Sad News: Clarence Clemons Passes

After suffering a stroke earlier this week, friends and fans of the legendary E Street sax man were hopeful as Clemons' condition seemed to improve a few days later, but, sadly, reliable sourced have now confirmed that Clarence Clemons has passed away.

Our heart goes out to his family and close friends and, while it would be easy to post a clip of him in better times, gigging with the E Street Band, we felt his solo hit from 1985 was a slice of a time long past when life was much more carefree and whatever troubles we may have had back then seem almost frivolous to the ones we wrestle with these days.

For all it's over-the-top upbeat goodness, there is something so joyously guilt-free about the song, and the smile that is so prominently etched upon Clemons' face.

Note To Self: McCartney @ Wrigley Tickets Go On Sale Monday!

Not to be boastful or anything, but we at The Shit were the FIRST to report (on June 11th, two full days before the mainstream media got wind of it) that McCartney wohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuld be appearing at Wrigley Field. Thus, we felt it only right to remind you that tickets for McCartney's two shows at Wrigley Field on July 31 and August 1 will go on sale this Monday, June 20 at 10AM.

Tickets are available through Tickets.com or by calling 1-800-THE-CUBS.

Today In Music, June 17

On this day in 1973, Dolly Parton recorded "I Will Always Love You" at RCA Studio "B" in Nashville with producer Bob Ferguson. The song had been inspired by Parton's professional split with partner Porter Wagoner. The song would not be released until February 1974 on Parton's Jolene album. It was released as the album's second single in April and became a #1 Country hit. It would later be mangled by Whitney Houston and sell a gazillion copies.

In 2005, Pete Doherty again made news having absolutely nothing to do with music when he and model Kate Moss were tossed off a yacht during a party thrown by English socialite Davinia Taylor after Pete was caught smoking crack cocaine.

On this date in 2007, the Traveling Wilburys went to #1 on the UK albums chart with the release of The Traveling Wilburys Collection, a box set featuring their two albums, which had been long out-of-print.

BORN ON THIS DAY

Barry Manilow, 1946 (Age 65)

Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, 1958 (Age 53)

Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks, 1962 (Age 49)

The Flaming Lips Present...The Gummy Skull!!

(Photo by Angela De Marco)

You wouldn't think that a band like The Flaming Lips would have come from Oklahoma back in the 80's, much less carved out a three-decade career at the major label level. The fact that they are still a vital, ongoing concern is proof that not all who choose to color outside of the lines get crushed by the gravity of mainstream normalcy. Near as we can tell, their tenure with mighty giant Warner Brothers Records saw the band make nary a concession to conventional wisdom. Instead, we were treated to one strange musical trip after another - from the 4-CD set Zaireeka (all four CD's meant to be played simultaneously on four different players to achieve maximum effect) to the groundbreaking musical statement that was The Soft Bulletin.

For any who think the band may have slowed the pace, or lost a step as they venture into their fourth decade of operation, the Lips (and their cult of mega-devoted fans) will kindly beg to differ. First off this year, the band re-recorded Pink Floyd's brilliant career-defining opus Dark Side Of The Moon in its entirety. If that weren't enough, the band will also be performing the album in its entirety at Dave Matthews' Caravan Festival in July.

Not weird enough for ya?

Okay, then you may just want to feast your eyes on the packaging for the band's new collection of music. Nicknamed The Gummy Skull, the band's new EP, if you will, comes on a USB drive housed within a custom-made full-size gummy bear skull. To get to the music, you've got to eat your way through the skull.

Me thinks a fair amount of cannabis was smoked in hatching that idea. Of course, the main difference between the Lips and lesser chemically-enhanced bands is that they actually wake up the next day and not only remember the crazy shit they came up with the night beforel, but then they take steps to make it a reality. Can you imagine trying to find a company to manufacture gummy bear skulls? Where would one look in the Yellow Pages for that?

Thankfully, the band happened upon such a manufacturer right in their own backyard. As if that weren't enough, it turns out the man behind the company capable of creating the edible skulls is a fan of the band. An arrangment was soon reached and, earlier this year, the band began selling The Gummy Skull via their website.

The downside, of course, is that the skull costs $150 and the USB drive it houses contains a mere four songs. Also, the band has promised to make very limited quantities of the skulls available on a weekly basis, but, as of late, they seem to have fallen a little behind on that promise. Maybe being out on tour might have something to do with this. Still, it would be nice to get our hands on one before we spend the money on Ju Ju Fruits and Pop Rocks - neither of which will come with any cool music at all.

Why only four songs on the USB drive, though? One would think this to be the move of a more conventional band. Obviously, the Lips wish to make the music exclusive to those who buy the skull. If they made the songs available on their own, they might not sell as many skulls. So, the conventional thinking would be to include just enough music to make the whole package seem workable to fans eager to eat their way to the new music. The unconventional thinking (for which the Lips are known and loved) would have been to include at least a full album's worth of material.

Give the diehard fans something to really sink their teeth into, pun intended.

While none are currently available, as the LINK to acquire them currently reads "ACCESS DENIED. You are not authorized to access this page.", we are hopeful that this will change in the near future.

Gummy Song Skull track listing:

1. Drug Chart
2. In Our Bodies, Out Of Our Heads
3. Walk With Me
4. Hillary's Time Machine Machine?

The Absolute Best Ten Minutes Of Bonnaroo 2011

If any one music festival has established itself as the hippest kid on the block, presenting a heady mix of current big-name acts, hipster-approved up-and-comers, and just enough DJ's to make you relish the sight of someone actually playing an instrument, it is the Bonnaroo Festival.

Kids across the nation gathered in Manchester, TN last weekend to witness ten day's worth of bands jammed into four days. Based on this year's line-up, the emphasis seemed to be on proving to the world that today's musical landscape is just as vibrant, if not more so, than any other that came before. With a music line-up that covered just about every genre imaginable and featured such current heavy hitters as Eminem, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Ray Lamontagne, and the Decemberists, along with newer acts Sleigh Bells, School of Seven Bells, Deer Tick, and Matt & Kim, to name just a few, we at The Shit find it oh so fitting that, for all of the "the future is now" proclamations, it was a band that had basically broken up before Woodstock that stole the show.

Thus, by the time Buffalo Springfield took the stage around 9:30PM on Saturday night, those in attendance had already been subjected to three whole days of sun, music, more sun, and even more music. The sight of a bunch of guys old enough to be their grandfathers taking the stage may have sent more than a few festival-goers over to the Solar Stage to catch the the Fresh Trix breakdancing troupe, but those who stayed got a crash course in music history and were eventually treated to the best ten minutes the entire weekend had to offer when the band busted into Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World".

It was at that moment that the unwashed and tired masses found new energy and united as one to celebrate all the good things about life in these great United States. Even the most jaded soul had to feel a little swept up in the moment, the crowd swaying in time, singing along to every word. As good as Mumford & Sons may have been, they never came close to holding the crowd in the palm of their hand like those tattered and road-weary old farts up on stage were now doing.

Every member of every band that had played, or was set to play the festival, should have been standing stage left taking notes.

For all the hype we are fed each and every day about some hip, new band offering some new spin on rock & roll, or a mega-talented DJ trying to make playing records look difficult, much less entertaining, it is refreshing to be reminded on occasion that everything has been done and, let's face it, much better by those bands that came before.

The fact that Buffalo Springfield could blow the dust off a song that has been trotted out by Neil, and Pearl Jam, and a thousand forgotten bar bands across this great land over the past twenty years, and completely revitalize an exhausted human sea is a testament to the ultimate power of music made before many in attendance were even able to wipe their own asses.

I mean, seriously, you would think that there might be one band over the course of four days, and multiple stages, that would be able to top a near-ten-minute version of "Rockin' In The Free World".

Oh, but you'd be wrong.

Superior St. Presents Electric City Rockfest This Friday & Saturday

As if providing the coolest environment in which to rock wasn't already enough, Superior St. Rehearsal Facility proves just how bad-ass and artist-friendly we are by sponsoring the mega-cool 5th Annual Electric City Rockfest, which takes place this Friday (June 10th) and Saturday (June 11th) at the Double Door.


Friday night's festivities will feature a headlining performance by New Bomb Turks, a band that has been blazing a righteous gunk punk path since their formation in 1990. During that time, they've released nine albums of high-octane, low-frills garage punk and solidified a reputation for stunning live shows.



While the band may have slowed the momentum of their early days - their last studio album was 2003's vitriolic masterpiece, Switchblade Tongues & Butterknife Brains, they haven't lost a step at all when it comes to onstage intensity.

Black Actress, Cool Devices, and The Mediums are opening. Tickets are $15 and showtime is 9PM.


On Saturday, night #2 of Rockfest, things get considerably darker and riffier as legendary UK outfit Orange Goblin bring their thundering metal assault to the Double Door in what is to be their final US show of the year.



While the band's last studio album came in 2007, their entire catalog was recently re-issued by Rise Above Records and they remain one of the most consistently amazing metal bands on the planet.

Opening bands Nachtmystium, Bible Of The Devil, Buried At Sea, and Zuul will provide ample riffage prior to OG hitting the stage and blowing the roof off.

Tickets are $20 at the door and showtime is 9PM.

This Just In: Paul McCartney Coming To Wrigley Field July 31-August 1!

Looks like former Beatle Paul McCartney will be making a two-night stand at Wrigley Field on July 31 and August 1. The dates have yet to be officially announced, but details will be made public very soon so keep your eyes peeled here for more information as it becomes available!

McCartney is currently hitting the tour path to coincide with the re-release of his solo albums McCartney and McCartney II - both of which hit streets on June 14th in remastered form with tons of bonus material.

Click HERE to get the full low-down on track listings and bonus features for these releases.

Song Of The Day: Human League's "Don't You Want Me"

With the announcement today of the passing of producer Martin Rushent, we at The Shit felt it only fitting to feature perhaps his greatest hit as our song of the day. As a fan of Rushent's work with Human League, Pete Shelley, XTC, and The Go-Go's (to name just a few), we always perked up a bit when we saw his name on the back of a new album. We'll miss you, Martin!

We can still remember the first time we heard Human League's "Don't You Want Me". Despite the fact that synth-pop was not an entirely new genre, no one song had come along yet to single-handedly define the genre until the Martin Rushent-produced "Don't You Want Me" catapulted the Human League from struggling UK synth band to worldwide chart-toppers.



I doubt that I've ever played a single more than I did that one. In addition to the song itself being a stone-cold classic, Rushent's production was free of all unnecessary frills. The sparseness allowed the song to breathe, placing the vocals of Philip Oakey and Susan Ann Sulley front-and-center, where they belonged. Hilariously, Rushent's mix was not to Oakey's liking, so much so that Oakey was vehemently critical of Rushent's final mix and relegated the song to the very end of the album.

I do believe Rushent had the last laugh as the song became Human League's biggest-selling (not to mention career-defining) single ever.

Boo ya!

Hot Tip For Bands: How To Beef Up Your Mailing List

I know a lot of great bands that scoff at the idea of putting together a mailing list. They've convinced themselves that all they have to do is put up a Facebook page, get a Twitter account, and fans will come to them by the thousands. A year later, they're still playing to 35 people on a Wednesday night while another band, with a proactive approach to adding names to their mailing list, is headlining packed clubs every weekend.

Q: How did they do it?

A: When they realized that the bigger a mailing list was, the better it was, they got creative. At some of their early shows, they had set out a notebook at their merch table asking fans to jot down their name and email address. A few people obliged, but the whole process lacked a degree of enthusiasm. Their first solution was to ask their merch seller to actively ask people to sign up for the band's mailing list. The merch seller was happy to oblige, but was sometimes too busy handling sales transactions to do the "hard sell" of getting fans to join the mailing list.

That's when the band came up a great idea. They got a medium-sized cardboard box, cut a slit in the top, and wrote "Enter your name and email address for a chance to win a FREE T-shirt after the show!" They then placed a stack of 3 x 5 cards and a box of those little pencils you see at putt-putt golf courses.

About halfway through their show, they reminded fans about the contest and that they'd be announcing a winner at the merch table after the show. Being a somewhat humorous band to begin with, they then announced they were going to play a slow song, which would give their fans time to wander over to the merch table, fill out the card, and toss it in the box. Then they would commence rocking.

There was a palpable buzz in the room as people realized that they actually had a chance to win something and immediately took action.

Most recently, the band played a multi-band show at Reggies Rock Club and saw that 140 cards had been filled out by night's end. By employing this new method, they'd added more names to their mailing list in one night than they'd accumulated at all of their previous gigs combined, and all for the cost of a t-shirt.

Of course, what a band chooses to give away is entirely up to them (CD's would work well, too) and this is a method just about any band can use to great success.

Will New Kaiser Chiefs CD Revitalize The Music Business??

For anyone who might have thought the record industry was all out of fresh ideas, you're absolutely right. Near as we can tell, the last original idea they had was in 1984 when they changed formats and made us all re-buy our album collections on shiny silver discs. Ever since then, most of us have cackled with glee as the record industry has made one massive blunder after another, finally coming to resemble the bitter, decrepit old hag that it is now.

Thankfully, at least one band out there has a fresh idea of their own.

The Kaiser Chiefs (you know, the band that blasted onto the scene in 2005 with "I Predict A Riot", which, of course, was three albums ago) have just released their fourth album, The Future Is Medieval. Nothing new about that, right? Well, it seems the Chiefs have added a new wrinkle to the process of releasing a new album by posting 20 tracks on their website and allowing fans to create their own artwork and ten-song track listing. Pretty cool, huh? It gets better. If other fans purchase your version of the album, which will be made available on your very own web link, the band will give you a royalty rate of €1.10 ($1.61 to we Americans) for each copy sold.

We at The Shit think this is an absolutely brilliant idea. The band isn't just releasing an album to fans, they're recruiting each and every fan as a combination A&R/marketing director. With a little creativity, a few fans will be able to make some nice pocket change, one would think.

If done correctly, this could start a whole new wave of interaction between bands and fans, all the while breathing new life into the album format. Even better, it does so without the need for a record company. At all.

Fucking fantastic.

So, Mr. or Ms. A&R Director, click HERE to review the Kaiser Cheifs' new material and see if you can come up with a track listing other fans just cannot live without.