I wouldn’t wait much longer if you plan on seeing Sleater-Kinney‘s “Little Rope” tour, as two dates on the east coast are already sold out, and I’m sure other venues already have low ticket warnings in place. Joining them will be Black Belt Eagle Scout and, it was recently announced, Palehound.
Tickets are on sale for all shows now, so grab them while you can.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]
Wilco and Sleater-Kinney are pleased to announce their “It’s Time” Summer 2020 co-headlining tour. After their respective North American and European runs in support of last year’s Ode To Joy (out now on dBpm Records), Wilco will return stateside, closing out each night of their co-headlining tour with Sleater-Kinney, who just closed out their The Center Won’t Hold tour. The entirety of the tour is made up of outdoor amphitheatres and venues, including a show in Wilco’s hometown of Chicago at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and more. Tickets for these newly-announced shows are on sale now.
Watch Wilco & Sleater-Kinney’s “It’s Time” Summer 2020 Tour Teaser –
https://youtu.be/JTe0GE19wRg
Wilco Tour Dates (new dates in bold):
Sat. March 21 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre &
Mon. March 23 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall &
Tue. March 24 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall ^
Thu. March 26 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Luther Burbank Centers For The Arts ^ – SOLD OUT
Fri. March 27 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater ^ – SOLD OUT
Sat. March 28 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater ^ – SOLD OUT
Sun. March 29 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic ^
Tue. March 31 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore – SOLD OUT
Wed. April 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre ^
Thu. April 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre % – SOLD OUT
Sat. April 4 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl %
Sun. April 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium %
Wed. April 15 – Jackson, MS @ Thalia Mara Hall $
Thu. April 16 – Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre $
Sat. April 18 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre $
Sun. April 19 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival
Fri. May 15 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre (JEFF TWEEDY SOLO SHOW)
Sat. May 16 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre (JEFF TWEEDY SOLO SHOW)
Fri. June 19 – Kent, UK @ Black Deer Festival
Mon. June 22 – Merignac, FR @ Krakatoa
Tue. June 23 – Nimes, FR @ La Paloma
Thu. June 25 – Murcia, ES @ Plaza de Toros
Fri. June 26 – Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botánico
Sat. June 27 – Valencia, ES @ 4ever Festival
Sun. June 28 – Barcelona, ES @ Suite Festival
Tue. June 30 – San Sebastian, ES @ Auditorio del Centro Kursaal
Thu. July 2 – Werchter, BE @ FestivalPark Rock Werchter
Wed. July 3 – Beuningen, NL @ Down the Rabbit Hole Festival
Thu. Aug. 6 – Spokane, WA @ First Interstate Center for the Arts @
Sat. Aug. 8 – Big Sky, MT @ Peak to Sky @
Tue. Aug. 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre @*
Thu. Aug. 13 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland @*
Fri. Aug. 14 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park @*
Sat. Aug. 15 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre @*
Sun. Aug. 16 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater @*
Tue. Aug. 18 – Asheville, NC @ Salvage Station @*
Wed. Aug. 19 – Richmond, VA @ Altria Theatre @*
Fri. Aug. 21 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion @*
Sat. Aug. 22 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium @*
Sun. Aug. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for Performing Arts @*
Tue. Aug. 25 – Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion @*
Wed. Aug. 26 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point @*
Thu. Aug. 27 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater @*
Sat. Aug. 29 – Chicago, IL @ Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion @*
Thu. Sept. 17 – Des Moines, IA @ Water Works Park #
Fri. Sept. 18 – Ashwaubenon, WI @ Capital Credit Union Park #
Sat. Sept. 19 – Welch, MN @ Treasure Island Amphitheater #
!=w/ Young Fresh Fellows
&=w/ Kacy and Clayton
^= w/ James Elkington
%= w/ White Fence
$= w/ Ratboys
#= w/ Trampled by Turtles
@=w/ Sleater-Kinney
*= w/ NNAMDÏ
Watch/Listen/Share:
“Everyone Hides” video – https://youtu.be/P2Gbbd6pVMg
“Love Is Everywhere (Beware)” stream – https://youtu.be/VamTQr4kcKA
“Before Us” video – https://youtu.be/BIWSGlvnbkU
Purchase Ode to Joy –
https://wilcoworld.net/otj
Download Wilco hi-res press images –
https://pitchperfectpr.com/wilco
Praise for Ode To Joy:
“[Ode to Joy is] sometimes dank…sometimes warm and Westerberg-ian”
– The New York Times
“The group’s 11th LP, their best in years, is a beautiful exercise in downhearted uplift.”
– Rolling Stone
“[Ode to Joy] is Wilco’s best album in over a decade, and solid proof there’s room for bands to grow even when they’re already ten albums in.” – Vulture
“[Ode To Joy] is direct and spacious, centering on the beauty of quiet revelation.” – Pitchfork
“Ode to Joy, is mostly a slower-paced album that shows appreciation for the small, beautiful moments in life.” – NPR
Keep your mind open.
[Head on over to the subscription box and subscribe while you’re here.]
We’ve reached the halfway point. Who’s in the list? Read on!
#15 – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold
Sleater-Kinney chose to mix their hard rock and punk chops with electro touches, and the result is a great record about loneliness, toxic masculinity, standing up when you get knocked down, and walking away from the past. The fact that drummer Janet Weiss left the band not long after The Center Won’t Hold was released adds a bittersweet edge to the album, too.
#14 – Jacques Greene – Dawn Chorus
This is a brilliant house music record that has a theme of getting ready for, going to, and then dealing with the after-effects of an all-night party. It’s full of great dance tracks and some chill stuff to give you a breather now and then. Jacques Greene spins like he was a DJ in the early 1990’s, even though he was just a toddler then.
#13 – Weeping Icon – self-titled
The image of the two skulls exploding with waves of…something is appropriate for the debut album from Weeping Icon because this album is a tidal wave of sound – guitar fuzz, psychedelic noise, and other things that are better heard than described all team up to make this one of the best debut albums of the year.
#12 – CHAI – Punk
CHAI just keep putting out great records. Punk is full of their wit, excellent musicianship, and pure joy. It’s a record about embracing who you are and not giving a damn what others think. Throw in J-Pop, post-punk, electro, and songs that practically force you to sing along with them and you have a winner.
#11 – Ash Walker – Aquamarine
Holy cow, this is a groovy record. All of the songs have some sort of theme related to oceans or water. Aquamarine blends soul, house, trip hop, dub, jazz, and lounge chill to produce something you might hear on Aquaman’s hi-fi.
The top 10 start tomorrow on New Year’s Day 2020!
Keep your mind open.
[Check a new year’s resolution off your list early by subscribing.]
We’ve reached the top ten! Let’s get to it.
#10 – Bleached – “Hard to Kill”
I knew this was going to be a great year for Bleached within the first couple bars of this track. It has a wicked disco flavor to it but they don’t lose their punk edge. Bleached has taken their song craft to another level with this one.
#9 – Sleater-Kinney – “Can I Go On”
“Everyone I know is tired, and everyone I know is wired. It’s obscene. I just scream ’til it don’t hurt no more.” I think these words from Sleater-Kinney might be the truest ones this year about the state of practically everyone in America.
#8 – L’Epee – “Une Lune Etrange”
I think my initial reaction to hearing this song from this psychedelic supergroup was “Holy crap…” I couldn’t say anything else. It’s was a gauntlet thrown down to everyone making psychedelic rock, or any other kind of music for that matter.
#7 – The Well – “This Is How the World Ends”
This song hits you like a sledge hammer and is from my favorite doom metal album of 2019. As heavy as this is, wait until you hear it live. I turned to my wife after hearing it at Levitation Austin this year and said, “And that’s why their album is in my top ten of the year.”
#6 – Thee Oh Sees – “Henchlock”
Some might call it unfair that I’m listing a song that last 21:03 as a “single,” but Thee Oh Sees released this video for it, so that makes it a single in my eyes (even if it is one entire side of a double album). It’s a wild psychedelic jazz jam that gets stuck in your head and is one of the best thing John Dwyer and his crew have ever done.
Come back soon for the top five!
Keep your mind open.
[Why not subscribe before you go?]
Sleater-Kinney‘s newest record, The Center Won’t Hold, is, unsurprisingly, a wallop to the senses. It covers anger over the current political climate, the never-ending onslaughts of media and advertising, and the often fragile nature of relationships.
The title track starts off the record with slinking industrial beats before erupting into fiery anger and Carrie Brownstein‘s vocals reaching shriek levels. “Hurry On Home” is a sexy tune accentuated by electro beats about missing a lover and wanting something real and tangible in a world of fake social media profiles and Second Life avatars. The electro touches continue on “Reach Out.” They’re peppy and then the lyrics of “When I looked down, I was a mess.” reach you, making you wonder what’s coming. The song is another about wanting to find a human connection amid internal and external chaos. “With one sharp breath, my chest expands. My body is my own again,” Corin Tucker sings the joy of finding that connection.
“Everyone I know is tired, and everyone I know is wired to machines. I just scream ’til it don’t hurt anymore,” Brownstein sings on the excellent “Can I Go On” – a song about how easy it is to get down in this day and age. “Restless” has brutal lyrics about love like “My heart wants the ugliest things, but I’ve learned to love the ugliest things like you and me.” “Do you feast on nostalgia? Take please from pain?” Brownstein asks in “RUINS” – a near-industrial track that explores a crumbled relationship. “LOVE” starts with video game beats before Janet Weiss puts down a wicked drum groove and Brownstein sings about embracing the adventure that love can be.
“We’ve been rehearsing our whole lives,” Brownstein says on “Bad Dance.” It’s a song about the seductive worlds pushed on us by mass advertising and the idea of pushing back against them. “The Future Is Here” has Tucker wishing for a human connection in a world of online relationships. “I met my date on a tiny screen. I reach for you in the empty sheets,” she sings. Anyone who resists her is a fool. The snappy bass on “The Dog / The Body” roots the song as it swells back and forth between soft verses and big choruses.
“But I’m breaking in two, ’cause I’m broken inside.” are the last lyrics of “Broken,” which is the last song on the album. It’s a sad song about the loss of a relationship or at least a human connection in our increasingly digital world. The song and the lyrics (and the album’s title) are even more poignant now due to drummer Janet Weiss leaving the band not long after the album was released and before Sleater-Kinney started their current tour. Brownstein has said the band will continue with her and Tucker, who started the band without Weiss. At least Weiss left on a good album. She didn’t phone in anything on it, and neither did her former bandmates.
Keep your mind open.
[Can you go on to the subscription box? Yes, you can!]
Rock giantesses Sleater-Kinney are back with not only a sharp new, electro-twinged single, “Hurry On Home,” but also a list of tour dates throughout North America starting in October. “Hurry On Home” is a hot cut about hotter love with a blistering guitar solo from Carrie Brownstein. Don’t miss this tour. Many dates, if not all, are sure to sell out.
10/9/19 – Spokane, WA – Fox Theatre
10/11/19 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
10/12/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
10/13/19 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
10/15/19 – Minneapolis, MN – Palace Theatre
10/16/19 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
10/18/19 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
10/20/19 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
10/21/19 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/23/19 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
10/25/19 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
10/26/19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE- Indoor
10/27/19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
10/29/19 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
10/30/19 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
10/31/19 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
11/1/19 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
11/3/19 – Toronto, ON – Rebel Complex
11/4/19 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
11/5/19 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
11/7/19 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
11/8/19 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
11/9/19 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater
11/11/19 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
11/12/19 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
11/13/19 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory OC
11/14/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
11/16/19 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
11/19/19 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
11/21/19 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
11/23/19 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
Keep your mind open.
[Hurry on to the subscription box.]
The first ever live album from alt-rock / punk / riot grrl legends Sleater-Kinney (Carrie Brownstein – guitars and vocals, Corin Tucker – guitars and vocals, Janet Weist – drums and vocals) is a doozy. Live in Paris captures the band on their 2016 tour supporting the No Cities to Love album (their first in over a decade), and the only show of the tour where they performed a second encore.
Opening with the fiercely funky “Price Tag,” the band is already firing on all cylinders within the first thirty seconds. Tucker is growling and spitting lyrics like a rivet gun throughout it. “Oh!”, one of their biggest hits, keeps up the pace and you can envision the whole Parisian crowd bouncing throughout it. The crunch of “What’s Mine Is Yours” is only outmatched by Tucker’s battle cry voice. It also has a cool breakdown that flirts with psychedelia before Weis hammers out a tremendous fill that takes them back to angry rock.
“A New Wave” is chock-full of fuzz and bent notes as Brownstein and Tucker sing great double vocals on the chorus. “Start Together” is one of Sleater-Kinney’s best songs about rocky relationships. Tucker’s vocals are always pleading on it, as is the guitar work. “No Cities to Love,” from the album of the same name, is a slick song about attachment and how many of us never truly connect with the place we live (“There are no cities to love. It’s not the cities, it’s the weather we love.”).
“Surface Envy” has Tucker crying out for a little help in a relationship (“We win, we lose. Only together do we break the rules.”) and Brownstein and Weis pound out a hard rhythm behind her. I would’ve flipped had I been in the crowd when they played “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone.” It’s a powerful song about a girl with an unrequited crush and one of my favorites by them. “Turn It On” is a song about what might happen if that crush returns the affection.
Weis cuts loose at the beginning of “Entertain,” proving yet again that she’s one of the best rock drummers around nowadays. It’s a scathing song about a lover who expects Brownstein to entertain her all the time, but she lets her lover know that “reality is the new excitement.” “Jumpers” is one of Sleater-Kinney’s great examples of dual vocals from Brownstein and Tucker. The encores are “Dig Me Out” (a scorching punk track) and “Modern Girl” (a simple, but slightly fuzzed ode to being okay despite being alone).
Live in Paris might be the closest I get to a Sleater-Kinney show in a while, and I’m happy they released it. Everything you’ve heard about a live Sleater-Kinney show is true. This album is proof.
Keep your mind open.
[Make your friends envious by subscribing to us and getting updates in your e-mail inbox.]
Alt-rock riot grrl legends Sleater-Kinney will release “Live in Paris” on January 27, 2016. This recording comes from their “No Cities to Love” reunion tour and they’re offering the album on vinyl, CD, and cassette (along with some T-shirt combo packages, too).
Don’t miss what’s sure to be a fine record. I hope they get back in the studio and on the road again soon.
Keep your mind open.
[We hope you’ll subscribe to us before you go.]