:45:00.002-05:00

Another TV appearance, another absolute fiery performance from Bob Mould, Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster. Are these guys the hardest working trio playing live right now? I say yes!

(pic via Slicing Up Eyeballs)

Man, this song smokes. Bob's got his capo up on the frets, playing through a few amps for maximum distortion, volume and ultimate guitar ringing. Plus the band just kills its. Have a listen and a watch, in case you missed it last night watching storm coverage.

Bob Mould announced last week that his year of playing Sugar's 'Copper Blue' in its entirety will end soon, with final performances in the next week. Read more at Bob's web site.

"And now it’s time to say farewell to Copper Blue. I’m not retiring the songs — many of them will be in my live sets forever — but I am putting the “start to finish” reading of Copper Blue to rest after playing it at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, CA on October 30 and then at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin TX on November 2.

It was wonderful to pay tribute to Copper Blue by opening the 2012 shows with a start to finish reading of the album. By the end of the North American tour it felt a bit predictable. The longtime followers know my restlessness all too well, so my need to shake things up should be no surprise."

Public Image - Green Day - Aerosmith - Bob Mould

2012-10-29T23:57:00.000-05:00

Yes, the rock still goes on, in the midst of calamity, inertia and distraction. These are indeed wild times in which we are living.

- Public Image Ltd. hits Phoenix-Tempe Tuesday at the Marquee Theater. British multi-media star and punk rock legend leads an all-star bill at Marquee Theater, featuring openers, The Father Figures and Dead Irrelevants.

Phoenix New Times' resident old school punk Glenn BurnSilver writes:
"there's plenty of PiL material to fill a concert, including songs from the recently released This Is PiL, the group's first album in 20 years. Lydon formed the post-punk group in the wake of the Pistols' disastrous demise, releasing First Issue in 1978 with Metal Box (considered the band's best work) following quickly in 1979. Mixing new wave, pop, reggae, dub, punk, and noise with Lydon's stream-of-consciousness rants, PiL followed an experimental musical path over the years that, at times, seemed devoid of any real direction.

Read more about PIL's Sunday night dat in LA at Club Nokia (via Rolling Stone)

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- Billie Joe Armstrong really mangled Green Day's plans for world domination, didn't he? The LA Times writes:
"Green Day has canceled the rest of its North American club tour dates for this year and postponed appearances scheduled for January and February 2013 as frontman Billie Joe Armstrong continues treatment for substance abuse issues, the band announced Monday."

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- Lots of music shows being postponed or cancelled up and down the East Coast these nights, writes Brooklyn Vegan.

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- Aerosmith will be performing LIVE on the streets of its old hometown of Beantown, Boston YEAH! Jambase writes:
"They’re planning to show up somewhere in the city, around noon, and play on the streets. That’s all Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Brad Whitford (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass) and Joey Kramer (drums) are telling us for now. Well, they would like to tell us more, but they’re cooperating with authorities who will let them reveal the location the morning of November 5.

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Bob Mould and band (Jason Narducy, Jon Wurster) are playing Conan O'Brien as I type this. I'm off to watch. Clippage tomorrow.

Here's a lovely Bob Mould song from days gone by. Can't Fight It.

New Order - Age of Consent (live), Greek Theater

2012-10-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

(photo via Orange County Register)

Thanks to YouTube uploader Brian James, we have a nice clip of the reunited New Order playing live this past weekend at LA's Greek theater doing their awesome track 'Age of Consent' from 1983's Power, Corruption & Lies.

The Orange Country Register reviewed the show at LA's Greek Theater, writing:
"Regardless, from there they were off and running, rarely letting up for 90 minutes and only once or twice departing from their canon of time-tested classics. Formative singles like “Ceremony” and “Age of Consent” were heartily delivered to delirious reaction early on, while the end of the main set was positively dizzying, increasing in ebullience from “True Faith” and “The Perfect Kiss” to a spot-on “Blue Monday” (far better than at Coachella last time) and a mirror-ball-enhanced roar through “Temptation,” which had people spilling into the aisles to shout “up! down! turn around! please don’t let me hit the ground!”

Hey Reverb interviewed New Order's Bernard Sumner for more insights into this musical, mercurial man.

Here's the cool clip of 'Age of Consent' from New Order.

You Needed Better, You Got Better! The Hives!

2012-10-04T17:24:00.001-05:00

Any regular reader of Waved Rumor will see that I love The Hives. And why not? They play fast, furiously fun rock music with a pulse and energy. They put on some of the best rock shows around, and the band are pros at what they do.

"You Love the Hives", shouts out Pelle in concerts.

I noted the Hives' announced 2012 tour dates, the Hives' return to Coachella earlier this year, assorted snippets about videos and songs and more. And I thoroughly enjoyed their last visit to Phoenix-Tempe area back in 2008, with a review of The Hives Marquee Theater show that kicked everyone's ass who attended.

And it's all here again! The Hives are winding down their U.S. tour. The Hives will be on Jay Leno's Tonight show on Friday night and after a San Diego show over the weekend, the band will be hitting Tempe's Marquee Theater again for another blast of Hives rock to sate the indie rock kids.

You should Go! It will be your new favorite rock show ever! Tickets are general admission and $22 will let you see not only The Hives, but also LA's great retro punk band Fidlar and Mick Jagger's son's band Turbogeist.

Get ready, get set, Tick-Tick-Tick Boom! Here are the fall dates:

THE HIVES - 2012 TOUR DATES
October 6 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's
October 8 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
October 9 - Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
October 10 - Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theater

Here is "Wait a Minute":

Wicked Wild Rock Wednesday!

2012-10-03T14:26:00.001-05:00

Loads of great content on the web today - here are a some of my faves!

ClashMusic has two great recent articles with some classic rockers types:

- Mott the Hoopple mainman and solo artist Ian Hunter spills the juice on what makes music click, and how the Mott reunions went down.

- More from ex-Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook on the rough feelings within the band, and promoting his new book release, 'Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures'.

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Beach House played Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver the other night. Exclaim was there with a review, which suggested that nothing out of the ordinary took place:
"The songs sounded practically identical to their studio counterparts, right down to the programmed rhythms that introduced many of the tracks. The swirling stage lights and subtle projections complemented the mood while rarely drawing attention to themselves."

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Troubadour of the Southwest Nick Lowe played in Phoenix, AZ at the wondrous Musical Instrument Museum on Monday night, and Phoenix New Times caught the solo songwriter. To wit:
"Lowe likes to draw the lines between his old days and the new. "I feel as if I've sort of had two careers, one that lasted 'til the end of the '80s, and one that sort of kicked off around the end of the '90s," he explained during our interview. "The new people don't really know much about Rockpile and all that business." But live, the lack of difference between those world was made clear: "Lately I've Let Things Slide" is as lowdown and beat as any Stiff single, even if Lowe's hushed delivery differs from those cranked amps of yore."

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And here's your midweek hard rock track of the week: Sounding not unlike early KISS, is British rock outfit Black Spiders singing their "KISS Tried to Kill Me", with lots of Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter name drops. Hey, they even drop a rockin' "Phoenix, Arizona" line in there. Rock on!

David Bowie Exhibition, London 2013

2012-09-28T14:16:00.000-05:00

Good news from London! David Bowie's contributions to art, music, fashion and culture (and more) will be seen through the lens of a 'right here, right now' exhibition in London in 2013.

The UK Telegraph writes:

"'David Bowie is', the world's first retrospective of the musician, artist and cultural icon, hosted in association with Italian fashion house Gucci, promises to be a must-see for any fan of Bowie's enduring music and fashion legacy, and will no doubt bring his influence and inspiration to the attention of a whole new generation.

Granted unprecedented access to the David Bowie archive, the show will feature over 300 objects including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs, Bowie's own instruments and album artwork, and will open to the public on March 23 next year."

The "David Bowie Is", exhibition will run from March 23 to July 28 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Its overall aim, writes Reuters, is to explore the singer's creative process across five decades, featuring more than 300 objects.

Among the items being gathered for the exhibition include Bowie's handwritten lyrics, photography, films, music videos as well as his set designs, instruments and album artwork. These will be shown alongside more fashionable items like Ziggy Stardust's jumpsuit, and other stage costumes such as a Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for his "Earthling" album cover and Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto's decadent creations for his "Aladdin Sane" tour in 1973.

Visitors will also be able to see and use the coke mirrors used on the Bowie's transcendent 1975 American tour. (OK, just kidding about that one).

But it looks like a very cool exhibition, one that could actually prompt a lot of Americans to fly to London next spring to see it. But be warned: Londoners, I'm told, are afraid of young Americans.

Aerosmith's new tour, Tom Hamilton's bass guitar

2012-09-25T08:54:00.002-05:00

Aerosmith played the iHeart Radio festival in Las Vegas over the weekend (yep, the same fest that Green Day's Billie Jo Armstrong threw a fit), and he was rocking this gold-plated bass with two iPod touches attached that were recording the crowd as he played. Kinda cool, oui?

Here's how the band sounded at the festival, on its 1970's hits Sweet Emotion and Walk This Way.

Bob Mould covers Cheap Trick's 'Downed' in Chicago

2012-09-17T13:25:00.011-05:00

(Photo via Consequence of Sound)

Great to read how exciting Bob Mould's Thursday-Friday shows last week in Chicago must've been for attendees.

Consequence of Sound wrote about Thursday night's show:
"But the turning point of the night came after the clipped ending to “Man On The Moon”. Following a few thankful words to the crowd, the band launched into several tracks off the recently released Silver Age, which, hands down, marks Mould’s best record since Sugar’s second and final full-length, File Under Easy Listening. Playing the material sandwiched between Copper Blue and a handful of Hüsker Dü songs proved that at 51, Mould’s at the top of his game."

Chicago Now wrote about Friday's show:
"What struck me immediately was just how much fun Mould seemed to be having. He bounced across the stage like someone half his age throughout the night and bared quite the grin as he repeatedly moved to his right to jam with Narducy. To say this band has gelled is an understatement as each member had their moment to shine. For Wurster, that moment was on the Sugar ballad “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” which he transformed from mere ballad retread to anthemic punk anthem with his propulsive drumming. Narducy took center stage later in the night on the Hüsker Dü classic “I Apologize” where it wasn’t just his bass but his outstanding backing vocals, harmonizing with Mould, that solidified the performance."

And I say -- "I Apologize" live and electric? N-I-C-E!

And then later, Bob Mould and band ripped into a cover of Cheap Trick's 'Downed'? Awesome! Also from the Chicago Now blog post:
"From 2005’s Body of Song came an excellent rendition of “Circles” but the highlight of the encore came as Mould requested of the crowd “Someone tape this and make sure to send it to Rick!” That was a nod to Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen as the band tore through a raucous cover of Cheap Trick’s “Downed.”

And thanks to the awesomeness that is YouTube, here is that version of Cheap Trick's 'Downed' and Husker Du's 'Celebrated Summer' from Friday night:

Robert Pollard - Jack Sells the Cow - new solo LP plus song streams

2012-09-14T00:20:00.005-05:00

Robert Pollard continues to crank out the rock. Besides commandeering two Guided by Voices records earlier this year, with a third planned for fall, he finds time to record other songs for his solo efforts.

The new one is called 'Jack Sells the Cow' (to get the beans that make the beanstalk that he climbs to get the gold and give it to his momma, remember?). Every couple of days, Pollard is changing up the song stream at http://robertpollard.net to feature a new song from the LP every day leading up to Sept 18 release date. (Vinyl in stores Oct 2).

The one I've embedded below -- "The Rank of a Nurse" -- shows that it's 8 minutes, but it's not, it's just repeated three times. SNAFU. It's a simple three chorder (A-E-D) in the verses, in which Bob sings a melancholy ballad about a chick or a nurse or something (there's a 'she' in the verses), after which it goes into a big guitar ROCK CHORUS and then back into the simple strum. Cool song, different from what you've heard from Bob this year with the GBV tracks.

Guided by Voices is touring right now. See them if you haven't. It's a good rock 'n roll time. Raise a toast to Ben, too. Dates are below.

GUIDED BY VOICES - FALL ROCK TOUR
9/14 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
9/15 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA
9/17 - The Orange Peel - Ashville, NC
9/18 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA
9/19 - Beacham - Orlando, FL
9/21 - DeLuna Festival - Pensacola Beach, FL
9/22 - One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA
9/24 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
9/25 - Emo's East - Austin, TX
9/27 - Blue Note - Columbia, MO
9/28 - Granada - Lawrence, KS
9/29 - Plush - St Louis, MO

Green Day Uno! Dos! Tres! Tour - Small Theater Kickoff

2012-09-12T17:59:00.008-05:00

Good news for Green Day fans in the Phoenix-Tempe-Scottsdale heat zone: the band will play an intimate theater show at Tempe's Marquee Club on December 10th as warmup for a larger arena tour throughout 2013.

More news from the good people behind Green Day World HQ:
"Green Day have announced the first leg of their ¡UNO!, ¡DOS!, ¡TRÉ! TOUR. The full-scale North American tour will kick off in intimate venues this November and December, starting on November 26th in Seattle, WA at the Paramount Theatre and wrapping up on December 10th in Tempe, AZ at the Marquee Theater. In January, the band will bring the ¡UNO!, ¡DOS!, ¡TRÉ! TOUR to arenas around the country, starting on January 7th at the Resch Arena in Green Bay, WI and wrapping up on February 8th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

For members of Green Day's official fan club, Idiot Club, select presales are now available through Thursday September 13 at 10 pm. To become a member, make sure you purchase your preorder bundle that comes with an Idiot Club membership at Greenday.com OR sign up at www.idiotclub.com

Fans that purchase tickets online will be entitled to one digital download of Green Day ¡Uno! - a $9.99 value - with each ticket purchased. Full list of tour dates and ticket on-sales are below."

Here are Green Day's upcoming tour (and on-sale) dates:

NOVEMBER
Date City Venue On-Sale Date
26th Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre (9/14 @ 12 pm)
27th Kennewick, WA Toyota Center (9/14 @ 10 am)
29th Salem, OR Salem Armory Auditorium (9/14 @ 12 pm)

DECEMBER
1st Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium (9/14 @ 10 am)
2nd Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort - Grand Theatre (9/14 @ 10 am)
4th Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz civic Auditorium (9/14 @ 10 am)
10th Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre (9/14 @ 10 am)

JANUARY
7th Green Bay, WI Resch Arena (9/15 @ 10 am)
8th Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena (9/15 @ 10 am)
10th Wilkes Barre, PA Santa Cruz civic Auditorium (9/15 @ 10 am)
11th State College, PA Bryce Jordan Cenber - Penn State Univ. (9/14 @ 10 am)
13th Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena (9/15 @ 10 am)
14th Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center (9/15 @ 10 am)
16th Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center (9/14 @ 12 pm)
18th Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena (9/15 @ 12 pm)
19th Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena (9/14 @ 10 am)
21st Fairfax, VA Patriot Center (9/15 @ 10 am)
22nd Philadelphia, PA Liacourias Center - Temple Univ. (9/15 @ 10 am)
24th Providence, RI Dunkin Donuts Center (9/15 @ 12 pm)
25th Portland, ME Cumberland Civic Center (9/15 @ 12 pm)
27th Quebec City, QC Colisee Pepsi Arena (9/22 @ 10 am)
29th Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre (9/15 @ 11 am)
30th Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center - Cleveland State Univ (9/14 @ 10 am)

FEBRUARY
1st Moline, IL I Wireless Center (9/14 @ 10 am)
2nd Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center Memorial Col. (9/14 @ 11 am)
4th Omaha, NE CenturyLink Arena (9/14 @ 12 pm)
6th Broomfield, CO 1STBANK Center (9/14 @ 10 am)
8th Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena (9/14 @ 10 am)

Detective Indiepop Floats into Tempe Friday 9/14

2012-09-11T10:32:00.010-05:00

Much of the early buzz about new band Detective has centered around the inclusion of ex-GBV bassist Jim Greer, but there's more going on here than a slap-dastard dash of rock 'n roll mixed in with sips of Sassolino.

Named after the Jean-Luc Godard film, Los-Angeles based indierock outfit Détective (no umlauts, only accents) was initially conceived as a studio project by James Greer, GBV bassist for a stretch in the mid 1990s, and later author of the band's rock biog Hunting Accidents and Guylaine Vivarat, a long-time member of the LA music scene (Useless Keys, Tennis System). With the addition of Rory Modica on drums, the band officially formed in March 2012. To date Détective has released two EPs, Very Fallen World and Basket of Masks, and recorded material for their first full-length album, 'However Strange' (you can stream it below):

However Strange by Détective

Detective rolls into Tempe to play Sail Inn on Friday night, and the band will be backed by bands Sleep Money, Source Victoria and Quick Henry

DIIV - 'Doused' - Video of the Year?

2012-09-09T11:47:00.007-05:00

Sometimes a video comes out that grabs the imagination of people, either through music, imagery, urgency or more. A few examples come to mind from the likes of Battles, Gotye, Foo Fighters and more. And when all the elements come together, the effect can be staggering. All hits, it's a cool cap winner.

I think we have a new fresh and frantic offering from DIIV (pronounced 'dive') with their song 'Doused'. DIIV is the side(?) guitar-pop project of Beach Fossils member Zachary Cole Smith. The show scenes are great, and were shot at the underground Brooklyn music venue 285 Kent.

Pretty Much Amazing wrote this about that:
"“Doused” is easily one of our favorite – and most replayed – tracks in recent memory. We’re psyched that it’s the band’s new single: its driving, krauty groove and delirious interwoven guitar licks best show off exactly what they’re capable of. Courtesy the band’s frontman Z. Cole Smith and videographer Ian Perlman, “Doused” now has attendant visuals, and they’re pretty plausible – caught up in a solitary dreamworld, Smith misses the beginning of his own show at Brooklyn venue 285 Kent and has to sprint on over as the rest of the band keeps the crowd going."

Running to a rock show - been there! The music starts with a bit of Feelies feel, with edgy guitars and an insistent bassline propelling the song forward. What do you think? Works for me! Enjoy DIIV 'Doused' below.

For completists, try watching the 'source tape' from the show where DIIV shot this - see below.

I Call Fives - New LP, Fall Tour (w/With the Punches)

2012-09-09T11:10:00.014-05:00

Pop punk kids I Call Fives are touring this autumn, behind a new self-titled collection of fast 'n louds on Pure Noise.

From the blurbists: "New Jersey pop punks I Call Fives spent their summer making believers out of Warped Tour crowds across the country in support of their self-titled debut Pure Noise Records LP, and now they’re set to do it again as they head out on a fall co-headline tour with their friends, With The Punches. Other bands Real Friends and Stickup Kid will offer support on select dates".

Listen to 'Obvious' form the new release below - The guitars sound great, the vocals are earnest and yearning, and the whole thing packs a killer punch.

Should be a great live show - Local date for Phoenix hair bangers will be on Nov 2 at the Underground in Mesa. here are dates below, within the graphic.