eggs's blog

For some reason, New Monsoon have found a nice little second home here in Texas. Even though they hail from San Francisco, Houston has been very kind to the ever-changing members of this jam-rock group. Their shows are always packed, whether it be an acoustic set at the tiny Jellyphish Lounge or an all-out rock show at the cavernous Warehouse Live. After catching them in several other locations, it's easy to see that they always put forth the extra effort to bring just
a little bit more to their Houston fans. They have held three-night Thanksgiving runs (including dinner) at Last Concert Cafe, their self-declared "Home Away From Home", as well as multi-night, multi-venue stretches throughout the city. They are an impressive live outfit that seem to improve with each line-up change. In a move that proves (at least to me) how much they enjoy playing here, New Monsoon have decided to record their three upcoming Texas dates, including the final stop at Houston's Warehouse Live.

Find out the details after the jump

From davematthewsband.com:

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

Dave Matthews Band have been an integral part of my love for live music. They opened my eyes to many different acts that I now follow today. I knew that Moore had been in the ATV accident, and witnessed DMB play without him at ROTHBURY, but I did not realize that he was in such dire condition. While I have not paid as much attention to DMB lately, I am still deeply saddened by this news, and know that they will never be the same without him. His saxophone was a major part of DMB's sound, and cannot be filled by any other player. I want to send all of my thoughts and prayers to Moore's family, friends and fans that are all assuredly in the same state of shock as I am.

While Houston doesn't see quite as many great live shows as some other cities do, we still occasionally experience nights that find us deciding between performances from multiple equally good artists. One occasion that particularly stands out in my mind took place in April of last year, when Brooklyn's TV on the Radio were set to take the stage at the Meridian, mere blocks from Warehouse Live, where - on the same night - Yo La Tengo were booked to perform. We decided the only way to settle this dilemma was to head over to Pitchfork and choose which band we'd see based on whose name we spotted first. We soon spied a Yo La Tengo news feature, which sealed the deal and led us to the Warehouse that night. I don't at all regret seeing YLT - they knocked it out of the park that night - but still, I've been yearning to catch TV on the Radio ever since. It looks like I'll finally have my chance this fall, as they will be playing at Houston's yet-to-be-opened House of Blues, as well as at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans (which, thanks to Cereal's amazing talents, we will be attending clad in oversized, candy-themed costumes. Look out for a gigantic Hershey Kiss.)

If that's not enough, TVotR have completed their follow-up to 2006's Return To Cookie Mountain; entitled Dear Science (album artwork above), it's set to be released on September 23. You can stream the first track "Golden Age" at their official website.

Find the complete list of tour dates after the jump

A while back, as you might remember, we posted eight videos from My Morning Jacket's stop at the Verizon Wireless Theater here in Houston. Those eight videos, which were the first documentation of any of MMJ's new material, found their way all over the web including different posts on Stereogum and Live Music Blog. We were very excited about the chance to let other people see what we Houstonians were lucky enough to experience that night, and knew just by hearing those tunes that their new album, Evil Urges, would be one of the best of the year. We were right. June 10th found MMJ's album released to rave reviews, and also found them with a huge late night slot at this year's Bonnaroo that gave them the opportunity to share their new songs with a much wider audience. Now, after the true fans have fallen in love with the album, MMJ has started their major publicity blitz which includes a full tour and a brand new video for "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. II." Take the time to watch their Where The Wild Things Are-inspired video.

Good, huh? Now go check them out on the road! See their full list of dates after the jump.

In what seems to be an endless quest to rock peoples' faces off, The Whigs have announced yet another round of dates that will see them traversing North America through the end of fall. After finishing off a few shows of their own, the road will find them playing gigs with Tokyo Police Club, Justice, MGMT, The Kooks, Kings Of Leon, and We Are Scientists. They'll also be making stops at the Monolith Music Festival at Morrison, CO's Red Rocks Ampitheatre, and Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival. We first fell in love with these guys after an amazing afternoon in-store performance and an even better (and louder) headlining set later that night. Their brand of garage rock sounds good on record, but even more powerful in a live setting, so take my word for it and check them out before the venues get bigger and the tickets get more expensive.

See The Whigs' full list of tour dates after the jump

Saturday, August 9th, brought the triple billing of Craig Kinsey, Ryan Scroggins and the Trenchtown Texans and Clouseaux to the Continental Club for a nice mixture of Houston's local sounds. We walked into the half-full venue just in time to catch the last notes of Ryan Scroggins, who played a fusion of rock, punk, ska, and reggae tones quite similar to one of my old favorites, Operation Ivy. We didn't come to the Continental to see The Trenchtown Texans, however; rather, our intentions were to find out how well the Sideshow Tramps' Craig Kinsey could translate his solo songs to such a large room.

Read the full review after the jump

In what seemed like an endless weekend of music on the east coast with All Points West in New York and the Baltimore edition of Virgin Mobile Festival, people made their decisions and ended up in one city or the other. Those that made their way to Baltimore found themselves surrounded by a headliner assault on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday found both Jack Johnson and the Foo Fighters filling the headlining spots with Wilco, Chuck Berry & The Silver Beats, The Offspring, The Swell Season, Bloc Party, Lupe Fiasco, and many more performing on the two main stages. Sunday's headlining spots were taken by Nine Inch Nails and Kanye West, with big names like Bob Dylan, Stone Temple Pilots, Iggy & The Stooges, Lil' Wayne, The Black Keys, She & Him, and more on the main stages. Virgin Mobile Festival also featured a dance stage, highlighted by sets from Underworld, Moby, Ferry Corsten, Armin Van Buuren, Chromeo, and a ton of other make-yo-ass-shake DJ's. A bunch of kind festival-goers were generous enough to tape some of their experiences to share with the world, and we've rounded up some footage for your viewing pleasure.

Bob Dylan - "Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35"

Check out videos from both Saturday and Sunday after the jump

The final day of the first annual(?) All Points West festival featured a much different vibe than the more indie-tastic Friday and Saturday. The big name on the bill was Jack Johnson, whose set featured sit-ins from both Trey Anastasio and Matt Costa, who had both performed with their own bands earlier in the day. Other performers during the jam-friendly Sunday included Rodrigo y Gabriela, Cat Power and Amadou and Mariam on the main stage, and The Secret Machines, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, and Rogue Wave holding down the other two. We wish we could have made it up to NYC for this event, but thankfully a whole bunch of other folks did.

Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB- "Drifting"

For a bunch of Sunday (and full weekend) coverage follow the jump

Tiesto
Eight of the world's premier DJs have teamed up with eight of China's greatest graphic artists to produce theme-based songs and designs for the WE8 Project. Sponsored by Coca-Cola, whose bottles are adorned with the art, the project was designed to bring several cultures together to celebrate the many different aspects of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The themes being featured by Tiesto, Benny Benassi and the six other DJs include Global Harmony, Uplifting Moments, Active Optimism, Happiness, Individual Perseverance, Healthy World, Human Collaboration and Peace On Earth. The official WE8 Project website explains all that you need to know about what they are doing, including all of the artwork by the featured graphic artists.

You can download all 8 of the DJ's tracks if you follow the jump

Saturday, August 9th brought about another batch of bands to see how well they could hold the attention of the crowd who was mostly there to see Radiohead headline their second night of the All Points West festival. Kings Of Leon, Animal Collective, Metric and Chromeo held down the "Blue Comet" stage, while The Roots, Sia, The Black Angels, and Nicole Atkins spotlighted both the "Bullet" and "Queen Of The Valley" stages. Once again, take the time to enjoy the videos and coverage of the people who were actually there.

Animal Collective - "Fireworks"



Check out more videos and links to coverage after the jump