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Vice and Intel Join Hands and Skip to the Future
05.18.10
A new Vice and Intel manned endeavor named The Creators Project is striving to blur the lines ‘tween technology and art, as the project joins the forces of talented musicians, filmmakers, designers and artists alike. The chest clutching roster will reportedly include Spike Jonze, Phoenix, Mark Ronson, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’, Diplo, and music vid guru Chris Cunningham… just for a taste. The campaign intends to blaze forth with multiple years in sight, featuring artist collaborations and showcases worldwide. The first creative mash-up goes down NYC style on June 26th at Milk Studios and promises to boast the likes of Sleigh Bells, Interpol, DIE ANTWOORD, Gang Gang Dance, SALEM, N.A.S.A., and Mark Ronson. While also showcasing installations and pieces by Nick Zinner, Takeshi Murata, Karl Sadler, Mark Essen and Radical Friend. So much art!!!

Lit
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Bits & Pieces
Phoenix Takes to the Office and Rocks the 9 to 5
05.18.10
NPR has added a new installment to their Tiny Desk Concert series, with Versailles, France’s rockers Phoenix bringing down the cubicle walls and rocking the 9 to 5. The 12-minute, 4-song acoustic offering features Lisztomania, Armistice, 1901, and Playground Love. Check out one of France’s hottest indie exports ring through NPR’s office halls here!

Lit
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Bits & Pieces
Summer Sounds of the Americas
05.07.10
What’s in store for this year’s festival season? Well, technology is ever more present with GPS tracking/locating and a multitude of apps to keep you connected, informed and up to date. Another common ground is green initiatives, anything from 100% carbon neutral events, to Green Police forces, to recyclable accommodations, every one is trying to make a difference. Feast your eyes below on our selection of 10 can’t miss events in North America. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Coachella Releases Complete Festival Schedule
04.13.10
You arrive at Coachella primed and anxious to experience three days of exceptional music in the warm California desert. But what to watch? Where to watch it? And what time to see it at? Questions that have plagued Coachella goers for some time now. Well lay your anxiety to rest as the Golden State festival has released their complete festival schedule and we have it listed below just for you! (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Lollapalooza Releases Complete Artist Lineup
04.06.10
Why won’t they just tell us!!! Revealing band names one letter at a time using the “sophisticated” technique of a hangman style game on their website, Lollapalooza’s peeps have at last released the long awaited festival lineup, and we thought we’d share it with ya. Geez… I can hear your teeth grinding through the screen. Ok ok… From August 6th to the 8th Chicago’s Grant Park will be invaded by a headliners list stocked with Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Soundgarden, and Phoenix as well as other favorites The Black Keys, The xx, Drive-By Truckers, and Social Distortion. And for those of you who somehow need even more out of their festivals, click here for the complete list of bands appearing. It’s sure to be… well… a Lollapalooza.

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Bits & Pieces
Lollapalooza Play Hangman to Reveal 2010 Lineup
03.31.10
It would seem that this summer’s festivals aren’t happy with just telling us who’s going to be playing at their respective shindigs. Following in the steps of Bonnaroo – who released the names of their acts one by one, it looks as though Lollapalooza has decided to follow suit, employing an even more creative, Wheel of Fortune method to hint at which acts will grace their roster before the official announcement on April 6th. Over on the the Lollapalooza site you’ll find a posting of this year’s lineup Hangman style, with the number of letters and words correlating with the band’s names. So far, only the letter “O” has been revealed, which has left everyone speculating as to who the acts might be. A quick scan of the internet will reveal there are some smart alecs out there who think they’ve cracked a few of them already. The rumors so far of who may (or may not perform at Chicago’s Grant Park the weekend of August 6th through 8th) are as follows: Perhaps most curiously, it’s a reunited Soundgarden who will headline along with Phoenix and The Strokes. Other rumors are linking Green Day, Lady Gaga and Arcade Fire as further headliners, with a few others such as Spoon, Hot Chip, Devo, The New Pornographers, Gogol Bordello and The National fitting in with the current “O” quota. Head over to the the Lollapalooza site to join in the fun, and send us any rumors of your own!

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Bits & Pieces
Phoenix! Live Album! For Free!
03.24.10
Parisian indie-poppers Phoenix have been all over the place touring their highly rated Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album. Now they’re giving away an eight track live album recorded earlier this year in Sydney, Australia. A quick glance at the tracklist shows a pretty hit heavy collection, including a new and epic take on classic Love Like a Sunset. Get the album Live in Sydney, guilt-free, no strings right here. If you still haven’t had the chance to see the band live, there is still hope! Phoenix are still touring their 2009 album. Dates here. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Gaga Over Lady Gaga
03.15.10
As we reported last Friday, the internet is agog over Lady Gaga’s latest video for her song Telephone, with some critics comparing the piece to Michael Jackson’s epically classic Thriller vid. The diva will be hoping to capitalize on, and live up to all the hype when she hits the road for a three month arena tour of North America this June. The dates kicking off June 28th at Montreal’s Centre Bell and ending September 19th in Raleigh, North Carolina. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Bonnaroo Festival Staggers Unveiling of Confirmed Acts Via MySpace
02.09.10
Question: How do you make the excitement about your probably-going-to-be-pretty-damned-good festival lineup reach fever pitch? Answer: You drip the lineup out bit by bit in an all day online MySpace event! And that’s just what the folks behind Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, due to take place June 10th to 13th in Manchester, Tennessee have done this year. Instead of hitting us with the knockout blow of the full list of bands due to perform, they’ve decided to pummel everyone into submission blow by blow – in a good way of course – by relaying the lineup piece by piece in true artistic Bonnaroo fashion. Running from noon to 9pm Eastern Time this evening, the festival’s MySpace will showcase amusing animations for the release of each participating artist. Every five minutes or so a new act will be divulged through side splitting animes of cuckoo birds popping out of clocks, or cartoon men kicking each other in the love bits. But rest assured that with the end of each humoristic jaunt a new lineup name appears in the page’s cartoon clouds. Already confirmed acts include the The Avett Brothers, The Flaming Lips playing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, Weezer, Phoenix, Regina Spektor, Wale and Norah Jones. For more artists set to see Bonnaroo stage time, hit up the festival’s MySpace while there’s still fun to be had! Tick-tock-tick-tock…
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Bits & Pieces
And The Winners Were… 2010 GRAMMYS Report
02.01.10
Right, so now that this year’s GRAMMYS are over and done with, and with most of the column inches being taken up by the news of Beyoncé’s history making 6 trophy award haul, we can have a quick look at what else happened. Well, for one thing, when Eminem wasn’t picking up his awards for Best Rap Album for Relapse, and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for Crack a Bottle with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, he was swearing a whole lot during his collaboration with Drake and Lil Wayne. Also, incredibly enough, Neil Young won his first ever GRAMMY (Congrats, Neil!) even if it was for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for The Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972). Other notable award recipients included Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which won the Best Alternative Music Album GRAMMY, and David Byrne and Brian Eno’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, which won Best Recording Package. Finally, Bruce Springsteen’s Working on a Dream won Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. Completists among you can peruse the full list of winners here.
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Bits & Pieces
Resurrected Lilith Fair Roster Fleshed Out and Tour Schedule Revealed
01.21.10
Lilith Fair, the all-female festival founded by Canadian musician Sarah MacLachlan in 1997, is set to return after a break of ten years. Slated to take to the stage for this year’s extravaganza include Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Ke$ha, Tegan and Sara, Erykah Badu; with Norah Jones, Cat Power, Loretta Lynn, Heart and Gossip having just been added to the bill. The touring musical extravaganza will be hitting over twenty cities this summer, including: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Montreal, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, DC and West Palm Beach. That’s a lot of cities. The full lineup is available for perusal at the Lilith Fair site.
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Bits & Pieces
Metric Named MySpace Music’s Triumph of the Year
12.29.09
Maple leaf indie rockers Metric have received notable reverence thanks to the success of their 2009 release, Fantasies. MySpace’s music division has awarded Metric with the title of MySpace Music’s Triumph of the Year. Fantasies found itself in the commercial gauntlet sans record label help, and shockingly soared, taking only a month to exceed their previous release’s sales spanning over four years! The album’s single Help I’m Alive paved the way for the album’s success, tearing through the radio waves with a vengeance. Commenting on the daunting task of funding, recording ad releasing their own album, Emily Haines is quoted saying, “Everything we’ve earned from royalties and as a touring act went back into a number on the roulette wheel. Everything was sacrificed. It’s like, you can have no money and lots of time, or you can have lots of money and no time. No time and no money is a pretty rough equation.” Others saw MySpace thanks as Drake was named Best New Artist, Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was dubbed Best Album of 2009 and Matt and Kim’s video for Lessons Learned was named best video of the year.
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Bits & Pieces, CD Reviews
cornershopstudios’ Top Ten Ablums of 2009
12.27.09
2009 boasted a roster of solid releases certainly fit for lists abroad, however only ten could make our final weighty scroll of well to do records. Scroll down and witness what cornershopstudios felt were the Top Ten CDs of the year… if you dare.

1.

Standing as this year’s golden giant, The Black Keys’ talent Dan Auerbach serenaded us with his 2009 monster Keep It Hid. We called it “country folk on mushrooms” and goddammit we were right! A melodical journey through the mind of an innovative yet classic songwriter takes us to this past year’s risen sun… Mr. Dan Auerbach at number one.

2.

Brit rockers Band of Skulls from across the pond plunged deep into our hearts this year using Baby Darling Doll Face Honey as the main ingredient for an audio stew at number two.

3.

With clenched fists Mastodon shook the heavens as their epic reverie of brutal ensembles made their command to Crack the Skye a third place force to be reckoned with. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Remaining Weezer Dates Cancelled As Rivers Cuomo Heals
12.17.09
Following Weezer’s bus crash in upstate New York, the remaining December dates were immediately cancelled, and now according to reports the rest of the tour dates slated for January 2010 have also trickled down the drain in following doctor’s orders. Cuomo is resting comfortably at home in L.A. after making the 2-day bus ride back from Albany New York, as specialists feared that a flight would exacerbate the damage to Cuomo’s punctured lung. The officially cancelled dates include Jan. 9th in San Francisco, CA, Jan. 11th in Irvine, CA, Jan. 13th in La Jolla, CA and Jan. 15th in Phoenix, AZ.
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Concert Reviews
Phoenix @ Metropolis – 12.06.09
12.12.09
How to begin when the subject has topped your running playlist since the spring? Big room beats, a dancing frenzy, and pummelled drums by not one, but two touring percussionists… That’s the way Phoenix rolls. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Phoenix – Last Night @ Metropolis
12.07.09
When in Rome, do as Phoenix do. The French quartet served up energy to the exponent of… infinity. True story. Pop back for the concert storybook, in letter and in color.
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Bits & Pieces
Phoenix – Tonight @ Metropolis
12.06.09
Lisztomania: 1. Coined term to describe the response of the masses to Franz Liszt’s compositions. 2. Film in the 70s celebrating Lisztomania. 3. A super duper crafted song by Phoenix. 4. Phoenix is playing Metropolis tonight. 5. If good ol’ Franz was alive, he’d recommend going to the show… True story.

With special guest: Holy Fuck
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Bits & Pieces
Phoenix Assaults Paris with Guerrilla Performances
12.03.09
The guiding artistic force behind La Blogotheque’s Take-Away Shows, Vincent Moon, has taken to the streets of Paris to rustle up the next batch of guerrilla style music videos. Phoenix, who have just added some new dates to their Australian swing this March, are in front of the camera, playing on a tour bus, in Trocadero Square, and under the Eiffel Tower. 1901, Long Distance Call, Lisztomania, and One time Too Many get the Take-Away Shows treatment, and can be seen at La Blogotheque. Check out the Take-Away Shows section, and enjoy.
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Bits & Pieces
Coming Soon… Phoenix
11.29.09
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Bits & Pieces
Alleged Mushroom Possession Detains King Khan & BBQ Show
11.17.09
St. Louis, Missouri and Lawrence, Kansas fans of The King Khan & BBQ Show might be holding a grudge against the Kentucky law enforcement officers that nabbed Arish “King” Khan and tour manager Kristin Klein for allegedly being in possession of hallucinogenic shrooms. The shows in Missouri and Kansas were cancelled, as was a date in Phoenix, Arizona. Those planning to catch shows on the West Coast will be happy to hear that things are back on track, and all remaining shows are going ahead as planned. A statement was issued, explaining the situation. Thankfully it isn’t just a Twitter update. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Amazon Proclaims Middle Cyclone Album Of The Year
11.05.09
Amazon.com has released their Top 100 album lists for 2009. Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone was named best of the year, beating out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ It’s Blitz!, Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s self-titled LP and The Avett Brothers’ I And Love And You, which round out the top five. U2 topped the “Customer Favorites” list with No Line on the Horizon coming in first based solely on sales (rather than reviews). Some surprising omissions include the absence of both Bruce Springsteen’s latest, Working on a Dream and Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown. On the side of interesting inclusions are Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream and Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment.
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Bits & Pieces
Kanye West/Lady Gaga Tour Axed
10.01.09
Slated to kick off November 10th in Phoenix, Arizona, the Fame Kills tour set to feature Kanye West and Lady Gaga has been cancelled. Live Nation, the tour’s promoter, didn’t give a reason for the cancellation, however as of late poor ticket sales leave one wondering if West’s recent travels through asshole-land have played a role in the low projected attendance. The pre-sale announcement for certain shows even hit the public just two days after Kanye’s “incredibly mature” attack on pop sensation Taylor Swift, proof to a possibility that fans may have let ol’West off the hook one too many times. Psst Kanye… When you act like a lower life form on national television, some people may catch a glimpse of it and not support you on say… oh I don’t know… an upcoming tour perhaps. Hm… I guess fame does kill.
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Photo Of The Day
Laurent Brancowitz
07.02.09
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Concert Reviews
Phoenix @ La Tulipe – 06.16.09
06.22.09
Have you ever felt like you crashed a party even though you were kind of invited? Like as if everyone except you ate a bag of sugar before they came and no matter how hard you try you just can’t seem to muster the same amount of hyperactivity, or understand the personal jokes? So you end up standing in a corner and secretly cursing your mother for dressing you entirely in target brand clothing, combing your hair in a style that expired before your conception and pondering the reaction to the ‘educational’ gift in your hand. Of course, the biggest dilemma is that you secretly love it and probably just spent the last 7 days doing the ‘bus stop dance’ to ‘fences’ in the privacy of your bedroom and putting together an outfit that made you look like you put no effort in looking slightly Parisian… or is that just me? The truth of the matter is, Phoenix are more than worthy of the mass hysteria they incite and are well deserving of the fan fair they are now privy to. It’s hardly rocket science, make a great album, get a great reaction. I am sure being the popular kid has its own woes too, mass adoration, people flattering you with mimicry, the knowledge that everyone in school wants to be just like you… or dance madly at your feet like your spirit had overcome them. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Phoenix – Last Night @ La Tulipe
06.17.09
Phoenix set La Tulipe on fire last night much to the delight of a sold out crowd who weren’t afraid to dance for their affection… Come back soon for the photos and review.
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