Back to Folsom Prison

Jan. 4, 2006

It was nearly 40 years ago that Johnny Cash recorded his live album at Folsom Prison, and now, things are coming full circle.  20th Century Fox is screening the Johnny Cash biopic film “Walk the Line” at the California prison facility on January 3, and Joaquin Phoenix - who just received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Cash - will be attending.  The film studio and the directors of the nonprofit Prison Fellowship organization agreed that showing the film at Folsom will share “the lesson of Johnny Cash” - that being the fact that “it’s never too late for a man to turn his life around.”  It’s a great continuing legacy for the Man in Black, who believed in using music to connect to all people...
 
Ex-The Verve singer Richard Ashcroft has completed work on his latest solo album, Keys to the World, which will hit stores on February 5, being prefaced to radio by the single “Break the Night with Colour.”  A critical fave, as well as a fave of Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin, Ashcroft teamed up with past producer Chris Potter for the album’s recording in a London studio.  It’s his first disc on Parlophone Records, and will include tracks “Simple Song,” “Words Just Get in the Way,” “World Keeps Turning,” “Sweet Brother Malcolm,” “Cry Til the Morning,” and, of course, the title track...
 
The Flaming Lips have been out of the loop for the past few months, but that’s just because they’ve been busy behind the scenes, making plans for a set of 2006 releases.  January 31 will see the special edition CD/DVD release of the band’s 1999 album The Soft Bulletin (retitled The Soft Bulletin 5.1), which will feature the entire disc in Surround Sound, with additional rare tracks and videos added.  The new album that fans have been waiting for - now titled At War With The Mystics - is now set to hit stores in April 2006, with the debut single, W.A.N.D., hitting radio on January 10.  And if you’re going to be in L.A. on New Years Eve, you can catch the Flaming Lips onstage at the Giant Village New Years Eve concert, where they’ll be performing along with The Black Eyed Peas, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Crystal Method...
 
Chicago’s legendary indie-punk band Smoking Popes will be releasing a live CD and a live DVD on February 28, with the releases to be accompanied by a North American headlining tour that will run from late February to mid-March.  The band will be supported on the tour by Victory Records labelmates Bayside, and the Popes themselves will likely perform many of their legendary tunes, including underground hit “Born To Quit.”  Although they initially disbanded back in 1998, the band has influenced the likes of Fall Out Boy and Alkaline Trio, and the enthused persistance of fans is, in part, what’s bringing the band back...
 
MINI BUZZ:
Speaking of Alkaline Trio, they’ve announced a short UK tour to promote their latest album Crimson, with that tour set to kick off on February 21...
Devo have regrouped to re-record some of their most popular songs (yes, including “Whip It”) with a quintet of kid singers for the Disney Sound label - the disc will also include tunes “The Winner” and “Cyclops,” the first new studio tracks from Devo in 20 years...
New York rockers We Are Scientists are set to drop their debut disc, Love and Squalor, on January 10...
The SnoCore tour will kick off in January, with bands Seether, Shinedown, Flyleaf, and Halestorm on board, and with the tour making stops in Houston, TX (1/24), Hollywood (2/4), Chicago (2/14), and Fort Wayne, Indiana (2/17)...
The Cribs will kick off the new year with a tour of the Far East, joining Kaiser Chiefs in Japan and then continuing on to Australia...
And the annual SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas has confirmed the first round of acts set to perform - among the staggering roster of musicians are Belle + Sebastian, Neko Case, Dashboard Confessional, Death in Vegas, The Hellacopters, Empire Dogs, Beth Orton, The Plimsouls, Saves the Day, The Living End, Tom Verlaine, and The Bats - SXSW takes place from the 15th to the 19th of March, 2006...

And here’s a sneak peek at the new releases coming out this week... ON CD:  The Strokes drop First Impressions of Earth... From Monument to Masses offer up Schools of Thought Contend... The Dynotones! release Beach Party A Go-Go... Nucleus presents Elastic Rock... Felt releases Goldmine Trash... and The Anti-Nowhere League releases Kings and Queen... ON DVD:  Biography: Dean Martin... The Rutles 2 - Can’t Buy Me Lunch... Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi’s Rock Forever!... and Elvis ‘56 - In the Beginning... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Questions, comments, rants, raves about this column or your fave musicians?  Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!