After spending their early career playing shows with the likes of Weezer, The Strokes, Travis, and The Donnas, it was just announced that Rooney will be hitting the road this summer with … Fergie. HUH? WHAT? FERGIE?
The band will be releasing Calling the World in July and the preview tracks on MySpace sound pretty good but, seriously, Fergie????
Tour dates after the jump.
The Dollyrots show last night in Columbus, Ohio was just what I needed. Despite finding out it was a 5-band bill (advertised as a 2-band bill) and getting to the venue WAY too early, watching the fun set by L.A. pop-punk kids The Dollyrots was worth the late night. I was supposed to hook up with the band to interview them but it just didn’t work out … keep your eyes peeled, however, as I’ll be chatting with singer Kelly Ogden sometime next week.
The Dollyrots are touring in support of their second album, Because I’m Awesome, (Chip note: Yes, you are) which was released in March on Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records label. The trio has taken cues from their collective influences (and bands they’ve played shows with) and I think it’s fair to say that they sound a bit like The Muffs, The Randies, The Donnas and even Damone (though they don’t have the ’80s hair metal influence). The more you check out AtomicNed.com, the more you’ll discover that one of my weaknesses is female-fronted power-pop bands and The Dollyrots completely fill that bill to the point where I’m going to say that Because I’m Awesome is a serious contender for my favorite album of 2007.
The band doesn’t have any MP3s posted on their site so I invite you to sample their music on their PureVolume and MySpace pages. And the band has a SHITLOAD of tour dates coming up. I’d strongly suggest you check The Dollyrots out if they are playing anywhere near you. (Tour dates after the jump)
You probably don’t know the name All Smiles yet unless you’re a die-hard Granddaddy fan, but that’s the name of ex-Granddaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild’s new band. All Smiles’ debut, Ten Readings of a Warning, hit stores last week and Granddaddy fans shouldn’t be terribly surprised by the music Fairchild creates – quirky pop with a Flaming Lips influence.
Check out the video for “Moth in a Cloud of Smoke” (Windows Media) (Quicktime) (MP4)
Continue reading “Ex-Granddaddy guitarist to tour with Menomena”
Now in season two, the Virgin Festival brings together some of the biggest names of the past, present, and future for 2 days of glorious rock and roll out on a horse race track. The two headliners that were initially announced were The Police and The Smashing Pumpkins. Those two alone were enough to inspire some excitement but now that the 2-day lineup has been disclosed, well, it’s hard to believe that this thing won’t sell out.
August 4 lineup
August 5 lineup
Tickets go on sale on May 5. Two-day passes are $175 while single-day tickets will set you back $97.50 (that is, if they don’t sell all of the two-day passes in which case the single-day tickets will not be put up for sale).
Anybody affiliated with the festival want to give me a press pass? 🙂
Last year I was part of a mix CD club along with 11 other people. The rules were simple. Every month, one of the people in the club would send a mix CD out to the other 11. That way, every month, everyone in the club got a new mix CD in the mail. One of the songs I put on my mix was Minus the Bear’s “The Game Needed Me,” the first track from 2005’s Menos el Oso, because it reminded me of the Dismemberment Plan. Of the 19 tracks on my mix, this is the one that the rest of the club seemed to dislike the most, much to my surprise.
Minus the Bear has a new album coming out in August on Suicide Squeeze records and have posted a new song to give people a sample of what’s in store. While “Dr. L’ Ling” doesn’t remind me of the Dismemberment Plan, I’m digging the song all the same. Give it a listen and let me know what you think of it.
DOWNLOAD: “Dr. L’ Ling”Â
The band has a load of tour dates this spring to preview tracks from the new CD and undoubtedly a full tour to support the new release will take place this fall.