Poly Styrene of punk rock 70’s act X-Ray Specs passed away last night in her sleep. She passed peacefully but was fighting breast cancer that spread to her lungs and spine. She was 54-years-old.
Sadly, today was the release of her new solo album called Generation Indigo.
Yesterday I mentioned the NXNE line-up and said I was impressed.
Today I see the Lollapalooza 2011 Line-Up and am beyond thrilled. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way.
20-years ago the festival started. It was not consistent of course with the festival ending in 1997 only to be renewed in 2003. These days the festival no longer tours the states, but year after year they always have a great line-up. This year I am really thinking about going.
I was supposed to go in 2009 but plans fell through and I had to cancel my trip. This might be the year that is happens.
Perry Ferrel has stated the festival is going to be a little more retro this year. Jim Rose Circus sideshow anyone?
Yes, there are the big names like Eminem, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, and Muse that would be all cool to see, but there are other bands in their line-up that have me itching to get to Chicago this summer.
Bands like Deftones, Ween, The Cars, City & Colour, Rival Schools, Cee-Lo Green, My Morning Jacket and Cold War Kids tickle my fancy, but Big Audio Dynamite??? Awesome.
Girl Talk too…yes, I admit it, want to see Girl Talk live. J. Roddy Walston, Explosions In The Sky, Black Lips, Atmosphere, Kid Cudi, Ryan Binham & The Dead Horses…man I can just keep going.
I’ll stop now. Let’s see if I make it out to Chicago in August. Me thinks it would be a good idea.
Lollapalooza 2011 from Lollapalooza on Vimeo.
So did you happen to miss SXSW and can’t make it to Bonnaroo this year?
Are you looking for a festival to hit up this year like none other? Would you prefer not to melt at said festival? Well check out the line-up for North By Northeast (NXNE) coming up in June. It is one hell of a offering of bands of multiple genres in good ol’ Toronto, Canada and I am highly considering jumping the border to check it out.
This bill is IMPRESSIVE!!! Descendants, The Pharcyde, Digable Planets, Hot Water Music, Bouncing Souls, OFF!, Joey Cape and Kevin Seconds alone make it amazing. (DEVO too – Kent/Akron love y’all)
There are a ton of other sweet acts joining them making for one of the better festivals I have heard about this year.
If you are looking for a summer festival you should consider this one, not because I say so… Well maybe you should if you know what is good for you.
Here is a press release in regards to NXNE:
NORTH BY NORTHEAST (NXNE) announces the second wave of bands for the 17th edition of the festival, taking over Toronto June 13-19, 2011. Tickets are now available online at www.nxne.com.
NXNE has just confirmed that Devo, Descendents, Stars, The Pharcyde, Men Without Hats, Digable Planets, Twin Shadow, OFF!, Art Brut, Shad, Land of Talk, Chad VanGaalen, and Cults will join a festival line-up that also includes performances by The Dodos, Deerhoof, Hot Water Music, The Bouncing Souls, and Anti-Flag (previously announced), plus Dum Dum Girls, Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield, Braids, Ty Segall, Suuns, PS I Love You, Crocodiles, Wild Nothing, The Pack A.D., Metz, Dirty Beaches, Forest City Lovers, The Luyas, Lower Dens, Gentlemen Husbands, Rusty, Royal Bangs, Julianna Barwick, No Joy, Prince Rama, Doldrums, Secret Cities, Evening Hymns, Snowblink, Parlovr, Talk Normal, PUJOL, Woodsman, Gauntlet Hair, Joey Cape, Tape Deck Mountain, AIDS Wolf, Houses, CJ Ramone, and Kevin Seconds.
Presented by AOL, New Wave legends Devo headline the summer’s biggest day-and-night party on Saturday, June 18 at Yonge-Dundas Square. Toronto’s Yonge Street will close to traffic and open to a massive crowd of NXNE fans as Devo – complete with signature uniforms and flower pot hats – whip into the downtown core with classics from cult fave albums Freedom of Choice and Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Also rocking the Square will be Canada’s Men Without Hats, fresh off a sold-out return to the stage at SXSW 2011.
“We’re excited to have such legendary artists play the busiest hub in Toronto for the largest music festival in Canada,” says Joshua Ostroff, music editor, AOL Canada. “It will be a great time, with amazing music and we’re looking forward to being right in the centre of the party”
SoCal pop-punk hits NXNE on Thursday, June 16, with Descendents. It’s a rare chance to see one of the genre’s most influential bands, touring with their classic late-80s lineup for the first time in a decade. They’ll share the Yonge-Dundas Square stage with Vice Records’ L.A. hardcore supergroup OFF! featuring Keith Morris (Circle Jerks & Black Flag), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven Shane McDonald (Redd Kross) and Mario Rubacaba (Hot Snakes & Rocket From The Crypt).
Sirius Satellite Radio touches down at Yonge-Dundas Square on Friday, June 17, for a live-to-air North American broadcast featuring Juno-nominated Stars. The band recently sold out consecutive nights at Massey Hall and opened for Coldplay in Ottawa, and their NXNE set will be a highlight of the festival. Also on the bill is Montreal trio Land of Talk, generating great reviews in Pitchfork and Stereogum.
“A live show and broadcast from Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square is a great way to share the excitement with our listeners across Canada and the U.S. while marking SIRIUS’ 6th year of support for NXNE,” said Andreanne Sasseville, Director, Canadian Content Development and Industry Relations, SIRIUS Canada Inc.
NXNE ’s final festival night rolls out Sunday, June 19, as a second colossal evening party takes hold of Yonge-Dundas Square and Yonge Street, fuelled by performances by alternative hip-hop legends The Pharcyde, whose 90s release Bizarre Ride II was named by Kanye West as his favourite album ever. The night also features Grammy Award winners Digable Planets, tagged in Rolling Stone as “everything hip-hop should be: artistically sound, unabashedly conscious and downright cool.”
Funding supporting all NXNE’s free public concerts at Yonge-Dundas Square is provided by the Government of Ontario.
There’s even more for fans at NXNE this June: California’s Dum Dum Girls, coming off a 2010 tour with MGMT and Vampire Weekend; Chad van Gaalen, playing new songs from his upcoming release, Diaper Island; and Twin Shadow, hitting the festival on the heels of shows at SXSW, Coachella, and Bonnaroo.
All NXNE Festival passes and wristbands are now on sale, available at www.nxne.com. Early-bird pricing for NXNE Priority Passes is available through April 25.
The complete NXNE Music line-up and schedule, NXNE Film schedule and additional NXNE Interactive programming will be announced over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
17 Years, 650 Bands, 50 Stages, 40 Films, 75 Interactive Conference Sessions, 7 Days.
Just caught this amazing video for “Wrong Way Kids” that dropped a couple days ago by one of my all-time favorite punk rock bands. Bad Religion never ceases to amaze me…
A little bit about the video from Epitaph:
Influential punk rockers Bad Religion have released a moving video for the new single, “Wrong Way Kids” from the group’s critically heralded album, The Dissent of Man. The song is an up-tempo, powerfully melodic tribute to the band and their fan’s shared histories as rebellious yet durable outsiders.
The footage begins in present day with lead singer Greg Graffin offering a knowing message of hope for Bad Religion’s many fans: “Even though they’re misfits,” he states, “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” A subsequent shot reveals a defiantly unconventional Graffin on stage with the band back in 1984 counting down the song intro. From there it’s a surging beat, powerful guitars and signature sing-along chorus set against a stirring non stop montage of found footage showing the band’s remarkable rise from teen rebels to international punk luminaries.
Seriously, how cool is that video? Young and old Bad Religion footage really shows how far 30-years can go.
The grandfathers of punk will actually be playing a show in Cleveland on May 7th. Sadly they are opening for Rise Against. If you ask me, Rise Against should be opening for them.
Sadly I will not be attending the show. I want to, I really want to. This will be the first Bad Religion show I have missed since they played the Rock Hall a couple years ago as a suprise guest. This is one of those bands I make sure I am present at every show, but sometimes I can’t make them all.
Detroit’s Fireworks have just posted a free track available for download in anticipation of their May 24th release of Gospel.
CLICK HERE to check it out the track called “Summer”.
Guitarist Chris Mojan had this to say about the upcoming release:
“Gospel represents Fireworks better than anything we’ve done in the past. I think it really is the photo for the fundamentals we started this band on. The songs came so naturally and working with Brian (McTernan) pushed them and us to a level we’ve never came close to reaching in the past. Fireworks Lives.”
Gospelis now available for pre-order at: www.merchdirect.com/fireworks.