Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Music News & Notes

Join A Rock Band

Want to be in Smashing Pumpkins? The band will be holding an open call for drummers on April 10th in Los Angeles. Interested parties should send background info (presumably a brief bio), photographs (presumably of themselves) and performance links via e-mail to pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com.

The Pumpkins announced the departure of longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin in a late-afternoon press release on Friday, March 20. On the 24th, Chamberlin blogged about the split saying:

“I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don’t fully possess. I won’t pretend I’m into something I’m not. I won’t do it to myself, you the fan, or my former partner. I can’t just, ‘Cash the check’ so to speak.’ ”

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Metric Announce US Tour Dates

Metric have announced the first tour dates behind the release of their fourth full-length studio album Fantasies starting with June 4 in Seattle at Showbox. Additionally, the band announces that starting tomorrow, March 31, fans can buy the album via iTunes ahead of the April 14 street date. A full album preview is also available at the band's website.

FantasiesCoverFantasies is already attracting a lot of attention with the first single, "Help I'm Alive," debuting at #1 on the FMQB Top 25 Singles Chart for US Specialty beating out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Decemberists which also impacted the same week. The track, which was a #1 single in Canada, has been receiving accolades from the press world- wide with NME saying it's "A beautifully constructed, shiny, shimmying pop belter - one butterfly that's bound to cause a hurricane", and the Washington Post writing it "is an impossibly infectious exercise in '90's pop nostalgia. Springy, clattery, improbably happy, it's like the best Veruca Salt/Breeders collaboration that never actually happened."

Beyond "Help I'm Alive" Fantasies is loaded with compelling pop songs, with Metric's unique skew and many are finding fans all over a wide array of media. Grey's Anatomy featured the song "Front Row" on an episode earlier this month, and the song "Sick Muse" was heard on KCRW's highly influential "Morning Becomes Eclectic."

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In 2008, Los Angeles based composer and producer Joerg Huettner, who has worked on the soundtracks of such films as "The Ring II" or "Batman Begins" for Hollywood star-composer Hans Zimmer, created exclusive music for the art exhibition “Labyrinth” at Strychnin Gallery Berlin, presenting Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk.

The entrancing ambient-electronica instrumental album that is the soundtrack to the "Labyrinth" exhibition has now been released as a 45 minute-long gapless album that is available as a 6-panel Digipack CD with a 12-page poster-fold booklet through Strychnin Gallery or the usual online download centers (iTunes, Amazon, Magnatune.com).

Besides intruiging down-tempo instrumental music, the digipack is a work of art in and of itself: its cover features Richard A. Kirk's work “The Riddle” and the beautifully designed album also contains additional art work by Kirk, as well as an excerpt from a novel by writer Tim Mizelle, which is based on and inspired by Kirk's art.

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Lucinda's Econ Stimulus Package For Her Fans

Lucinda Williams is giving back to her fans. While she doesn't control the ticket prices for her shows, she is giving everyone who attends a discount at the merchandise table of $7 on clothing and $5 on CDs.

"I understand that this may only be a small gesture and in no way solves the problem long term, but I feel that it is important to try and do something to make it a little easier during this time."

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