The Jam Man is Back

May 3, 2006

Legendary Jam member Paul Weller is prepping to drop a two-disc live album, a set that will include both tracks from his own solo work and from his work with The Jam and his other band, The Style Council.  Recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace during Weller’s 2005 tour, the album will include tunes “The Changingman,” “That’s Entertainment,” “Town Called Malice,” “Shout to the Top,” “Wild Wood,” and “The In Crowd” - it will be his first live disc to get an official (as opposed to import-only) U.S. release.  Weller, who received a Brit Award for Lifetime Achievement last February, will possibly be doing some touring this summer as well, although the only confirmed dates as of press time are the European Oxegen and T in the Park festivals;  the live disc, which he’s dubbed Catch-Flame! will be in stores this summer...
 
Chicago indie-popsters OK Go, just returned from a set of winter shows in the UK, have announced a new itinerary of live U.S. dates that began on April 20 and will keep the band on the road for the next two months.  The band will play headline dates as well as guest appearances on shows by the likes of Panic! at the Disco and She Wants Revenge, and they’ll also be hitting several big radio festivals in California and Maryland.  OK Go live dates will include stops in Houston (5/6), Albany NY (5/13), Boston (5/18), Seattle (5/20), Las Vegas (6/13), and Albuquerque New Mexico (6/14),
 
The 2006 Radio 1 Big Weekend Festival is set to kick off on the weekend of May 13 and 14 in Dundee, Scotland, with this year’s event taking over the city’s Camperdown Park.  The shows will be broadcast on BBC Radio 1 all weekend, and, remarkably, the whole shebang is totally free, with 15,000 tickets being made available for each day’s roster of shows - and what shows!  Performers at the Big Weekend will include Muse, Keane, Snow Patrol, The Streets, Razorlight, Bloc Party, Sugababes, Feeder, and many more, including some breakout performers that will be showcased at the In New Music We Trust stage...
 
And, later in the summer, the annual Roskilde Festival will take place just outside of Copenhagen, where around 75,000 people will meet to listen to live bands and bask in the Danish sunshine. Set to run between June 29 and July 2, this year’s big series of shows will include sets from The Strokes, Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Placebo, Sigur Ros, and Death Cab for Cutie;  the event’s most recent roster additions include The Raconteurs (Jack White’s new project), Editors, and Kaiser Chiefs, who were just added this week...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:  Speaking of Jack White, much has been discussed about the Coca-Cola commercial that he was hired to write a song for - but who knows if or when the ad will air on U.S. television.  But why wait? The wacky commercial - which features a cast of stop-motion characters moving about to Jack’s 60’s-flavored song - is now available for viewing on the internet.  Just go to www.youtube.com, and type “Jack White Coke Ad” in the search box, and there you’ll have it...
 
MINI BUZZ:
Coldplay are among the top nominees for this year’s Ivor Novello Awards; they received three noms for their latest album, Speed of Sound, and join a roster of nominees that includes Gorillaz, KT Tunstall, Kaiser Chiefs, James Blunt, and Arctic Monkeys...
Speaking of Gorillaz, they may be making a video game based on the adventures (or mis-adventures) of the animated Brit-pop-rock band themselves...
Smashing Pumpkins have officially reformed, according to a post of the band’s official website; they are reportedly writing new material and plan to begin recording this summer, although there are no details yet on exactly which members have rejoined...
Robbie Williams is said to be rejoining his old band, too - well, kinda; singer Gary Barlow of Williams’ old group Take That has stated that Williams will appear “with” the band as a ten-foot hologram on selected dates of the band’s UK tour...
Snow Patrol are returning to North America on May 23 for a 19-show tour that will begin in Denver, Colorado, and will run through the end of June; their new album, Eyes Open, will hit stores on May 9...
And if you’re a fan of (or like to make fun of) American Idol, then you’ll likely enjoy the new movie American Dreamz, starring Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore, which roundly lampoons the singing contest show and which hits theaters this week...
 
And also out this week are these new releases... ON CD:  Golden Smog’s Another Fine Day... Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs’ Under the Covers Vol. 1... Mugison’s Little Trip... Lovely Feathers’ Hind Hind Legs... Stereophonics’ Live from Dakota... and The Church’s Uninvited, Like the Clouds... ON DVD: Coachella: The Film... David Bowie: Serious Moonlight... The Corrs’ Live in Geneva... and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions about this column or your fave musicians?  Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!