New Music

When we last checked in with the supergroup of sorts 30db, there were really no details about anything.  The only awesome that really existed was a nice streaming studio tune called One Man Show.  Now we have some good info, and it reeks of awesome. 

First comes first, the track we previewed was indeed the title track as the album will officially be called One Man Show.  Currently the record is scheduled for a May 11th release and will be supported by some actual tour dates, as opposed to the one-offs they are used to like tonight's show at Schuba's, or next week's appearance at Jam In The Dam.

While all of their public appearances until now have only featured Austin and Bayliss, the album and subsequent tour is going to be a little more crowded ........ with awesome.  Let's get some history from the official bio

Hailing from Chicago, longtime friends, musical collaborators, and all-around conspirators Jeff Austin (of Yonder Mountain String Band) and Brendan Bayliss (of Umphrey's McGee) have been writing music and playing together for years. In between their busy tour schedules with Yonder and Umphrey's, the two musicians had always wanted to start a band. They wrote some songs, played some shows (both on Jeff's turf in Colorado and back home in Chicago) and so 30db was born.

After accruing a mass quantity of music, they decided it was about time to make a record. They recruited an amazing crew of musicians to join them in Boulder for some recording sessions, and that's when 30db really took its shape and became a band. Holding down the sound on drums is the Memphis-based North Mississippi Allstars drummer and co-founder, Cody Dickinson. E-Town host and legendary guitar player from Hot Rize, Nick Forster, plays electric guitar, and Boulder-based Eric Thorin keeps it tight on the bass. The final product is a collection of heartfelt tunes, filled with fun yet ironic lyric undertones and solid playing from start to finish.

Yes please and thank you.  We even have some cover art.  Rock.

Tour dates for the band's newly announced mini-tour are below with presales beginning March 22nd at 1PM local time.  Head on over to the official 30db site for all the mania you can handle.

Also, add an LA date.  Thanks.

30db Tour Dates
May 6 | Cabooze, Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 7 | Barrymore Theater, Madison, Wisconsin
May 8 | Lincoln Hall, Chicago, Illinois
May 19 | Fox Theatre, Boulder, Colorado
May 20 | Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California (*on sale Sun 03.21)
May 21 | Tractor Tavern, Seattle, Washington
May 22 | Berbati's Pan Portland, Oregon

** The first 20 ticket purchasers in the pre-sale will receive a backstage meet and greet with the band!

The National's new album High Violet can't get hear soon enough, but at least we are getting a steady stream of previews.  The band recently performed the first single Terrible Love on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and followed that up with a couple of "secret" shows that saw them preview even more new tunes off of the upcoming album.  Now the good news continues as we finally have the official tracklisting as well as the cover art shown above, which is apparently based on a Mark Fox sculpture called "The Binding Force".  

The band has a massive tour upcoming in support of the new record  that includes stops at Sasquatch! as well as Bonnaroo.  Tickets are on sale now and are available through Ticketmaster.   [via pitchfork]

The High Violet tracklisting is as follows

1. Terrible Love
2. Sorrow
3. Anyone's Ghost
4. Little Faith
5. Afraid of Everyone
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio
7. Lemonworld
8. Runaway
9. Conversation 16
10. England
11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

The Hold Steady have just released the album cover art for their new LP Heaven Is Whenever.  The ten song set will be the band's fifth studio album and their first since 2008's Stay Positive.  The band starts a pretty extensive tour in New York on April 2nd that includes a stop at this year's Sasquatch festival.  Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.   [via pitchfork]

New Ryan Adams music on a Friday?  Yes please.  This time of the "metal" variety.  From the man himself

We're going to begin pressing ORION -- my most legit METAL record -- on vinyl next week. Have a listen to the song below and let us at PAXAM know if you'd be interested in purchasing one.

P.S. Not a single B.C. Rich was hurt in the making of this record. 

Today certainly just got a lot better.  No word yet on whether we are dealing with an actual LP, EP, or even just one of those nice little singles he likes to put on vinyl.  Either way awesome.  You can check out the new track Electrosnake below and you can head on over to the official site to vote on whether or not you would buy it.  Good times. 

The folks over at Green Label Sound have just released a brand new Neon Indian song called Sleep Paralysist.  Adding to the awesome is the fact that Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor helped produce the track.  Hopefully the tune leads us to another late night appearance

If you are interested in all things Neon Indian you can also check out this explanation of the tune and release from the Neon Indian, Alan Polomo.   [via green label sound]

Without question the album I am most looking forward to is the latest from Dr. Dog.  The album titled Shame, Shame will be released on April 6th and we now have our second glimpse into the album.  The opening track and first single off the album, Stranger, is streaming on Rolling Stone right now.  Of course if you listen to Shadow People that the band released a few weeks ago right after Stranger you would be checking out the first two tracks on the upcoming album.  Sounds fun no?

Shame, Shame tracklisting

1. Stranger
2. Shadow People
3. Station
4. Unbearable Why
5. Where d All the Tume Go?
6. Later
7. I Only Wear Blue
8. Someday
9. Mirror, Mirror
10. Jackie Wants a Black Eye
11. Shame, Shame

You've already seen the tracklist and cover art for the new MGMT album Congratulations, so how about some actual music?  The band just released, via a free download, Flash Delirium, which will be the fourth song on the new record.  As with most of the MGMT stuff you really get quite a mix of styles and genres in Flash Delirium.

Of course when you release a new album these days you need to find some adventurous way to get the hype machine rolling.  Enter Where is MGMT?  Little details are known about the Where is MGMT? contest but let's get you up to date with what we do know. The image below has the dates and cities that are currently part of the contest.

As for the specifics, like I said it's still a bit foggy, but like they say, foggy is fun.

We will give clues to the secret location and a password on this page. Once you figure out where the location is - GO THERE - you have 1 hour, first come first serve. You will see a person holding an MGMT flag - go up to them and tell them the password. If you are one of the first people to arrive - your journey starts then. You will need to be free for the next 2 hours. What happens next? You will have to wait and see......

Head on over to the official contest page for more details. To download your very own copy of Flash Delirium head to the MGMT official site.

For the price of your email address you can download the track Runnin' For Cover off the upcoming Brad album Best Friends.  Pretty standard Shawn ballad built over an acoustic guitar.  Sounds like something you could hear in a dentist's office and I mean that in a good way somehow.  It's the last track on the new album and definitely seems like a nice smooth closer.

Head on over to the official site and click the free download link to get the song.  You will have to enter an email that you can actually check because you have to confirm your subscription to the mailing list before getting the download link, but all things considered that's not too steep of a price for a nice new Brad song.  Besides, you should probably have an email account for just this type of thing by now anyway.

Of course if you too are excited about all this Shawn Smith/Satchel/Brad goodness you can catch the real thing at their upcoming show in Seattle.   Rock.

It's hard for me to contain my excitement when I read this much awesome at once so I'll just copy and paste to save you from my giddy ramblings. 

Swigging from a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey, the Foos frontman and Them Crooked Vultures drummer, who had just introduced a performance by Best Documentary subjects Anvil, said his band will work with Butch Vig on their seventh album, in part to mark the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind, which Vig produced in 1991. “Me and [Foos drummer] Taylor [Hawkins] have already started demoing songs,” Grohl told Rolling Stone.

But unlike the Foos’ previous two efforts, which were recorded at Studio 606 (a cutting edge recording complex/rehearsal space/party den that the band owns in Northridge, California), this forthcoming album will be recorded entirely in analog — and out of Grohl’s garage. “We’re doing a test on Monday,” he said when asked about potential noise complaints from his Encino neighbors (and the missus). Indeed, the father of two added, “I think this could be our heaviest album yet.”  [via rolling stone]

So a literal garage band album, and I don't mean the fancy Apple program.  Then a claim that it could be their heaviest yet?  Consider me Danza'd.  No release date has been set but the awesome continues as the band will also be releasing a documentary with the album that will cover the Foo Fighters sixteen year history as well as the recording of the new record.

And just in case you forgot how awesome Grohl is I'll paste the end of the article.  He was at the Spirit awards to announce the Anvil performance where he went off-script and told everyone in the room how awesome the Anvil documentary is and how it made him cry. 

Nervous that his ad-libbing didn’t come out as well as he’d hoped, afterwards, Grohl clutched his bottle like a security blanket, while waiting for his wife Jordyn to peruse the tent-adjacent Elle Lounge. “If I stay another minute, I’m gonna get so fucking drunk, I’ll barf all over myself,” he cracked.

Dave Grohl, you complete me.   [via consequence of sound]

Seriously, new music overload.  Hopefully your ears are staying busy.  The latest full album stream you can check out is the new Portugal The Man effort American Ghetto .  While the album isn't scheduled for an official release until May 11th, the band is streaming the entire thing now for free.  You can also pre-order the physical copy of the album and get a free digital version instantly.  So essentially the album is released, physical copies are out May 11th. 

I for one think this is the perfect model for future releases.  Considering that almost all albums leak what better way to try and minimize that impact than by instantly making the digital version available while all the pressing and physical aspects run their course before another release date.  That's what the delay is for right?  Let's do this smart bands of the future!  

Portugal The Man are currently on a lengthy tour so be sure to check them out if you like what you hear.  Tour dates are available after the jump, tickets are available through Ticketmaster.  The band is also giving away a download of the opening track The Dead Dog for the price of an email address.