| Bloc Party reveal new sound
There are some surprises... Bloc Party are close to finishing the recording of their second album. In a letter to fans, the group have revealed that it features R'n'B beats, strings and double drum kits. Posting on their official fan space, bassist Gordon Moakes said: "Bloc Party have finished a month at Grouse Lodge in County Westmeath in Ireland laying down licks and chops for the next record. It rained a lot but it was a truly enjoyable experience." Moakes revealed that the band and producer Jacknife Lee have explored new sounds and styles in the recording of the album. He added: "We've all been banging and hitting things, detuning guitars, programming beats and making various kinds of racket. I guess we had big ideas for this album and Jacknife has given them the green light and urged us to go further.
Critics' Choice Awards
There's a reason why Calexico's star keeps rising--locally, nationally and internationally. They're a versatile, multinational outfit that can seem to do no wrong, and they've done as much to shine a light on Tucson's music scene as anyone. Whether he's releasing solo albums or with Giant Sand, performing with his Danish cohorts or by himself, switching deftly between guitar and piano, Gelb and Sand have been doing that ramshackle, unpredictable thing they do for more than two decades, and they show no signs of slowing down. Featuring a pair of sisters on bass and vocals/guitar, and a male drummer whose crash cymbal is way too high in the air, The Beta Sweat update Jimmy Page's riffs and adapts them to the punk ethos. Add tension, dynamics and a soulful singer who can whisper or scream, and make you believe both equally.
Boston's annual music festival takes over Fenway
The worlds of baseball and music have long been intertwined,going back to1908 when Jack Norworth wrote the lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ballgame and famously in 1967when Paul Simon wondered what happened to Joe DiMaggio in Mrs. Robinson. Buton Wednesday night, the two come together in Boston, where musicians and baseball fans alike converge on Fenway Park for the annual Hot Stove, Cool Music Festival. Scheduled to perform are James Taylor, Howie Day, Kay Hanley, Buffalo Tom (with guest rhythm guitarist Theo Epstein), Cowboy Mouth, Red Sox pitcher Lenny DiNardo anda slew of others. The event was born in 2000 as the brainchild of Boston Herald Red Sox beat writer Jeff Horrigan and ESPN's Peter Gammons. The two were hanging out at the Paradise Club in Boston when they noticed a poster on the wall for a band called Thurman Munson.
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