R.I.P. Jay Bennett

The Chicago Sun-Times has the sad news about longtime Wilco member Jay Bennett, dead in his sleep at age 45.

R.I.P. Jay.

Jon Troast: halfway to a hundred

Singer-songwriter Jon Troast hit the halfway mark the other night on his "100 Concerts in 100 Days" trek across the United States. Since launching this latest run of 100-dollar-a-night house concerts in March, Troast has traveled through Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, and is currently in my neck of the woods, California.

Having hosted one of Troast's living room concerts last year, I can testify to what a unique and memorable experience it is. The comfort and ease this approach offers for the audience is unbeatable, and Troast is a blast to hang out with, as evidenced by his road diary, full of wry observations and affectionate asides. He even played a show the other day for a guy named Jon Troast. No, really -- a different guy named Jon Troast. I can relate, having discovered a doppelganger of my own.

In any case, it's a little late for "bon voyage" or "break a leg," so let's just borrow a baseball phrase here and wish Troast a great second half of his road trip...

Talking Heads take over

Once you've ascended to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and been repeatedly declared one of the most influential acts of your era, what's left?

Being named Artist Of The Month on The Daily Vault, of course.

Talking Heads get the nod this month in a retrospective fueled by fans Sean McCarthy, Michael R. Smith, Kenny S. McGuane, Christopher Thelen, Jeff Clutterbuck and Bruce Rusk. As if the band's parade of classic albums (starting with memorable debut Talking Heads: 77) wasn't enough, we'll also be covering a number of discs from side project Tom Tom Club and frontman-gone-solo David Byrne. Trust us, this one's going to burn down the house for sure...

Tales of the new music industry model: Wonderlick

Add to the tales of the new music industry model (coming someday in the future to a wireless card near you), the saga of California indie band Wonderlick's new album.

Wonderlick recently conducted an "extremely successful" fan pre-order campaign on their forthcoming album Topless At The Arco Arena. The band ran a month-long pre-order offer via their Web site which allowed fans to set their own price for the album, with an additional incentive offered to fans who paid median price or higher: a thank-you by name in the album package. The final median price was $29.13. The low price paid was $5, and the high price paid was $500. Several fans paid over $100 for the disc.

Says band member Tim Quirk: “I wasn’t too worried about people paying less than the CDs themselves cost, but I was completely unprepared for just how generous fans were. When the first $30 payment came in, that was pretty cool. Then they just kept getting higher -- $45, $50, $100. I’m writing them all personal thank you notes, like my grandma taught me.”

Topless At The Arco Arena will be released on July 7, 2009 via Missing Piece/Rock Ridge Music. According to Quirk, the record, “examines the intersection of art and commerce from people who have been on every side of it.” In fact, Quirk and bandmate Jay Blumenfield both have successful careers in other endeavors: Tim is VP, Programming of Rhapsody and Jay is a TV producer and video director. Wonderlick has experimented with the donations-for-downloads approach previously while posting songs from their former group Too Much Joy. Based on the response this time around they seem to be onto something -- at least for their own small niche in the great big Wild West that is the music industry today.

Why not Chickenfoot?

As long as we’re talking modern-day supergroups, why not Chickenfoot?

...which seems to be exactly the attitude that pervades the latest major-league musical mash-up, consisting of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist extraordinaire Joe Satriani and ol’ shaggy himself, Sammy Hagar. I mean, if you put together a group with that much amperage, wouldn’t you call it… Chickenfoot?

Fine, maybe not. But as you can see for yourself on their recently-unveiled Web site, these guys are pretty determined not to take this (or at least themselves) too seriously. The samples on the site and their MySpace page sound pretty much like you’d expect – jet-fueled old-school hard rock with Satriani and Hagar dueling for space and Anthony’s serially undervalued background vocals helping with the melodic side. (Just for the record, this makes four of the era’s sharpest rock guitarists Hagar has teamed with – Ronnie Montrose, Neal Schon, Eddie Van Halen, and Satriani. Makes you wonder who’s next…)

The album is out June 7 in the US and European tour dates are popping up for the summer. Chickenfoot – making tracks in the sawdust near you soon.

Beck is back (Jeff, that is)

Jeff Beck has had a career anyone would be envious of, from The Yardbirds to his partnership with Rod Stewart in the Jeff Beck Group to years of solo instrumental work with the likes of Jan Hammer. What he's never had before this year, is a live performance DVD. And perhaps you're thinking "Yeah, but the guy's in his mid-60s... do I really want to see a former great on the downside of his career?"

You do. You really do, because no one who watches his new DVD Live At Ronnie Scott's would even think of suggesting that Beck has lost a step. To the contrary, his technical mastery of the electric guitar is apparent in every frame, and he plays perhaps more soulfully and subtlely than ever, supported by a truly stellar backup band featuring legendary jazz drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, 21-year-old bass prodigy Tal Wilkenfield and British jazz pianist of the moment Jason Rebello.

It's one of the best performances you'll see this year, it features guest shots from the likes of Joss Stone, Imogen Heap and Eric Clapton, and you can pick it up for free by signing up for our April 14 drawing here. You won't regret it...

April Feature: Mott The Hoople & Ian Hunter

Hundreds of bands have tried to cop that Rolling Stones sneer, and hundreds more songwriters have tried to model the earthy poetic flow and hard-won wisdom of Bob Dylan. Mott The Hoople and its frontman Ian Hunter are perhaps the only ones ever to accomplish both at the same time, making music that explores emotional hills and valleys with penetrating insight, while delivering the whole package with a healthy dose of Mick Jagger swagger.

The saga of Mott The Hoople as a band could fill pages (and has); suffice it say, the five-man troupe of British rockers seemed star-crossed from their first gigs in 1969 through their semi-final implosion in 1974. From their debut through two years of storming live shows and meager record sales, Hunter and guitarist Mick Ralphs, keyboardist Verden Allen and rhythm section Pete (Overend) Watts and Dale (Buffin) Griffin built a reputation as one of the great live bands of their day -- and also as a band that could never quite put together an album that lived up to the promise of those memorable live shows. Just when oblivion beckoned, none other than David Bowie stepped in to help them record their most successful LP (1972’s All The Young Dudes), keeping them in the game for two more tumultuous years as the band flirted with glam-rock and first Allen, then Ralphs and finally Hunter departed.

Launching out of Mott as a solo artist in 1975, Hunter built a solo career marked by both very human missteps and moments of utter brilliance, a magnificently gifted songwriter who has typically been at his best when well-partnered musically, which he most notably was several times with ex-Bowie (and briefly Mott) guitarist Mick Ronson. After a relatively fallow period in the 1980s and 90s, Hunter re-emerged in the 21st century -- by which time he had reached his 60s -- with a pair of the best albums of his or anyone’s career in Rant (2001) and Shrunken Heads (2007).

Collectively, Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter have had a major influence on acts from Queen (who opened for them in 1973) to The Clash, whose lead guitarist Mick Jones idolized Mott and eagerly signed on to co-produce Hunter’s 1981 solo disc Short Back ’n’ Sides. With their place in rock and roll’s pantheon of historic and influential characters assured -- and a set of first-time-in-35-years reunion gigs lined up for this October -- Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter were a natural choice for The Daily Vault’s April 2009 Artist Of The Month.

Enjoy!

Modern prog retrospective

Our March retrospective -- kicking off today with dueling reviews of Dream Theater -- finds the Daily Vault exploring the fertile soil of modern progressive rock. All those fans who think prog began and ended with Pink Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, Tull, ELP and Yes should sit up and take notice, for there's plenty of fine recent work to be discussed by the likes of Porpcupine Tree, the Flower Kings, Cairo, Circa and Spock's Beard. From now until March 31, prog once again rules the Vault...

Tinted Windows prepare to conquer the power-pop universe

It's not exactly news by now, but what better excuse could there be to dive back into the blog pond than the unveiling of a genuine power-pop supergroup? Tinted Windows is the mind-boggling musical milkshake consisting of James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) and Taylor Hanson (yes, THAT Taylor Hanson). Appearances are set for South by Southwest on March 20 and The Bamboozle Festival on May 3. A bare-bones MySpace site with a single tantalizing streaming track from the forthcoming album is also live, and damned if "Kind Of A Girl" doesn't sound just like it ought to, except even better.

You've gotta have Heart

While you’re out exploring the nether regions of the Internets, don’t forget to tune in to the latest Daily Vault retrospective, featuring one of the most successful female-fronted bands in rock history – Heart. Beginning Wednesday, February 4 and running every weekday through Friday, February 27, we’ll be featuring 18 reviews covering Heart’s entire studio catalog, plus a handful of live releases, collections and surprises. So sit back, relax, and watch the Wilson sisters reel in that barracuda…

Sign of the times? Langerado Festival cancelled

The economic downturn today spilled over into one of the most recession-resistant sectors out there, as the 2009 Langerado Music Festival was cancelled due to "sluggish ticket sales." The 7th annual event was slated to happen March 6-8 downtown Miami's Bicentennial Park.

Langerado's local promoters, faced with a tough decision in a dismal economy, cancelled the 2009 event today after it had "become apparent that we cannot execute a production that lives up to the high standards of our past events. Putting Langerado on hold was the toughest decision we have ever had to make. We are very grateful for the support of the greater-Miami community and the music community during this difficult time."

Festival organizers stated that all tickets purchased will be refunded and directed tickey-buyers to visit www.musictoday.com for more information.

Hear Neko Case's new song - for a good cause

Anti- is doing an incredibly cool promotion of Neko Case's latest song, "People Got A Lotta Nerve," from her upcoming release, Middle Cyclone. For every blog that posts Neko Case's new song, Anti- will donate $5 to the Best Friends Animal Society. Here's the song. As far as the song, it hasn't won me over...yet, but I said the same thing with 'Star Witness' from her excellent Fox Confessor Brings The Flood album.

Listen to her song here: http://www.anti.com/media/download/708

Fiction Family spins stories

Once upon a time, the unlikely collaboration between Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman and Nickel Creek wunderkind Sean Watkins was tentatively named "The Original Sean Jon." We can only assume Mr. Diddy was not amused -- or that Watkins and Foreman came to their senses -- but in any case, the long-gestating project recently saw its official release under the nom d'art of Fiction Family. The vibe is low-key, thoughtful, singer-songwriter acoustic rock, but these two are restless enough souls to throw in all sorts of twists on what was essentially a homemade two-man album passed between them for a couple of years before completion. Available via the FF Web site or iTunes, and take note that the boys are out playing shows now through Feb. 7.

January Retrospective Features Depeche Mode & Tears For Fears

Fresh on the heels of news about a new Depeche Mode album in '09, we're featuring DM and Tears For Fears in an all-80s retrospective this January on the Daily Vault. If moody British electro-pop is your thing, you won't want to miss this.

Music: The Universal Language

Yes, Where The Hell Is Matt was brilliant. But so is this variation on the theme of music/dance as a universal, unifying force. "Stand By Me" has never sounded better. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing:

New Year's roundup

A trio of items for the first roundup of 2009:

• Rock musicians including Jon Langford (The Mekons), Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory), Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies), Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) and Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit) will feature their visual art at "Side Show - Art by Musicians and Music Inspired Art," an art show presented by Alternative Press magazine and debuting January 2 at Philadelphia gallery T & P Fine Art. In addition to 20 notable punk, metal and indie musicians, the show features paintings, illustrations and photos by several graphic artists who work with, or are inspired by, those musicians. For more information visit T & P's MySpace.
  
  
• On March 17, Coheed And Cambria will release Neverender, The Children of the Fence boxset, a release chronicling last October's historic four-night event featuring the band performing each of their four albums in their entirety on four consecutive nights. The shows took place October 22-25 2008 at New York’s Terminal 5 and was the first time that Coheed had performed the saga that connects the albums in order. Nearly 11,000 of their most passionate fans flew in from all over the world and lined up all day in the rain to get the best spots on the floor for Neverender’s New York dates, prompting three other sold-out Neverender stands in LA, Chicago, and London. The box set documents the New York stand (as well as clips from all three other cities) in one massive package that will include four live DVDs, four live audio CDs, one documentary DVD, a 10x10 hardcover 48-page photo book and a 7-1/2” custom metal dragonfly. A condensed two-disc DVD will also be made available. Pre-sales for the box began on Friday, Dec 12. Fans who pre-order it will get their names included on a “Children of the Fence” page inside the book, and the first 3,000 copies will be signed by the band.
  
  
• In 1972, Rick Wakeman, the keyboard player with the supergroup Yes, released the iconic album The Six Wives of Henry VIII. album was a massive success all over the world and to date has sold more than 15 million copies on vinyl and CD. Amazingly, the music has never been performed in its entirety -- but that is about to change. On May 1 and 2, The Six Wives of Henry VIII will be performed in spectacular style on Hampton Court Palace's West Front, to a limited audience of 5000 for each performance. On stage performing with Wakeman will be an expanded band, The English Chamber Choir, an orchestra and a guest narrator. In addition to The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Rick has also composed three additional pieces to perform that evening; Tudor Overture, Defender of the Faith and Tudor Rock. The whole event will be a 'mock rock Tudor experience' from the outset with a variety of ticket packages available.

Best Of 2008

As the holidays close in, the Daily Vault is proud to present our annual cavalcade of Best Of 2008 columns, this year featuring entries from six writers (and counting...). Jeff Clutterbuck, Melanie Love, Sean McCarthy, Kenny S. McGuane, Mark Millan and yours truly have all chipped in to highlight the highlights from Bon Iver to Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond to Nine Inch Nails, The Hold Steady to Nick Cave and those Bad Seeds of his. Even Guns N' Roses merited a mention -- but then, these aren't exactly your conventional awards we're handing out here...

Pearl Jam revisits Ten

Pearl Jam fans (e.g. our own DV alumnus Benjamin Ray) will be laughing that it took me a week to catch up to this news, but hey, better late than never. And the news, as reported in this MSNBC article, is big. In this reissue-crazy era, it may not exactly rate screaming headlines when Pearl Jam decides to rerelease their milestone 1991 debut disc Ten. But how about when they reissue it with both a digitally remastered mix of the original album plus a complete stem-to-stern remix of the same album by Brendan O'Brien, the producer who made his name helming the band's subsequent four albums? Plus six unreleased tracks from the Ten era?

Getting warmer?

Then how about the “Legacy” edition, which adds a DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 performance on MTV Unplugged?

Careful now, try not to drool.

Oh, and then there's the "Super Deluxe Edition," whose name screams "rip-off," but which contains the Legacy package plus vinyl, plus beautiful and unique packaging, plus -- don't let us forget this part -- the virtual Holy Grail of Pearl Jam fandom. In 1990, Vedder and future bandmates Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and Jeff Ament traded tapes, creating a legendary cassette demo that led to Vedder joining the band. Scratchy bootlegs of the demo tape have circulated for years; the deluxe edition of Ten will include "a crystal-clear dub of the tape on a replica cassette." Yowza. The reissue drops March 24; pre-order now at pearljam.com.

Darius Rucker crosses over

It seems like you read maybe once a week about a country artist crossing over to the pop charts. What happens less often than, say, a Jimmy Buffett album that sounds like he means it, is a pop artist crossing over to scale the country charts. What happens, well, pretty much never, is an African American pop artist scoring a #1 country hit -- which is exactly what Hootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker did this past September. This Washington Post article explains how the lead singer for one-album wonders / best-selling bar band Hootie made the transition to country music and how surprisingly well that transition has gone.

New Depeche Mode album coming in 2009

Electro-pop forefathers Depeche Mode have completed their frequently rumored new album and are preparing it for a spring 2009 release, coinciding with the band's planned world tour. Lead vocalist Dave Gahan describes the album in the LA Times' Pop & Hiss blog as "a great record" that will have 12 tracks with an outward-looking feel, and will feature tons of vintage analog equipment courtesy of inveterate eBay shopper and bandmate Martin Gore.