Excellent Online

Nah, no worries, Grunge has not made it's way back into fashion (yet). Seattle based power-pop band THE POSIES have decided to make a go of it again and have inked a new deal with Ryko. The Posies (Jon Auer & Ken Stringfellow) originally called it quits in 1998, but resurrected the band for an acoustic tour in 2000. We've got a full blown band to hear now though with the edition of Darious Minwalla and Matt Harris on drums and bass respectively. If you're a Big Star fan, don't fret... buth Auer and Stringfellow plan on continuing their participation in that project as well, but will be focusing on the Posies material first and foremost. Apparently the band is in the studio right now and has tentatively scheduled their first release on Ryko for later this summer. Want a preview? The boys are expected to be playing at SxSw later next month during the Ryko Label Showcase.

A new UK band THE POPPYFIELDS have scored their first UK Pop Chart hit... or have they? It appears the single and video release was quite the genius publicity stunt from aging Welsh rockers THE ALARM. According to the BBC, the Alarm hired a group of unknown teenagers from Chester to stand in for them during the video shoot for their new single '45 RPM'... and then labeled the single release under the pseudonym The Poppyfields.

"We decided we would do something where it was judged purely on its own musical value," (Singer Mike) Peters, 44, told BBC News Online.

Editorial note: Interesting timing as this falls the same week as The Darkness take home top honors at the Brit Awards this year... hrm.

DJ Danger Mouse is in hot water with EMI for mixing The Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's "The Black Album" to create his Grey Album without authorization to sample either record. While some might find the combination blaspheomous, I think it outshines a lot of the crap mixes out there. Check it out.

The Notwist, Feb 12, 2004, Commodore Ballroom

In Vancouver, we generally get two types of performances from touring bands based on their marijuana tolerance. Amazing, super long and crazy sets or stunned, scared and confused sets. Some touring musicians obviously do not heed the warnings given as the joint is passed, "Dude, go easy, this is BC Hydro."

Tonight, like Richard Ashcroft and Badly Drawn Boy before them, The Notwist heeded the warnings or have incredible fortitude, because it was a lovely set.
Much of the performance covered 'Neon Golden' which is fine by me, because I'm ashamedly not familiar with their back catalog.

Gomez - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues - February 10, 2004

Anaheim is famous for one thing, Disneyland. Sure the local baseball team, The Anaheim Angels, won the world series a few years back but that's nothing compared to the evil mouse. The House of Blues is located in "Downtown Disney" which is like a really really overpriced outdoor mall. There's a movie theatre, some expensive restaurants an ESPN Zone and of course, the House of Blues. It was all kinda weird because it felt like you were inside Disneyland the whole time.

Just when you thought the best of lists for 2003 were over... the Pazz and Jop rears it's ugly head to show us just how different (or similiar) our tastes are from the majority of the music journalists. The Village Voice has the results for the annual Critics award online as of this morning... and some things will probably not come as a shock. As much flak as we took here at Excellent for having such high chart placement for Outkast... the P&J results aren't so different. Besides... it is interesting to see the individual music writers votes.

That's right, we've got some preliminary tour dates... none of these are confirmed so don't be booking flights to Canada quite yet... but it is a sign of good things to come.

Apr 14 Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB CANADA
Apr 15 Doris Knight Ballroom, Regina, SK CANADA
Apr 17 Prairieland, Saskatoon, SK CANADA
Apr 18 Red's, Edmonton, AB CANADA
Apr 19 MacEwan Hall, Calgary, AB CANADA
Apr 21 Victoria Curling Club, Victoria, BC CANADA
Apr 22-23 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC CANADA
Apr 24 Big Easy, Spokane, WA
Apr 25 The Big Easy, Boise, ID
Apr 27 MacDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR
Apr 29 Freeborn Hall, Davis, CA

The official lineup of Coachella 2004 has been announced on www.coachella.com and it's going to be one hell of a festival this year. Some personal highlights: Radiohead, Pixies, Cure, Air, Flaming Lips, Future Sound of London(!!!!), Trail of Dead, Death Cab For Cutie, Stills, Mogwai... If I get to see half of these bands it'll be so worth it. Click on "Read More" to get the full lineup.

It's nice change of pace to announce a band is reforming... and even better when that band is THE PIXIES. They've been a confirmed act for Coachella for a few weeks but the official word from 4AD came down today:

They're talking, they're rehearsing, and they're going to perform together for the first time in more than a decade. The Pixies, acclaimed as the most influential pioneer of the late '80s alt/rock movement, and who effectively blazed the path for groups like Nirvana, Radiohead and Pearl Jam to rise to superstardom, have officially confirmed their much-anticipated reunion. The original line-up - Frank Black/vocals, guitar; Joey Santiago/guitar; Kim Deal/bass; and David Lovering/drums - are already holed up in a Southern California rehearsal space working together for the first time since they disbanded in 1993.

An eleven date US tour will commence following Coachella and a month + European tour shortly after. 4AD is touting a soon-to-be-released DVD featuring videos, a documentary and interviews with rockstars singing the praises of the Pixies to the moon and back. "Wave of Mutilation - Best of Pixies", the 23 track compilation is also set for a release later in the year. We will keep you updated on tourdates as they are confirmed.

But what's the real question on the mind of millions of indie kids everywhere... does Frank now have to change his name back to Black Francis?

COACHELLA is coming up and already there are a bunch of rumors plus several fantastic confirmed acts. The even will be held on May 1st and 2nd with tickets going on sale February 14th. The prices will be about the same (75 bucks per day or 140 for both). Confirmed acts include:

SATURDAY: Pixies, Radiohead, Kraftwerk, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Sahara Hotnights, The Sleepy Jackson, and LCD Soundsystem

SUNDAY: The Cure, The Thrills, Broken Social Scene , Electric 6 , Prefuse 73 , Sidestepper and T. Raumschmiere

Unknown Date, But Confirmed: Air, The Stills , The Crystal Method, Basement Jaxx, Moving Units, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bright Eyes, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab For Cutie, Mogwai

And there's a big list of rumored acts like Outkast, Nine Inch Nails, Notwist, British Sea Power, The Hidden Cameras, Chemical Brothers, Rapture, Morrissey, Strokes, Jets to Brazil, Paul McCartney, etc.... but I wouldn't hold my breath. It doesn't matter though because this is already shaping up to be one of the best lineups in Coachella history.