Laura Veirs Tour Dates Announced

Fresh off the release of her seventh album, July Flame, Laura Veirs and her band are set to embark on a nationwide tour. Songwriters occasionally turn to strange places for inspiration, but Veirs ending her self-proclaimed songwriting slump off a variety of peach sold at a Portland farmers market is about as odd as it gets. Regardless of the strange inspiration, the album (out now) is a gorgeous set of indie folk sure to win over new fans; already garnering strong reviews and is now the featured 'indie spotlight' on iTunes and is set to be the 'Single Of The Week' next week.

The Band sets sail starting February 12th in Vermont, with the final date currently set for March 9th in LA. Something tells us with all the exposure the fantastic new album is getting, you will have your chance to see her soon enough if your city is not yet listed. Lucky for us, she hits Schubas in Chicago on February 27th!

February:
12 Burlington, VT at Higher Ground
13 Cambridge, MA at The Middle East
14 Northhampton, MA at The Iron Horse
15 New York, NY at Mercury Lounge
17 Philadelphia, PA at World Café Live
18 Washington DC at IOTA Club & Cafe
19 Chapel Hill, NC at Local 506
20 Atlanta, GA at Star Bar
21 Nashville, TN at The Basement
23 Austin, TX at Mohawk
24 Denton, TX at Dan’s Silverleaf
26 St Louis, MO at Off Broadway
27 Chicago, IL at Schubas
28 Madison, WI at The Frequency

March:
02 Minneapolis, MN at Cedar St. Cultural Center
03 Omaha, NE at Waiting Room
05 Denver, CO at Larimer Lounge
06 Manitou Springs, CO at Venue 515
08 San Diego, CA at Casbah
09 Los Angeles, CA at Spaceland

Upcoming Shows - Week ending January 17th

There is plenty to check out this week, with 2010's installment of Tomorrow Never Knows blowing through Schubas and Lincon Hall this week. Honestly, there may not be a better concertgoing deal until the Lollapalooza pre-sale than Tomorrow Never Knows' uber-cheap $75 pass for the five-day event. Here are the two shows from the series that we like best.

Wednesday, January 13th - Lincoln Hall - The Dead Trees, Adam Green, The Cribs - 9 pm - $15

Having caught The Cribs at Lollapalooza, when they were supporting Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, we know are already a sure-bet to kick your ass live. With the addition of Johnny Marr to the band, there is no telling how much better they will sound - but the leap in quality from a good band to a great one is apparent on their most recent album, Ignore The Ignorant. This is easily the best show of the Tomorrow Never Knows set, and it is a crime that there are still tickets available. Take advantage!

Saturday, January 16th - Lincoln Hall - Julie Dorion, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Bowerbirds - 10pm - $15

Having somehow missed out on the previous times Canada's The Rural Alberta Advantage have made it through the Windy City, it seems like the perfect time to give the band a chance live. Their debut, Hometowns, was one of our favorite debuts of 2009; with a quaint folk-pop sound that feels like it could have been recorded in your living room. Despite some softer moments, like lovely love song "The Air", the ramshackle production is carefully disguising just how hard jittery tunes like "The Dethbridge In Lethbridge" rock. From the sounds of it, they are a great fit to open for Bowerbirds, but we are here to sing the praises of The RAA. Best yet, the album hit Canada in 2008, so you have to guess they have written some new tracks to show off.

Slayer Postpones Tour

Formed in 1981, the near thirty-year run of metal for Slayer is going to take a bit of an unfortunate break. Front man, Tom Araya first started feeling back pain on the band's October tour of Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. With the pain steadily increasing, Araya played through it and ended up seeing an orthopedic specialist when they returned to the states. After passing on major surgery in favor of a series of minimally invasive procedures on the Cervical Radiculpathy. Still dealing with bouts of severe pain, numbness, and muscle spasms, Araya will undergo an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion, which according to the band's press release 'is a relatively routine practice and the recovery rate is excellent.'

As a result, the band's planned American and Canadian Carnage tours have been postponed, along with their European tour in March and April. Booking agents are working to reschedule the dates, with purchased tickets being honored at the new dates.

We don't normally cover metal here, but memories of jean jackets with Slayer patches sewn on and a slow news day made us do it. We wish Araya a speedy recovery!

The Cribs Kick Off Tour In Chicago Next Week

UK indie rockers, The Cribs are set to hit our shores for a brief tour starting with an appearance at next week's annual Tomorrow Never Knows series in Chicago. Already a fantastic band, the former trio made news last year for adding a guitarist to the mix. That is not normally a big deal, but when the axe-man in question is ex-Smiths' legend Johnny Marr, you tend to take note. Hot on the heels of the newly released, Marr-fuelled, Ignore The Ignorant, the band is set to unleash their brilliance here at the following dates, through January:

January
13 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall !
14 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag !
15 Toronta, ONT - Phoenix Theatre !
16 New York, NY - Irving Plaza !
17 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club !
19 Washington, DC - 9.30 Club !
20 Atlanta, GA - The Earl !
22 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre !
23 Austin, TX - The Parish !
26 Pomona, CA - The Glass House *
27 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo 365 *
29 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
30 Seattle, WA - Showbox Theatre *
31 Vancouver, BC - The Venue *

! with Adam Green & The Dead Trees
* with Jemima Pearl

Be sure to catch them while they're here, and head on over to Filter (here) to register to win a Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special Guitar - the same kind Marr plays.

The Dear & Departed Hit The Road With Alkaline Trio

Armed with a new EP, Chapters, produced by New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert, Cali-based rockers The Dear & Departed are set to head out on tour with Alkaline Trio and Cursive for a string of dates starting February 16th, in Pomona, CA. You may recognize frontman, Dan Smith, from the most recent season of L.A. Ink; where his work as a tattoo artist is on display. Fear not, unlike most reality stars, Smith (and his crew) have talent.

The expansive month and a half tour weaves around most of the country, giving you no reason not to head out and check out what should be a damn-fine line-up before the jump across the pond for some UK dates with A.F.I. They hit our native Chicago for two shows at Metro on February 27th and 28th. The rest of the dates are as follows:

w/Alkaline Trio
2/16 Pomona, CA @ Glass House
2/17 Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
2/18 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
2/19 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
2/20 Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
2/23 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
2/24 Salt Lake City, UT @ In the Venue
2/25 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
2/26 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
2/27 Chicago, IL @ Metro
2/28 Chicago, IL @ Metro
3/2 Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak
3/3 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
3/4 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
3/5 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
3/6 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
3/8 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Light
3/9 Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
3/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Tracadero
3/12 New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre
3/13 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
3/14 Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
3/16 Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
3/17 Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend
3/18 Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
3/19 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
3/20 Jacksonville Beach, FL @ Freebird Live
3/22 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
3/23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
3/25 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
3/26 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
3/27 Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
3/28 Austin, TX @ Emo's
3/30 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
4/1 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
4/2 Los Angeles @ House of Blues

w/AFI
4/5 Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
4/6 London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
4/8 Glasgow, UK @ ABC1
4/9 Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy
4/11 Newcastle, UK @ O2 Academy Newcastle
4/12 Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham

Mute Math - Armistice - Album Review

Though they run the gambit from the sparse electronica of The Postal Service ("Pins And Needles") to the jazzy funk of Jamiroqui ("Armistice"), Mute Math is essentially a rock-raised pop band. They spray to all fields on their sophomore effort, but their pop sensibilities and the soulful flair of the vocals are the binding agents for this satisfying sonic gumbo.

The band's affinity for infectious dance beats to drive hooks is reminiscent of Maroon 5, though with more of a rock edge on tracks like the steadily ticking mayhem of "Spotlight". They are at their best on "Backfire", where a ramshackle, thundering beat slams under the rich vocals delivering an irresistibly gooey hook as guitars creak and moan in the backdrop. The twitchy angst of "The Nerve" blares out of the speakers with a funk-laced shout-a-long, "Set it on fire", hook. Things really only fall short when they drop the tempo on lackluster ballads like piano-led "Lost Year". Most times they decide to tangle with the ivories, it is used as more of an accent, as on the wondrous buzzing symphony of "Clipping".

Seek - "Backfire", "The Nerve", "Electrify"

Upcoming Shows - Week ending January 9th

It is a slow start to 2010, so there's really only one show on our radar this week, but we promise it is a good one!

Saturday, January 9th - Double Door - Katie Todd, Flame Shark, The Damnwells - 9 pm - $12 in advance or $14 at the door

The Damnwells have turned over half the lineup since "Sleepsinging" began gracing XRT airwaves a few years ago, but front man Alex Dezen's great songwriting remain the principle reason the band is so damn good. Online freebie One Last Century was the first without lead guitarist Dave Chernis, and though the sound relied less on the blazing guitar of 'The Furnace', tracks like "55 Pictures" and "Bastard Of Midnight" showed there is still plenty to love. The band is in the midst of crafting their fourth full length, funded by fan donations in a partnership with Pledge Music - with a portion of the funds going to The Global Fund, fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. With the wealth of b-sides available for free to those who donated to the album, it will be great to see just how much of the yet-to-be-titled album gets played on Saturday.