Autolux
Glass House, Pomona, CA
March 23, 2005

Tonight will be my fourth attempt at seeing AUTOLUX. One foiled attempt last year. They played New Year Eve but all my friends wanted to see John Digweed instead. And I was late to the show where they opened for Secret Machines earlier this year. Tonight I WAS NOT going to miss them.

I received a few emails from people who were glad to get the tip for The Magic Numbers at SxSW so I thought I'd pass along my highly anticipated tour this month... THE BRUNETTES. This New Zealand 7-piece is about to embark on their first tour of America and is doing it as the opening slot for indie-kids-who-can-do-no-wrong THE SHINS. Hand picked by the Shins to open on this cross continental tour after a stint with them in New Zealand... The Brunettes are a band on the make. Creating 60's happy-go-lucky sounds with grace and ease I hear they put on one hell of a live show. Go check them out when they hit a venue near you. If you can't make it in the very least give a listen to some of their material so you know what you're missing out on.

Just in case you haven't followed BELLE AND SEBASTIAN from the beginning and have collected all their singles along the way (or bought the Lazy Line Painter Jane boxset)... we've got the new release for you. If you care about Belle and Sebastian that is. On May 24 the band is releasing a two disc singles compilation called Push Barman To Open Old Wounds on Matador. This collection does NOT contain any of the material from the last record... but does encompass every single release from 1997 (Dogs on Wheels) to 2001 (I'm Waking Up To Us). We'll keep you posted on whether the cover art will feature them actually pushing down bar men or pushing each other on swings. ;-)

The Tracklistings:

I've said it before and I'll say it again - for the life of me, I cannot figure out why the return of the original line up of Duran Duran has not been greeted with the full-on enthusiasm that it most definitely deserves, especially after experiencing last night's performance at the Turning Stone Casino Events Center in Verona, New York. [Where? I live 90 miles from there and I had only a vague idea where it was until last night.]

PAUL HESTER, the Aussie drummer best known for his work with Crowded House, has died at 46. Hester was last seen leaving his home on Friday; his body was found hanged in a nearby Melbourne park the next day. He leaves a wife and two children. Hester first joined the seminal group Split Enz towards the end of their span, then migrated alongside Enz singer/songwriter Neil Finn to form Crowded House in the mid-1980's. Our condolences to the Hester and Finn families and the MANY fans of Crowded House across the globe.

FROM SHANE: On a personal note, I'm really gutted about this. Split Enz was the band that caused me to first utter the words, "These guys are my favorite band of all time ever" back in 1984. When the Enz twisted into Crowded House, I turned into Fanboy #1. Hester's love for old-school drumming combined with his almost slapstick sense of humor added to Crowded House being one of the most vital bands of their era. I remember reading that Hester's mood swings contributed to the end of Crowded House, but I -- alongside so many other grieving fans on the Net -- had no idea the problem was this serious. For a guy who seemed SO lovable, so full of life, and so funny on stage to take his life is all a bit unbelievable. Rest in peace, Paul, you were one of the greats.

Ash
March 25, 2005
Casbah, San Diego, CA

What a fucking blazing performance. I still can't believe they played the Casbah - a 132-capacity bar - but I wasn't complaining. I was at the side of the stage on Charlotte's side, with a view of everyone.

A typical tour setlist was posted over on walking-barefoot.com, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise by looking. and even when they taped the set to the floor right in front of me, I had to look away.

A RIDE DVD is in the works. There's no release date as of yet, but it will include videos, interviews, private footage and more. Piero Piutti (of Ticket to Ride fame) is also seeking your help. Apparently they have some footage that was shot by an American filmaker, Steve Lewis, but have lost touch with him. If you have any info, then please contact Piero

Le Concorde, one of my favorite new bands, will be hitting the road next week to promote their new record, Universe and Villa. Their Brit-inspired tunes should be right up the alley of most/all of our readers, and I *highly* recommend the record. Well, I understand you could afraid to see shows where you have no idea what the band sounds like? Don't worry... you can hear a song sample and learn more about the band at What Are Records. Tour dates... as always... can be found in our Tours Section.

Awful news tonight, as THE COCTEAU TWINS have bowed out of their headlining slot at this year's Coachella Festival. The band, who were planning additional live dates in and around the time of the festival, have now cancelled all planned activity. The guilty party in the cancellation appears to be eccentric Cocteau frontwoman Elizabeth Fraser, who, according to the Coachella press release, "has decided that she is unable to participate in the reunion, and apologies for any inconvenience that this has caused."

The release on cocteautwins.com is less inflammatory, but still points towards Fraser as being the cause:

"It is with deep regret that we confirm the news that Cocteau Twins, at the request of vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, have cancelled the planned reunion performance at this year's Coachella Festival on 30 April. No future plans for any reunion are currently being made. Our sincere thanks and apologies to all the fans and media who wrote to us expressing your enthusiasm and support."

Unreal... but then again, it almost was too good to be true, eh? The fan backlash should be pretty wicked on this one... we're heading to the Cocteaus forum to check it out now...

Alright, you can throw this one into the Unconfirmed Rumour Dept.:

What IS known is that Virgin is hosting a a world premiere GORILLAZ Listening Party at SXSW. This will quite literally be the FIRST time that the new Gorillaz material will be aired to the public. The listening party will be on Thursday, March 17, 2005, from 3pm-5pm at Red Fez at 209 B W. 5th St. in Austin.

What ISN'T known is that it's been all but confirmed to us by an inside source that attending the party will be Damon Albarn, Dangermouse, and MF Doom - in person. Shh. You didn't hear that from us.

You might have to prove yourselves industry-worthy to get inside the door... they're taking RSVP's at THIS WEBSITE. So if you're gonna be in the vicinity, you might wanna check it out.