Hailed by Spin as “one of the catchiest songs of Alice In Chains’ history,” lead single “Check My Brain” has blanketed rock and alternative radio and rocketed straight to No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock Songs Chart and No. 1 on the R&R Rock Chart.
The riff-driven track appears on the band’s highly anticipated new album, Black Gives Way To Blue (Virgin/EMI), available September 29th. Playboy gave the disc four stars, calling it “Alice In Chains’ Back In Black,” Revolver praised the record for its “dense tapestry of heavy guitars and soaring melodies” and Reuters wrote “the heavy guitars, submerged vocals and thunderous rhythm section assures fans that the band has lost none of its menace.”
The “Check My Brain” video premiered yesterday on MTV2’s “Unleashed,” airing every hour on the hour. It also debuted on MTVu, as well as on MTVMusic.com, MTV2.com and MTVu.com. The clip was directed by Alex Courtes, whose credits include U2’s “Vertigo,” Wolfmother’s “Woman” and the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” The video can be seen here:
The band (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, guitarist/vocalist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez) has been previewing songs from the album during their current sold-out buzz tour, which wraps September 30th at the Avalon in Los Angeles. Alice In Chains will celebrate the release of Black Gives Way To Blue with a special two-night performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on September 29th and 30th. Next up is a headlining tour of Europe, set to kick off November 12th in Glasgow.
Tour dates are as follows:
Sept. 15 Toronto, ON The Opera House - SOLD OUT
Sept. 16 Cleveland, OH House of Blues - SOLD OUT
Sept. 17 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall - SOLD OUT
Sept. 19 Chicago, IL House of Blues - SOLD OUT
Sept. 20 Milwaukee, WI The Rave - SOLD OUT
Sept. 21 Minneapolis, MN First Ave - SOLD OUT
Sept. 24 Seattle, WA Moore Theater - SOLD OUT
Sept. 26 Portland, OR Roseland Grill - SOLD OUT
Sept. 28 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore - SOLD OUT
Sept. 30 Los Angeles, CA The Avalon - SOLD OUT
Nov. 12 Glasgow, Scotland Barrowland
Nov. 13 Birmingham, UK Birmingham Academy
Nov. 14 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
Nov. 16 London, UK The Forum
Nov. 17 London, UK The Forum
Nov. 19 Tilburg, Holland 013
Nov. 20 Antwerp, Belgium Trix Zaal
Nov. 21 Weisbaden, Germany Schlachthof
Nov. 23 Dortmund, Germany FZW
Nov. 24 Prague, Czech Rep. Lucerna
Nov. 25 Warsaw, Poland Stodola
Nov. 27 Budapest, Hungary Petofi Csarnok
Nov. 29 Vienna, Austria Gasometer
Nov. 30 Munich, Germany Thearterfabrick
Dec. 2 Milan, Italy Alcatraz
Dec. 3 Fribourg, Switzerland Fri-Son
Dec. 4 Paris, France Bataclan
Besides the Red Wings, Detroit has it pretty rough. Canadian Sam Roberts manages to capture the feel and look of the city in one rollicking retro tune. Check it out:
Our sister site WatchMojo.com had the chance to interview progressive metal act, Protest The Hero. Check it out:
Chicago alt-rock troupe, MADINA LAKE just premiered the video for “Never Take Us Alive” on MySpace today. The clip was directed by Shane Drake who has also worked with Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and Timbaland among others. The song comes off Madina Lake’s sophomore album, Attics to Eden, which hits stores on April 28th.
Check out the video here:
After much anticipation, 88-Keys’ video “Stay Up! (Viagra)” ft. Kanye West premiers on several MTV channels and has garnered a MTV2 Unleashed Premier, the MTV2 Elite 8 Rotation, MTVU All Day Premier and MTV JAMS All Day Premier!
“The ‘Stay Up! (Viagra)’ video represents a new wave in the Music Video,” says director Jason Goldwatch. “It is a smash up of music video, reality television, and highbrow conceptual art. By taking some of the world’s biggest stars, who are normally surrounded by security and droves of crazed fans, and hiding their identity, we allow them to interact with the ‘real world’, unrecognized, unhindered, and free to walk alone – almost as if new people.”
Shot in High Definition on the streets of LA, the video features 88-Keys and Kanye West dressed in full prosthetic makeup made to appear in their late sixties, out on a night on the town. Utilizing the talents of makeup artist Tony Gardner of Alterian Effects (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, “Hairspray”, “Shallow Hal”, “Seed of Chucky”, Daft Punk) the video creates an intimate and comedic look at the two real life friends.
Bad Flirt took some time to check in from day one of their US tour to share a geography lesson about Boston. The quirky band from Montreal gives plenty of insight into the city’s history including its founding by Boston terriers and its location on the West coast. Head over to Bad Flirt’s Myspace page to see if they will be bringing their high-energy pop/rock – and sense of humor – to a city near you.
In this exclusive clip, find out how he linked up with Talib Kweli for “I Am”, learn the inspiration behind “Wild West”, and how Quincy Jones himself approved “Sista”. Also, make sure to check out “I Am…Future Black President”
Matthew McConaughey granted an exclusive interview with Myspace celebrity about his new record label jk livin and his first signing Mishka.
Mishka has just released his new unique, evocative, emotional album Above the Bones and has hit the road with dates all over North America.
Mishka’s biography has an almost cinematic sweep. He spent most of his early life on a boat in the Caribbean, sailing from island to island with his seafaring parents and older sisters. A child of the islands, it was almost inevitable that he’d be drawn to reggae, Rastafari, and the natural mystic that inhabits his music and his soul. Above The Bones is his third album and the debut release for Matthew McConaughey’s j. k. livin label.
“The music I heard growing up from my parents, sisters and the places we visited gave me a lot of musical and cultural flexibility.” “Everything I’ve ever heard blends together in what I do.” “I’m a huge reggae fan but there’s folk, soul, rock and other elements in the music.”
Mishka’s international outlook is a product of his unique upbringing. “My parents met in Bermuda” Mishka explains. “They always had dreams of living at sea and my father built a boat for the family to live on. I moved onto the boat when I was three.”
“We sailed all over the Atlantic and Caribbean” Mishka recalls. “We visited Brazil, all the Caribbean islands, even made a cross-Atlantic trip to Portugal and England.” Mishka and his sisters were home schooled until they went to boarding school for their higher education. “Learning how to read maps and chart a course was my math and geography class, going ashore in different countries and talking to people about their culture was my history class, reading books on board was my literary education, picking up French and Portuguese in the ports we visited was my language school.”
The boat had a small battery run cassette player and Mishka heard the music his parents loved: The Beatles, Jimmy Cliff, Dylan and Jimmy Buffett who was sailing the same waters as his family in those days. “My sisters turned me on to the Police, Cars and Roxy Music, but when I heard Burning Spear, Culture, and Bob Marley, I got addicted to roots reggae.”
Mishka moved to London and his debut, the self-titled Mishka, became a Top 40 hit in England. “Give You All the Love” cracked the charts in Britain and Japan where it went Top 10. While he was making Mishka, Swedish producer Martin Terefe (KT Tunstall, James Morrison) was working in the studio next door. Terefe produced Mishka’s second album, 2005’s One Tree, a blend of electronica, folk and reggae. While on tour, Mishka met Darryl Thompson a long time guitarist for Sly & Robbie. They were working on Above the Bones when Matthew McConaughey showed up and signed Mishka to his new label j. k. livin.
Mishka’s varied musical interests are evident on Above the Bones but his vocals may be the most captivating element of the album. His striking tenor is mellow and intense with a bluesy quality that gives every word an aching intensity. It’s a timeless voice, the familiar sound of a friend you’ve always known but never met.
“Higher Heights” opens the album with a roots reggae vibe. It’s a song of empowerment and encouragement to people who want to see more love and unity in the world, an invitation to let our better nature shine and heal the troubled world we live in. “3rd Eye Vision” is a rock steady groove. It’s a prayer for the planet that urges us to live in harmony with the earth and find peace of mind amidst a system that often forces us to be hypocritical to ourselves. “Peace and Love” is a simple three chord celebration of eternal values. Mishka’s vocal is full of sweet soulful fire. The title track for the album is essentially a folk song about honoring our ancestors, their memories, their tribulations and their joys and translating that into a prayer for the living.
Other stand out tracks include “Coastline Journey” with laid back conga lines and surfer style guitar licks this one is essentially a love song for the ocean; “Mountains Meet the Sea” a tender rock ballad and “Train Again” a tune that brings to mind the early Wailers with its funky Clavinet and rock guitar leads also features vocals by dancehall artist Lyrical Don.
The album started as an independent project produced by Mishka and Guitarist Darryl Thompson but was finished with the creative assistance of Matthew McConaughey. It was essentially tracked live with minimal overdubs. “Darryl has played for many years with Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru, but he has a background mainly in rock and blues” Mishka says of Darryl. “He could hear the folk, soul and reggae in the music and really helped bring the songs to life”. “Matthew (McConaughey) has a good ear for picking out the best elements of a song and really brought his positive energy and enthusiasm to the studio.”
With an album that fully realizes his multifaceted musical vision, Mishka and his band will take to the road, sharing his positive vibrations and his global musical vision with fans old and new.
Tour Dates:
Feb 24 2009 8:00P: Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon
Feb 25 2009 8:00P: Nectar Lounge Seattle, Washington
Feb 26 2009 8:00P: The Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
Feb 27 2009 8:00P: Sugar Nightclub Victoria, British Columbia
Feb 28 2009 8:00P: Spice Lounge Nanaimo, British Columbia
Mar 1 2009 8:00P: Garfinkles Whistler, British Columbia
Mar 3 2009 8:00P: Communitea Cafe Canmore, Alberta
Mar 4 2009 8:00P: The Brixx Bar & Grill Edmonton, Alberta
Mar 5 2009 8:00P: The Gateway Bar - SAIT Campus Calgary, Alberta
Mar 6 2009 8:00P: Amigos Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Mar 7 2009 8:00P: Park Theatre Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mar 9 2009 8:00P: 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 10 2009 8:00P: Schubas Tavern Chicago, Illinois
Mar 12 2009 8:00P: Revival Toronto, Ontario
Mar 13 2009 8:00P: Les Saints Montreal, Quebec
Mar 14 2009 8:00P: Harper’s Ferry Allston, Massachusetts
Mar 15 2009 8:00P: Sullivan Hall New York, New York
Mar 16 2009 8:00P: Jammin Java Vienna, Virginia
Mar 23 2009 8:00P: three20south Breckenridge, Colorado
Mar 24 2009 8:00P: Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mar 25 2009 8:00P: Aggie Theater Fort Collins, Colorado
Mar 26 2009 8:00P: Marquis Theater Denver, Colorado
Mar 27 2009 8:00P: Sandbar Sports Grill Vail, Colorado
Mar 28 2009 8:00P: Star Bar Park City, Utah
Mar 29 2009 8:00P: Whiskey Dick’s Saloon South Lake Tahoe, California
Mar 31 2009 8:00P: Blake’s Berkeley, California
Apr 1 2009 8:00P: Downtown Brewing Company San Luis Obispo, California
Apr 2 2009 8:00P: Cane’s Bar & Grill San Diego, California
Apr 3 2009 8:00P: Roxy Theatre West Hollywood, California
Apr 4 2009 8:00P: Galaxy Theater Santa Ana, California
For more information and to buy tickets go to: http://mishka.com/shows/
Taylor Hicks’ brand new video for “What’s Right Is Right” has just premiered on Yahoo! Music. Head over to Yahoo! to watch the crooner do his thing in the video and perform in a dark lounge with his trademark soulful sound. “What’s Right Is Right” will appear on Taylor’s upcoming release, The Distance, due out March 10th.
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