Free Music Alert: Cold War Kids Release Online EP
Pet band of the blogosphere, Cold War Kids, have released a covers EP, entitled Benefit At The District, for free download courtesy of their website. The recordings originate from a Breast Cancer Walk benefit performance this past September in Orange, California. The EP features the Fullerton, CA quartet on six loose renditions of tunes by the likes of Tom Waits, Fiona Apple, and Elvis Costello among others.
Cold War Kids will perform on Late Night with David Letterman December 21st and have a series of shows in New York and Los Angeles planned for January.
January Shows:
01/10/2007 09:00 PM - Pianos, New York, NY - 8$ advance
01/12/2007 08:00 PM - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles,CA
01/17/2007 09:00 PM - Union Hall, New York, NY
01/19/2007 08:00 PM - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
01/24/2007 08:00 PM - Mercury Lounge, NY
01/26/2007 08:00 PM - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
Further Listening:
"The Soloist in The Living Room" MP3
"Heavy Boots" MP3
Recommended Viewing:
Cold War Kids' video for "Hair Down" from their album Robbers & Cowards
and a live performance of "Hospital Beds"
Further Perusal:
Cold War Kids' Myspace
Scarlett Johannson Covers Waits
Scarlett Johansson is ready to start a singing career - because having only one mulit-million dollar career in Hollywood is for the weak. Fox News reported this morning that Scarlett was hard at work on her debut Scarlett Sings Tom Waits. As the title suggests, Scarlett will be tackling the standards penned by the inimitable Tom Waits. The album is already in production with recording continuing through winter with a goal of a spring release via Atco, Rhino Record's recently defibrillated subsidiary.
Fox attempts to assuage our fears:
Fear not, though. Unlike some other recent pop tarts, Scarlett who turns 22 next month can actually sing; she is no Paris Hilton. Also, her choice of material is a tad more sophisticated. She's making a whole album of songs by Tom Waits, one of the premier singer-songwriters in the business.
Tom Waits Saves Orphans
Tom Waits, fresh off his mini tour, is set to release a new box set entitled: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards. The 3 disk set is set to include 54 tracks, 30 of which are new, with a 94 page accompanying booklet. The set is broken up into three parts: (1) Brawlers: raucuous blues and juke joint stompers; (2) Bawlers: ballads, waltzes and lullabies; (3) Bastards: experimental.
Tom spoke about the collection:
Orphans are rough and tender tunes. Rhumbas about mermaids, shuffles about trainwrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigrals about drowning, says Waits. Scared, mean, orphans songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They dont bite, they just need attention.
The mix of rare and new is due November 21st on Anti records. Amongst tracks originally intended for stage or screen, Waits has included his own interpretations of some works by The Ramones, Daniel Johnston, Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht, Leadbelly, Kerouac and Bukowski.
Here is the tracklisitng:
BRAWLERS
01. Lie To Me
02. LowDown
03. 2:19
04. Fish In The Jailhouse
05. Bottom Of The World
06. Lucinda
07. Ain't Goin' Down To The Well
08. Lord I've Been Changed
09. Puttin' On The Dog
10. Road To Peace
11. All The Time
12. The Return Of Jackie and Judy
13. Walk Away
14. Sea Of Love
15. Buzz Fledderjohn
16. Rains On Me
BAWLERS
01. Bend Down The Branches
02. You Can Never Hold Back Spring
03. Long Way Home
04. Widow's Grove
05. Little Drop Of Poison
06. Shiny Things
07. World Keeps Turning
08. Tell It To Me
09. Never Let Go
10. Fannin Street
11. Little Man
12. It's Over
13. If I Have To Go
14. Goodnight Irene
15. The Fall Of Troy
16. Take Care Of All My Children
17. Down There By The Train
18. Danny Says
19. Jayne's Blue Wish
20. Young At Heart
BASTARDS
01. What Keeps Mankind Alive
02. Children's Story
03. Heigh Ho
04. Army Ants
05. Books Of Moses
06. Bone Chain
07. Two Sisters
08. First Kiss
09. Dog Door
10. Redrum
11. Nirvana
12. Home I'll Never Be
13. Poor Little Lamb
14. Altar Boy
15. The Pontiac
16. Spidey's Wild Ride
17. King Kong
18. On The Road
Your pick...
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Tom Waits No More, Takes on Online Ticket Scalping
This is good news for anyone tired of bands selling out in 2 minutes, knowing full well a good third of those tickets will end up on eBay, craigslist, or elsewhere. This is bad news for big Tom Waits fans who shelled out bigger for the sold out tour.
Tickets for Tom Waits' first US tour in 7 years sold out immediately. No surprise. Also of little surprise was that many tickets were posted for sale through online ticket scalpers with a bit of a mark up. This pissed Tom off.
According to the BBC and NME, now all valid tickets must be picked up from the venue on the night of the show. Only the original ticket purchaser may claim the tickets with valid personal picture identification and the credit card used to purchase the tickets from an authorized seller ie. Ticketmaster.
No word on what happens to the guy and the girl who missed the announcement and got their tickets late for some serious coin from some dude on eBay. Hopefully there was a return policy.
I'm hoping this starts a trend and we can start going to shows at the posted price again. But can someone please do something about the price of shows these days? Why are we paying a hundred bucks to sit backrow at Bjork or Radiohead?
What? They paid how much?!
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