The Postal Service Invites a Surprising Opener for their Summer Tour

 

Image: David Lee via Flickr

Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello’s collaborative project, The Postal Service, is celebrating its ten years of off-and-on production and live shows with a massive summer tour, something that fans have been literally waiting years for.

Over the last decade, fans of The Postal Service have shown an overwhelming amount of support for the indie band, which achieved huge success with the release of its debut album Give Up, in 2003. The band has been able to cultivate a unique sound with the combination of Gibbard’s vocals, Tamborello’s production and mixing style, as well as featured vocals and samples from Rilo Kiley songbird Jenny Lewis. The creative collaboration resulted in an explosive following for the beloved indie project, and neither Gibbard nor Tamborello was fully prepared for the instant fame achieved within the independent music circuit and beyond.

 

Image: Scannerfm via Flickr

Known for their electronic instrumental sound paired with soft vocals and harmonies, The Postal Service is a true supergroup within the indie genre. Perhaps this is why fans were stunned when the band announced that its main opener for its summer tour would be none other than twerking bounce music superstar Big Freedia. Bounce music, a sub-genre of hip hop with roots in southern cities like New Orleans, seems like the most unlikely genre you’d find Gibbard or Tamborello listening to, but The Postal Service insists they are fans of Big Freedia, and that their choice of opening act was deliberate. Big Freedia is known for her overtly sexual lyrics, energetic live performances, and being rather eccentric, so fans of The Postal Service's electronic, melodic tunes were in for a real surprise when watching the opening act.

Fans of The Postal Service are generally puzzled by the choice, and some have even posted angered, irritated, and even hateful responses on social media. Some fans are speculating that this is some sort of publicity stunt, or a strange message being delivered from their beloved indie band.

What do you think about Big Freedia opening for The Postal Service?

Pearl Jam’s ‘Lightning Bolt’ Marks Tenth Studio Album

From the band's official website

Pearl Jam is one of the enduring bands to arise from Seattle’s grunge-music era of the 1990s, and fans will be happy to know that the rock group has no plans of slowing down. Over the last couple decades, the band has evolved from a young grunge act to a bona fide rock and roll legend in the music industry. Pearl Jam’s sound and style remains unprecedented, and their dedication to their craft is embodied in a commitment to creating new records.

It’s been more than twenty years since their first album was released, and the band has recently announced an upcoming tour to coincide with their tenth studio album, set to drop in October, 2013 in the U.S. The group’s much-anticipated new album, Lightning Bolt is being released on Monkeywrench/Republic Records, and was produced by Brendan O’Brien. Lightning Bolt is Pearl Jam’s first studio album since their highly acclaimed Backspacer, released nearly four nears ago in September, 2009.

Image: 

Mick Arieta via Flickr

Preceding the announcement of a new album, the band revealed a massive 24-date North American tour, which kicks off in early October in Pittsburg, PA, and is set to end in Seattle, the city where the band first formed, in December. Other stop along the way include major cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and New Orleans. The band is famed for their ability to play incredible sets to a packed audience; their promotional tour for Lightning Bolt promises to be one of their best tours to date. 

For more information about Lightning Bolt and Pearl Jam’s upcoming North American tour, visit the band’s official website.

Dave Matthews Hitches a Ride, Treats Fans

Image: Whittlz via Flickr

 Rock stars receive an elevated status in our society, making headlines and packing stadiums with people who pay huge sums of money to watch them perform, but they’re just ordinary people like everyone else. They shop in supermarkets like ordinary folks, they get their oil changed in their cars like most people, and sometimes, when their bike breaks down in rural Pennsylvania, they even hitchhike.

Okay, so maybe that last example isn’t something that most people can relate to, but it is something that happened recently to musician Dave Matthews. Luckily for Matthews, a couple of his fans were more than thrilled to give him a lift when they saw him stranded roadside in Hershey, PA. Emily Kraus and her boyfriend were actually en route to Matthews’ show when they saw a man with a broken-down bicycle looking to hitch a ride. After initially passing him, the couple realized who he was and immediately went back to help out the musician. 

The payoff of helping a stranger in need was great for the couple, who were invited to dinner with Matthews, bumped to front-row seats, and received tickets autographed by the musician, as a token of his gratitude. Kraus also received a shout-out during the performance from Matthews, who reportedly sang to her: "I was riding my bicycle. And then I got a flat tire on the bicycle. And I didn't have my cell phone on the bicycle. So I thought 'shit.’ Then a nice lady named Emily rolled up in a red car with a bicycle rack on it. And then they ride on to the gig. Thank you..."

Kraus and her boyfriend are devoted Dave Matthews fans, and this was their first time seeing the performer live. This will be one concert that the couple isn’t soon to forget.

M.I.A. Documentary Leak Goes Viral, Creates Friction with Roc Nation

Image by Rasmin

Artist, songwriter, and political activist Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, better known by her stage name, M.I.A. is no stranger to controversy. Since blowing up the American music scene with her hit song “Paper Planes” in 2007, the English singer has brought shock and awe to a global plane by marrying radical politics with an outspoken artistic edge. Some have called her a musical genius, and others, a terrorist. No matter what your opinion of M.I.A. is, her magnetism is contagious and there is no denying that she is a fascinating public figure.

In anticipation of her fourth studio album, “Matangi,” the music world is buzzing about “Bring the Noize,” the first track released from the album last week. But that’s not all that has people buzzing. Just days ago, a teaser from a documentary about the singer went viral online after it was leaked. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the highly anticipated documentary, directed by Steve Loveridge, and now it appears to be coming to a head.

According to Jezebel, “A documentary about the artist has been in the works with her label, Roc Nation, for the last year. It was meant to be released along with her fourth studio album, “Matangi,” but both have been postponed, prompting M.I.A. to release the album’s first single herself.” Fed up with delays from Roc Nation, Loveridge, who is reportedly no longer part of the project, leaked a preview of the documentary on his Tumblr page, causing immense friction between himself, M.I.A. and the record label.

Currently, the fate of the documentary, as well as M.I.A.’s affiliation with Roc Nation is uncertain, though the singer is used to doing things on her own terms. Take a look at the leaked documentary teaser to see what all the buzz is about.

Crying Baby All the way to Broadway

Janis Joplin was a rock and roll powerhouse during her lifetime, her signature voice and style has earned the late artist an enormous adoring following that continues to flourish even after her death in 1970. Her raspy, unruly vocals, combined with influences from rock, soul, the blues, and country music make Joplin a truly unique artist. 

Joplin’s life and work has been commemorated in many ways over the last few decades, and the newest immortalization of the singer is fashioned in the form of a play, set to hit Broadway this fall. The show’s producers said that the musical, entitled “A Night With Janis Joplin,” will start previews at the Lyceum Theatre starting in September, 2013.

Image: Portland Center Stage via Flickr

 

“A Night With Janis Joplin” is an adaptation for Broadway, written and directed by Randy Johnson. The musical was previously performed as “One Night With Janis Joplin,” premiering in Portland, Oregon in 2011 and since touring in other cities. The original play stars actress Mary Bridget Davies as the exuberant and iconic singer, who beat out over 150 other women for the role. Davies is set to play Janis Joplin again in the Broadway rendition of Johnson’s play.

Fans of Joplin’s work can expect to enjoy a live onstage band during the performance, and will recognize famous songs like “Summertime,” “Cry Baby,” and “Me and Bobby McGee,” amongst many more of the singer’s signature songs. A Los Angeles Times review of the original play called it a “cosmic collusion of persona and perception, this electrifying concert musical resurrects the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll with the sort of seismically sensational results normally encountered at stadiums and pop festivals."

“A Night With Janis Joplin” on Broadway promises to be a tremendously entertaining tribute to the iconic singer. Visit the show’s official website to learn more.  

Yoko Ono and Her Plastic Ono Band Announce New LP

Whether you love her avant-garde artistic works, or are still bitter about how she “broke up the Beatles,” it’s indisputable that Yoko Ono continues to produce compelling performance, musical, and visual art at eighty years old, with no signs of slowing down. The activist and performer is most recently noted for curating this year’s London Meltdown Festival  which featured acts from names like Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Peaches, and many more.

Photo by Phil Dokas

The artist’s latest project is the completion of a brand new LP. Yoko Ono and her Plastic Ono Band are set to release Take Me to the Land of Hell this September, a collection of songs which follows in the style of the band’s 2009 album Between My Head and the Sky. The LP was produced by Ono, as well as with help from her son Sean Lennon, and Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto. The LP will feature remixes from ?uestlove, Nels Cline of Wilco, and Beastie Boys’ Mike D, among others.

In a press release for the LP Ono muses, “This album is the culmination of a lot of ideas I’ve been having over the last few years and I feel proud to release it at such an exciting time of my life.” With the upcoming release of Take Me to the Land of Hell, it seems as though Yoko Ono is just as ambitious and artistically inspired as ever.

You can listen to one of the album’s tracks, “Moonbeams,” to get a preview of the LP, and find more information about the release at Pitchfork.  

Mexican Summer Presents Awesome Lineup at Union Pool

Several Mexican Summer bands will be playing at
Brookyln hipster bar, Union Pool.
Image: Shutterstock

You can tease and disparage hipsters all you like – the thick rimmed glasses, the impossibly tight denim, the ironic facial hair and tendencies towards conformity within a supposedly nonconforming subculture – but you’ve got to admit, hipster hangouts are where it’s at.

Bars frequented by hipsters are alluring to that terribly hip demographic, as well as to practically anyone who wants to go out and have a good time. If you can get past the sea of beards and flannel, “hipster bars” have a lot to offer, and Brooklyn, New York (arguably the neighborhood where hipsterdom all began) has some seriously great nightlife destinations.

Take Union Pool on Union Avenue in Brooklyn. Sure, this Brooklyn staple attracts tons of hipsters, but with good reason, as it boasts a full bar, and a huge outdoor space complete with tons of seating and a fire pit. At Union Pool you’ll also find a taco truck that resides just beyond the bar’s patio, providing tasty Mexican food every night, sure to satisfy your hunger while you guzzle down cheap beers.

Oh, and did I mention that this bar is also one of Brooklyn’s best music venues? Union Pool features local and international bands, and supports the artist community right in Brooklyn, showcasing awesome live music every night. Summertime is one of the best times to catch a great show, with bands often setting up right in the outside area, and playing late into the hot New York night.

This month, the venue is hosting a seriously awesome lineup from Andres Santo Domingo's local label, Mexican Summer, featuring bands Quilt, Part Time, Happy Jawbone Family Band, and Travis Bretzer. The lineup promises harmonic, experimental jams from Quilt, dark and funky sounds from Part Time, indie-informed poppy tunes from Happy Jawbone, and lots of guitar pop from solo artist Travis Bretzer. This is a show that will unquestionably get you up and moving to the music of a slew of talented local bands.

Mexican Summer Presents  promises a lively, locally beloved lineup, so make sure not to miss out on a night of rubbing elbows with all those who are hip at Union Pool on July 13^th! 

Brooklyn’s Seriously Talented Sixth Grade Heavy Metal Band

Unlocking The Truth is the most hardcore, musically talented, and surprisingly eloquent trio of sixth graders around. A few months ago, videos of the young metal band playing in New York City’s Times Square went viral on YouTube almost immediately, and with good reason: the band can really tear it up.

photo credit

With what appears to be overnight fame engulfing the band, you might be wondering who these boys are, and where they come from. According to the band’s website, “Unlocking the Truth is a young heavy metal/hard rock band from Brooklyn, New York, who write and create their own lyrics and music.” The band is made up of three members; Malcolm Brickhouse plays electric guitar, Jarad Dawkins is on drums, and the newest band mate is bass player Alec Atkins. Dawkins and Jared formed their first band Tears of Blood back in 2007 (when they would have been around five years old!), a few years later added Atkins on bass and evolved into what is now Unlocking the Truth. The group is a truly driven heavy metal band with enough music to make multiple albums. Bands like Metalica, Chelsea Grin, Disturbed, and others influence the group’s sound and style.

In a recent interview with Noisy, a Vice Magazine affiliate, the boys discuss their incredibly supportive parents, school, and what it’s like being a sixth grade metal band with big dreams for the future.  Their advice to other younger musicians is very genuine, in that is seems to be paying off for the band. Dawkins says, “Believe in your dreams. Hard work pays off and do what you do best.”

If you haven’t seen or heard of Unlocking the Truth yet, check out a clip of them performing, ahem, tearing it up in Times Square, here.