Sights and Sounds: 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, Robyn Hitchcock, Cold War Kids

Here is your daily dose of music cool news...

CHANCE THE RAPPER, LITTLE BIG TOWN, AND STURGILL SIMPSON TO PERFORM ON THE 59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS^®
 
WILLIAM BELL AND GARY CLARK JR. TAPPED FOR A SPECIAL COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE 

Music's Biggest Night^® — Hosted By James Corden — Airs Live On CBS, Feb. 12, 2017

Gary Clark Jr. performing at Anaheim
House of Blues in September
2013. Photo: Kelly A. Swift

Sturgill Simson. Photo: Reto Sterchi

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Feb. 2, 2017) — Music's Biggest Night^® just got bigger with newly added performances by two-time current GRAMMY^® nominee William Bell and GRAMMY winner Gary Clark Jr.; current seven-time GRAMMY nominee Chance The Rapper; two-time GRAMMY winners Little Big Town; and current two-time GRAMMY nominee Sturgill Simpson. 

Previously announced performers include Adele, Daft Punk, Dave Grohl, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Metallica, Maren Morris, Anderson .Paak,A Tribe Called Quest, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and The Weeknd. Award-winning television personality and performer James Corden is set to host the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards^® for the first time. Taking place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Additional performers will be announced shortly.

"It's important to The Recording Academy that the GRAMMY stage showcases artists across all disciplines and genres, and we take pride in our ability to elevate the best in music while, at the same time, introducing audiences to sounds and songs they’d previously not heard," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "As fans' access to music has increased, so has their appetite for variety expanded. This year's lineup already reflects that—and we're still not done!"

Bell is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance ("The Three Of Me") and Best Americana Album (This Is Where I Live).

Chance The Rapper is nominated for Best Rap Album (Coloring Book), Best New Artist, Best Rap/Sung Performance ("Ultralight Beam"), and Best Rap Performance ("No Problem"). He's also nominated three times in the  Best Rap Song category ("Ultralight Beam," "No Problem," and" Famous").

Simpson is nominated for Album Of The Year and Best Country Album (A Sailor's Guide To Earth).

The 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, Ben Winston is a producer, and David Wild and Ehrlich are the writers.

For the latest news and content, follow the GRAMMY conversation on social:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RecordingAcademy
Twitter https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/RecordingAcademy/
Snapchat 'recordingacad'
Tumblr http://recordingacademy.tumblr.com/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/RecordingAcademy
Hashtag #GRAMMYs


Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards—the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music—The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Recording Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK WANTS

TO TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS

ICONIC BRITISH ARTIST ANNOUNCES SELF-TITLED NEW ALBUM

EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION MARKS 21^ST STUDIO RECORDING

AND FIRST EPONYMOUS RELEASE OF FOUR-DECADE CAREER

NORTH AMERICAN LIVE DATES INCLUDE NYC PERFORMANCES

OF CLASSIC SOLO DEBUT, BLACK SNAKE DIAMOND RÖLE,

ACCOMPANIED BY YO LA TENGO

ROBYN HITCHCOCK ARRIVES ON APRIL 21

Yep Roc Records has announced the self-titled new album from Robyn Hitchcock. The 21^st studio recording and first-ever eponymous release of the legendary British artist's four-decade career, ROBYN HITCHCOCK is available for pre-order now at the official Yep Roc Store; the album arrives everywhere on Friday, April 21.

Described by its creator as "an ecstatic work of negativity," ROBYN HITCHCOCK is heralded by the metamorphic new single, "I Want To Tell You About What I Want." The track premiered yesterday exclusively at NPR Music.

"The original title of the song was 'My Vision of World Empathy,'" Hitchcock says. "Either we will become extinct and eventually be replaced by cats with articulated thumbs who have evolved the way apes slowly evolved into us. Or we will become empathic and mildly telepathic - people like Donald Trump won't happen because biologically no human will be born with that lack of empathy. We will become a species that isn't capable of bullying because we can feel what we're doing to other people. There is obviously some evolutionary step between the human and the angel that needs to take place. Maybe when we have enough suffering credits our DNA will go, Right! Here we go! Homo angelicus - it can read your mind, it's compassionate, it can levitate, and it's a great lover! It shares its fish sticks with you and flies you back in time to see the Velvet Underground! That is what we need to become."

ROBYN HITCHCOCK immediately stands among the most energized and ambitious recordings of the iconic troubadour's long career. The album sees the East Nashville-based Hitchcock casting familiar shapes into surprising new forms, the sci-fi fueled sounds and visions that first stimulated his work now ribboned with experience and hard-earned wisdom. Songs like "Sayonara Judge" are gorgeous and intense, rife with avant imagery, astringent wit, and righteous anger. Spanning dystopic psychedelia ("Mad Shelley's Letterbox," "Time Coast"), inspired folk baroque ("Raymond and the Wires," "1970 In Aspic"), even rambunctious liver-fried country ("I Pray When I'm Drunk"), ROBYN HITCHCOCK marks both a masterful new chapter and ideal entry point into Hitchcock's wildly brilliant oeuvre.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK was recorded in Nashville, TN, with producer Brendan Benson and backing by a crack band of fellow Music City pickers and players that includes guitarist Annie McCue, bassist Jon Estes, and drummer Jon Radford. Harmony vocal contributions come courtesy of Emma Swift, Grant Lee Phillips, Gillian Welch, and Wilco's Pat Sansone.

Hitchcock will celebrate the new album by continuing to spend much of his life on the road. In addition, Hitchcock will team with longtime friends Yo La Tengo for a pair of once-in-a-lifetime live performances of his classic 1981 solo debut, BLACK SNAKE DIAMOND RÖLE, set for Tuesday, February 28^th at Brooklyn, NY's Rough Trade NYC and Wednesday, March 1^st at NYC's Bowery Ballroom (now officially sold out). Full details, tour updates, and much more can be found at robynhitchcock.com/tour.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK marks Hitchcock's first full-length release since 2014's THE MAN UPSTAIRS. Produced by Joe Boyd, the album earned international acclaim for its evocative originals and striking interpretations of classic songs by Roxy Music, Psychedelic Furs, and The Doors. "THE MAN UPSTAIRS stands amongst (Hitchcock's) all-time best albums," raved The Quietus.

For additional news and information, please visit www.robynhitchcock.com and www.yeproc.com/artists/robyn-hitchcock.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

(Yep Roc)

Release Date: Friday, April 21

TRACKLISTING:

1.I Want To Tell You About What I Want

2. Virginia Woolf

3. I Pray When I'm Drunk

4. Mad Shelley's Letterbox

5. Sayonara Judge

6. Detective Mindhorn

7. 1970 In Aspic

8. Raymond and the Wires

9. Autumn Sunglasses

10. Time Coast

COLD WAR KIDS RELEASE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO, "LOVE IS MYSTICAL" TODAY

Band Announces New Album, 

L.A. Divine, Set For April 7, 2017

 Release 

On Capitol Records

North American Headline Tour Kicks Off March 3, 2017

February 2, 2017 - (Hollywood, CA) - Cold War Kids return with the stirring new anthem "Love Is Mystical." The track debuted as an iHeartRadio World Premiere, broadcast every three hours across all of their Alternative & Triple A stations and is now available at all digital partners.   "Love Is Mystical"is the first single from the band's forthcoming album, L.A. Divine.  Set for release on April 7 via Capitol Records, the album is an ode to Cold War Kids' hometown of Los Angeles. The official video for "Love Is Mystical" also premiered today on Vevo- watch it HERE. 

The band shot the clip in downtown Los Angeles at St. Vincent Court, an atmospheric alley that is a California historical landmark.  "Love is mystical/love will break the chains/you might feel invincible/you might be afraid/light in darkness/will show you the way/give you the power to believe again," sings Cold War Kids' Nathan Willett as a diverse troupe of dancers cross paths, pair off, and kiss in a celebration of the powerful force of love. The video was directed by Phillip Lopez and choreographed by Amy Gardner, artistic director for annoDAM Dance, which uses dance to raise awareness for global issues.

"It's about supernatural love - looking for inspiration and meaning, surrendering to feeling, love calling out your name and that journey we must go on to find it," says Nathan Willett about "Love Is Mystical." 

The band will preview songs from L.A. Divine on its upcoming North American headlining tour, which kicks off on March 3^rd at the Okeechobee Festival in Florida. Tickets are available at www.coldwarkids.com. See below for all dates.   

L.A. Divine- the band's sixth studio album and first for Capitol - follows 2014's Hold My Home, which debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Alternative Album chart. The album contained the Gold-certified single "First," which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart where it remained for sixty-four weeks, making it the second-longest-running single in the chart's history.  The track has more than 90 million combined streams. 

Cold War Kids are Nathan Willett, Matt Maust, Joe Plummer, Matthew Schwartz, and David Quon. Formed in 2004 in Fullerton, CA, the band has sold more than 800,000 adjusted albums, over two million singles, and racked up nearly 200 million streams to date.   

Cold War Kids Spring tour dates are as follows:

03/03   Okeechobee, FL          Okeechobee Festival

03/04   Columbia, SC               Music Farm ^

03/05   Charlotte, NC              Fillmore ^

03/06   Saxapahaw, NC           Haw River Ballroom ^

03/07   Atlanta, GA                  Tabernacle ^

03/10   Baton Rouge, LA         Varsity Theatre ^

03/11   Fayetteville, AR           George's Majestic Lounge ^

03/12   Omaha, NE                  Sokol Auditorium ^

03/14   Madison, WI                Majestic ^

03/15   Minneapolis, MN        First Avenue

03/17   Columbia, MO             Blue Note

03/18   Chicago, IL                   Riviera Theatre ^

03/19   Indianapolis, IN          Egyptian ^

03/21   Detroit, MI                  St. Andrews Hall ^

03/22   Toronto, ON                Danforth Music Hall ^

03/23   Pittsburgh, PA             Stage AE ^

03/24   Covington, KY             Madison Theater ^

^ with special guests Middle Kids

Big Star's 'Third' all-star performance at Alex Theatre, April 27, courtesy Concord Bicycle Music

Wow! Huge news for fans of Big Star coming in today...

CONCORD BICYCLE MUSIC PRESENTS“THANK YOU, FRIENDS”:BIG STAR’S THIRD LIVE AND MOREWITH SPECIAL GUESTS KRONOS QUARTET 

To be filmed for DVD Release
Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at the Alex Theatre 

Performers include members of Wilco, R.E.M., Big Star, Semisonic, Yo La Tengo, The Posies, The HeartbreakersLet’s Active, the dB’s

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Concord Bicycle Music will present a concert of the music of Memphis legends Big Star, performed by an all-star lineup of musicians and guest vocalists. The event, featuring fan favorites such as “In the Street,” “September Gurls” and “Thirteen,” as well as the entire Third album, is to be filmed for Thank You, Friends, a DVD and CD release set for release in 2017 and will take place Wednesday, April 27, 2017 at 8 p.m.sharp, at the Alex Theater, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Doors are at 7 p.m. 

Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone of Wilco, Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, Robyn Hitchcock, Dan Wilson of Semisonic, Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jessica Pratt, Brett Harris, Django Haskins, and Skylar Gudasz are among the guests who will be joined by a full chamber orchestra helmed by the Kronos Quartet, performing scores created directly from the original multitrack tapes from Ardent for this event. Carl Marsh, who wrote the original orchestrations, will conduct.

While the band may not be Big Star per se, the fabled group’s sole surviving original member, Jody Stephens, heads an amazing cast, whose membership includes latter-day Big Star alumni Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer of the Posies, R.E.M’s Mike Mills, Let’s Active’s Mitch Easter, Chris Stamey of the dB’s, and others.

The concert will be filmed by Yes Equals Yes as part of a Concord DVD release, slated for Spring 2017.

Big Star’s third album, Third/Sister Lovers, has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential albums ever produced. Written and recorded when the legendary ’70s band was primarily a studio project consisting of Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, the third album was never performed in public with the original string and wind orchestrations. That changed in December 2010, when an ace ensemble unearthed the original scores, assembled an orchestra and performed Big Star’s Third at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. Stamey notes: “Now, to have Carl Marsh conduct his own original exacting, unearthly orchestrations for the first time—and to have the amazing Kronos Quartet joining all of us in bringing them to life on stage—is a dream come true.”

Much like Nick Drake, the Velvet Underground, or other critically esteemed artists whose work only gained commercial traction long after its initial release, Big Star’s trademark mix of shimmering jangle pop with a side of elliptical melancholia was originally let loose into a world that just wasn’t ready for it. Nonetheless, an underground core of fanatical enthusiasts kept the fire burning. The Replacements famously released “Alex Chilton,” a song that paid tribute to his songwriting genius. R.E.M.’s Peter Buck said, "Big Star served as a Rosetta Stone for a whole generation of musicians." Third is included as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Experience this classic of late ’70s power pop through the prism of a one-of-a-kind collective of immensely talented fans of one of the most influential American rock bands ever.

Of very special guests the Kronos Quartet, Los Angeles Times wrote: “Kronos has led and continues to lead what surely must be the longest unending revolution by any ensemble ever in music history.”

Ticket link:http://www.alextheatre.org/event/concord-music-group-presents-thank-you-friends-big-stars-third-live