RA RA RIOT NEW YORK SHOWS SOLD OUT
IN-STORE PERFORMANCE TONIGHT AT SOUND FIX
DECEMBER U.S DATES ADDED
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN DEBUT TO STREAM AT
http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/live/
NPR LIVE CONCERT SERIES PERFORMANCE STREAMING AT
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95519776

RA RA RIOT’s “inevitable rise to prominence” (The WASHINGTON POST) continues with this week’s trifecta: The band made its debut on THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN last night (the performance will be up shortly at http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/live/), both of this week’s New York shows–Oct. 16 at the Bowery Ballroom and Oct. 17 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg–completely SOLD OUT (a VERY LIMITED number of press/review tickets are still available–LAST CHANCE!), and another run of U.S. headline dates has been confirmed for December.

Released August 19, The Rhumb Line (Barsuk) entered the Top 200 U.S. album chart at #109, selling nearly 6000 units in its first week of release. The Syracuse NY-born band’s first full length has since generated some of the most positive response to any indie release of recent years, with ROLLING STONE featuring the band as a full page Artists To Watch and awarding the record a 4-star review, hailing it as “a blissful chamber-pop breakthrough” and “ultimately life-affirming.” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY compared it to “Unforgettable Fire-era U2,” DETAILS noted its “indie-rock intensity” in a 4-star review, and PITCHFORK called it “a record that is at once grand and intimate.”

Finally, RA RA RIOT will embark on its first ever European tour in November, following an October return to the UK that features several dates supporting Vampire Weekend.

See below for dates. For further information, contact Steve Martin or Laura Eldeiry at nasty little man 212 343 0740 or laura@nastylittleman.com

Ra Ra Riot 2008:

10.14.08: Brooklyn, NY // Soundfix
10.15.08: Philadelphia, PA // Johnny Brenda’s
10.16.08: New York, NY // Bowery Ballroom // SOLD OUT
10.17.08: Brooklyn, NY // Music Hall of Williamsburg // SOLD OUT
10.18.08: Cambridge, MA // The Middle East Downstairs
10.25.08: London // Push @ Astoria 2
10.26.08: London // London Forum // SOLD OUT
10.28.08: Newcastle // Newcastle Academy // SOLD OUT
10.29.08: Glasgow// Glasgow Barrowlands // SOLD OUT
10.30.08: Liverpool // Liverpool Academy // SOLD OUT
10.31.08: Bristol // Bristol Academy // SOLD OUT
11.01.08: Leeds // Cockpit
11.03.08: London // Hoxton Bar
12.03.08: Burlington, VT // Higher Ground
12.04.08: Albany, NY // Valentines
12.05.08: Northampton, MA // Iron Horse Music Hall
12.06.08: Swarthmore, PA // Swarthmore College
12.09.08: Newport, KY // Southgate House
12.11.08: Louisville, KY // 930 Listening Room
12.12.08: Nashville, TN // Exit/In
12.13.08: Athens, GA // 40 Watt Club
12.14.08: Asheville, NC // Grey Eagle
12.16.08: Baltimore, MD // Ottobar

NOVEMBER 7-23 HEADLINE RUN ADDED W/ BROTHER READE

Having kicked off their fall tour schedule with an appearance at AUSTIN CITY LIMITS that elicited raves from the AUSTIN CHRONICLE (”an act that’s matured both personally and professionally”) and THE ONION (”the duo continues to save itself by producing albums that are better than the previous ones”), and currently on tour with Santogold, the indefatigable MATES OF STATE have added a November series of headline dates to their Re-Arranger tour.

The new dates begin November 7 in Asbury Park NJ and run through November 23 in Baltimore MD. All dates will feature LA hip-hop duo Brother Reade as main support – see below for a full itinerary.

The Re-Arranger tour is of course named for the MATES’ fifth album, Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk), which was released May 20, the same day marking the band’s network television debut on LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN.

Re-Arrange Us has received the best critical (and public) response of MATES OF STATE’s career: NEW YORK magazine called the record “a bona fide breakthrough,” MAGNET praised it as “the best album of their career for a second straight time,” while DETAILS and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY focused on individual tracks, the former raving “‘Now’ has summer anthem written all over it” and the latter featuring “My Only Offer” as a “Choice Cut.”

Gardner and Hammel will be joined on the upcoming dates by additional musicians Linnea Weiss (cello) and Chris Cosgrove (guitar, bass, electronics).

For further information, contact Steve Martin or Amy Grote at nasty little man 212 343 0740 amy@nastylittleman.com

MATES OF STATE
THE RE-ARRANGER TOUR
NEW HEADLINE DATES IN BOLD

10/04/08 SEATTLE, WA Showbox Sodo with Santogold, Low vs Diamond
10/05/08 PORTLAND, OR Crystal Ballroom with Santogold, Low vs Diamond
10/07/08 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Fillmore with Santogold, Low vs Diamond
10/10/08 SAN DIEGO, CA House of Blues with Santogold, Low vs Diamond
10/11/08 LAS VEGAS, NV House of Blues @ Mandalay Bay with Santogold, Low vs Diamond
10/13/08 ANAHEIM, CA House of Blues with Santogold, Low vs Diamond
10/14/08 LOS ANGELES, CA Wiltern with Santogold, The Ting Tings, Low vs Diamond
10/16/08 MARQUETTE, MI Northern Michigan University
10/17/08 GRAND RAPIDS, MI Calvin College
10/18/08 KALAMAZOO, MI Kalamazoo State Theater
10/19/08 DETROIT, MI Magic Stick

11/7 Asbury Park NJ @ Wonder Bar
11/8 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
11/9 Morgantown, WV @ Mountainstage (NPR show)
11/10 Lexington, KY @ The Dame
11/11 Washington DC @ Black Cat
11/12 Charlottesville VA @ Gravity Lounge
11/13 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
11/14 Lexington KY @ The Dame
11/15 Louisville, KY @ Headliners
11/16 Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
11/17 Nashville, TN @ Exit / In
11/19 Jacksonville Beach FL @ Freebird Live
11/20 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
11/21 Greenville SC @ The Handlebar
11/22 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
11/23 Baltimore MD @ Ottobar

Selected Dates in Battleground States

Beastie Boys have confirmed selected dates through the crucial swing states of the upcoming election. Joining the band in various markets will be Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Santogold, Tenacious D, and special guests, as well as representatives from the Rock The Vote, who will be on hand to distribute information on local polling sites, including early voting locations where available.

The first three shows to be announced are:

Oct 28 Richmond, VA – Richmond Coliseum
Beastie Boys/Jack Johnson/Norah Jones/Santogold

Nov 1 St. Paul, MN – Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Beastie Boys/Ben Harper/Tenacious D

Nov 2 Milwaukee, WI – U.S. Cellular Arena
Beastie Boys/Ben Harper/Crosby & Nash/Tenacious D

Check www.beastieboys.com for on sale times and info.

The remaining shows will be announced shortly.

War Child and Astralwerks Records have moved the release of the album “Heroes” from November 2008 until early in 2009.

The “Heroes” album is a unique collaboration of music’s biggest acts, with all-time legends nominating both the classic track and modern artist to record an exclusive cover version.

Since the album was announced recently a list of huge names have come forward with offers to participate in the record. This new release date will allow War Child to add further to their historic roll call of musical legends and modern greats. The initial list of participants included such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Duffy, Brian Wilson, Rufus Wainwrigh, Joy Division and Hot Chip.

War Child say: “We have been over-whelmed and amazed by the response to the project. The wealth of talent who have contacted us wishing to support the charity and contribute to the album is humbling and we are delighted to have been able to change our deadlines to accommodate some of them. It was impossible to say no.”

War Child would like to thank everyone for their support and look forward to releasing a fantastic record in 2009.

ADDITIONAL TICKETS RELEASED FOR SOLD OUT NEW YORK SHOWS
SELECT UNDERPLAYS CONTINUING THROUGH OCTOBER 19 & 20 IN LOS ANGELES
FIRST SINGLE “OH NO” NOW STREAMING ON www.PITCHFORKMEDIA.com

Andrew Bird has confirmed that his new studio album Noble Beast will be released January 27, 2009 on Fat Possum Records. Noble Beast, currently in its final stages of mixing and mastering, is the follow up to Andrew’s critically acclaimed 2007 set Armchair Apocrypha which has sold over 100,000 copies to date.

Track listing for Noble Beast:
1. Oh No
2. Masterswarm
3. Fitz and the Dizzyspells
4. Effigy
5. Tenuousness
6. Nomenclature
7. Not a Robot, But a Ghost
8. Anonanimal
9. Natural Disaster
10. Confess
11. Souverian
12. On Ho!

The first single, “Oh No” is currently streaming in Pitchfork’s FORKCAST section, as well as dozens of other blogs who happened to pick it up over the weekend.

As a special treat, Andrew will be performing songs from the new record at a handful of intimate underplay shows this month in New York, Los Angeles and a few other select markets.

A small quantity of additional tickets has been released for TONIGHT AND TOMORROW’s shows (Oct. 6 and 7) at the HIRO BALLROOM. The limited additional tickets are available at the Mercury Lounge and Music Hall of Williamsburg box offices, ticketmaster.com, and Hiro Ballroom when doors open.

Following the conclusion of the second Hiro show, Bird will hightail it to the Music Hall of Williamsburg to appear at the October 7 BARACK ROCK fundraiser with Fiery Furnaces, Eugene Mirman and others.

The pre-release underplays wrap up Oct. 19 and 20 at the new Cafe Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles.

The complete itinerary is as follows:
10/06/08 – New York, NY – Hiro Ballroom
10/07/08 – New York, NY – Hiro Ballroom
10/07/08 – Brooklyn, NY – BARACK ROCK Music Hall of Williamsberg
10/08/08 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall
10/09/08 – Albany, NY – Swyer Theatre
10/10/08 – Northampton, MA – Calvin Theatre
10/19/08 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo at The Coronet
10/20/08 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo at The Coronet

For more information, contact Steve Martin or Laura Eldeiry at nasty little man t 212-343-0740 e laura@nastylittleman.com

SPOON TO PLAY HOMETOWN BENEFIT FOR TEXAS DEMOCRATS & MARK THOMPSON, DEMOCRATIC RAILROAD COMMISSIONER CANDIDATE
October 13 Show at the Parish with Special Guest Gary Clark Jr.
Tickets On Sale 10 a.m. CST Thursday, October 2

Austin hometown dudes turned international musician-types SPOON will play a rare intimate one-off date October 13 at the Parish, proceeds from which will benefit Texas Democrats and the campaign of Mark Thompson, Democratic candidate for the office of Railroad Commissioner.
Tickets for the show will go on sale 10 a.m. central time Thursday, October 2.

The benefit follows on the heels of last month’s finale’ of SPOON’s year-plus on and off the road. It is expected to be one of the band’s last few live appearances before they head into the studio to complete the follow up to 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

For more information on tickets, go to Spoontheband.com.

Electric Arguments
U.S. Release Date: November 25, 2008

The Fireman has returned after a ten-year break with something to sing about. Electric Arguments, the brand new third studio album from the mysterious duo–out in the U.S. November 25 on MPL/ATO–is their first release to feature vocals.

“Ambient dreams in rainbow arches describe the circles of The Fireman” is how the duo described their music in a rare interview around the release of their last album ‘Rushes’ in 1998. Their first album ‘Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest’, released in 1993, was a solid ambient dance album heavy on electronics. Around this time the identity of The Fireman was unknown until the press exposed the duo as none other than Paul McCartney and Youth. The now defunct music bible Melody Maker heaped praise on the project, “Paul McCartney has discovered dance music – the results are staggeringly brilliant. They (The Fireman) take a melody and, with dexterous genre-hopping through ambient, trance and house, evolve a number of breathtaking variations.”

Last year The Fireman returned to work again to start work on what would become Electric Arguments, ultimately finding thirteen days and recording a song on each of those days over the course of a little more than a year. The results this time are entirely different from any previous Fireman release.

Earlier this year The Fireman donated a new track, Lifelong Passion (which appears on Electric Arguments) to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield. This new track marked a directional change for The Fireman, showcasing a more traditional song based sound with vocals, completely unlike anything on the previous two albums. Speculation increased as a ’studio source’ was quoted in The Times of London as describing their new sound ‘like Arcade Fire meets Led Zeppelin’. So what had The Fireman been up to and what does the album sound like?

Electric Arguments is an eclectic and varied album consisting of thirteen tracks, each written and recorded in the space of one day. McCartney and Youth went into the studio with no master plan or clear direction. Instead they let the project take a life of its own, with the results surprising them as much as anyone.

The record opens with a stylistically diverse trifecta: Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight is a classic rock attention grabber followed by a hairpin turn in the form of the acoustic driven Two Magpies and yet another direction with Sing The Changes, a euphoric upbeat song with an undeniable and instantly memorable melody. Electric Arguments continues in this fashion, each track with an entirely different personality yet all meshing perfectly. Other standouts include ‘Light From Your Lighthouse’, ‘Sun Is Shining’ and ‘Dance ‘Til We’re High’, all in keeping with the genre-hopping spirit of the first two Fireman albums and demonstrating Paul McCartney’s unending interest in pure musical possibilities. This is an album set to both surprise and delight the listener. Made with no record company restraints or a set release date to work to, Electric Arguments is a work of omplete artistic and creative freedom.

The Fireman
Electric Arguments

Track listing:

1) Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight
2) Two Magpies
3) Sing The Changes
4) Traveling Light
5) Highway
6) Light From Your Lighthouse
7) Sun Is Shining
8) Dance ‘Til We’re High
9) Lifelong Passion
10) Is This Love?
11) Lovers In A Dream
12) Universal Here, Everlasting Now
13 Don’t Stop Running

Produced By Paul McCartney & Youth / All tracks written by Paul McCartney

After the overwhelming response to the Nude Remix Project, Radiohead are giving fans the opportunity to remix “Reckoner”, another track from the band’s latest album “In Rainbows” at http://www.radioheadremix.com

To make remixing easy, the separate ’stems’* from the song will be available to purchase on iTunes. The ’stems’ available are bass, lead vocal, backing vocals, guitars, piano/strings and drums. All six stems will be available to buy for the price of a single track. Fans can mix them in any way they like, either by adding their own beats and instrumentation, or just remixing the original parts.

Fans who purchase the ’stems’ from iTunes during the first two weeks they’re available, will be sent an access code to a GarageBand file ready to open in GarageBand or Logic. However, you don’t need GarageBand to do a remix, the stems are available in the DRM-free iTunes Plus format and compatible with several music software platforms.

Finished mixes can be uploaded to http://www.radioheadremix.com where the public will listen and vote for their favourite. Fans can also create a widget allowing votes from their own website, Facebook or MySpace page to be counted as ‘mix votes’ back on radioheadremix.com.

*’stems’ are the component parts of the song.

FEATURING ALL NEW AND EXCLUSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE BIGGEST NAMES IN MUSIC
HEROES WILL BE RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 25, 2008 ON ASTRALWERKS RECORDS

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Heroes album will be contributed to the humanitarian organization War Child

For immediate release:
War Child, an award winning charity that provides humanitarian assistance to war-affected children in some of the most devastated regions of the world, are proud to announce Heroes, a new benefit album to be released by EMI’s Astralwerks label on November 25th, 2008.

Heroes features a unique and unprecedented collaboration between some of the biggest names in music history and today’s hottest artists, working with a concept that mirrors one of the intrinsic aims of War Child’s efforts in war zones across the world – to place faith in the next generation. The Heroes concept is simple:Â Many of the biggest legends in music, including Sir Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Brian Wilson and The Clash, select one of the classic tracks from their own songwriting canon, and nominate an artist from the next generation to create a modern reworking of that classic song.

The full track listing will be announced in due course but already the album is shaping up to be a musical tour-de-force with the following amazing cover versions:

BECK covering BOB DYLAN’S “LEOPARD-SKIN PILL-BOX HAT”
DUFFY covering SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY’S “LIVE AND LET DIE”
BRIAN WILSON nominating RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, who performs a medley of two tracks from “Smile”
THE KOOKS covering THE KINKS’ “VICTORIA”.
HOT CHIP covering JOY DIVISION’S “TRANSMISSION”
THE HOLD STEADY covering BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S “ATLANTIC CITY”

Many tracks by hugely successful contemporary artists are still being finished; the completed Heroes record will be an album of staggering musical diversity uniting the cream of musical giants from different generations.

War Child places its faith in the next generation and works to protect the most hard to reach children hit by a combination of war, poverty and marginalisation. Despite security constraints War Child is still operating successfully to protect youth in Darfur, Sudan, is on the ground in Afghanistan providing support to vulnerable women and their children, and has been in Georgia since 2004, long before Russian tanks rolled in.
As well as being recognized for working in the world’s most dangerous war zones, War Child is widely known for its association with the music industry, having produced award-winning charity albums and documentaries.
Sir Paul McCartney said “I have been supporting War Child since 1995. Their work with children in war zones saves lives and their work with those who take decisions that help them to do something about it saves even more lives. I think Duffy’s version of ‘Live and Let Die’ is great – I was really impressed. The breadth of talent on this project is amazing; it’s great that so many people gave their time, energy and support to this initiative. I urge everyone to support War Child.”

Dr. Samantha Nutt, Executive Director of War Child said, “War Child’s programming is predicated on the belief that by empowering children we stand a better chance of a peaceful future. The artists who have contributed to this record really are heroes, because it is through their creativity that we are able to continue our work with children whose lives have been devastated by war.”

“We are enormously proud to be involved with a project that encompasses such musical depth, socio-economic scope and global significance” added Glenn Mendlinger, general manager of Astralwerks. “It is our sincerest hope that this is the first of many new efforts by the music community to raise awareness of the plight of children throughout the world”.

War Child is an award-winning charity which provides opportunities and long term solutions for war-affected children, focusing on education, strengthening children’s rights, reducing poverty and fostering self reliance. War Child works in partnership with local people and organizations to build sustainable programming that empowers children and their communities. Working closely with the music industry, War Child provides awareness, support and action for children’s rights everywhere. www.warchild.ca

For more information about Heroes, please contact:
Steve Martin
Nasty Little Man
(212) 343-0740
steve@nastylittleman.com
Angelica Cob-Baehler
EMI Music North America
(323) 871-5552
angelica.cob@emimusic.com
________________
For more information about War Child, please contact:
Fiona Hack
Senior Manager, Music & Communications
War Child Canada
(416) 971-7474
fiona@warchild.ca