If there is one show I’m really interested in catching, it may very well be this one. J Mascis and Kurt Vile and the Violators teamed up before, although Mascis was with Dinosaur Jr., but on this go around it will be just Mascis solo. Mascis is one of the great modern guitarists and catching him any time is quite the treat. It won’t be as notoriously loud as a Dinosaur Jr. show but it will definitely be an aural experience. Kurt Vile’s Child Prodigy was a great record and I can’t wait until Smoke Ring for My Halo hits.

This tour will include two stops in New York, one at Mercury Lounge and one at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. You can download Mascis’ new track “Not Enough” from his acoustic album Several Shades of Why below.

All dates below.

J Mascis Tour Dates
3.10 – Ithaca, NY – Castaways *
3.11 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
3.22 – Brattleboro, VT – Headroom Stages
3.23 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live *
3.24 – New York, NY – The Mercury Lounge *
3.25 – Brooklyn, NY- Music Hall of Williamsburg*
3.26 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall *
3.30 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop *
3.31 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig *
4.01 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean *
4.02 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry *
4.07 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl *
4.08 – Athens, GA – The Melting Point *
4.09 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle *
4.10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *
4.29 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern **
4.30 – Portland, OR – Dante’s**
5.03 – Santa Cruz, CA – Crepe Place**
5.04 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent **
5.05 – Long Beach, CA – Alex’s Bar**
5.06 – Echo Park, CA – Echo **
5.07 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah **

*w/ Kurt Vile and the Violators
** w/ Black Heart Procession

The Dodos have announced a quick tour around America, a stop at SXSW, followed by a nice European getaway in May. While certain cities are excluded, expect a second leg to be announced. The band tours relentlessly, so fear not fans on the East Coast.

The Dodos just announced No Color, which will be released on March 15. You can begin pre-ordering the album on February 1 and you’ll get a free download of “Black Night.” The album is being produced by John Askew, who produced their fist two albums. Expect a sound that reflects that comfort and even some “Billy Corgan riffs.”

All dates below.

The Dodos Spring Tour
3/10 – Reno, NV – Lincoln Lounge
3/11 – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar 
3/12 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress 
3/13 – Phoenix, AZ – The Duce 
3/14 – Santa Fe, NM – Warehouse 21
3/15 – Austin, TX- SXSW
3/16 – Austin, TX- SXSW
3/17 – Austin, TX- SXSW
3/18 – Austin, TX- SXSW
3/19 – Austin, TX- SXSW
3/20 – Norman, OK – Opolis 
3/21 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar 
3/22 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
3/23 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
3/24 – Fargo, ND – Aquarium 
3/25 – Winnipeg, MB – West End 
3/26 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s 
3/28 – Calgary, AB – Republik 
3/29 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite
3/31 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw
4/01 – Victoria, BC  - Sugar
4/02 – Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo 
4/04 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s 
4/05 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
4/07 – San Francisco, CA – Filmore
4/08 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
4/09 – San Diego, CA – Casbah 
4/27 – Donostia, Spain – Gazteszena
4/28 – Vigo, Spain – University
4/29 – Madrid, Spain – El Sol
4/30 РBarcelona, Spain РPla̤a de la Odissea (Free Outdoor show)
5/02 – Grenoble, France – Le Ciel
5/03 – Milan, Italy – Salumeria Della Musica
5/04 – Rome, Italy – Circolo Degli Artisti
5/05 – Ravenna, Italy – Bronson
5/06 – Aarau, Switzerland – Kiff
5/07 – Munich, Germany – 59-1
5/09 – Berlin, Germany – Magnet
5/10 – Hamburg, Germany – Prinzenbar
5/11 – Cologne, Germany – Blue Shell
5/12 – Nijmegen, Holland – Doornroosje
5/13 – Amsterdam, Holland – Melkweg
5/14 – Brussels, Belgium – Botanique Festival
5/16 – Vendome, France – La Chapelle Vendome
5/17 – Strasbourg, France – La Laiterie
5/18 – Paris, France – Divan du Monde
5/19 – London, UK – Scala
5/20 – Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute
5/21 – Glasgow, UK – Arches

08-me-me-me.mp3
Middle Brother – Me Me Me [MP3]

The alt-country super group, Middle Brother, will continue their stay on the road. TheMusic.FM was lucky enough to catch them on the West Coast and you can catch the band in a proper headlining tour. The band consists of Matthew Vasquez (Delta Spirit), John McCauley III (Deer Tick) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), all lead singers who joined together to bring you Middle Brother. While Delta Spirit will not be on tour, Deer Tick and Dawes will be supporting. The band’s debut album will be released on March 1.

Check out a live video taken from the Invisible Children benefit show in Los Angeles below.

All dates below, including two dates in New York. Tickets go on sale Friday for New York, Philadelphia, and Minnesota. Tickets for Boston are on sale Saturday.

Middle Brother // Me Me Me [live] from Brandon Tauszik on Vimeo.

Middle Brother Tour Dates
03.02 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
03.03 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA
03.04 – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel – Providence, RI
03.05 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
03.06 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
03.09 – Theatre of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
03.10 – Water Street Music Hall – Rochester, NY
03.11 – Opera House – Toronto, ON, CA
03.12 – The Metro – Chicago, IL
03.13 – Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI
03.14 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
03.17 – Club Dada – Dallas, TX
03.19 – Auditorium Shores – SXSW – Austin, TX Ground Control Touring Showcase w/ Bright Eyes, the Felice Brothers, Man Man

That incredible indexer of music blog MP3 postings that you should tell all your friends about, The Hype Machine, has released the first segment of its lists of the top 50 bands, albums and tracks of 2010. The order, of course, is based on data on what the site’s users have heard and ‘loved’ over the past year.

HypeM’s “2010 Zeitgeist” comes in the form of a mini-site, offering nice big graphics, handy song players, and a mix from The Knocks of some of the top tracks.

Mark Ronson also joined HypeM’s Dev Sherlock to review some of these top albums and tracks on the latest edition of Hype Machine Radio.

Head over to hypem.com/zeitgeist/2010 to check it all out. Some of the key audio streams are below:

The Knocks – Mix of Hype Machine’s Top Tracks of 2010 [MP3]

Peter Bjorn & John – It Don’t Move Me (The Knocks Remix)

Hype Machine Radio Show: January 2011

Before The Disco Biscuits started their run at Terminal 5 in New York, the band had lost their drummer, Allen Aucoin. Suffering a severe asthma attack, a rotation of drummers was set for the Terminal 5 shows. While the other drummers were heralded in their own right, it was the announcement of original drummer Sam Altman on night 3, having left the band for medical school, that generated the most excitement. The giddy mood was felt immediately as you walked in to Terminal 5 on December 29, making for a great capstone to their New York run.

As the band hit the stage just after 9:35pm, the crowd at Terminal 5 began the chant of “Sammy!”, causing the band to stop for a second and recognize the outpouring of affection. I don’t claim to be an expert in jam bands, their fans, or the pantheon of who is the best, but I appreciate fans who are dedicated and passionate. This was case on 12/29, seeing groups of friends walk in together, catching up, people traveling to be here, there was no veiled attempts to dampen the spirit of the night.

The fans were passionate, as I was eavesdropping on conversations, the fans were knowledgeable about the songs, the styles, the manner of playing (being inverted or segue, etc), their own hopes for the setlist for the night, etc. Other fans compared the other two nights, commenting on what each drummer brought to jams of The Disco Biscuits. Sure, there were illicit activities going on every so often, but that’s a footnote and maybe for someone else to tackle. Right now, I want to talk about their music.

Stepping into “I-Man” it was great just to see the build up, the way the band worked together, how the mood was being built. There was a deliberate tempo, a pace to it. It was easy to fall into, to dance, and forget a band was on stage. The lyrics were nice anchors to center the action. It was exploratory and jazzy without lingering. It was progressively fluid, rarely did the music just hang laterally. “I-Man” swelled and was a great way to introduce the night. The guitar riffs by Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig were matched perfectly by the rising synths and electronic doings of Aron Magner. The rhythm section of Marc “Brownie” Brownstein and Sam Altman, held it down with intricate layering and nice fills. Call it “trance fusion” if you will, but The Disco Biscuits know how to play and truly shine in a live setting. It rocks hard and you can dance to it, and fans never stopped moving. Nearly 15 minutes into the set, the band played only one song, but there was so much going on it felt like three.

With barely any time to breathe, the band kicked into a fantastic and fun cover of “Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd. It was bombastic and with the added lasers, a dizzying spectacle. It was a cover in spirit, as the band roamed freely and pushed boundaries. When the lyrics were sung, it was an emphatic statement that capped a rousing and tense build up, complete with spiraling guitar and synths. Bookending it with the completion of “I-Man” again, with set ender “Above the Waves”, tied the whole thematic set together.

Fear not, three songs and around an hour for a set, it was not over. The band had a brief set break, and whatever they did, it rejuvenated them. The opening of “Aceetobee” was lush and vibrant. Slowed-down to some degree, it didn’t take too long for the band to kick into high gear. “Down to the Bottom” continued the jam band vibe of Set 2. While the pace was slower than Set 1, the lasers were working over time. It was an interesting mirror into their influences. More electronic and rock in Set 1, a little more R&B, blues, and jazz in Set 2.

Needless to say, I’m a fan of the band after this show. While some of the fans may have just thought this show was “OK,” I was easily won over. Set 2 ended with a visit back to “Run Like Hell” and the encore of “Home Again” sent fans home happy. Here’s to 2011 and hopefully another Bisco show.

The Disco Biscuits Night 3 at Terminal 5 Setlist
Set 1 : I-Man > Run Like Hell > I-Man, Above The Waves
Set 2: Aceetobee, Down To The Bottom, M.E.M.P.H.I.S. > Confrontation (inverted) > Run Like Hell
Encore: Home Again

Full Flickr Set Here

Before all of the fun happened with The Disco Biscuits, The Crystal Method opened and warmed up Terminal 5. It was loud, raw, and intense. I loved the energy and the passion of Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan. It was bass heavy and a perfect opener for The Disco Biscuits.