Swinging Joan Baez takes to a tree

June 7, 2006

Legendary folk singer Joan Baez has taken up residence in a tree - literally - at Los Angeles’ South Central Farm, a 14-acre agricultural retreat for around 350 inner-city farmers who are each responsible for a small patch of the land.  Baez is joining several other activists who are camping up in the trees in makeshift treehouses to protest the eviction threats that are coming at the organization, who are having financial difficulties related to keeping the charitable farm running.  The land dispute has been going on for some time now, but Baez, along with other celebs such as singer Ben Harper and actresses Laura Dern and Daryl Hannah, are hoping that the extra media attention will help the farm’s cause...
 
The Futureheads have finished work on their sophomore full-length CD, which they’ve titled News and Tributes, and are releasing the disc this week, following up the album’s appearance with appearances of their own in-person and on-stage as they begin their U.S. tour.  The boys are hitting the road with NYC band The French Kicks and buzz band Tapes N’ Tapes, and will be making stops at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival and San Diego’s Street Scene Fest as well as additional dates in Atlanta GA (6/26), Washington DC (6/28), Toronto (7/26), Detroit (7/27 at The Magic Stick), Minneapolis (7/30), and Las Vegas (8/4)...
 
Fiery Furnaces songwriter Matthew Friedberger is set to release his first solo album on August 8, courtesy of new label 859 Recordings.  Recorded at Key Club Recording Studios in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the disc was tracked on an old custom mixing board that was made for Sly Stone, and Friedberger found the isolation of the location helpful in that there were few distractions.  The album will actually consist of two discs, titled “Winter Women,” which is more of a pop effort, and “Holy Ghost Language School,” which Friedberger calls more of a concept album.  There most likely won’t be a Matthew Friedberger solo tour in support of the disc, though - instead, Friedberger plans to go back into the studio to begin work on another Fiery Furnaces disc this fall...
 
Cracker are planning to tour, though, in support of both their new studio album, Greenland (out this week) and a just released new version of their greatest hits album.  Their headlining schedule will begin on June 11 in St. Louis, including stops in New Orleans (6/16), Boston (7/23), Richmond VA (7/28), West Hollywood CA (8/19), and the tour will continue into September, including a couple of stops to play shows with singer/guitarist David Lowery’s other band, Camper Van Beethoven.
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:   Wanna be in a Yeah Yeah Yeahs video?  All you have to do is send the band a video of yourself singing their song “Cheated Hearts” - get more details by following this complicated but worthy link:  http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=140515
 
MINI BUZZ:
Michigan’s Madonna kicked off her Confessions Tour in Inglewood, California this past Sunday...
Target has been tagged as the exclusive U.S. retailer for Ziggy Marley’s second solo album, Love is My Religion, which will hit stores on July 4 - the deal marks Target’s first one-to-one distribution deal with an artist without utilizing the traditional “big label” route...
Rocker Ray Davies has said that he’s planning a summer reunion with his brother and former Kinks bandmate Dave Davies to pen some songs and discuss a possible reunion of The Kinks...
Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty have donated $200,000 to help restore music education programs in areas that were affected by Hurricane Katrina - some of the funds from Thomas’ upcoming summer solo tour will also be targeted towards charity...
Congrats going out to Hollaback Girl Gwen Stefani and her hubby, former Bush singer Gavin Rossdale, who welcomed a baby boy that they’ve named Kingston James McGregor Rossdale...
For those of you who have been living in a cave, gray-haired soul man Taylor Hicks was named the latest American Idol, with Katharine McPhee as runner-up;  both singers received cars and are already well on their way to recording contracts...

 
And here are some recordings that are ready for your purchase this week... ON CD:  The Fall’s Middle Class Revolt... Massive Attack’s Collected... Buddy Holly’s The Definitive Collection... McFly’s Just My Luck... Ladytron’s Extended Play... and T Bone Burnett’s The True False Identity... ON DVD:  Loretta Lynn’s Songs of Inspiration... Johnny Cash - Ridin’ the Rails... Haack: The King of Techno... and Miles Davis’ Cool Jazz Sound... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your fave musicians?  Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!