popwreckoning updates |  |
- Jack’s Mannequin @ Kegs and Eggs, Kansas City
- New Friendly Fires Video on MTV, Band to Play Jimmy Kimmel and Nylon Winter Tour, Release Expanded Version of Debut Album
- Join iheartradio for secret Silversun Pickups show in NYC on July 31st
- MP3 Minute: Lightspeed Champion “Heavy Purple”
- Monsters of Folk fall tour
- Chairlift to tour with Phoenix
- White Stripes Documentary to Debut at Toronto Film Festival
| Jack’s Mannequin @ Kegs and Eggs, Kansas City Posted: 23 Jul 2009 02:06 PM PDT You have to be a very a giving musician to agree to play a show at 6 a.m. after driving all night and having to prepare for a “normal” concert in the evening. You have to be a very nice musician to put up with a drunk crowd at 6 a.m. that was given vouchers for free booze and breakfast. Finally, you have to be a very brave musician to get up in front of an audience that spent the last hour warming up by heckling karaoke performances. Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin (formerly of Something Corporate) rose to this occasion and proved yet again to me why he is one of the most admirable musicians in the business when he played for 96.5 the Buzz’s free Kegs and Eggs series, a series that features acoustic artist performances and supplies breakfast and beer. The doors to the Firefly lounge were opened bright and early at 6 a.m. The tiny speakeasy only holds a little over a hundred people, so the line started forming about 5 a.m. As many rushed to the bar to enjoy their free beers, I planted myself in a spot upfront and made what I think to be the wiser choice in nursing my drink of choice: a dirty chai.
As the breakfast line dwindled, the crowd started to get antsy. So the radio station started a little karaoke contest for free concert tickets. The performers were bold. Too bold, in fact, as one gentleman practically stripped all the way down for his performance. Despite some really harsh heckling and perhaps too many covers of Green Day, it was a fun warm-up.
The acoustic Jack’s Mannequin performance was so meta for an early morning gig. As Andrew started out with the first single off The Glass Passenger, he even commented on the meta nature of the show. “The bars are finally closed,” he sang and then paused: “Which is not true in this case.” Without a second thought, he finished out “The Resolution”.
It wasn’t McMahon’s strongest performance ever, but considering how early it was in the morning and how funny he was being, I can excuse the few flubs he had. It was still really good. Before starting the beautiful and haunting “Swim”, he said he wanted everyone “crying in their beers.” After that he played a cover I had only seen on YouTube, but had yet to witness live: MGMT’s “Kids”. While their version is almost playfully sadistic, McMahon alone on piano and crooning turns it into a slightly mournful number. He does a good job staying true to the number, yet still making it his own–a must for any good cover. McMahon was ready to jump into the next song, but after he got through the first three recognizable chords of “The Mixtape” he yet again had to pause: “It is morning! Are you ready? I’m going to drop some seriously profound shit on you.” I think the irony was lost among the beer bubbles, but the performance was enough to leave the crowd shouting for an encore, which is rare for a Kegs and Eggs. An encore didn’t happen, but an even rarer thing did: McMahon returned of his own volition to take photos and sign autographs. That may have been a first for a Kegs and Eggs. Even the station seemed surprised.
So whether you were a fan of Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, both or have never heard of Andrew McMahon until now, take this away from the review: McMahon is a rare breed of musician and deserves to be recognized. He truly loves music and he truly loves his fans and does everything in his power to make the people who support him happy even if it means giving up sleep, time (and in the case of one Nebraska show, money). I can’t force people to love every single one of his songs the way that I do, but at the most, I encourage everyone to check him out at least once and give him your respect.
Set List: Jack’s Mannequin: website | myspace | @ midland theatre | @ sokol underground | interview with pt. 1 | interview with pt. 2  Related Posts |
| Posted: 23 Jul 2009 12:33 PM PDT
“Kiss of Life” is just one of the many songs that will be released, along with all their promotional videos to date and a live concert DVD, as part of an expanded re-released form of the St. Albans’s, England band’s eponymous debut album Friendly Fires. This expanded album will be released by XL Recordings on August 31 in the UK and September 1 in the U.S. Friendly Fires have been extremely busy gigging all over the world since they were last here in America on the “NME Presents” tour in March and April and appeared at Coachella. If you’re itching to get your Fires fix, or if you’re one of those poor souls in America and Canada who still haven’t seen the live spectacle that is Friendly Fires yet, good news! The band have announced tour dates on both coasts and an appearance at Lollapalooza in August. Their August tour concludes with an appearance as the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live on August 25. Coming off the success of this year’s Nylon Summer Music Tour, Nylon has put together the inaugural Nylon Winter Music Tour for November and December, and Friendly Fires have confirmed they will be part of its line-up. More dates and other acts on the bill for the Nylon Winter Music Tour will be announced soon. Tour Dates: Friendly Fires: website | myspace | Friendly Fires review | Remix Monday: Friendly Fires “Skeleton Boy” | @ black cat | @ Dot to Dot Festival | interview with pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 | Mercury Prize Nominations Announced  Related Posts |
| Join iheartradio for secret Silversun Pickups show in NYC on July 31st Posted: 23 Jul 2009 11:54 AM PDT
To win exclusive access to the show, head here to iheartradio’s site and enter! If you’re not already a member of iheartradio, you’ll have to sign up for your chance to win. Winners will be chosen on Wednesday, July 29th. Good luck! Silversun Pickups: website | myspace Photo: Autumn de Wilde Related Posts |
| MP3 Minute: Lightspeed Champion “Heavy Purple” Posted: 23 Jul 2009 10:33 AM PDT Dev Hynes, aka Lightspeed Champion, has just unveiled a brand new, completely interactive website, where you can create a profile, load up images and videos and talk to fellow Lightspeed Champion fans. The site, www.lightspeedchampion.com, also includes a brand new track which you can download for free as soon as you sign up. Dev will regularly be uploading content including short films, photos and exclusive music, as well as continuing his already popular blog. Currently you can enjoy Dev’s Wordplay orientated Three Sentence Movie reviews, as well as his pun of the day. The free download, “Heavy Purple”, was recently recorded in New York. Dev says:
Aptly titled, “Heavy Purple” is, in fact, heavy with a jazzy feel. Clocking in at just over 5 minutes, the track starts out fairly eerie with almost a minute of moody and ambient instrumentals before Dev’s distinct voice breaks the lyrical silence with drawn out, almost pained words. It’s very chill, jazzy and slightly haunting, perfect for a rainy day (on the East Coast anyway) like today. Definitely worth a download, so head over to the Lightspeed Champion site and sign up to get the free download! Lightspeed Champion: website | myspace | @ world cafe live  Related Posts |
| Posted: 23 Jul 2009 09:32 AM PDT Indie super group Monsters of Folk was born on the road five years ago when My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, and singer/songwriter M. Ward toured together and regularly sat in on each other's sets. Now armed with the eclectic and consistently striking songs that make up their debut album, the illustrious quartet will reconvene for a Fall tour. The four members will be switching instruments and trading roles throughout each show, maintaining the freewheeling and highly collaborative spirit of their work together thus far. On this inaugural tour, Monsters of Folk is partnering with Air Traffic Control, a resource for musicians’ philanthropic and social change work, to donate monies raised from ticket sales. The band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold on the tour to local non-profits. “On a daily basis, we see how hard organizations like these work to make our communities, country and world a better place,” said Erin Potts, the organization’s executive director. “In a time when economic resources are harder to come by and organizations are overwhelmed by urgency and need, the Monsters of Folk tour’s charitable activities are a significant way to energize and support the tireless and often overlooked work that these organizers are doing." Monsters of Folk – "Say Please" Pre-sale tickets for the US and Canada shows will be available beginning July 28th, followed by the public on-sale beginning July 31st. Tickets for the UK / EU shows will be available beginning July 27th. Tour Dates: Monsters of Folk: website | “Say Please”/tracklisting  Related PostsThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Chairlift to tour with Phoenix Posted: 23 Jul 2009 08:16 AM PDT Brooklyn synth-popsters Chairlift are pleased to announce an extensive headlining tour across North America and Europe with Phoenix, innovative UK up-and-comers Micachu and the Shapes, and several others. The band’s summer is in full swing after several performances at Bonnaroo last month, and their first set of West Coast headlining dates in the LA area. The band also recently made their network television debut on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on Friday June 26, performing "Bruises"; watch below! Live, Chairlift has continued to captivate audiences of all sizes across the US and Europe. In preparation for their extensive touring schedule, Chairlift will be performing at festivals across the US and Europe, including All Points West, Lollapalooza, Latitude and Way Out West. They will also perform with TV on the Radio at the Double Door in Chicago. The tour will kick off in New York at the Bowery Ballroom Sept. 5 and will wrap up in the UK with Phoenix. Tour Dates: Chairlift: website | myspace | Does You Inspire You review | @ sxsw 09 | @9:30 club| @ Bonaroo 2009 day 1, day 3  Related Posts |
| White Stripes Documentary to Debut at Toronto Film Festival Posted: 23 Jul 2009 06:15 AM PDT
The tour took the band to every province and territory of Canada, and the documentary provides a unique profile of the band as they played crowds big and small across the Great White North. The film also includes moments from the on- and off-stage lives of siblings Jack and Meg White and shows they played on the tour at less traditional venues like as a bowling alley, on a boat, and on a city bus. The White Stripes’s 10th anniversary show played at the Savoy Theater, in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, was also filmed for this documentary. Interested to find out more? Visit the White Stripes’s official website to view the Under Great White Northern Lights trailer and stills from the documentary. The White Stripes: website | myspace  Related Posts |
Ed Macfarlane, 
The White Stripes have confirmed on their official website and MySpace that a live documentary of their 2007 tour of Canada will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 18. The film is entitled Under Great White Northern Lights and was filmed by Emmet Malloy, who worked previously with the band on promotional videos.| You are subscribed to email updates from popwreckoning To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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