Skate at the Seaport with Neckbeard Telecaster Friday Night

Brooklyn's most hirsute band, Neckbeard Telecaster, kicks off the South Street Seaport Ice series of concerts this Friday night at the skating rink there.  Shows are free to watch, and you can even skate during the shows for a reasonable skate-rental fee.  The rifftastic Grand Mal opens.  

Gig poster of the year so far?:

Neckbeard Telecaster - "Near Quitting Time" mp3

Ben Sollee Hits The Road In February, Gets Remixed by Computer vs Banjo

extrawack!'s favorite cellist and musical renaissance man, Ben Sollee, has announced a tour with his sometime co-conspirator Daniel Martin Moore starting February 17 in Indianapolis. Here's the whole shebang:

Feb 17 Local’s Only - Indianapolis, Indiana
Feb 18 Mad Hatter Club - Covington, Kentucky
Feb 19 12th & Porter - Nashville, Tennessee
Feb 20 Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, North Carolina
Feb 21 The Pour House - Charleston, South Carolina
Feb 25 The Social - Orlando, Florida
Feb 26 Club Downunder - Tallahassee, Florida
Feb 27 Bottletree - Birmingham, Alabama
Feb 28 Proud Larry’s - Oxford, Mississippi
Mar 3 House Of Blues - Houston,
Mar 4 Stubb's Jr. - Austin, Texas
Mar 5 House Of Blues - Dallas, Texas
Mar 7 The Bluebird - St. Louis, Missouri

To celebrate the announcement, a new remix of Ben's "Panning For Gold", off his current album Learning To Bend can be found below. The remix is by Nashville's Computer Vs. Banjo, and lends an otherworldly vibe to the already excellent track.

Ben Sollee - "Panning For Gold (Computer vs Banjo Remix)" mp3
Daniel Martin Moore - "Stray Age" mp3

Ra Ra Riot Release CD Single, Tons More Tour Dates...Download New Remix Here

extrawack! favorites Ra Ra Riot have announced plans to release a CD single of "Can You Tell" via Barsuk Records on March 3rd.

They are calling it a CD single, but it's loaded with enough goodness to count as an EP in our book:

1. Can You Tell (album version)
2. Run My Mouth (RAC mix)
3. Dying Is Fine (Tom Campesinos! mix)
4. A Manner to Act (live at Daytrotter)
5. Can You Tell (2006 demo)
(also includes a bonus video MP4 file of The Rhumb Line Live "Attic Sessions" in Syracuse, NY)

And in true RRR tradition, they're headed back out on the road for a lengthy stretch culminating in a string of dates with Death Cab For Cutie:

2/21 - Richard's on Richards (Vancouver, BC) !@
2/22 - Lucky (Victoria, BC) ! 2/24 - Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR) !@
2/25 - Neumos (Seattle, WA) !@
2/27 - The Independent (San Francisco, CA) (Noise Pop) !@
2/28 - El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA) !@
3/1 - The Loft (San Diego, CA) !@
3/2 - Detroit Bar (Costa Mesa, CA) !@

3/7 - Harvest of Hope Festival (St. Augustine, FL)
3/8 - Langerado Music Festival (Miami, FL)

3/10 - The Parish @ HOB (New Orleans, LA) #
3/11 - Walter's on Washington (Houston, TX) #
3/12 - Cine El Rey (McAllen, TX) #
3/13 - The White Rabbit (San Antonio, TX) #
3/14 - Granada Theatre (Dallas, TX) #
3/16 - The Slowdown (Omaha, NE) #

3/17 - The Billiken Club (St. Louis, MO) *

3/18 - The Conservatory (Oklahoma City, OK) $
3/24 - The Cinemat (Bloomington, IN) $
3/25 - Musica (Akron, OH) $!
3/26 - The Blind Pig (Ann Arbor, MI) $

4/7 - Tower Theatre (Upper Darby, PA) %
4/8 - DAR Constitution Hall (Washington, DC) %
4/9 - John Belk Arena (Davidson, NC) %
4/10 - Louisville Palace Theatre (Louisville, KY) %
4/11 - Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, TN) %
4/12 - Brady Theater (Tulsa, OK) %
4/15 - Roy Wilkins Auditorium (St. Paul, MN) %
4/17 - Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, IL) %
4/18 - Michigan State University, Breslin Events Center (East Lansing, MI) %
4/19 - Carroll College, Van Male Fieldhouse (Waukesha, WI) %
4/24 - Gonzaga University, McCarthey Athletic Center (Spokane, WA) %
4/25 - Morrison Center (Boise, ID) %
4/27 - Sacramento Convention Center, Memorial Hall (Sacramento, CA) %
5/1- Austin Music Hall (Austin, TX) &
5/4 - Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN) &
5/5 - BJCC Concert Hall (Birmingham, AL) &
5/6 - Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA) &

! w/ Cut Off Your Hands
@ w/ Telekinesis
# w/ Tokyo Police Club
* w/ Maps & Atlases
$ w/ Passion Pit
% w/ Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids
& w/ Death Cab for Cutie, Matt Costa

Ra Ra Riot - "Ghost Under Rocks (Passion Pit Remix)" mp3

Nicole Atkins, Locksley, Willie Nile & Pat DiNizio to play benefit salute to Buddy Holly at Vintage Vinyl

As anyone in the Jerz will tell you, the best record store on the East Coast is Vintage Vinyl in Fords.  No further discussion needed.  I just found this press release in our in-box for what looks like a killer free event at "The Double V":

Record Store Day Sponsoring "Buddy Holly Lives!" festival at Vintage Vinyl to raise money for Parkinson's research

January 23, 2009- Record Store Day, presented by a consortium of independent music retailers spanning the United States and overseas with hundreds of store locations, will be sponsoring Buddy Holly Lives on January 31st, 2009. Vintage Vinyl Records will host "Buddy Holly Lives," a live in-store concert event.

The free concert will seek to raise money for the Light of Day Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease. The event begins at noon and is expected to run until about 5 PM.

The performers, including celebrated NY rocker Willie Nile, Columbia recording artist Nicole Atkins, Pat Dinizio, lead vocalist of the Smithereens, MTV featured artists Locksley and more, will each perform their favorite Buddy Holly tunes to celebrate the life of the rock legend and commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his tragic plane crash. The event will take place on the Vintage Vinyl in-store stage.

Vintage Vinyl Records is an independently owned and operated records store in NJ since 1979.

To learn more about this event, visit vvinyl.com and vvinyl.com/buddy.php

Location: Vintage Vinyl Records, 51 Lafayette Road Fords, NJ 08863

My Morning Jacket & Nicole Atkins - "Islands In The Stream (Live at MSG on NYE 09)" mp3

Mellencamp, Norah, & Kristofferson on Spectacle With Elvis Costello Tonight, Win A Prize Pack Here.

One of the highlights of the new television season has been the excellent Spectacle series, which features Elvis Costello insightfully interviewing and playing with a wide range of especially interesting guests. Recent subjects have included Elton John, Rufus Wainwright, Bill Clinton, Tony Bennett, and Lou Reed.

It's on Wednesday nights on the Sundance Channel at 9pm, and repeated throughout the week. Tonight's episode features Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones and John Mellencamp.
Here's a clip from that show:

To celebrate Spectacle, extrawack! wants to give one reader a Spectacle/Sundance eco-friendly prize pack:

1 Keen/Sundance Bag

1 Pair of Speakers

1 T-Shirt

1 Notebook

1 Sigg/Sundance Thermos

To win, send the correct answer to the following question to us with "Spectacle" as the subject line:

On Elvis Costello's single "The Only Flame In Town", with what other singer did Elvis share vocal duties?

The fifth correct answer to extrawack@gmail.com gets the swag. Contest only open to US residents. Sorry Kuala Lumpur!

Devo to Play SXSW

From the SXSW website:

On Friday, March 20, performing right society BMI will partner with SXSW to present new wave progenitors Devo at Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces St). The show marks the climax of BMI's focused presence at SXSW 2009: Throughout the week, the organization will also stage indie rock showcases, orchestrate film and songwriter panels, and host its annual invitation-only mixers, the details of which will be announced soon.

In addition, Devo will follow up their Friday performance with a Saturday, March 21 interview at the Austin Convention Center as part of the SXSW Music Conference. Those seeking The Truth About De-Evolution are advised to attend.

Devo's thorough understanding of the ability of precise, multi-faceted artistic expression to relay relevant social commentary elevated the band from quirky cult icons to mainstream players in the late 70's and 80's. Co-founders Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh dubbed the band "Devo," shorthand for their wry philosophy of the "de-evolution" of humanity they most readily observed in cultural shortcomings of the United States.

And here's a ridiculous video of Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of Devo (under the pseudonyms "Spud & Bud Devo") backing up Jermaine Jackson on a TV show hosted by Fred Travelena from back in the day:

Tennessee Coal Ash Flood Victims Benefit in BK Thursday Night

NY Loves Mountains is throwing a benefit at Hanks Saloon, Thursday night, to benefit the victims of the TVA coal ash flood in Harriman, Tennessee.

Here's more info:

January's Baker Dozen Downloads with Bon Iver, O'Death, Cut Off Your Hands, Black Lips, and more!

As the crazy redhead from Rock Of Love, Lacey, would say, "What's up, skanks?!"

Here's January's extrawack!-approved thirteen downloads, just in time to help melt your frozen selves in this record-setting cold weather.

Lower Heaven - "Lose It All At Once" mp3

Dead Heart Bloom - "Flash In A Bottle" mp3

O'Death - "Lowtide" mp3

Black Lips - "Starting Over" mp3

Cut Off Your Hands - "Turn Cold" mp3

Bon Iver - "Blood Bank" mp3

François Virot - "Not The One" mp3

Spindrift - "Ace Coltrane" mp3

Hammer No More The Fingers - "Shutterbug" mp3

Alaska In Winter - "Berlin" mp3

A. Armada - "The Moon Shifts The Sea The Sea Shapes The Shore The Shore Shakes The Sand The Sand Sinks The Ships" mp3

Middle States - "No Curse, No Drunk, No Fight" mp3

Hooray For Earth - "Take Care" mp3

And here's bonus skankness from the new Rock Of Love Bus:

Sigur Rós Donate Song For Oxfam America Video

In an all-too-rare example of a well known artist using their music for good and not profiteering, Sigur Rós has given the rights to the track "Með suð í eyrum" to Oxfam America for their recent fundraising video. Well done, fellas!

The band's blog says the following:

The message from Oxfam is simple:

Nearly one billion suffer from chronic hunger. The cost of food from Ethiopia to Afghanistan has nearly doubled. The situation is urgent.

One modest donation can make a difference.

Support Oxfam’s work to end hunger and poverty. You can save a life. You can make a difference.


The Global Hunger Epidemic from Oxfam America on Vimeo.

Sigur Rós - "Gobbledigook (instrumental)" mp3

Morrissey Tickets for NYC & NJ On Sale Today...Links Here.

Tickets go on-sale this morning at 11:00 for 4 local Morrissey "Tour Of Refusal" dates:

3/16 Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ Buy tickets here

3/21 Bowery Ballroom Buy tickets here

3/25 Webster Hall Buy tickets here

3/26 Carnegie Hall Buy tickets here

We've heard the new album, "Years Of Refusal", and it's pretty excellent. Should be amazing to see Mozza in these more-intimate-than-where-he-usually-plays halls.

First Official List of SXSW Bands Announced

The first official list of artists playing this year's SXSW were announced on the festival's website today:

8Ball & MJG (Memphis, TN)
Akron/Family (Williamsport, PA)
Al Kapone (Memphis, TN)
Alina Simone (Brooklyn, NY)
Amanda Blank (Philadelphia, PA)
Amber Smith (Budapest, HUNGARY)
Angry vs The Bear (Essex, ENGLAND)
Anthony Snape (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)
ARABROT (Oslo, NORWAY)
Arc Angels (Austin, TX)
Asher Roth (Morrisville, PA)
Asobi Seksu (Brooklyn, NY)
Astrid Williamson (Shetland Islands, SCOTLAND)
B.o.B. (Atlanta, GA)
Banda de Turistas (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Bar-Kays (Memphis, TN)
Bavu Blakes (Austin, TX)
Ben Kweller (Austin, TX)
Benny Gallagher (West Wickham, ENGLAND)
Black Cherry (London, ENGLAND)
BLACK SKIES (Chapel Hill, NC)
Blaqstarr (Baltimore, MD)
Blue Scholars (Seattle, WA)
Bomba Estereo (Bogota, Columbia)
Brick Bandits (Philadelphia, PA)
Buck 65 (Halifax, NS)
Buraka Som Sistema (Lisbon, Portugal)
Candy Coated Killahz (Toronto, CANADA)
Cashier No.9 (Belfast, IRELAND)
Casiokids (Bergen, NORWAY)
Charles Hamilton (New York, NY)
Choc Quib Town (Bogota, Columbia)
CHOO-CHOO (Bern, SWITZERLAND)
Chris T-T (Brighton, ENGLAND)
Come On Gang! (Edinburgh, SCOTLAND)
Crystal Method (Los Angeles, CA)
Crystal Stilts (New York, NY)
Damero (Berlin, Germany)
Dananananaykroyd (Glasgow, Scotland)
Dave Alvin (Los Angeles, CA)
David Garza (Austin, TX)
Dead Prez (New York, NY)
Dekadens (Bucharest, ROMANIA)
Dirtblonde (Liverpool, ENGLAND)
Division Miniscula (Matamoros, Mexico)
Doctor Krapula (Bogota, Columbia)
EBONY BONES! (London, ENGLAND)
Ella (Bristol, ENGLAND)
Empire ISIS (Montreal, CANADA)
Explosions in the Sky (Austin, TX)
Flood of Red (Glasgow, SCOTLAND)
Franki Chan (Los Angeles, CA)
Free Sol (Memphis, TN)
Futumomo Satisfaction (Tokyo, Japan)
Gabi Almedia (Sao Paolo, Brazil)
Gary Clark Jr. (Austin, TX)
Grimy Styles (Austin, TX)
Hacienda (San Antonio, TX)
Hickoids (Austin, TX)
Ida Maria (Stockholm, Sweden)
Insite (Mexicali, Mexico)
Invincible (Detroit, MI)
Jokers of the Scene (Ottawa, ON)
Kap Bambino (Bordeaux, France)
Kid Sister (Chicago, IL)
Killer Mike (Atlanta, GA)
LA Riots (Los Angeles, CA)
Los Fancy Free (Mexico City, Mexico)
Madi Diaz (Nashville, TN)
Manana (Basil, SWITZERLAND)
Mandi Perkins (Los Angeles, CA)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City, Mexico)
Micachu (London, ENGLAND)
Midnight Youth (Auckland, NEW ZEALAND)
Mika Miko (Los Angeles, CA)
Mike Badger (Liverpool, ENGLAND)
Mistah FAB (Oakland, CA)
Monokino (Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS)
Moriarty (Montreuil, FRANCE)
Motel (Mexico City, Mexico)
Mundo Livre Sa (Recife, Brazil)
My Crew Be Unruly (Baltimore, MD)
My Federation (Hove, ENGLAND)
Nacho Vegas (Gijon, Spain)
Nacional (Glasgow, SCOTLAND)
NAVEL (Erschwil, SWITZERLAND)
Outasight (New York, NY)
P.O.S. (Minneapolis, MN)
Pato Machete (Monterrey, Mexico)
Peter Bjorn & John (Stockholm, Sweden)
Peter Rosenberg (New York, NY)
Port O'Brien (Cambria, CA)
Primal Scream (Glasgow, Scotland)
Reflection Eternal (Ohio/New York)
Rob Quest (Houston, TX)
Sage Francis (Providence, RI)
San Quinn (San Francisco, CA)
Scribe (Christchurch, NZ)
Shad (London, Ontario)
Shawn David McMillen (Austin, TX)
Simplifires (Mexico City, Mexico)
Soulico (Tel Aviv, Israel)
St. Vincent (Dallas, TX)
Suzy & Los Quattro (Barcelona, Spain)
T Bird & The Breaks (Austin, TX)
Tanya Morgan (Brooklyn, NY)
Temposhark (London, ENGLAND)
The Beat Poets (Belfast, IRELAND)
The Carrivick Sisters (Devon, ENGLAND)
The Courteneers (Manchester, UK)
The deBretts (London, ENGLAND)
The Deep Dark Woods (Saskatoon, CANADA)
the Devil Wears Prada (Dayton, OH)
The Everyday Visuals (Boston, MA)
The Knux (New Orleans, LA)
THE MOOG (Budapest, HUNGARY)
The Pepper Pots (Girona, Spain)
The Sonics (Seattle, WA)
The Temper Trap (Nth Fitzroy, AUSTRALIA)
thecocknbullkid (London, ENGLAND)
Thee Oh See's (San Francisco, CA)
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb (Pensacola, FL)
Tittsworth (Washington, DC)
Tommy Tee (Oslo, Norway)
Toy Horses (Barry, WALES)
Twilight Hotel (Winnipeg, CANADA)
Virgin Passages (London, ENGLAND)
Volodja Balzalorsky (Ljubljana, SLOVENIA)
WAZ (Los Angeles, CA)
We Have Band (London, ENGLAND)
We Should Be Dead (Limerick, IRELAND)
White Lies (London, ENGLAND)
Whitechapel (Knoxville, TN)
Willem Maker (Turkey Heaven, AL)
Willy Joy (Chicago, IL)
Yarah Bravo (New York, NY)

and we'll be there too!

We Have Band - "Oh!" mp3

courtesy of I Was There

The Godfathers Reunite and Playing East Coast Tour

After what seems to be some successful dates around Europe last year, the recently reunited Godfathers will hit the East Coast of the US in February.

I was lucky enough to see them play at Rutgers back in the day, and if they have half the ferocity they had back then, it'll be well worth the price of admission.

Tour dates below...see you in Hoboken.

From the press release: Legendary English rock and roll band THE GODFATHERS explode back into the USA in 2009 with their first American tour in nearly 20 years. The tour includes a landmark Saint Valentine's Day Massacre show on Saturday 14 February at The Metro appropriately in Chicago. This will be first ever Godfathers Saint Valentine's Massacre show outside London since its inception in the notorious London Dungeon in the late eighties. The London Saint Valentine's Day Massacre shows have become legendary events in English rock'n'roll folklore and The Godfathers are delighted to stage the first American Massacre at The Metro.  The tour kicks off on 2.11.09 in Boston and then takes in Washington DC, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Hoboken before crash landing into the Bellhouse in Brooklyn on Thursday 19 February.

The Godfathers originally formed in 1985, emerging out of the ashes of The Sid Presley Experience. They dressed liked The Mob and sounded like Johnny Thunders bastard English offspring,  quickly establishing a fearsome reputation for their no-holds barred high energy live show. In the dark days of  eighties Britain  The Godfathers were a beacon of rock'n'roll light in an otherwise bleak time.  They scored a US Top 40 Billboard hit with the storming rocker "Birth, School, Work, Death" in 1987 and became a mainstay of US college radio.

After years of speculation and expectation The Godfathers reformed earlier this year and played onstage together in London for the first time in nineteen years. The band delivered a blistering set at a Saint Valentine's Day Massacre show in London that rocked the house ragged and the momentum has continued with a series of European festival appearances over the summer that has seen the band accelerate from strength to strength.   To celebrate their return they reissued their classic debut album "Hit By Hit" in an exclusive collectors 2CD set released through the bands own independent label Corporate Image. THE GODFATHERS FEBRUARY 2009 US TOUR Wednesday 11 Boston, MA-The Middle East Thursday 12 Washington DC-9.30 Club Friday 13 Cleveland, OH-The Grog Shop Saturday 14 Chicago, IL-The Metro Sunday 15 Minneapolis, MN-Seventh Street Entry Monday 16 Milwaukee, WI-The Shank House Wednesday 18 Hoboken, NJ-Maxwells Thursday 19 Brooklyn, NY-The Bell House