World's Fair

Everyone knows music consumption has changed. Advances in technology and listening habits demand that artists approach how their music gets to their audiences differently. Amazon understands this. The Dandy Warhols understand this. Partnering together, the band is offering fans a new way to buy their new album, …Earth To The Dandy Warhols…, out August 19, using a service through Amazon called TextBuyIt. As the name suggests, registered customers can receive release information and even have the ability to purchase specific albums through texting.

For the Dandys, requests can be sent to 262966 (or AMAZON) with the message earth2dandys. More information can be found here.

Amazon.com has already established itself as a new kind of digital record store, complete with similar artists and personalized and user recommendations, and the week of August 19, the band will be offering an exclusive cover of Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay,” available for download on the site with a purchase of the album.

“The Legend of the Last of the Outlaw Truckers aka The Ballad of Sheriff Shorty” [DOWNLOAD]

The band is currently finishing up a run of dates in Europe, but will back in North America for a full fall tour, starting September 9 in Minneapolis.

TOUR DATES
Sep 09 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue*
Sep 10 - Madison, WI @ Barrymore*
Sep 12 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater*
Sep 13 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus*
Sep 14 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda*
Sep 16 - Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre*
Sep 17 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5*
Sep 20 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA*
Sep 22 - Washington, DC @ 930 Club*
Sep 23 - Atlanta, GA @ The Center Stage Theater*
Sep 26 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall*
Sep 27 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater*
Sep 28 - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up*
Oct 01 - San Diego, CA @ Belly Up*
Oct 03 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern #
Oct 04 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield %
Oct 05 - Portland, OR @ The Roseland Theater (No Pre-Sale)

More dates TBA

All shows with the Upsidedown
*With Darker My Love
# With A Place to Bury Strangers
% With the Charlatans
^With Monstrous

Artist: The Dandy Warhols
Album: Earth To The Dandy Warhols
Label: Beat The World Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | Myspace | Website | YouTube | Facebook

São Paulo, Brazil’s bright-eyed musical prodigy Curumin (KOO-roo-mean) is set to release JapanPopShow on Quannum Projects on October 7, 2008. The album, which had originally been scheduled to come out five months earlier, follows up Curumin’s debut, Achados e Perdidos. The 13 tracks combine dense instrumentation with a modern beat-conducting approach, topped off with Curumin’s (aka Luciano Nakata Albuquerque’s) distinct Portuguese croon.

JapanPopShow opens with the title track, which takes its name from an early-80s Brazilian variety program in the vein of The Ed Sullivan Show. This is dance music, from start to finish, and further carves out his inimitable style of samba soul, now sprinkled with more afro-beat, dub and experimental funk. The tropicalia flair of “Esperanca” evokes the breezy Brazilian pace, “Sambito”’s beat-driven energy is helped by Tommy Guerrero’s electric guitar, and the legendary vocalist Marku Ribas appears on “Dançando No Escura.” But it’s also affectionately personal: on the Os-Mutantes-meets-Manu-Chao “Magrela Fever” he sings about the joys of riding a bike, while the infectious “Compacto” is about his love of 45s.

Download “Compacto”

The album was executively produced by Curumin, Gustavo Lenza & Lucas Martins, but Curumin himself handles most of the instrumentation, including drums, cavaquinho and vintage synths. He also gets help from some of his labelmates, including Honeycut’s Hervé Salters, Gift of Gab, Lateef, and Chief Xcel, the last three who lend their talents on “Kyoto,” a song that follows in the tradition of Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, political and smart but still amazingly catchy, amazingly tuneful.

For Curumin’s showcases in New York and SXSW in March 2008, he traveled with two musicians, and each took the stage equipped with an MPC, combining live instrumentation with beat manipulation for a truly captivating dynamic. Curumin also switches between the drums and cavaquinho, all the while mesmerizing his audiences worldwide with his soulful voice and warm spirit. He will return to the States on December 4 and 5, 2008 as part of Red Hot + Rio 2 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, celebrating the next generation of innovative Brazilian musicians. Additional US tour dates are also planned for November.

“The woozy, reggaefied title track has the brain-melting charm of a pot-addled jam. Elsewhere, dense funk collides happily with old-fashioned samba and bossa nova; “Kyoto” suggests Caetano Veloso fronting Funkadelic. If “Fumanchu,” a throwaway based on a simple electric piano riff, can provide such immense pleasure, there’s some sneaky magic in effect.” – SPIN **** (June 2008)

“Brazilian musician Curumin’s second album is hard to classify, but in the best way: funk, psychedelic rock, hip-hop, reggae, dub, and more all co-exist on this album, sometimes even within the same track. The mix is a smart one, and it makes sense, considering Brazil’s history as a melting-pot nation. There’s enough influence from Brazil’s musical past to keep traditionalists listening, but enough forward thinking to take the album into new territory. Hard to pigeonhole, but easy to enjoy.” – XLR8R 8/10 (May 2008)

“JapanPopShow affirms with authority the potential the artist has already demonstrated in his live performances. A great album from beginning to end.” — Rolling Stone Brasil (May 2008)

“JapanPopShow is possibly the easiest way to tap in to Brazilian culture without actually going there. It’s what we imagine a São Paulo beach party sounds like; funky drum circles, romantic Portuguese dialect and the intermittent smoke before bodyboarding pristine waves. With elements of dub, Afro funk, samba soul and hip-hop setting the mood, Curumin sounds like a Brazilian version of Jack Johnson on a mild Bonde Do Role kick (“Compacto”). Add to that some bossa nova guitar reminiscent of João Gilberto on “Esperança,” and you’ve got music that speaks to the soul.” - REMIX Magazine (May 2008)

“This São Paulo singer and multi-instrumentalist combines traditional Brazilian music with modern electronic flourishes to create a sound that simultaneously digs into the past and looks to the future.” - PLAYBOY 10 To Watch in 2008 (March 2008)

Check Out “Compacto” Here!

Artist: Curumin
Album: JapanPopShow
Label: Quannum Projects
Street Date: October 7, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Youtube

British Sea Power, who’ve blown away fans across the world with their third full-length, Do You Like Rock Music, are now being duly recognized by their native England with a nomination for the Nationwide Mercury Prize, which celebrates the top 12 albums released by UK or Irish artists.

The winner will be announced the night of the award show, September 9, 2008, but until then, BSP can continue to bask in the glory of being part of the elite dozen, alongside Adele, Radiohead, Estelle, and Robert Plant.

See the full list here.

Artist: British Sea Power
Album: Do You Like Rock Music?
Label: Rough Trade / World’s Fair
Street Date: Feb. 12th, 2008
CD: Amazon | Newbury Comics | Insound
MP3: iTunes | eMusic | Amazon
2xLP: Insound

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair | Myspace

After a string of European dates, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are back in the States, finishing up their summer with some more appearances at festivals (Lollapalooza, V Fest, Outside Lands, Red Rocks, ACL), zoos (Portland, Seattle) and of course, the Daptone Revue on August 17, which closes out the Central Park SummerStage 2008 season (Menahan Street Band and Naomi Shelton will also be there). Talk about a homecoming.

She played in LA last night with Feist as part of the KCRW World Festival, a show that LAist certainly seemed excited about.

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS TOUR DATES
Jul 25 - Portland, OR @ The Portland Zoo
Jul 27 - Seattle, WA @ The Seattle Zoo
Aug 2 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
Aug 3 - Montreal, QUE @ Oshega Music and Arts Festival
Aug 9 - Baltimore, MD @ V Festival
Aug 16 - Westhampton, NY @ Westhampton Performing Arts Center
Aug 17 - New York, NY@ Central Park SummerStage (Daptone Revue)
Aug 21-22 - St Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair
Aug 24 - San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate State Park (Outside Lands Music and Arts Fest)
Sep 5-7 - Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre (opening for DMB)
Sep 14 - Denver, CO @ Monolith Festival at Red Rocks
Sep 27 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
Oct 26 - New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Fest
Nov 01 - Ithaca, NY @ The State Theatre of Ithaca

Artist: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Album: 100 Days, 100 Nights
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: October 2nd, 2007
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair | Myspace | iMeem | YouTube

In conjunction with Music Monitor Network, the Alliance of Independent Music Stores, and the Coalition of Independent Music stores, World’s Fair Label Group, on behalf of the Dandy Warhols, will be giving away an exclusive EP, Earth to the Remix EP Vol. 1. With remixes by each of the Dandy Warhols themselves, the EP not only introduces material from the their upcoming album, …Earth To The Dandy Warhols… (out August 19th on the band’s very own Beat The World Records), it also shows off their musical versatility. The remixes move from spacey dub to edgy electronica but are never forced or insincere: the spirit and energy of the original song is always maintained, it’s only the immediate presentation that’s changed.

Starting on July 19th and running through street date, fans can go to one of 400 stores nationwide — including Amoeba, Virgin Megastore and Newbury Comics –and pick up the EP themselves at absolutely no cost. For a complete list of participating stores, please go to recordstoreday.com.

Earth to the Remix EP Vol. 1 Track Listing:
1. Come the Fuck On – A Peter Holmstrom/ Jeremy Sherrer Remix
2. THE MONSTER MISH – A Taylor-Taylor / Jacob Portrait Remix
3. Welcome to the Skin-up Remix – Fathead / Jeremy Sherrer
4. Dub In The Lotus – A Zia McCabe / Jeremy Sherrer Remix Paul Brainard – Pedal Steel

“The Legend of the Last of the Outlaw Truckers aka The Ballad of Sheriff Shorty” [DOWNLOAD]

Read Courtney’s interview with Sentimentalist

TOUR DATES
Sep 09 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue*
Sep 10 - Madison, WI @ Barrymore*
Sep 12 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater*
Sep 13 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus*
Sep 14 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda*
Sep 16 - Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre*
Sep 17 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5*
Sep 20 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA*
Sep 22 - Washington, DC @ 930 Club*
Sep 23 - Atlanta, GA @ The Center Stage Theater*
Sep 26 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall*
Sep 27 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater*
Sep 28 - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up*
Oct 01 - San Diego, CA @ Belly Up*
Oct 03 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern #
Oct 04 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield %
Oct 05 - Portland, OR @ The Roseland Theater (No Pre-Sale)

More dates TBA

All shows with the Upsidedown
*With Darker My Love
# With A Place to Bury Strangers
% With the Charlatans
^With Monstrous

Artist: The Dandy Warhols
Album: Earth To The Dandy Warhols
Label: Beat The World Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | Myspace | Website | YouTube | Facebook

The Postmarks — “7-11″ [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

This month’s write-up is from Jonathan Wilkins:

“One can’t help but picture Jack Black and Todd Louiso running down their ‘Top 5 Songs About Death’ when listening to ‘7-11′ by The Ramones. We also couldn’t help but hear early-’60s girl groups like the Ronettes…not surprising considering Phil Spector produced ‘End of the Century’ a year earlier, and ‘Pleasant Dreams’ producer Graham Gouldman wrote/produced many ’60s and ’70s hits, including ‘Bus Stop’ by The Hollies, and ‘I’m Not In Love’ by 10cc. I think people tend to write The Ramones off as some silly punk group when in fact their musical savvy was firmly rooted in classic ’50s and ’60s pop, whether Johnny Ramone liked it or not. ‘7-11′ is a direct throwback to ‘death discs’ like ‘Give Us Your Blessings’ and ‘Leader of the Pack’ by The Shangri-Las, a sentiment carried to necromantic heights in The Smiths’ ‘There’s A Light That Never Goes Out.’ For Smiths nerds out there (I’m looking at you, Christopher!), Morrissey recorded ‘East West’ for the ‘Ouija Board, Ouija Board’ 12″ single, a song penned by Gouldman.”

Get the rest of “By The Numbers” exclusively at eMusic - for free mp3 download! Quite a collection is being amassed…

“Six Different Ways” [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

The Postmarks — “Five Years” [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

The Postmarks - “OX4″ [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

The Postmarks - “Three Little Birds” [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

The Postmarks - “You Only Live Twice” [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

The Postmarks - “One Note Samba” [FREE DOWNLOAD @ EMUSIC]

More info on the By The Numbers series - click here…

Artist: The Postmarks
Album: The Postmarks [LISTEN]
Label: Unfiltered
Street Date: Feb 6th, 2006
Formats: CD, mp3

CONNECT: World’s Fair | Myspace | Website

They’re counting down the days over at Daptone until the release of the much-anticipated COMO NOW, a collection of a cappella gospel songs recorded in Como, MS (the same town where Alan Lomax recorded Mississippi Fred McDowell a while back…). They’ve even made a documentary about the album, and “Chapters V” and “VI” are up on the site now, both of which feature the very talented Walker Family. First up are Brother and Sister Walker, who are actually husband and wife and have been singing together for the past 40+ years. “Chapter VI,” which was unveiled just last Thursday, instead reveals a nearly impromptu performance by the Walker’s son, Reverend Robert Walker, who had been sitting in the back of the church where the album was recorded, listening, until some of his parishioners convinced him to share his own song. The results, well, they’re worth checking out for yourself.

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

You’ve heard the hook before – the staccato eighth notes, the warm horn swells, the cry of “speech.” It’s the opening to Rolling Stone’s number one song of 2007, Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is).” But those trumpets aren’t coming from some obscure 70s soul sample. Instead, Hova’s production team looked a bit closer to home for the source, finding inspiration in the 45 of “Make the Road by Walking” by Brooklyn’s own Menahan Street Band, one of the many projects of Thomas Brenneck, best known, perhaps, as the guitarist for the Dap-Kings, the Budos Band, and Amy Winehouse (Jay-Z wasn’t the only one impressed by the track, either: a local Brooklyn principal got into contact with Brenneck after hearing “Roc Boys” on the radio, which eventually led to a elementary-school band performance of “Make the Road by Walking”).

Check out “Make the Road By Walking”

Recorded entirely in analog in his Brooklyn home, Menahan Street Band’s debut LP, Make the Road by Walking, out October 14, redefines the idea of bedroom project. Released on Brenneck’s own Dunham Records, a subsidiary of Daptone, the album is sonorous and warm, effortlessly enveloping itself in the Daptone funk Brenneck has helped to make flourish but also stretching itself out amiably into new territories.

The album maintains a mood, of course – breezy but not banal, composed but not over-thought – but Brenneck’s many influences besides soul and funk, from Ethio-jazz to rocksteady to film scores, also come through expertly and clearly. This is in musicianship and production, both of which are professionally spacious: the slight tape hiss, the vibes and sax seeping congenially into the room the other occupies – a thoroughly real and passionate approach and resulting sound; “The Contender” rides along loosely on a bouncy bass and picked guitar, everything pulling together for the hook but still leaving some answers unresolved, “Karina” layers itself nicely with thoughts of piano solos and growling horns, while the album ends with a Brooklyn cool version of Philly bravado in a cover of Rocky’s “Going the Distance.”

Despite its studio origins, this is a band that isn’t afraid to leave the bedroom every once in a while. Their debut live performance, in fact, will be as part of the Daptone Revue, the close-out show of the Central Park SummerStage 2008 series, itself a sign of all the label has accomplished.

Though he called on the expertise from members of the Daptone family (and extended family), including Homer Steinweiss, Dave Guy, and Leon Michels, Brenneck himself played many of the instruments when the rest of the band wasn’t around. What comes out is a fully-realized depiction of his life in Brooklyn, on Menahan Street: vibrant, exciting, and of course, very soulful.

Make the Road by Walking - DOWNLOAD

Artist: Menahan Street Band
Album: Make the Road by Walking
Label: Daptone/Dunham
Street Date: October 14, 2008
 
CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website

Apollo Sunshine, in collaboration with SPIN.com, has just released “Singing to the Earth (To Thank Her for You),” off their upcoming album, Shall Noise Upon, out 9/2 on Headless Heroes (8/19 for digital/vinyl).

Says SPIN:
“The pleasingly repetitious number is all sorts of hand-clapping, high-register goodness, sounding weirdly like the less pandering version of “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” that Coca-Cola may have preferred to use in their infamous ad.”

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

Apollo Sunshine will be playing 2 shows with Gov’t Mule in July, and then moving on to Chicago, New York, and Massachusetts later in the summer.

July 19 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino (w/Gov’t Mule)
July 20 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony (w/Gov’t Mule)
July 27 - Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park Fest
Aug 5 - New York, NY @ Rocks Off Cruise
Aug 08-09 - Wellfleet, MA @ The Wellfleet Beachcomber

Artist: Apollo Sunshine
Album: Shall Noise Upon
Label: Headless Heroes
Street Date: September 2, 2008 - CD; August 5, 2008 - Digital/ Vinyl

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website

Having recently freed themselves from major label obligations and now working in collaboration with World’s Fair Label Group, Secret Machines, a staple in contemporary psychedelic rock, have announced plans to self-release a full-length in the fall of 2008. World’s Fair will administer complete day-to-day label services for the release, which is the band’s third album.

In the meantime, the band, long heralded by fans and critics alike for their powerful live show, will put their impressive talents on display as they traverse the US and Canada, stopping in Toronto, Los Angeles and San Antonio before an appearance at the All Points West Festival on August 10.

Secret Machines Tour Dates

July 08 - Glen Falls, NY @ Glen Falls Civic Center*
July 10 - Quebec City, QC @ Plaines d’Abraham
July 11 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre*
July 12 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
July 15 - Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC Performing Arts Center*
July 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
July 22 - Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
July 25 - Pemberton, BC @ Pemberton Music Fest
July 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Viper Room
July 28 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre^
July 29 - El Paso, TX @ Club 101^
July 30 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre^
Aug 01 - Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues^
Aug 02 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
Aug 03 - San Antonio TX @ White Rabbit^
Aug 05 - Jacksonville, FL @ Plush^
Aug 06 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution^
Aug 07 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing^
Aug 08 - Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues^
Aug 10 - Jersey City, NJ @ All Points West Festival - Liberty State Park

*With Stone Temple Pilots
^With Coheed and Cambria and Russian Circles