Excellent Online

The DECEMBERERISTS have made their video for "Sixteen Military Wives" available to download via BitTorrent. BitTorrent is one of the latest peer-to-peer file sharing protocols and has gained significant popularity in recent years. The Decemberists decided to use the protocol because their video was never going to air on MTV or VH1 and using the Internet was the only way for it to be seen. This is an older story, but I just found about it on Wired. More information about downloading the video can be found on the decemberists.com.

UPDATE: I just saw the video and it's actually pretty good. It has a real Wes Anderson/Rushmore feel to it. I highly suggest downloading it.

It was the must-see tour of last year... and they're taking it back on the road. Legendary 4AD band THE PIXIES spellbound audiences around the world when they reformed to tour last year in Europe and America. If you didn't have a chance to see them the first (err second) time around they've just announced three weeks worth of US dates to kick off at the end of May. They'll be playing mostly festivals and outdoor venues from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast.

A rather sad announcement today from THE DELGADOS...

The Delgados, influential figures in Glasgow's independent music scene for over 10 years, have announced that they are to amicably disband. The reason has been put down to the departure of their bass player Stewart Henderson who informed the band in the New Year that he did not wish to make another album. The Delgados have always been known as uniquely collaborative songwriters and as such, it was decided that the band could not continue without all of its original members.

The Delgados leave behind them 5 critically acclaimed albums including The Great Eastern, Hate and last year's Universal Audio. Their two principal songwriters Emma Pollock and Alun Woodward will be pursuing individual projects and drummer Paul Savage will continue production duties at the band's Chem19 Studios in Hamilton.

The four friends will continue to run their record label Chemikal Underground in this, its 10th Anniversary year, with releases scheduled for Malcolm Middleton, Mother & The Addicts and Arab Strap. They are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported The Delgados over the course of their career.

We would especially like to thank all of our fans for your wonderful support. Don't be too upset everyone...get a massive carry out, turn the stereo up and play your albums at full volume.

A bit torrent site with a focus on live recordings, easytree.org, shutdown today because their Internet Provider received legal threats from the RIAA. Easytree was a great source for live recordings and my impression was that the site only had recordings by artists who agreed their live material could be distributed over the Internet. Radiohead, Mercury Rev, and a handful of others were bands that allowed their shows to be taped and traded for free. So I'm not very clear why their ISP would receive legal threats.

Lou Barlow
Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
March 26, 2005

It's hard to say why Lou Barlow isn't the biggest star in alternative rock. Hell why isn't he a mega pop star? He certainly has the song craft and the melodies. Lou Barlow could be the most overlooked of all great singer songwriters of the past 20 years. Being the leader of Sebadoh, Folk Implosion as well as a part of the early Dinosaur Jr. has not really done much to make him the star that he should be. This is precisely why his tour itineraries often include venues such as the VFW Lodge and the Cask & Cleaver in some tiny town in the middle of nowhere.

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.