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St. Vincent Survives Stage Accident, Proves Immortality

Music NewsWeston PaganoComment
Photo by Kara Smarsh

Photo by Kara Smarsh

Annie Clark, the goddess better known as St. Vincent, has done a lot lately: released a self-titled #1 album, won a Grammy, and fronted Nirvana at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Now, it seems, she has also defied death itself.

During her show at Tennessee Theater in Knoxville last night Clark apparently climbed onto a 300 lbs speaker, causing it to fall and strike both her and one of the venue's security personnel who then managed to rescue the performer.

She tweeted this after the incident:

Amazingly, some fans happened to break St. Vincent's no photography policy at just the right moment and caught the near death experience on camera:

Before... (Photo by Eric Budzielek)

Before... (Photo by Eric Budzielek)

...and after. (Photo by Chris Hill)

...and after. (Photo by Chris Hill)

According to another fan it seems Clark thankfully recovered in style:

UPDATE: A video of the incident has surfaced and St. Vincent has posted an image of the aftermath as well:

@st_vincent falling off a speaker last night

A video posted by @vargasm01 on

"This is a very unfortunate place to have cut myself while falling off a speaker. #thankgodeveryoneisok #couldhavebeenmuchworse"

You can catch St. Vincent at one of her remaining tour dates, which you can find here.

10 of the Best Musical Cameos on TV

TV/Film List, Music ListEllen WilsonComment
Jack White on Portlandia

Jack White on Portlandia

1. The Shins on Gilmore Girls 

Gilmore Girls is known for their fast paced dialogue and countless pop culture references, often mentioning numerous artists an episode, so it would make sense that Rory and co would stumble upon a hip new band playing in a club while on spring break. James Mercer and band play "So Says I" for an uninterrupted minute and a half, which is a pretty impressive amount of airtime for television. Rory and friends don't arrive until the last song, though, so we can assume they are the worst concert goers ever. Shortly after you can hear "The Laws Have Changed" by The New Pornographers while Rory and Paris uncomfortable try to fit in with the club-goers stating, "no one can sniff out the hip like we can." 

2. The Decemberists on Parks and Recreation 

The Decemberists get about 30 seconds of airtime playing "Crane Wife 3" at the Pawnee-Eagletown unity concert. While they might not have gotten as much airtime as deserved the entire episode was full of additional musical guest such as Jeff Tweedy, Ginuwine, and Yo La Tengo. 

 

3. Jack White on Portlandia 

Jack White magically appears on the Portlandia sketch "The Studio" in which Fred's character portrays a man who has a "top notch" studio with overwhelming similarities the studio used when recording the Beach Boy's album Pet Sounds. Jack White magically appears and silently watches Fred's character as he struggles to make sense of it all. The lack of dialogue from White makes his facial expressions even more hilarious and one of the best musical guest Portlandia has locked down. 

4. Britt Daniel of Spoon in Veronica Mars

Britt sings a karaoke version of the song appropriately titled "Veronica" by Elvis Costello. The Spoon song "I Summon You" was also featured in the same episode. You can read more about Britt's decision to do the show here

5. Death Cab For Cutie on The OC 

Death Cab was famously the favorite band of OC stud Seth Cohen, despite Summer's less-than-flattering analysis, "it's one guitar and a whole lot of complaining." When the band finally appears they play a show at the infamous fictional venue, The Bait Shop, and were featured on the official soundtrack. 

6. Prince on New Girl 

Prince, the majestic being himself, guest stars in an episode of New Girl. In the episode, he plays himself and gives Jess (portrayed by Zooey Deschanel) relationship advice. The highlight, though, is when the The Purple One asks, "Do you like pancakes?" 

7. Beck on Futurama 

After Bender is hospitalized he discovers Beck's disembodied head is occupying the bed next to him. Beck then loans Bender a set of neck-mounted robotic mini-arms, and the two go on tour together as Bender uses the arms to scrape across his mangled body and earn the position of Beck's washboard player. As the episode continues, Bender writes a song about broken robots, and the duo decide to put on a benefit concert in San Francisco to help all the disabled machines. While helping Bender write a song about his feelings, disembodied Beck explains how emotion is an important part of his musical process as well, saying, "When I'm upset I write a song about it. Like when I wrote 'Devil's Haircut,' I was feeling really... what's that song about?"

8. The Beach Boys on Full House 

The Beach Boys have a long standing friendship with the Tanner family, appearing in not one, not two, but three separate episodes. The most notable episode is the one in which DJ wins two tickets to the Beach Boys show but has the tricky decision of picking which family member to take. Naturally, The Beach Boys show up and invite the whole bunch along (except for baby Michelle) to the show where they sing and do some sort of a line dance on stage. 

9. Radiohead on South Park

In this particularly dark episode, Cartman vows to take revenge after being tricked by eighth grader Scott Tenorman. Upon learning that Radiohead is Scott's favorite band, Cartman writes a letter to Radiohead claiming that Scott is a victim of "cancer, in his ass" and the British rock band visits South Park just in time to watch Scott cry after hearing he ate his parents.  

10. Sir Paul McCartney on 30 Rock 

In one of these two brilliant episodes of 30 Rock, Sir Paul McCartney appears as himself to prove the point that "it's live TV, anything can happen." The look on Alec Baldwin's bewildered face as Paul McCartney grins and slaps Baldwin's face makes this one of the best moments of 30 Rock's entire seven season run. 








2015 Bonnaroo Playlist (Saturday + Sunday)

Music ListTransverso MediaComment

As we discussed previously in Part One (Thursday + Friday), Manchester, Tennessee's annual music festival and hedonist mud orgy Bonnaroo is right around the corner, kicking off June 11-14th. Any good concertgoer knows to familiarize oneself with the music beforehand, and we've done the work for you, compiling a playlist of the top songs by the best artists featured during the last two days, which you can check out below:

'Mad Max: Fury Road' is Maniacal Inferno

TV/Film ReviewEthan WilliamsComment

I'd say it's a great sign you've enjoyed the climax of a movie if your gut reaction is to scream at the screen with your heart pounding a thousand times per second.

And I'd also say it's a huge testament to the power of cinema that the image of Mad Max swinging on a pole thirty feet in the air as a tanker explodes behind him will be forever seared in my brain and will never cease to bring a smile to my face.

In fact there are countless unforgettably powerful frames like that one and it's absolutely incredible to feel like we are now truly seeing the Mad Max that George Miller wanted to make. It's a movie where you can feel so much heart and passion behind the camera that every frame feels just full of unbridled filmmaking glee.

From the first frame it's clear that this is a new breed of Mad Max film. While retaining that wonderful post-apocalypse fantasy Miller built over 30 years ago, the 70 year old must have starting huffing nitroglycerin because Fury Road has an electric pace unlike anything ever seen in the series before.

Miller continues his gasoline-doused fairy tale by centering on Max Rockatansky's capture by the cultists that worship the brutish and menacing Immortan Joe, played by the Toecutter himself (Hugh Keays-Byrne) in incredible form. Immortan Joe treats objects like women, man and Miller gives us a little taste of girl power as Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiousa and her band of kickass women decide to take the power back and blow some shit up along with Max's help.

It develops into a rollicking chase film that takes no prisoners, full of fire and bloodshed and setpiece after brilliant setpiece, concluding with a climactic showdown that even kinda puts The Road Warrior's ending to shame (it hurt to type that). Seriously the finale of this movie is something to be cherished as a once in a lifetime experience that I doubt you'll ever forget. It brought tears to my eyes and I couldn't even believe it was real.

And while bringing the original director back can be a bit tricky and could've been a move more motivated by nostalgia, Fury Road proves without a doubt that it's Miller's taste for fire and blood that makes the Mad Max films really zing. He must have been cooking up crazy idea after crazy idea over these 30 years and Fury Road is an imagination unleashed. From every car morphed into a hulking beast, every misshapen and disgusting denizen of the Wasteland and every deftly orchestrated explosion it's clear that George Miller thought modern audiences needed to see his new vision of Mad Max. And oh how right he was.

I could totally have seen a younger director taking the reins on this project but still being weighed down by the pressure to "pay homage" and this would have been yet another reboot that fizzled and died. Instead George Miller made off with about 150 million of Warner Brothers' money and came back with a dizzying passion project bathed in sound and fury.

While the originals will always have their low-budget charm and incredible stuntwork that stands the test of time, Fury Road embraces the innovations of digital technology to create a Mad Max adventure unlike anything we could have imagined. It’s a beautifully colored and expertly choreographed testament to the idea that practical stunts and digital effects should be used side by side in order to tell the most rollicking story possible.

Miller's fantasy becomes transcendental, defying us to pry ourselves away and come down to earth. It's an action movie for the ages: one that will be studied as a paragon of the genre, just like its 30 year old predecessors.

Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt Mad Max: Fury Road Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Movie HD Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone.

Beach House Announce New Album 'Depression Cherry,' World Tour

Music NewsWeston PaganoComment

Beach House have announced a follow-up to 2012's dream pop masterpiece Bloom called Depression Cherry which will be release on August 28 via Sub Pop in North America, Bella Union in Europe, and Mistletone in Australia.

The record was produced by the duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally themselves, along with Chris Coady (Future Islands, Islands) who also worked on their previous two albums.

In a press release Beach House explained:

In general, this record shows a return to simplicity, with songs structured around a melody and a few instruments, with live drums playing a far lesser role. With the growing success of Teen Dream and Bloom, the larger stages and bigger rooms naturally drove us towards a louder, more aggressive place; a place farther from our natural tendencies. Here, we continue to let ourselves evolve while fully ignoring the commercial context in which we exist. For us, Depression Cherry is a color, a place, a feeling, an energy… that describes the place you arrive as you move through the endlessly varied trips of existence…

A particular highlight is the sleeve itself, which will be manufactured with actual red velvet, similar to the limited edition maroon textured copies of Bee Gees' divisive 1969 record Odessa.

Check out the tracklist and tour dates below. You can preorder the clear vinyl here.

Depression Cherry

  1. Levitation
  2. Sparks
  3. Space Song 
  4. Beyond Love 
  5. 10:37
  6. PPP 
  7. Wildflower 
  8. Bluebird
  9. Days of Candy

Beach House World Tour:

8/18 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
8/19 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Nightclub
8/20 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
8/21 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
8/22 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s
8/24 – Albany, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
8/25 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
8/26 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
9/17 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
9/18 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
9/19 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Theatre
9/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
9/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
9/25 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
9/26 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
9/27 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
9/28 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
9/29 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/1 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
10/2 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
10/3 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
10/4 – Nashville, TN @ The Ryman Auditorium
10/6 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
10/7 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
10/8 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
10/24 – Belfast, Northern Ireland @ Mandela Hall
10/25 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street
10/26 – Glasgow, Scotland @ ABC
10/27 – Manchester, England @ The Ritz
10/29 – Paris, France @ Pitchfork Music Festival Paris
10/30 – London, England @ Shepherds Bush Empire
11/2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
11/3 – Brussels, Belgium @ Autumn Falls @ AB
11/4 – Koln, Germany @ Gloria
11/5 – Luxemborg, Luxemborg @ Den Atelier
11/7 – Reykjavik, Iceland @ Iceland Airwaves
11/10 – Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
11/11 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Tradgarn
11/12 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Medis
11/13 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega
11/14 – Hamburg, Germany @ Kampnagel K1
11/16 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxley’s
11/17 – Munich, Germany @ Freiheiz
11/18 – Lausanne, Germany @ Les Docks
11/20 – Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo
11/22 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
11/23 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Armazén
11/24 – Porto, Portugal @ Teatro sa da Bandeira
12/9 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
12/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
12/17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
12/18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

2015 Bonnaroo Playlist (Thursday + Friday)

Music ListTransverso MediaComment

Manchester, Tennessee's annual music festival and hedonist mud orgy Bonnaroo is right around the corner, kicking off June 11-14th. Any good concertgoer knows to familiarize oneself with the music beforehand, and we've done the work for you, compiling a playlist of the top songs by the best artists featured during the first two days, which you can check out below.

Stay tuned for Part Two (Saturday + Sunday).

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Release Second Multi-Love Single "Can't Keep Checking My Phone"

New MusicWeston PaganoComment

If you’re reading this on a mobile device we apologize for the irony.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra have revealed ‘Can’t Keep Checking My Phone’ to be their second single ahead of their third LP Multi-Love which is due out May 26th, and it’s a hand-clapping psych-soul groove.

In a newsletter sent to fans, frontman and multi-instrumentalist Ruban Nielson explains it’s about “missing somebody and that point where you refuse to accept online ‘connectivity’ as a substitute for being with someone IRL.”

Opening with a bit of meandering horns and classical guitar, ‘Can’t Keep Checking My Phone’ bounces around lyrical topics that include eating crickets, the aurora borealis, and wondering if the universe is really a hologram, all before putting the phone down and regrettably picking it up once again.

“Do you fall in love with the idea of someone? Or the chemicals they give off in person? Either way, I’ve got to get off my phone,” Nielson concludes.

World Tour:

5/7 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
5/9 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
5/10 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
5/20 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
5/21 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall
5/22 – Coventry, UK @ Warwick University
5/23 – Liverpool, UK @ Sound City
5/25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Bitterzoet
5/26 – Berlin, Germany @ Berghain Katine
5/27 – Brussels, Belgium @ AB Club
5/28 – Paris, France @ La Fleche d’or
5/28-30 – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound
5/29-31 – Nimes, France @ This Is Not a Love Song
6/2 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
6/3 – Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
6/4 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
6/5 – Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
6/6 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
6/8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
6/9 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
6/10 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
6/12 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
6/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
6/14 – Carboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
6/15 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
6/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle
6/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle
6/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
7/14 – Bergen, Norway @ Landmark
7/16-19 – Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival
7/23 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
7/25 – Seattle, WA @ Capitol Hill Block Party
7/26 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
7/28 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
7/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
7/31 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
8/1 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Reporter Block Party
8/2 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
8/3 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
8/5 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
8/6 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
8/7-9 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
9/8 – Helsinki, Finland @ Tavastia
9/10 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Strand
9/11 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Pustervik
9/12 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ VEGA Small Hall
9/14 – Hamburg, Germany @ Ubel & Gefährlich
9/15 – Cologne, Germany @ Gebaude 9
9/16 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Zoom
9/17 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
9/20 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli Vredenburg Pandora
9/22 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
9/23 – London, UK @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
9/24 – Birmingham, UK @ The Library at the Institute
9/25 – Manchester, UK @ The Ritz
9/26 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s
9/28 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
9/29 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
9/30 – Glasgow, UK @ QMU


Originally published on The Music Ninja

Hear Previously Unreleased Wild Beasts Track "Woebegone Wanderers II"

New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Contrary to what their name evokes, Wild Beasts continue to be some of the smoothest and softest songsmiths around with unreleased track "Woebegone Wanderers II," which was premiered on Jon Hopkins Radio 1 this week.

Recorded around the time of their last release, Present Tense, which was quietly one of the best albums of 2014, the song is a continuation of "Woebegone Wanderers" which appeared on the British group’s debut Limbo, Panto way back in 2008.

After gently swirling around the space in your head in that signature brooding Wild Beasts style for around two minutes, "Woebegone Wanderers II" dissolves into echoing glitter for the final third, floating off until you inevitably drag it back down for yet another listen.


Originally published on The Music Ninja

Hear Peter Bjorn and John's First Single in Four Years "High Up (Take Me To The Top)"

New MusicWeston PaganoComment

“Over the moon” is how indie pop masters Peter Bjorn and John said they felt releasing their first new original material since Gimme Some came out four long years ago, and that’s exactly where "High Up (Take Me To The Top)" will bring you as well.

This soaring tune is propelled by off-kilter percussion reminiscent of their 2009 LP Living Thing, but is perhaps a sign of things to come as it stemmed from “forthcoming album-sessions” co-written with Patrick Berger, who is best known for producing artists including Robyn and Icona Pop.

"High Up" has been released on the Stockholm-based artist collective and record label INGRID, which Peter Bjorn and John co-founded along with fellow Swedes Lykke Li and Miike Snow, among others, and the track is featured on INGRID Volym 2, a Record Store Day exclusive double-LP of which there are only 500 copies.


Originally published on The Music Ninja