Category Archives: Uncategorized

Apparently the British are jumping in on the act of telling good MP3 bloggers like Moistworks to cease and desist. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry sent a letter to Moistworks’ host which said, in part:

We have learned that your service is hosting infringing files on its network (see above-referenced directory). These files contain sound recordings by the artists known as Stone Roses and Public Enemy. These sound recordings are owned by some of our member companies and have not been authorized for this kind of use. We have a good faith belief thatthe above-described activity is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. We assert that the information in this notification isaccurate, based upon the data available to us. We are asking for your immediate assistance in stopping this unauthorizedactivity. Specifically, we request that you remove the infringing files from your system or that you disable access to the infringing files. In addition, please inform the site operator of the illegality of his or her conduct.

You should understand that this letter constitutes notice to you that this site operator may be liable for the infringing activity occurring on yourservice. In addition, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, if you ignore this notice, you and/or your company may also be liable for any resulting infringement.

The site should be up once they switch hosts but it certainly seems to send out an ominous meassage, especially since the site tends to offer MP3s by incredibly obscure groups and shies away from the mainstream.

Not to mention, I thought Chuck D was a fan of electronic dissemination of musical media so what’s up with that?

We’ve put this together really quickly and I am so happy about how well the line-up turned out. Check it, and be there:

Tsunami Relief Benefit for the Red Cross

Friday, January 28 2005

Little Brother’s // $5 // Doors 8pm // Music 8:30pm // 18+

with 333, Kopaz, Eric Wrong and the Do-Rights, Whiskeyhounds, Treysuno, Glare , The Proper Nouns, Made to Break

100% of money going to the Red Cross.

Because this show is coming together so quickly, any help you fine readers can do to help promote the show via email, blogs, phone calls, is greatly appreciated.

There’s still six advertisements on one page, which is just ridiculous. Other than that, it seems like they’ve added some new features and put a new can of paint on the look.

Click the new logo to check it out:

From the band:

Changes do happen! We here at Decemberists HQ are very sad to announce that Ms. Rachel Blumberg, Decemberist drummer since 2002, has decided to leave the group. While this is sad for us ? we will certainly miss her ? it makes us happy to know that she?ll be able to spend more time with her sweetheart, Adam Selzer, and they both will be able to focus more on their collaborative music project, Norfolk and Western. (In fact, Norfolk and Western will be touring the universe this spring in support of fellow Portlander, M. Ward ? which everyone should go see.)

It makes us also very happy to welcome two new members to the family: Mr. John Moen and Ms. Petra Haden. Mr. Moen has been a man about town in Portland for quite a while and has contributed his not-unconsiderable drumming and singing abilities to a panoply of unquestionably seminal NW rock outfits, notably the Minus Five, the Maroons, and Steve Malkmus and the Jicks. Ms. Haden practically needs no introduction; daughter of Charlie, Ms. Haden is an erstwhile member of That Dog and the Rentals and has carried on a very impressive solo career in the meantime. Her talents grace many a track on the upcoming Decemberists record, and we?re really pleased as punch to have her singing and violin playin? follow us on the road.

British rock rag NME was given an exclusive listen to six new Coldplay tracks that are expected to be on the band’s third album to be released this spring.

NME.COM heard six tracks ? ?Square One?, ?Talk?, ??Till Kingdom Come?, ?X&Y?, ?What If? and ?The Hardest Part?. The material shows a huge progression from the classic Coldplay sound, mixing their trademark anthems with ?70s electronica. David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Brian Eno are all influences, while ?Talk? features the riff from Kraftwerk?s ?Computer Love?.

3.16 Wow Hall Eugene, OR with Okkervil River
3.17 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR with Okkervil River
3.18 Showbox Seattle, WA with Okkervil River
3.19 Richard’s on Richards Vancouver, BC with Okkervil River
3.22 Bimbo’s San Francisco, CA with Okkervil River
3.23 Bimbo’s San Francisco, CA with Okkervil River
3.24 Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA with Okkervil River
3.25 Cane’s San Diego, CA with Okkervil River
3.26 Glass House Pomona, CA with Okkervil River
3.28 Lo Fi Cafe Salt Lake City, UT with Okkervil River
3.29 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO with Okkervil River
3.31 Trees Dallas, TX with Okkervil River
4.01 Fat Cat Houston, TX with Okkervil River
4.02 Emo’s Outside Austin, TX with Okkervil River
4.04 Blue Note Columbia, MO with Okkervil River
4.05 Granada Theatre Lawrence, KS with Okkervil River
4.06 The Mill Iowa City, IA with Okkervil River
4.07 Metro Chicago, IL with Okkervil River
4.08 Barrymore Theatre Madison, WI with Okkervil River
4.09 Fine Line Minneapolis, MN with Okkervil River
4.11 TBA Montana with Okkervil River

More dates will be announced soon.

The iTunes update released today (for compatibility with the iPod Shuffle) not only patches a security vulnerability, but may render files which have had their DRM removed via Hymn unusable. There’s an ongoing discussion at MacSlash.

The new iPod Shuffle from Apple. Me want.

Relive the magic here.

Lovely turnout, lovely music, I hope you were there.

I spent the last five days in Las Vegas covering the Consumer Electronics Show for Stereophile magazine. My job was to report on the show as I saw it, to offer an outsider’s perspective on a very tightly-knit community of enthusiasts. I’m not an audiophile, but I do understand passion, and what was most present at the show was the love of music.

If you’re interested, you can find my daily reports here. Also check out the coverage offered by my friends and colleagues, Jon Iverson, Wes Phillips, and John Atkinson. These are some of the classiest, most intelligent and kind dudes I know. I felt very lucky to get to spend some time with them.

And Vegas: wow. That town is a total craptacularly appalling and gorgeous mess.