Earth Day Action

April 11, 2007

Earth Day action

This year’s Earth Day (April 22nd) will mark the date for the second Green Apple Music & Arts Festival, which will happen simultaneously in NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco.  The largest carbon-neutral event of its kind, each venue will feature environmentally-friendly supplies as well as a plethora of terrific acts - the New York show will feature Mahavishnu Project, Brendan James, From Autumn to Ashes, and Particle;  Chicago’s will host The Decemberists, Kaiser Chiefs, Mad Professor, and The Walkmen;  and San Fran’s will showcase Trans Am, Martin Sexton, Weir and Ratdog, and Marley;  find out more at
www.greenapplemusicfestival.com...
 
Brit popsters Squeeze - well, part of ‘em, anyway - are making plans to tour the UK - and possibly beyond - for the first time since 1999, according to a posting on singer Glenn Tilbrook’s personal website.  Although a Squeeze reunion has been debunked several times in the past, Squeeze’s Chris Difford, at least, apparantly feels that the time is finally right, so a series of live dates with Tilbrook and Difford confirmed is now set to kick off this fall...
 
R.E.M. has recorded a cover version of John Lennon’s “#9 Dream” as their contribution to the new Darfur charity album that’s set to hit stores this summer.  Dubbed Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur, the album, approved by Yoko Ono, will feature additional Lennon covers from the likes of Snow Patrol, Regina Spektor, Green Day, The Postal Service, R.E.M. and others; in conjunction with the album, Amnesty International is organizing other events to help affect change in Darfur.  Find out more at
www.instantkarma.org...
U2 will be the subjects of a brand new 3-D film as announced at the recent ShoWest convention in Las Vegas;  producers are calling it “the first film to be shot and exhibited entirely in 3-D,” and the footage will be taken from U2’s concerts in South America, set to include around 15 songs and wrapping up at about 90 minutes in length.  The first trailer includes a performance of U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and the full film is expected to hit IMAX theaters late in 2007...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK: Peter Bjorn and John (no commas, please - the band simply doesn’t like ‘em) are the latest buzz band to arrive from Stockholm, Sweden, and they way-impressed audiences both during their recent appearances at SXSW and on the Conan O’Brien show.  So just who is this trio of one-named wonders?  Find out before the rest of your friends do at
www.peterbjornandjohn.com...
 
 MINI BUZZ:
Arctic Monkeys’ new album, dubbed Favourite Worst Nightmare, is now set to drop on April 24, and will be accompanied by the Monkeys’ tour dates, which will kick off on April 27 and will criss-cross the U.S....
Air are set to trek across the U.S., too - they’ll hit the States for a series of live dates in promotion of their new Pocket Symphony album;  initial American stops will include Chicago (5/4), Philadelphia (5/8), and
NYC (5/10)...
The Fratellis, whose tune, “Flathead,” you’ve probably already been hearing on those day-glo colored iPod tv ads, are releasing their album, Costello Tunes, this week...
The Beastie Boys have been busy tweaking the last bits of their newest as-yet-untitled album, and, according to the Beasties’ Adam Yauch, hope to have the disc out this summer...
Brit indie-rockers Maximo Park will embark on a North American tour - including stops in NYC (7/12), Chicago (7/16), and Seattle (7/22) in support of their second album, Our Earthly Pleasures, which is due out on May 8 on Warp Records...
And Manic Street Preachers’ upcoming album, Send Away the Tigers, will include tracks “Underdogs,” “Indian Summer,” “The Second Great Depression,” and “Your Love Alone is Not Enough,” which features The Cardigans’ singer Nina Persson;  the new album hits stores April 30...
 
Hitting stores this week, however, are (obviously) this week’s new releases...

ON CD:   Jarvis Cocker’s Jarvis... Kings of Leon’s Because of the Times...  Klaxon’s Myths of the Near Future... Bright Eyes’ Cassadaga... Low’s Drums and Guns... and Love of Diagrams’ Mosiac... ON DVD:  The Smiths - Still Ill... Mute Math: Flesh and Bone Electric Fun... U2: Achtung Baby - A Classic Album Under Review... Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell: Catch the Moon (CD and DVD)... 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