CHARTattack:News Feed

Cancer Bats Are Scared To Death With New Track

Kate Harper — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:24 -0600

Cancer Bats sound as angry as ever in "Scared To Death," a new track posted to their MySpace page on Tuesday (Feb. 9).

The track begins on a foreboding note, with frontman Liam Cormier talking over a rumbling bassline from Jaye Schwarzer and wah wah-processed guitar from Scott Middleton. The chorus is positively explosive, with Cormier screeching, "I wanna kill everything I seeeeeeee!" before ending the tune with a blistering proclamation of "You kill for me, I die for you!"

"Scared To Death" will appear on Cancer Bats' upcoming third album, Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, due out April 13. There's no track listing yet for the follow-up to 2008's Polaris Music Prize long listed Hail Destroyer, but the St. Catharines, Ont. hardcore band have announced they'll release a digital EP containing "Scared To Death" and their cover of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" through iTunes on March 1.

In the meantime, you can catch Cancer Bats playing shows throughout North America in March with Alexisonfire, Billy Talent and Against Me!.

Here's where they'll play:

Feb. 25 Thunder Bay, ON @ Black Pirates
March 1 Seattle, WA @ Neumos w/ Against Me!
March 2 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre w/ Against Me!
March 3 Victoria, BC @ Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 4 Whistler, BC @ Merlin's w/ 3 Inches Of Blood
March 5 Penticton, BC @ South Okanagan Events Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 6 Kamloops, BC @ Interior Savings Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 8 Prince George, BC @ CN Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 9 Dawson Creek, BC @ EnCana Events Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 11 Red Deer, AB @ Enmax Centrium w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 12 Medicine Hat, AB @ Medicine Hat Arena w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 13 Lethbridge, AB @ Enmax Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 15 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 16 Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 18 Regina, SK @ Brandt Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 19 Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 20 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 22 Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Essar Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 23 Sudbury, ON @ Sudbury Arena w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 24 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 25 Kingston, ON @ Stages w/ Against Me!
March 26 Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 27 London, ON @ John Labatt Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
March 28 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre w/ Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Against Me!
April 16 London, England @ Garage w/ Trash Talk and Chickenhawk

White Stripes Vs. U.S. Air Force Reserve

Kate Harper — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:54:01 -0600

The White Stripes are threatening legal action against the United States Air Force Reserve for using what they say is an unauthorized, re-recorded version of their "Fell In Love With A Girl" in a television advertisement that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 7).

Jack and Meg White took to their official website on Monday (Feb. 8) to protest the U.S. Air Force Reserve's use of their song, which they said was "re-recorded without permission" of their the band, their publishers, label or management and used in the ad.

They say since they have not given the Air Force Reserve permission to use the song, they will take "strong action" to stop the ad from being used.

"The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support," they said in a statement.

"The White Stripes support this nation's military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don't want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops."

The advertisement, which has since been pulled from the U.S. Air Force Reserve website, is reportedly being used to recruit new personnel for the Reserve. The 67,000-member group provide "back-up" to the U.S. Air Force and are currently involved in America's campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

The Air Force Reserve has not responded to The White Stripes' comments and it's unclear if The White Stripes have taken any further action against the organization for the ad.

The White Stripes aren't unhappy with Joby Talbot and Wayne McGregor, however. They're responsible for Chroma, a ballet featuring orchestral versions of White Stripes songs, which will premiere in Toronto this coming November.

There's no word on whether the production features an orchestral version of "Fell In Love With A Girl," but we assume the band would like it a lot more than the Air Force Reserve's version. Maybe it has something to do with all those pirouettes? Maybe not.

The White Stripes will release Under Great White Northern Lights, a box set of their 2007 cross-Canada tour, on March 16.

MTV Removes Words "Music Television" From Logo

Kate Harper — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:26:14 -0600

Sorry, what was that about video killing the radio star? It now seems reality TV has finally killed the music video (on TV, at least).

MTV has finally admitted what most people have known since at least early last decade: it is no longer "music television."

The network, which launched in 1981 specifically to air music videos, launched a new logo on Monday (Feb. 8), which no longer features the "music television" tagline that's been a part of their original logo for almost 30 years.

Tina Exarhos, vice president of marketing and something called "multiplatform creative projects" (whatever that is) finally admitted to the New York Daily News that the network is not just about music anymore and has been turning away from their old format for a while now.

"If you watch the channel, you've seen that it's definitely going in a new direction," she said.

Basically, that now means the new MTV logo includes headshots of stars of Jersey Shore, The Buried Life and My Life As Liz — none of which have much to do with music, other than tunes played in the background.

Of course, they're keeping the Video Music Awards, but most music programming aside from reality shows has been canned by now, which we think basically means the nail has finally been metaphorically hammered into the music video's coffin, and it's made one hell of a resounding tonk. The music video is now relegated to the internet and specialty digital cable.

That said, MTV2, MTV Hits and MTV Tr3s still play music videos. That's if you can get them, of course. Their availability has decreased over the last few years.

We think MuchMusic has been way ahead of MTV on this whole "dropping the music" thing. The Canadian network long ago removed the word "music" from their logo, and now simply use "Much" in their graphics, though the channel is still known as MuchMusic.

The number of music video-related programs has drastically declined on MuchMusic over the last few years as well, particularly since 2007 when CTVglobemedia (which also happens to own MTV Canada) gained ownership of CHUM. MuchMusic still maintains specialty music video channels, such as MuchLOUD, MuchVibe and MuchMore, which all play more music videos than MuchMusic actually does. But again, they're only available through specialty cable packages.

Music videos also still air on AUX TV. It's also a specialty cable channel and you can watch videos through its website.

We think it would only be appropriate at this point to leave you with The Buggles:

Barenaked Ladies Drummer And Comedian Form Hockey-Themed Band To Play During Olympics

Aaron Brophy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:46:28 -0600

Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart and comedian Marc Hickox have formed a hockey-themed band called the Black Aces who'll be performing during the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The pair describe themselves as "the sound of Black Sabbath cross-checking The White Stripes from behind" and cite John Bonham, Tony Iommi and cite retired Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks right-winger Bob Probert as their influences.

"Tyler and I have been wanting to do something hockey related other than just going to games for a while now," says Hickox, who manages lead vocal and guitar duties. "We had this Olympic gig coming up and I'm bored off my ass in L.A., so I started writing songs while watching [Los Angeles] Kings games.

"We jammed some songs out a couple of times over the holidays in Tyler's garage, and he was so stoked he booked a studio and engineer so we could crap out a four-song demo.

"We actually missed the world junior gold medal game because we were still recording vocals — that was tough."

The songs — "Healthy Scratch," "Flash Of Leather," "U.U.B.I." (undisclosed upper body injury) and "Riverboat Gambler" — lay down a neutral zone trap between hockey tribute and sly metaphor. So if you hear a line like, "Baby, I'm gonna shoot this top shelf/Right where you keep the peanut butter" it probably has a double-meaning.

Says Hickox, "The songs are all about hockey and girls or girls that play hockey. There's some frustration and heartbreak in there, too, for good measure."

There'll be a lot of Stewart and Hickox at the Olympics. Stewart has been named the executive director and supreme commander of entertainment for something called the Molson Canadian Party House, and it appears he's brought all his friends with him.

Between Feb. 12 to 28, the Black Aces will be joined by the likes of Sam Roberts, The Odds, Sean Cullen, Tom Cochrane and heap of other musicians, comedians and ex-NHLers who'll appear at the Hockey House. BNL proper will play on Feb. 13.

The full Hockey House entertainment schedule can be found here.

Yukon Blonde Benefit From New Name

Jen Zoratti — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:13:40 -0600

What's in a name? If you ask Yukon Blonde, plenty.

The Vancouver-based rock outfit used to gig under the handle Alphababy — a name that evokes images of a icky, leather-clad and most likely Hepatitis-infected '90s cover band.

Thankfully, Alphababy ditched its problematic moniker in late 2008 for the infinitely cooler Yukon Blonde — a name much better suited to a band with a penchant for thick, fuzzy guitars and melodies straight out of the '70s.

"There were a couple reasons for the name change. One, we didn't like the name Alphababy," says frontman Jeff Innes, 24, with a laugh.

"Two, when we went on tour with Jon-Rae Fletcher, we, as Alphababy, were his backing band. He kept saying that we really needed to change it. He said, 'Nobody knows who you are, cut your losses and change the name.'"

Wise man, that Fletcher.

Although Alphababy weren't exactly obscure with 300 shows under their belts (playing alongside such luminaries as Ladyhawk, Black Mountain and Women), doors really began to open for Yukon Blonde.

The band — which now includes Brandon Scott (guitar, vocals) and Graham Jones (drums, vocals) — signed with Toronto-based Nevado Records, which released their debut EP, Everything In Everyway, in October, and a 37-date Canadian tour followed with stops at POP Montreal, Halifax Pop Explosion and CMJ.

"It's helped considerably," Innes says of the name change. "A lot of people didn't come to Alphababy shows because they didn't like the name. That last tour we went on as Yukon Blonde was planned way more poorly than an Alphababy tour, but we had huge crowds. The response has been great."

The new name may have helped attract bigger audiences, but it's Yukon Blonde's sunshine-soaked harmonies and rich, melodic arrangements that have won them faithful fans.

The band are set to release their self-titled debut full-length on Tuesday (Feb. 9) via Bumstead Records (K.D. Lang, Two Hours Traffic, The Trews) — and the response has already been resoundingly positive.

It's not hard to see why — this album is all about the hooks. It also boasts delightfully lush, warm soundscapes that make it a treat to listen to on headphones (and, probably, on vinyl).

It should come as no shock, then, to learn the record was recorded live to tape.

"In the past, we found if we overanalyzed a part, it ends up sounding too polished," Innes says. "It gives it a certain kind of sound. We really like records from the '60s. There's a chemistry to them, and we wanted to have that sort of feel."

You can see Yukon Blonde kick out some new jams here:

Feb. 18 Kelowna BC @ Mars Hill
Feb. 19 Calgary, AB @ The Gateway at Southern Alberta Institute Of Technology
Feb. 20 Canmore, AB @ Communitea Cafe
Feb. 22 Edmonton, AB @ The Black Dog Freehouse
Feb. 23 Regina, SK @ The Exchange
Feb. 25 Minneapolis, MN @ 311
Feb. 26 Chicago, IL @ Darkroom
Feb. 27 Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
March 2 Boston, MA @ O'Brien's Pub
March 3 New York, NY @ Pianos NYC
March 4 Brooklyn, NY @ Littlefield NYC
March 5 Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange
March 6 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
March 10 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah
March 13 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern (CHARTattack's CMW showcase)
March 17 Austin, TX @ South By Southwest Music Festival
March 26 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos Cantina
March 27 Calgary, AB @ The Palomino

Feist, Beck, Wilco, Grizzly Bear Members Amongst Guests On Jamie Lidell Album

Valentina D'Aliesio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:01:10 -0600

Electro-soul experimenter Jamie Lidell is gearing up to release his fifth studio disc this spring, and judging from the list of collaborators he got to appear on the album, it might more appropriately titled Jamie Lidell And Friends.

Instead, the album is titled Compass and will be released on May 18 through Warp. Lidell split the recording of the follow-up to 2008's Jim between Los Angeles with Beck and in New York City.

"I wrote every song in a month," Lidell told NME.com. "It's been an emotional couple of years, so I tapped into what I wanted to say and started writing. There was a lot to draw on."

Expect the album to be stylistically diverse, since Lidell managed to acquire an all-star roster of musicians to guest, including Beck, Feist, Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, Wilco's Pat Sansone, legendary R&B drummer James Gadson, Nikka Costa, and producer/songwriter Gonzales.

No tracklisting for Compass has been released yet, but fans can also expect a tour sometime in 2010 in support of the album.

Of course, those collaborations with Gonzales, Feist, Wilco and Beck are kinda expected. Lidell has frequently worked with Feist and Gonzales in the past.

He also helped Beck record his most recent installment in his Record Club series, a track-by-track cover of Skip Spence's Oar, which was caught on video. Wilco and Feist were also involved in that project. You can see a video of the results here.

In the meantime, you can see Lidell (who may just have his head stuck in a television set) at the Perth International Arts Festival in Perth, Australia on Friday (Feb. 12) and at the Mad Racket Show in Sydney, Australia the next day.

Michael Jackson's Doctor Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

Valentina D'Aliesio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:46:40 -0600

After much uncertainty, confusion and speculation, Michael Jackson's doctor was charged with involuntary manslaughter earlier Monday (Feb. 8) over the singer's death.

Dr. Conrad Murray, a Houston-based cardiologist, pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom late Monday.

TMZ reports prosecutors claim Murray "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson."

If convicted, Murray faces up to four years in prison.

TMZ also reports prosecutors say Murray acted "without the caution and circumspection required" when he administered powerful sedative cocktails including the anaesthetic propofol in an effort to help Jackson, who suffered from chronic insomnia, sleep. Murray was originally hired to act as a personal physician by Jackson as he prepared for a string of concerts in London, England last year.

Jackson's death was officially ruled a homicide in August and the Los Angeles County coroner determined the King Of Pop died from "acute propofol intoxication." The Associated Press report court records showed Murray injected Jackson with 50 milligrams of propofol every night.

The charges seemed to hang in the air for some time because Murray's attorneys were reportedly attempting to negotiate the doctor's surrender while the prosecution was trying to build a case against Murray.

Michael Jackson died in his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50.

According to a search affidavit warrant, Murray told police he administered propofol just before 11 a.m. and then found the singer unresponsive around noon. He said he had previously given Jackson injections of lorazepam and midzoloam, along with Valium earlier in the day.

White Stripes Ballet Coming To Toronto

Kate Harper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:26:02 -0600

So here's your chance to see people do pirouettes to "Hotel Yorba" while wearing a hell of a lot of spandex.

Chroma, a ballet set to orchestrated versions of White Stripes songs, is set to open in Toronto this coming November.

The ballet premiered in London, England back in 2006 and is the work of choreographer Wayne McGregor and composer Joby Talbot's own interpretations of Jack and Meg White's songs.

Talbot's versions of the songs are drawn from a disc called Aluminum, which saw him cover 10 White Stripes songs with XL Recordings' Richard Russell in 2006.

Chroma will open Nov. 24 at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre For The Performing Arts as part of the National Ballet Of Canada's 2010-2011 season. It will run until Nov. 28. Single tickets to the production go on sale Sept. 27 through the National Ballet Of Canada's website.

Former ballet dancer Karen Kain, who's now the National Ballet Of Canada's artistic director, told CBC News Jack White's been invited to the Toronto premiere. There's no word yet on whether he'll attend, though BBC News reported both Whites "loved" Chroma when it premiered in London.

Jack and Meg White both attended the premiere of Under Great White Northern Lights, the documentary about The White Stripes' 2007 Canadian tour, in Toronto last September.

Under Great White Northern Lights will be included with a box set of the same name that's out March 16.

Special Fucked Up Seven-Inch Single Coming For Record Store Day 2010

Kate Harper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:58:55 -0600

Fucked Up have released more things on vinyl than CD or MP3 throughout their nearly decade-long career and have long been patrons of independent record stores like Toronto's Rotate This.

So it only makes sense that the Toronto hardcore band are releasing a special, limited-edition seven-inch single with 10 different covers for Record Store Day 2010, which takes place April 17.

The single features two Daytrotter versions of their songs, plus a Daytrottered rendition "Crooked Head," the original version of which appears on 2008's Polaris Music Prize-winning The Chemistry Of Common Life. But the really cool part are the multiple covers for the single.

Ten different record stores will be depicted on 10 different covers, and there'll also be a generic cover to boot. Chicago's Wax Trax, Buffalo, N.Y.'s Spiral Scratch, Lynchburg, Va.'s Speakertree Records, Nashville's Grimey's and Charlotte, N.C.'s Lunchbox Records are among the stores that will get special covers.

You can see all 11 covers on Fucked Up's blog.

Fucked Up recently released Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009, a singles compilation, which contains some tracks that were originally released on vinyl.

You can see vocalist Damian "Pink Eyes" Abraham, guitarists Josh "Concentration Camp" Zucker, Ben "Young Governor" Cook and Mike "10,000 Marbles" Hawlechuk, bassist Sandy "Mustard Gas" Miranda and drummer Jonah "Mr. Jo" Falco here:

Feb. 12 Oberlin, OH @ The 'Sco w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 13 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 14 Bloomington, IN @ Video Saloon w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 15 Newport, KY @ Southgate House w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 16 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 17 Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 18 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 19 Brooklyn, NY @ Europa w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 20 Boston, MA @ The Middle East Restaurant & Night Club (downstairs) w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 21 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa w/ Kurt Vile
Feb. 23 St. Catharines, ON @ L3 Nightclub w/ Leatherface, Yesterday's Rising and Orphan Choir
Feb. 26 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House w/ Kurt Vile

More Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Albums Getting Reissued

Valentina D'Aliesio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:43:03 -0600

Mute Records reissued the first four albums by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds last spring, and announced plans to eventually reissue the band's entire catalogue. Well, the label is keeping true to its word, as the band's fifth, sixth and seventh albums will also soon be re-released.

On March 30, 1988's Tender Prey, 1990's The Good Son, and 1992's Henry's Dream will be released as separate, double-disc collector's editions with a slew of extras.

Besides the usual digital remastering and remixing in 5.1 surround sound, the albums will each contain parts of Do You Love Me Like I Love You, a short film by U.K. artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the B-sides from the singles, videos and exclusive liner notes.

Mute plans to reissue all 14 Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds albums, eventually putting them all in a collector's box set at a later date.

Cave was recently recruited by Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan to appear alongside actor Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands) and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie on a Haiti benefit cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You."

Here are the full track listings for the upcoming releases:

Tender Prey:

"The Mercy Seat"
"Up Jumped The Devil"
"Deanna"
"Watching Alice"
"Mercy"
"City Of Refuge"
"Slowly Goes The Night"
"Sunday's Slave"
"Sugar, Sugar, Sugar"
"New Morning"
"The Mercy Seat" (video version)
"Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass"
"The Mercy Seat" (acoustic version)
"City Of Refuge" (acoustic version)
"Deanna" (acoustic version)
"Do You Love Me Like I Love You" (part five, video)
"The Mercy Seat" (video)
"Deanna" (video)

The Good Son:

"Foi Na Cruz"
"The Good Son"
"Sorrow's Child"
"The Weeping Song"
"The Ship Song"
"The Hammer Song"
"Lament"
"The Witness Song"
"Lucy"
"The Train Song"
"Cocks 'N' Asses"
"Helpless"
"Do You Love Me Like I Love You" (part five, video)
"The Weeping Song" (video)
"The Ship Song" (video)

Henry's Dream:

"Papa Won't Leave You, Henry"
"I Had A Dream, Joe"
"Straight To You"
"Brother, My Cup Is Empty"
"Christina the Astonishing"
"When I First Came To Town"
"John Finn's Wife"
"Loom Of The Land"
"Jack The Ripper"
"Blue Bird"
"Jack The Ripper" (acoustic version)
"I Had A Dream Joe" (live)
"The Good Son" (live)
"The Mercy Seat" (live)
"The Carny" (live)
"The Ship Song" (live)
"Do You Love Me Like I Love You" (part seven, video)
"I Had A Dream, Joe" (video)
"Straight To You" (video)
"Jack The Ripper" (acoustic, video)

Leonard Cohen Postpones European Tour Due To Injury

Valentina D'Aliesio — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:37:33 -0600

Leonard Cohen has been forced to delay the European leg of his current tour by six months so he can have physiotherapy for a back injury.

Cohen hurt his back while exercising, according to his manager Robert Kory. Fans shouldn't be too alarmed, though, because Kory claims the songwriter just needs time to rest.

"Doctors have confirmed that Cohen is otherwise in terrific shape, thanks to years of exercise and careful diet, and simply needs appropriate time to recover," said Kory. "He has been advised by physicians to follow the typical four-to-six month regime of physical therapy prescribed for athletes with similar injuries."

Meanwhile, the European tour dates have been pushed back to mid-September, and are now scheduled to start in Caen, France on Sept. 15.

This isn't Cohen's only recent run-in with health woes. In September, the 75-year-old singer/songwriter collapsed onstage during a performance in Valencia, Spain. He was rushed to hospital, where he was treated for food poisoning.

Cohen received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award last week.

Here are Cohen's rescheduled European dates:

Sept. 15 Caen, France @ Zenith De Caen
Sept. 17 Grenoble, France @ Palais Des Sports Grenoble
Sept. 19 Strasbourg, France @ Zenith De Strasbourg
Sept. 21 Marseille, France @ Le Dome Marseille
Sept. 23 Tours, France @ Parc Des Expositions De Tours
Sept. 24 Lille, France @ Lille Grade Palais
Oct. 4 Katowice, Poland @ Spodek
Oct. 7 Moscow, Russian @ Kremlin Palace
Oct. 13 Bratislava, Slovakia @ Incheba Expo Arena

Slaves On Dope Are Back

Kate Harper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:34:40 -0600

I bet you thought this whole nu-metal revival thing couldn't get any worse, right? We've already got new albums from Korn and Limp Bizkit coming down the pipeline and Creed put a new disc out last year.

Montreal's Slaves On Dope are the latest nu-metallers to be back in action. The band plan to release Over The Influence, their first album since 2003's Metafour, later this year.

The disc will feature guest appearance from The Agonist's Alissa White-Gluz, and The Agonist tubthumper Simon McKay will also play drums on the album. It doesn't have a definite release date yet.

Slaves On Dope played their first gig in six years on Friday (Feb. 5) night at Montreal's Cafe Chaos with fellow Montrealers The Catalyst and WarCall. You can watch that performance here.

Slaves On Dope formed in 1994 and originally included vocalist Jason Rockman, guitarist Kevin Jardine, bassist Frank Salvaggio and drummer Rob Urbani. They released five albums before splitting up in 2004 when Rockman left the band. Their 2000 Inches From The Mainline album saw them break out in the United States, selling 70,000 copies in that country.

Jardine has since become a producer and also formed a band called The Monarchy.

Snoop Dogg Likes Storm Troopers, Adidas Luke Skywalker Shoes

Kate Harper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:58:13 -0600

Snoop Dogg's done some pretty hilarious and over-the-top promotional things in his life (making brownies with Martha Stewart, for instance), but we never would have pegged him for something like this.

Snoop was recently on hand to help launch Adidas' new Star Wars shoes. Yes, seriously, Star Wars shoes. What's even better is there's a video floating around of him surrounded by Storm Troopers and standing next to Darth Vader. You can see it here.

Adidas just launched a series of Luke Skywalker shoes, which feature patterns Luke's orange, white, black and grey Star Wars X-Wing jumpsuit. Unsurprisingly, they're already sold out, but they were going for around $100 U.S. (about $107 Canadian) through the Adidas webstore.

But that's not the only thing Snoop did with the Adidas folks to celebrate the new Skywalker shoes. He recently accompanied Vader and Storm Troopers through New York City on a march to promote the shoes. Here's a video of that, complete with very confused and shocked New Yorkers:

But that's not all. There's also a commercial for the Star Wars series kicking around, which features Snoop, David Beckham and Daft Punk shilling the shoes:

The only thing more amazing than this would have been if they dressed Snoop up in the Vader costume.

Snoop Dogg's new studio album, Malice N Wonderland, came out in December.

Five (Mostly Theoretical) Musical Collaborations That Are Just As Obvious As Tool/King Crimson

Kate Harper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:34:17 -0600

Here's something that's entirely obvious. In fact, it's so incredibly obvious it's almost redundant.

Tool guitarist Adam Jones and King Crimson axeman Robert Fripp are considering releasing an album they apparently started recording five to six years ago in Los Angeles, according to The Pulse Of Radio. The two reportedly met in January in London, England to discuss both finishing the album and heading out on a speaking tour.

At this point, you're probably going, "Wait a minute! Tool and King Crimson... aren't those both the same band?"

Snarkasm aside, no. Tool draw tons from King Crimson, both in terms of their prog-rock-influenced metal sound and the artwork that adorns their albums. (One would think this draws at least a little bit from this, no?)

The connection doesn't just end there: Producer David Bottrill, who worked on Tool's 2006's 10,000 Days and 2001's Lateralus albums, has also helmed King Crimson's 1995 Thrak album and two of Fripp's three collaborations with Japan's (the band, not the country) David Sylvian. So basically, one could argue Tool are a slightly more metal, far much more misanthropic King Crimson.

At any rate, there's no other information about this right now. Jones must be getting quite bored, as Tool don't really seem any closer to getting the follow-up to 10,000 Days in stores and Maynard James Keenan's a little preoccupied with his wine documentary, vineyards and that upcoming Puscifer tour.

At any rate, here are a few theoretical and real collaborations that are just as obvious as a Tool/King Crimson team-up:

Interpol with Joy Division

Let's imagine for a minute that Ian Curtis hadn't killed himself, Joy Division had become the world's biggest band and Interpol decided they wanted to collaborate with them 30 years later. Would this even happen? They're both practically the same band. I think the studio would just explode as soon as they walked in.

Interpol's Paul Banks with New Order

Okay, understandably, the chances of this happening are next to none, considering New Order can't even decide whether they're still a band (I think the jury has come back with a verdict that they're not, considering Bernard Sumner has started Bad Lieutenant now) and Hooky mostly hates everyone else who was in the band. But imagine if this actually happened. This is kind of the exact same thing as above, but would it also be the equivalent of The Cult's Ian Astbury trying (and failing) to pull the whole Jim Morrison shtick off with The Doors?

Lady Gaga and Madonna

This hasn't happened, but it seems like it's only a matter of time. Gaga draws so much from Madonna (which both have acknowledged) that it'd be like watching or hearing some kind of mother-daughter Freaky Friday incident. Actually, now that I think about it, Madonna's challah arms scare the crap out of me and I don't really want to see this at all.

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys with New Kids On The Block

Thank fuck this didn't happen. But really, what could be more obvious than one (or both, God help us) of the two biggest teenie bopper boy bands of the '90s collaborating with arguably their biggest influence? Marky Mark, I know you weren't in NKOTB and that was your bro, but thank you for leaving music and doing something more constructive with your time.

Limp Bizkit and Korn's "All In The Family"

This one truly deserves to be locked up in a dungeon of shameful rock music and left to rot away so no one ever discovers it in the future. This unfortunately actually happened, and was laid down on record on Korn's 1998 Follow The Leader album. Yes, it's as awful as it theoretically sounds. The only thing which would possibly be worse would be Korn collaborating with Prong.

Thrush Hermit Releasing Seven-Disc Box Set

Kate Harper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:50:20 -0600

For 10 years, there was nothing on the Thrush Hermit releases front... mainly because the band had broken up. Now, since they're playing a reunion tour next month, there's a whole bunch.

If you're new to Joel Plaskett's pre-solo/Emergency band or a long-time fan of the Halifax, N.S. indie rockers, you'll be interested to know they're re-releasing their entire discography in a limited-edition seven-disc box set. Plaskett says it will hopefully be available by the time the band head out on a brief reunion tour in March. It'll come out on Plaskett's New Scotland label.

The box set contains the band's 1997 Sweet Homewrecker and 1999 Clayton Park studio albums, 1994's Smart Bomb and 1995's The Great Pacific Ocean EPs, along with a disc of 22 outtakes, B-sides and remastered tracks.

Another CD features 23 early singles, EPs and previously unreleased tracks, while the sixth disc contains a "hodge podge of really early material" by Nabisco Fonzie and The Hoods (what Thrush Hermit were called before they were Thrush Hermit) Thrush Hermit and Thrush Hermit side-project The Tim Robbins Experience.

Finally, the box set also comes with a DVD that's got the 1999 Learn To Party documentary and as-yet-unseen footage from the band's history.

It all comes with a 24-page booklet with photos and liner notes from singer/guitarist Rob Benvie.

Additionally, Plaskett says he will release a two-song seven-inch single he recorded with Hamilton, Ont. singer/songwriter Jeremy Fisher this spring. He also plans to put out Canadian-born U.S. singer/songwriter Steve Poltz's new disc, Dreamhouse, in April or May through New Scotland. Plaskett plays drums and bass on the record.

Plaskett also produced east coast singer/songwriter David Myles' new album, Turn Time Off, which is due out April 20 through the musician's own label.

Thrush Hermit will play these shows:

March 18 Moncton, NB @ The Manhattan Club
March 19-20 Halifax, NS @ The Paragon Theatre
March 23 Waterloo, ON @ Starlight Club
March 24 Peterborough, ON @ Red Dog Tavern
March 25 Ottawa, ON @ Capital Music Hall
March 26-27 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace

You can see Plaskett here:

Feb. 8 Halifax, NS @ Halifax Metro Centre (Halifax For Haiti)
Feb. 12-13 Windsor, NS @ Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre
Feb. 22 Halifax, NS @ The Carleton
Feb. 26 St. John's, NL @ Mile One Centre (CTV Olympic celebration, performing with The Joel Plaskett Emergency)
April 6 Victoria, BC @ Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 8 Calgary, AB @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 12 Saskatoon, SK @ Sid Buckwold Theatre at TCU Place w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 13 Regina, SK @ Conexus Art Centre w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 14 Edmonton, AB @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 17 London, ON @ John Labatt Centre w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 20 Kingston, ON @ K-Rock Centre w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 24 Halifax, NS @ Halifax Metro Centre w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 28 Hamilton, ON @ Hamilton Place Theatre w/ Barenaked Ladies
April 30 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis w/ Barenaked Ladies
May 1 Oshawa, ON @ General Motors Centre w/ Barenaked Ladies