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We're finally making the jump over to a properly hosted and laid-out blog. Please change your bookmarks, RSS feeds, and however else you keep track of us to:

www.extrawack.com.

See you over there!

Thao & Dianna Agron From "Glee" Debut New Video for Oxfam America

Dianna Agron (Quinn from Fox's Glee) recently shot a video for our friends Thao with the Get Down Stay Down's song "Body", which debuted exclusively on the Oxfam America website.

As Thao explains:

“Last winter, Dianna contacted me to see about directing her first music video for my band. I so readily agreed, the internet could not deliver my consent fast enough. We met one day on Skype while I was on tour in Europe and Dianna was on set. "Body" (from the band's latest record Know Better Learn Faster) was shot on Valentine's Day on Dianna's bed.

Dianna and I offered the exclusive premiere to Oxfam America in hopes of directing traffic to Oxfam's site and encouraging action to support Oxfam's efforts, particularly on behalf of the world's poorest, who are hit hardest by the effects of climate change.”

The video also features a candid (and funny) three-minute spoken introduction from Dianna and Thao, giving fans some insight into their friendship, Thao’s work with Oxfam, and how the video came to be.



Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - "Know Better Learn Faster" mp3

Take Action with Oxfam America! Tell your Senators: The hardest hit communities can’t wait another decade!

Take to the high seas with The Dead Weather in NYC Monday night!

Jack White's always reminded me of a pirate character, so it's kind of fitting that our friends at FILTER are throwing a listening party for the new album from The Dead Weather, "Sea Of Cowards" on a Hudson River cruise boat Monday night:



RSVP here.

Learn how to Tweet to get a free mp3 from the new album here.

Caribou on tour with Toro Y Moi

I love this double bill! At first they might seem very different, but when you think about it, the echoey trance-like softness of Toro Y Moi and the more earthy, rhythm-driven flourishes of Caribou make a perfect juxtaposition. I saw both bands at the Middle East in Boston the other night and it was a (literally) hot, frenetic, noisy (two drummers for Caribou!), and joyous experience.

And there's a lot more of the tour left to come. Check them out on the dates below:

May 6th - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
May 7th - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 8th - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
May 9th - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
May 10th - Washington, D.C. @ Rock n Roll Hotel
May 11th - Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
May 12th - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
May 13th - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
May 14th - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
May 15th - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
May 16th - Austin, TX @ Emo's Alternative Lounge Outside
May 18th - Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
May 19th - Los Angeles, CA @ The El Rey Theatre
May 20th - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
May 21st - Mexico City, MX @ Teatro Fru Fru
May 22nd - Monterrey, MX @ Escenica
May 23rd - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
May 24th - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
May 26th - Portland, OR @ The Hawthorne Theater
May 27th - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
May 28th - Victoria, BC @ Sugar
May 29th - Vancouver, BC @ The Rickshaw Theatre
May 31st - Calgary, AB @ The Republik
June 1st - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
June 2nd - Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
June 3rd - Winnipeg, MB @ Royal Albert Arms
June 4th - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
June 5th - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
June 6th - Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theatre
June 7th - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
June 8th - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
June 9th - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

That same night, I picked up the 7 inch of Toro y Moi's dreamy "Blessa," which is probably one of my favorite songs of 2010 so far. Click here to download "Blessa" on MP3.

-- Anna K

New "Making Of" Video From Band Of Horses

In advance of the May 18th release date of their new album Infinite Arms, Band of Horses have released this "Making Of" video, which gives a bit on insight into how the new work came together:

And get the the album's opener, "Factory" here, gratis:

Concrete Blonde Reunites and Tours

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their "Bloodletting" album, Concrete Blonde have announced they're reforming and hitting the road with a set list celebrating the album and their career. Released in 1990, Bloodletting spawned the top 20 hit “Joey,” as well as alt-radio staples “Tomorrow, Wendy”, “Caroline”, and “The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden”.

Lead singer Johnette Napolitano explains how the tour came about: “People started emailing me and calling me up and telling me that it was the twentieth anniversary of Bloodletting, which had “Joey” on it and was a big hit for us all over the world. My dad passed away recently and was a big fan of the band and it occurred to me that a twentieth anniversary’s only going to happen once and that my dad would have said that it’s a good idea and that we should do it. So we knocked it together and it looks like it’s going to be fun, doing twenty-year-old vampire songs should be fun.”

Beyond Bloodletting, the band is responsible for classic alternative songs including “Still in Hollywood”, “God is a Bullet”, and their iconic cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows”.

Here's where you can catch the tour:

6/8: Boston, MA @ Royal Boston
6/9: Fairfield, CT @ Stage One
6/10: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
6/11: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
6/12: Chicago, IL @ Vic
6/13: Detroit, MI @ Majestic
6/15: Washington, DC @ 930 Club
6/16: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
6/17: New Orleans, LA @ Republic
6/18: Dallas, TX @ Granada
6/19: Austin, TX @ Emos
6/21: Denver, CO @ Arvada Center
6/22: Salt Lake City, UT @ Depot
6/24: Seattle, WA @ Showbox
6:25: Portland,OR @ Roseland
6/26: San Francisco, CA @ Regency
6/28: Hollywood, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater

Here's their cover of "Everybody Knows":

JJ: Seaside Sounds

JJ no.3 actually came out last month, while winter was still lingering here in Boston. But as the sun re-emerges and the air warms with the promise of spring, I find myself listening to the Swedish duo’s third album more or less constantly—right now, their tropical-tinged, sample-inflected hazy pop songs just sound perfectly uplifting.

On “Let Go,” Elin Kastlander’s voice is as gentle as an ocean breeze and as gritty as sand—striking a perfect balance between sweetness and salty melancholy. When she sings, “Let go / let your skin show / that you’ve been in the sun today / let’s go / let your mind blow / all your sorrows away,” I’m ready to start making plans for my next beach vacation.

Download JJ’s “Let Go” on MP3 (sunscreen not included).

- Anna K