This is the first installment of some informal live videos of the collaboration between a new band called Dead Man’s Bones and the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s choir. The record to come is conceptual in nature…

The 31st annual Kennedy Center Honors proclaimed ‘The Kids Are Alright’. On Dec. 7th The Who received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor as the first rock band ever to do so. The award ceremony will be aired Dec. 30th on CBS. Coinciding with this honor, The Who At Kilburn: 1977 is now available on DVD & Blu-Ray from Image Entertainment. One of the last filmed performances with all the band’s original members showcases them in top form performing many of their biggest hits.

Link To Streaming Trailer

In an historic acknowledgment of the depth and breadth of British rock influence in the fabric of American culture, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has selected founding members of legendary British rock band The Who, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, to be among the distinguished honorees who will receive the Kennedy Center Honors of 2008.

On Sunday, December 7th, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, the remaining two members of one of rock’s most vital and influential musical forces will be joined by four other recipients to be honored at the 31st annual national celebration of the arts: actor Morgan Freeman, singer George Jones, director, actress, singer, writer, composer and producer Barbra Streisand, and choreographer Twyla Tharp.

The recognition of The Who will mark the first time a rock band has ever received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor. Previous British honorees include, Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, among others. The 2008 honorees will be seated with the President of the United States and Mrs. Bush, accepting the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

“As the heart and soul of the seminal band The Who, songwriters and singers Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey transformed the sights and sounds of rock and roll,” stated Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman.

“This is a great thrill,” stated Mr. Townshend. “Since the Who began in the early ’60s we have loved American music and audiences and have made deep and lasting friendships with everyone involved in the industry there. Roger and I both feel our work in the United States has been as important as our work at home. Because our medium rock music is quintessentially American music with broad and deep international and multicultural roots, this honour is especially meaningful to us Brits.”

Mr. Daltrey also commented: “As a teenager growing up in the austerity of post-war England, it was the music I heard emanating from America that gave me a dream to hang my life on. To make music and make it there. I am deeply touched at receiving this honour, the warmth and affection I feel from our US audience is humbling indeed. To be added to the list of past recipients of this award makes that dream come true.”

The annual Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural year, and its broadcast on CBS is a high point of the holiday television season. The Honors Gala will be recorded for broadcast on the CBS Network for the 31st consecutive year as a two-hour prime time special on Tuesday, December 30 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Produced by George Stevens Jr., the 2008 Honorees will be saluted by great performers from New York, Hollywood, Nashville, and the arts capitals of the world. The President and Mrs. Bush will receive the Honorees and members of the Artists Committee, who nominate them, along with the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees at the White House prior to the gala performance. The 2008 Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a supper dance in the Grand Foyer.

About The Who

Few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era than The Who. Inducted into the Rock n’ roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their incendiary style and poignant storytelling garnered them one of rock’s most loyal followings, with the brash foursome bursting onto the scene in the mid-1960’s armed with a searing new template for rock, punk and everything after. The Who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, including ferocious and diverse classics such as the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy (which won 5 Tony awards for its Broadway adaptation in 1993), 1971’s pummeling Live At Leeds, 1973’s Quadrophenia, 1978’s Who Are You, and their final studio album 1982’s It’s Hard, their last full length CD of original material before their recently acclaimed Endless Wire, their first album in more than two decades.

Unprecedented demand for The Who’s recent sold-out trek across the globe reaffirmed their reputation as one of rock’s most cathartic and robust live bands. Cited by numerous critics for delivering the touchstone performance at the 9/11 Benefit Concert at Madison Square Garden, the group continues to enrich both its musical legacy and its riveting stage presence, and will be heading out to tours in Australia and New Zealand in March of 2009. Nominated this week for yet another Grammy for Best Long Form Video for the critically acclaimed documentary, Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who, the comprehensive anthology spans their amazing four-decade career, which has also seen them become part of the Grammy lexicon over the years. The band won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Foundation in 2001, with three seminal albums being inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame: Tommy (inducted in 1998), My Generation (inducted in 1999), and Who’s Next (inducted in 2007.)

The Who were awarded the inaugural Freddie Mercury Achievement In Live Music Award at the 2006 Vodaphone Live Music Awards, held at the legendary Roundhouse In Camden, in London England, as well as being honored at the VH1 Rock Honors this past July at UCLA’s Pauley Pavillion. The lively show featured historic ‘homage’ sets by contemporary giants such as Pearl Jam and The Foo Fighters, among others, paying tribute to a band that has commanded one of the most expansive audiences in the history of popular culture.

About The Kennedy Center Honors

The Annual Kennedy Center Honors Telecast has also developed a loyal television following, and has been honored with five Emmy’s for Outstanding Program and is nominated again this year. It has also been recognized with the Peabody Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television and seven awards from the Writers Guild of America. The Honors recipients recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts— whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television—are selected by the Center’s Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

Past Honors recipients, as well as Members of the Kennedy Center’s national artists committee, made recommendations of possible 2008 Honorees. Artists making recommendations included: Alan Alda, Dan Aykroyd, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Glenn Close, Joel Coen, Christine Ebersole, Renée Fleming, Savion Glover, Thomas Hampson, Herbie Hancock, Paloma Herrera, Hugh Jackman, Billy Joel, Evgeny Kissin, Patti LuPone, Rob Marshall, Reba McEntire, Terrence McNally, Mark Morris, Mark O’Connor, Bernadette Peters, Frederica von Stade, Forest Whitaker, Damian Woetzel, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Previous Kennedy Center Honorees, including Carol Burnett, Clint Eastwood, James Levine, and Sidney Poitier, also made nominations.

Tomorrow, December 23rd, Universal Republic will release the new album from Cash Cash entitled Take It To The Floor as a digital only release (the CD will be available in stores on January 20th). In support of this digital only release we now have an EPK, as well as a brand new stream for “Sugar Rush” from their forthcoming album. Cash Cash has also formed an alliance with iLike, who will stream one new song every Tuesday via their iLike Artist Page which is located at: www.iLike.com/cashcash.

Cash Cash EPK

“Sugar Rush” streaming audio

Tour dates:

1/21/09 - @ Jerry’s w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - BAKERSFIELD, CA

1/22/09 - @ The Artery Foundation w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - ORANGEVALE, CA

1/23/09 - @ Satyricon w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - PORTLAND, OR

1/24/09 - @ El Corazon w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - SEATTLE, WA

1/26/09 - @ Avalon Theater w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - SALT LAKE CITY, UT

1/27/09 - @ The Marquis Theatre w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - DENVER, CO

1/29/09 - @ The House of Bricks w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - DES MOINES, IA

1/30/09 - @ Subterranean w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - CHICAGO, IL

1/31/09 - @ The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - PONTIAC, MI

2/1/09 - @ Xtreme Wheelz w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - BUFFALO, NY

2/2/09 - @ Mr Small’s w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - PITTSBURGH, PA

2/3/09 - @ Blender Theatre at Gramercy w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - NEW YORK, NY

2/4/09 - @ The Barbary Coast w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - PHILADELPHIA, PA

2/5/09 - @ Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - WASHINGTON, Washington DC

2/6/09 - @ The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - CHARLOTTE, NC

2/7/09 - @ The Brewery w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - RALEIGH, NC

2/9/09 - @ The Masquerade - ATLANTA, GA

2/10/09 - @ The Social w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - ORLANDO, FL

2/11/09 - @ Orpheum w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire TAMPA, FL

2/13/09 - @ Meridian w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - HOUSTON, TX

2/14/09 - @ White Rabbit w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - SAN ANTONIO, TX

2/15/09 - @ Emo’s w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - AUSTIN, TX

2/17/09 - @ Launchpad w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - ALBUQUERQUE, NM

2/18/09 - @ Modified Arts w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - PHOENIX, AZ

2/19/09 - @ Soma Sidestage w/ Millionaires & I Set My Friends On Fire - SAN DIEGO, CA

NEWCOMERS CASH CASH TO WORLD-DEBUT ONE NEW SONG A WEEK, EXCLUSIVELY ON iLIKE

Eclectic New Jersey Techno-Funksters To Premiere New Tracks On iLike Starting Today

Beginning today, Cash Cash, Universal Republic’s emerging New Jersey techno-funksters, will world-premiere one new song a week on iLike, the leading social music discovery service. The band will stream one new song every Tuesday via their iLike Artist Page which is located at: www.iLike.com/cashcash. The band will also personally introduce the tracks to fans in a weekly video blog message which iLike will syndicate across the Web.

Cash Cash’s highly anticipated Universal Republic debut album, Take It To The Floor, is available for exclusive pre-order beginning today at iTunes and will be widely released at retail on January 20, 2008. The album’s digital release date is December 23, 2008.

“We’ve always been into getting our music out there in as many ways possible,” said Cash Cash’s lead singer, Jean Paul Makhlouf. “When we first started the band I would go into NJ and NYC clubs every week with bags and bags of CDs handing them out to everyone just to get our music hear. With iLike it’s awesome cause we can debut new songs and videos to our existing fans as well as new listeners.”
“We’re so pleased that established and emerging bands alike are selecting iLike as the means to get their music heard by fans,” said Ali Partovi, CEO of iLike. “It’s a pleasure to help introduce such a fresh, dynamic band to music fans on our leading FacebookÒ app as well as our other syndication platforms across the Web.”

Cash Cash will debut the following three songs, exclusively on iLike:

Concerta (December 16, 2008)

Sugar Rush (December 23, 2008)

Electric Hearts (December 30, 2008)

To listen to one new Cash Cash track each Tuesday for the next three weeks, go to: www.iLike.com/cashcash

About Cash Cash

This charismatic band is currently riding the wave of their insatiable hit “Party In Your Bedroom,” thanks to the turbo-charged chemistry supplied by brothers Jean Paul Makhlouf (vocals, guitar) and Alex Makhlouf (keyboards, programming), and the band’s riveting rhythm section: Sam Frisch (bass, vocals) and Anthony Villacari (drums, percussion).

Hailing from Roseland, New Jersey, Cash Cash has seeded their close-knit camaraderie with an interchangeable musical DNA that reaches all the way back to Jean Paul’s and Sam’s third grade roots. Known for fusing 70s pumped-up funk vapors into infectious 80s-styled pop, the group’s harmony-anchored hooks sealed their appeal, with the band inking a deal with Universal Republic Records in early 2008.

Ratcheting up gleeful gems such as “Breakout,” and “Two Days Old,” Cash Cash relies on a relentless connectivity that powers both their live shows and sizzling studio efforts that has seen them win over online fans and club-goers across the U.S. The band just wrapped up a successful tour with dance-pop hypsters Metro Station and Tyga. The group will be be heading back to their native New Jersey on December 20 to perform in South Hackensack, NJ. Scheduled to continue their live trek, the band will launch the release of their debut heading out on tour with the Millionaires. The tour kicks off on January 21st in Bakersfield, CA and runs through February 19th wrapping up in San Diego, CA.

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW TO PERFORM ON LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’ BRIEN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23 BAND LANDS IN ROLLING STONE’S “BEST OF 2008″ ISSUE

TOUR DATES CONFIRMED WITH DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

“It’s OCMS’s scrappy, fervent playing that reinvents old-time for a whole new generation. Live, the band is a mesmerizing mess of strings and sweat.” – The Onion

–
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW (OCMS) are ending 2008 with a performance of “Alabama High-Test” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Tuesday, December 23. The track, from their latest album Tennessee Pusher, has proven to be one of their most popular live songs and landed the band in Rolling Stone’s “Best of 2008” issue on the “Singles of the Year” list. The magazine called the song “a fast-rhyming banjo blues from old-timey cowpunks…”

OCMS is also excited to announce that they will open three shows for Dave Matthews Band on April 17 and 18 in Charlottesville, VA at the John Paul Jones Arena, and April 20 in Pelham, AL at the Verizon Wireless Music Center. Prior to that, the fivesome will be touring the south with The Felice Brothers as support and heading to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in their career; tour dates will be announced shortly.

Tennessee Pusher, the third Nettwerk release from OCMS, debuted in September at #50 on the Billboard 200, #7 on the Top Country Albums chart, #16 on the Top Digital Albums chart and #1 on the Top Bluegrass Album chart (where it stayed consistently for 12 weeks). The band recently wrapped a major UK and North American tour where they played close to 50 shows, the majority of which sold out. Additionally, they appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and stopped by World Café for a special session.

Stay tuned for more tour announcements in the coming weeks.

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“CAROLINE” FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD

THE BIRD AND THE BEE ANNOUNCE DEC. 19 MYSPACE VIDEO PREMIERE FOR “LOVE LETTER TO JAPAN”; SINGLE RELEASED ON ITUNES THE BIRD AND THE BEE OFFER FREE HOLIDAY SONG ON THEIR WEBSITE

the bird and the bee, the irrepressible L.A. duo made up of singer Inara George and keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin, will be premiering the video for “Love Letter to Japan” — the lead single from their forthcoming album Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future — Friday, December 19 on MySpace. The video was directed by Barney Clay who has worked with Gnarls Barkley, Dirty Pretty Things, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Zero 7, and Bonde Do Role. The single for “Love Letter to Japan” was also released on iTunes on December 9. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future will be released by Blue Note Records on January 27, 2009.

‘Tis the time of year, so in the spirit of giving the bird and the bee are also offering a free holiday song to their fans. “12 Days of Christmas” is currently available as a free MP3 download through their website: www.thebirdandthebee.com. The song will also be KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune” on December 25, and will be streamed all day on www.kcrw.org.

2008 was another eventful year for the bird and the bee. The duo’s cover version of The Bee Gee’s “How Deep Is Your Love?” appeared in Sex and the City: The Movie, they made their debut at L.A.’s much buzzed about Coachella festival, and they released Live at the Sands, an exclusive live EP for iTunes. Inara and Greg also kept busy with side projects; Inara released An Invitation — her second solo album and a collaboration with legendary composer and arranger Van Dyke Parks — to wide acclaim, while Greg produced the entirety of singer Lily Allen’s upcoming album It’s Not Me, It’s You.

The band is looking forward to an exciting 2009 with the release of the full-length follow-up to their self-titled debut. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future is definitely new sonic terrain for the bird and the bee. Every bit as beguiling as their debut, the album retains its predecessor’s lithe melodies and Brazilian influences, but takes its stylish ’60s pop deeper into the psychedelic period of the Tropicalia era. The band will be announcing their 2009 touring plans in the New Year.

the bird and the bee Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future Blue Note 34556 January 27, 2009

The Whip Are Set To Release “X MARKS DESTINATION” Out March 3, 2009 On Razor & Tie!!

(Nathan Sudders, Danny Saville, Lil Fee, and Bruce Carter)

Already a sensation across the Atlantic, The Whip have marked their destination for the US, swaggering over across the pond in true Mancunian fashion. Their music is brimming with a 21st century sense of frustration and alienation and bringing people together on the dance floor to sweat and stomp their worries away. Their hometown rock/dance forefathers have been making us party since the birth of UK indie dance in the 80’s and The Whip are now carrying the baton onwards for a new generation to enjoy.

They are releasing on March 3rd their debut full-length “X MARKS DESTINATION”, an incredible mélange of beats and melodies. The Whip craft songs with shimmering synths, clanging chords and lingering melancholy, but are also ready and willing to tackle prickly power ballads as well as the dance floor detonators - they definitely aren’t a rock band that just discovered synths last year, or merely a New Order for an iPod generation.

Tracklisting

1 Trash
2 Frustration
3 Fire
4 Save My Soul
5 Sirens
6 Divebomb
7 Blackout
8 Muzzle #1
9 Sister Siam
10 Dubsex
11 Blackout – Shinichi Osawa Remix*
12 Muzzle # 1 – Bloody Beetroots Remix*
13 Sister Siam – Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya Remix*
14 Trash – Crookers Remix*

*US Special Edition Bonus Material

“The Whip are ready-made for dance parties, evoking Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and — on their best number, “Trash” — a bit of Stone Roses” RollingStone.com [Five Bands To Watch From SXSW 2008]

“[The Whip] are the most authentically rave outfit I’ve heard out of this whole pseudo-movement. They anchor their spiky bleeps and strobing synths with a surprisingly strong rhythm section, consistently pulling the groove forward … Best song: “Blackout.” Pitchfork

“The strength of “Trash”, a killer single….. can wreck a room.” SPIN.COM

“Best Thing to happen to dance music….mutilatingly brilliant.” NME

“Finally a band perfecting that uneasy dance/rock hybrid. This band is way ahead of the pack and follow no one. X Marks a national treasure.” Clash Magazine

“The Whip’s “Divebomb” is one of the best tracks of the year.” The Guardian (UK)

“If the White Stripes are the new Led Zeppelin, The Whip is the new New Order.” Wired.com

“A band that puts out beautiful music… they whip out theinfectious dance-rock like it ain’t no thing, channelling all kinds of gritty and dirty in “Trash.” CMJ

Their live performance is utterly mindblowing and they have played some of this year’s biggest festivals worldwide which included Glastonbury, Leeds/Reading, V Festival, Fuji Rocks, Electronic Beats and the list goes on…. Whether they are playing to a 5,000 fan festival audience or a smaller, more intimate show, they put their hearts and souls into making sure that everyone in attendance has an amazing time! After a killer showing this past SXSW and CMJ, The Whip will be back in the States this spring taking by storm SXSW, WMC and every city in between. Tour dates will be announced soon, but to get you prepared for the mayhem check out their performance from the Warehouse Project, the current #1 dance event in Europe.

THUNDERHEIST SIGN TO BIG DADA, PREP DEBUT ALBUM

Already notorious for their live shows, Thunderheist can finally capitalize on the success of their Jerk It EP with their forthcoming long player on Big Dada, home to such heavy hitters such Diplo, Spank Rock, Wiley and Roots Manuva.

Grahm Zilla had no idea the accidental upload of a remix he was working on would effect his future the way it did. Luckily the accidental recipient Isis took this mistake as a call to arms and returned the track filled anywhere there were gaps with swagger-laden raps and soulful singing, and Thunderheist was born. Stormed by the press and fans, Thunderheist were anointed Canada’s band de rigeur, snagging covers (Toronto’s Eye Magazine, Beatroute), awards (2007 Noisemaker in Montreal Mirror, CBC & Exclaim Magazine 2008 Band to Watch) and international acclaim (NME.com, Dazed and Confused, URB features) all without an official release.

Wisely the duo signed with Big Dada and are set to release their self-tiled debut on March 31, 2009. Mashing up the miminalism of Detroit techno, the luxuriousness of Moroder-inspired disco and blaring synth-heavy booty beats with their m.o. of “when you come to the show, someone’s getting pregnant”, Thunderheist more than delivers on the promise of the early demos that have been floating around the internet for months now.

“Toronto’s shit-hot electro duo” - NME

“These self-proclaimed “electric funky stars” are making waves and shaking asses everywhere they go” - EYE

“The freshest combination of club bump and fresh lyrics. Ones To Watch.” DJ Mag

PORTLAND LUMINARIES THE THERMALS RELEASE NOW WE CAN SEE ON APRIL 07, 2009 ON KILL ROCK STARS

We are thrilled to announce that Kill Rock Stars will be releasing the fourth full-length by The Thermals!! The album titled Now We Can See will drop on April 7th, 2009. The release of a 7″ and digital single, “Now We Can See” on March 10th and a trip to SXSW will proceed the album. Along with the new label, the Thermals also have a new drummer. Westin Glass, who most recently played with the Seattle-based band Say Hi.

Now We Can See Track Listing:

1.) “When I Died”
2.) “We Were Sick”
3.) “I Let It Go”
4). “Now We Can See”
5.) “At the Bottom of the Sea”
6.) “When We Were Alive”
7.) “I Called Out Your Name”
8.) “When I Was Afraid”
9.) “Liquid In, Liquid Out”
10.) “How We Fade”
11.) “You Dissolve”
Or rather, please allow The Thermals to re-introduce themselves!

Hi, we’re The Thermals. We’re a three-piece alternative/indie/punk band. We live in Portland, Oregon. You know, the place all your friends are moving. So they can paint/record/do gravity bong hits, when they’re not slinging lattes at one of a thousand or so coffee shops.

We have some lovely neighbors here. The Shins, Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, The Jicks, The Blow, Blitzen Trapper, Menomena, you can stop us anytime. What you can’t stop is the overwhelming awesomeness of Portland’s indie-rock scene, of which we consider ourselves an integral part, thank you very much!

Since the summer of fear and hate (2002), we, The Thermals, have been cranking out three-minute, no-fi sonic gems with a neo-grunge attitude. When we’re not powering through one of our catchy anthems, we’re racking our brains to come up with ridiculous(ly bad) new sub-genres. Hey, we just thought of a new one! Just in time for the release of our new album, Now We Can See. It’s totally post-power-pop. We know, we’ve done the whole “post-” thing before (see our 2006 opus The Body, The Blood, The Machine, a true post-pop-punk classic). We should really be so post-”post-” at this point. But we’re not. Do you know why, dear reader? Because adding “post-” to any genre AUTOMATICALLY MAKES YOUR MUSIC SOUND SMARTER. Actually, adding “post-” to ANY WORD OR PHRASE immediately makes you “over” it, and therefore better than it. Go ahead, try it! Don’t forget to thank us when yr ass is post-broke.

But, uh, yeah, our new record. Sorry, we got distracted. We’re sitting on our porch writing this, and sixty naked bicyclists just rode by. Portland! We love this fuckin’ place.

Like we said, our new record is called Now We Can See. We think it’s pretty good! Pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty good. Not only are the songs filled with some of our smartest lyrics and sweetest melodies, but the recording is, for us, another great leap in fidelity (you might even called it hi-fidelity), thanks to producer John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Polyphonic Spree), who brought massive amounts of sound and bombastic style to the project.

So much else is new and wonderful for us! We have a new record label, Kill Rock Stars. Not only has Kill Rock Stars released some of Portland’s (and the Northwest’s) best punk and indie records to date (Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney, The Gossip), but the label has recently relocated to Portland, and is quickly filling it’s roster with even more great Portland bands (Shaky Hands, Panther, Horse Feathers). The Thermals are thrilled to now be a part of this family as well. We were thrilled to be part of the Sub Pop family for six years, but we felt it was time to move on. We turned down a second contract from Sub Pop, lest you think we were dropped! You don’t drop us, we drop you. Not you, personally. We love you! Seriously, you’re the best.

We have a new drummer as well. Westin Glass, formerly of Seattle’s Say Hi, joins us (Kathy Foster and Hutch Harris) to complete the third (or so) live line-up of The Thermals. In addition to (again!) touring the UK with The Cribs this February, and playing multiple shows at SXSW in March, we will be touring the U.S. for two months, following the release of Now We Can See on April 7th. We’ll be doing festivals in Europe and the U.S. all summer long, followed by a full European tour in the fall.

Whew! We’re exhausted already. It’s probably time to hit the vaporizer again, then head out for Voodoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee. We gotta get down to Lincoln High, Gus Van Sant is casting 16-25 year olds for his next picture. We can pull off 25, right? Sure!

But only in Portland.
XOXO

The Thermals

American Idol finalist from the sixth season, Melinda Doolittle is releasing her debut solo album, Coming Back To You on February 3, 2009 and the approved album cover is now available for your use.

“It’s Your Love” Audio Stream

Poised to become this generation’s ambassador of R&B and soul, Melinda Doolittle will release her hotly-anticipated debut solo album, Coming Back to You, on Hi Fi Recordings in January 2009. Featuring production by Grammy-nominated producer Mike Mangini (Joss Stone, Run DMC, The Jonas Brothers), Melinda’s debut solo album is an R&B tour de force that combines the fiery electricity of Tina Turner’s early years with the slick production and lush instrumentation of today’s pop-soul renaissance.

Recorded with a team of live musicians in Nashville and New York City, Coming Back to You displays Melinda’s extraordinary talent and versatility as a vocalist and sees her seamlessly transcend genres as she combines R&B, soul, blues, jazz and funk to create a sound all her own. From the first note, Melinda reaches back into a rich pool of musical influences and carries the torch of the greats – Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle – into the musical landscape of today.

“I’m so excited to be using live instruments and to be singing music that really paints a picture,” said Melinda. “I knew my task was to just go in the studio and be me and the music would take care of the rest.”

“Melinda is a hugely talented vocalist and performer, and we are honored to be the home of her debut album,” commented Hi Fi Recordings Chairman/CEO John Hecker. John Titta, President/COO of Hi Fi Recordings, also noted, “Melinda’s album is one of the most exciting that we’ve heard in years – a throwback to the classic soul albums of the 70’s with a modern twist that will undoubtedly capture the ear of today’s music fan. We can’t wait for everyone to hear what she can do.”

Melinda’s undeniable talent has resulted in a timeless collection of 13 songs that will take listeners on a journey from the blues clubs of Louisiana to the churches of Mississippi, to the piano bars of New York City and back. From the first horn blasts of “Declaration of Love,” listeners will feel a driving pulse and unstoppable energy that is reminiscent of Tina Turner’s iconic hits, while “Coming Back to You” and “Wonderful” feature Melinda’s silky voice wrapped around the smooth, sleek sounds of classic R&B. Melinda commands the emotional storytelling and funky delivery of the blues in “Dust My Broom” and “Walkin’ Blues”, and her impeccably artful and expressive voice has never been more on display than on the beautifully lush ballad “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” and the stripped down jazzy melody of “Wonder Why.”

A skilled and accomplished performer who perfected her craft as a backup singer for some of the biggest names in R&B, gospel and soul, including Michael McDonald, Aaron Neville, BeBe and CeCe Winans and Jonny Lang, Melinda became a household name as a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol. She was immediately recognized as one of the most talented performers in the show’s history and won over millions of fans and critics alike with her powerhouse vocal performances, engaging personality and now-classic renditions of songs like “My Funny Valentine,” “I’m a Woman” and “Nutbush City Limits.” The New York Times called her a “phenomenally gifted, stylistically adroit…Gladys Knight-Tina Turner hybrid…[who] brings a compelling honesty to every phrase she sings.” Eventually finishing in third place, Melinda finally entered the studio in 2008 to record the debut album that the world was waiting for.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA TO RELEASE 9-DISC BOX SET ON MARCH 17, 2009 TO COMMEMORATE THEIR HISTORIC NEVERENDER SHOWS IN NEW YORK CITY

Columbia Records is excited to announce that on March 17, 2009, Coheed and Cambria will release Neverender, The Children of the Fence boxset, a release that is possibly as ambitious as the event itself.

Neverender marked the triumphant culmination of the band’s four-album album cycle. The historic four-night event featured the band performing each of their four albums in their entirety on four consecutive nights, October 22-25 2008 at New York’s Terminal 5 and was the first time that Coheed had performed the saga that connects the albums in order. The band performed in front of nearly 11,000 of their most passionate fans, who flew in from all over the world, organized for months in advance to carpool and share hotel rooms, lined up all day in the rain to get the best spots on the floor. Selling out in three hours, Neverender’s New York dates prompted a tide of demand that spawned three other sold-out Neverender stands, in LA, Chicago, and London.

The box set documents the New York stand (as well as clips from all 3 other cities) in one massive package that will include four live DVDs, four live audio CDs, one documentary DVD, a 10×10 hardcover 48-page photo book and a 7-1/2” custom metal dragonfly. A condensed two-disc DVD will also be made available. Pre-sales for the box began on Friday, Dec 12. Fans who pre-order it will get their names included on a “Children of the Fence” page inside the book. The first 3,000 copies will be signed by the band.

Coheed and Cambria begin a tour with Slipknot on Jan, 23rd. Full tour dates are below.

01/23/09- Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MN
01/24/09- Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
01/25/09- Mid America Center - Council Bluffs, IA
01/27/09- Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum - Madison, WI
01/28/09- Wells Fargo Arena - Des Moines, IA
01/30/09- Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL
01/31/09- The Palace of Auburn Hills - Auburn Hills, MI
02/02/09- Peoria Civic Center - Peoria, IL
02/03/09- Pepsi Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
02/05/09- Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
02/06/09- Tsongas Arena - Lowell, MA
02/07/09- Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
02/09/09- Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Greensboro, NC
02/10/09- Cricket Arena - Charlotte, NC
02/11/09- Bi-Lo Center - Greenville, SC
02/13/09- 1st Mariner Arena - Baltimore, MD
02/14/09- Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
02/15/09- Sommet Center - Nashville, TN
02/17/09- Gwinnett Center - Duluth, GA
02/18/09- UCF Arena - Orlando, FL
02/19/09- Pensacola Civic Center - Pensacola, FL
02/21/09- Concrete Street Amphitheater - Corpus Christi, TX
02/22/09- Nokia Theatre - Grand Prairie, TX
02/23/09- BOK Center - Tulsa, O
02/26/09- Verizon Wireless Theater - Houston, TX
02/28/09- El Paso County Coliseum - El Paso, TX
03/01/09- Freeman Coliseum - San Antonio, TX
03/03/09- Denver Coliseum - Denver, CO
03/04/09- Tingley Coliseum - Albuquerque, NM
03/05/09- Jobing.com Arena - Glendale, AZ
03/07/09- The Forum - Inglewood, CA
03/08/09- Cox Arena - San Diego, CA
03/10/09- Citizens Business Bank Arena - Ontario, CA
03/11/09- ARCO Arena - Sacramento, CA