4.17.06

Iggy Pop and the Stooges have spent some long days in a cottage by a river in the backwoods of Florida, and for a good reason: the band is writing their first album together since 1973's Raw Power. The album will be produced (mostly) by Steve Albini, with a Jack White (White Stripes) at the helm for a few tracks. The Stooges will also hit the road on their first ever full reunion tour, with details to come.

New York City's The Isles have posted two new songs from their upcoming full-length on their Myspace page, and they are fuckin' stellar. The group's debut full length, Perfumed Lands, will be released this July via UK-based label Melodic Records.

Head Automatica has dropped off of 3 tour dates supporting Coheed & Cambria. The band cites illness as the cause. The affected dates are: 4.17.06 - Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre: Houston, TX
4.18.06 - Freeman Colisseum: San Antonio, TX
4.19.06 - Nokia Theatre: Grand Prairie, TX
The quite danceable quintent will be releasing their 2nd album, Popoganda, on June 6th.

Boston's Big Bear are hitting the road for a short spell, hitting up some major East Coast spots. You can catch Big Bear, who have been nominated for various awards in Boston Phoenix's Best Music Poll, at the following jams:
04.19 @ Sparkle House in Philadelphia, PA
04.20 @ Cake Shop in New York, NY
04.21 @ Bennington College in Bennington, VT
04.22 @ Talking Head in Baltimore, MD
w/ Ecstatic Sunshine, and Horns of Happiness
*all dates w/ Michael Columbia

Classic post-punk superheroes Mission Of Burma are the subject of a new documentary entitled Not A Photograph: The Mission Of Burma Story. The film, scheduled to premier at the 2006 Independent Film Festival of Boston, covers the span of MOB's existence, from their underappreciated ealry days to their suprise reunion 19 years after their break up. The screening will take place at the Somerville Theatre on April 22nd at 9:00 PM. You can get some more info on the project here: www.notaphotograph.com.

Islands, the new project from ex-Unicorns Nick Diamonds and J'Amie Tambeur, have released the first single from Return to the Sea on Rough Trade Records. The single is "Rough Gem" and includes an unreleased song called "Big Bluff". The release will be available on CD as well as in 7" format. The cover features a cartoon based on the lyrics and is quite amusing. The band is just about to kick off an extensive US tour with Why? Dates can be found on their Myspace page.

3.16.06

The Walkmen have announced a full US tour that will support their 3rd full-length A Hundred Miles Off, due out May 15th on Record Collection. The highlight of this tour for the Frigid Ember family is March 17th, where the Walkmen will open for the Pogues, and we will be there to witness this monumental occasion. The dates are as follows:

03-15 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater
03-17 New York, NY - Nokia Theater
03-24 Boston, MA - Northeastern University
03-31 Northampton, MA - Pearl St.
04-01 Clinton, NY - Hamilton College
04-07 Harrisonburg, VA - Macrock
04-22 Albany, NY - College of Saint Rose
04-29 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
05-02 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC 2
05-03 London, England - Scala
05-04 Manchester, England - Manchester Night & Day
05-24 New York, NY - Webster Hall
05-25 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-30 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
05-31 Detroit, MI - St Andrew's Hall
06-01 Chicago, IL - Metro
06-03 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
06-05 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
06-06 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
06-08 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
06-09 Seattle, WA - Showbox
06-10 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
06-12 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
06-13 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
06-16 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
06-17 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
06-19 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
06-20 Houston, TX - Numbers
06-21 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
06-23 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
06-24 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
06-26 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
06-28 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe
06-29 Boston, MA - Avalon

Brooklyn by way of Minneapolis residents The Hold Steady have signed thier lives away to Vagrant Records. Not really, but they have signed on for their 3rd full length and will be entering the studio in May to record said album. As long as the band stays away from label mates like Emanuel and Saves the Day and opt to go boozing with Paul Westerberg, everything should be fine.

Lollapalooza is back with what appears to be the sweetest lineup in years. The 2006 edition of the 15 year old festival will include performances by the Shins, the Hold Steady, Of Montreal, Sparta, The New Pornographers, Cursive, Iron & Wine, the Smoking Popes, Common, Death Cab For Cutie, Wilco, and so many more. This outdoor jam takes place at Grant Park in Chicago, August 4th through the 6th.

Metal gods and Frigid Ember favorites Converge have announced plans to record their 2nd album for Epitaph. An update on the bands official site states that the band has "done a lot of living and been through a great deal" since their last album and that this should make for "a truly intense album." Oh, songs that sound like murder in music form aren't intense enough? People should probably be frightened.

Just in case you wanted an excuse to floorpunch or break out that old Blood For Blood basketball jersey, we've got not one but two insane hardcore shows to let you in on. The first is this Sunday (March 19th) at Ritual in Levittown, NY. The lineup: Neglect
Subzero
25 Ta Life
Tension*
Full Blown Chaos
+ more

The second is the Superbowl of Hardcore at Spirit in New York City. This mess of controlled mayhem goes down on April 23rd, and we aren't even going to list the bands. We will just throw up the flyer, which speaks volumes. Enjoy.