popwreckoning

From the Anniversary to Dri and now to Extra Classic, Adrianne Verhoeven can’t stop making music and we can’t stop loving it.

The former Kansas City performer is hard at work in San Francisco, putting the finishing touches on Extra Classic’s debut. Alongside Verhoeven in Extra Classic are Alex Delanda, Josh Adams, Jake Blanton (formerly of Ghosty) and Dustin Kinsey (The New Amsterdams).

While waiting on this release, we invite you to sample the band by checking out their tune “Congo Rebel.”

.“Congo Rebel”

Pretty Lights is the musical vision of Colorado based producer Derek Vincent Smith, accompanied when live by drummer Cory Eberhard. Smith’s first two albums, Taking Up Your Precious Time and Filling Up The City Skies have been downloaded over 300,000 times from his website, which equates to over 6.15 million track downloads. Hot off his recent UK tour, Pretty Lights has announced plans to release three new EPs, the first of which, Making Up a Changing Mind, will be posted online on March 2nd, a week before the duo kick off a US spring tour.

In an effort to get his music directly to his fans as soon as it’s written, Smith will record the EPs only a few weeks before each release. It’s a pretty gutsy move to set release dates without finished material, but for Smith, who’s been recording albums and immediately releasing them for free on the internet since 2006, setting deadlines like this isn’t a big deal.

“I Can See It In Your Face” is a rolling number – glitched up soul vocals, brass hooks and electric guitars pave the way over a gritty bassline. When the track climaxes you get a tasty bit of dub wobble before it jumps back into the jazzy flow. Download “I Can See It In Your Face” here. A perfect blend of electronic, hip hop, trance, and jazz. You’ll no doubt be addicted to the genius of Pretty Lights before you make it half way through the track.

Also catch Pretty Lights in the act: watch this video of Smith and Eberhard live at Red Rocks this past July:

Convinced? Get in on what Colorado and Vermont already seem to know (all scheduled shows in Colorado are sold out, and the show in Vermont!). Make Pretty Lights your new favorite obsession.

Tour Dates:
Mar 09 – Aggie Theatre / Fort Collins, Co. (SOLD OUT!)
Mar 10 – Boulder Theatre / Boulder (SOLD OUT!)
Mar 11 – Fox Theatre / Boulder (SOLD OUT!)
Mar 12 – Gothic Theatre / Denver  (SOLD OUT!)
Mar 13 – Ogden Theatre / Denver (SOLD OUT!)
Mar 20 - SXSW @ La Zona Rosa /  Austin
Mar 23 – Varsity Theatre / Baton Rouge
Mar 24 – Soul Kitchen / Mobile, Al.
Mar 25 – Lyric Theatre /  Oxford, Ms.
Mar 26 – Ultra Music Festical @ Bicentennial Park / Miami, Florida
Mar 27 – Sloss Furnace / Birmingham, Al.
Mar 30 – Club 1800 / Columbia, SC
Mar 31 - Lincoln Theatre / Raleigh, NC
Apr 01 – The National / Richmond, Va.
Apr 02 – Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia
Apr 03 – Northern Lights / Clifton, NY
Apr 04 – Higher Ground / South Burlington, Vt. (SOLD OUT!)
Apr 06 – Mr. Small’s Theatre /  Pittsburgh
Apr 07 – The Intersection / Grand Rapids
Apr 08 – 20th Century Theatre / Cincinnati
Apr 09 – The Pageant / St. Louis, Mo.
Apr 10 – Barrymore Theatre / Madison, Wi.
Apr 13 - Wilma Theatre / Missoula, Mt.
Apr 14 – Roseland Theatre / Portland, Or.
Apr 15 – Mezzanine / San Francisco
Apr 17 – Coachella / Indio, Ca.
Apr 19 – Marquee Theatre / Tempe
Apr 20 - Rialto Theatre / Tucson
Apr 21 – El Rey Theatre / Albuquerque
Apr 23 – Fayetteville Towncenter / Fayetteville, Ar.
Apr 24 – Blue Note / Columbia, Mo.
Apr 25 – Liberty Hall / Lawrence, Ks.
Apr 28 – Granada Theatre / Dallas
Apr 29 – The Ballroom @ Warehouse Live / Houston
Apr 30 – Republic / New Orleans
May 01 – Illumination @ Limelight / Nashville
May 29 – Summer Camp 2010 Music Festival / Chillicothe, Il.
May 30 – Bella Music Festival / Geneva, Mn.
Jun 05 – Starscape Festival / Baltimore
Jul 30 – Wanderlust Festival / Orange Cove, Ca.

Pretty Lights: website | myspace

Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter Nick Jaina is releasing A Bird In The Opera House in April on Hush Records, also home to  Laura Gibson and Loch Lomond. He is an art-folk troubadour who has played in (and busked outside of) clubs across the US and beyond. His new record is a carefully crafted studio album with lush orchestration and amazing melodies. Jaina has west coast tour dates booked for the release of the album with more dates to come.

Sample “Sleep Child,” a lively and upbeat number saturated with hand claps and tribal beats. It rushes forward at a surprising pace, grabbing the attention of listeners and forcing them to move along with his sound.

Nick Jaina – “Sleep Child”

Look for A Bird In The Opera House out April 13th.

Tour Dates:
Apr 02 – Doug Fir (CD Release Show!) / Portland, Or.
Apr 07 – Sam Bonds / Eugene, Or.
Apr 08 – Sophia’s / Davis, Ca.
Apr 09 – Cafe Deva / Modesto, Ca.
Apr 10 – Partisan / Merced, Ca.
Apr 11 – Crepe Place / Santa Cruz, Ca.
Apr 12 – Elbo Room / San Francisco
Apr 13 – Cafe Flo / Chico, Ca.
Apr 14 – Echo Curio / Los Angeles
Apr 15 – Pappy & Harriet’s / Joshua Tree, Ca.
Apr 16 – Lestat’s / San Diego
Apr 17 – Mia’s / Flagstaff, Az.
Apr 19 – The Patio / Torrey, Ut.
Apr 20 - State Room / Salt Lake City
Apr 21 – Velour / Provo, Ut.
Apr 22 (early show) – The Modern / Boise
Apr 22 (late show) – Linen Building / Boise
Apr 23 – Red Room / Kennewick, Wa.
Apr 24 -  Great Pacific / Pendleton, Or.

Nick Jaina: website | myspace

Photo by Melani Brown

Just today, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers announced a 2010 North American tour and the upcoming release of Mojo, their first studio album in eight years, this spring. The tour will take the band through a mix of top arenas and amphitheaters across the US and Canada beginning May 6th in Raleigh, NC. Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, March 8 at LiveNation.com. Special guest artists on the tour will include a mix of appearances by My Morning Jacket, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, and Drive By Truckers.

All 2010 tour tickets purchased online will include an MP3 download of every track on Mojo. Once fans purchase tickets online, they will receive an email with codes entitling them to download two tracks from Mojo (“First Flash Of Freedom” and “Good Enough.”) Then, on the release date of the album, currently slated for this spring, ticket buyers will be sent a download of the entire album. Also included with every online ticket purchase, to be delivered at the end of the 2010 tour, will be a selection of live tracks recorded during the tour. Pretty good perks for what are sure to be pricey tickets.

Tour Dates:
May 06 – Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek / Raleigh, NC *
May 07 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre / Charlotte, NC*
May 09 -  St. Pete Times Forum / Tampa *
May 15 -  Superpages.com Center / Dallas *
May 16 -  Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion / Houston *
May 18 -  US Airways Arena / Phoenix *
May 22 – Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles *
Jun 02 -  Cricket Wireless Pavilion / San Diego *
Jun 03 -  Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre / Irvine, Ca. *
Jun 05 -  Oracle Pavilion / Oakland, Ca. *
Jun 08 -  GM Place / Vancouver *
Jun 11 -  The Gorge / Seattle *
Jun 12 -  The Gorge / Seattle *
Jun 15 -  Pengrowth Saddledome / Calgary *
Jun 16 -  Rexall Place / Edmonton *
Jun 19 -  MTS Centre / Winnipeg *
Jun 22 -  Xcel Energy Center / St. Paul ^
Jun 23 - Qwest Center / Omaha ^
Jun 25 -  Summerfest / Milwaukee
Jul 10 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre / Indianapolis ^
Jul 13 – Sprint Center / Kansas City ^
Jul 15 – Riverbend Music Center / Cincinnati ^
Jul 17 - United Center / Chicago ^
Jul 20 – Blossom Music Center / Cleveland ^
Jul 22 - Palace of Auburn Hills / Detroit ^
Jul 24 - First Niagra Pavilion / Pittsburgh ^
Jul 28 - Madison Square Garden / New York City
Jul 31  – Wachovia Center / Philadelphia
Aug 11 - Philips Arena / Atlanta #
Aug 12 - Sommet Center / Nashville #
Aug 14 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center / Darien Lake, NY #
Aug 15 – Jiffy Lube Live / Bristow #
Aug 17 – Comcast Theater / Hartford, Ct. #
Aug 19 - Comcast Center / Boston %
Aug 21 – Comcast Center / Boston %
Aug 24 - IZOD Center / East Rutherford, NJ %
Aug 25 – Air Canada Center / Toronto #
Aug 27 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center / Saratoga Springs, Fl. #

* w/ Joe Cocker
^ w/Drive-By Truckers
# w/ Crosby, Stills and Nash
% w/ My Morning Jacket

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: website | myspace

Popwreckoning favorite and one man band extraordinaire David Ford will release his third album, Let the Hard Times Roll, on April 20, 2010 through label Original Signal Recordings. Let The Hard Times Roll contains some of the most upbeat, rocking songs Ford has ever written, like the genuinely boisterous “She’s Not The One.”

The album represents the era in which it was created, so there’s an underlying tension that runs throughout, as on opener “Panic,” all strained nerves in its urgent bass groove, blistering electric guitar, and piano that keeps time like a wound clock; the pensive lament “Waiting For The Storm;” and dissatisfied barroom choral “Nothing At All.” Already known for his searing political anthems (“State Of The Union” off 2006′s I Sincerely Apologise For Any Trouble I’ve Caused; “Requiem” off 2008′s Songs For The Road), the sultry, swaying backroom stomp “Surfin’ Guantanamo Bay” and the solemn accordion and banjo-based elegy “Stephen” are among his most scathing and pointed indictments.

In keeping with his reputation as a remarkable one-man band, Ford plays nearly every instrument on, produced, and engineered (with the help of James Brown, who’s worked with Foo Fighters, Brendan Benson, Placebo) Let The Hard Times Roll, in addition to writing all the string arrangements and designing the artwork. The album was recorded throughout all of 2009 in a variety of settings, and not one of them a studio. All but one track were laid to tape in an industrial estate empty unit in Eastbourne, England; the concise, homesick “Missouri” was recorded in a room at the Rodeway Inn motel in Warrensburg, MO, while on a solo tour in 2008. Bits and pieces of piano parts and chorus vocals were also captured in a former convalescent hospital’s family quarters in southern England.

Ford will head out on a three and a half week headlining tour beginning March 3rd at the World Café Live in Philadelphia and wrapping up March 26th at Union Hall in Brooklyn.

“I will be flying solo with as many machines and boxes of noise as the United States will allow me to bring within her borders. I enjoy the challenge of putting on the most elaborate musical performance possible within the limitations of two hands, two feet, the standard international airline baggage allowance and the available trunk-space of a reasonably priced rental car.”  – David Ford

Ford truly puts on an incredible show, the likes of which has blown my mind on several occasions. If you see one show this Spring, make sure it involves David Ford. And lucky us, Philadelphia — we get him twice, both times at World Cafe Live. Whee!

Head to Ford’s MySpace page to hear snippets from Let The Hard Times Roll.

Tour Dates:
Mar 03 – World Cafe Live / Philadelphia
Mar 04 - Le Poisson Rouge / New York City
Mar 05 – The Saint / Asbury Park, NJ
Mar 06 – Turning Point / Piermont, NY
Mar 09 – The Drake Hotel / Toronto
Mar 10 – The London Music Club / London, ONT
Mar 12 – Schuba’s / Chicago
Mar 13 – The Patio @ UWI / Madison, Wi.
Mar 15 – Zanzabar / Louisville
Mar 16 – Eddie’s Attic / Atlanta
Mar 18 – Six String Cafe / Raleigh, NC
Mar 19 – Attucks Theater / Norfold, Va.
Mar 20 - The Southern / Charlottesville, Va.
Mar 21 – The Iota / Arlington, Va.
Mar 23 – The Iron Horse / Northampton, Ma.
Mar 24 – Passim’s / Boston
Mar 25 – World Cafe Live / Philadelphia
Mar 26 – Union Hall / Brooklyn

David Ford: website | myspace | @ tla | interview with

Photo: Jessica McGinley

Jakob Dylan has premiered the first track “Nothing But the Whole Wide World” off his sophomore solo release Women and Country. For the record, Dylan worked with the legendary T-Bone Burnett, a longtime friend and one of the hottest producers in the business. Dylan’s maturity and versatility as a songwriter is apparent on the album track ‘Nothing But the Whole Wide World,’ which features Neko Case on backing vocals.

Jakob Dylan – “Nothing But The Whole Wide World”

Pre-order Women and Country now at Amazon.com. Catch Jakob performing new tunes at this year’s South By Southwest festival.

Jakob Dylan: website | myspace

On his way to Indio, California’s legendary Coachella festival, Thom Yorke of Radiohead fame has announced that his current project Atoms For Peace (formerly Thom Yorke????) will be playing select dates across the country.

The Atoms For Peace lineup remains the same as when the band performed three shows in Los Angeles last October: Yorke, Flea, Mauro Refosco, Joey Waronker and Nigel Godrich. Flying Lotus supports New York through Oakland.

Tour Dates:
April 5 & 6 – Roseland Ballroom / New York City
April 8 – Citi Wang Theatre / Boston
April 10 & 11 – Aragon Ballroom / Chicago
April 14 & 15 - Fox Theatre / Oakland, Ca.
April 17 – Santa Barbara Bowl / Santa Barbara
April 18 – Coachella / Indio, Ca.

Thom Yorke: website | myspace

Photo: Andi Watson

What follows is an open letter to Andy Hull, front man of Manchester Orchestra and Co-President of Favorite Gentlemen Recordings:

Dear Mr. Hull,

First, let me thank you and your band for some fantastic music that I’ve been enjoying for years and will assuredly be enjoying for years to come. I’m writing you concerning a band that you really must hear. They’re called Mansions, and their latest effort is entitled Best of the Bees. I say “band,” but the truth is that Mansions is a one man show in the studio – a gentleman from Louisville, Kentucky by the name of Christopher Browder. Mansions is currently signed to Doghouse Records, but I implore you to steal them away; they would fit wonderfully on any bill with Manchester Orchestra and would make a fine addition to your new and growing label.

Tell you what: just take a listen to Best of the Bees. The first track, entitled “OMG,” sets the tone for the entire album: a skeletal beginning builds to a burning, writhing crescendo of emotion not unlike Kevin Devine’s “Cotton Crush” or Manchester Orchestra’s “Colly Strings.” From there, the album twists and turns through various moods and styles, from the harmonica-laced dirge “LtsBSdTgthr” to the radio-ready piano and electric drum tune “Never Enuff” to the brooding guitar-heavy jam “You Got Caught.” The songwriting is top notch, and the mostly morose songs of longing and searching are evocative if not cathartic. After having listened to the album in its entirety, you’ll have the sense that you’ve really gotten to know Christopher Browder, not in a contrived way but in an authentic and meaningful way. Keep this in mind though: Mansions certainly aren’t reinventing the wheel, and a cynical listener might feel that they’ve heard it all before. For me, there will always be room for another thoughtful musician who writes beautiful indie-pop songs and wears his heart on his sleeve. His methods may be tried and true, but Mr. Browder’s voice is singular and begs to be heard and appreciated.

The last song on Best of the Bees is called “All Eyes on Me,” and it easily the most synthesized/electronic track to be found on the album; it might also be the most lyrically aggressive. Browder keeps asking an unnamed protagonist “What would you do without the attention…Have you ever really seen yourself, have you ever really heard yourself?” This song is destined to be played in many a break-up scene in corny teen dramas the way “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie was destined to be played at a million weddings and Valentine’s Day dinners. This album is the real thing: marketable singles that the indie crowd can still dig, less accessible songs destined for fan favorite status, and replay value for miles and miles.

Please consider these words carefully, Mr. Hull, although Best of the Bees speaks loudly enough for itself. I look forward to your next release, and if you need a place to stay next time you’re in Charlotte, North Carolina – my couch is always open.

Most respectfully yours,

Marc G. Gray

Track Listing:
1. OMG
2. I Swear
3. Never Enuff
4. Last to Leave
5. LetsBSdTgthr
6. You Got Caught
7. 18th Bday
8. Unwell
9. Tangerine (Alternate Version)
10. All Eyes On You (Remix)

This could be because I have a ridiculous amount of love for We Are Scientists (WAS), but I was overwhelmed with excitement when they premiered the first single “Rules Don’t Stop” from their upcoming album Barbara on the Zane Lowe show on BBC Radio 1 Wednesday night. Well, at least it was at night for Zane Lowe. It was 11:30 am where I was.

The first new song since their 2008 disc Brain Thrust Mastery, “Rules Don’t Stop” is great. I wish it was longer than 2:16, but it brings back what I loved about We Are Scientists in the first place. While Brain Thrust Mastery was good, With Love And Squalor was better, and “Rules Don’t Stop” sounds more like early WAS songs. It highlights the great harmonies between front man Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain, while adapting the higher production values of Brain Thrust Mastery.

This new release also differs on who’s on drums. WAS has shuffled through a few drummers the last couple of years after Michael Tapper left the band, but former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows, has officially joined the ranks for this album. I’m still not sure if he’ll be joining Murray and Cain on tour, because Burrows is recording his own solo album at the present.

A video for “Rules Don’t Stop” is set to be premiered in the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. I certainly will.

For more complete information on Barbara and We Are Scientists in general, check out What’s the Word. The site will constantly update about Barbara as soon as new developments come.

And take a listen to “Rules Don’t Stop” at the link below. The single will be officially released on CD and vinyl on April 5.
We Are Scientists – Rules Don’t Stop by PIAS/Integral

Punk Rock Payroll artists The Extraordinaires (pictured) and Dangerous Ponies will share the stage with vaudeville-inspired Brooklyn band The Lisps on Wednesday, March 3 at Johnny Brenda’s.

The Extraordinaires, Dangerous Ponies, The Lisps
Johnny Brenda’s
1201 N. Frankford Ave., Phila PA
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
doors @ 8PM | 21+ | $10
Advance tickets for the show are on sale now.

You can also catch The Extraordinaires at this year’s SXSW in Austin, TX.

The Extraordinaires: website | myspace | Battle of the Vans EP review | @ johnny brenda’s | @ kung fu necktie
Dangerous Ponies: blog | myspace
Punk Rock Payroll: website | myspace