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Rush Honored with Sure-to-be-Awesome Canadian Stamp

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Rush

Mailing a letter just got a whole lot geekier. As Rolling Stone reports, Rush have been honored with their own…stamp. Hey, the Canadian prog-rock idols get no respect, so we’re happy to see hear this news. Let’s face it: Canada is officially 59 times cooler than the United States.

The Canadian Post’s Recording Artist stamp series will also feature Canuck legends The Guess Who, Beau Dommage, and The Tragically Hip. (But who cares about those guys: RUSH JUST GOT THEIR OWN STAMP.)

In the meantime, Rush are currently winding down the tour behind their most recent album, Clockwork Angels. Their final date is August 4th at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

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posted in News by Ryan Reed


Checkin’ ‘Em Twice: Top 10 Superman Songs

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Superman

Superman looks pretty darn good for being around since 1938. And in his 75 years of saving Metropolis, he’s inspired plenty of songs, certainly more than any of the thousands of other costumed heroes that have appeared since Action Comics #1. From Eminem to Barbra Streisand, artists just can’t help but reference Clark Kent’s alter ego in their quest to create songs more powerful than a locomotive. In celebration of both Man of Steel and this year’s annual Comic-Con convention (which ended yesterday), we’ve assembled our list of the best pop songs that reference Superman.

10. 3 Doors Down – “Kryptonite”

If I go crazy, will you still call me Superman?

It’s normal to boast about a hero’s might, but this straightforward rock track is about revealing flaws. Still, if 3 Doors Down had referenced Green Lantern and his bizarre weakness to the color yellow instead of Superman and Kryptonite, chances are they wouldn’t have had a hit. Blame Superman for the song’s superhuman might on the radio.

9. Spin Doctors – “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues”

Lois Lane, you don’t need no Superman/Come on downtown and stay with me tonight/I got a pocket full of Kryptonite

Poor Jimmy Olsen. Forever known, if for anything at all, for being Superman’s pal. The Spin Doctors’ quirky 1991 single manages to take a surprisingly wily approach with a song that asks: What if the downcast redhead had a crush on Lois Lane and a dastardly plan to kill off Superman to get her? Sinisterly clever fun.

8. Eric Clapton – “Superman Inside”

Look in the mirror, even with a broken heart I’m fine/Living is so sweet now with Superman inside.

Slowhand’s trademark blues-powered guitar licks plus the accompanying message that you’re strong enough to get through anything. What’s not to like?

7. Brian McKnight – “Superhero”

Kal-El, son ofJor-El/All my secrets, you can never tell.

I must salute McKnight for his herculean effort of combining Superman trivia with pseudo-romantic lingo. By the third verse, he manages to squeeze in a line about how he can’t see through lead as he tells his lady about how he needs her to make it through “this lonely, daily planet.” Plus, the title track from his 2001 album has a nice grooving bassline to carry the lyrics forward.

6. Jim Croce – “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim”

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape/You don’t spit into the wind/You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger.

Great advice in 1972 when Croce’s up-tempo folky number was released. Great advice for today. Great advice for your children’s children, no matter how many reboots come to pass.

5. Sufjan Stevens – “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts”

Man of Steel, Man of Heart/Turn your ear to my part.

Written as a bit of a love letter to the Man Of Steel, Stevens’ song is expectedly lush and expansive, gushing with trumpet flares, finger-picked guitars, pounding tambourines and a beautifully simple refrain of “la, la, la, la, la, la.”

4. The Flaming Lips – “Waitin’ For Superman”

Tell everyone waiting for Superman/That they should hold on as best they can/He hasn’t dropped them, forgot them, or anything/It’s just too heavy for Superman to lift.

When you place a pop culture icon in the hands of Wayne Coyne and company, magic happens. When Coyne sings about the Last Son of Krypton lifting the sun into the sky, it sounds remarkably deep, stunning, and powerful. This song from Soft Bulletin is a soaring, piano-pop ballad that poetically implies that there’s a world overwhelmed by “heavy” problems that even Superman can’t fix.

3. The Kinks – “Wish I Could Fly Like Superman”

If I were Superman, then we’d fly away/I’d really like to change the world.

With 1979’s Low Budget, The Kinks tapped into the same disco vibe that spawned Kiss’ “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” but they created a superhumanly catchy single with “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman.” It’s told from the point-of-view of a “nine-stone weakling” whose life is filled with bills, but he hopes for more like we all do. The bouncing disco-fueled track is irresistible, while Ray Davies’ lyrics proclaim what we’ve all dreamed of, having the Man of Steel’s abilities to fly around the world and “save it from the mess it’s in.”

2. R.E.M. – “Superman”

I am, I am, I am Superman/And I can do anything.

R.E.M.’s cover of The Clique’s 1969 track is as much about a broken heart as much as it is about Superman. Even so, when bassist Mike Mills sings about being a man who can do anything, amidst Michael Stipe’s harmonies and his own rolling basslines, the guy doesn’t sound like a braggart. He just makes it sound like an empowering anthem you can sing along with 100 percent conviction.

1. Crash Test Dummies – “Superman’s Song”

Superman never made any money for saving the world from Solomon Grundy/And sometimes I despair the world will never see another man like him.

An entire year before DC Comics launched the publicity stunt involving the death of Superman, the Crash Test Dummies imagined a world without him in “Superman’s Song.” Lead singer Brad Roberts laments that the world will “never see another man like him.” Roberts spends time making references to Tarzan’s shortcomings and the zombie super-villain Solomon Grundy, which could make the ballad worse, but instead it’s all the more impressive for the group to include those juxtapositions. The song rightfully uses Superman as a representation of virtue, resilience and selflessness. As cellos swell in this eulogy of sorts, he declares while the iconic hero must have been tempted to quit, he “kept on changing his clothes in dirty old phone booths till his work was through.” Few stories about the Man of Steel have ever been more powerful, including those on screen or on paneled pages. The Crash Test Dummies crafted a thoughtful, sad, strangely moving track about loss, selflessness, and hope. If a song could leap tall buildings in a single bound, this one would.

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posted in Checkin' 'Em Twice by Jeremiah Massengale

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Release New EP / Announce New LP

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Brooklyn indie-rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have just announced the release of their new EP, Little Moments, a four-track effort which is current available for purchase on their Bandcamp page. Along with two B-sides, the EP includes two tracks from their upcoming fourth full-length.

The still-untitled LP — their first since 2011′s Hysterical — is set to be mixed in September by previous collaborator David Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev) and will be released in January 2014. This is also the band’s first release following the departure of longtime members Tyler Sargent and Robbie Guertin.

As if all that good news wasn’t enough, the band has also announced new tour dates, which are below.

8/1/2013 Thursday, Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA

9/24/2013 Tuesday, Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall

9/26/2013 Thursday, Cleveland, OH Beachland w/ Stars

9/27/2013 Friday, Detroit, MI Magic Stick

9/28/2013 Saturday, Toronto, ONT Lee’s

9/29/2013 Sunday, Montreal, ONT Cabaret Mile-End

10/1/2013 Tuesday, Boston, MA Middle East

10/2/2013 Wednesday, New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

10/5/2013 Saturday, Washington, DC 9:30 Club

 

Below, check out their 2011 single “Same Mistake”:

 

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posted in News by HT Staff

Setlist Coverage: Steely Dan Kicks off 2013 Mood Swings Tour

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Steely Dan

It’s probably a lingering side-effect from the 1970s — when the band permanently retreated from the stage — but it’s hard not to get butterflies every time Steely Dan announce a new tour. It’s been a whole decade since their last album, Everything Must Go, and maybe not having to promote new music is the secret to their increased stage presence: The Dan have been touring almost every other year since.

Here at Hidden Track, we plan to track the band’s tour progress by analyzing their setlists. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have amassed one of the richest, sturdiest catalogs in popular music, and this year’s Mood Swings tour promises to be one of their most eclectic.

The band’s first date came on Friday, July 19th, at the Ovation Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The Dan quickly proved they’re not in “greatest hits” mode, kicking off the show with a cover of jazz composer Gerry Muligan’s “Blueport” before moving into the jazz-funk rarity “Your Gold Teeth.” Other obscure highlights include the sax-driven Pretzel Logic track “Monkey in Your Soul” (featuring a rare vocal turn from Becker) and the Fagen solo track “New Frontier.”

Check out the full setlist below (courtesy of Setlist.fm):

Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Show Biz Kids
New Frontier
(Donald Fagen song)
Green Book
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Monkey in Your Soul
(Walter Becker sings)
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
(The Borderline Brats sing)
Babylon Sisters
I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
Don’t Take Me Alive
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin’ in the Years
Encore:
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme
(Ennio Morricone cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)

The tour continued the next evening (July 20th) at the Constellation Brands Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, NY.

While the band has been teasing the possibility of playing various albums in their completion, they’ve kept the setlists relatively consistent so far, mostly just re-arranging the track order. In Canandaigua, they kept the line-up exactly the same, including a welcome performance of the jazz-fusion masterpiece “Aja.” For the second time, they closed with the radio-staple fan favorite “Reelin’ in the Years.”

Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Show Biz Kids
New Frontier
(Donald Fagen song)
Green Book
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Monkey in Your Soul
(Walter Becker sings)
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
(The Borderline Brats sing)
Babylon Sisters
I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
Don’t Take Me Alive
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin’ in the Years
Encore:
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme
(Nelson Riddle cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)

On Sunday, July 21st, the band stopped by the Molson Ampitheatre in Toronto, Ontario. Again, the setlist was mostly in-tact from their two kick-off shows; they did, however, decide to swap one Royal Scam track for another (“Don’t Take Me Alive” replaced with the funkier and much more popular “Green Earrings”).

Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Show Biz Kids
Green Earrings
Green Book
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Monkey in Your Soul
(Walter Becker sings)
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
(The Borderline Brats sing)
Babylon Sisters
I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin’ in the Years
Encore:
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme
(Ennio Morricone cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)

Stay tuned for our continued Steely Dan tour coverage. The band plays tonight in Cleveland, OH.

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posted in News by Ryan Reed

Re-Reviews: The Replacements’ ‘All Shook Down’

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Our relationship with art changes over time. In our instantaneous iPhone age, we don’t live with albums or movies or TV shows or books like we used to. With “Re-Reviews,” we re-explore our relationship with a piece of pop culture — and how that relationship evolves over time. We dismiss some art unfairly — or prematurely. Perhaps certain songs or bits of dialogue didn’t resonate because of our mood or our position in life. On the other hand, perhaps our adoration of some childhood favorite is clouded by nostalgia. Does this even matter?

The-Replacements

When I first listened to the Replacements’ final album, All Shook Down, I liked it for what I thought it was: the last record of a band that broke up prematurely and unexpectedly.

I was 15 when it was released in 1990.

But listening to it now 23 years later, I finally get it.

When All Shook Down first came out, a lot of hardcore Replacements fans dismissed it as a sell-out album: a mellow, shallow, overproduced attempt at mainstream stardom. And in a sense, it was.

The Replacements, after all, started out as anti-establishment, don’t-give-a-fuck, rock-and-rollers who spent more time drunk and high than sober. On the band’s first album, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, frontman Paul Westerberg screamed more than he sang. Their music was about being young and rebellious. It was loud, fast and simple.

All Shook Down is not; because it was never really meant to be a Replacements album to begin with. It was originally supposed to be Westerberg’s solo album debut. But the band’s record company, Sire, persuaded them to release it under the Replacements name. And, it earned the band mainstream attention, a trend started by the band’s previous album, Don’t Tell a Soul.

Most of the album was recorded by Westerberg and various session musicians, with the exception of the acoustic-guitar-driven “Attitude,” the album’s ninth track, which featured all four members playing together – drummer Chris Mars, bassist Tommy Stinson and guitarist Slim Dunlap, along with Westerberg.

Older and wiser than when I was 15, All Shook Down feels like a different album than when I first heard it. I missed out on what it was about the first time around. I realize now it’s about letting go and starting new. It’s about growing up. And that’s something The Replacements could never do. Because they were never that kind of band. With songs such as “Merry Go Round”  – a song about suicide – and the slow-tempo acoustic “Sadly Beautiful” (which features the Velvet Underground’s John Cale on viola), a song – which has been argued – about death, All Shook Down can be viewed as Westerberg’s farewell to The Replacements.

One of the more upbeat — and dare I say, fun — tracks on this album is “My Little Problem.” Westerberg gets help on this one from Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano, who provides additional vocals. “The Last” is Westerberg’s ode to getting sober, set to a bluesy, lounge-club arrangement. This is the most telling of Westerberg’s mindset at this point in his career: It’s time to grow up and move on.

All Shook Down isn’t a great Replacements album. Because it’s not at all what The Replacements were about. It is, however, a great Paul Westerberg album — one that showcases a much more confident, mature, introspective artist. And now, more than two decades later, The Replacements have announced they’ll be playing together again, with the possibility of recording a new album.
Going back through the band’s entire catalog, I understand now that the breakup of the Replacements was neither premature nor unexpected. It had been hinted at in the band’s last several albums, as Westerberg’s songwriting matured and the music got mellower. It simply came at the right time.

It’s chilling now to listen to “Someone Take the Wheel,” the album’s sixth track, where Westerberg admits it’s the end: “Someone take the wheel, and I don’t care where we’re going,” he sings. “Anybody say what you feel / Everybody’s sad, but nobody’s showin’.”

With age and distance between them, can The Replacements go back to what they were before: a bunch of kids getting fucked up, fighting, and rallying against authority, the lovable losers who just can’t and don’t want to win? No. No they can’t, because as you get older, it takes a toll. And sometimes, you have to know when to call it quits. Westerberg, of all people knew that. But it’s always nice to reminisce.

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posted in Editor's Choice by Charles J. Moss

Dustin Wong Announces New LP, ‘Meditation of Ecstatic Energy’

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Photo Credit: Hiromi Shinada

Guitar loop master Dustin Wong has announced a new studio album, Meditation of Ecstatic Energy. The LP — the first he’s recorded since moving back to his childhood homeland of Japan –  finds Wong continuing to refine his trademark brand of loop-pedal atmospherics; exploring themes of spirituality, youth, and technology, the album also functions as the final installment of a trilogy, following 2010′s Infinite Love and 2012′s Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads.

According to a press release, Meditation of Ecstatic Energy is the most intricate and progressive-minded album of Wong’s career, using “syncopation, abnormal time signatures, and polyrhythm to create an overwhelming feeling of weightlessness.” No firm release date has been announced at this time.

In September, Wong will embark on a U.S. tour. Dates are below:

Dustin Wong on Tour:
Fri. Sept. 20th – Chicago, IL – The Hideout ^
Sat. Sept. 21st – Madison, WI – Dragonfly Lounge
Sun. Sept. 22nd – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse #@
Mon. Sept. 23rd – Mimlwaukee, WI – Quarters #
Tue. Sept. 24th – Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House #
Thu. Sept. 26th – Baltimore, MD – Floristree %
Fri. Sept. 27th – Boston, MA – Paradise *
Sat. Sept. 28th – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s *
Sun. Sept. 29th – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg *
Tue. Oct. 1st – Washington, DC – Black Cat *
Wed. Oct. 2nd – Raleigh, NC – King’s Barcade *
Thu. Oct. 3rd – West Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern *
Fri. Oct. 4th – Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn *
Sat. Oct. 5th – Nashville, TN – The Stone Fox *
Sun. Oct. 6th – Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree *
Tue. Oct. 8th – New Orleans, LA – One Eye’d Jacks *
Wed. Oct. 9th – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s Upstairs *
Thu. Oct. 19th – Dallas, TX – Three Links *
Fri. Oct. 11th – Austin, TX – The Mohawk *
Sun. Oct. 13th – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom *
Mon. Oct. 14th – San Diego, CA – The Casbah *
Tue. Oct. 15th – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre *
Wed. Oct. 16th – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall *
Sat. Oct. 19th – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Sun. Oct. 20th – Seattle, WA – Comet Tavern
Mon. Oct. 21st – Boise, ID – The Crux
Wed. Oct. 23rd – Denver, CO – Rinoceropolis
Fri. Oct. 25th – Iowa City, IA – Trumpet Blossom Cafe

* – w/ The Dodos
# – w/ Dope Body
^ – w/ Cave
@ – w/ Scout Nibblet
% – w/ CoLa

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posted in News by Ryan Reed

Checkin’ ‘Em Twice: Arcade Fire’s 10 Most Absurd Moments

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Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire recently announced that their fourth studio album will be released October 29th. But they didn’t take the usual channel of a press release – instead, they casually tweeted the announcement to a fan. In light of this strange move, we compiled a list of the ten most absurd moments in Arcade Fire history. Aside from the three phenomenal studio albums they’ve released throughout the last nine years, Arcade Fire have engaged in several random antics that truly exemplify their distinctive personality. These ten absurd moments may remind you of a few more reasons to be excited for the new album – or at the very least, it might build anticipation for whatever strange move they pull off next.

1. Arcade Fire Casually Tweets Their Album Announcement

In an era when musicians have announced their new albums via countdown clocks and worldwide city projectors, Arcade Fire followed suit with their own ridiculous album announcement, hopping on Twitter to announce their new highly anticipated studio album. On July 11th, a random fan tweeted his appreciation for the band, simply telling them “You’re my favorite.” He received a completely unexpected reply when the band responded, “Thanks. Our new album will be out October 29th,” along with a picture that’s widely speculated to be the new album cover. This random announcement is very atypical for a band, especially for one whose last effort awarded them a Grammy…

2. The Suburbs Wins a Grammy

To start, Arcade Fire winning the prestigious Album of the Year Grammy in 2011 is definitely not absurd; it’s actually the complete opposite. It was a wonderful album, and many agree that it was completely deserving of the award. The absurdity lies in the fact that nobody saw them actually winning, especially when they were nominated alongside industry giants Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry. Somehow the underdog defied prediction and won the award, which eventually led to an onslaught of confusion on social media from people who had never heard the name of the Canadian band. (http://whoisarcadefire.tumblr.com/).

3. Your Childhood Home Stars in an Arcade Fire Music Video

Nostalgia has always been a common trope used throughout Arcade Fire’s music. Sometimes the sound of a song reflects the feeling; other times the lyrical content is blatantly nostalgic, such as in “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels).” In 2010 the band decided to take their common theme in a radical new direction — by actually putting your childhood neighborhood in an interactive music video. The band teamed up with Google Chrome to create the website www.thewildernessdowntown.com, which asks you to enter the address of your childhood home. When you do so, the song “We Used To Wait” from The Suburbs plays alongside a music video that includes different images of your childhood home (taken from Google Maps). It’s a neat idea in theory, but the feeling of nostalgia doesn’t seem to outweigh the reality of Google vehicles cruising over the same roads we learned to ride our bicycles on.

4. Havoc Ensues During the Arcade Fire EP Release Show

Speaking of nostalgia, a look back towards the genesis of Arcade Fire illuminates early signs of the band’s absurdity. During the winter of 2003, Arcade Fire held a show at Montreal’s Casa del Popolo in support of their recently recorded/released self-titled EP. Though it should have been a time for celebration, a feud broke out onstage during the middle of an encore, between singer/multi-instrumentalist Win Butler and guitarist/engineer Richard Reed Parry. The onstage rift (in front of a packed audience) ensued in Parry quitting the band while still on stage. The leave also inspired bassist Dane Mills to quickly follow suit, leaving the band a few members short. While some groups may have called it quits, Arcade Fire pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, hired Butler’s brother William and Tim Kingsbury as replacements, and signed a record deal with Merge shortly thereafter. (Parry eventually re-joined the band, and his instrumental prowess remains an integral part of their artful sound.)

5. The Win vs. Wayne Beef

Win Butler was the subject of another feud during 2009, when Rolling Stone posted a quote from Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, stating, “We’ve played some shows with [Arcade Fire] and they really treat people like shit.” Butler retorted very shortly afterwards with “The only time we have ever shared a stage with the Flaming Lips was our last show on the Funeral tour at a festival in Las Vegas (over 3 years ago)… So…I am not sure Wayne is the best judge (based on seeing us play at a couple of festivals).” The ridiculous feud fizzled out as quickly as it started, but it kept some of us secretly hoping for a nerdy/alternative ongoing beef, reminiscent of the 90’s East Coast/West Coast rap rivalry. Unfortunately, this never panned out.

6. David Bowie Shares the Stage

Aside from the occasional feud, Arcade Fire have also had their fair share of positive interaction with fellow musicians, notably in 2005, when the group paired with legendary pop icon David Bowie for two shows. The absurdly awesome collaboration was most likely kick-started in 2004, when Bowie took to his websites message board to rave about Arcade Fire’s first studio album, Funeral, stating “”THERE’S NOTHING ELSE TO SAY. ‘THE ARCADE FIRE’ HAVE THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR. You must, simply must, buy it now, today, pronto.” The random high profile endorsement culminated in Bowie joining Arcade Fire at New York’s Fashion Rocks (September 8th, 2005) and Summerstage (September 15th, 2005) to perform Bowie’s “Life on Mars?” and “Five Years”, as well as Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up.” The songs were released to the public as the Live EP Live at Fashion Rocks.

7. LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy Works on the New Album

It was announced by Arcade Fire in December 2012 that another awesome collaboration was in the works, this time with James Murphy. The electronic musician has seemingly started focusing on production since the demise of LCD Soundsystem (producing the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s most recent album, Mosquito), and has been in the studio working on Arcade Fire’s upcoming release, telling Rolling Stone, “It’s really fucking epic. Seriously. I mean, I feel at this point like I’m too close to it to really talk it up and do it justice. You know?” Though Murphy’s involvement was pretty unexpected, it’s another reason to be excited for the album’s release on October 29th.

8. Arcade Fire Sell a Church

Arcade Fire’s jump to recording with James Murphy may partially be due to the fact that they recently listed their bizarre recording studio, a 15,751 square-foot church, for sale this past January. The 162-year-old church properly housed the recording studio for Neon Bible as well as The Suburbs, and was first announced via Twitter, by way of a tweet stating, “Anybody want to buy a church?” The church was recently sold for the $325,000 asking price, despite the destroyed roof that most likely prompted the Farnham, Quebec building to go up for sale. Whether it will be kept as a recording space or an actual sanctuary is still up for debate.

9. Arcade Fire and The Strokes Play Basketball

In a benefit for DJ Sports Club, a non-profit Montreal youth charity, Arcade Fire’s Win and Will Butler played a game of basketball titled “POP Vs. Jock.” Along with the Butler brothers, the POP team consisted of Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes and Martin Starr of the cult-classic TV comedy Freaks and Geeks. The celebrity team played against the Jock team, which included McGill University Redmen and the Concordia University Stingers on September 22nd, 2012, with the halftime show being performed by David Byrne (who was backed up by Arcade Fire). Arcade Fire member (and Win’s wife) Régine Chassagne also took part in the event, supporting the event as a furry mascot.

10. Arcade Fire in the Classroom

Students attending the University of Texas at Austin in March 2012 must have had a break from the course of routine that often coincides with college classes, when Arcade Fire sat in as guest speakers. The UT website listed the title of the lecture as “Hope, Haiti, and Service,” along with a description stating the band “will discuss the current socio-economic crisis in Haiti, and their own volunteer efforts in the region. In discussing the Haitian need for healthcare and aid from the first world, the speakers will encourage UT students to envision themselves as global citizens and local philanthropists. The musicians will draw attention to the work being done by the non-profit to which their profits are directed: Partners in Health.” This wasn’t the first time leading a classroom for band member Will Butler, who also taught a lecture “about blending his music career with social activism” at his alma mater Northwestern University in 2010.

Did we miss another absurd Arcade Fire moment? Sound off in the comments section below.

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posted in Checkin' 'Em Twice by Tyler S. Collins

The Return of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ (And, Just Maybe, My Childlike Glee)

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Ryan : Colin

In some grand cosmic gesture of peace and awesomeness from the comedy gods, Whose Line Is It Anyway? has officially returned to American airwaves.

The spastic improv series was cancelled by ABC back in 2003 after an eight-season run, effectively crushing my soul (along with the careers of most of its cast members). Who could live without Wayne Brady’s James Brown impressions and his glistening, far-too-white-to-be-real smile? Who will fill the void left by Colin Mochrie’s awkward non-sequiturs? Who can replace the smoothly clever styles of Ryan Stiles?

The answer is as clear as Drew Carey’s glasses are square: Nobody. Nobody can replace these comedic gods. So when the CW Network recently revived the franchise for its Summer 2013 schedule, Whose Line buffs like myself were skeptical, to say the least. Though the show’s core trio (Stiles, Mochrie, and Brady) are set to appear in 10 new episodes, Carey’s hosting chair has been filled by comic Aisha Tyler. Suddenly, my childhood never seemed further away.

Whose Line Is It Anyway

But I was wrong. Yesterday, I managed to catch up on the three episodes that have aired thus far — and to my utter shock, the show hasn’t lost an ounce of its zany magic. As host, Tyler adds a much-needed female perspective (And don’t mention the show’s previous female improvisors — at best, they were pleasant set decorations). Mochrie is still the weird, bald ying to Stiles’ gangly straight-man yang. Brady, meanwhile (sporting a shaved head and soul patch), is somehow even sharper and more charismatic than he was in his jerry-curl prime.

A couple quibbles. First, the guest performers. Part of the show’s magic is its audience participation, and using celebrities is nowhere near as funny. Watching Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead awkwardly fumble through a bit is nowhere near as enjoyable as watching a star-struck grandma do the same. Also, what’s up with the whole not-doing-the-Hoedown thing?

(Also, if they don’t revive Three-Headed Broadway Star, I’m gonna be really pissed. Check out this hilarious edition of the game, featuring David Hasselhoff.)

 

Overall, though, it’s just ungrateful to complain all that much. Whose Line is back, and I feel fine.

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posted in Comedy by Ryan Reed


Feast Your Eyes: André 3000 in Jimi Hendrix Form

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Andre 3000 : Jimi Hendrix

Outkast’s André 3000 is set to play psychedelic legend Jimi Hendric in the upcoming biopic All Is By My Side, and now fans can check out their first glimpse of the afro’d rapper-turned-rocker. NME discovered the image (which is conveniently located above) on the Toronto International Film Festival website, along with a newly unveiled synopsis of the project.

“Jimmy James, an unknown backup guitarist, left New York City for London, England in 1966,” the statement reads. “A year later he returned — as Jimi Hendrix.”

The film, which was written and directed by John Ridley, is premiering at the Festival in September.

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posted in News by HT Staff

Peter Gabriel’s Cover-Swap Sequel ‘And I’ll Scratch Yours’ to Drop in September

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Peter Gabriel

On September 23rd, Real World will release And I’ll Scratch Yours, an album of Peter Gabriel covers. It’s been a loooong time coming.

Back in 2010, Gabriel released Scratch My Back, an LP featuring orchestral reinterpretations of his favorite songs. The original plan was unique: Every covered artist would return the favor by covering one of Gabriel’s tracks in a style of their choosing. While several artists (like Paul Simon and art-folk it-guy Justin Vernon) made good on their sonic pact, several others (We’re looking at you, Radiohead) backed out of the deal. So this album announcement is slightly unexpected.

Graciously filling in for Neil Young and Radiohead (who both declined to participate) are indie-soul chameleon Feist and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur.

You can pre-order the album from the Real World website.

The full tracklist is below:

“I Don’t Remember” – David Byrne
“Come Talk to Me” – Bon Iver
“Blood of Eden” – Regina Spektor
“Not One of Us” – Stephin Merritt
“Shock the Monkey” – Joseph Arthur
“Big Time” – Randy Newman
“Games Without Frontiers” – Arcade Fire
“Mercy Street” – Elbow
“Mother of Violence” – Brian Eno
“Don’t Give Up” – Feist feat. Timber Timbre
“Solsbury Hill” – Lou Reed
“Biko” – Paul Simon

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posted in News by Ryan Reed

Album Preview: Moon Safari to Release Fourth Studio LP, ‘Himblabacken Vol. 1,’ in August

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Moon Safari

The Skellefteå, Sweden native progressive rock band Moon Safari will release their fourth studio LP, Himblabacken Vol.1, via their own Blomljud Records, on August 21st.

When music critics encounter bands with lush vocal harmonies, the default comparative is The Beach Boys. This isn’t without good reason, of course; the role of The Beach Boys in the foundation of what we know as pop music today is indelible. However, at a certain point, the reference starts to feel anachronistic, as there have been several bands since who have had fantastic vocal interplay. One such group is Moon Safari, who despite the enormous pop appeal of its music, remains in the progressive rock underground — though it’s unlikely it’ll remain that way. Due to jaw-dropping epics like the 31-minute “Other Half of the Sky” (from 2008’s Blomljud), the sextet has turned many heads in the prog community, but anyone who listens to its music cannot deny the accessibility present, even on the more ornately arranged tracks.

With their 2005 debut, A Doorway to Summer, and 2008′s Blomljud, Moon Safari demonstrated a prowess with multi-layered vocal arrangements; however, a certain refinement was needed. Unsurprising for a prog outfit, Doorway runs at just under an hour, and Blomljud runs at a whopping one hour and forty-five minutes. Many prog fans won’t bat an eye at those lengths, but for music like Moon Safari’s, where the arrangements are heightened and mellifluous almost constantly, there’s a drowning out effect that inevitably takes place. On cuts like Blomljud’s “Methuselah’s Children,” which is a fine track in nearly every respect, the sheer amount of hooks and vocal harmonies are suffocating, and as a result all of the melodies — intoxicating though they are — become over-saturated.

What a relief, then, is 2010’s Lover’s End, one of the best progressive rock albums of this still-young decade. Clocking in at just under 50 minutes — that golden mean of a running time — the album takes all of Moon Safari’s strengths and compresses them into eight elated, joyous tracks that never outstay their welcome. It’s a wonder that Lover’s End is lyrically themed as a breakup album — it sounds celebratory throughout; when the group sings, “Without you in my heart/I can’t breathe” on closer “Lover’s End, Part II,” it’s hard to tell if you’re supposed to feel happy or sorry for them. With moments like this, it all comes down to the vocals, which despite being top-tier on the band’s first two LPs, are even better here. The a cappella harmonies on “Southern Belle” and the end of the pop masterpiece “New York City Summergirl” are absolutely immaculate, and when joined in the mix by the multifaceted musical arrangements, they still don’t lose their power.

With only an album teaser and a tracklist available to get a sense of Himblabacken Vol. 1, it’s reasonable to infer that Moon Safari are keeping to the success of Lover’s End. With the longest track running nine-and-a-half minutes, the group is sticking to the concise-yet-intricate songwriting that made their last LP so phenomenal. This is one to get excited for; just don’t compare these guys to The Beach Boys.

Watch an album teaser for Himblabacken Vol. 1 here.

Himblabacken Vol. 1 Tracklist

1. Kids (2:07)
2. Too Young to Say Goodbye (6:28)
3. Mega Moon (8:21)
4. Barfly (4:47)
5. Red White Blues (5:08)
6. My Little Man (2:55)
7. Diamonds (6:42)
8. Sugar Band (9:33)

Stream the entirety of Lover’s End via Bandcamp below; the 13-minute epic “A Kid Called Panic” is also available as a free download there. (You can also pre-order the new album in a digital format through Bandcamp.)

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posted in News by Brice Ezell

Pearl Jam Unveil New iTunes App

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pearl-jam

A couple weeks back, Pearl Jam announced the release of their tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt. And now they’ve stepped up their announcement game even further by unveiling “Pearl Jam Official,” a new iTunes app which gives fans access to music, merchandise, and news, along with other exclusive content.

According to Tim Bieman, the manager of the band’s official Ten Club, “The app was created to serve all Pearl Jam fans, but it also allows our official Ten Club members to log into their membership accounts on-the go.”

Lightning Bolt will be released on October 15th. On October 11th, the band will begin their 2013 North American tour with a performance in Pittsburgh. Check out the full dates at the PJ website.

Below, take a listen to the band’s new single, “Mind Your Manners.”

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posted in News by HT Staff

The Chop House: Yes’ Spellbinding 1975 Performance in London

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With “The Chop House,” we explore classic performances from bands with — you know — “chops.” Genres like progressive rock, art-rock, jazz-fusion — they’re nearly extinct in our current music culture. These days, we live (and consume art) impatiently, favoring a quick fix over a challenge. But here at Hidden Track, we refuse to let the dazzling, confrontational spirit of these wonderful bands die.

Yes Relayer Cover

On May 10th, 1975, Yes graced the stage at London’s Loftus Road Stadium — but this wasn’t the same Yes that had been dominating progressive rock the entire decade. Not quite. The band’s most recent album, 1974′s Relayer, was a bold, edgy reinvention, adding an aggressive jazz-fusion edge (one clearly influenced by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra) to their trademark symphonic sound.

Critics were dumbfounded by this new direction — just as they’d been puzzled by the extended, ambient stretches of Tales from Topographic Oceans – but the album sold well, as all Yes albums did, landing in the Top Five in both the UK and US. Nonetheless, Relayer (and its subsequent tour) were — and are — unlike anything else in the band’s oeuvre. Longtime keyboard whiz Rick Wakeman (who fled the band after his dissatisfaction with the polarizing Oceans) was replaced by newcomer Patrick Moraz, whose flashy, blaring, jazz-inflected chops ultimately served as a catalyst for this new sonic shift.

Yes never made another album like Relayer. From 1975 to 1976, each band member released his own solo album, and when they re-grouped to record 1977′s Going for the One, they brought back Wakeman (along with a trimmer, more rock-oriented style).

That makes this concert at Loftus Road all the more special. The set — which originally floated around in bootleg VHS form — was officially released in 2001 as Yes: Live — 1975 at QPR. The concert lasts nearly two-and-a-half hours, and it’s split into halves below.

Full Line-Up: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion), Steve Howe (guitars, vocals), Chris Squire (bass, vocals), Patrick Moraz (keyboards), Alan White (drums, percussion)

Disc 1 features the entire Relayer album (including the hypnotic, Steve Howe-led “To Be Over” and the spastic, fusion blow-out “Sound Chaser”), along with a number of other fan favorites.

Songlist:
0. Introduction – Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite
1. Sound Chaser
2. Close to the Edge
3. To Be Over
4. The Gates of Delirium
5. Your Move
6. Mood For A Day
7. Long Distance Runaround
8. The Clap

Disc 2 is equally great, featuring the propulsive Time and a Word gem “Sweet Dreams” and a truly moving version of “And You and I.”

0. And You and I
1. Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)
2. Roundabout
3. Sweet Dreams
4. Yours is No Disgrace

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posted in The Chop House by Ryan Reed

Got Summer Sports Depression? We’ve Got Your Cure: ESPN2′s Highly Questionable

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So, it’s summer. You get to barbecue, lounge in the pool, and defrost all that pent-up, depression-like anxiety brought on by the cold season. But something always seems to be missing, right? Football. Football is missing. Yes, there’s baseball, but unless you live at the ballpark, there isn’t much luster to it. And with the college football and NFL seasons still 33 and 41 days away respectively, finding a decent sports program can sometimes impossible. Never fret, though. In this new Hidden Track weekly series, we highlight a quality show that’ll help ease your football hunger pangs. This week, it’s ESPN2’s Highly Questionable.

Highly Questionable

Highly Questionable is far from questionable when it comes to entertainment value. Dan Le Batard, Miami Herald writer and the show’s main host, is a gem on his own, but unite him with his devil-may-care father Gonzalo (referred to simply as “Papi”) and Bomani Jones, and you have a damn sports talk-show dream team.

The charm felt between Dan and his father is the undeniable highlight of the show. Papi, an American immigrant who fled his homeland of Cuba at 16, ardently champions all-things-Miami in (oftentimes broken) English, leaving Dan to fill the role of the objective analyst.

This dynamic plays well into the rhetoric of the show. The two complement each other extremely well and — until May 13th — were doing so alone. That’s when Jones was brought in as a permanent fixture on the show, following the recurring guest spot he previously held. And what a genius move by ESPN. Jones’ blend of brutal honesty and wit was the only piece that could have possibly been missing from this already extraordinary puzzle.

But wait — there’s more. Highly Questionable doesn’t just boast an incomparable cast of characters; it also has a style all its own. While the show’s flow and basic premise follows the same blueprint used by a number of other ESPN broadcasts, this one doesn’t wilt or grow stale over time. Set in a typical Hialeah-style kitchen that pokes fun at the stereotype as well as pay homage to it, the trio sits at a dining table mulling over sports topics and indulging in generally comical dialogue.

Broken into four segments, the show is leaded off by “Opening Questions,” with Dan and company being tossed the more vital sports issues of the day while giving the audience their take on the matter. The second is an interview — usually of a sports personality — followed by “Do You Question,” where the three-man panel basically repeat the show’s first segment in a less serious, more laugh-inducing manner — with the main difference being that topics may or may not be sports-related. Finally, in “Si o No,” viewers suggest television airings for the evening as Dan, Papi and Jones decide whether or not they are “intrigued.”

Highly Questionable is the perfect cocktail of entertainment, sports and humor. Make sure to catch it weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2, or, at some random time on ESPNews. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed…unless you have bad taste.

To get you started, here’s a sample segment:

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posted in Sports by Timothy Wyatt

Paul McCartney On Touring: “It’s What I Do, and It’s What I’ve Always Done”

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Paul-McCartney1

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the 71-year-old Sir Paul McCartney discussed the physical limitations of touring, noting that his age hasn’t become a barrier to his instrument-swapping, explosion-heavy live shows.

“I can’t imagine ever not doing it,” he says. “It’s what I do, and it’s what I’ve always done, and I love it so much. Of course, there’s got to be some kind of physical limitation. But I haven’t found it.”

Of course, Macca is aware that he might physically be forced to stop playing live some day. Until then, he says he’s “ignoring it.”

“I’m thinking, ‘Jesus, God, man. You know, you’re not 25,’” he says. “But then, my other side of my head’s going, ‘Yes, you are! Get on with it!’”

The former Beatle also discussed some of the obscure gems in his discography, including the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper highlight “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” which he and his band have been playing on their current tour.

“What I do is, each tour or each concert we’re going to do, I will go back into the catalog and think, ‘Wait a minute, we could do that one,’ and there are a few little hidden gems,” he says. “It’s really quite a cool feeling, because as I do the songs, I am made very aware that that period when we recorded – the 10 years the Beatles were together – was a particularly rich period for art, anyway, and for us. We just kept popping it in there! You can think of songs like ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road’ – you think, “You know, that could go live.’

 

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posted in News by HT Staff


Scraping the Barrel: #100, ‘Meatballs 4′

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Thousands and thousands of films are made every year. And while some of them are destined for Oscar glory and widespread Metacritic acclaim, others wind up scraping the barrel on the IMDB Bottom 100. What makes these films so universally despised? Are they all really that bad? And, seriously, what’s the deal with From Justin to Kelly? We’ll answer all these questions (and hopefully more) with “Scraping the Barrel,” in which we review the ENTIRETY of the bottom 100, in order.

For our first installment, Ryan Reed takes a closer look (when he’s able to uncover his eyes) at #100, 1992′s Meatballs 4.

Meatballs 4

The Gist: Smooth-talking goofball Ricky Wade (Corey Feldman) is re-hired by Neil Peterson (Jack Nance) to re-invigorate his fledgling summer camp, which is rapidly losing customers. Monica Shavetts (Sarah Douglas) is the Cruella Deville-like owner of a rival camp, and she wants to buy out Peterson’s operation. Naturally, there’s only one way to settle this: a SKI-OFF! Can Wade’s dated, ’80s-styled charisma whip the campers into shape? Or will Shavetts swoop in and kill summer fun once and for all?

IMDB Stats: #100, 2.6 rating

The Straight Dirt: Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I haven’t seen the second or third installments in the Meatballs franchise. But my critical conscience tells me that my enjoyment of Meatballs 4 won’t be hindered by this. (I did watch the first one when I was 12.)

The first thing I notice is the DVD menu: a dude’s T-shit with the Meatballs 4 poster on it (complete with Feldman’s devil-may-care visage). Way cool! To my dismay, no bonus features. I feel butterflies in my stomach as the FBI Anti-Piracy Warning kicks into gear, and the MGM lion’s roar fills my heart with pure adrenaline.

“A Bog Logan Film.” Do a quick Google search on that poor sap.

This film has a 2.6 rating, so I’m obviously not expecting Citizen Kane, but I’m also encouraged by the words of an anonymous Amazon commenter (who is most likely one of the film’s producers), who assures me, “The story line was great fun, like original, no aliens, no sex star ghosts, but the goold old male ego/camp competition. WHOO WHOO, great skiing scenes…and I don’t ski.”

The film starts as a shabby bus pulls to the curb, unleashing this summer’s attendees: huge-breasted 25-year-old women, washboard-ab frat-boy douches, and a lone fat guy named Pig Pen. I guess they’re all supposed to be 17.

“A lot of people around here just call me Neil,” says the head honcho, “especially when I’m dropped to my knees!” The campers stare back in disbelief, but I thought that was pretty hilarious, Jack Nance.

Meatballs 4 (Jack Nance)

Also, poor Jack Nance. How sad that David Lynch’s go-to weirdo (in classics like Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and — most notably — Eraserhead) eventually stooped to such pathetic lows. On the plus-side, Nance’s presence here ultimately adds a strange level of creepiness the filmmakers probably weren’t intending.

By the way, OF COURSE the token floral-shirt-donning fat dude is named Pigpen. Is this the origin of the fat-guy-named-Pigpen mythology?

Back to the movie: The first thing Nance does is tell the kids to “hit the showers.” What a pedophile! Speaking of which, it only takes about three minutes for boobs to show up. That has to be some kind of record, even in a horny teen-camp flick. I suppose Logan figured he had to reel in the pre-teens as fast as possible.

“I’m getting a woody!,” screams Pigpen, as he and two tossled-hair d-bags spy into the girls’ showers (where, of course, they’re all freely showering together, locker-room style).

That’s all well and good, but where’s Corey Feldman?

His character, Ricky Wade, hang-glides into the camp carrying his own boom-box. Ricky then asks camp counselor Jennifer (Paige French) if her breasts — nicknamed Bill and Ted, of course — have “been on any excellent adventures lately.”

Strangely enough, Feldman is actually kinda funny at times; his comic timing was still sharp in 1992, even if the lines they’re feeding him are atrocious beyond belief. (They should have titled this film The Ballad of Ricky Wade.)

There are more boobs, more awkward one-liners. There’s even a dance scene in which Feldman’s character dances embarrassingly to an awful rip of Michael Jackson’s “Black or White.”

But the “plot” really kicks into gear during the ski-off training. Naturally, the campers are awful at skiing (one slams straight into a ramp during a practice session — ZOINKS!) until Ricky Wade works his magic and unites the gang as one. Monica Shavetts, the evil rival camp leader, wants to buy out the operation, but Ricky’s not having it. Plus, he has extra motivation: He used to work for the evil Shavetts, and he wants to impress his former flame, Kelly Peterson (Deborah Tucker).

(Strongly fighting the urge to fast-forward 3/4 of the way through.)

Spoiler alert: Ricky’s gang wins the ski-off. Then Shavetts sends her semi-mentally-challenged goons to cause a ruckus, and so on. Facing a mounting mortgage, Neil is desperate. In one especially emotional scene, he confesses that he might have to close the camp.

There’s only one solution: ANOTHER SKI-OFF. So when Ricky approaches Shavetts with a winner-take-all re-match, we essentially watch the same movie all over again: corny training sessions (with aimless, hair-metal guitar soundtracks), awkward banter, and terrible aquatic action.

(When Ricky attempts a triple-flip spectacular ramp-jump, they clearly edit the same jump three times in a row, interspersed with Nance’s face, saying, “ONE! TWO! THREE!”)

I won’t ruin the rest of the film for you, but use your imagination.

One more note: Feldman and Nance are a comedy dream-team, the Jordan and Pippen of juvenile boob-comedy. (OK, not really.) They’re also kind of like a weird Yoda/Luke Skywalker duo.

Consensus:

Basically, the whole movie is summed up succinctly in one scene: As Ricky prepares for a battle of jet-ski chicken, one camper remarks, “This is ridiculous!” In response, Jennifer replies, “Boys.”

Should-Be IMDB Score: 3.2

Random Quotes:

“These aren’t boobs — these are BAD GUYS!”

“This isn’t the world of chocolate shakes and extra cherries. This is the real world. Are you going to put up or shut up?” “Monica, I’ll be puttin’ up.”

“Virtually nill?! Virtually nill?! Look down your pants — you’ll find something virtually nill!”

“Why did you leave me, Ricky?” “I left you…because I was afraid, Kelly. You see, your grandfather always said he wanted the bes for you–THE ABSOLUTE BEST–and you see, my problem is that Ricky Wade has never been the best at anything, ever. And I didn’t want to bring you down with me. I didn’ twant to destroy your future. So I left, took off. Because I cared. I came back here…becasue I cared. Your grandfather cares a lot about you, and he cares a lot about this camp. And he wants you to have this camp when he’s gone. And I want to see that happen. I’m sorry, Kelly. I’m so sorry I hurt you. Please forgive me.”

“I was in Goonies.”

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posted in Movies by Ryan Reed

Dr. Dog Unveil New Headlining Tour Dates

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cc2011067 - Dr. Dog for Band Publicity photographed in Philadelp

Eclectic Philly rockers Dr. Dog have announced a new headlining tour, which kicks off October 11th in Atlanta.

Anti- will release the band’s eighth studio album, The B-Room on October 1st. If you pre-order the LP on the Dr. Dog website, you’ll automatically have a shot at winning an autographed band photo (of which there are 150 total).

The full tour itinerary is below:

Dr. Dog Live Dates:
October 11 Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade
November 01 Pittsburgh PA ,Stage AE
November 02 Louisville KY, Headliners Music Hall
November 03 Asheville NC, The Orange Peel
November 05 Richmond VA, The National
November 06 Charlotttville, SC Jefferson Theater
November 07 Columbus OH, Newport Music Hall
November 08 Toronto, On Phoenix Concert Theater
November 09 Detroit MI, Majestic Theater
November 11 Cleveland OH, House Of Blues
November 14 Boston MA, House Of Blues
November 16 Baltimore MA Rans Head Live

Also, check out the video for “The Truth Don’t Stop,” a sweetly soulful new track from The B-Room.

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posted in News by HT Staff

Setlist Coverage: Steely Dan’s Mood Swings Tour Keeps Rollin’

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Steely Dan

Last week, Steely Dan kept on rollin’ toward “Pancake Day” with their 2013 Mood Swings tour. They played five gigs last week, and while the setlists remained fairly static (consistent with what we saw previously), they did manage a few notable switch-ups.

On Tuesday, July 23rd, the band ventured to Jacobs Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio. The only change-up from their previous set in Toronto was swapping out Everything Must Go‘s “Green Book” with the Countdown to Ecstasy classic “King of the World.”

Check out the full setlist below (courtesy of Setlist.fm):

1.Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)
2.Your Gold Teeth
3.Aja
4.Hey Nineteen
5.Show Biz Kids
6.Green Earrings
7.King of the World
8.Time Out of Mind
9.Godwhacker
10.Monkey in Your Soul
(Walter Becker sings)
11.Bodhisattva
12.Razor Boy
(The Borderline Brats sing)
13.Babylon Sisters
14.I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
15.Josie
16.Peg
17.My Old School
18.Reelin’ in the Years

Encore:
20.Kid Charlemagne
21.Untouchables Theme
(Nelson Riddle cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)

The next night, The Dan moved to another Ohio spot at Kettering’s Fraze Pavilion. The setlist remained the same, except for one major addition: Donald Fagen slipped in a solo interpretation of Beethoven’s “Für Elise” at the number 15 spot. The band’s next show — July 26th at the Louisville Palace Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky — kept the same line-up.

Full setlist:

1.Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)
2.Your Gold Teeth
3.Aja
4.Hey Nineteen
5.Show Biz Kids
6.Green Earrings
7.King of the World
8.Time Out of Mind
9.Godwhacker
10.Monkey in Your Soul
(Walter Becker sings)
11.Bodhisattva
12.Razor Boy
(The Borderline Brats sing)
13.Babylon Sisters
14.I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
15.Für Elise
(Beethoven cover) (Donald Fagen only)
16.Josie
17.Peg
18.My Old School
19.Reelin’ in the Years

Encore:
20.Kid Charlemagne
21.Untouchables Theme
(Nelson Riddle cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)

On July 27th, the audience at Detroit’s Fox Theatre were treated to “Black Friday.” This is the first time this year Steely Dan have played the swinging Katy Lied classic, which bumped “King of the World” out of the fluctuating number seven spot. The evening’s other eventful shake-up came toward the end of the main set, with the groovy Aja highlight “Deacon Blues” replacing “Babylon Sisters” at the number 13 spot. Meanwhile, “Für Elise” proved to be more than a fluke, staying firm in the set.

That 21-track setlist was maintained for the next gig the following night, at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater.

Full setlist:

1.Blueport
(Gerry Mulligan cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)
2.Your Gold Teeth
3.Aja
4.Hey Nineteen
5.Show Biz Kids
6.Green Earrings
7.Black Friday
8.Time Out of Mind
9.Godwhacker
10.Monkey in Your Soul
(Walter Becker sings)
11.Bodhisattva
12.Razor Boy
(The Borderline Brats sing)
13.Deacon Blues
14.I Want to (Do Everything for You)
(Joe Tex cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
15.Für Elise
(Beethoven cover) (Donald Fagen only)
16.Josie
17.Peg
18.My Old School
19.Reelin’ in the Years

Encore:
20.Kid Charlemagne
21.Untouchables Theme
(Nelson Riddle cover) (The Bipolar Allstars only)

Stay tuned for our continued Steely Dan tour coverage. The band plays tomorrow in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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posted in News by Ryan Reed

Blitzen Trapper Share Haunting New Track, ‘Ever Loved Once’

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Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper is one of the most consistently great (and consistently underrated) bands in alternative music. And on October 1st, the Portland crew will release their fittingly titled seventh studio LP, Seven, via Vagrant Records.

Over at Rolling Stone, you can check out an exclusive stream of “Ever Loved Once,” a haunting new track built on pedal-steel, banjo, lovelorn lyrics, and one of their catchiest choruses to date.

On August 17th, the band will play at the Cultivate Music Festival in Denver, Colorado. In September, they’ll embark on a full-fledged American tour. Check out the full dates at the band’s website.

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posted in News by HT Staff

Vampire Weekend, Alabama Shakes, and More Added to 2013 Life is Beautiful Fest

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Life Is Beautiful Festival

The 2013 Life is Beautiful Fest is arguably the most eclectic music festival of the year. And now the line-up is even deeper and richer, with the addition of indie-rock mainstays Vampire Weekend, indie-soul newcomers Alabama Shakes, and electro-R&B chameleon Janelle Monae.

The fest — which takes place in downtown Las Vegas on the weekend of October 26th and 27th — has previously announced performances by Kings of Leon, Beck, Empire of the Sun, Passion Pit, Living Colour, Dawes, Earl Sweatshirt, and The Killers.

A press release notes that “tens of thousands of people” are expected to attend the fest, which includes “more than 50 musical acts, 60 chefs and restaurants, special performances by Cirque du Soleil and other theatrical productions, world renowned artists and over 25 noted speakers.”

Check out the full current details at the fest website.

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posted in Festivals by Ryan Reed

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