Kaki King Announces Acoustic Tour

Kaki King will be doing a solo acoustic tour beginning in February. Gig alert! New York, she'll be making three stops in our lovely city. February 23 at the Museum of Modern Art's Celeste Bartos Theatre. Then April 7 and April 8 she'll take the stage at City Winery.

Kaki King will return to her acoustic roots this winter for a national tour that will make stops at renowned venues such as the Moma in New York City, Yoshi's in San Francisco and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Kings career has been enthralling, as it has evolved from its virtuosic acoustic busker beginnings in the subways of New York to creating cerebral soundscapes with Tortoise's John McIntyre to being included on Rolling Stone magazine's short list of "Guitar Gods" to collaborations with Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder. In her 10-year career, King has released five full lengths and two EPs. She has scored for television and film, most notably alongside Vedder and Michael Brook as composers for Sean Penn's Into the Wild for which she received a Best Original Score Golden Globe nomination. King also contributed to the Grammy-nominated August Rush soundtrack, and in 2009, Ovation launched their Kaki King signature guitar model, which is now for sale worldwide.

Tour Dates

• February 23 - Museum of Modern Art: Celeste Bartos Theatre, New York, NY
• February 26 - Salon Vive Cuervo, Mexico City, Mexico
• February 28 - The Loft - UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
• March 2 - Largo at the Coronet, West Hollywood, CA
• March 3 - College of the Sequoias Theatre, Visalia, CA
• March 5 - Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA
• March 6 - Harlow's Night Club, Sacramento, CA
• March 8 - Jambalaya, Arcata, CA
• March 9 - WOW Hall, Eugene, OR
• March 10 - Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
• March 11 - The Triple Door, Seattle, WA
• March 12 - Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC, Canada
• March 24 - Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN
• March 25 - Space, Evanston, IL
• March 26 - The Old Rock House, St. Louis, MO
• March 28 - Southgate House, Newport, KY
• March 29 - The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
• March 30 - World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
• April 1 - Center for the Arts, Natick, MA
• April 2 - Iron Horse, Northampton, MA
• April 3 - Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT
• April 7 - City Winery, New York, NY
• April 8 - City Winery, New York, NY
• April 9 - Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY

Alison Krauss and Union Station Announce New Record

Alison Krauss and Union Station have announced that they will release their new album, Paper Airplane, April 12 via Rounder Records. The 11 song record is Krauss' 14th and Krauss' first release since her acclaimed collaboration in 2007 with Robert Plant. This is great news for bluegrass fans. Krauss and Union Station are special talents.

Alison Krauss and Union Station features the talents of Krauss (fiddle and lead vocals), Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin and lead vocals), Barry Bales (bass and harmony vocals), Ron Block(banjo, guitar and harmony vocals), and Jerry Douglas (Dobro and harmony vocals). Paper Airplane was produced by the band and recorded in Nashville with engineer Mike Shipley (Maroon 5, The Cars, Def Leppard, Joni Mitchell). As bluegrass virtuosos the members of Union Station are beyond compare, and the music they create together transcends all genres. Their work on films such as Cold Mountain and O Brother, Where Art Thou? has contributed immeasurably to a renaissance of American roots music.

Track List

• Paper Airplane
• Dustbowl Children
• Lie Awake
• Lay My Burden Down
• My Love Follows You Where You Go
• Dimming Of The Day
• On The Outside Looking In
• Miles To Go
• Sinking Stone
• Bonita and Bill Butler
• Opening Farewell

Voxhaul Broadcast To Release New Record 3/22 + MP3

March 22, Voxhaul Broadcast will release their debut full-length record, Timing Is Everything. The record was produced by Tom Biller. Add this to the list of records to look forward to.

For your listening pleasure, we have the lead track from the upcoming record, "Leaving On The 5th." Check out the MP3 Grab at the bottom of the post.

Produced by Grammy Award winning producer Tom Biller (Silver Sun Pickups, Seawolf, Liars) with additional production from Chris Thorne (Blind Melon), Timing Is Everything captures the power of the quartet’s live performances while still holding true to their trademark blend of r&b, rock and soul.

The still unreleased album was #4 on KCRW’S “Top 50 Most Played Albums” in the final weeks of 2010 and came in at #67 on KCRW’s “Most Played Records of 2010.” Staple stations KEXP, KROQ & WXPN have been previewing tracks from the full length as well.

Licensing has also jumped on board with VB, as they’ll be featured in an upcoming Michelob Ultra commercial with Lance Armstrong set to air during the Superbowl on Feb 6. Expanding their musical reach to every medium, Voxhaul's music can now be heard in movie trailers (Life As We Know It), commercials (Toms Shoes), TV shows (CSI) & promotional videos (Marc Jacobs).

MP3 Grab: "Leaving On The 5th"

The Caulfield Sisters Two Songs From Mohawk" Out Today

Brooklyn based trio The Caulfield Sisters, Cindy Wheeler (vocals/guitar), Mary Guidera (bass/backing vocals) and Kristin Mueller (drums) released their new digital single Two Songs From Mohawk via American Laundromat Records today. They are the first new original tracks from the group since their EP Say It With Fire several years ago. The tracks were produced by The Caulfield Sisters at Wheeler's home in the Catskills.

Gig Alert! The Caulfield Sisters will be at The Gutter in Williamsburg on Friday, February 18. They're on at 10PM. To get you in the spirit of things, we have music for you! We have for you, all shiny and new, a track in our MP3 Grab below. Check it out, buy the single and tell some friends.

MP3 Grab: "Caterwauling"

Lelia Broussard To Play Rockwood Music Hall, Thursday, 1/20

This Thursday, January 20, Lelia Broussard will play the third and last of her residency shows at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1. She goes on at 8PM and it'll cost ya zip. Yep, that's right, it's FREE. Swing by, have a beverage or three and hear some good music.

Broussard released her new record, Masquerade, this past November. I'm digging it. Perhaps you should check it out. That's what I would do if I were you. That being said, my song of the day, "Hipster Bitch" from the record. Give it a listen using the handy dandy widget below.

Hipster Bitch by MuseBox

Only Son's Searchlight Out Today + Plays Webster Hall Thursday, 1/20

Only Son, New York based songwriter Jack Dishel, formerly of The Moldy Peaches, releases his new album today. Searchlight, Only Son's sophomore record, features appearances by Regina Spektor and members of The Strokes, Of Montreal and Robbers On High Street.

Gig alert! Only Son will be having a little record release party at the Studio at Webster Hall this Thursday, January 20. It'll cost ya $10, doors at 8PM. To get you all primed and ready for the record and show, we have for you a nice shiny song in the MP3 Grab at the bottom of the post.

For your viewing pleasure, below we have the the second video from Searchlight, "It's A Boy." The video was directed by Peter Sand and stars Aleksa Palladino of Boardwalk Empire.

Only Son’s latest album, Searchlight is an expansive, diverse collection of songs; much like a late Beatles album, each song occupies its own space on the record and fleshes out a different side of his musical sensibilities.

MP3 Grab: "Magic"

Sick Of Sarah Premier New Video On mtvU

Sick Of Sarah have released a new video for their song "Overexposure." The video which premiered today on mtvU was directed by Shane Nelson. The song is the first single for the band's upcoming album 2205 which is scheduled for release on February 1. Check out the video below.

This newest chapter for the band, 2205, was recorded in May at The Sonic Ranch in El Paso, TX, a studio made famous for its indie-rock clientele such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Conor Oberst, Portugal The Man, Taking Back Sunday, Trail of The Dead and its extensive amp and guitar collection including guitars from the Stevie Ray Vaughan estate. "We were able to just live, breath and sleep this album 24/7, a luxury we didn't have our first time recording," says bassist Jamie Holm. "Most of the songs had been demoed before we recorded, but we had to arrange the songs and write lyrics on spot." Some of those lyrics were inspired by the rumors of ghosts haunting the studios and housing, pet raccoons, and mementos discarded by previous artists. According to Uhl, "Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) left behind a piece of paper with the number of a therapist and masseuse in a dresser in our bedroom."

The band's house and rehearsal space, 2205 Grand Ave has served both as a rotating home for each member of the band over the last few years and as a central creative hub. This location has become such an important symbol to the band's identity that every member has a tattoo "2205" on their inner wrist. The address now lends its name to the new LP, 2205. With this simple gesture, the band has taken an important part of their own lives in order to present it to old and new fans alike in the form of a wild, raucous, catchy new album. The excited Minneapolis fans at the 7th Street Entry may have given Sick of Sarah a welcome homecoming, but with 2205 the band are welcoming fans into their own home.

Soundgarden To Release Live Album In March

Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron, collectively known as Soundgarden will be releasing their first collection of live tracks on March 22 via UMe. The record, Live on I5 is compiled of live tracks from 1996, the period where the band was at the peak of their career. The record has some well loved favorites as well as covers of The Beatles "Helter Skelter" and The Stooges "Search and Destroy."

The band had intended to release a live record after the tour from which these tracks were culled from. But, they split up. Now after a much celebrated reunion last year as well as a Grammy nomination, fans are getting the opportunity to relive the glory that was Soundgarden live in its 90's heyday. I suppose this is a bit of a treat for those of you whom didn't get to see them back then. Those of us who did ... flashback!

Titled Live on I5 – a reference to the Interstate 5 which runs up and down the West Coast- the new collection compiles live tracks from a 1996 run by the band and captures the band at the height of their recording and touring career. This carefully selected compilation includes fan favorites like “Spoonman”, “Rusty Cage”, “Burden In My Hand,” and “Black Hole Sun” (performed by Chris Cornell solo), as well what insiders are calling the definitive live performance of “Jesus Christ Pose.” As a bonus, the disc includes two brilliantly inspired covers: The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” and The Stooges’ anarchic proto-punk classic, “Search & Destroy.” The band took out recording engineer, Adam Kasper with them on the West Coast leg of this tour- the first time they ever recorded any live shows. They rented a mobile 24 track machine/truck and recorded the gigs on 2" tape. Soundgarden had always intended to release it as a live record soon after the tour, but alas, they disbanded and the tapes were left in the closet of Studio X in Seattle (now called Bad Animals) to gather dust until now.

Live on I5 is the follow-up to Soundgarden’s celebrated 2010 reunion, with the band re-staking their well deserved place, earning a Grammy nomination for previously unreleased track “Black Rain” for Best Hard Rock Performance, gracing the covers of music magazines SPIN and Guitar World, performing on the second night of Conan and topping critics’ lists with their fall 2010 release, Telephantasm. The multi-label, career-spanning collection, also available in collector’s editions with the band’s first-ever DVD and booklet, was a comprehensive retrospective of the enormously influential band whose music put Seattle and a young label called Sub Pop on the map. As befits a group whose sound redefined a musical generation, they also proved themselves to be innovators with their partnership with Guitar Hero, with 1 million copies of Telephantasm sold, bundled within the launch of Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock. The album went platinum before even hitting stores- a first time certification for the RIAA.

Track List

• Spoonman
• Searching With My Good Eye Closed
• Let Me Drown
• Head Down
• Outshined
• Rusty Cage
• Burden In My Hand
• Helter Skelter
• Boot Camp
• Nothing To Say
• Slaves And Bulldozers
• Dusty
• Fell On Black Days
• Search And Destroy
• Ty Cobb
• Black Hole Sun
• Jesus Christ Pose

Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers Unveil Video

Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers have released a video for their song "Heaven In Stereo." The video was directed by Will Joines. The work has a old slasher film vibe to it. Check it out below.

"Heaven In Stereo" is from the their upcoming release Teenage And Torture. The record is scheduled for release on January 18 via Knitting Factory Records.

Gig alert, Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers will be at Brooklyn Bowl on January 21. It's the record release show so swing by and help them celebrate the record. For those of you in the rest of the country, they'll be on the road this spring with Acid Mothers Temple ... dates below.

Shilpa Ray and her Happy Hookers 'Heaven in Stereo' from 10lb Pictures on Vimeo.

Tour Dates:
* w/ Acid Mothers Temple

JANUARY

• 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl (Record Release Show)
• 22 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place

MARCH

• 23 - Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland*
• 24 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill*
• 26 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge*
• 27 - Bellingham, WA - The Wild Buffalo*
• 28 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey*
• 29 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret*
• 31 - Calgary, AB - Broken City*

APRIL

• 01 - Missoula, MT - The Badlander*
• 02 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge*
• 03 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge*
• 04 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre*
• 05 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*
• 06 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle*
• 07 - Kalamazoo, MI - The Strutt*
• 08 - Toronto, ON - El Mocambo*
• 09 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore*
• 10 - Allston, MA - Great Scott*
• 11 - Milford, CT - Daniel Street*
• 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brendas*
• 14 - Washington, DC - Red Palace*
• 15 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar*
• 16 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506*
• 17 - Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light*
• 18 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
• 19 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks*
• 20 - Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds*
• 21 - Dallas, TX - The Loft*
• 22 - Austin, TX - Red 7*

Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival Dates Announced

Dates for the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival have been announced. The festival will take place May 9 - 15, 2011.

The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile have joined forces to celebrate the legacy of music in Harlem. This is great news for music lovers. Not only do we get more music to enjoy, the shows and other events are being offered at the affordable price of $10!

Highlights of the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival include:

• Wycliffe Gordon’s Jazz à la Carte – The Apollo’s variety shows of the 1930’s make a comeback under the direction of Wycliffe Gordon with the Temple University Big Band, featuring vocalists Carla Cook and Nikki Yanofsky, tap savant Savion Glover, sax wunderkind Grace Kelly, Director/Choreographer Ken Roberson, and trombone prodigy Corey Wilcox, among others.

• Fats Waller Dance Party: Small’s Paradise Tribute with Jason Moran & Meshell Ndegeocello – Harlem Stage presents two nights of Waller’s music taken to new heights in a social mixing dance party featuring 2010 MacArthur Genius pianist Jason Moran & dynamic singer/bassist Meshell Ndegeocello.

• Late Night Jam Sessions & Conversations with Legends at Minton’s Playhouse – Jazzmobile re-creates Minton’s legendary “cutting contests” with emerging jazz talents and an all-star house band curated by T.S. Monk with Robert O’Meally leading provocative discussions.

• Geri Allen Quartet Jam Session – During the 1940’s and ‘50’s, the Harlem jazz scene was famous for its after-hours “jam sessions.” Jazz pianist and producer Geri Allen "jams" with her quartet and special guests at the Apollo Music Cafe.

• Blazing Tongues: The Singers & Writers of Lenox Lounge – Harlem Stage, in partnership with Columbia University’s Center for Jazz Studies and Institute for Research in African American Studies, curates two evenings of music and literature.

• Battle of the Big Bands – Jazzmobile produces two nights of big bands featuring the Jimmy Heath Big Band and the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra at the Alhambra Ballroom.

Celebrating the unique legacy of jazz in the uptown community, the Festival will bring both established and emerging artists to some of the famed venues where jazz flourished in Harlem: Lenox Lounge, Showman’s Café, the Apollo Theater, Alhambra Ballroom, and Minton’s Playhouse. Other festival events will take place at Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Columbia University and a variety of locations throughout the Harlem area. High-quality artistic performances and other events will all be offered at the affordable price of $10. Events are designed to draw a diverse audience of neighborhood residents, New Yorkers, and tourists with a mix of programming appealing to both jazz novices and aficionados. To generate attendance to multiple events and venues, Festival programming is arranged so that people have the option of attending several events each day. On Friday and Saturday nights, the Festival will provide a shuttle bus to transport audience members to area venues.