Archive for July, 2010

Morcheeba may have continued to be in existence in some form since its formation in the mid-1990s, but its sound will almost certainly be forever associated with that decade. Before the Time-dubbed “Decade From Hell”, Morcheeba’s blend of lush, loungy trip-hop perfectly captured the carefree, decadent dot-com era that was the mid-‘90s. Even if that decade contained its share of wars and economic misery, it seemed far easier to evade those problems, and Morcheeba was the soundtrack of escape. The group’s first two albums, Who Can You Trust? (1996) and Big Calm (1998), had an irresistible formula: deliver some jazzy hip-hop style beats and lay them over Skye Edwards’ vocals, which were the perfect mix of frigid cool and warm soul.

In 2003, Edwards left Morcheeba. Brothers Ross and Paul Godfrey continued, but the group’s signature voice was gone. Seven years later (according to a post by Edwards on her MySpace page), the three had dinner, got tipsy, and decided to reform. A scant four months later,  Morcheeba’s new album Blood Like Lemonade is already available for download or in stores (in the UK).

For about four songs on Blood Like Lemonade, it sounds like 1998 all over again in a good way. The opening track, “Crimson”, is the perfect vehicle to welcome Edwards back into the fold. Her ached delivery of the chorus “hellbound hopeless for you” will linger in a listener’s ears long after the album ends. It’s the type of track that makes you question whether you downloaded the album correctly, as the slow burning nature of the song seems more at home at an album’s midway point.

Things continue to go good for the reunited Morcheeba. “Even Though” may not be as memorable as “Crimson”, but it’s by no means a weak track, and serves as a great lead-in to the title track. While “Blood Like Lemonade” contains horribly clichéd vampire imagery and an admittedly silly simile, the Godfrey brothers manage to keep the pacing light. The band had enough faith in the song to concoct a drink after it.

To read the full review visit the POPMATTERS

To hear some new tunes from the album visit MYSPACE

Though hot acts such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are having no trouble filling venues, several high-profile tours — including the Jonas Brothers, Lilith Fair and American Idols Live — have canceled, postponed or reshuffled dates in recent weeks as budget-conscious concertgoers think twice before spending their money.

Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni says preliminary numbers from the concert trade publication’s midyear report on the 100 top touring acts show a 20% drop in gross revenue and total ticket sales from Jan. 1 through June 30 compared with the same period in 2009. Meanwhile, average ticket prices are now below $60, compared with $64.61 last year. Final numbers are expected later this week.

“There’s still a strong appetite for live music if you have the right attraction,” Bongiovanni says. “It’s wrong to say the sky is falling and business is horrible, but I don’t think we are seeing anything that we shouldn’t have expected.”

To read the complete article visit USA TODAY

“It was a wonderful moment,” says The Gracious Few’s chief protagonist, guitarist, and co songwriter Chad Taylor of a particular late winters 2010 day in Sausalito California. “As I loosened the grip on my guitar after that final take, I knew the past was exactly that. It can’t come back to haunt me. It can only influence me and our future as a band. Primarily because we’ve all already been there.” Typically Taylor would be back in his home state of Pennsylvania at this time of year, perhaps even shoveling snow, but most likely thinking about his feature film company or other varied business interests, certainly not music. But in that moment warmth came over him as the strings still resonated, “I looked into the control room, and the guys, and thought this very nearly didn’t happen.”

For more info visit THE GRACIOUS FEW

Slash has announced details of an upcoming tour of North America. Kicking off in San Francisco on August 29, the 18-date jaunt concludes with a show in Seattle on October 2.

On the gig-run the legendary guitarist will be backed by Todd Kerns on bass, Bobby Schneck on rhythm guitar, Brent Fitz on drums and Alter Bridges’ singer Myles Kennedy.

Currently on tour in the UK and Ireland, Slash will also appear at this year’s Wireless festival on July 4.

To see a complete list of tour dates visit NME