The Killers ‘Soar‘ to Mt. Pleasant

The Killers ‘Soar’ to Mt. Pleasant
U2 completed a sold-out schedule of North American shows back in May, and now they’re back for a second round of dates, which have just been announced for the fall leg of U2’s 2005 tour. Set to also feature support in the form of opening acts from both Dashboard Confessional and Keane (although not at the same shows), the tour will include stops in Toronto (9/12 through 17), Chicago (9/20 and 9/21), Minneapolis (9/23), Boston (10/3 and 10/4), Detroit (10/24 and 10/25), and Los Angeles (11/1 and 11/2). Meanwhile, Dashboard are currently working with U2/Peter Gabriel producer Daniel Lanois on their next disc, which is expected to hit stores early in 2006; Keane are expected to drop a new set of songs in 2006, as well...

Also on tour in support of their latest album, Get Behind Me Satan, are Detroit’s own White Stripes, who will be webcasting one of their performances for the first time this fall. During their September 27 concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilian Theater in Columbia, Maryland, the band will be streaming their performance live online via the National Public Radio website, www.npr.org. The webcast will include sets by White Stripes’ opening acts M. Ward and The Shins, so be sure to listen in. The White Stripes current tour will wrap up on October 2 following a two-night stand in Detroit...

Okay - so, the bad news is that CBGB, the famed punk club in New York that has been in danger of closing due to lease/financial reasons, did not have its lease renewed in spite of recent massive “Save CBGB” by many of the now-famous (and not so famous) bands that have played there over the years, including Blondie, The Talking Heads, The Ramones, The Police, The Clash, The Strokes, and many, many more. The good news is that CBGB owner Hilly Kristal isn’t giving up without even more of a fight - he’s vowed to continue his court battle with the venue’s landlord, so those of you whose experience with CBGB has been limited to that t-shirt you purchased at Hot Topic may still have a chance to see the rock n’ roll landmark yet, if Kristal has anything to say about it...

Meanwhile, San Diego band Switchfoot are prepping for mucho promo in order to get the word out about their latest album, Nothing is Sound, which hits stores this week. The follow-up to their breakthrough disc, The Beautiful Letdown, the new Switchfoot CD will be available both as a regular CD and as a DualDisc, which will put the entire album into 5.1 SurroundSound and will include behind-the-scenes footage of the band on tour and in the recording studio. The new songs are said to be “more eclectic and less settled” according to Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman, due in part to the fact that much of the album was written while the band was on tour. Speaking of which, they’re going to be unsettled for a little while longer, as they’re hopping on the tour bus next month to promote that same album, for a fall tour that will include stops in Denver CO (10/25), Chicago (10/27), Detroit (10/28), and Philadelphia (10/30)...

MINI BUZZ:
Congrats going out this week to The Killers, who performed last month at Soaring Eagle in Mt. Pleasant - they were just named Best New Artist at the recent MTV Video Music Awards; the band also snagged the title of Best Selling New Group at the 2005 World Music Awards, held last week...
Congrats also to modern rock singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, who just got engaged to seven-time Tour de France cycling champion Lance Armstrong...
Critical fave singer Alison Moyet will be releasing her new album, Voice, on Sanctuary Records this month...
Maroon 5 have chosen a September 13 release date for their new CD/DVD, which is titled Live Friday the 13th...
Singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik has just kicked off a tour to preview songs from his new album, White Limousine, which is due out early next year - David Poe and Sarah Bettens will go along as opening acts...
And influential 80s popsters Echo and the Bunnymen are making plans to release a new disc, too - namely their Siberia, which will hit stores on September 20; the disc will be accompanied by a short 16-date tour...

In case you want something to listen to while waiting for Duncan and Echo, here are this week’s new releases... ON CD: Sarah McLachlan’s remix album Bloom... 32 Leaves’ Welcome to the Fall... New Model Army’s Carnival... The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang... Drums & Tuba’s Battle Ole... and Ron Sexsmith’s side project with Don Kerr, Destination Unknown... ON DVD: Mariah Carey’s Music Video Box Document... Punk: Attitude featuring various artists... Bob Dylan’s No Direction Home... and Stomp Out Loud, featuring the New York cast... 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!






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