Get your tix now for the White Stripes...Ballet?

May 9, 2010

Get Your Tix Now for the White Stripes... Ballet?
Composer Joby Talbot released an album called Aluminum back in 2006, on which he recorded his covers of ten White Stripes songs alongside XL Recordings’ Richard Russell, a set that made a small rumble in the U.S. Unbeknownst to most White Stripes fans, however, Talbot also spent part of 2006 working with choreographer Wayne McGregor to put together a little something called Chroma, an actual ballet set to similar orchestral versions of Talbot’s interpretations of White Stripes songs. Got all that? As for actually seeing Chroma, you’ll have to road trip to Toronto, where the ballet will premiere November 24 at the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts as part of the National Ballet of Canada’s 2010-2011 season. Jack White’s been invited to the premiere, so perhaps you’ll even get to rub shoulders with a Stripe yourself...
Dizzee Rascal is set to have his life story profiled in a brand new book, tentatively titled The Dizzee Rascal Story, as published by Canongate Books, a new publishing arm of Rascal’s own record label. No word yet on if Dizzee will write the tome himself, but it’s already scheduled for a hardback version featuring original photos and lyrics to be released in October, plus an audiobook and digital edition; a paperback version will follow in summer 2011...
Franz Ferdinand have started penning songs for their upcoming fourth album, with Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy serving as the main songwriters for now. The band, who will be following up 2009’s Tonight... album, say that they’re trying a “different approach” to their songs this time around, although they’re being a little mysterious about just what that means; in the meantime, they’ll be playing live dates in Australia and South America over the next few weeks...
And Portishead’s Adrian Utley has worked with Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory to compose the score soundtrack for a 1928 film about Joan of Arc. The duo will premiere the new score this week in Bristol, England, during a special screening of the film itself, and six electric guitarists will accompany them onstage, with the entire ensemble helmed by conductor Charles Hazlewood...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Dave Matthews Band has continued to add dates to their extensive summer tour; a new round of a whopping 49 shows has just been added, with the entire tour schedule now including stops in Toronto (6/1), Columbus OH (6/22), Clarkston MI (6/23 at the DTE Energy Music Theater), Pittsburgh PA (7/10), Washington DC (7/23), and Los Angeles (8/23); the tour will continue through mid-September, so to stay updated on all dates and updates, check out www.davematthewsband.com...

MINI BUZZ:
Prog-rock legends Rush are set to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame this month; Rush: The Documentary is also set for a tentative release date of May 18...
Lightspeed Champion will tour the UK this month, performing in support of his sophomore album Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You, which was released in February...
Italy’s Jammin’ Festival has selected their headliners, namely Green Day, Pearl Jam, and the Black Eyed Peas, for the event running July 3 through the 6th...
Crosby, Stills and Nash are returning to the stage with a short U.S. tour kicking off in May; their stops will include Phoenix AZ (5/29), Denver CO (6/2), and Seattle (6/10), and they’ll continue on from there to shows in Europe in July...
Dance-tronica band Gossip will continue touring this year in support of their newest set, 2009’s Music for Men, and have just been added to the schedule at this year’s Wireless Festival...
And James Murphy has solidified the release date for the next LCD Soundsystem album, which will hit stores on May 17...
But you won’t have to wait for this week’s new releases... ON CD: Big Audio Dynamite’s This Is Big Audio Dynamite: Legacy Edition... Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ The Brutalist Bricks... and UNKLE’s Where Did the Night Fall... ON DVD: Rock n’ Roll High School 30th Anniversary Special Edition ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com