The Roots Set Album Date, Eye Tour
The Roots will release Game Theory, their latest album -- and first for Def Jam -- on August 29th. After playing two shows at New York's Radio City this Thursday and Friday, the hip-hop crew will hit the road for a three-week tour, with guests TALIB KWELI and COMMON playing select dates.
Pink, Yellowcard, Keane Launch Summer Treks
PINK will hit the road this summer for a two-month jaunt that kicks off June 24th in Chicago and continues through her July 29th appearance in Dallas. Along the way, the provocative pop rocker will make stops in twenty-two cities . . . YELLOWCARD, just off the Virgin College Mega Tour, will hit the road yet again this summer for a thirty-four-stop jaunt, launching June 10th in Mountain View, California, and wrapping September 2nd in Seattle. The Florida natives will be touring in support of this year's Lights and Sounds, which debuted at Number Five on the charts. Joining the band on the road will be MATCHBOOK ROMANCE, ROCK KILLS KID and HEDLEY . . . British pop outfit KEANE will embark on a short North American tour, kicking off June 20th in San Francisco.
Dixie Chicks Fire More "Accidents and Accusations"
The DIXIE CHICKS have announced dates for their North American tour, which will have the crossover-country renegades sampling music from their politically unapologetic album, Taking the Long Way, due May 23rd. The aptly-titled Accidents and Accusations Tour -- at least a passing reference to country radio's critical response to frontwoman NATALIE MAINES' high-profile Bush-bashing in 2003 -- kicks off July 21st in Detroit. Fans who purchase the new album at Target stores will be given a password that grants access to presale tickets. The tour is expected to run through November.
T Bone Burnett and Jakob Dylan Team Up
T BONE BURNETT has come back from a fourteen-year hiatus as a recording artist, releasing two new albums this month: The True False Identity and Twenty Twenty -- The Essential T Bone. The Oscar- and Grammy-winning songwriter turned producer (ELVIS COSTELLO) kicks off his first tour in nearly twenty years on May 23rd in Chicago. A solo WALLFLOWERS frontman JAKOB DYLAN will open up for the tour.
Ray Davies Travels "Other People's Lives"
Former KINKS frontman RAY DAVIES is taking his solo act on the road for a second leg of dates in support of his solo debut, this year's Other People's Lives. While the first leg of the tour focused on East Coast dates, this outing - which embarks July 1st in Detroit -- will concentrate on the West Coast, Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Arizona and Texas. Scheduled dates include stops in Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. Davies is currently on tour in Europe.
XM Satellite Radio Gets Slapped
The Recording Industry Association of America, which represents all the major music labels in the U.S., filed suit in New York federal court this week against XM Satellite Radio over the company's Inno device, which permits customers to copy songs from the radio and store them for later listening. The RIAA alleges that the device is a flagrant copyright violation, operating like the iTunes music store or similar digital download services but without compensation to artists and labels. XM insists the device simply lets users record radio broadcasts, which has been legal for years, and that the recorded material cannot be transferred to other devices. According to XM, the suit is an attempt to "stifle innovation, limit consumer choice and roll back consumers' rights to record content for their personal use." The RIAA is seeking damages of $150,000 for each song recorded by XM users. XM has more than 6.5 million subscribers and broadcasts more than 160,000 songs each month.
Aesop Rock, El-P Available Online
Semi-indie label Definitive Jux -- home to hip artists such as EL-P and AESOP ROCK -- has relaunched its online music store, the Pharmacy. In addition to the label's complete CD and vinyl catalog, the iTunes-inspired site, definitivejux.net, also features live video footage, exclusive tracks and scratch-tastic freestyles and remixes.
Cat Stevens Returns . . . This Fall
This fall, YUSUF ISLAM, formerly known as CAT STEVENS, will release his first pop album in nearly thirty years. The singer, who abandoned his recording career in 1977 after converting to Islam, hopes to ease tensions between the West and Islam through his music. In 2004, the former pop star, known for hits like "Moonshadow" and "Peace Train," drew media attention when he was denied entry into the country after his name turned up on a terrorist watch list. His as-yet-untitled new album is being produced by RICK NOWELS (MADONNA, DIDO).
Byrds Box Set Coming Into "Season"
A new box set entitled The Byrds: There Is a Season, chronicling the career of the highly influential American folk-rock band, will be released August 29th. The set features ninety-nine songs on four discs, as well as a DVD of live TV appearances, and vintage material such as early 1964 demos.
