Off the Dial

So the Virgin Festival Toronto and Calgary line-ups have been announced (the former being decent, the latter being…open to discussion); Vancouver are still waiting for dates, let alone a line-up; and Baltimore’s Virgin Mobile Festival has revealed itself in a huge way.

It was already revealed that the Baltimore festival would feature Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, Stone Temple Pilots and Jack Johnson, but now that the pre-sale is set to start tomorrow (May 1st) with public sale starting on May 3rd, the full two-day line-up has been announced.

Joining Foo Fighters and Jack Johnson on August 9th will be Wilco, the Offspring, Bloc Party, Citizen Cope, KT Tunstall, Paramore, Gogol Bordello, Chuck Berry and the Silver Beats, Cat Power, Lupe Fiasco and more. August 10th will feature NIN, STP, Kanye West joined by Bob Dylan, Iggy and the Stooges, Lil Wayne, Taking Back Sunday, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Go! Team, the Black Keys among others.

There will also be a Dance Tent each day with Soulwax on Saturday and a Moby DJ set on Sunday, just to name a couple.

If you want the pre-sale password for this event, just drop us a message. You need to be on the mailing list to qualify.

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I honestly didn’t expect to see new material from Nine Inch Nails so quickly after last springs release of “Year Zero” especially since there wasn’t as far reaching a tour in support of it as there was for it’s predecessor, “With Teeth“. However, Trent Reznor last month released this double-disc collection of moody and bizarre instrumental songs.

“Ghosts I-IV” is the first four volumes of material he recorded last fall that serves a unique purpose. Reznor has described this music as “dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams,” and there could be no better explanation for these 36 songs. If you purchase a download of this album, or buy the Deluxe Edition Package with the Blu-ray disc version of the album, each track is accompanied by a multitude of artwork that compliments the tracks quite nicely. Such is the case with track 13 (no song has a unique title, they are all just numbered), where the accompanying artwork is a close-up of piano keys which is the predominant instrument.

Although this entire collection is very ambient and mellow, unlike much of NIN‘s heavy material, there is still the ever-present element of industrial sounding music, with mechanical poundings and electronic instrumentation. This could very well serve as the perfect tie-over to the rumoured next vocal accompanied album or even great background music for a revolutionary film of the future.

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We’ve kept things brief in episode number nine but there’s still plenty of excellent music to be heard. We feature music from Calgary punk artists the Turrettes, Madcowboys, Motherfuckers, highlight the music of Tiger Army who’s playing the Warehouse May 1st (Epitaph/Hell-Cat Records), NOFX, American Steel and No Use For A Name who are all playing Mac Hall May 7th (Fat Wreck Chords), Brampton, ON’s the Junction and a little bonus surprise!

Direct Download: MP3 Format ~ M4A ENHANCED Format; iTunes ; RSS Feed

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In part one of our interview with Cedric Bixler-Zavala of the Mars Volta, he spoke of the theme and inspiration behind their latest album “the Bedlam in Goliath”. For the second half of our interview, we decided to talk about matters of a different nature.

While Cedric Bixler-Zavala had many interesting, controversial things to say about the theme of their latest album, “the Bedlam in Goliath“, the Mars Volta vocalist also spoke with us about the state of music today, pirate radio and some people’s lack of respect for musicians at concerts.

At a gig this past January, Cedric and the band allegedly cut the show short when fans refused to stop smoking after being asked to. He dismissed the report but did speak about the respect issue. “I try to ask people nicely [to stop smoking]. I don’t mind if people are smoking pot, that doesn’t bother me but cigarettes can bother me. We didn’t stop it because of that, I think we’d be complete total wusses if we did that. I just think more people should have respect. They pay a bunch of money to come see you supposedly kick-ass yet they wanna throw more obstacles at you which I don’t understand.” A completely understandable sentiment.

“My favourite story is the Melvins coming out and playing, and I don’t know if it’s true but, they come out and say, “Hey, we’re the Melvins and we’re from Olympia!” and then some asshole in the crowd says “Why don’t you go back to Olympia!” and they go, “OK” and they pack up all their shit and they leave. I think that’s awesome, and it’s great, just to show people.” He explained how it goes beyond intentional attacks as well. “There’s people who mean well, but they don’t realize they’re being rude. Last night when we played, there was this kid who held up a sign that said ‘We miss your old drummer but we still love you’ and that’s kinda like showing up a an ex-girlfriend’s wedding and saying ‘I was the better half but good luck on your wedding!’ Sometimes when you put people in the big crowds, they can become dumb as a gigantic amoeba.”

Having recently watched their performance on the Henry Rollins Show, I asked Cedric how much they enjoyed the freedom of performing uncut on television. “Thank god people like Henry have their shows. He kinda looks out for people like us and it’s good that he does that because then you can show some other people that there’s different ways of approaching playing music. Hopefully it can wake up some more people that are in charge of running TV shows and show them that time is just a plague in general when you have to deal with music. I just wish there were more poeple like Henry doing that.”

Considering that, it was interesting to hear his views on commercial radio. “It’s irrelevant to us. I think everyone understands that radio in general needs to get a late pass with anything. I think by the time anything hits radio and TV it’s long past the word of mouth stage, then it suits just jumping on what they think young people want.” His views on podcasts, pirate radio and illegal downloads was equally interesting. “Illegal downloads are just what cassettes were for me in the 90s. It doesn’t really matter. If you’re gonna get it out there, get it out there. In Russia, our music is sold widely in bootleg markets. At least it’s out there. Maybe later I can ask some of the people that work for us to go try and get us paid because we don’t run on fumes.”

“I don’t have a problem with pirate radio stations, illegal downloads. I just wish things like YouTube would pay us. It’d be nice to get paid for it because then we can come back even stronger with even more elaborate ideas; do what people are attracted to in the first place. I just wish there was sorta like an Orson Wells of rock and roll music out there to pull something off and manipulate all that. It would be nice.”

When asked what was on tap for the Mars Volta (aside from the current tour, obviously), Cedric had some very intriguing news to pass along. “We were just cutting some new songs in New Orleans when we were there. There’s a bunch of stuff that we finished already after we did this album but we’re just saving it, kinda hoping we can do it on our own when it’s time to put it out,” he revealed. When pressed on what that meant he continued, saying “It’d just be nice to go back to a time to when we can just pick and choose what we want from the machine. We’ve already got our foot in the door and the name’s out there already. It would be nice to get back to our roots of being influenced by the ethic and aesthetic of bands like Fugazi. Being involved with the whole machine tends to kill the ‘umph’ of the record.”

It certainly leaves us with plenty to look forward to from the band. As if they didn’t already have enough to tempt us with.

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It seems like everyone’s giving away their music for free these days. Today, Coldplay announced that their new single “Violet Hill” will be available to download for free on their web site starting April 29th for one week.

The track is the lead single from their forth-coming album “Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends“, out in North America on June 17th. They’re also giving away a 7″ vinyl of the single with “A Spell A Rebel Yell” on the b-side in the May 7th issue of Britain’s NME magazine.

Once the free download week is up, the single will be available as a “conventional paid-for digital release” starting on May 6th.

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It’s been a long time coming but Calgary’s Damn Dirty Ape have finally released their full-length self-titled CD and they did so with a rousing show at the Palomino last night.

Guest openers Life Like Cobra put on a spirited performance. Vocalist Mark Mills, dressed to the “nines” with his gray slacks, vest and black shirt moved with constrained freedom. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s the best way to explain it. He moved like he was a marionette driven by the forces of their music. It was extremely impressive and entertaining. One attendee drew comparisons of Gord Downie and the Killers. What really shone through was bassist Ron Bakalik. Both his rhythms and dexterity were something to behold. These guys have been around for a while but they certainly made a mark on this evening.

The spotlight however was on DDA and they were in fantastic form. They ripped through a quick set that covered much their new album. They started things off with lead track “cig 48” and “Eggshels” and by the time they hit “I Need It“, things were in full swing. Drummer Ryan Billard was on his game, pounding through every song and pulling double duty vocals on many. Bassist Brian Quast was focused and determined while singer/guitarist Jameel Lila couldn’t have looked happier. The set included favourites “Woo Haa” and “Sly After Dark“, wrapping up with “Oh Well” before being encouraged to give fans some more.

The trio then gave way to Black Top 5 for the night, relinquishing the last slot to the veterans so they could celebrate the night appropriately. It was certainly well deserved as Damn Dirty Ape have yet again proven to be one of the most simply entertaining groups our city has to offer. If you have yet to catch them live, let this serve as a notice; you are missing out!

Check out more pictures from the show…

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If you’ve been hankering for the country-rap-rock of Kid Rock, those of you in Edmonton and Calgary can finally rejoice (HA)! Robert James Ritchie will be bringing along Rev Run and Matt Mays + El Torpedo for the July 11th Edmonton show (at Rexall Place) and July 12th Calgary show (at the Saddledome). Tickets go on sale tomorrow (April 26th) but pre-sale for both shows is on RIGHT NOW and ends tonight at 22:00 hrs (10pm) tonight! If you want the password, make sure you’re on the mailing list and send us an email.

Those of you in the Vancouver area can pick up tickets for Alkaline Trio, who will be playing the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver on May 30th starting this morning. This is NOT a pre-sale but tickets go on general public sale 10:00 hrs (AM) Pacific Time this morning.

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Of course, shortly after posting the last story about Nine Inch Nails‘ recent releases, I discover that the pending North American tour is on the verge of becoming official.

Although I don’t have concrete confirmation of the dates below, you can be fairly confident in their accuracy. They were not only found on iLike, but also on the NIN official site!

Trent Reznor and company will get started in Seattle on July 26th a day after playing the Pemberton Festival and will make stops in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. The full Canadian dates and venues are as follows;

• July 25, 2008 ~ Pemberton, BC ~ Pemberton Festival
• July 28, 2008 ~ Edmonton, AB ~ Rexall Place
• July 29, 2008 ~ Calgary, AB ~ Saddledome
• July 31, 2008 ~ Winnipeg, MB ~ MTS Centre
• August 05, 2008 ~ Toronto, ON ~ Air Canada Centre

Ticket sales are still to be announced but the tour is mapped out throughout the U.S. and are to wrap up on September 6th in Inglewood, CA. Stay tuned here for news and possible pre-sale passwords!

While we wait, take a listen to the new NIN track, “Discipline“!

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Back in January, Trent Reznor (the man behind Nine Inch Nails) did an interview with c|net lamenting over fans downloading the Saul Williams album he produced (“the Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust“) for free rather than pay the “insultingly low” price of $5 for the higher quality mp3s. This prompted Reznor to pose the question, should there be some kind of internet tax so that all music could be free and artists could get paid for their work? Well, just two months later, he made an attempt of his own to offer new material for free while also making better quality material available for a small fee…and for an exorbitant fee.

In early March, “Ghosts I-IV” was released via the NIN web site. The instrumental album, consisting of nearly two hours of music that Reznor recorded over ten weeks last fall, is the first four volumes of what appears to be a larger piece of work. “Volume I” is available for free in DRM-free mp3 while the complete album is available in various digital DRM-free formats, including a 40 page PDF for just $5. There’s also a 2CD set in a six-panel digipak for $10, a $75 Deluxe Edition which includes two audio CDs, one data DVD with all 36 tracks in multi-track format (for remixing), a Blu-Ray disc with the album in HD 96/24 stereo with an accompanying slideshow all in hardcover fabric slipcase. There was also a $300 Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition containing all of the above but also included a four-LP set of the album on 180 gram vinyl in a fabric slipcase, numbered and personally signed by Reznor. There were only 2500 sets and has already sold out. Reznor’s considering airing a real-time live webcast of him signing all 2500 copies this Thursday (April 24th).

Before he does that though, he’s offering more music for free. Yesterday, he released on NIN.com a new four-and-a-half minute track (with vocals) called “Discipline“. The track was released to radio yesterday and all you need to do is provide an email address to have the link sent to for downloading the track. In the posting on his site, Reznor also indicated that there will be some touring news coming soon. Currently, Nine Inch Nails are scheduled to perform at the Pemberton Festival in July, Lollapalooza and Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, both in early August.

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It’s funny how things turn out. Today is April 20th (for those of you who need reminding), and last night’s episode of the Henry Rollins Show featured Serj Tankian and Tom Morello talking about various topics, including their collaborative organization, Axis of Justice. It was a phenomenal episode, to say the least.

Part One:

Part Two:

Then, today being the day that it is, I notice Showcase airing Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, catch the scene where they’re picked up by the nasty looking hill-billy type character and discovered something quite funny. After asking the boys about Jesus, the “freakshow” says, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!” Seeing as this movie came out about four years ago, it’s safe to say that Mr. Tankian either used this as inspiration or is incredibly coincidental. Either way, I love it!

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