Take This Album, Please

After years of cracking down on free downloads, the music industry still keeps getting upstaged by its artists.

In the same spirit of Prince's Sunday paper album giveaway and Radiohead's name-your-price In Rainbows release, Brooklyn alt. country rockers The Damnwells have released their latest album, One Last Century, as a free download through a promotion with Paste Magazine. 

In return for handing over your email address to Paste and the band, you will receive the latest dozen songs from band frontman and leader Alex Dezen, who has shed the band's original members and is now working with a collective of hipster musicians. 

The album is pleasant enough - pop-oriented, country rock.  Fine fare for the stereo at your local java joint or to throw on a Sunday afternoon, paper-reading, playlist.  The marketing, although nowhere near as bombastic as Radiohead and Prince's efforts, is geared toward generating some excitement for the revamped band.  

Quite literally, the product has become the promotion.  I am guessing that it will create some attention to the group's earlier efforts, but it is surprising that Dezen hasn't come up with a tour for this album to support (instead of the traditional other way around).

The price is right for the album.  Put it on with your morning coffee and wonder at this latest twist of the art becoming the tease for something not quite known. 

Sign up for the free album download here.

“Closer Than We Are” by The Damnwells (mp3)

Felice Brothers To Release Album, Tour

In the midst of touring like mad during the past year, After Hours favorites The Felice Brothers also found time to clean out the old chicken coop and turn it into a recording studio to match their hardscrabble songs.  

The homestead studio was the setting for the Brothers' new album, Yonder is the Clock, which is set for release on April 7th.  The Catskills Mountain boys will also head back to the road this month. 

In addition, the surroundings must have had psychic effect as the track listing, which are definitely poultry-influenced.  The album title is borrowed from Mark Twain.

YONDER IS THE CLOCK TRACKLIST

1. THE BIG SURPRISE
2. PENN STATION
3. BURIED IN ICE
4. CHICKEN WIRE
5. AMBULANCE MAN
6. SAILOR SONG
7. KATIE DEAR
8. RUN CHICKEN RUN 
9. ALL WHEN WE WERE YOUNG
10. BOY FROM LAWRENCE COUNTY
11. MEMPHIS FLU
12. COOPERSTOWN
13. RISE AND SHINE

I heard an early version of "Run Chicken Run" at the Reclaim Festival this past year.  Of course, it was fun and funky.  I am interested in hearing the final version of the song.  Alright, I am a little more than interested - I can't wait to hear these new songs. 

2009 Tour Dates * = w/ Old Crow Medicine Show

FEBRUARY 2009

08 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center*

10 – Gainesville, FL – The Venue*

11 – Tampa, FL – Tampa Theatre*

13 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues* 14  - Oxford, MS – The Lyric Theatre*

15 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood*

MARCH 2009

13 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall

14 – Buffalo, NY – The Mohawk

15 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart’s Opera House

16 – Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio

APRIL 2009

07 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Bardavan Opera House

09 – Boston, MA – The Paradise

10 – Albany, NY – Valentines

11 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground

15 – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Bandstand

16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero Theatre

17 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

18 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street Nightclub

19 – Ringwood, NJ – New Legacy Concert Series at Ringwood Public Library

22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls

24 – Louisville, KY – Headliner’s

25 – Nashville, TN – The Mercy Lounge

JULY 2009

17 – Somerset, KY – Master Musicians Festival

25 – Floyd, VA - Floydfest

 

Download: Don’t Wake The Scarecrow by The Felice Brothers (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Langerado Cancelled; Ominous Sign for 2009

Langerado, the South Florida music festival that could, can no longer.  

Today, the festival cancelled its 2009 festival due to poor ticket sales. After six years of steadily growing and adding more adventurous lineups, Langerado had planned for a better and larger show at downtown Miami's Bicentennial Park.  

The lineup was to include Death Cab for Cutie, Snoop Dogg, Public Enemy, Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Girl Talk, Tortoise, Bad Brains, the Pogues, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Tokyo Police Club, the Faint, Tricky, King Khan and the Shrines, Cloud Cult, Ra Ra Riot, DeVotchKa, Against Me!, Black Kids, the Gaslight Anthem, Cold War Kids, and Thievery Corporation. 

It was a hell of a lineup.  The local promoters cited poor ticket sales combined with relocating to a new and larger venue as reasons for the cancellation. The loss of Langerado puts a ominous chill on the 2009 concert and festival season.  Although tour receipts were up 7 percent last year over 2007, this year is looking brutal.  

Hopefully, the more-established festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella do not suffer the same economic freefall as the up-and-coming Langerado.  Bonnaroo has recently announced that Bruce Springsteen and the reunited Phish will headline the June 11-14 festival. Coachella is featuring Paul McCartney, The Cure and Amy Winehouse at its April 17-19 festival in southern California.

Here's hoping for better economic news for these festivals.  If not, it will be a very long and not very fun year.

“The Sound of Settling (Acoustic)” by Death Cab for Cutie (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)