Grooveroo

Visit the full site at Grooveroo.net! Here I cover the growing nebulous of music as it happens in an international, national (U.S.) and local level from Minneapolis/St. Paul. Contact/Submissions: If you like the site and want to tell me your thoughts – tweet at me! Or maybe you’re an upcoming band looking for some coverage? I’ll always take submissions through email at [email protected]. For any physical submissions, please email me and I will gladly provide you a mailing address.

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Reggie Watts tapped as bandleader of The Late Late Show on CBS

The Germany-born loop master will soon be reaching new audiences.

Reggie Watts has the ability to be a one-man band, but will he choose to be? // photo by Alex Rauch

The inventive and deviceful musician-comedian Reggie Watts has been named the new bandleader for The Late Late Show on CBS, which will soon be taken over by James Corden as host. Tentative to Watts joining, the show’s premiere date has been pushed to March 23, 2015, as well. TV Guide writer Michael Schneider first gave word to the news via his Twitter handle.

With Watts’ ties to the various entertainment industries – whether it be loop sampling during a TED Talk or guest appearing during LCD Soundsystem’s farewell performance – his addition should aid in wrangling in performers that aren’t familiar with Corden. Between the diversity of Corden and Watts’ talents, their combination will make for a unique Late Late Show.

This isn’t Watts’ first venture as a bandleader, as he currently does so on the weekly, IFC talk show Comedy Bang! Bang! He has also been constantly touring, creating music and uploading videos under his partnership with the YouTube comedy group JASH, which also features Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera.

Watts recently performed vocals on and danced in the video “Sunshine” by Flight Facilities. Explore that and the comedy-music stylings of Watts below (especially if you are unfamiliar to his one-of-a-kind brand of song creation).

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LEGO Daft Punk may soon be a reality

It's completely fan-created, and the fate of the project is up to you.

One of the rendered Daft Punk LEGO builds from user Autorazr.

Previously, the two French electronic music auteurs have minimized their robot bodies as action figures, however, Daft Punk may be downsizing even further. Coming off of LEGO’s Ideas page, user Autorazr has crafted a Kickstarter-esque submission asking fans to help pass a signature threshold. So far, over 4,500 supporters have been accounted for, and only 10,000 are needed to approve the design – meaning that inner mix of love for dance music wizardry and staying-a-kid-forever mentality could soon be culminated into one funky, brick-stacking climax.

Yes, the battle for mini block sequencers, bass guitars, robot figurines and a full replica of Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 stage is already half-way over. More details to the potential Daft Punk LEGO set can be found here, where your support is still greatly needed.

The immediate outlook doesn’t forecast these LEGO figures or sets to be available anytime soon – definitely not for Christmas – but with 138 days remaining to reach its goal, all those little ones and steadfast house fans might just get lucky enough to own the figurines (and set) eventually.

The French robots are apparently still riding off the fumes of their enormously successful, 2013 Album of the Year Grammy-winning Random Access Memories. Considering their recent film adaptation in the autobiographical French film Eden, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter can seemingly remain slunk in the sidelines as the world raves in their glory. At least when they’ve got slick LEGO creations like these in the works:

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Mark Kozelek hints at third War On Drugs diss track

Even after Adam Granduciel calls Kozelek's Benji "a beautiful record."

The battle between Mark Kozelek and Adam Granduciel has no foreseeable end // photo by Gabriel Shepard

It’s not a typical news month without the mentioning of any Mark Kozelek antics. No more than two weeks ago, I ventured up to Duluth, Minnesota for a live performance by Kozelek, one where he notably teamed with Low frontman Alan Sparhawk for a revamped edition of “War On Drugs: Suck My Cock” – a rendition which Kozelek referred to as “an extended Joy Division version.”

Remarkably, the face of The War On Drugs, Adam Granduciel, threw aside Kozelek and his’ beef recently when talking to NME, to say:

“I listened to Benji a lot while we were on tour. I thought it was such a beautiful record, weird and cool and great. I haven’t listened to it since this whole thing between us started, but I probably could if I tried really hard. It would be pretty high in my list of albums of the year.”

With an open condolence such as this being paid to Kozelek, one would think (again) this is where the feud would finally close. Wrong.

News of Kozelek’s continued bashing have scudded over after a show done this week in London’s St. John-at-Hackney church. Uncut’s John Mulvey rounded up his thoughts after witnessing Kozelek’s set, recounting much of the same “stand-up comedian strategy” from his Duluth show (as it likely factors into all his other shows of recent memory). Mulvey actually references Kozelek as “the War On Drugs guy,” solely because “Kozelek doesn’t stop mentioning [their ongoing media scuffle] for much of the two and a half hour show.”

What separates Kozelek’s London performance from most others though is a hinting reference Mulvey reports him making during his set. Mulvey writes on Kozelek’s entrance:

He begins, then, with some droll justification; “I’m a nice guy,” repeated several times, talks about a third War On Drugs-related song, tries to find out if anyone can actually pronounce “Granduciel”, refers to him disparagingly by way of a “Stevie Nicks t-shirt”, mentions “two words: Soul Asylum”, and eventually starts apologising to the band, before the caveat tag of “Bob Dylan parody shit”.

Taken from that context, yes, it seems Kozelek is at work on yet another War On Drugs-related track; as if this headline tussle of defamatory songs was a trilogy demanding to be capped off. That means don’t expect this to be the last Kozelek article you read, or headline you scan over before rolling your eyes. Despite Granduciel’s neutrifying efforts, the battle still rages onward.

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Prince crashes jazz concert to help cover Beatles track

Also, the Purple One clashes against the Internet once again.

Prince wailing out a two-minute solo for a pleasantly surprised crowd.

Prince has illuminated a preference for the low-key, particularly after his record-breaking musical hosting of Saturday Night Live back on November 1st. He’s remained relatively quiet, especially as he’s deflated virtually all existing online platforms he once owned. Including his back-up band 3RDEYEGIRL, both entities’ official Twitter and Facebook accounts have gone dark. Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider was able to snap a screenshot of the artists’ shared Twitter account with its profile picture of a shushing Prince, just before its disappearance.

Prince's Twitter & Facebook accounts have suddenly gone dark (without explanation). http://t.co/ek8ZGjI7xC pic.twitter.com/hTz1Mnqj1K

— C. Riemenschneider (@ChrisRstrib) November 25, 2014

Now, off the reverb of his departure, Prince has suddenly surfaced at a jazz concert at the W Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard. Stationed originally as an attendant of the house band’s show, Prince soon meandered onstage to dangle a sweet, unrehearsed solo over the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” on a Paul Reed Smith guitar. Crystal Lauderdale captures the surprising appearance, until Prince swiftly leaves stage after returning the instrument to its owner.

Judging by these unusual occurrences, who knows where Prince will emerge next…

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Andre 3000 “felt like a sell-out” doing the Outkast reunion tour, wore provocative jumpsuit at each show

And now all the jumpsuits have been put into an art exhibit.

Andre 3000 performing in one of his jumpsuits during the Outkast reunion tour // via eurweb.com

The knob-twiddling wizard behind Darkside, Nicolas Jaar – half of a two-man group that sadly closed shop this summer after releasing one of 2013’s finest albums – had a recent run-in with Andre 3000. Dusting off his reporter fedora for The FADER, Jaar conversed and recorded his and Andre 3000’s talk over the Outkast reunion tour and, specifically, how Andre made transparent his sentiments toward performing decade-old songs purely to cash another check.

“I felt weird about going out on stage and doing it again. I felt like people would be like, ‘Y’all are doing all these festivals, y’all are just doing it for money,’ and I felt like a sell-out, honestly. So I was like, if I’m in on the joke, I’ll feel cool about it. It was a decision. I’m 39, I got a 17-year-old kid, and I gotta support certain things. And my partner Big Boi is like, ‘This is a great thing for all of us.’ So I felt like there was a certain sell-out in a way, because I didn’t wanna do it—I knew I was doing it for a reason. So maybe if I’m telling people, ‘I am selling out,’ then it’s not as bad as pretending. It’s being honest about it like, ‘Shit, I did these songs when I was 17 and I’m out here pedaling them now.’ But it’s the honest thing, that’s what it is.”

There’s meaning behind his statement “if I’m in on the joke, I’ll feel cool about it.” As some sort of silent protest to the uncomfortable familiar feeling of rehashing the work that made him a household name, Andre crafted 47 jumpsuits, each with a unique slogan, pun or personal insight imprinted on it. Each jumpsuit was cartoonishly matched with a platinum wig and price tag which read ‘SOLD’.

One of the many jumpsuits worn by Andre 3000 while touring // via FACT mag

“I’m like, How am I gonna present these songs? I don’t have nothing new to say. So I was like, maybe I can start saying new stuff while doing these old songs. It became a theme where I was more excited about this than the actual show. This is fun, running out in these.”

Andre isn’t a proud owner of much digital real estate. No Facebook. No Twitter. No Instagram. Instead, he chose to voice his opinion within the space allotted on his chest. What’s come of these bite-sized tweets is something not to be expected. Featured as part of the i feel ya art collection in Miami, all of Andre’s jumpsuits will remain open to public viewings until December 14th. The Savannah College of Art and Design took equal stake in co-producing the exhibition, one that features art inspired from Andre’s jumpsuits. The additional pieces of art include a film and six Rorschach-like paintings, along with an impression wall where visitors could voice their reactions to the exhibit.

A total accounting of all the jumpsuits on display at the i feel ya exhibit // via scad.edu

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Annual vinyl sales top 1 million in UK, first time in 18 years

Artists like Pink Floyd, Arctic Monkeys and Jack White are partially to thank for Britain's growing interest.

Vinyl is becoming more than a niche industry (again) // photo by Steven Errico

The resurgence in vinyl popularity has surprised many, apart from, well, those who never left it. Joining the tally of vinyl sales growth, this week, is the UK who announced reaching a milestone of 1 million physical copies sold, despite living in an ever-engrossing digital age.

BBC reports “only five years ago this business [being] worth around £3m a year. This year it’s going to be worth £20m.”

This exponential growth is staggering, reaching heights that haven’t been met since 1996. With Christmas around the corner, the expected sales numbers are expected to round out near 1.2 million copies altogether by the end of the year.

Part of this year’s success comes from the fastest-selling vinyl release this century: Pink Floyd’s The Endless River. With 6,000 copies purchased in its first week (the highest mark recorded since 1997), the annual figures were bolstered, among the growing stereotype of vinyl “being cool again.”

As a frame of reference, record sales are expected to surpass 7 million in the United States this year, as calculated by Nielsen SoundScan. This is attributed from their early report of 4 million albums sold within the first half of 2014.

And, this just in from Japan: the CD is still king.

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Hear Bob Dylan’s first non-print interview in a decade

The legendary musician recounts the days when his early Basement Tapes work turned him into "the most bootlegged artist in the history of the music industry."

Dylan strumming away at his new pile of lyrics, later known as the Basement Tapes, in March 1967 // photo from Stephen Badolato (Youtube)

Like another famous Minnesota musician – *ahem* Prince – Bob Dylan can be ever so particular about with who and how his voice is heard. More literally, Dylan has specifically stuck to print as the outlet to any interview he’s done since 2004.

With the month of November being a bountiful one for his Basement Tapes era, Dylan has broken his ten-year audio interview silence to highlight two new releases. The first comes from Dylan himself, called The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11, and the other from the supergroup The New Basement Tapes, who created a 20-song album from the same sessions.

Take a listen to the tobacco-caked voice of Dylan as he recollects the period where he wrote songs that “weren’t tailor-made for anybody. [He] just wrote what [he] felt like writing.”

As for a quick history lesson on rock bootlegs, the first one appeared in California in July 1969, entitled Great White Wonder. It was a double album split by seven songs from Dylan’s Woodstock basement sessions, along with some early recordings Dylan made in Minneapolis from December 1961, and one song of his recorded while on The Johnny Cash Show. Eventually, this process was expedited until hundreds of live and studio recordings were published, subsequently making Dylan described as “the most bootlegged artist in the history of the music industry,” according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Then, suddenly, online piracy came along, and bootlegging is more celebrated than it ever was by the thickly-lined pockets of collectors with an ever-raging hunt for rare bootleg prints.

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Run The Jewels cancels Montreal show after merch fire

It hasn't been the easiest of weeks for the two hip-hop veterans.

From the Instagram post off El-P’s profile // via thereallyrealelp

Winter 2014 is setting itself up to be a rough concert season for Montreal. With Buffalo’s 70-plus inch snowstorm that locked indie rockers Interpol dead on the interstate, a trend of unlikely circumstances seem to be impeding on the music scene entering the south-eastern Canadian border. This time, chalk up a trailer fire from the on route Run The Jewels as the latest untimely event.

As far as the tally goes, the last week hasn’t been the best for Run The Jewels’ Killer Mike and El-P. Last Monday’s show in St. Louis was nearly cancelled after the duo voiced complications with their tour van; although the show did eventually take place. Notably, this was the same night when Killer Mike delivered his teary-eyed speech transfixed around the grand jury’s decision in Ferguson, and where one fan threw a shade at El-P. Concerning the cancellation of Thursday’s performance in Montreal, it “couldn’t be helped,” says El-P. The trailer fire housing their merchandise was the straw that broke the camel’s back, however, Run The Jewels will fly out to Toronto in effort to not fall off track of the tour’s schedule.

To see if Killer Mike and El-P will (hopefully) make it to a city near you, view a list of their tour dates here. For a deeper take on a week as Run The Jewels, dig into their social media postings as they set the world on fire.

ever since before St. Louis our tour bus has been broken. last 24 hours @despotroast ,@RatKing and more friends have been trapped on it.

— el-p (@therealelp) November 26, 2014

the trailer also caught on fire. photo by @despotroast pic.twitter.com/jFQ5vApIGt

— el-p (@therealelp) November 26, 2014

hi you've reached my phone. i have no voice, my bus is dead, merch trailer caught fire and I'm flying to toronto. call back tomorrow.

— el-p (@therealelp) November 26, 2014

we will work hard to reschedule a montreal show for as soon as we can.

— el-p (@therealelp) November 26, 2014

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Stars come together for newly discovered Basement Tapes lyrics

One song ("Kansas City") guest stars Johnny Depp on guitar.

Elvis Costello, Jim James, T Bone Burnett, Jay Bellerose, Rhiannon Giddens, Marcus Mumford, and Taylor Goldsmith are pictured as The New Basement Tapes // photo by Sam Jones (Showtime Networks Inc.)

Last night, Showtime aired a making-of-the-record documentary called Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued; a film regarding the continuation of Bob Dylan’s 1975 record, Basement Tapes. In Showtime’s 106-minute documentary, music producer T Bone Burnett handpicked a band of famous names with differing musical strengths. Calling themselves The New Basement Tapes, the group make-up consists of Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. The film takes place in the basement of Capitol Records where, together, the band of six crafted a 20-song album, Lost On The River, which is available now.

In a CBS Morning News report, producer T Bone Burnett gave wind to the project’s beginnings from a phone call he’d recently taken:

“I got a call from Bob Dylan’s publisher saying that he had found a box of lyrics from 1967 and would I be interested in doing something with ‘em. And I said, ‘Yes, I would.’ Bob was playing with language in a particularly colorful way at that time.”

These uncovered lyrics were remnants from the year following Bob Dylan’s motorcycle accident; one where he remained quartered in his upstate New York house for the next year of his life. While harbored away, the year of 1967 became one of Dylan’s more voluminous times of creation, as he churned out over 100 songs – most notably “I Shall Be Released” and “This Wheel’s On Fire”. Dylan’s 1975 album was only a small chunk the collection.

In-studio footage from six of The New Basement Tape’s songs can be found below. It’s worth noting that the second video for song “Kansas City” features Johnny Depp on guitar.

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Hulk Hogan could have played for the Rolling Stones or Metallica, but no one returned his calls

Tough luck for The Hulkster, because the man sure can play the bass well.

Hulk Hogan during the height of his wrestling career, and subsequent attempts at becoming a full-time rock-n-roller // via imageevent.com

In a recent chat with Noisey, the retired globetrotting wrestler Hulk Hogan (also known as The Hulkster or Mr. America) revisited memories of growing tired of the demand placed on him by his fanbase and WWE. This was roughly around the time when Stone Cold, the Rock or Triple H weren’t in the game and he was being stretched like Laffy Taffy to do show after show. His lifestyle was “killing him” (his words) until a ray of hope entered his life upon meeting Jerry Hall, the long-time girlfriend of Mick Jagger.

“I was in the UK for some award show, and Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger’s old lady, was walking out with me to present this award. I heard her talking on the phone to Mick about “Oh, you got to find a bass player and you’ve only got two different choices.” I went “. . . what!?” She had already told me that her kids are big fans, and she wanted merchandise, so I was like, “All right, let’s reel her in.” I was like “Look, I used to play bass. I know all the Rolling Stones songs. Tell Mick if you guys need a bass player for the Rolling Stones, I swear to god I could show up. I could rehearse one day and play everything they play. Please tell Mick, please tell Mick.” I got home, sent her all the merchandise—never heard a word back, right?”

Poor fella. Of course, being Mr. America, there’s an expectation you’d play a mean lick on guitar (or bass, in terms of The Hulkster’s skillset). To think the man with angelic golden locks and horseshoe mustache would quit there is far from the truth, though. The Hulk’s battle to be a rock-n-roll god didn’t stop…

From Hulk Hogan’s WWE music video “A Real American”.

“So then I heard that Metallica needed a bass player, and brother, I was writing letters, made a tape of myself playing and sent it to their management company. Kept making calls trying to get through. I tried for two weeks and never heard a word back from them either. I would have quit wrestling to play in The Rolling Stones or Metallica like that [snaps fingers]. I was hoping for a call from them but never got one. All the haters were like “You never auditioned for Metallica!” Of course I didn’t—but I tried!”

Zero for two can feel like a shot in the foot, but let’s hope Hulk Hogan has got a third at-bat in him; all considering Metallica is booked for a weeklong residency on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It’s never too late to walk in for an on-air interview and guest on “Master of Puppets”.

Need further proof of The Hulkster’s right to rock fame? Look no further than the video below.

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Interpol, Hundred Waters stranded in snowstorm for 50+ hours, finally break free

The bands were trapped along the Buffalo highway with over 100 other motorists.

Members of Interpol shacking up with tour bus food and alcohol to stave off the blizzard outside // via Interpol’s Twitter

While continuing their on-tour rounds post-Monday’s performance at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH, New Yorker band Interpol and their show opener, Hundred Waters, have been locked down by a mammoth snowfall. Toronto was scheduled for a Tuesday show, which prompted swinging around the right side of the Great Lakes, taking the roads through Buffalo, NY. Where much of the Midwest has just received its first snowfall, the Northeastern states are tackling an entirely different winter beast. Specifically, Interpol and Hundred Water’s tour buses experienced a 70-inch onslaught of heavy snow which stalled the future of their tour indefinitely. Rather quickly, Interpol took to their band site and posted an apologetic cancellation of their Toronto show:

Dear Toronto,

Our bus is trapped in a snowstorm just outside of Buffalo. We haven’t moved our position on the road in over nine hours. Unfortunately, we’ll have to cancel tonight’s concert at the Kool Haus. We were greatly looking forward to the show but the big bad winter has come early this year. We will be informing people of a new date as soon as we can.

All the best, Interpol

After a cold night on the tour bus, the following day in Buffalo ushered in… even more snow. According to the New York Times, the populates of some cities, such as Lancaster, NY, endured more than 60 inches of snow in fewer than 24 hours. In midst of the seemingly unending snowstorm, Interpol, again, took to their site to cancel their Montreal appearance:

It’s with great regret that we have to announce the cancellation of our show tomorrow night in Montreal. We’ve been stranded in a snowstorm outside of Buffalo for over 40 hours and still don’t know when we’ll be able to move from our current position. We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to visit as scheduled but we’ll make it up to you, Toronto and Montreal. We love you guys. We were really looking forward to the shows.

All the best, Interpol

To best chronicle this unusual series of events, both Interpol and Hundred Waters utilized Twitter vocalize their struggles with entrapment. From surviving off dry goods and vodka to finding shelter in a Tim Horton’s, take a trip through the last two-and-a-half days of the shipwrecked El Pintor tour up until breaking free of the snow this morning.

On our way to Toronto - doesn't look promising pic.twitter.com/6e7OfsJcPF

— brandon curtis (@brandon_curtis)

November 18, 2014

Unfortunately, we’ll have to cancel tonight’s concert Toronto due to snow... http://t.co/Sdhb7vTnSL pic.twitter.com/EoK9ee0vwl

— Interpol (@Interpol)

November 18, 2014

Toronto is cancelled because pic.twitter.com/qxNm3UvyFv

— hundred waters (@hundredwaters)

November 18, 2014

There is hope for America pic.twitter.com/YySdfAeByX

— hundred waters (@hundredwaters)

November 18, 2014

#interpol #snowed in for the night! pic.twitter.com/DgKd1QXDsT

— brandon curtis (@brandon_curtis)

November 18, 2014

Hour 13 trapped in the snow. Dry goods and vodka. We will make it. -DK pic.twitter.com/bEQhaUokKi

— Interpol (@Interpol)

November 18, 2014

Almost out! pic.twitter.com/OAw61n1nBj

— brandon curtis (@brandon_curtis)

November 19, 2014

Still trapped yo! Haven't really moved in 30 hours and we've been on the bus for nearly 40 hours. Nutso. Never seen anything like it.-DK

— Interpol (@Interpol)

November 19, 2014

Snow plows trapped in the snow.-DK pic.twitter.com/igkxOEoNw5

— Interpol (@Interpol)

November 19, 2014

We've been trapped on The Road since Monday and Pastor Tim Horton is running out of Food pic.twitter.com/lcx3shdFvg

— hundred waters (@hundredwaters)

November 19, 2014

Finally just started making a move. 50+ hours later. Hoping for some luck today.-DK pic.twitter.com/2cpeu1lxQn

— Interpol (@Interpol)

November 20, 2014

Snap. Road block.-DK pic.twitter.com/fJliiL9f1q

— Interpol (@Interpol)

November 20, 2014

We got out but The Interpoles are still stuck, so unfortunately Montreal is cancelled. Thanks for the warmth y'all

— hundred waters (@hundredwaters) November 20, 2014

We had it easy bc we have a bus. Real shoutout to ppl sleeping on the floor of 711, eating chips, losing their jobs, but still laughing. 100

— hundred waters (@hundredwaters) November 20, 2014

If you are a ticket buyer to Interpol’s tour, be sure to keep glued to their Twitter (or Hundred Water's) to know if #Winterpol is truly over.

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In case you missed it: Updates in the world of music streaming

Two powerful platforms bringing the power back to the artist.

YouTube Music Key is the newest music subscription service created to better benefit a wide variety of musicians.

You’d have to blind or ignorant to believe music sharing and streaming hasn’t enormously impacted the music industry. Artists constantly vie to stay relevant in the digital age, while in search of monetary gains to pursue their musical career; these being two elements to continued success that often butt heads. Streaming services like YouTube and Bandcamp have been useful benefactors to spreading an artist’s name and work, however, that doesn’t always equate to money in their pocket (especially with the ease of ability to directly rip songs off both sites). While not every effort to protect the artist is being made now, at least steps in the right direction are happening.

Entire albums have been exposed to YouTube’s library since its earliest of days. Back then, it was a quick and easy way to post and share music with your friends, strangers and – quite honestly – the world. The folks at YouTube’s offices recognize that and are working to better integrate music into their platform with a new service: YouTube Music Key. With a starting price of $9.99 each month (although there is a $7.99 promo for its launch), paid users will receive ad-free music even while offline, a subscription to Google Play Music that includes expert-curated playlists, and the ability to watch YouTube official music videos from the app.

Essentially, Music Key is aiming to be Spotify, but with more of a visual element. The New York Times reported of the push for this service to be made came after Merlin, a global independent label coalition, threatened to remove their content from YouTube after being given inferior contracts to those offered to Universal, Sony and Warner. Take a look at the YouTube Music Key launch video below:

Bandcamp also announced similar motives to better compensate the artists who make up their platform. Although their service updates don’t come with a cheeky new name, Bandcamp is opening the doors to flexible subscription options for their artists. In an interview with The Guardian, Bandcamp’s chief executive Ethan Diamond detailed his company’s plans to allow each artist establishing power for allowed play counts until reaching a paywall and subscribing bonuses for those who pay the artist.

“The whole motivation here is that when you get to a point that you love an artist – when you go from liking them to being a real true fan of theirs – at some point you just want everything they make. You just want to support everything that they do,” Diamond said.

Candy Says became one of the first testers for Bandcamp’s new subscription service.

Subscribers to an artist may even earn exclusive music from the artist (if the artist allows it), as well as a determined discount on the artist’s merchandise. Prices for the music are set by the artist, and Bandcamp states it will take 15 percent of the digital sales revenue, yet that will drop to 10 percent once the artist reaches $5,000 in total sales. The idea is best summed up as Diamond said in the interview: “It’s kinda like what U2 and Apple did, except that it’s music that you actually want!”

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James Franco to release album and film with his band Daddy

The Smiths-inspired album/film also features Smiths alumni Andy Rourke.

James Franco’s painted artwork for the “This Charming Man” video // via Pitchfork

Remember when James Franco’s name couldn’t be whispered without being bundled alongside the term Renaissance Man? Well, if any dissenters toward his imposed title still exist, Franco has added another artistic medium to his repertoire: musician.

Dating back to his time as an MFA student at the Rhode Island School of Design, Franco joined forces with a fellow named Tim O’Keefe, who later composed music for both of Franco’s William Faulkner-inspired films, and now are uniting to pursue another mutual project fueled by original music under their band, Daddy. The full length album is to be called Let Me Get What I Want and came to fruition from a book of verses by Franco titled Directing Herbert White: Poems. The words within his book of poetry are not used verbatim, but half of them are “Poems Inspired by Smiths’ Songs.” So yes, it’s exactly as it sounds. Franco and O’Keefe are writing songs based off Franco’s poetry that riff off Smiths’ songs. And as to cater toward Franco’s latest efforts, actual Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has actively participated on every song on the album.

VICE premiered the first of Daddy’s tracks, “This Charming Man”, which can be streamed below:

Consider this video part one of ten, each amounting toward an ultimate looping film (meaning there is no beginning or end). Accompanying each song is a portrait also painted by Franco, the first of which is pictured atop this article.

Seemingly, James Franco now joins the ranks of similar comedic actors who are making their mark in the music industry; most notably, Michael Cera with his surprise album this summer and, least notably, Macauley Culkin with his one-hit joke troupe, The Pizza Underground. All one can do is hope that Franco’s ambitions will rise to the test once his band’s album drops next year.

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Sun Kil Moon performs “War on Drugs: Suck My Cock (extended Joy Division version)” with Low frontman

Kozelek can't help but revel in the press that's given new meaning to his work.

Mark Kozelek performing “I Know It’s Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life” on his classical guitar // photo by Sam Schaust

The wind kicked up, reflecting the frigid breath of winter onto the streets of Duluth, Minnesota last Thursday night. Folks in padded coats and fur-lined hoods piled into an unlikely venue, the Karpeles Manuscript Museum, for local legends Low opening for the infamous press headliner Mark Kozelek (aka Sun Kil Moon).

Low’s hourlong set gave way to the smooth, melodic tone of the evening. Their setlist – a slow-churning callback to favorites from albums past – fitly introduced the man who’s gained equal sums of flak and admirers for his recent track “War on Drugs: Suck My Cock”.

A wider view of the Karpeles Manuscript Museum stage as Low plays // photo by Sam Schaust

Taking to the narrow stage, Kozelek spoke rather candidly about what some are calling a controversial song, saying “writing it was one of the greatest songwriting experiences I’ve ever had.” He even promised an extended version later on; “one that actually has a climax,” he said. Most of these remarks stemmed from a 15 minute stand up routine that he rattled off like his life’s tale, bringing the audience from his Red House Painters days and up to where he is now. If anyone hadn’t known of the media fuss he’d caused, they definitely do now. Kozelek knows he has haters – he fully admits it – and if you don’t like his behavior, Kozelek isn’t afraid to remind you by saying “I’M FUNNY…I've always been funny”

Without need for any clear transition, Kozelek gripped his mic tight in hand and sang “Micheline” a cappella-style from his Benji record. Tapping his foot to keep in tempo, Kozelek slid into “O Come, All Ye Faithful”, which fit appropriately into his lengthy setlist considering two weeks ago he dropped Sings Christmas Carols, his untimely Christmas album. The near-remainder of his set saddled closer to the recordings of Kozelek’s 20-plus year career, in that it was a very intimate experience. His soft-spoken voice resonated deeply within “I Saw The Movie The Song Remains The Same” and at times scaled up to a penetrating howl, reverberating off the minimal two speaker setup during “Dogs”.

As promised, Mr. Kozelek broke into “War on Drugs: Suck My Cock” while utilizing his friend Alan Sparhawk, the man behind Low’s lead vocal and guitar work. “Just think Joy Division,” Kozelek can be heard saying to Sparhawk. Twice through, Sparhawk digs in for a beer commercial lead-guitar solo, both of which crack a rare smile from Kozelek. Watch the full rendition below:

Most of the crowd reciprocated the delicacy of Kozelek’s performance, yet appropriately responding to the brash nature of his true character and deep-seated dark humor. A single incident occurred that may ban alcohol from any future shows at the museum. One inebriated bad apple rudely spoke aloud during the quieter moments of the show, prompting more than one audience member to repeat “hey asshole, shut the fuck up” to the drunkard. Without much prodding, the drunken fella grabbed hold of a random woman’s purse resting aside his six empty beer cans and hucked it at one of the vocalizer’s head. With that, the show stood still. Kozelek sat in awe as the nearby crowd members erupted in favor of the over-zealous boozer’s departure. Not until Kozelek got the full account of events did he continue playing, albeit he was thoroughly entertained by the happenings. “At home in San Francisco, when fights happen, people just talk shit out. It never really escalates into this,” he joked to lighten the mood.

Running up near the two-hour mark, Kozelek stood again and unraveled the mic wire from its stand. Elevating himself, Kozelek balanced atop a piano at the edge of the stage and began bantering a little more, waiting for a couple loudmouths in the back concession area to, as he has become known to say, “shut the fuck up.” His final song, about his girlfriend’s dog passing away (again, sung in a cappella), gave a tender close to the evening, bridled with a long applause to a man who appeared more wholesome than the media actively depicts.

Mark Kozelek getting his footing atop a piano before singing “He Always Felt Like Dancing” in a cappella // photo by Sam Schaust

Mark Kozelek's setlist:

1. "Micheline"

2. "O Come, All Ye Faithful"

3. "I Know It's Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life"

4. "Hey You Bastards, I'm Still Here"

5. "I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love"

6. "Gustavo"

7. "Dogs"

8. "I Watched The Film The Song Remains The Same"

9. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" feat. Alan Sparhawk

10. "Little Drummer Boy" feat. Alan Sparhawk

11. "I Got You Babe" feat. Alan Sparhawk

12. "War on Drugs: Suck My Cock (extended Joy Division version)" feat. Alan Sparhawk

13. "Caroline"

14. "Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes"

15. "He Always Felt Like Dancing"

[grooveroo-blog]

How Bob Dylan almost made an album with the Beatles and Rolling Stones…

...and why the dream supergroup didn't come to be.

Bob Dylan gazing into the flame and cigarette held by John Lennon // via Beatle.net

Glyn Johns is a record producer and engineer harnessing a résumé to be the envy of any music industry hopeful. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Johns had an impact on albums by the Beatles (Let It Be, Abbey Road), The Who (Quadrophenia, Who’s Next), Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin), Neil Young (Harvest), the Clash (Combat Rock), Rolling Stones (Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed) and countless others. Now he’s pushing out a memoir, “Sound Man” (available on November 13th), and the book contains a tremendous depth of insights to his 50-year career.

One of the emerging tales to crackle the fire of buyer interest comes from the summer of 1969. From the report by Rolling Stone, Johns was at a New York airport with the Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner, who had recently completed an interview with Bob Dylan. Johns and Dylan soon were face-to-face and got to complimenting each other’s work – Dylan asking Johns about his recent work with the Beatles and saluting his job shaping the Stones in-studio over the years, while Johns admitting they’d all be influenced by his work. Eventually, Dylan posed the opportunity of a lifetime, as Johns writes:

“He said he had this idea to make a record with the Beatles and the Stones. And he asked me if I would find out whether the others would be interested. I was completely bowled over. Can you imagine the three greatest influences on popular music in the previous decade making an album together?”

Johns was quick to the phones, but not all parties were on board with the concept:

“Keith and George thought it was fantastic. But they would since they were both huge Dylan fans. Ringo, Charlie and Bill were amicable to the idea as long as everyone else was interested. John didn’t say a flat no, but he wasn’t that interested. Paul and Mick both said absolutely not…. I had it all figured out. We would pool the best material from Mick and Keith, Paul and John, Bob and George, and then select the best rhythm section from the two bands to suit whichever songs we were cutting. Paul and Mick were probably, right, however I would have given anything to have given it a go.”

There’s a lot of could-have’s and what-if’s to this story, yet all of those classic rock fans out there have to wonder: could there have been any bigger supergroup than this? In retrospect, it’s probably best this project never came to fruition. If it had, all of those babyboomers out there would have likely imploded.

[grooveroo-blog]

Sour Patch Kids bought a house to lodge traveling musicians

Candy and shelter for art and music – the newest fair trade.

The living room set-up within the Brooklyn Patch // via Ad Age

Resting in the Clinton Hill area of New York City is stationed a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom house referred to as the "Brooklyn Patch." It's owners: the folks who "first are sour, then they're sweet;" yes, Sour Patch Kids.

Opening it's doors only weeks ago, Mondelez marketing director Farrah Bezner believes "the Patch represents a long-term investment in indie music culture" – that coming from her interview with Ad Age. It being a hurdle for some bands to afford refuge in NYC, turning to a free bed and infinite gummies may be a no-brainer. With all of that in consideration, is there a trade-off? Well, only a winking expectation that they perform their music – or simply create digital content – in the name of Sour Patch Kids.

Trending under the "brooklyn patch" hashtag, some of their Tumblr-published work has already started spilling out. Artists like Saint Pepsi have uploaded an original track, while others have taken the route of softly plugging Sour Patch Kids with Photoshopped artwork. Bigger plans are in the works, though, as Ad Age reported of Deer Tick having a scheduled week on the books between Christmas and New Years Eve where the band hopes to create multiple videos. At one point, rumors spread of psychedelic rockers Tame Impala to have a stayover in the works, but those rumors were recently put to bed.

[grooveroo-blog]

Jian Ghomeshi, host of “Q,” fired amidst sex scandal, hires criminal lawyer

Victims of his abuse are steadily rising from the woodwork.

Jian Ghomeshi also owns a music production company called Jian Ghomeshi Productions Inc. // photo by Canadian Press

Popular radio and television personality Jian Ghomeshi got the boot from his own show and broadcasting station at the end of October, which prompted fan inquiries as to what happened. The sudden announcement came as a surprise considering Ghomeshi had chosen to take a leave of absence from his well-received show “Q” – that often featured international film stars and musicians – in layover of his father’s recent passing. Turns out that was only half the case.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation issued a statement of separation from Ghomeshi on October 26th, foregoing words which gave little insight as to the hidden beast of the situation. With little hesitation, the 47 year-old media personality gave his own accountings of the reasons he’d been fired via a 1,500-word Facebook posting. Within the length of his letter to concerned Canadians and international followers, Ghomeshi discloses the nature of his firing to be in “risk of [his] private sex life being made public as a result of a campaign of false allegations pursued by a jilted ex girlfriend and a freelance writer.” The sexual acts he acknowledges are later admitted, in his own words, to be “like a mild form of Fifty Shades of Grey” that he committed with “a woman in her late 20s.” Ghomeshi immediately threatened to launch a 55 million Canadian dollar ($49 million) lawsuit against his employer of nearly 14 years.

Word from the Toronto Star reveals the newspaper’s reporters had “approached Ghomeshi with allegations from three young women, all about 20 years his junior, who say he was physically violent to them without their consent during sexual encounters or in the lead-up to sexual encounters.” All three women admitted to Ghomeshi attacking them on dates without consent, typically with a closed or open hand; often biting or implementing strangulation until they passed out; even covering their nose and mouth so they had difficulty breathing; resulting in many forms of verbal abuse before and after sex. A fourth woman, one who worked in the same offices as Ghomeshi, recalled him saying “I want to hate fuck you” in the work place. None of these women have come forward publicly in fear of being sued or becoming an object of Internet retaliation.

Renowned indie rock artist Owen Pallett published an open statement on Facebook about Ghomeshi days after the allegations arose. Pallett has regularly considered Ghomeshi to be a friend of his, but challenged a lot of the words Ghomeshi used in his original letter to the public. Several times throughout his letter, Pallett repeats the statement “three women were beaten by Jian Ghomeshi,” despite his admittance to their hugging on camera and times sharing personal talks over drinks. Pallett recognized a lot of what paired them together in the past, but never disregarding Ghomeshi’s alleged actions. Outspoken musician Grimes commented that Pallett’s words were “measured and thoughtful like always.”

Where the Canadian courts steer the direction of this case is yet to be seen. Recent news from the Toronto Star reports Ghomeshi to have hired criminal defense lawyer Marie Henein, whom the Star depicts “seemed to channel Hannibal Lecter” in previous cases. Whether that makes a difference will be impossible to say as potentially more victims of Ghomeshi’s abuse choose to step out.