The Balance Between Life And Rock N Roll

Yesterday I posted a new video up on Music Vice - an interview with The Dangerfields that I shot waaaay back in August of last year.

I had hoped that people would first get the chance to see this video in full context, as part of the final part of My Tour. Part's 1 & 2 were hosted via Google Video, due to the size and length of the videos. Part 3, the final part, needs to be hosted in the same way, but unfortunately the 'Google Video Uploader' program is bloody problematic and most the time doesn't even allow me to login, or else stalls half-way during an attempted upload. The final part of My Tour will be up online just as soon as that program starts playing nice, but in the mean time I decided to put up this interview with The Dangerfields.

"Rock 'n' Roll is serious and important, and in the other hand it's absolutely meaningless." - Andrew Griswold

Consider this interview as a 'teaser' to the final part of My Tour, because really you need to know what happened in the 24 hours before this interview to fully grasp Griswold's eloquent words about the balance of rock 'n' roll and life.

Oh yeah, this video is in widescreen, to fit the new video player that YouTube introduced this week.

The editor, MusicVice.com

Garbage And Radiohead On Charity CD

A new, previously unreleased, Garbage track titled Witness to Your Love features on the new charity compilation Give Listen Help. The two-disc release also contains remixes, covers and previously unreleased tracks from 25 other bands. The bands that jump-off the liner notes for me are Radiohead, Of Montreal, Silversun Pickups and The Dears.


Give Listen Help is being sold exclusively in the US through Urban Outfitters.

A large percentage of the proceeds ($13.88 of every $14.99!) from the sale of each disc will be donated to the PABLOVE Foundation, a group formed by Jeff Castelaz, LA-based cofounder of Dangerbird Records, to help the Children's Hosital of Los Angeles (where Jeff's son is undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer).

If your looking to buy a CD for someone for Chrimbo then I'd recommend this over Chinese Democracy without hesitation. At least the money is going to a decent cause too, instead of lining Axl Rose's pockets.

The editor, MusicVice.com

Full Preview Of Chinese Democracy on MySpace

Just logged on MySpace and checked out the Guns n' Roses page where right now you can now listen to THAT album in full.

First impressions? Well at the moment I'm listening to track #7, Scraped, and uh, frankly it sounds a bit of a mess... too much stuff going on. Haven't heard any of the other tracks yet either but I'm going to listen to some more now...


Chinese Democracy just went live half an hour ago, so hey check it out and judge for yourself!

Listen at: Guns N' Roses MySpace


The editor, MusicVice.com

We Now Have RSS, Opposable Thumbs and Death Grip

RSS? What's that? No, it's not a deadly disease, it's uh... some really cool internet 'Really Simple Syndication' thingy.

Chances are that you're probably internet-savvy and know your RSS's from your RSI's. If you need to know more then go check out the entry on Wikipedia.

Basically by subscribing to our RSS feed you can keep up-to-date with the latest content on Music Vice. The Music Vice RSS feed can be viewed at: http://musicvice.com/rss

You can also subscribe to the feed via many options including email, by using Feedburner:  Subscribe

Fun stuff huh? But wait, that's not all... this blog also has RSS. Just click the link that you should see somewhere on the right-hand side of this text.

The editor, MusicVice.com

Coldplay To Retired In 2009...?

There are lots of rumours buzzing around this morning among the rags and music press that Coldplay may retire next year.

Ah, we can only hope. Unfortunately the source of all these rumours is a Daily Express interview with Chris Martin.

The Daily Express is possibly the worst use of ink I have ever come across. It's some kind of tragic irony that this newspaper now carries the self-professing tag-line of "The Greatest Newspaper In The World." My own personal observation of the Express is that they have 3 main headlines in permanent rotation: attacks on the Labour party, migrant workers in the UK 'stealing' jobs and of course stories about the Royal Family, with regular headline articles still being published about Princess Diana long since her death.

So, yeah, I wouldn't exactly call the Daily Express a reliable source but this quote still put a smile on my face this morning as I ate my breakkie.

"I'm 31 now and I don't think that bands should keep going past 33. So, we're trying to pack in as much as possible. Up until the end of next year, we'll just go for it in every sense." -- Chris Martin speaking to The Daily Express.

Musicians should stop playing in bands at the age of 33? I wonder what formula Chris Martin used to calculate that. It's probably buried in the lyrics of a Coldplay song...

Anyway, this idle gossip seemed fitting enough for me to regurgitate on this blog, simply because I really can't wait for Coldplay to drop out of the music scene, along with their boring, boring, borrrrrrr-iiiiiiiing shoe-gazer 'rock' music. I respect Chris Martin and his band for all their activism work, but honestly they are the Geography-teachers of rock and roll.

The editor, MusicVice.com

Nine Inch Nails Announce New Drummer

Fronman Trent Reznor has revealed that NIN will have a new drummer for 2009, with thumper Ilan Rubin of Welsh band Lostprophets stepping up to the stool.

"With great pride and excitement I announce the addition of Ilan Rubin to the lineup beginning next year. I had the chance to see Ilan playing his ass off at Reading and Leeds a couple summers ago and he blew me away. We recently invited him out to rehearse with us and he blew US away - the perfect guy to pick up the sticks after Josh leaves us at the end of the year." -- Trent Reznor, NIN.com

In other NIN-related news, check out the review by Liz of their 'infuckingredible' show last Wednesday, November 12, in Montreal. The review also includes a note of the set-list for that night.

Fan of The Cure? Listen to this

Got a bit of a treat to share with any fans of The Cure. Releasing next year, Just Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure is exactly what it says it is. An album full of covers by bands who regard The Cure highly.

The album is due for release on January 27, 2009. In the meantime why not check out some of these full-length tracks that we've been given permission to share with you. I like the one by Grand Duchy a lot - featuring the big man Frank Black, with Violet Clark.

"We chose "A Strange Day" because it's an awesome song, and it's not one of the Hits. It's just obscure enough to have allowed us to come out of left field a bit, and to represent a lesser-known period in the Cure's career for the tribute record. We really had fun reinventing the song and being playful without the self-consciousness one might encounter when messing with the iconic quality of some of the more well-known songs."-- Grand Duchy

I've been listening to the Cure since I was 12. I loved their live version of 'A Night Like This' on the 'Show' record, it's very haunting and it's always been my favorite song." -- Julie Peel

"It wasn't until Kevin Shields played us some of his earliest music that we realized how much of a seminal band the Cure really is. Robert Smith's songwriting is so etheral and yet totally structured. We never would have related the two bands to one another but if you listen through all of My Bloody Valentine's layers the inspiration is clear. Of the long list of bands inspired by MBV, us included, a lot of the credit really needs to go to the Cure." -- Joy Zipper

Enjoy! I'll post more songs later this month. ;)

The editor, MusicVice.com

Human Rights Film Fest in Toronto Next Weekend

This has nothing to do with music but sometimes there are more important things in life.

Next weekend in Toronto is the Reel Awareness Human Rights Film Festival. It's a film fest organised by Amnesty International, and I've been pleased to have been involved with the planning of it.



If your in Toronto or nearby then I kindly invite you to come along and check out one or two of the movies getting screened during the fest. Admission is "pay what you can", and you'll see some better films than the usual Hollywood crap that you see at your local Cineplex.

The festival is happening from Thursday, November 13 until Sunday, November 16. More info at ReelAwareness.ca I'll be helping out at the festival on at least two of the nights - hope to see ya there!

cheers,
Brian, MusicVice.com editor

New Yeah Yeah Yeahs Album Coming 2009

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have posted an annoucement about their new album coming in 2009.

There is no beating the bit of news sweeping the nation at the moment but YYYs have a bit of news of our own to share. NEW RECORD? NEW RECORD!! NEW RECORD IS GETTING CLOSER TO BEING DONE DONE DONE!

...WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?? Not much like anything you've heard from us before- DOES IT SOUND LIKE THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS??? YOU BET YOU'RE SWEET ASS IT DOES.
The YYYs

Quote from YeahYeahYeahs.com

I'm excited about this one - I still listen to YYY's on something of a regular basis. I consider them to be one the best groups of the decade. Honestly, there has been a lot of crap bands around so far in the 21st Century, but the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been one of the minority of bands of this space in time that can truly be considered 'a bit special'.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are also one of the best live bands I've ever seen. That's an extra reason why the annoucement of the new album is such awesome news. A new album means a new tour which means that if you cross your fingers, toes and eyes then the Yeah Yeah Yeahs could be coming to a concert venue or festival near you sometime next year.

Radiohead release remix to celebrate Obama victory

To celebrate Barack Obama's Presendential Election victory, (and Guy Fawkes night and Jonny's birthday), Thom Yorke has made available a free remix version of Harrowdown Hill.

in celebration of nov 5th
jonnys burthday
amid bonfire and fireworks in the UK
and the dawn of a new era in politics in the USA
i humbly donate a remix of harrowdown hill that was finished ages ago during the band webcasts,
a small reminder of the dark days of Bush's....
x

Go to Radiohead.com to listen to the song. The original version of Harrowdown Hill can be found on Thom Yorke's 2006 solo album The Eraser.

Thanks for the music Thom.

Rock The Vote Today America

America on this day, November 4, 2008 you have the chance to play your part in history. Get out and vote. Hopefully you choose the right guy so that the rest of the world won't be looking at you for the next four years and wondering how the hell 'that guy' got elected. Two terms of Bush was bad enough - no more mistakes please! It's such a downer guys.

It's gonna be nice to be able to watch the news on TV and finally hear about something else other than American politics. Though I guess it'll probably be a long time until that happens...

F*cked Up - UK Tour this November

Attention to all good citizens back in Old Blighty: Fucked Up are coming to a town near you.

Here are the tour dates:

07 Nov : 93 Feet East, London
08 Nov : Freebutt, Brighton
09 Nov : Barfly, Birmingham
10 Nov : The Zodiac, Oxford
11 Nov : Cavern, Exeter
12 Nov : Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
13 Nov : Sugarmill, Stoke
14 Nov : Bodega, Nottingham
15 Nov : Kasbah, Coventry
16 Nov : King Tuts, Glasgow
17 Nov : Corporation, Sheffield
18 Nov : Cockpit, Leeds
19 Nov : Roadhouse, Manchester
20 Nov : The GYC, Guildford

Only one show in Scotland but I'll take a guess and say that it'll probably be the best show on the tour. Why? Because every gig I've ever been to in Glasgow kicked ass. Simple as that.

I highly recommend you go see this band. Oh, and don't make the same mistake I did on Thursday last week in Toronto - plan your travel and also overnight accomodation if you need it! I was at Fucked Up's Thursday show at Sneaky Dee's and had to leave before they'd even to taken to the stage so that I could catch the last bus home which left at 12.30 AM. I was gutted to miss the band, but hey sometimes shit happens.

Brian, the editor