Thursday, March 26

'Where the Wild Things Are' trailer online

Does this look great or what?



I'm in.

Hat tip to Cinema Blend.

Wednesday, March 25

Free Sub Pop 2009 Sampler at Amazon, too...



The hits just keep on coming today. In addition to the Anti- sampler discussed in my prior post, Amazon also has a free Sub Pop 2009 Sampler available to download. The tracks:

01. Flight of the Conchords - Hurt Feelings
02. Vetiver - Everyday
03. Handsome Furs - I'm Confused
04. Obits - Pine On
05. Red Red Meat - Gauze
06. Vaselines - Son of a Gun
07. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
08. Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
09. Iron & Wine - Belated Promise Ring
10. Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age
11. Chad Vangaalen - Willow Tree

Visit Sub Pop Records to learn more about these artists.

I'm curious whether The Shins would have been included if they hadn't just split with the label.

Free Anti- 2009 Sampler at Amazon



Anti- has made a 13-track sampler of its excellent roster available for free, and you can grab it via Amazon. The tracklist:

01. Neko Case - People Got a Lotta Nerve
02. Booker T. - Warped Sister
03. Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Death Don't Have No Mercy
04. N.A.S.A. - Whachadoin? (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santigold, Nick Zinner)
05. Jason Lytle - Brand New Sun
06. Bob Mould - I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Any More
07. Westbound Train - Check Your Time
08. William Elliott Whitmore - There's Hope for You
09. Bettye Lavette - Talking Old Soldiers
10. Michael Franti - Hey World (Dont' Give Up version)
11. The Aggrolites - It's Gonna Be O.K.
12. Mavis Staples - Freedom Highway
13. Jolie Holland - Your Big Hands

Some damn fine artists there. Enjoy!

Bruce Lee vs. Iron Man

This has been making the rounds, and it seems more than appropriate for C&T:



Video by Patrick Boivin. Hat tip to Splash Page.

Monday, March 23

Free Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show 4/20 at The Loft in Atlanta



Word in today that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will play a free private show at The Loft in Atlanta on April 20. Only 150 tickets are available, and they can be picked up at the box office at Center Stage/The Loft (1374 West Peachtree). I'd get on that quickly if you want to go.

Tuesday, March 17

Wolverines Playing Poker



To commemorate the 35th anniversary of Wolverine's debut, Marvel is releasing a series of covers featuring the little guy in mock-ups of famous works of art. First up? The classy (and classic) Dogs Playing Poker art of Cassius Coolidge. Art by Paolo Rivera.

Nice one, Marvel. Hat tip to Hero Complex.

Friday, March 13

Batman by Dave Bullock


From Dave Bullock's art book Bullock Art Works available from Brand Studio Press.

Embarrassing Fruits - "Corner"


Chapel Hill-based rock/pop trio Embarrassing Fruits will release thier debut album, Community/Exploitation, on March 24. To hype it they have released debut single "Corner" and made it available as a free and legal download. It's a relatively mellow but engaging tune, and I'm fond of both the guitar riff and horns. Heavy shades of the classic Merge sound here, with vocals reminiscent of Stephen Malkmus.

Embarrassing Fruits - Corner

You can order the album from Trekky Records. The band will play several shows in the next couple months, most of which are in the southeast.

Live shows on the calendar:

3-20 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
3-27 Durham, NC - Alivia's
4-22 Chapel Hill, NC - The Cave
4-23 Greenville, NC - Spazzatorium
4-26 Asheville, NC - New French bar
4-29 Charlottesville, VA - Tea Bazaar
4-30 Richmond, VA - Rumors
5-01 Baltimore, MD - Talking Head

MODOK meets A Flock of Seagulls



Art by Pedro Delgado.

For more fun art featuring the Marvel villain, visit March MODOK Madness throughout the month.

Thursday, March 12

Japanese Spider-Man rocks my socks

Marvel has been releasing new (old) episodes of the '70s Spider-Man show from Japan lately, and Charm Points was awesome enough to note that there's a trailer online. Thanks, Yedna!



That's right -- Spidey is no longer Peter Parker, aspiring photojournalist. Instead he is badass Japanese motocross racer Takuya Yamashiro, who wields a machine gun and fights demons and giant robots. It'll blow your mind.

The episodes are available on Marvel.com.

The National show in Atlanta 5/27 moved to The Tabernacle



Heads up, Atlanta crowd. The National's scheduled May 27 show has been moved from the Variety Playhouse to The Tabernacle. It won't be nearly as intimate, but the move up is probably justified.

The National - Fake Empire

The tour dates:

5/21 Kool Haus, Toronto
5/22 Metropolis, Montreal
5/23 House Of Blues, Boston, MA
5/24 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
5/25 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
5/27 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
5/28 Lincoln Theater, Raleigh, NC
5/29 Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
7/18 Pitchfork Music Fest, Chicago, IL

Previously purchased tickets to the May 27 show will be honored at the door.

St. Vincent - "The Strangers"



This is slightly old news now (almost a week!), but I'm just getting around to it. St. Vincent has a new album titled Actor due on May 4, and its first single is now in circulation. Her Marry Me was one of my favorite albums of the past few years, so it comes highly anticipated. "The Strangers" is a gorgeous and eclectic track of the type we've come to expect from St. Vincent, though I'll admit that the lyrics leave me scratching my head. I'm sure that won't stop me from listening to it repeatedly.

St. Vincent - The Strangers

Actor will be released by 4AD.

The Buddy System southeast micro-tour this weekend with Hot Lava, Eternal Summers

Buddy System - "Horse Mountain"

Kindercore sends along word that The Buddy System will embark on a short tour this weekend with Virginia bands Hot Lava (Richmond) and Eternal Summers (Roanoke). The Buddy System are from here in Athens, and have been featured on C&T multiple times. They are calling this little excursion the Hot Summer Buddies Micro-Tour. If you're in the South, they might be in your neck of the woods. The shows:

Friday, March 13 @ BoBo Gallery/Asheville, NC with EAR PWR
http://www.bobogallery.com/
8PM, 5 bucks

• Saturday, March 14 @ Wonderroot/Atlanta, GA with Clemente and Paper Scissors Rocketpack
http://www.wonderroot.org/
8PM, ALL AGES!!, $5

• Sunday, March 15 @ Cine/Athens, GA with the Rockafire Explosion movie sneak preview!! EARLY SHOW!!
http://www.athenscine.com/
6:30PM, 5 bucks

• Monday, March 16 @ Alabama Music Box/Mobile, AL with The Press, The states
http://www.myspace.com/alabamamusicbox
9PM, 5 bucks


The Athens show will follow a 6:30 PM screening of The Rock-afire Explosion, an award-winning documentary about the animatronic animal band that used to rock out at Showbiz Pizza Place.



The Rock-afire Explosion trailer

I have no idea how I could miss that.

Wednesday, March 11

Vandeveer in Atlanta and Athens this week


Washington, DC, alt-folk artist Vandeveer is coming to Georgia this week, and has a pair of great shows lined up in Atlanta and Athens. Tomorrow night, March 12, Vandeveer will share the stage with locals Little Tybee and The Good Graces at The EARL. That's a lineup sure to please the pop/folk crowd. On Friday night, March 13, Vandeveer plays the Flicker Theatre in Athens with rising star Kaitlin Jones, acclaimed locally for her country-tinged sound.

Vandeveer - However Many Takes It Takes
Vandeveer - Marianne, You've Done It Now
Vandeveer - The Streets Is Full of Creeps (live)
The Good Graces - Over It

Vandeveer has a new record, Divide & Conquer, due on April 6.

Casper & The Cookies to release 'Modern Silence' on May 12



Athens band Casper & The Cookies got a lot of blog attention last year with a series of exclusive releases here and elsewhere. Now they have announced that the full album they were working on has a release date. Modern Silence will be released by Happy Happy Birthday To Me on May 12, just in time to rock out after final exams.

The band has provided two teaser tracks, one of which is new to circulation (and name-checks another prominent Athens musician):

Casper & The Cookies - Little King
Casper & The Cookies - Pete Erchick Bicentennial Service Area

The final track on the album features 35 musicians including Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo, The Late B.P. Helium, and Vanessa Briscoe-Hay of Pylon. Should be interesting.

The band goes on tour today, and will play Athens on April 10:

3/11 - Jacksonville, FL - Club TSI
3/12 - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
3/13 - Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
3/14 - Valdosta, GA - Vito's Rock 'n Roll Pizzeria
3/15 - Panama City, FL - Gallery Above
3/16 - New Orleans, LA - Dragon's Den
3/17 - Mobile, AL - Alabama Music Box
3/18 - Lafayette, LA - Blue Moon Saloon
3/19 - Austin, TX - SXSW
3/20 - Austin, TX - SXSW
3/21 - Dallas, TX - The Cavern
3/22 - Denton, TX - TBA
3/23 - Little Rock, AK - ACAC
3/24 - Memphis, TN - Murphy's
3/25 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird
3/26 - Bloomington, IN - Cinemat
3/27 - Indianapolis, IN - Locals Only
3/28 - Louisville, KY - Glassworks
4/10 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt

Wednesday, March 4

Andrew Bird and Calexico at Cobb Energy Centre on June 15


Andrew Bird sold out the Variety Playhouse last month, and has already announced a return to the Atlanta area. On June 15 he will share the stage with Calexico at the Cobb Energy Centre. Tickets to on sale this Saturday, March 7 ($23.50, $28.50, $33.50 plus fees). See OK Productions for ticketing information.

Andrew Bird - Heretics [live 5-30-2007]

For a complete list of Bird tour dates, see his Myspace. His current release, Noble Beast, is available now.

Tuesday, March 3

Rocket Raccoon by Jeff Lemire


Comics writer/artist Jeff Lemire (The Essex County Trilogy, The Nobody) shares several recent sketches, including the image of Rocket Raccoon above, on his blog.

Bandstand Busking with Black Lips

Atlanta's Black Lips recently played a set for Bandstand Busking, and the site has been kind enough to share them. Here are Atlanta's self-proclaimed flower punks playing a few tracks:

"Bad Kids"

"Bow Down and Die"

"I'll Be with You"

The band's new release, 200 Million Thousand, hit stores on February 24.