Pass the Salt

Sept. 28, 2005

Pass the Salt...
Chicago rockers Veruca Salt - yes, named after the ill-fated Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory character - will be returning to both the stage and (hopefully) the charts with their first CD release in over four years. Their new EP, which they’ve titled Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things, is set to be sold at their live shows and through the band’s official website, www.verucasalt.com. Singer Louise Post, along with bandmates Stephen Fitzpatrick (guitars) and James Madla (drums), recorded the EP with producer Rae Dileo, and they also have plans for a full-length album that they hope to have out next summer. In the meantime, you can snag that new EP and catch the band live when they hit the road for a short tour beginning on October 10...

Buzz band The Bravery, who were just in Miami for the recent 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, have just launched a two-month headlining tour of North America, in part to help promote “Unconditional,” the third single from their self-titled debut disc. The band will make stops in Mexico City, Mexico (9/27), Sauget, Illinois (10/2), Chicago (10/4), Detroit (10/5 at the Majestic Theater), Milwaukee (10/6), Toronto (10/11), Philadelphia (10/19), and Memphis (10/28) part of their jaunt; the International Noise Conspiracy, Maximo Park, and VHS or Beta will all be sharing opening act duties...

Ohio band the Greenhornes, who used to open up for the White Stripes in the Stripes’ early days, are finding that their ongoing association with Jack White is paying off in more than just friendship - the band has been tapped again for the opening spot on the White Stripes’ current U.S. tour, which is helping them get more attention for their new EP, The Greenhornes: East Grand Blues. Produced by yet another Detroiter, singer Brendan Benson, who formed a side project band - The Raconteurs - earlier this year with Jack White and Greenhornes bassist Jack Lawrence, the disc showcases the Greenhornes’ own brand of Detroit garage-rock, and will serve as the prelude to the Greenhornes’ next full-length disc, which they hope to have out next year...

Gorillaz, who are, as earlier reported, in the midst of planning a 3-D holographic animated tour for their virtual band, have also just begun work on a music video for what will be the next single - “Dirty Harry” - off of their current smash album. It might be a while before the video itself surfaces on music video channels, or even on the Internet, for that matter, as the band reports it’s been “a nightmare” to work on, because of the song’s ever-changing arrangement, essentially making it three video-friendly singles in one...

MINI BUZZ:
Coldplay will be donating 100% of U.S. profits from their new digital EP, Fix You (available at iTunes Music Store), to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund; the digital EP will feature the title track plus two songs previously unreleased in the U.S....
Belle + Sebastian have finished recording their second full-length CD for Rough Trade Records and hope to have the new disc out early in 2006...
Detroit’s Von Bondies have written over a dozen new songs - many of which they’ve been playing in their live shows - and are currently in the process of selecting a producer and studio with which to record their new album...
The Darkness will release “One Way Ticket” on November 14 as the first single off of their upcoming sophomore album, which is due in stores on November 28...
The Kills will embark on a UK tour on October 19, in part to promote their new single, “No Wow,” due out on October 31...
And Marky Ramone will premiere a new two-hour show on the Sirius satellite radio network - tune in for “Marky Ramone’s Punk Rock Blitzkrieg” premiering October 4 on Sirius’ Faction 28 channel...

This week, you can catch these musicians in a store near you - well, on CD or DVD, that is... ON CD: Paul McCartney’s still relevant, near-brilliant Chaos and Creation in the Backyard... Bush’s Gavin Rossdale’s return with new project Institute’s debut album, Distort Yourself... Cave-In’s Perfect Pitch Black... Antigone Rising’s From the Ground Up... CocoRosie’s Noah’s Ark... and Nada Surf’s The Weight is a Gift... ON DVD: Dance Hall Crashers’ Live! At The House of Blues L.A.... The Work of Director Mark Romanek, featuring music videos from Madonna, No Doubt, Fiona Apple, and Johnny Cash... The Work of Director Anton Corbijn, featuring videos from Tricky, U2, Bjork, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers... and the documentary Bodysong, featuring music from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Questions, comments, rants, raves, info on this column or your fave musicians? Send it all to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!