The word on Z

July 20, 2005

My Morning Jacket are preparing to release their latest and fourth album, dubbed simply Z, with frontman Jim James singing his way to musical diversity - the quintet from Louisville are said to be taking more chances on this effort, which is due to hit stores on September 20. In the meantime, My Morning Jacket are staying on the tour bus this month, both opening for various Wilco live shows and alternately headlining with Parker and Lily...

Guitarist Steven Van Zandt, perhaps best known for his work with blue-collar-rocker Bruce Springsteen, has snagged himself a syndicated radio show called Little Steven’s Underground Garage on which he plays music by indie and garage-rock bands. Van Zandt has a particular fondness for Detroit bands, so if you’re wondering what’s going on musically in the Motor City, Van Zandt’s show is a great place to start - in Detroit, his show can be heard on WCSX FM on Sunday nights, but you can find other stations and syndicated feeds by searching online, or just skip “regular” radio altogether and listen online at www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com...

It may appear to be just another comedy film starring Owen Wilson, but wait, there’s more - the upcoming soundtrack for the upcoming movie The Wedding Crashers is on the way, too, with songs from Jimmy Eat World, Rilo Kiley, Spoon, Bloc Party, and Death Cab for Cutie, among others. Flaming Lips contribute a new song, “Mr. Ambulance Driver,” to the disc, and Jimmy Eat World’s contribution will be the song “(Splash) Turn Twist,” a rare track previously only available on a few import EPs. Owen Wilson himself, along with co-star Vince Vaughn, also contribute a tune to the soundtrack - their version of the classic celebratory Hebrew folk song “Hava Nagilah”...

Pearl Jam, who’ve been plugging away at their eighth studio album, are now sending out murmurs that the album in question may finally be in stores in late September, with a single preceding the album to radio some time in August. The whole band is writing songs for the album this time around, totaling about 25 tunes, which they’re paring down to around a dozen that will make the album’s final cut. Some of the songs up for possible inclusion are “2x4,” “Market,” “Cold Concession,” and “Worldwide Suicide.” PJ also plan to open at least one show for The Rolling Stones this fall, and will be embarking on a 15-date Canadian tour, also in September...

MINI BUZZ:
Nine Inch Nails are hitting the concert trail this fall, bringing along Queens of the Stone Age and Autolux as opening acts and passing through Los Angeles (10/1), Chicago (10/7), Detroit (10/8), Cleveland (10/9), Dallas (10/17), and Washington DC (11/2)...
Want to see a rock music legend? You’re in luck - Elton John’s “The Red Piano” show in Las Vegas has been extended, keeping Elton in Vegas until 2008...
Moe will be joined by the likes of Matisyahu and Medeski Martin and Wood at this year’s Moe.down Festival, which will take place on September 2-4 in Turin, NY...
Liz Phair will hit the short road for an acoustic tour beginning July 26 in Boston and ending on August 19 in San Francisco...
Coheed & Cambria have announced a tentative release date for their next album, Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness - you’d better write that down so you don’t forget it by the disc’s release date of September 27...
Scottish rockers Idlewild are set to drop their next album, Warnings/Promises, on August 16...
And this week brings plenty of Modern Rockin’ new releases your way... ON CD: Angel: Live Fast, Die Never - Music From The Television Series... The Delays’ Lost in a Melody... Koji Kondo’s soundtrack to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time... Daniel Lanois’ Belladonna... Garbage’s single release of “Run Baby Run”... and Idiot Pilot’s Strange We Should Meet Here... ON DVD: Classic Albums - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland... Kanye West - College Dropout: Video Anthology... Bobby McFerrin’s Spirits of Music... and Robert Palmer’s Video Addictions... 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!