Neil Fallon (Clutch)

Neil Fallon (Clutch) Interview on Moe Train’s Tracks

Neil Fallon, Brian Kracyla and Monty Wiradilaga

Moe – All right, we’re sitting backstage with Neil Fallon, “leadman” from Clutch. I just recently got turned on to your music. I was on your site and I saw one of your videos. From the first couple notes hit, I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is some hard rockin’ music,’ and I immediately e-mailed Chip (Manager) and was like… I gotta talk to ya.

Neil – Right on! Cool!

Moe – There’s not too many “front to back” albums that I’ve heard, but your album “From Beale Street To Oblivion” is definitely a “front to back” album. Thumbs up…

Neil – Oh thanks.. Thank you.

Moe – Absolutely… Let’s talk about the album. You definitely took a little different approach to this album. I see from your beginning that you keep on changing your style a bit..

Neil – Yeah.

Moe – What did you do different with this album?

Neil – Well, we didn’t go into it with any preconceived notions, we kinda just followed our instincts. And people hear this and say this is much more of a blues style record for lack of a better word. It’s not really a blues record. But, there’s some slide guitar and some harmonica from Eric Oblander.. and that’s from the creative standpoint… and Bryan Hinkley did some guitar work with us. But what we did is we wrote the album in it’s entirety pretty much, and we went out on the road and toured on it for three weeks, just playing the record.

Moe – Just testing everything out?

Neil – Yeah, and learning the material inside and out. So we went into the studio, we were basically able to just roll tape, and not worry about, “Do I do this part four times or six?” And that, I think lent.. I was easier to get a raw..

Moe – It seemed live.

Neil – Yeah.

Moe – I thought it seemed real live. Real gritty.

Neil – I think this is the definitely the “livest” studio record that we have.

Moe – Is it easier to do that?

Neil – Oh yeah. And creatively, it’s less stress. You don’t waste time. You’re in, you’re out, and then you can worry about the pretty parts on top.

Moe – Well, when you were playing the songs out on the road, did you actually take notice of the audience’s reaction to what you were playing and sort of gear that towards your album or did you just go ahead and choose your favorites?

Neil – No. No, because the thing is I think when people are listening to music for the first time, they’re listening. They don’t know it, so they’re not going to dance.. They might cheer after a song, but maybe that person’s in a bad mood and you don’t want to make a creative judgment on this guy who’s been at the bar drinking eighteen beers all night. (Laughs)

Moe – Very true. (Laughs) Well speaking of those guys, you’ve got some crazy “Gearheads.”

Neil – Mmhmm.

Moe – And they’re pretty rabid fans. Do you have any outlandish stories from your “Gearheads?”

Neil – Oh sure, I mean… It’s a mixture of flattery and fear. (Laughs)

Moe – (Laughs)

Neil – We’re very fortunate to have that kind of fan base where there’s people who are quite content to see four shows in a row.

Moe – You’ve got that following… Definitely.

Neil – And that’s a great spot to be in. Of course like any rock band, you’re gonna be in a nightclub, and there’s gonna be that weirdo that you know… But that weirdo probably does the same thing the next night to another rock band.

Moe – Yeah, that’s true… Talking about weirdos, are you a little weirded out about people obsessing about your beard? (Laughs)

Neil – (Laughs) Yes and no. I just learned about this website with my beard being placed on other people’s faces.

Moe – (Laughs)

Neil – Which, at first I was like, not too sure about it, then I saw the humor in it. It was funny.

Moe – Who’d they put it on? Like random celebrities or what?

Neil – You know, just bizarre photos. Like guys surfing, carnies, the promotional photo for that movie “300…”

Moe – (Laughs) Oh jeez…

Neil – I don’t know man. That dude’s got a lot of free time on his hands.

Moe – Yeah, I bet! You do have crazy fans… How about Clutch? Any crazy Clutch stories?

Neil – Yes and no. I have a pretty high tolerance to craziness ’cause I’ve seen it so much for so long.

Moe – I’m sure you have.

Neil – Like today for example… We were parked along the side of the road, and you know, some guy was walking by and hit his head on the rear view mirror of the bus and knocked himself out for a second.

Moe – Nahh, really?

Neil – Yeah!

Moe – (Laughs)

Neil – And that was like, ‘Ok, that just happened.’

Moe – That’s insane. (Laughs)

Neil – But it just seems like “all in a days” thing. I wish I had been writing them down all these years, but what are ya gonna do?

Moe – You’d have quite some stories! Well you’ve played for about sixteen… seventeen years?

Neil – Yeah, sixteen.

Moe – What, you’ve been averaging about one hundred… hundred and fifty shows a year?

Neil – Yeah. Some years more than others. We’ve done quite a few this year.

Moe – What are you up to? Two thousand?

Neil – I would guess. Maybe. Something like that.

Moe – That’s insane. You guys definitely need an award for hardest working band, I’ll tell you that much!

Neil – Yeah, or “most muleheaded!” (Laughs)

Moe – (Laughs) Well, it’s good to be out on the road. You certainly have got a lot of fans who are definitely looking forward to seeing your show. I’ve been in the crowd talking to people, and I’m asking them, “Who are you looking forward to seeing?” “CLUTCH!” Yeah, they’re yelling it in my face, and I’m like, “Whoa! Allright!”
Neil – Right on! (Laughs)

Moe – You’ve got a huge, huge fan base out there that’s looking forward to tonight’s set.

Neil – Right on. We’re looking forward to it.

Moe – Yeah man.

Neil – We haven’t done… We rarely do things like this.

Moe – What do you think about this scene? The Bonnaroo scene…

Neil – It’s great that you know, they kinda opened up the genres a little bit. Because, you know, we’ll do metal fests or something like Sounds of the Underground and people hear us and they say, “You should do Bonnaroo.” Then we’ll do something along the lines of Bonnaroo, and then they say, “You guys should do Ozzfest.” It’s kind of like a weird limbo for a band like us.

Moe – You guys don’t do Ozzfest?

Neil – No.

Moe – Not a fan? (Laughs)

Neil – I don’t know! At this point, these things are good to but our home is in a nightclub.

Moe – John Paul Jones is playing… You guys are a fan of Led Zeppelin?

Neil – Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Moe – I know! So what do you think? You’re going to be gone aren’t ya? You’re not gonna be around!

Neil – Yeah, we’re blazin’ out tonight. Who’s playin’?

Moe – John Paul Jones, ?uestlove of the Roots and Philadelphia Experiment, and also Ben Harper.

Neil – Oh wow! Together?

Moe – Yeah!

Neil – Rad!

Moe – I was kinda hoping that you were gonna play!

Neil – (Laughs)

Moe – But, you’re not gonna be here so…

Neil – No, I wish we were, but we got another three shows…

Moe – Yeah.

Neil – And then we’re home for about five…six weeks.

Moe – So what are ya gonna do? Six weeks off?

Neil – I’m gonna do absolutely nothing!

Moe – I don’t blame ya!

Neil – I’m gonna hang out, play with the dog… You know, maybe try to get rid of these pizzas that I’ve been eating for the past five weeks. (Laughs)

Moe – (Laughs) B, do you have any questions?

King B – You’ve got a completely different fan base here. How do you feel about Crocs? Do you own a pair now that you…

Neil – You know, it’s funny you mentioned that! My dad bought a pair and he called my wife up and said they were too small for him, and would I like ‘em.

King B – Ugh… Please tell me that you don’t own a pair!

Neil – We had to gently say, “Well, I’m not really a Croc personality.”

King B – (Laughs)

Neil – I’m sure they’re great if you work in a kitchen, or a garden…

King B – This will probably be the most amount of Crocs attending one of your sets!

Neil – Yeah! Especially like orange and lime green!

King B – (Laughs) You’re from Maryland, right? The band’s from Maryland…

Neil – Yes.

King B – I was just curious… Me and Moe had the worst drive down here ever, and I just wanted to make sure that we weren’t…

Neil – Was it through 95 in Virginia?

King B – That’s exactly what my question was gonna be. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Every time I go through Virginia, it’s like the worst experience of my life!

Neil – Yeah. That’s in Springfield, Virginia called “The Mixing Bowl.”

King B – I know “Virginia is for Lovers” and everything, and we all understand that… (Laughs)

Neil – Yeah, that’s one of the other great things about the band is that we might get traffic every once in a while but I don’t have to do a daily commute in something like that. I would go postal man… I really would.

King B – I just figured that you had previous experience just driving around there.

Neil – I do. I don’t do it… I just won’t do it!

King B – Actually, I was curious. I was reading an interview earlier today and you said that the favorite city that you had ever played in was Amsterdam.

Neil – It’s probably one of the top five.

King B – Just from talking around here, I’ve gathered that a lot of the really killer shows are overseas. Australia…

Neil – Well festivals… Oh, you mean for us?

King B – Right, You. For you and your personal opinion.

Neil – I mean, I guess maybe that’s because I’m also there in a tourist capacity. You know, and that’s exciting. I know, let me think of an example… Philadelphia, Pennsylvania really well.

Moe – That’s where we’re from!

Neil – Cool! Oh! Great town, but I’m gonna be more excited about going to Oslo, Norway for the first time… You say, “Wow!”

King B – Yeah, understood.

Neil – There might be half as many people at the show in Oslo but it’s got more of an initial thrill. If we went there three times a year, I might feel differently.

King B – What about any city that… a city that you played and as soon as you were done, you were like, “Fuck this place! I never wanna play this place again!

Moe – (Laughs)

Neil – (Laughs) There are a lot of them, but we’re probably gonna play ‘em sometime later this year, so I’m gonna keep my mouth shut! (Laughs)

King B – And Philly’s not one of them!

Moe – You never know!

Neil – Philly’s great. The Troc is one of our second homes away from home.

King B – Great… Great.

Moe – The Troc is definitely classic. Is that you’re favorite place to play or what? In Philly…

Neil – Yeah, well, that’s probably the only place we do play there. We played The Middle East once, and that was kind of “bogue,” but…

Moe – Yeah… The Troc has a good scene! They always have a…

Neil – I like it. You can get some decent food around the corner, and you know, blaze out!

Moe – Right! Definitely! Neil, thanks a lot for the interview. I really appreciate it.

Neil – My pleasure!

Moe – We’re gonna be right up front watching…

Neil – Cool!

Moe – Definitely… And you’ve got a TON of fans here!

King B – I’ll be throwing Crocs on stage!

Moe – (Laughs)

Neil – (Laughs)

Moe – Thanks again, Neil. Appreciate it.

Neil – No problem!

 

O.A.R.

Chris from OAR talks to MTT about staying “independent” on a big label, Madison Square Garden and more at Bonnaroo.

Chris Culos (O.A.R.) Interview on Moe Train’s Tracks

Chris Culos, Monty Wiradilaga and Brian Kracyla

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

Manchester, TN

June 15, 2008

Moe: We’re back stage here with Chris of O.A.R. How’s it going man?

Chris: It’s going good man. We just got here, I’m really excited. We’ve got some gorgeous weather out here.

Moe: Oh, it’s beautiful out.

Chris: Yeah.

Moe: It’s the first day of your new tour, is today the first day?

Chris: We just started our new tour today. So excited about it… A big summer.

M: Supporting the new album that comes out next month.

C: It comes out July 15^th, yes, and actually our single is called Shattered. And we’re actually getting some radio play already, which is exciting. It officially goes to radio tomorrow and fans can get it online. They can get it starting June 16^th on iTunes and stuff like that, exciting.

M: How’s this album compare to your others?

C: It’s a little bit of everything. I think by calling it all-sides, it really is capturing the all encompassing thing of O.A.R. It’s got the rock, the lighter stuff, it’s got the reggae, it’s got a little bit of everything. I think the song writing is really strong. I’m really proud of all the guys in the band, our song writers… You can really see their growth. But also the musicianship side of stuff, we feel really comfortable in the studio. That was always the thing. I think our audience really gravitated to our live stuff, and they liked the studio stuff, but they didn’t think it compared to that energy. It’s was only natural. We’ve played a couple of hundred shows a year but only made a handful of CDs. It’s still a lot of time in the studio, but for us we’re still learning.

M: Is that why you guys have encouraged the taping of your live shows?

C: Absolutely. But not just that reason alone. We’re proud all our stuff that we do in studio but as far as our live shows, that’s our bread and butter. That really is what we do best, and where we feel the most comfortable. I think by encouraging taping of the shows it creates more of a community interaction, you know for people who wanna come out and see us multiple times. It keeps us on our toes to create new set lists, and change the arrangements, and jam-out, and have fun. It’s also fun for the audience because it gives them something to talk about. It’s not the same show every night, not the same version of the same song every night. It’s a lot of great things.

M: Talking about live shows, how’d it feel standing on the stage at Madison Square Garden, at a sold-out arena, at one of the most important influential venues in the whole world?

C: Yeah, it was pretty much the highlight of our career. I can’t lie. It’s just weird because when we started this band, god, we started it 12 years ago in my basement, you could never imagine, you could never think of playing Madison Square Garden. I mean, all the things you could dream about, that’s just ridiculous to think that. So, to be standing on stage, it was so surreal. To be honest, it’s the only time I’ve ever been nervous playing.

M: Really?

C: Yeah, we’re really comfortable with what we do. Every night we go on stage, we get really excited about before we go on, and walk on, and that’s just what we do best, we’re comfortable. Going on in Madison Square Garden man, it was a whole other thing. It was a whole other ballgame man, I can’t lie.

M: I saw that. You could see the vibe in the place, it was just awesome.

C: Yeah. But, as soon as we started, yeah, we felt comfortable again. But it was the only time I’ve been nervous.

M: So what was the most memorable part of that performance? Anything stand out in your mind?

C: You know… It flew by. Most of the shows, some nights take a little longer than others, but that night flew by. I remember it being a little more lit up inside, just because we were filming it for DVD. You could see people. We can always usually see the front row, a couple rows back, but now look at and actually get a gauge of just how many people were there, and it was freaky. No, it was cool, ‘cause you could look out, we had a lot of our family there. I could look out and see my parents, my grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and cousins, and friends, and all these people who traveled from all over the country to watch us in New York. That was the coolest part.

M: Yeah, it had to be amazing for sure. So, with the new album, I know that you’re with a major label now; you were with an independent label before. Are we go to be seeing the independent O.A.R.? Or are we going to see a new incarnation?

C: We’re always independent O.A.R., man! No, see, here’s our deal. We started as a basement band, you know, when we were in high school. We went to college to really try to make it. We went to the biggest school in the country at the time, Ohio State University, and we went for four years. Not everybody graduated, but a couple of us did.

M: You did right?

C: Yeah, I did. Woo-hoo!

M: Ha, there ya go.

C: Then we started the band and we’ve been touring full time for eight years. So we’ve been a band for 12 years and everything been a real slow growth, but it’s been growing upwards steadily since the beginning. It’s given us time to learn and make the best decisions and really pay attention to what’s going on around us. And I think we really us that to our advantage, because if something happened over night, I don’t know if we’d know exactly how to deal with it correctly, and not to say that most people don’t, but who knows. For us, we’re really happy that we got to surround ourselves with great people. Our manager Dave Roberge, our singer Mark’s older brother, he started an indy label for us when we were in college. It was really just something on paper so that we could get a distribution deal, so we could get our CDs in stores like Best Buy and stuff. It wasn’t even a real label. But he grew it into an actual full functioning label with a full staff, moved to New York City, opened up office space, pretty amazing. And from what this label, Everfine Records, was able to do, it raised us up enough profile to actually get major label attention. And we had sold enough CDs on our own that when we went in to talk to a major label; we did have a little bit of leverage. Not to say that it was all in our favor, but to be honest it was a business decision to go with a major label. We just wanted to get our music out to more people. And so when we signed with, it was Lava Records, which was under Atlantic Records, which has since folded, now we’re moved over to Atlantic Records, but it’s all the same thing. We did sort of a joint-deal Everfine Records and Atlantic, so that Everfine would always be a part of us. It’s synonymous with us, it was created by our manager for us, by us. Everything about it, the mentality, will stay there. And they’ll continue to oversee most of our live releases while the major label will put out our studio releases. Sorry for the long answer.

M: No, it’s cool. Because I know that the fans are always concerned when a band makes that leap. They’re not sure if they’re getting the same band that they grew up and loved, or something that’s manufactured.

C: Of course. I mean, we’ve seen it with our favorite bands too. If anything, it’s a stepping stone for us to be able to continue what we always done in the past. If we have to put out something that’s more geared towards pop-radio, somewhere where you see us on film or television soundtracks or stuff, it’s not to say we’re playing the game and selling out, it’s to say that we wanna do that stuff to be able to continue to do the rest of the O.A.R. stuff that we love.

M: Do you consider yourself frat-rock?

C: You know, the term kinda bothers me. I don’t exactly what it is. It gives you, it’s not that it bothers me…

M: Is frat-rock a stigma?

C: It’s just used in a negative connotation. It’s not like anyone says, ‘God, these are my favorite frat-rockers!’

M: (Laughs)

C: It’s always somebody writing an article about us who pawn it off as frat-rock, as if that’s a bad thing. I’m really proud of the fact that we are able to attract fans from diverse things, whether it’s a frat, whether it’s a sorority, whether it’s just regular college kids, whether it’s high school kids, you know, older adult, any walk of life I think it sort of reaches out. I guess it is a bit of a stigma. I don’t know, I mean at first it was jam-band, and that’s really cool because some of our favorite bands are jam-bands, but we don’t consider ourselves a jam-band at all. We just don’t do that. So, to get labeled a jam-band is just I think a little misleading. So, the frat-rock thing, I don’t know, it’s just used in a negative connotation. I don’t have a problem with it if someone was using it in a praising way. Whatever.

M: Does it bother you that your band’s music makes the beds rock in collegiate America all across the US?

C: Hell no, dude, that’s the point, c’mon.

M: We’ve got a lot of comments about that, ‘Dude, you’re interviewing those guys! We’ve had sex to that music all the time!’

C: Sweet!

M: Oh, congrats on being one of the top 100 most influential indie bands.

C: Oh, thanks, performing/song writer, what an honor, we are really excited.

M: There are a lot of big names on that list.

C: Honestly, I can’t put it into words, I was a little bit speechless. We’ve never really won any honors; we’ve never really won any awards. I think, in the past, people who know about O.A.R. know about O.A.R., and everyone else outside this world has sort of ignored us. It’s given us, I don’t want to say a chip on the shoulder, but it’s made us feel like we’re a little bit of the underdog, wanting to always prove ourselves. It doesn’t bother us but it makes us want to work that much harder. So to get some recognition like this, it’s really satisfying.

M: Another congratulations in order, you just got married.

C: Thank you, I’m actually about to get married.

M: Oh, I’m sorry, you’re about to get married.

C: In three weeks, it’s the countdown.

M: So what’s your thoughts?

C: Man, I’m really excited. I’m most excited to be sitting on the beach on the honeymoon.

M: Where ya going?

C: We’re going to Hawaii. And neither of us have ever been. Have you been?

M: Not yet, but this year. I think we’re going to a wedding. Apparently it’s supposed to be amazing.

C: Yeah, I can’t wait.

M: You still gonna be the same guy or what?

C: I’m gonna be the same guy, yeah.

M: What’s your most revolutionary moment of O.A.R.?

C: You know, again, I would have to say Madison Square Garden. It was pretty amazing. When we were in college, we played at a place called the Newport Music Hall. It was when we got to college and we said, ‘God, one day we’re really gonna tour, we’re really gonna do this for a career.’ And the biggest venue on campus was called the Newport Music Hall and we said, ‘One day we’re gonna play there.’ And we ended up playing there many times throughout college, and we sold it out almost every time. It was really satisfying the first time we saw our name on the marquee.

M: You guys always seem to show up with Dave Matthews. And I guess your ending the tour with them…

C: They’ve treated us well throughout the years. Honestly, we haven’t had a chance to work with that many large bands. We feel like we’ve always sort of gone out and toured on our own. They’ve been good to us, a lot of opportunities.

M: Pick up any pointers from Dave?

C: Yeah. That’s the best part of it. When I was a kid, they were probably my favorite band. I would watch them in concert all the time. So to be able to be backstage and watch a show is amazing, but really the coolest thing is to be able to be backstage and watch how they operate as a business. Most people don’t think of those things, but to see how they operate with the personnel that they hire, their road crew, the way that they handle the trucking and setting up of the equipment, and what kind of gear they use, and all that stuff. For us, that’s really the best part, I mean, we can sit there and learn from the best, you know. That’s the business model we would strive to be, if there was one.

M: Absolutely.

C: It’s an empire they’ve created.

M: Yeah, absolutely. So tomorrow, I guess you guys have your first live interactive on-line show, or concert, what’s going on with that?

C: Yeah, so it’s called Deep Rock Drive and we’re actually filming it at a studio in Vegas. There actually will be somewhat of a studio audience in there. It’s a really cool thing that we have never done before where we post a bunch of songs and people can vote on what songs, and the set list and what order they want it to be in, and people can type real-time questions into us. It’s a completely interactive show. Totally new, I’m really excited. I know they’ve done a couple shows but other artists, but it totally new for us and it’s relatively new technology that they can do all this stuff. I’m just really looking forward to it.

M: Cool. So at the end of your career, what do you hope to have accomplished?

C: Oh man, I don’t think that way. That’s a good question. Honestly, we feel like we’re just starting. If that’s another answer, I don’t even know. We just wanna be the biggest band we can be.

M: So what’s that mean?

C: I wouldn’t say awards or anything like that. I think that when I was a kid I would have loved to be on Saturday Night Live. I would love to be nominated for a Grammy, I don’t wanna win a Grammy, just maybe just one time be nominated for a Grammy. What about cover of Rolling Stone, that’s a classic you gotta go with as a band.

M: So you have your checklist.

C: Checklist, yeah. You know, seeing that platinum record up on the wall, which we feel very fortunate that we’ve gotten a couple of gold records. If you’re asking, I guess that kinda stuff, but I don’t really know. We just want to fucking play.

M: I got it, man. Thanks a lot for being with us, we appreciate it.

C: No problem, man.

MTT at The Last Summer On Earth Show in Philly

Esteemed music journalist, King B of Excelsior, will be covering The Last Summer On Earth concert in Philadelphia tonight. The show features The Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveller, Cracker and Big Head Todd & The Monsters. He’ll be doing a concert review and shooting concert photos.

The Train had other obligations, so the Royal Family will be manning the helm of The Tracks this evening… Keep an eye on @KingB_MTTracks Twitter, as well as here on MoeTrainsTracks.com! More Mayhem Fest coverage, photos and interview coming soon…

Robert Plant & the Band of Joy To Release Live DVD

Artists Den Entertainment and Universal Music Group will release Robert Plant & the Band of Joy: Live from the Artists Den on 5.1 BluRay and DVD in the US on July 10th. On July 9th, these products will be released internationally under exclusive license through Universal Music Group International. This epic show was filmed as a rare, intimate performance at the historic War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Selections from the show aired nationwide on public television’s Live from the Artists Den, the hit music series featuring acclaimed artists performing in extraordinary settings. Now released in full for the first time, the DVD features bonus interview clips and concert footage not included in the television broadcast, including six Led Zeppelin classics, three of which have never been shown before.

The DVD will also be presented as a featured story and product release for public television’s National Pledge starting July 26th, The series is a production of Artists Den Entertainment in association with WNET New York Public Media, and is distributed by American Public Television.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robert Plant has over 40 years invested in his legendary career in music – and he’s still going strong. In 1967, he formed a group called the Band of Joy with drummer John Bonham, before the two joined with guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones the following year to form the world renowned Led Zeppelin. After his 2007 Raising Sand collaboration with Alison Krauss garnered him six Grammy® Awards (including Album of the Year and Record of the Year), Plant created a new Band of Joy, which features Nashville native Buddy Miller and Artists Den alumna Patty Griffin. Their widely acclaimed album, Band of Joy, was nominated for Best Americana Album and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance at the 2011 Grammy® Awards.

The show was filmed at the magnificent War Memorial Auditorium, a landmark building established in 1925 as a tribute to the thousands of Tennesseans who gave their lives during World War I. A rare snowy day in Nashville set the stage for an even rarer event at the one-of-a-kind venue – a career-spanning concert by icon Plant & the Band of Joy, featuring Led Zeppelin favorites, traditional songs, hits from Plant’s solo catalogue, and new material.

Robert Plant explains the excitement of the evening in his own words in the liner notes included with the DVD:

“Some years back I was propelled by chance, with little planning or expectation into an American way…with a lean and pull into a new direction…voices and harmony, restraint and explosion, tight and loose, great joy in great company….in a blizzard in Nashville. My thanks to one and all for aiding and abetting this exciting bend in the road.”

Robert Plant & the Band of Joy: Live from the Artists Den is the sixth concert DVD release from the Artists Den.

Jack White: Potential World Record Holder?

Jack White has again decided to take on the tremendous challenge of making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

During the rest of the performances on his current tour supporting his new album “Blunderbuss” (which incidentally is currently in the running for the world record of “the fastest named album in history” *pending), Jack White will every night on stage attempt to break the world record for most metaphors in a single concert.

The attempt may prove very exhausting and at times even dangerous, but the results could prove to be glorious and possibly even vainglorious. White and Third Man Records are certain that the extremely scientific and intricate analysis of the metaphors that occur will be examined in accordance with Guinness’ usually very thorough methods probably, or at the very least if somebody answers the phone at the pub.

Third Man Records encourages all attendees of said concerts to please not interfere or interject with any metaphors that they witness occur during the show as to not disqualify or worse yet, trivialize the metaphor in question. In addition all concert attendees are encouraged to entice as many metaphors to occur during the show that they possibly can as long as they don’t endanger themselves or Mr. White.

For your chance to participate in the making of history, Jack White & crew can be seen at one of the following venues:

05/18-20/12 – Gulf Shores, AL – The Hangout Music Fest

05/19/12 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel +

05/21/12- NY, NY – Roseland Ballroom +

05/22/12 – NY, NY – Roseland Ballroom +

05/24/12 – Detroit, MI – Scottish Rite Theater +

05/24/12 – Detroit, MI – Scottish Rite Theater (all ages matinee show) +

05/26/12 – George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival

05/27/12 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre +

05/28/12 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center for the Performing Arts (Silva Concert Hall) +

05/30/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern +

05/31/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern +

06/21/12 – London, UK – O2 Academy Broxton +

06/22/12 – London, UK – Hammersmith Apollo +

06/23/12 – Hackney Marshes, London, UK – Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend

06/25/12 – Amsterdam, NL – Heineken Music Hall

06/26/12 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

06/27/12 – Cologne, Germany – E-Werk +

06/29/12 -Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter

07/01/12 – Belfort, France – Les Eurockeennes

07/02/12 – Paris, France – L’Olympia +

07/03/12 – Paris, France – L’Olympia +

07/05/12 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks +

07/05-08/12 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival

07/20-22/12 – Dover, Delaware – Firefly Music Festival +

07/25/12 – Melbourne, Australia – Festival Hallm +

07/26/12 – Sydney, Australia – Hordern Pavillion +

07/27/12 – Byron Bay, Australia – Splendour In The Grass Festival +

07/27-29/12 – Niigata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival +

08/03-05/12 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza

08/08/12 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater

08/10-12/12 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands

Hard Summer Unleashes Lineup For L.A. – Aug. 3-4

Trust us.

Those are the two words HARD Events, the producers of HARD SUMMER, have been sharing since announcing the major music festival was returning to Los Angeles State Historic Park August 3-4, 2012, as a two-day event for the first time in its 5-year history. Now, HARD Events has made good on those two words with the just-revealed line-up for this year’s event that is helmed by Skrillex, Bloc Party, Miike Snow (Live), Boys Noize, Bloody Beetroots (DJ set), NERO (Live), Magnetic Man, Squarepusher, James Murphy, Little Dragon and many more. Check out the HARD SUMMER 2012 official teaser video—directed by Jared Leto—here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0of4wmY6v3Y. Pre-sale two-day passes recently sold out in record time. Two-day passes for HARD SUMMER are available at www.hardfest.com.

Over 50 bands and DJ artists are set to perform on four stages encompassing an eclectic round-up of bass, electro, house, techno, disco/funk and hip-hop music, right in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. The complete line up for HARD SUMMER is:

SKRILLEX / BLOC PARTY / MIIKE SNOW (Live) / BOYS NOIZE
BLOODY BEETROOTS (DJ Set) / NERO (Live) / SQUAREPUSHER / A-TRAK
CHROMEO (DJ Set) / MAGNETIC MAN / JAMES MURPHY / LITTLE DRAGON
EROL ALKAN /
DATSIK / BOOTSY COLLINS & THE FUNK UNITY BAND
FAKE BLOOD / 12TH PLANET / DILLON FRANCIS / ZEDD
GESAFFELSTEIN (Live) / BRODINSKI / CLAUDE VONSTROKE / BURAKA SOM SISTEMA / BREAKBOT
ARAABMUZIK / JUSTIN MARTIN / JOEY BELTRAM / CRAZE/
GASLAMP KILLER / DESTRUCTO
TROLLEY SNATCHA / SURKIN / ALEX METRIC / JOHN TALABOT / BIRDY NAM NAM / DANNY BROWN / ACTION BRONSON / RITON / OLIVER
ZOMBIE DISCO SQUAD / ALVIN RISK / DJ ANTENTION / JOKERS OF THE SCENE
LIGHT YEAR / KILL FRENZY / SMIMS & BELLE / JASON BENTLEY / NICK CATCHDUBS / JIM E STACK
MR. MUTHAFUCKIN’ EXQUIRE / BRENMAR / LUNICE / BAIO /
NICK THAYER / SOUND PELLEGRINO THERMAL TEAM + MUCH MORE

Bear Creek Festival Announces Lineup Additions

For the first time in its history, Bear Creek will welcome guest curators Daptone Records and Royal Family Records to schedule the Bear Creek Stage lineup. The Daptone Super Soul Revue will feature Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, The Budos Band, The Sugarman 3 and The Como Mamas. A Royal Family Affair will host Soulive, Lettuce (2 sets), Breakscience, Nigel Hall, Alecia Chakour and more.

This round of lineup additions finds Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, The New Mastersounds, and Zach Deputy new to the lineup and will each perform two shows over the weekend. Festival favorites George Porter Jr. & The Runnin’ Parders and Dr. Klaw will also return along with Billy Martin & Will Blades Duo and Wyllys & the New York Hustler Ensemble who all join the lineup which features Umphrey’s McGee, Lotus, Soulive and many more.

Bear Creek organizers have also added a number of artists at large to the ever-growing lineup, including George Porter Jr., Billy Martin, Robert Walter, Skerik, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, Roosevelt Collier, Alecia Chakour, Wil Blades, Atlanta Funk Society Horns, Billy Iuso and Andrew Block. Full lineup, including multiple performance details, can be found below.

Weekend Passes provide entry into the festival Friday – Sunday and Thursday Night Passes and VIP upgrades are also available. Until June 2, Weekend Passes are priced at $130 and Thursday Night Passes are only $40 so act fast to save money. On June 3, prices will increase incrementally as the festival approaches. All Weekend Passes include camping, taxes, and all fees. See full ticketing options, all on sale now, at www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com.

Bear Creek is also excited to be hosting a Poster Contest where artists of any kind are invited to participate. The winner will receive $1000 cash plus 2 VIP passes ($800 value) to Bear Creek 2012. All submissions must be received by email by May 15 (high resolution jpg, please) to info@bearcreekmusicfestival.com.

Visit www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com for lineup details, ticket information, poster contest guidelines and more.

The artist lineup is as follows:
Umphrey’s McGee (two shows)
Lotus
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (two shows)
Daptone Super Soul Revue (featuring Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, The Budos Band, The Sugarman 3 and The Como Mamas)
A Royal Family Affair (featuring Soulive, Lettuce (two shows), Break Science, Nigel Hall, Alecia Chakour & more)
The New Mastersounds (two shows)
Zach Deputy (two shows)
George Porter Jr. & The Runnin Pardners
Perpetual Groove (two shows)
Bobby Rush
Billy Martin & Wil Blades Duo
March 4th Marching Band (two shows)
Dr. Klaw
Digital Tape Machine
Headtronics- DJ Logic, Steve Molitz, Freekbass (two shows)
Bright Light Social Hour (two shows)
Wyllys & the New York Hustler Ensemble
Grant Green Jr. & Friends
The Heavy Pets (two shows)
Zoogma
Charles Walker & the Dynamites
Jonathan Scales & Fourchestra (two shows)
The Werks (two shows)
Ike Stubblefield & Friends
Grant Green Jr. & Friends
Khris Royal & Dark Matter (two shows)
Strange Arrangement
Moon Taxi (two shows)
Flannel Church
The Mantras
Cadillac Jones
Mike Dillon Band
Dead Kenny G’s
Thomas Wynn & the Believers
Earphunk
Catfish Alliance
Voodoo Town
Fung Fu
Beebs & Her Money Maker
Kaleigh Baker
Scholars Word
Vagabond Swing

Artists at Large:
George Porter Jr.
Billy Martin
Robert Walter
Skerik
Jennifer Hartswick
Natalie Cressman
Roosevelt Collier
Alecia Chakour
Wil Blades
Atlanta Funk Society Horns
Billy Iuso
Andrew Block

www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com

Rev Horton Heat To Headline Austin’s Revival Festival

The Revival Festival, Austin’s premiere rockabilly and Americana festival, has announced that the incredible Reverend Horton Heat will be the headliner for the festival’s 5th anniversary show. The Revival Festival will take place on Saturday, May 26th in downtown Austin.

“When I first had the idea for the festival in 2007, the first band I thought of was Reverend Horton Heat,” says Orlando Rios, Revival Festival Executive Producer and Founder. “They were the first band I ever saw live and they changed my life for the better. Fans always request them and we are always glad to have them. Last year saw record attendance and even a nod from Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell with our own designated day.”

The following bands will join the Reverend Horton Heat in Austin: Nekromantix, Lee Rocker, Three Bad Jacks, Psycho Devilles, The Smites (Tribute to The Smiths), Rosie Flores, Holy Moly!, Johnny Hootrock, and the Hot Rod Hillbillies.

All tickets are available now at RevivalFest.com and at all Frontgate ticket locations. A VIP experience can also be won by liking the Revival Festival Facebook page at Facebook.com/revivalfestival.
Incredible vendors are signing up to make this one of the best experiences you will have this Memorial weekend anywhere in the country. To continue the celebration, there will be plenty of cold beer at this year’s Revival Festival thanks to Pabst Blue Ribbon. The official beer of Rockabilly will be present for a second straight year.

Gretsch Guitars will be the host sponsor of the second stage, known as The Gretsch Stage. The guitar company is best known for their stylish and great sounding hollow-body’s played by the majority of rockabilly bands.

WHO: Reverend Horton Heat, Nekromantix, Lee Rocker, Three Bad Jacks, Psycho Devilles, The Smites (Tribute to The Smiths), all on The Main Stage. Rosie Flores, Holy Moly!, Johnny Hootrock, Hot Rod Hillbillies all on the Gretsch Stage.

WHEN: Saturday, May 26th, Memorial Weekend

WHERE: 7th St & Trinity Ave, Austin TX 78701 (Located in the heart of Downtown Austin)

Jay-Z Show Live Stream Tonight!

AMEX SYNC SHOW Presenting Jay-Z
Live-Streamed at www.YouTube.com/AmericanExpress,
TONIGHT at 7:00pm CT / 8:00pm ET from SXSW in Austin.

Check that shit out, yo!

Radiohead adds more dates for their North American tour

Radiohead has added another leg of North American dates to the ongoing world tour in support of its album The King Of Limbs.

The new dates begin May 29 in Mansfield MA, run through the band’s previously announced June 8 headline appearance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester TN, and conclude June 16 in Toronto ONT.

See below for the full run of dates and check Radiohead.com for on sale information.

05/29/12 – Comcast Center – Mansfield, MA

05/31/12 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ

06/01/12 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ

06/03/12 – Verizon Center – Washington, DC

06/05/12 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH

06/06/12 – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH

06/10/12 – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL

06/11/12 – The Palace of Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI

06/13/12 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ

06/15/12 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC

06/16/12 – Downsview Park – Toronto, ON

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