News: Movement Festival Announces Phase 1 Lineup
–Written by Kevin Madert
One of the nation’s most storied and long-running music festivals dropped its initial lineup earlier today, and for fans of the deepest and most technical corners of the electronic music world it’s another dream come true. Movement Electronic Music Festival – set for May 23-25 at Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan – is turning 15 (that’s including its iterations as DEMF and Fuse-In), and the talent announced today is setting us up for a hell of a celebration.
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The Daily Frequency (1/26/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Today, a lot of things happened in the world of music. Here are some of them.
1. The music world was in a mini-fervor earlier today upon learning that founding member of Blink-182 Tom Delonge had decided to “leave the band indefinitely” to “work on his non-musical endeavors,” (we can only assume he means Angels & Airwaves). The band’s remaining members (Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker) shortly thereafter announced they’d be moving forward, keeping all the band’s previous commitments by replacing Delonge with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba. A sad day for fans everywhere, right? As if to say, “not so fast!” Delonge released the following statement through his publicist a few hours later:
Contrary to reports, Tom DeLonge has not left Blink 182. “I never quit the band,” he says. “Actually, I was on the phone discussing a possible Blink-182 event in New York City when I heard the ‘news.’ The ONLY truth here is that I have commitments that limit my availability this year. I love Blink-182 and I’m not leaving.”
While this could in theory be good news for Blink fans, there’s a definite air of “what the hell is going on” here. We’ll try to keep you updated as these odd events unfold. Via Rolling Stone and Alternative Press.
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News: Grateful Dead “Core Four” Announce 50th Anniversary Celebration Details
–Written by Kevin Madert
Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers from California started a band called The Warlocks. After playing only a smattering of shows (including their very first one at a pizza parlor) they changed their name to the Grateful Dead, and…well, you know the rest. Now, after months of swirling rumors, the details of the group’s half-century anniversary celebration have finally solidified. The “Core Four” (guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir, bassist/vocalist Phil Lesh, and percussionists Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart) will play together one last time for three nights over July 4th weekend at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Appropriately enough, this is the last venue the original lineup played before the death of longtime vocalist/guitarist Jerry Garcia.
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News: Dark Star Jubilee Releases Lineup For Fourth Annual Festival
–Written by Kevin Madert
Those in the loop already knew Dark Star Jubilee will bring a few thousand revelers to the dead center of Ohio for a weekend of continuing the Grateful Dead experience. As of today, we now know who we’ll be gathering to see. The fourth annual Jubilee – put on by All Good Presents and the Jubilee’s curators, Dark Star Orchestra – is slated for Memorial Day Weekend (May 22-24), and will feature as always three nights of extended headlining sets from DSO. In addition, attendees will enjoy performances from Railroad Earth, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, The Jeff Austin Band, and Keller & The Keels, among many others.
The festival’s unique setup at Legend Valley – a gently sloping natural amphitheater with quality acoustics and sightlines – allows for a highly intimate atmosphere. With camping included, no overlapping sets, and an array of vending and extracurricular options (from experience, I highly recommend one of the early-morning yoga sessions) DSJ is looking to be the steal of the summer. You can purchase early bird tickets here and keep up on all the latest information on the festival’s official site. See you at the Jubilee!
Dark Star Jubilee Initial 2015 Lineup
3 Nights of Dark Star Orchestra
Los Lobos
Railroad Earth
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Peter Rowan
Keller & The Keels
Steep Canyon Rangers
Melvin Seals & JGB
Jeff Austin Band
The Weight
Kung Fu
The Nth Power
Moonalice
Mattson/Barraco & Friends
Owsley County
The Ark Band
Matt Reynolds
(more to be announced)
News: Counterpoint Releases Diverse 2015 Lineup
–Written by Kevin Madert
Summer festival lineup announcement season (SFLAS?) is in full swing, and today MCP Presents-run Counterpoint jumped into the conversation with a big ol’ splash. The festival – now in its third year and slated to take place May 22-24 in Kingston Downs, Georgia – has always managed to strike a decent balance between a DJ-driven lineup and a band-based one. This year, they may have concocted the perfect storm.
The lineup is populated from top to bottom by live acts like Widespread Panic, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Papadosio, with DJs big (Zedd, Dillon Francis) and slightly less big (Cherub, Gorgon City) filling out the bill. As if to highlight the festival’s marriage of the two, there are a smattering of live electronic acts like the trip-hoppy Emancipator Ensemble and South African swing-house duo Goldfish. Bonus points: the “Summer Vibes Stage,” – Tipper and Ott alone are enough to get me on board and headed to the South come Memorial Day. Check out the full lineup below, and head to the Counterpoint website for tickets and all other pertinent information.
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News: The Prodigy Give Details On New Album, Drop First Single “Nasty”
–Written by Kevin Madert
It’s been nearly six years since UK-based electro-punk outfit The Prodigy’s last full-length Invaders Must Die, and the hype surrounding a follow-up ramped up considerably in the last few months as the group teased the idea of new material. On Monday the wait ended as the group announced The Day Is My Enemy, set for a March 30 release via the band’s label, Take Me to the Hospital. Via The Guardian:
Read More“Along with details of the album’s release came a statement describing the band’s apocalyptic setting for their sixth LP, describing “drones and chaos” and “a subverted militaristic snare, a distorted break, a glitched dub attack, a Middle Eastern refrain, a cacophony of in-car dissonance, a symphony of random noise soundtracking life at the edge of the night.”