Stream some new tunes:
Steve Wynn - “Manhattan Fault Line”
Steve Wynn – “Love Me Anyway”
From the Artist:
The days during my three weeks in Ljubljana were pretty simple. I would wake up early and leave my apartment on Trubarjeva Street and cross Dragon Bridge in search of a good cup of coffee which I would sip as I watched the vendors in the open market as they sold cabbage, purses, cheap watches and anything else that might be worth a Euro or two. I’d watch this panorama of commerce and barter and think about which song I would drag into the daily laboratory that was Chris Eckman’s home studio.
I had never made a record like this before. I was in Slovenia, far from my New York City apartment and in a musical world that had shrunk down to just two people—me and Chris, the multi-talented producer (Midnight Choir) and bandleader (Walkabouts, Chris & Carla). He had been wanting to make a record with me for many years and seemed particularly intent on stripping things down to my voice and my acoustic guitar and then building up another universe from there.
No band. No session players (until later). No passing of the baton in this relay race. Even Chris would hesitate when I tried to get him to play something. Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals—if I could do it, I had to do it. And that’s why “Crossing Dragon Bridge” sounds different from other records I’ve done before but also more like the sound inside my head than anything I’ve done before.
But it’s not a record I would have made in New York. Or in Tucson. Or in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Moscow or Mali, It’s not like a record I would make on the moon or on Mars or in New Jersey. It has the sound and the mood and the sights and the overall vibe of Ljubljana. I swallowed the city whole and then waited for the meal to work itself into a digestive hallucination before spitting it out again each day at Chris’ place. And then it was back for a pint of Union beer by the river before starting all over again.
When I left Slovenia a few weeks later both of us knew we had something special. And then we proceeded to add the extra bits that would take the experience further. An eight-piece orchestra was added in Prague to a bunch of the songs and a woman’s choir in Ljubljana was added to others. Linda Pitmon, Kirk Swan, Chris Cacavas and Tim Adams (Teenage Prayers) chimed in from New York, Los Angeles and Germany bringing in elements of familiarity from my past and present.
Finally the whole thing was filtered through the creative and impressionistic mixing skills of Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Laura Veirs) and turned into the record that you hold in your hands. It’s a snapshot, a dream, an acid flashback, a tourist guide, a midnight snack, a morning cup of coffee—it’s the other world that happened around me and inside my head for three weeks last September. I hope you enjoy taking the trip back there with me.
- STEVE WYNN
TRACK LISTING:
1. Slovenian Rhapsody I
2. Manhattan Fault Line
3. Love Me Anyway
4. She Came
5. When We Talk About Forever.
6. Annie & Me
7. Wait Until You Get To Know Me
8. Punching Holes In The Sky
9. Bring The Magic
10 God Doesn’t Like It
11. Believe In Yourself
12. I Don’t Deserve This
13. Slovenian Rhapsody II
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WatchMojo NewsletterPCD are giving fans a behind the scenes look at the video shoot for the new jam. Tune in to PCDMusic.com today (9/9) and tomorrow (9/10) after 3PM PST to watch the Dolls live from the shoot! The footage will also be streaming from PCD’s Kyte Player.
The debut full-length from former Death From Above 1979 drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger, titled Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains, will be in stores October 21st.
Check out the new song:
American Names (right click, save as)
BIO:
Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains is a record that reflects the majesty its title suggests. Big chords, soaring choruses, and Sebastien’s voice paint the portrait of a man still climbing. While lyrically and musically, Grainger’s taken a sidestep away from the more aggressive approach of his past musical pursuits in favor of a more reflective and personal style, he still knows how to rock it when necessary. Pulling no punches, Sebastien’s crafted a muscular and smart rock record that will surprise people expecting him to relive his past.
Best known for his contributions as singer and drummer for Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979, whose decadently catchy anthems took the world by storm with the release of their breakthrough record You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine in 2004, Sebastien Grainger is soon to be even better known to the world as a singer and songwriter of sophis- ticated distinction via his new solo works. Fans of his prior music will likely be surprised by his new direction: delicately layered ruminations rich with energetic arrangements and deep melodic undercurrents. With his first full-length album Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains he further expands upon the well-received melodic endeavors of his digital EP American Names.
Grainger will modestly tell you “every song is a problem, or an equation that I have to resolve,” but it’s obvious that the results are richer and more soulful rather than calculated and math- ematical. Feeling like he is finally expressing himself on his own terms with the new record, Grainger is eager to hit the road once again and present these songs to the folks who’ve been curious about his next move after the dissolution of DFA 1979. Although he’s a self-described “domestic person,” Grainger’s penchant for singing loudly, playing as hard as possible, and getting sweaty is real–as real as people’s enthusiasm for him to keep doing so.
TRACK LIST:
1 Love Can Be So Mean
2 Who Do We Care For?
3 By Cover of Night (Fire Fight)
4 I’m All Rage (Live ‘05)
5 I Hate My Friends
6 (Are There) Ways to Come Home?
7 Niagara
8 (I Am Like A) River
9 Love Is Not a Contest
10 American Names
11 Meet New Friends
12 Renegade Silence (feat. The Rhythm Method)
OTHER LINKS:
www.sebastiengrainger.net
www.myspace.com/sebastiengrainger
www.saddle-creek.com
Multi-faceted and celebrated recording artist/producer Todd Rundgren is set to release his first full-length record of original studio material in 4 years, entitled Arena on September 30th via newly launched music venture Hi Fi Recordings. Rundgren has been on the road in support of the release on a 20 + U.S. city tour this summer – which kicked off with a week-long celebration in Hawaii, culminating with the first-ever live performance of Arena in its entirety on Todd’s birthday, June 22nd. Rundgren will also hit the road in support of Arena this fall in Europe and the UK where the album will be released simultaneously to the U.S. A sneak peak of an exclusive album track ‘Mad’ will be available on MySpace.com starting on July 15th.
Streaming link to the new single “Mountaintop”
Arena, recorded in Todd’s current home state of Hawaii, is yet another notable addition to Rundgren’s remarkable career as a performer, songwriter, and producer. The album showcases his unique songwriting style and sonically captures the essence and energy of “arena” rock with bombastic, guitar-driven tunes like “Mountaintop,” “Strike” and “Mad,” while the anthemic song “Mercenary,” transports you to a stadium with its epic chorus, “How Do You Like Me Now?,” resounding to every seat in the house.
“I found myself just going out and doing this sort of guerilla guitar quartet thing around the country and around Canada,” said Rundgren, “So when it came time to make a record, I thought maybe I’ll just continue in that vein and write something that is appropriate to the guitar, since the fans seem to be enjoying it so much.
“So when I decided to write a new album, I knew beforehand it was going to be this kind of old-school guitar-rock record.”
Known as a man of musical innovation, Rundgren’s latest release draws from his vast and impressive career experiences as a performer, songwriter and producer – including notable achievements on the cutting edge of music and technology such as: the first live nationally broadcast stereo radio concert (by microwave), which linked 40 cities around the country in 1978; the very first two commercially released music videos, one of which was nominated for the first-ever Grammy awarded for “Best Short Form Video” in 1983; and the launch of PatroNet, the world’s first direct artist subscription service all of course; and of course there are the timeless hit songs, including ‘Hello It’s Me’, ‘I Saw The Light’, ‘Can We Still be Friends’, and ‘Bang The Drum.’
With ground-breaking accomplishments under his belt, Rundgren’s career boasts additional credits to the aforementioned roles he is most well known for, including video pioneer, computer software developer, conceptualist and, most recently, interactive artist (re-designated TR-i). Given this incredible history and his constant creative state-of-mind, there are undoubtedly many more imaginative horizons for Todd Rundgren to discover.
Todd Rundgren’s Official Site:
and MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
Todd Rundgren upcoming tour dates:
10/1 – Seattle, WA The Triple Door
10/4 – Glen Allen, CA B.R. Cohn Winery Amphitheater
10/6 – Chicago, IL Park West
10/9 – Morristown, NJ Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts
10/11 – Tarrytown, NY Tarrytown Music Hall
10/13 – Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
10/15 – Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
12/17 – Alexandria, VA Birchmere
12/19 – Bay Shore, NY YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts
12/20 – Norfolk, CT Infinity Hall
12/26 – New York, NY Blender Theatre at Gramercy
12/30 – Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
Good call Heart:
Blasting through the Republican convention hall is the 1977 hit “Barracuda” by rock band Heart.
It’s a shout-out to Sarah Palin. When she played basketball in high school, the soon-to-be Republican vice presidential nominee earned the nickname “Sarah barracuda” for her fierce competitiveness.
Some of her opponents revived the “Sarah barracuda” nickname after she became mayor of her hometown, Wasilla, in 1996, defeating a three-term incumbent.
UPDATE: Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart said Thursday night that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease and desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign over their use of ‘Barracuda.’
“We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We
hope our wishes will be honored,” the group said in a statement that said they “condemn” the use of the song at the Republican convention.
Read more at CNN Political Ticker
