June 2007 Archives

While everyone who attended BookExpo America is well aware that the biggest selling book of the year will be Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, that's not the only book making this fall look like a stellar season. Parents were flipping for Peter of Peter Paul & Mary's children's book of Puff the Magic Dragon , which amazingly has never been a book before. Also, Nick Hornby's Slam, a YA book, was also getting tons o' buzz.

In the humor section. The Onion finally will publish their much anticipated sequal to the brilliant Our Dumb Century with Our Dumb World, which looks to be possibly the funniest book of the year. Stephen Colbert's I Am America and So Can You was probably the most hyped book of the festival. Meanwhile, Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat Sagdiyev will publish Borat: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Fiction fans will be thrilled with Almost Moon, Alice Sebold's dark sequal to The Lovely Bones. Also, Lisa See's Peony in Love, Andromeda Romano-Lax’s The Spanish Bow , Denis Johnson’s Viet Nam spy tale Tree of Smoke , and Richard Russo’s Bridge of Sighs are getting early rave reviews and leading some booksellers to believe this will be a gigantic fall. Not to mention that Doubleday announced a new book by John Grishman. Oh you know your parents will eat it up for the holidays.

Alan Alda's Things I Learned While Talking to Myself and Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life are likely bestsellers, as are topical books by Valerie Plame and Paul Krugman. Meanwhile, BEA's keynote speaker Alan Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence, with an $8million paycheck to the former Fed head, seemed to leave a lot of people scratching their heads.

And yes, MTV Books will be putting out a Misshapes photo book. It's pretty much their website on the printed page. I don't know what frightens me more: the idea that Misshapes can now call themselves authors or that Jenna Bush's wrote a book, Ana’s Story.........

We just got forwarded this urgent message from our friends in Ra Ra Riot:

I am sorry to send out such a large message, Our beloved drummer and friend of Ra Ra Riot, John Pike has gone missing. He was last seen last night (Friday June 1st in Fairhaven, MA) at a party in Fairhaven, MA. If you have seen him or if there is anything you can do to let people know about this we would greatly appreciate it. He has been gone for over 24 hours and we haven't been able to find him. Please call his mother Paula Pike at 978) 835 2140 or myself at 240-988-7836.

UPDATED INFORMATION: We just got word that John Pike, drummer for up and coming band Ra Ra Riot, went missing at 3am Saturday morning in Fairhaven, MA. The band had played a show in Providence, RI on Friday night and had attended a party in Fairhaven, MA where he was last seen. John is five feet nine inches, 165 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair and was last seen wearing wearing a yellow shirt and Levi's jeans. Attached is a photo. We would appreciate anything you can do to help get word out about this. If you have any information, please contact the Fairhaven police at (508) 997-7421. Here is a link to an article that ran about the search.

How scary. We hope this has a happy ending. Our prayers are with John's friends and family........

Shortly after posting information about Ra Ra Riot's missing drummer, John Pike, we received the truly sad news that his body had been found after an extensive air and sea search.

I don't know the details of what happened and I won't speculate on anything, but I want to send out my condolences to the band, his family and friends.

When Ra Ra Riot played the Product Shop NYC CMJ Party at Studio B in November, they not only rocked the crowd (a tough job considering they followed The Thermals) but also proved to be one of the nicest bands around. They have always been so down-to-earth, energetic and friendly. It's no surprise that everyone who came to meet them cheered for them to succeed.

With the loss of John Pike, all I can think to say at this time is that you will seriously be missed by a lot of people.............

DOWNLOAD: Ra Ra Riot - "Each Year"
DOWNLOAD: Kate Bush - "Hounds of Love"

James St James, the New York City club kid who chronicled his misadverntures with Michael Alig in Disco Bloodbath (now known as Party Monster) has just put out his second book and it's getting rave reviews!

Freak Show is the book and here's how it's described:

Billy Bloom is gay, but it’s mostly theoretical, as he hasn’t had much experience. When he has to move to Florida, he can’t believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes, none of which are exactly his type. Billy’s efforts to fit in and stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heartrending. In this novel from adult author and media personality James St. James, readers are in for a wild ride as he tells Billy’s fascinating story of bravado, pain, and unexpected love, inspired by his own experiences.

He'll be reading in New York City on June 28th at B&N UPW........

With their show at The Fillmore cancelled (lack of ticket sales?), The Horrors have announced a last minute show at Pianos tonight at 1am. They'll be joined by Seattle's School Yard Heroes at midnight. Tickets are $8.

In somewhat related news, Miami's Jackie Gleason Theater has now been renamed the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. Sounds about as Ther Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. Get ready for Live Nation/Ticketmaster to brand more venues around the country under The Fillmore or House of Blues.....

Grinderman featuring Nick Cave and the legendary Porter Wagoner featuring Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives will open for The White Stripes at Madison Square Garden. I don't know if they'll do the entire Icky Thump tour or if this is a special one night gig.

Speaking of Icky Thump, since a Chicago's Q101 played the entirety of Icky Thump last week, which irked the hell out of Jack White, a poor quality version of the album has leaked........

Franz Ferdinand play their "secret" New York City show on Wednesday, Jun 13th at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are $25 and listed on Ticketweb. If you don't have the access code, then you can't get tickets.

Anyone know the access code?

While everyone was searching for the access code for Franz Ferdinand at the Bowery Ballroom, we've since learned that tickets for their "secret" June 13th New York City show will go on sale this Thursday, June 7th at Noon Eastern Time. Good luck..........

Denmark party boys Junior Senior hit the HighLine Ballroom in New York City on August 13th, the day before Hey Hey My My Yo Yo is released in the US.

The first single from the new album is "Can I Get Get Get" and look for Le Tigre's JD Samson and Peaches in the video........

DOWNLOAD: Junior Senior - "Can I Get Get Get"
DOWNLOAD: Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet"

Modest Mouse, Clipse, Band of Horses, Love As Laughter hit Keyspan Park on Wednesday, August 6th. Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 9th, at noon. And one of those totally uncommon internet pre sales starts Thursday, June 7th at noon. Tickets are $45.

Scheduling would indicate this is a one-off package, but who knows......

Yatch. He's big business now y'all:

Jona Bechtolt, whose production skills, instrumentation, and beats can be found on The Blow's albums Poor Aim: Love Songs and Paper Television will no longer be a member of the band, in the studio or on the road - he is leaving in order to concentrate all of his energy on his primary project, YACHT. The Blow will continue on as the project of Khaela Maricich. Although he is enormously proud of his work with The Blow, as well as happy for The Blow's continued success, he would like to clarify any confusion: the reason he was not on stage during any of this year's Blow performances is because he was performing live as YACHT, and working on his new YACHT album I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real. which was released last month via Marriage Records.

DOWNLOAD: Yatch - "The Summer Song (feat.Claire L. Evans)"
DOWNLOAD: Yatch - "It's Coming To Get You (Eats Tapes Remix)"

This isn't much of a surprise, but it looks like Rage Against The Machine is gearing up for a full U.S. tour.

Tunelab reports that a new Rage Against the Machine website, www.ratm82407.com, has popped up and has 2 countdown timers. One is counting down to Monday, June 11th, 2007 and another to Aug. 24th, 2007.

The site is registered to Live Nation. Hmmmm........

Senator Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) died on Monday after a long battle with leukemia. Under Wyoming’s election laws, the state Republican Party will nominate three people to be his successor. The final choice will be made by the state’s Democrat governor. Among the names being floated are Susan Thomas, the late senator's wife, Tom Sansonetti, former Justice Department official, and Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney...........

Turkey has invaded the Kurds in Iraq. Although, the Turkey government denies they actually went into Iraq. Rather, the Turks say they made a "limited raid across the mountainous border" to stop Kurdish rebels......

From this week's New Yorker: "George W. Bush did four good things last week. He strengthened sanctions on Sudanese companies and officials in response to the ongoing massacres in Darfur. He called on Congress to double the funding for global AIDS programs, to thirty billion dollars. He directed his envoy in Baghdad, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, to sit down with his Iranian counterpart and discuss ways of stabilizing Iraq—the most high-profile meeting between top officials of the two countries in years. And he attacked the demagoguery of right-wing critics of the bipartisan immigration bill."............

President Bush has nominated Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr to be the next surgeon general of the United States. Seeing as the surgeon general's job is to be America's chief health educator, it's odd that the President would nominate somebody who wrote that "Homosexuality isn't natural or healthy."..........

This morning, North Korea fired short-range missiles off its western coast in an apparent test to frighten and intimidate South Korea......

Republican presidential contenders Rudy Giuliani and John McCain bowed out of a high-profile Iowa's August straw poll. Both Giuliani and McCain still say they are participating in January's Iowa caucuses in the GOP presidential nomination process........

Univision has scheduled two prime-time Presidential debates in September. A Democratic one on September 9th, and a Republican one on September 16th. Invitations were apparently just sent out to the candidates. The debates will be in Miami, and 100 percent in Spanish (a first). Univision is the fifth largest national network, and in many markets, it's the top-rated television station.........

After serving three days in jail, Paris Hilton was released under house arrest. They Sheriff tried to explain that her sentence has been extended from 23 days in prison to 40 days of being confined to her gigantic family mansion. What a real punishment. What is wrong with the American legal system? wtf.......

The Beat Up Old Fellas, better known as Art Brut 47 or We Are Scients, opened for The Long Blondes and Nicole Atkins & The Sea at the Luna Lounge last night. And we know the internet never lies so we're going to believe them. They have two more area shows before heading to Los Angeles to finish recording their new album.......

BEAT UP OLD FELLAS TOUR DATES
June 8 | Maxwell's w/ Snowden & The King Left (tix)
June 9 | Mercury Lounge w/ The Spinto Band, The Teeth & Bling Kong (tix)

Some of these are so freaking funny........

The Noisettes and The Maccabees played a sold out show at the Knitting Factory yesterday. Both bands seemed to draw their own set of fanatic Anglophiles.

I had not been to the Knitting Factory in a while, and now the stage is equipped with the super club stylings of twirling lights, strobes, and a smoke machine. With those things in action, the room felt much bigger than it actually is.

This was The Maccabees first time playing in New York. I was surprised that there were a few people cheering just after the mention of a song's name. The Maccabees sing a lot of love songs with angular guitars and fierce drums. They were tight on stage and looked well seasoned as a band. I think some of their lyrics are dumb, but other than that they seem to have the full package.

The Noisettes have been to New York before opening for the Mystery Jets but this show was much better. The singer Shingai has a lot of style. Last night, she wore a plush gold armored top and the braids of her hair exploded into a mohawk. The three-piece band plays music that would be more obvious if punk had been birthed by soul. Sometimes Shingai's voice falls a little flat but the punk diva's attitude keeps their songs together.

[Photo credits: thatgreenplant and muzikspy]

On Saturday, June 9th at Don Pedro's (90 Manhattan Ave @ McKibbin St) Todd P has put together A Salty Salute To Bee Thounds.

At the show, who signs up can play one GBV song! They'll have a full backline, with instruments set up on stage and folks can play one song each.

Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout will be in attendance!!! Others confirmed to perform are The Tender Breasts, Castanets, Katie Eastburn (Young People), Phosphorescent, The Fugue, Shellshag.

This show is meant to coincide with Marc Woodworth's book on Bee Thousand, which is part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series.

Also, some may remember that many years ago, a Guided By Voices cover band - whom I believed where called Guided By Covers - played Tonic in NYC and Bob did a bunch of tracks with the band............

So things at Team PSNYC have gotten pretty zany as of late and we need some help. If you think you can obsessively blog about music, new bands, current events, books, comedy, shows, record reviews, whatever, you should drop us an email at productshopnyc@REMOVETHISgmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.......

Carnivores rejoice! This weekend (June 9 & 10) is the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party 2007. From noon to 6pm, you can sample the most amazing bbq from all around the country. And sorry New Yorkers, but this is like the SXSW of food festivals and the Texans rule.

Music will be provided by James "Blood" Ulmer, Ryan Shaw, and a bunch of other bluegrass and rockabilly acts.

Each plate of barbecue will be $8 or you can get a “Bubba Speed Passes” for access to the special express lines, which can be purchased at the event.

After the jump is the list of pitmasters and what they'll be cooking........

Michael Moore's SICKO is coming out June 29th and to promote the movie, he's launched his own YouTube channel and is asking for people submit their own healthcare stories. It's an intense site full of heartbreaking stories.....

Those Cold War Kids are doing something mad right. They've manuevered their buzz into two major large theatre and arena tours with The White Stripes and Muse. Not to mention they're playing great slots at this years Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo Festival. I'm a fan of the Cold War Kids, but this is like bonkers huge for them.

And not that the Cold War Kids don't deserve this, but how did they come out on tops of Tapes 'N Tapes, Voxtrot, etc........

COLD WAR KIDS OPENING FOR THE WHITE STRIPES
9/19/07 Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
9/21/07 Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
9/24/07 Anchorage, AK @ William A. Egan Civic Center
9/26/07 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Ballroom
9/27/07 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Ballroom
9/28/07 Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Theater
9/29/07 Salt Lake City, UT @ The E Center
9/30/07 Jackson Hole, WY @ Snowking Center
10/2/07 Rapid City, SC @ Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
10/3/07 Fargo, ND @ Fargo Civic Auditorium
10/4/07 Lincoln, NE @ Pershing Center Auditorium
10/6/07 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/7/07 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/11/07 Albuquerque, NM @ Kivs Auditorium

COLD WAR KIDS SUMMER TOUR
6/08/07 Ventura, CA @ KJEE's Seaside Beach Ball - Ventura Park
6/09/07 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
6/15/07 Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
8/01/07 Toronto, ON @ Arrow Hall
8/04/07 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
8/06/07 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden*
8/10/07 Philadelphia, PA @ Penn's Landing*
8/11/07 Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena*
9/08/07 Madison, WI @ Alliant Energy's Willow Island
9/16/07 San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
9/22/07 San Diego, CA @ San Diego Street Scene
* with Muse

Our dear friends at The Music Slut are turning two!

They're celebrating their second anniversary with an awesome FREE Party at the Delancey in New York City on Saturday, June 9th. All you have to do is RSVP here.

The bill will be loaded with Music Slut favorites, including The Gaskets, The Lisps, The Glass.

And, we've just gotten confirmation that the special surprise guest will be Greg from O'death. He'll be performing some never before heard solo material at 8pm (during the free PBR hour).

FREE WITH RSVP HERE.

Happy birthday you sluts..........

DOWNLOAD: The Gaskets - "Left Hand"

DOWNLOAD: The Lisps - "Winter That I Missed"

Don't you find it amazing that bands still make these things. It's also great how they've gone back to being, for the most part, low budget productions.....

Matt & Kim - Yeah Yeah

Grinderman - Electric Alice

Band of Horses - The Great Salt Lake

Joan as Police Woman - The Ride

Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adoloscent

The White Stripes - Effect & Cause (live on Jools Holland)

"Screaming and crying, Paris Hilton was escorted out of a courtroom and back to jail Friday after a judge ruled that she must serve out her entire 45-day sentence behind bars rather than in her Hollywood Hills home." Waaaaahhhhhh. I thought I was allowed to drive with a suspended drivers license that I got from a DUI. Waaahhhhhhhh.

A couple guesses as to what that "medical condition" was that got her to go home for a couple days: Lets see, she probably uses sleeping pills or mood stabilizer that she doesn't have access to in prison; She's probably overly stressed out which caused her herpes to flare up; She's likely never eaten food like the shit she's being served in Lynnwood Prison and has an upset stomach. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Hasn't she ever thought of just paying someone to driver her around.......

Spoon, whom are scheduled to play New York City's River to River Festival on July 11th, have just announced of fall U.S. dates to support their Jon Brion produced Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, including an October 20th date at the Roseland Ballroom. All tour dates after the jump......

DOWNLOAD: Spoon - "The Underdog"

The Sopranos have aired the final episode of what will down as one of the greatest television shows of all time (I think I'm the first person to ever say that).

This final season got of to a slow start, but the previous three episodes were fantastic. As for the final episode, well, let's hear your thoughts after the jump so we don't spoil anything for people who haven't seen it yet...............

DOWNLOAD: Journey - "Don't Stop Believing"

Two of New Jersey's finest, The Bouncing Souls and Lifetime, are teaming up for three dates together in August. They'll be joined by two other Jersey punkers, The Ergs and Static Radio. Absolute killer.

Tickets for the August 16th show at The Roxy in Boston go on sale June 16th at 10am. A pre-sale happens on June 11th here. Tickets cost a cheap $18.

In a related item, The Bouncing Souls will apparently play anywhere. They'll be playing the Crazy Donkey Bar and Grill in Farmingdale, Long Island on Saturday, June 23rd.......

BOUNCING SOULS & LIFETIME DATES
August 16, 2007 Boston, MA The Roxy
August 17, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
August 18, 2007 Baltimore, MD Sonar

The always eclectic Bumbershoot Festival returns to Seattle from September 1st through the 3rd. This year's line-up isn't mindblowing but it does feature The Shins, Wu-Tang Clan, Kings of Leon, The Bouncing Souls, Ted Leo, Joss Stone, Art Brut, and a ton more acts.

Three Day passes are $75 (if you buy between July 14th and August 17th)........

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST
Crowded House * Gogol Bordello * The Shins * DeVotchKa * Panic! at the Disco * Rodrigo y Gabriela * The Aggrolites * The Avett Brothers * Decadancetheatre * The Gourds * Gym Class Heroes * Honeycut * Honeydripper All-Stars * K'Naan * Mae * Magnolia Electric Company * Davy Rothbart * Rosie Thomas * Vau de Vire Society *Yungchen Lhamo

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND
Kings of Leon * Art Brut * Bouncing Souls * Devendra Banhart * Andrew Bird * Sean Paul * Seaweed * Stars of Track and Field * Anberlin * The Watson Twins * Ian Ball (of Gomez) * Bloodhag * Decadancetheatre * The Holmes Brothers * Barrington Levy * Taylor Mac * Ian McFeron Band * Rose Hill Drive * Vau de Vire Society * Zap Mama

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD
Wu-Tang Clan * Lupe Fiasco * Ted Leo and the Pharmacists * Joss Stone * The Damnwells * Steve Earle * Roky Erickson and the Explosives * Decadancetheatre * Kill Hannah * The Frames * The Greyboy Allstars * Miranda July * Lyrics Born * Taylor Mac * Mocean Worker * Allison Moorer * My Brightest Diamond * Norma Jean * Ohmega Watts * Pacific Northwest Ballet * Schoolyard Heroes * Vau de Vire Society

At the early show for The Veils at the Mercury Lounge last Thursday, singer Finn Andrews said, "This is the first time we have played these songs in America – well, since we recorded them. It feels pretty good." The New Zealand band seems to have a fascination with gothic Americana and their songs conjure that same dust bowl imagery. Further, the band played a haunting Springsteen cover of "State Trooper" and revealed they would be spending three months in Oklahoma – possibly to record another album. You might think of Finn as a young Nick Cave.

Finn always wears a black circular-brimmed hat but up-close at the show I noticed a silver necklace of detached angel wings around his neck. But the way they overlapped and dangled on the chain, you could mistake the wings for a pulled tooth from a distance. This identity crisis between upright beauty and pain is also a good analogy to their music.

I went to their show at Union Hall the following night too. Both shows left me wanting more and showcased Finn as a jarring and emotionally intense frontman but neither captured the delicate grandeur of their album Nux Vomica. Next time, I hope they return with more practice, strings, and a better piano. Regardless, it is puzzling (as Stereogum also points out) why The Veils are not (not yet?) huge in America right now. Brooklyn Vegan, and Music Snobbery were also there.

The White Stripes will release Icky Thump in a new format: Jack and Meg USB drives. The custom created 512-megabyte drive contains a copy of their new album in the Apple Lossless Format. There were only 3,333 of each drive created. These nifty limited-edition items are going for $57.50.

And The White Stripes are playing an invite-only secret show on June 19th in New York City. I've already said to much..........

The Happy Mondays have cancelled their two shows at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square, which were part of the Tony Wilson curated In The City of New York Festival.

The Happy Mondays were denied a US visa after an employee rented 24 Hour Party People over the weekend and freaked out. The real reason they were denied a visa after the jump.........

The annual Farm Aid benefit concert will hit New York City's Randalls Island on September 9th. Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp made the announcement with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Union Square this afternoon.

The lineup will include the usual group of WillieNelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews. Numerous other acts will be announced in the next month or so. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10am........

Still don't have summer plans? Why not rock out with your cock out aboard Vince Neil's Motley Cruise. The Vincester will be performing along with Skid Row (minus Sebastian Bach) and Slaughter (remember them?).

More about the trip and how to get tickets after the jump.......

We love just about everything Judd Apatow has done: Freaks & Geeks (Creator, Writer, Director), Undeclared (Creator, Writer, Director), 40 Year-Old Virgin (Producer, Writer, Director), Knocked Up (Producer, Writer, Director), The Critic (Producer), Larry Sanders Show (Writer, Director), and The Ben Stiller Show (Writer, Actor).

Depending on who you've talked to, he has missed a few times: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Producer), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (producer), and the horrific Celtic Pride (writer, executive producer) .

So now that no sane studio executive will say no to him or his amigos, Judd and his crew are ready roll out a ton of projects. Here's what you can expect in the next year:

THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS - Produced and Written by Judd and Seth Rogan, this flick stars Freaks & Geeks alumni like James Franco, Seth Rogan, Bill Hader. The film is about a stoner (Rogen) and his dealer (Franco) are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.

DRILLBIT TAYLOR - Judd produces this film written by Seth Rogan about two kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully.

WALK HARD - Judd wrote and produced this spoof of Walk The Line, in which singer Dewey Cox overcomes adversity to become a musical legend. John C. Reilly plays Dewey, The Office's Jenna Fischer also appears, as does Jack White as Elvis.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL - A big one for Judd's crew as he produces Jason Segel, who wrote and stars in this romantic comedy about a guy who takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, only to bump into her with her new boyfriend. The film also stars Paul Rudd and Bill Hader.

YOU DON'T MESS WITH ZOHAN - Judd shares writing and producing credits with Adam Sandler on this project. The film stars Sandler and Rob Schneider and is about a Mossad agent fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York City as a hair stylist.

STEP BROTHERS - Judd produces John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell in a comedy about adults who become stepbrothers later in life.

SUPERBAD - Produced by Judd, Written by Seth Rogan, and starring Knocked Up's Jonah Hill and Arrested Development's Michael Cera (George Michael). This looks hysterical.

FANBOYS - Seth Rogan costars in this brilliant concept film about a group of "Star Wars" fans who travel to Skywalker Ranch to see "The Phantom Menace" before it's released.

And finally, Rebecca Eckler, a Canadian journalist, is suing director Judd Apatow and Universal Studios for copyright infringement stating the similarities between the hit film and her book, Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be. The book is about a reporter getting drunk and knocked up by a Jewish-Canadian. Woops...........

Cat Power has won the Sixth Annual Shortlist Music Prize for her album The Greatest.

The Greatest beat out records by other finalists Band of Horses, Beirut, Bonnie Prince Billy, Girl Talk, Hot Chip, Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, Spank Rock and Tom Waits.

Chan was a Shortlist finalist in 2003 for her album You Are Free.......

SHORTLIST MUSIC PRIZE WINNERS
2001 - Sigur Rós - Agaetis Byrjun
2002 - N.E.R.D - In Search Of...
2003 - Damien Rice - O
2004 - TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
2005 - Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
2006 - Cat Power - The Greatest

Art Brut return to New York City with a show at the Highline Ballroom on Monday, July 9th. Tickets are $18.00 and go on sale Wednesday, June 13th, at noon. Doesn't that seem a bit expensive for an Art Brut show.....

On June 18th, the Beauty Bar in New York City will be hosting an official Art Brut Karaoke Party to celebrate the release of Art Brut's It's A Bit Complicated. The karaoke party will also Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin........

Beach House has scheduled some August dates with Blonde Redhead and Papercuts.

BEACH HOUSE TOUR DATES
Aug 7 - Philadelphia - Filmore w/ Blonde Redhead
Aug 8 - Annapolis - Rams Head w/ Blonde Redhead
Aug 24 - Brooklyn - Union Hall w/ papercuts
Aug 25 - New York - Mercury Lounge w/ Papercuts

With Chaos and Confusion in the Backyard, Paul McCartney put an end to a long period of subpar records (Flaming Pie, Driving Rain, Off the Ground, Run Devil Run, Press To Play, etc). His new record, Memory Almost Full, continues with the inspired energy he had on Chaos. Hell, even Pitchfork gave it a positive review!

So the big news is that Paul is playing a "secret" show tomorrow night at the Highline Ballroom. Here's the info:

Paul McCartney Secret Show - Wednesday night 13th June at the Highline Ballroom in New York City to celebrate the release of his new album 'Memory Almost Full'. Click here for more details and to enter the wristband giveaway! Limited number of free wristbands available from 12.30pm (EDT) at the Highline Ballroom box office only. First come, first served.Doors for the show open at approx 7pm (EDT).

DOWNLOAD: Paul McCartney - "Vintage Clothes"

The overly sponsored Lollapalooza festival has announced the schedule for their three day shindig in Grant Park, Chicago. It's nice to see that they've taken the Bonnaroo root of giving bands lengthy stage time.

Let's see the conflicts........

AUGUST 3RD
Elvis Perkins vs Illinois vs The Fratellis
Ted Leo vs Son Volt
Sparklehorse vs Electric Six
M.I.A. vs The Rapture vs Silversun Pickups
The Rapture vs Silversun Pickups vs Blonde Redhead
LCD Soundsystem vs Femi Kuti

AUGUST 4TH
FIELDS vs Tokyo Police Club
CSS vs Clap Your Hands Say Yeah vs The Roots vs Rory Erickson
Regina Spektor vs The Hold Steady vs CSS vs Rory Erickson
Patti Smith vs Spoon (!!!)
Interpol vs Muse

AUGUST 5th
The Postmarks vs 1900s
The View vs The Cribs
Lupe Fiasco vs Amy Winehouse vs Los Campesinos!
Paolo Nutini vs Annuals
Iggy & The Stooges vs Kings of Leon
Yo La Tengo vs !!! vs Peter Bjorn & John
Modest Mouse vs My Morning Jacket

Paul McCartney super-fansite Macca Central is reporting that police are threatening to arrest fanatics who camp out for tickets. Here's what they're reporting:

Some fans who got word last night of the wristband giveaway for the NYC Secret GIG at the Highline Ballroom, got to the location and camped out overnight. This morning a fan told me they were harassed by police and threatened with arrest if they don't leave. The wristband giveaway will take place the day of the show Wednesday at 12:30pm.

Fans are determined not to leave and loose their spot. What makes matters worse is the area is under heavy construction and the police are no doubt concerned as there are safety issues. Plus the fact that there is another show tonight at the Highline (The Citizens Band) so there is no where to line up. The Highline Ballroom people have been quite co-operatiive and in fact as of 8am local NY time, they have allowed some of the crowd entry to the venue to get them off the streets.

The Highline Ballroom does shows in two formats with seats or standing. With seats capacity is 390 and standing, capacity is 650. I would imagine the balcony area would be exclusive to VIPs. The Highline Ballroom located at 431 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011, between 9th and 10th.

The Beastie Boys will be throwing some outdoor shows this summer, including appearances at Central Park Summerstage and McCarren Park Pool

These dates will mix the usual high energy shows with material from The Mix-Up. Additionally, the band will be announcing more intimate dates, where they'll be showcasing their instrumental side.

Pre-sales for the above dates begin Thursday June 14th, with on-sales following Friday June 15th and Saturday June 16th.........

BEASTIE BOYS TOUR DATES
8/1 Philadelphia - Festival Pier
8/6 Boston - Bank of America Pavilion
8/8 New York - Summerstage
8/9 Brooklyn - McCarren Pool
8/16 Denver - Red Rocks
8/23 Santa Barbara - County Bowl
8/25 Berkeley - Greek Theater

I seemed to have caused a wee bit of excitement by revealing that the White Stripes are playing a "secret" show in New York City on June 19th, the day that Icky Thump is being released.

Well, that secret intimate show just got a whole lot bigger thanks to a contest running at Virgin Megastore in Union Square. People can enter to win tickets to the show (Warning - Management swears they will be scanning for multiple entries and throwing them all out if caught). Winners will be notified by phone on June 18th. (Thanks Laura)

Also, who the fuck is Dan Sartain and how the hell did he come to score the opening slot for a a majority of the North American White Stripes tour?

Wiki says: Dan Sartain is an American rockabilly musician from Birmingham, Alabama. He has released records for Swami Records, One Little Indian, Skybucket Records, Cass Records and Bent Rail Foundation. Although he has released several self-produced albums over the years, his first commercially-available studio album Dan Sartain Vs. The Serpientes was released by Swami Records in 2005. This was followed in 2006 with Join Dan Sartain on the same label.

All Dan Sartain & White Stripes tour dates after the jump........

DOWNLOAD: Dan Sartain vs. The Serpientes - "Lonely Hearts"
DOWNLOAD: Dan Sartain - "Drama Queen"
DOWNLOAD: Dan Sartain - "Flight of the Finch"

Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89. What kid didn't grow up watching him? He ruled the school........

DOWNLOAD: Black Sabbath - "The Wizard"
DOWNLOAD: Thomas Dolby - "She Blinded Me With Science"
DOWNLOAD: Beastie Boys - "The Sound of Science"

......and now they're gone again. If more tickets don't appear online again for tonight's Franz Ferdinand show at the Bowery Ballroom, you may want to head to the venue when doors open. You may still have a chance of getting in..........

Now that we'll revealed information about The White Stripes show on June 19th in New York City, we have news that Meg and Jack will be playing a special intimate show in California on June 20th. Here's the scoop:

The White Stripes will be performing a very special show in West Hollywood, CA on June 20th. The band will play a live show for fans at a specially constructed "Icky Thump Records" store on Sunset Boulevard. The location of Icky Thump Records is the site of the former Tower Records flagship store at 8801 W. Sunset Blvd. Tickets for this unique performance will be made available to the first 200 fans who purchase the album at this store, which opens at midnight on Monday, June 18th. Tickets are limited and will be given on a first come, first served basis. A handful of tickets will also be available to listeners of KROQ radio from Friday, June 15 - Sunday, June 17th. The Icky Thump Records performance will be the band's first Los Angeles show since December 2005.

The Siren Festival has announced the excellent additions of M.I.A., Cursive, and White Rabbits.

This years happening takes place on Saturday, July 21st, in Coney Island. Previously announced acts include Matt & Kim, We Are Scientists, Noisettes, New York Dolls, Elvis Perkins, Dr Dog and more..........

NOISETTES | Added To Siren, Knitting Factory with Maccabees
SIREN FESTIVAL | 2007 Line-Up Revealed! New York Dolls! We Are Scientists! Matt & Kim! And More!

Team PSNYC was lucky enough to score the last bracelet for Paul McCartney at the Highline Ballroom and we're hoping that luck will continue on Saturday at 1OAM when tickets for The White Stripes at the The Fillmore at Irving Plaza will go onsale at their Box Office.

Tickets will be distributed the same method used for Wilco tickets. Bring an ID, a chair, and start camping out now...........

Oh, and we've heard that some tickets will be available from the White Stripes pre-sale website as well............

WHITE STRIPES | June 20th in West Hollywood
WHITE STRIPES | "Secret" NYC Show Information + Who The Fuck is Dan Sartain?
THE WHITE STRIPES | USB Drives, June 19th in NYC

Who would have thunk that Broken Social Scene would end up opening for Feist? Well, after two very sold out shows at Town Hall in New York City, for which Grizzly Bear opened, the Candian songstress has announced another area show.

This time she headlines a summer show at McCarren Park Pool with the Broken Social Scene opening on August 29th. Tickets are $29 and on sale this Friday at noon. A limited number of pre-sale tickets are available here...........

The State Assembly passed a bill legalizing medical use of marijuana Wednesday. The bill allows caregivers and seriously ill patients with diseases like cancer or aids to register with the state to purchase up to two and half ounces of marijuana and grow up to a dozen plants.

The Republican-lead State Senate will now take on the bill and they're expected to pass a slightly altered version. Governor Spitzer has said he would sign a bill into law.......

DOWNLOAD: Cypress Hill - "I Wanna Get High"

We were lucky enough to score the very last bracelet to see Paul McCartney at the Highline Ballroom (capacity 700) and we were blown away. The only other time we've seen him, was at Giants Stadium back on his 1993 New World Tour. Interestingly, he opened both shows with "Drive My Car."

To see someone like Paul McCartney play such an intimate gig is certainly an experience. Throughout the hour and half show, he clearly seemed to be enjoying himself as he mixed new material from the excellent Memory Almost Full ("That Was Me" and "Nod Your Head" came off especially amazing sounding), some classic singles ("I've Got A Feeling" and "Back in the U.S.S.R.") and a bunch of totally random album tracks ("Here Today" and "C Moon").

Unlike his arena or stadium shows, McCartney kept the stage banter to a minimum, commenting once that "it's nice that you can actually have a little chat with the audience at gig like this. We should do this more often." His band left the stage as he played "Blackbird" and "Hear Today," the latter dedicated to John, George and Linda.

After the emotion high of the evening, Paul tore into a batch of classic tunes, as well as a killer Carl Perkins cover of "Matchbox." I wonder what Paul's guitarist thinks about while he sings John's part of "I've Got A Feeling."

The show ended with a five song blitzkrieg of legendary Beatles songs that left the audience smiling from ear to ear. How could this audience not enjoy this show! It was Paul McCartney at a small club, totally mad for it, banging out an hour and half set. Righteous. Absolutely righteous.........

PAUL McCARTNEY | HIGHLINE BALLROOM | JUNE 13, 2007
Drive My Car / Only Mama Knows / Dance Tonight / C Moon / The Long and Winding Road / I'll Follow the Sun / Calico Skies / That Was Me / Blackbird / Here Today / Back in the U.S.S.R. / Nod Your Head / House of Wax / I've Got a Feeling / Matchbox / Get Back / Baby Face / Hey Jude // Let It Be // Lady Madonna // I Saw Her Standing There

DOWNLOAD: Paul McCartney - "That Was Me"
DOWNLOAD: Paul McCartney - "Here Today"

Since Peter Bjorn & John played their triumphant first three U.S. shows (with the exception of the Bowery Ballroom), they have not stopped touring the country. They've also playing or have played just about every festival known to mankind. On September 6th, the trio will return to New York City to perform at the Roseland Ballroom. (via pfork).........

PETER BJORN & JOHN TOUR DATES
07-31 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
08-01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
08-02 Salt Lake City, UT - Gallivan Center
08-03 Chicago, IL - TBA (Lollapalooza aftershow)
08-04 Baltimore, MD - Pimlico Race Course (Virgin Festival)
08-05 Chicago, IL - Union Park (Lollapalooza)
09-06 New York, NY - Roseland
09-07 Boston, MA - The Roxy
09-08 Montreal, Quebec - Osheaga Festival
09-09 Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival
09-11 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
09-12 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
09-14 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits
09-18 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
09-19 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
09-20 Seattle, WA - Showbox
09-21 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
09-24 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are set to release Is Is on July 24th. Is Is is (haha) a studio EP and a live DVD, filmed at their controversial Glassland shows.

The five song EP will feature a songs that were written sometime between sessions for Fever To Tell and Show Your Bones. All of the tracks have been played live at one time or another.

The tracklisting is "Rockers To Swallow," "Down Boy," "Kiss Kiss," "Isis," and "10 X 10."

Julian Gross from Liars is doing the artwork for Is Is. The official weird press release after the jump.........

DOWNLOAD: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Rockers To Swallow (live)"

YEAH YEAH YEAHS | Glassland Responds & Apologizes, Photographs
YEAH YEAH YEAHS | Glasslands Show Controversy
YEAH YEAH YEAHS | This Monday, Free at Glasslands
VIRGIN FESTIVAL | U.S. Line-Up Announced: Wu-Tang, YYY's, Modest Mouse, Winehouse, MIA, Bad Brains

With the final installment of Harry Potter being released on July 21st, author J.K. Rowling has announced a rare book tour:

J.K. Rowling will come to America in October, holding events in Los Angeles (at the Kodak Theater), New Orleans (at the convention center) and New York (at Carnegie Hall) for schoolchildren and a fourth event in New York open to 1,000 fans "lucky enough to win a ticket through a sweepstakes to be held by Scholastic." She will read from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of the new book.

Scholastic is shipping more than 13 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and expecting to sell almost ten million copies in the first 24 hours it's on sale! Think about that. That's twice as many records as Justin Timberlake, Arcade Fire, and MIMS have sold combined of their last albums! Bonkers......

Franz Ferdinand played a show at Bowery Ballroom last night before they head down to Bonnaroo. Thankfully they played the show like they were just headlining Bowery and did not bring any gaudy album cover backdrops like the ones they usually employ for larger rooms.

Alex even seemed amazed that he could talk to the crowd without a microphone, "That's magic, that's what that is." Paul said the same thing. They should do this more often. However, Alex did not say much else other than making fun of his red shirt or Nick's red shirt. But Franz played their songs well and made obvious they could command a bigger stage.

Live, the new songs seemed a bit noisier than their two previous records. The best of the bunch was "Favorite Lie," which had a brisk piano breakdown toward the end that set fire to the crowd. Good show.

Set List:
Jacqueline / Anyone In Love (new) / Walk Away / Shopping For Blood / Dark Of The Matinee / English Goodbye (new) / Take Me Out / A New Thrill (new) /The Fallen / 40 ft. / Favorite Lie (new) // Turn It On (new) // Michael // Outsiders

After two weeks of serious fighting, coming on the heels of two years of minor incidents, the conflict between Hamas and Fatah has escalated to full on war.

President Abbas has declare a state of emergency and dismantled Fatah's governing coalition with Hamas.

Hamas has cut most of the Gaza's electricity and telephone lines, as well as taking over three of Fatah's main headquarters.

Fatah has reached out to Israel for help, but the Israeli's have been weary of getting involved in this civil conflict. No one has asked or offering help from Iran, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, etc.........

In a related story, Hamas has rejected the idea of an international force deployment along Gaza's border with Egypt, saying it would treat such a body as an occupying power. The plan, which was proposed by Abbas and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was supported by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.....

When did the Guitar Hero series become a phenomenon?!?

The series has announced it will release Guitar Hero III, the fifth version of the guitar jamming game, in early 2008. The soundtrack will include a wide variety of material, including tracks by Queens of the Stone Age and (possibly) new Guns 'N Roses. As of now though, the only tracks confirmed for the game are below.

Also, the "guitar" for the third edition will be a wireless Les Paul.........

GUITAR HERO III INITIAL TRACKLISTING
"Barracuda" - Heart
"Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Cult of Personality" - Living Colour
"Even Flow" - Pearl Jam
"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
"Lay Down" - Priestess
"The Metal" - Tenacious D
"My Name Is Jonas" - Weezer
"Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
"Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss
"Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
"School's Out" - Alice Cooper
"Slow Ride" - Foghat

UPDATED: The White Stripes have officially confirmed their June 19th New York City show that we exclusively revealed earlier in the week. The NME story we posted was wrong! Tickets go on sale Saturday according the White Stripes newsletter:

The White Stripes will be performing an intimate show at The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza in New York City on Tuesday, June 19th. Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 16th, at 10 am EST and will only be available at The Fillmore box office. Tickets are $30 each and there is a strict 2 ticket limit per person. The box office only accepts CASH, NO REFUNDS. You will be required to show photo ID when purchasing tickets, a voucher will then be given to you to show proof of purchase. You must then bring this voucher and the same photo ID with you in order to pick up the tickets, NO EXCEPTIONS. Tickets may be picked up at the box office beginning at 8 pm on the night of the show. You must enter the venue immediately after ticket pick-up and the vouchers are NON-TRANSFERABLE. Be sure to get there early so you don't miss their friends, The Citizens Band.

THE WHITE STRIPES | June 19th at The Fillmore, Ticket Info
WHITE STRIPES | June 20th in West Hollywood
WHITE STRIPES | "Secret" NYC Show Information + Who The Fuck is Dan Sartain?
THE WHITE STRIPES | USB Drives, June 19th in NYC

Traffic has become a nightmare as the Tennessee Highway Patrol are doing car searches for drugs. Over 80 citations and a dozen arrests have already been made.......

Listen Up, who is liveblogging the festival, reports thathe's seen his first "Naked Guy!" Mr Nude took the stage at 10:25pm, during the middle of Mute Math’s set, pumping his fists for a good 20 seconds before security grabbed him and pulled him off stage. Way to go Naked Brother Man. This buds for you.....

As none of the major stages were hosting music on Thursday night, the smaller stages were pretty packed - not insanely crowded - for great sets by The National, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Apollo Sunshine, and The Little Ones. The chillaxed Thursday crowd especially responded well to Rodrigo y Gabriela.......

The Comedy tent was a rockin as Lewis Black, David Cross, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Finesse Mitchell and John Bowman warmed up the crowd and prepared them for a very long weekend......

Lost in the wilderness of the Bonna Rouge tent, the Yard Dogs Road Show brought their hobo vaudville circus to the masses. The Yard Dogs will be playing roughly 78 times throughout the weekend. They play like twenty sets a day and, for the most part, they're all a bit different. Got to love Eddy Joe Cotton and his band of traveling weirdos.......

Live streaming video from Bonnaroo will be fed through AT&T's Blueroom. Among those who sets will be shown live are White Stripes, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, The Hold Steady, Kings of Leon, Lily Allen, The Roots, Cold War Kids, Paolo Nutini, Damien Rice and Regina Spektor. The full schedule after the jump.......

Bands who had a gong a stage: The Police, Flaming Lips, and Tool......

The seventy-seven year-old Ornette Coleman collapsed during his Bonnaroo set from heat exhaustian. He was immediately given some water and helped offstage. He was taken to the hospital as a precautian and released a few hours later.......

Lily Allen. Drunk and annoying. The Perez Hilton loved poptart polished off a bottle of Jager and stumbled through a lame set. Her lack of enthusiasm truly comes through. I guess that's what happens when daddy pays songwriters to do all the work for you.......

Tom Morello sat in with Tool.........

Mavis Staples sang "The Weight" with The Decemberists.......

Friday was such a weak day. The highlight was Hot Chip, Manu Chao, and Tool.....

Watching the White Stripes perform in the daylight is just wrong. They're still amazing, but it just is wrong......

It was hot and smelly......

The Coffee County Sheriff's Department and the Tennessee Highway Patrol made 73 arrests. That's three fewer than in 2006. Those agencies also issued nearly 200 citations (mostly for drugs) over the weekend.......

In tragic news, there was one death at this years festival. Cody L. Conover, 25, of Lancaster, Ky., died Friday after his friends alerted emergency medical staffers that he was in some sort of trouble at his campsite. Conover was rushed to United Regional Medical Center in Manchester, where he was dead on arrival. It was the sixth death in Bonnaroo's six years.....

Senator Barack Obama will be taking his Presidential campaign to New York City with an event at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday, June 22nd.

The fundraiser will cost $100 (General Admission), $250 (Premium Balcony Seating), or $500 (Private Reception and Premium Balcony Seating). You can get tickets and additional information here.

Out of all the candidates running for President, whom do you like so far?

Benji Cossa is throwing his record release party for his buzzed about Between the Blue and the Green, on Tuesday, June 19th, at the Mercury Lounge. He'll perform at 7pm!

Benji is an amazing cross between Cat and Sufjan Stevens, mixing outsider-folk, classic AM pop, lo-fi indie rock, and roots music. Banjos, accordions, glockenspiels, synths and organs play beside a spare rhythm section and Cossa's otherworldly singing.

The record was recorded at various home sessions with Josh Kaufman (Higgins, Rocketship Park, Balthrop, Alabama), Devin Flynn (Pixeltan) and John Walsh, all of whom join Benji's rotating line-up of live players, which also includes members of Black Dice. The man keeps good company.

The Merc show is going to be hot. Go see him before he starts playing places like Town Hall........

DOWNLOAD: Benji Cossa - "Say Goodbye"
DOWNLOAD: Benji Cossa - "Sunset"
DOWNLOAD: Benji Cossa - "Rainbow"

How much longer will they make us wait........

Ra Ra Riot have released a statement about their future, following the tragic death of their drummer, John Pike:

We have felt lost since the death of our friend and band mate, John. There will always be unanswered questions, so we can only surrender to life, and move forward without fully understanding. In our distress we feel lucky for having been so close to him, and we're thankful for the guidance that memories of him will give us. All of us in the band are enthusiastic and determined to live out the plans we laid together with John. As we continue, the pain of missing a dear friend will remind us how much we loved him. Coinciding with the wishes of John's family, we have decided to continue onward. We are thankful for the continuous support from friends, family and the music community during this difficult time. We find comfort in this solidarity, and hope that it gives us strength.

Ra Ra Riot

They plan on making their live return on June 29th, with a free show at South Street Seaport in New York City. They'll be joined by Sam Champion and The Bikini Carwash Company. Following that show, the band will open on tour for Tokyo Police Club............

"You're into border security / Let's break this border between you and me"

I'm guesssing Obama Girl will be at the Hammerstein this Friday. Coming next week: "Rudy Got A Crush On His First Cousin"......

The Silent League, whom are about to go on a UK tour, will be playing The Annex in New York City on Wednesday, June 20th. They'll be joined by a band called Harmony Rockets. Harmony Rockets = Mercury Rev.

Tickets are $10 and now available. Harmony Rockets go on at 9:30..........

On Thursday, June 21st, Cooper Union will begin hosting "The Cooper Union Dialogue Series," in which Presidential candidates will be invited for an in-depth policy discussion.

The first even will feature Senator John Edwards. He will be speak after former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and Cooper Union President George Campbell Jr. After Edwards' speech, he will sit down for a moderated discussion with WNYC's Brian Lehrer.

The event is FREE. Tickets will be given out - first come, first served - starting at 4pm. The event will start at 6pm at Cooper Union's The Great Hall (7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue).

The July "The Cooper Union Dialogue Series" will feature Mayor Rudy Giuliani and be moderated by Tim Russert........

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA | Hammerstein Ballroom

Hanson!!! MMMBop y'all. They're gonna throw down at Webster Hall on July 25th. Tickets are $32.50 and now on sale......

Awhile ago, Senator Hillary Clinton invited her supporters to select her campaign song. People were able to select between Smash Mouth, KT Tunstall, Celine Dion, U2, Shania Twain, The Police, Tina Turner and The Temptations. To announce which song and artist won, the Clinton campaign release this Sopranos spoof:

And Hillary's campaign song is Celine Dion's "You and I." Ugh. As if you needed another reason not to vote for her. She should have selected The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic".......

On September 4th, Patti Smith and her band are set to open the Music Hall of Williamsburg, the 550-capacity club that is The Bowery Presents bought from Northsix.

Tickets for the opening night Patti Smith show will go on sale Saturday, June 23 at Noon, for $35 each. Additional shows will be announced on July 10.

Official release after the jump........

This is the exact type of show that the White Stripes will not be able to get away with when they play Madison Square Garden. A blitzkrieg of a two-hour set, filled with tons of rare gems and dirty guitar solos. Jack was letting the guitar solos fly last night. Meg has learned to keep a 4/4 beat and was hitting her kit twice as hard as she did in the past. The energy was through the roof. Also, $5 commemorative shirts and limited-edition Rob Jones posters. Not to mention they were selling actual candy cane bars. All in all, it was fucking amazing!

The White Stripes never use a setlist and this show was all over the place. It would be near-impossible to figure out and include all the little riffs that Jack through into guitar solos. He played a slew of snippets from real old White Stripes tracks and some familiar covers, but then would just jump back into whatever the base song he was playing from. However they decided what to play, it all worked. Here's the best I can recall (with some help checking Laura's setlist).....

WHITE STRIPES | THE FILLMORE AT IRVING | JUNE 19, 2007
When I Hear My Name / Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground / Icky Thump / Cannon -> Jumble Jumble -> John the Revelator / My Doorbell / I’m Slowly Turning Into You / Jolene (one verse) / Hotel Yorba / I Think I Smell a Rat / Effect and Cause / Apple Blossom / Same Boy You’ve Always Known / Catch Hell Blues / St. James Infirmary Blues / In the Cold, Cold Night / I Want to be the Boy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart / You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket / Rag and Bone (istrumental) / Astro / Union Forever -> Little Cream Soda -> Union Forever / Blackjack Davy / Black Math // Blue Orchid // A Martyr for My Love for You // I Don’t Know What to Do with Myself // Ball and a Biscuit // Bo Weevil

Holy mega balls to the freaking wall! Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem are doing a fall tour together! Considering that Neon Bible and Sound of Silver are two of the best records to be released in 2007 and that both of them have been putting on some of the most exciting shows of the year, this is going to be zany to the max.

The only announced date is currently Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheatre on September 17th.

I hope this tour comes to New York. Where would they play? Jones Beach? Hammerstein? Madison Square Garden? My backyard.......

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican party. The lifelong Democrat, who switched parties in 2001 to avoid the crowded field on the left, has registered as an Independent.

Of course, the party switch probably has something to do with those rumors that Bloomberg is going to run for President on an Independent ticket with Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Either that, or he was just embarrassed of being in a party affiliated with President George Bush.

He shares the cover of this week's Time Magazine with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.....

Amy Winehouse and Paolo Nutina are to team up for a two-week U.S. tour in September.The two will kickstart the trek at the New York Central Park SummerStage on September 12th and play two dates at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre and San Francisco's Warfield Theatre.

Tickets are a ridiculous $45 and go on sale this Friday, June 22nd, at noon.

AMY WINEHOUSE & PAOLO NUTINA TOUR DATES
Sep 12 Central Park Summerstage New York
Sep 13 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, Philadelphia
Sep 18 The Wiltern Los Angeles
Sep 19 The Wiltern Los Angeles
Sep 21 Warfield Theatre San Francisco
Sep 22 Warfield Theatre San Francisco
Sep 24 Orpheum Theatre Vancouver
Sep 25 Paramount Theatre Seattle
Sep 28 State Theater Minneapolis MN
Sep 29 Aragon Ballroom Chicago IL

Amy Winehouse and Paolo Nutina are to team up for a two-week U.S. tour in September.The two will kickstart the trek at the New York Central Park SummerStage on September 12th and play two dates at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre and San Francisco's Warfield Theatre.

Tickets are a ridiculous $45 and go on sale this Friday, June 22nd, at noon.

AMY WINEHOUSE & PAOLO NUTINA TOUR DATES
Sep 12 Central Park Summerstage New York
Sep 13 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, Philadelphia
Sep 18 The Wiltern Los Angeles
Sep 19 The Wiltern Los Angeles
Sep 21 Warfield Theatre San Francisco
Sep 22 Warfield Theatre San Francisco
Sep 24 Orpheum Theatre Vancouver
Sep 25 Paramount Theatre Seattle
Sep 28 State Theater Minneapolis MN
Sep 29 Aragon Ballroom Chicago IL

B.B. Kings Blues Club and Grill in New York City has always hosted the weirdest variety of acts (Gin Blossoms, Air Supply, Boyz II Men, Billy Joel Cover Bands). They also have booked a fair amount of killer legendary acts, two of whom are coming to the Times Square venue this summer.

Little Richard rips it up on July 9th. Chuck Berry rocks the joint on September 14th.

Amazingly, they both still put on wicked shows. Hail Hail Rock N' Roll.......

Tickets are now available for third annual Matador Records July 4th party in Battery Park. This year's bill features The New Pornographers and Midlake. It happens on July 4th at 3:30PM. Tickets are FREE, but you need to register for them here. (Thanks Bumpershine).....

On Friday, June 22nd at Strata (915 Broadway at 21st St, NYC), former Senator and Presidential hopeful John Edwards will hold a "Small Change for Big Change" fundraiser. While most candidates charge lots of money to get into one of these shindigs, Edwards is asking for a cheap $15 donation!

By comparison, later that evening Senator Barck Obama is holding an event at the Hammerstein, where tickets cost between $100 and $500.

You can get tickets to the John Edwards event at Strata here......

JOHN EDWARDS | June 21st at Cooper Union
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA | Hammerstein Ballroom

While Michael Moore's SiCKO isn't slated to open until June 29th, it will be showing in one theatre. The AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 (1998 Broadway) in New York City will start showing the documentary this Friday, June 22nd. You can get tickets here...

Tonight, Michael Moore is also holding a very special free screening of SiCKO for all registered healthcare lobbyists. I wonder how many show up.......

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are playing a FREE show on Thursday, June 28th, at Hudson River Park's Pier 54 (at 14th Strreet). They'll be joined by The Dollyrots and The Paybacks. Show begins at 6pm.......

"The president does not believe it's appropriate to put an end to human life for research purposes."
-Tony Snow on the Presidents decision to veto the Embryonic Stem Cell Bill

I truly thought that stem cell research was a completely non-partisan issue. The only folks that are against stem cell research seem to be fundamentalists who think that a discarded embryo is a functioning child (Strangely, a majority of fundamentalists support legalized death sentences and keeping suffering people alive via respirators and other machines). It's so sad that our shameful President continues to disregard the will of the people. And why are the Democrats - and the majority of Republicans - so scared to challenge the President on this issue? Shame......

As if Sonic Youth performing Daydream Nation wasn't hot enough for you, we've just learned that The Slits have been added to the bill at McCarren Park Pool on Saturday, July 28th. Tickets are $34 and now on sale.......

The last time The Beatles came together was for The Anthology sessions. On Tuesday, June 26th, the living Beatles will be joined by the surviving widows - Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison - for an interview on CNN's Larry King Live.

The appearance was organized by Cirque du Soleil founder and CEO Guy Laliberté, whose Love show at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, features the horrid Beatles mashup album......

New Order is dead........

Pitchfork has got the scoop on Beirut's second album, tentatively titled The Flying Club Cup. It'll drop on October 2, 2007, from Ba Da Bing Records (distrobution through 4AD?).

They'll also play two New York City shows: one will be a part of the Wordless Music Series at the Society for Ethical Culture on September 24th. The other one will be on September 26th at the surreal Delacorte Theater (pictured) in the heart of Central Park, which is where Shakespeare In The Park takes place.

Tracklisting and tour dates after the jump.......

While the U.S. military searches for an American soldier missing in Iraq, kidnapped by insurgents, his wife back home in Massachusetts may be deported by the U.S. government. The story goes like this:

Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, who has been missing since his unit was attacked by insurgents in Iraq on May 12, had petitioned for a green card for his wife, Yaderlin Hiraldo, whom he married in 2004.

Their attorney, Matthew Kolken, said 23-year-old Hiraldo illegally entered the United States in 2001 to reunite with her husband, whom she had met in her native Dominican Republic and later married at his New York State Army base in 2004.

What is wrong with our country that they would treat a soldiers wife this way. This is heartbreaking......

Product Shop NYC sent out friend Amit to Bonnaroo last weekend to do some interviews, send some reports and live like a refugee.

On that point of refugee-camp conditions, while the porta-potties smelled, well, as expected, the truck that emptied out the showers smelled, surprisingly amazing. True, the showers themselves were damn dirty, but imagine going to the drug store, buying every single bottle of shampoo and soap, emptying em all into a big ol' vat of human blech...the shampoo/soap tincture will dominate the nasal passages of any passerby. And I was one of those passerby. And I thoroughly enjoyed that moment. Quite possibly the best "Come From Behind Surprise Moment" of the weekend.

Anyway, here are some recordings of the press conferences I attended there (Some are NSFW):
_David Cross on how performing comedy at festivals is different....
_David Cross with a wise quote on friendship...
_Lewis Black, on what he's most scared of (exclusive, wow!).....
_Lily Allen saying something...
_Lily Allen saying something else...
_Ziggy Marley, Lewis Black, Xavier Rudd, Adam Slessinger (fountains of wayne), Craig Finn (the hold steady) on the festival....
_?uestLove - Talks About Bonnaroo......
_?uestLove - "I love hippies, they pay my mortgage".......
_?uestLove - Discussing how the roots broke the bonds of traditional hip hop........
_?uestlove - Why he REALLY came to Bonnaroo.......
_Warren Hayes and David Cross - Battle it out over the goods and bads of hippies and jam bands....

Ryan Adams will be playing the Hiro Ballroom on June 26th. That's the same day that Easy Tiger comes out. The album is quite beautiful if not really short (it clocks in at just under 39 minutes). That's also the same night Wilco plays the Warsaw..........

Product Shop NYC sent two folks down to Bonnaroo this year. Amit reported back today with some of the interviews he taped and now we got some live reviews and photographs from Kyana G. Here's what our sister had to say...............

FLAMING LIPS
Please lord let me be Wayne Coyne's baby's mama. Brilliant. Nuff Said

HOT CHIP
They kicked some royal ass. The crowd was going wild as they should haveunlike the knobs in New York who just stand there because they don't know what to do when they hear a beat or rhythm (gasp!). Everyone in the crowd was a dancing machine from the 1st blip of a new song I had never heard to the belting out of "Over & Over".
Set List: First New Song (Title Unknown) / Shake A Fist (New Song) / And I Was A Boy From School / Hold On (New Song) / (Just Like We) Breakdown / Fourth New Song (Title Unknown) / No Fit State / The Warning / Over And Over / Ready For a Fall (New Song) / The Beach Party

LILY ALLEN
First off, she was not drinking Jameson but rather Bushmill's and her show was on point unlike previously reported by Mr. Productshopnyc. For a 23 year old who is constantly scrutinized she is one heck of a confident woman. She bopped and shook her booty from stage right to left. My favorite jam was when she sang "Not Big." The ladies went wild and I noticed there were a lot of downward glances coming from the men in the crowd.

THE POLICE
Front Row. I could see Sting's sweat. It's amazing what tantric sex and yoga can do to a human being. Message in Bottle was the kickoff jam and Sting sure sent out an S.O.S through the crowd while Stewart Copeland banged the shit out a gigantic gong to signal what was about to come. Folks were going buckwild of course. No new songs but variations of old ones. I have to admit I hate when The Police try to front like they're a reggae band. Oof, stick to rock.

WHITE STRIPES
Pretended I was a paparazzi member so I was sitting down in the front of the stage. No set list for the Stripes. Hell NO. They rumbled and Meg did her head swaying thing like she was possessed by the Holy Spirit. But I loved when Meg sang coyly, "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself." That Jack White sure can play the gee-tar and jump around cause a riot in a 80,000 hippie army.

MANU CHAO
THE SHIT. If you have not a seen a performance you better in the near future. OOF. Pure sweat, fire causing lyrics, and movement.

MAVIS STAPLES
She pointed out to me in and said, "Right sister!" Oh lord, Take me there Mavis, and take it she did. She sang for well over an hour an a half on Sunday afternoon. Can I get an amen! She sang the tune, "Why Am I Treated So Bad?" that Pops Staples wrote for MLK on the March from Selma to Montgomery. Powerful stuff folks, and they sure don't make singers like this anymore.

ORNETTE COLEMAN
Genius. He makes the Saxophone do and say whatever he wants it too. I felt blessed to be in the presence of a living legend. And for the record, he was wearing a bad ass three piece suit and dope hat in extreme 99 degree heat. The fact he experienced heat exhaustion sucked but so did a hell of a lot of other folks.

PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT
In the Blue Note Tent which set up like an old school jazz lounge. Sick! Jazz should not be as dead as it is. Who said it was dead anyway. It needs to give "rock n droll" a nudge to the side for a second. Being the narcoleptic that I am, I fell asleep front row and ?uestlove drummed on my table when he came off the stage. I loved what I heard in my dream state though!

More tk.........

BONNAROO | Interviews w/ Lily Allen, David Cross, ?uestlove, Lewis Black, Warren Hayes, etc
BONNAROO | Update #2: Ornette Coleman, Gongs, Photos
BONNAROO | Update #1: Sold Out, Thursday Reviews

The Voodoo Music Experience 2007 will take place from October 26th to 28th at City Park in New Orleans.

The line-up includes Rage Against The Machine, Smahsing Pumpkins, Wilco, Black Crowes, Sinead O'Connor, Common, Fall Out Boy, Mute Math, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, BlacK Rebel Motor Cycle, Spoon, Kings of Leon, Coheed and Cambria, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, La Coka Nostra, Ghostland Obvervatory, Toots and the Maytals, and tons more.

Remember when Coachella was Rage's only reunion show........

You can listen to the entire new Bad Brains record, Build A Nation, over at their myspace page. The album drops next week on June 26th.

On June 24th, Bad Brains play the School Of Rock Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The next day they play a Rocks Off Cruise in New York City........