Not scheduled to pull
a KISS, unfortunately.

By Fred Mills

Tomorrow, July 1, everyone’s favorite evil clowns Slipknot
will dump their played-out costumes and don new ones. The Iowa mook merchants plan to unveil their new
imagery in an exclusive partnership with AOL MusicThe event is being billed
somewhat dubiously as a “highly anticipated debut” but hey, it’s just promotion for Slipknot’s new album, All Hope Is
Gone, due from Roadrunner on August 26, so we’re  not frettin’ the hype. Hey, we were really
thinking they’d pull a KISS and ditch the masks altogether for a much-needed
cred grab, but no such luck.

“Masks,” writes the band’s handlers, “are an integral part
of the band’s identity and to reflect this point, AOL Music’s Spinner.com will
host a retrospective photo gallery of Slipknot masks throughout their career,
spanning all three previous albums and including the most recent controversial
‘Purgatory Masks.’ The Slipknot mask unveiling will be featured on the main
page of Spinner.com worldwide for 24 hours.”

You might have thought (hoped? prayed?) Slipknot had gone
away; after all, it’s been four years since their last studio album, 2004’s Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses),
although in that interim they also released a live album and documentary CD.
Never fear: it’s clown time again. Literally.

This is not Slipknot, but if they took off their masks it might as well be:

This is actually Slipknot:

Gillis gets ready to feed some of his animals on the
road…

By Fred
Mills

We brought you a
nine-out-of-ten-stars review for Girl Talk’s Feed The Animals (Illegal Art) last week — still a digital only release, with a
physical release due Sept.23.

Now we bring you word of Gregg Gillis’
upcoming fall tour, which will run from early October into mid-November (and
will be preceded by some selected dates this summer, including festival stops
at Lollapalooza, All Points West, Detroit Electronic Music
Festival/Movement, Summer Camp and the Capitol Hill Block Party. As Gillis’
handlers advise us, expect “packed stages, broken Toughbooks, sweaty dancers,
exhilaration, adrenaline, all out fun and Girl Talk leading it all… come see
for yourself what all the fuss is about!”

BLURT has seen Girl Talk live, and trust us, he definitely kicks
up a fuss. Opening acts for the fall dates will include Grand Buffet, Hearts of
Darkness, the Death Set and CX KiDTRONiK.

For those who have not
downloaded Girl Talk’sFeed The Animals, it is still available for
download via a “pay what you want” plan

Girl Talk Tour Dates:

Fri-Jul 11, 08 Boulder
CO Fox Theatre
Sat-Jul 12, 08 Aspen CO
Belly Up
Wed-Jul 23, 08 Victoria
BC Sugar
Thu-Jul 24, 08 Vancouver
BC Commodore Ballroom w/ Twin Crystals
Fri-Jul 25, 08 Seattle
WA Capitol Hill Block Party
Sat-Jul 26, 08 Portland
OR Roseland Theater w/ Panther, Monkey Trick
Sun-Aug 3, 08 Chicago IL
Lollapalooza 2008
Fri-Aug 8, 08 Jersey
City NJ All Points West Festival

Thu-Oct 9, 08
Philadelphia PA Starlight Ballroom w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet Fri-Oct 10, 08
Washington DC 9:30 Club w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Sat-Oct 11, 08 Baltimore
MD Sonar w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Mon-Oct 13, 08 Carrboro
NC Cats Cradle w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Tue-Oct 14, 08 Asheville
NC Orange Peel w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Wed-Oct 15, 08 Knoxville
TN Valarium w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Thu-Oct 16, 08 Atlanta
GA Variety Playhouse w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Fri-Oct 17, 08 New
Orleans LA House of Blues New Orleans w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Sat-Oct 18, 08 Houston
TX Warehouse Live w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Mon-Oct 20, 08 Austin TX
Emos w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Tue-Oct 21, 08 Dallas TX
Palladium Ballroom w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Thu-Oct 23, 08 Tucson AZ
Rialto Theater w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Fri-Oct 24, 08 Los
Angeles CA Henry Fonda Theater w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Sat-Oct 25, 08 Los
Angeles CA Henry Fonda Theater w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set Mon-Oct 27, 08 San
Francisco CA The Fillmore Auditorium w/ Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet
Tue-Oct 28, 08 San
Francisco CA The Fillmore Auditorium w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Thu-Oct 30, 08 Salt Lake
City UT In The Venue w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Fri-Oct 31, 08 Denver CO
Ogden Theater w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Sat-Nov 1, 08 Lawrence
KS The Granada Theatre w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Mon-Nov 3, 08
Minneapolis MN First Avenue w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Tue-Nov 4, 08 Milwaukee
WI Turner Hall Ballroom w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Wed-Nov 5, 08 Urbana IL
Canopy Club w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Thu-Nov 6, 08 Nashville
TN Cannery Ballroom w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Fri-Nov 7, 08 Louisville
KY Headliners Music Hall w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Sun-Nov 9, 08 Cincinnati
OH Bogarts w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Mon-Nov 10, 08 Cleveland
OH Beachland Ballroom w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Tue-Nov 11, 08 Pontiac
MI Eagle Theatre w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Wed-Nov 12, 08 Toronto
ON Koolhaus w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Thu-Nov 13, 08 Montreal
PQ Club Soda w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set
Fri-Nov 14, 08
Foxborough MA Showcase Live w/ CX KiDTRONiK, The Death Set

Now you can cancel all those eBay alerts you set up for Mary Chain vinyl…

By Blurt Staff

 

Titled The Power Of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities, a forthcoming Rhino box unveils a more or less untold story about the Jesus And Mary Chain via an exhaustive look at its non-LP material. Here’s the scoop from Rhino:

 

 

Produced with the cooperation of JAMC founders Jim and William Reid--who've

recently revived their band after a nine-year hiatus—the four-CD box

builds upon the 1988 collection Barbed Wire Kisses, which featured 20

obscure tracks from these priests of noise-pop. All but one of those

recordings is included among the 80 tracks on the new box, which also

features hard-to-find cuts from their post-Barbed Wire output and eight

never-before-heard sides.

 

Arranged chronologically, B-Sides & Rarities writes a parallel history of

The Jesus And Mary Chain, covering every phase of the group's history from

the 1984 debut single for Creation Records ("Upside Down" b/w "Vegetable

Man") to their final releases for Sub Pop in 1998. These non-album tracks

include demo and acoustic versions of JAMC favorites, oddball covers and Reid

originals.  

 

The boxed set opens with a real find: "Up Too High," a Darklands-esque song

Jim and William committed to cassette in 1983. Among the other previously

unreleased recordings making their debut on the collection are an

alternate version of "Never Understand," demos of "My Little Underground"

and "The Living End," and the unheard song "Walk And Crawl" (all from the

time of the band's classic Psychocandy album), as well as a trio of Stoned

And Dethroned-era recordings: an alternate take of "Coast To Coast," a demo

of "Dirty Water," and the lost song "Till I Found You."

 

Packaged in a 6¾ x 10¾ gatefold shell (à la The Cure's Join The Dots

collection), the new boxed set includes fresh interviews with Jim and

William Reid, rare photos, and an 18¾ x 24¾ double-sided poster featuring a

hand-drawn "family tree" tracing The Jesus & Mary Chain's evolving lineups

on one side and artwork from many of the band's singles on the other.

 

 

 

Following a 1988 breakup, the group got back together to perform at last year's Coachella Music & Arts Festival (with Scarlett Johansson making a guest vocal appearance). The Jesus And Mary Chain toured the world through the rest of 2007 and are currently in the process of recording their first new album in a decade. 

 

 

Track Listing:

 

DISC ONE
*           1.         UP TOO HIGH
            2.         UPSIDE DOWN
            3.         VEGETABLE MAN
            4.         SUCK
            5.         AMBITION
            6.         JUST OUT OF REACH
            7.         BOYFRIEND’S DEAD
            8.         HEAD
            9.         JUST LIKE HONEY (demo Oct. ’84)
            10.       CRACKED
            11.       TASTE OF CINDY (acoustic version)
            12.       THE HARDEST WALK
*           13.       NEVER UNDERSTAND (alternate)
*           14.       MY LITTLE UNDERGROUND (demo)
*           15.       THE LIVING END (demo)
            16.       SOME CANDY TALKING
            17.       PSYCHOCANDY
            18.       HIT
            19.       CUT DEAD (acoustic)
            20.       YOU TRIP ME UP (acoustic)
*           21.       WALK AND CRAWL
 
DISC TWO
            1.         KILL
SURF CITY
            2.         BO DIDDLEY IS JESUS
            3.         WHO DO YOU LOVE
            4.         EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT WHEN YOU’RE DOWN
            5.         SHAKE
            6.         HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS (demo)
            7.         HAPPY PLACE
            8.         F.HOLE
            9.         RIDER
            10.       ON THE WALL (Porta Studio demo)
            11.       SURFIN’ USA (April out-take)
            12.       HERE IT COMES AGAIN
            13.       DON’T EVER CHANGE
            14.       SWING
            15.       SIDEWALKING
            16.       SURFIN’ USA (summer mix)
            17.       SHIMMER
            18.       PENETRATION
            19.       BREAK ME DOWN
            20.       SUBWAY
            21.       MY GIRL
 
 
DISC THREE
            1.         IN THE BLACK
            2.         TERMINAL
BEACH
            3.         DEVIANT SLICE
            4.         I’M GLAD I NEVER
            5.         DROP (acoustic re-mix)
            6.         ROLLERCOASTER
            7.         SILVERBLADE
            8.         LOWLIFE
            9.         TOWER
OF SONG
            10.       HEAT
            11.       GUITARMAN
            12.       WHY’D YOU WANT ME
            13.       SOMETIMES
            14.       TEENAGE LUST (acoustic version)
            15.       REVERBERATION (DOUBT)
            16.       DON’T COME DOWN
            17.       SNAKEDRIVER
            18.       SOMETHING I CAN’T HAVE
            19.       WRITE RECORD RELEASE BLUES
            20.       LITTLE RED ROOSTER
 
 
DISC FOUR
            1.         THE PERFECT CRIME
            2.         LITTLE STARS
            3.         DROP-RE-RECORDED
            4.         I’M IN WITH THE OUT CROWD
            5.         NEW YORK CITY
            6.         TAKING IT AWAY
            7.         GHOST OF A SMILE
            8.         ALPHABET STREET
*           9.         COAST TO COAST (alternate – William vox)
*           10.       DIRTY WATER (demo – William vox)
*           11.       TILL I FOUND YOU
            12.       BLEED ME
            13.       33 1/3
            14.       LOST STAR
            15.       HIDE MYSELF
            16.       ROCKET
            17.       EASYLIFE, EASYLOVE
            18.       40,000K
            19.       NINETEEN666
 
* Previously Unissued

A journey through the history of music told in their
own unique way using 8 turntables and only using original 45rpm seven-inch
singles.

By Blurt Staff

Breaking news just in…

Presenting the final-ever performances of the show that has spanned the globe
and wowed audiences worldwide! Following in the footsteps of their
now-legendary “Brainfreeze” (1999) and “Product Placement”
(2001) sets, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s “The Hard Sell” is almost
music history…just five shows remain, all back home in North America.
Incorporating eight turntables, two guitar loop pedals, & only using
original 45rpm seven-inch singles, “The Hard Sell” features tricks
and complexity rarely attempted by a DJ duo.  

As with the two previous
sets, the pair eschew their own material in favor of an amalgam of music from
all eras and styles, providing for amusing and provocative mash-ups; rap mixes
with fiddle music, doo-wop with new wave, and every thing in between…all
while avoiding the obvious, “been there, heard that” stuff you get
from most DJs. 

The first time “The Hard Sell” was performed in the United States was
in front of 15,000 people at the world famous Hollywood Bowl (2007).  As
demand for the show has grown, the pair have continuously refined and reworked
the song selection, so that aspects of it are different every time.  In
the words of Shadow himself, “If you happened to catch one of the earlier
shows, never fear…you won’t be disappointed!” Don’t miss these final
appearances by two of California’s most cutting-edge DJs.The Hard Sell exists
as a result of a unique combination of the duo’s shared passions –for records,
for playing them to people, for collecting them as objects and understanding
their tactile properties as well as loving, appreciating contextualising and
recontextualising the sounds they were designed to reproduce.

This is the third part in the trilogy of Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow
collaborations and is probably the most ambitious in its execution. The show
was then performed in Major European Festivals last fall and sold out London’s Roundhouse earlier this year before going to Australia.

The Hard Sell Dates

16-Jul-2008   Washington,
DC      
9:30 Club

17-Jul-2008   
Brooklyn, NY    
    McCarren
Park Pool
   

18-Jul-2008   
Atlantic City,
NJ         HOB 

19-Jul-2008   
Mariaville, NY        
Indian Lookout Country Club      

25-Jul-2008   
Portland, OR
        Roseland Theatre

26-Jul-2008   
Seattle, WA
        Showbox SoDo

27-Jul-2008   
Pemberton, BC        Pemberton
Festival Site

Guests on Brendan O’Brien-produced
set include Serj Tankian and Shooter Jennings.

By Blurt Staff

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine is set to release
the solo album, The Fabled City, September 30^th, 2008 via
Epic Records.  The 11-song set is the anticipated follow up to the 2007
The Nightwatchman debut One Man Revolution.  Now being billed as
Tom Morello : The Nightwatchman, the album is the first release to bear the
political and social activist’s birth name. The Fabled City was produced
by Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam) and features appearances by
System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian and Shooter Jennings.

In addition to his career as a critically acclaimed solo
artist, Tom Morello is a founding member and guitarist of the rock bands Rage
Against The Machine and Audioslave.  The two bands are responsible for
multiple Grammy Awards and a combined 30 million albums sold worldwide. 
Widely known for his unique voice as a master electric guitarist, his
compositions as Tom Morello : The Nightwatchman have been primarily based
around the acoustic guitar.  However, as his Myspace page firmly states,
“You don’t have to be loud, son, to be heavy as shit,” and the stories and
sounds presented throughout the album showcases a depth and intelligence rarely
heard in the modern musical climate surrounding it.  With more complex
electric arrangements than displayed on One Man Revolution, The
Fabled City is the synthesis of his groundbreaking work as an innovative
rock guitarist and revolutionary acoustic troubadour.   

When describing The Fabled City, Morello stated
“My goal was to capture the energy and emotion of The Nightwatchman live
shows. There is a much more rocking quality to this record, solos and riffs,
mixed with darker acoustic songs. I think my singing has come a long way as
well. I had a lot of devastating losses of family and friends during the past
two years and The Fabled City is a search for hope through music and
confronting injustice.”

In the spring of 2008, Morello launched The Justice Tour,
a nationwide concert tour formed in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of The
Human Rights Declaration.  The tour, which featured performances from
Perry Farrell, Slash, Dave Navarro, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Wayne Kramer of the MC5,
Sen-Dog of Cypress Hill and more, visited cities with a day dedicated to a
local charity and a rock show to benefit that charity at each stop.  The
tour performances were an extension of the periodic residency he has presided
over for the past two years at the intimate Los Angeles, CA
venue, Hotel Cafe, and included live performances of many songs from The
Fabled City. 

Recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the
“100 Greatest Guitar Players of All-Time (#26),” Morello is one of
only two guitarists featured as a playable animated character in the
overwhelmingly popular Activision video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of
Rock.  

Tom Morello graduated from Harvard University
with honors as a Political Science major and has been a widely recognized
political activist throughout his career.  In 2006, he was the recipient
of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award.  Morello’s family has been a
constant source of political and social inspiration as his great-uncle, Jomo
Kenyatta was the first president of Kenya,
and his mother, Mary Morello, founded Parents for Rock and Rap, an
anti-censorship counterweight to Tipper Gore’s PMRC (Parents Music
Resource Center). 
With System of A Down’s Serj Tankian, Morello formed Axis of Justice, an
organization whose purpose is to bring together musicians, music fans, and
grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice and hosts it’s
inspired radio show, The Axis of Justice Radio Network.

As a producer, Morello has worked with The Crystal Method,
Anti-Flag, Puff Daddy, and many more.  He has also scored compositions for
major motion pictures such as the 2008 hit Iron Man (where he can also be seen
as an actor), The Matrix, Collateral, Charlie’s Angels, Talladega Nights, XXX:
State of the Union and more.

In the summer of 2008, Morello and Rage Against The Machine
will headline many European Music Festivals with a headlining performance on
August 2nd at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago, IL. 

Tom Morello : The Nightwatchman will be touring heavily
throughout 2008 and 2009 in support of The

Track Listing:

1. The Fabled City

2. Whatever It Takes

3. The King of Hell

4. Night
Falls

5. The Lights Are On In Spidertown

6. Midnight In The City of Destruction

7. Saint Isabelle

8. Lazarus On Down featuring Serj Tankian

9. Gone Like Rain

10. The Iron Wheel featuring Shooter Jennings

11. Rise to Power

KT Tunstall’s buddy is on the move…

By Blurt Staff

Britain’s David Ford continues to ride high on his latest
album Songs for the Road. He’s
scheduled for a couple of high profile shows during the next week — Thursday he’ll
be at the WTMD Presents concert at Baltimore’s West Mount Vernon
Park, and then on July 10 he’ll be
headlining at the Hotel Café in Los
Angeles.

Meanwhile, the
singer-songwriter has just posted a new video for his song “I’m Alright Now,”
which was shot live and in one take four times, then edited together. Check it
out on YouTube:

Gettin’ the party started with Bruce Loose, Krist Novoselic and the rest…

By Fred Mills

We got a good ‘un for you today, kids: a firsthand report of this weekend’s concert by punk legends Flipper — who currently feature erstwhile Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic on bass — filed by our roving reporter Gillian G. Gaar.

As Gaar deadpans, of Loose’s unhinged performance and Flipper’s live prowess, “Tthe band has no problem drumming up the intensity of their
early days.”

Read for yourself in our concert section.

[Photo by Gillian G. Gaar]

Compiled by Blurt Staff

57 channels and nothin’ on? Not likely. Here’s BLURT’s top
music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the
network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured
artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to
the VH1 Rock On TV site.
Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or
subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL
/ PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

8:30 AM MOJO: London
Live!: Beck , Amy Winehouse , Razorlight , Jamiroquai , Jarvis Cocker , The
Flaming Lips

10:00 AM BET Jazz: Masters of American Music: The World
According to Coltrane

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Aggrolites

12:30 PM FUEL: Check 1, 2: The Cool Kids

3:00 PM BET: Featuring Lil’ Wayne

4:00 PM FUSE: Steven’s Untitled Rock Show: Perry Farrell

5:00 PM Sundance: Runnin’ Down a Dream: Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers

6:30 PM Rave HD Concerts: David Gilmour – Live at the Royal
Albert Hall

8:00 PM Comedy Central: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart:
Coldplay

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Jeff Healey

9:00 PM MHD: 46664- A Concert for Nelson Mandela w/Amy
Winehouse , Leona Lewis , Annie Lennox , Queen , Paul Rodgers , Sugababes, etc.

11:30 PM Showtime Next: I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Al Green

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Chromeo

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O’Brien: Tapes ‘N Tapes

2:00 AM VH1C: BBC Crown Jewels: Sight & Sound In
Concert: Joe Jackson

[Pictured: Chromeo]

Mark your calendars, set your GPS, for Chicago‘s Union Park
July 18-20.

By Fred Mills

That’s right, just
three more weeks to one of the annual must-attend festival events. Why,
standing around and getting backed by the Chicago sun in the middle of July is
at least as much fun as standing around and getting baked by the Tennessee sun
in the middle of June, right? (Hint: hydrate between beers. Did we mention
bring sunscreen, too?) It’s a bargain – you get Mission of Burma and PE, Animal
Collective and the Hold Steady, Spoon and Spiritualized, and a shitload more.

Pitchfork tells
us that only individual day tickets are available now (you could previously
purchase full-festival passes) and they are $30 each. For more info about the
festival and ticketing, go HERE.

Meanwhile, that
schedule….

A = Aluminum Stage; B = Balance Stage; C = Connector
Stage

Friday, July 18 (in conjunction with All Tomorrow’s Parties/Don’t Look Back):

6:00 p.m. Mission of Burma performing Vs. (C)
7:15 p.m. Sebadoh performing Bubble and Scrape (C)
8:30 p.m. Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us
Back (A)

Saturday, July 19:

12:30 p.m. Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar (B)
1:00 p.m. Titus Andronicus (C)
1:25 p.m. A Hawk and a Hacksaw (B)
1:30 p.m. Jay Reatard (A)
2:00 p.m. Caribou (C)
2:20 p.m. Icy Demons (B)
3:00 p.m. Fleet Foxes (A)
3:15 p.m. Fuck Buttons (B)
4:00 p.m. Dizzee Rascal (C)
4:15 p.m. The Ruby Suns (B)
5:00 p.m. Vampire Weekend (A)
5:20 p.m. Elf Power (B)
6:00 p.m. !!! (C)
6:25 p.m. Extra Golden (B)
7:00 p.m. The Hold Steady (A)
7:30 p.m. Atlas Sound (B)
8:00 p.m. Jarvis Cocker (C)
8:25 p.m. No Age (B)
9:00 p.m. Animal Collective (A)

Sunday, July 20:

12:30 p.m. Mahjongg (B)
1:00 p.m. Times New Viking (C)
1:25 p.m. High Places (B)
1:30 p.m. Dirty Projectors (A)
2:00 p.m. Boris (C)
2:20 p.m. HEALTH (B)
3:00 p.m. The Apples in Stereo (A)
3:15 p.m. King Khan & the Shrines (B)
4:00 p.m. Les Savy Fav (C)
4:15 p.m. El Guincho (B)
5:00 p.m. Ghostface Killah & Raekwon (A)
5:20 p.m. Occidental Brothers Dance Band International (B)
6:00 p.m. M. Ward (C)
6:25 p.m. The Dodos (B)
7:00 p.m. Spiritualized (A)
7:30 p.m. Bon Iver (B)
8:00 p.m. Dinosaur Jr. (C)
8:25 p.m. Cut Copy (B)
9:00 p.m. Spoon (A)

Goin’ fishing for
tunes with one of America’s
preeminent songwriters.

By Fred Mills

What do you get when you pair up a brainy, literate, but
passionate, songwriter with an open forum for songwriters? Why, Peter Holsapple
blogging for the New York Times, of
course! Holsapple — aka one-fourth of pop mavens The dB’s, Chris Stamey’s
partner-in-penmanship, solo performer, and a noted sideman (R.E.M., Hootie
& the Blowfish, etc.) — was the latest in a stellar assemblage of
songwriters to be asked to author the paper’s “Measure For Measure: How to
Write a Song and Other Mysteries,” an ongoing blog series that has thus far
included the wisdom (and frequently the wit, too) of Rosanne Cash, Andrew Bird,
Suzanne Vega and Darrell Brown.

The Times describes
the blog thusly: “With music now available with a single, offhand click, it’s
easy to forget that songs are not born whole, polished and ready to play. They
are created by artists who draw on some combination of craft, skill and
inspiration. In the coming weeks, the contributors to this blog — all
accomplished songwriters — will pull back the curtain on the creative process
as they write about their work on a song in the making.”

And, indeed, Holsapple’s lengthy installment posted last
week fit the bill perfectly. “I found a new song swimming around in my head
yesterday afternoon,” he writes. “I’ve landed it and will prepare it before
you. I’ve fished these parts for years, and I know that once I identify what’s
on the end of my line, we can proceed.” Proceed he does, taking the reader down
the path of a tune’s creation, along the way unspooling interesting tidbits and
factoids about his life as well as his friends Stamey and Mitch Easter.

There’s also a fascinating trifecta of MP3s: “Like Wow,” a
Holsapple composition from his early Winston-Salem,
NC, band Rittenhouse Square; “Big Black Truck,”
from a rare solo EP he issued prior to joining Stamey’s dB’s; and “Black and
White,” one of his classic dB’s tracks. (Caveat: the Times’ MP3 players appear to be somewhat buggy.)

By the end of his blog entry, Holsapple has crafted a good chunk of his new
song for the readers but it’s getting late and he realizes it’s time to let it
rest until morning (a strategy most any writer of any stripe will tell you is a
good one). “Play the chorus again. Still that landing feels so unsure and
insecure. There’s got to be a better chord than F there, but I’ll be damned if
I can find it at this hour. So I’ll go to bed, humming the chorus, thinking of
alternate lines, waiting for that lightning bolt of inspiration that may or may
not arrive in the night. I’ll keep the notebook by the bed, even though most of
my mid-sleep epiphanies have been unintelligible instructions and drawings thus
far.”

Good luck finishing the song Peter. Can we hear the demo when you’re done?
Signed, your friends at BLURT.

Peter Holsapple on MySpace

The dB’s Official Website

[Editor’s Note: Both the dB’s and
Stamey & Holsapple have new albums in the works. Watch this space for
details.]