Filming in an old mental hospital
tends to make you a little bit crazy…

By Blurt
Staff

Alabama’s resident garage rock crazies
the Dexateens – how crazy? They’ve worked in the past with Drive-By Truckers
frontman Patterson Hood, so you KNOW they must be nuts! – issued their most
recent album Singlewide (Thirty
Tigers) back in May. But they’re also budding film stars, and they recently
made a 20-minute movie titled Old Bryce with the help of director Paul Hanninen, on October 30th of last year. It was
done inside the dilapidated, supposedly haunted building that housed Alabama’s
African-American mental patients during segregation.

Having snuck onto the premises with guitars, recording equipment, and a
generator, the Dexateens played some gospel songs in an effort to conjure up those
long rumored spirits. The film tells the oft forgotten history of Alabama’s black mental
patients, and in doing so sheds light on the clouded history of the state,
itself. Along the way, the boys encounter voices, howls, strange sensations,
and the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

Hey, fuck
da police! Anyhow, while you’re getting ready for Halloween this weekend, take
some time out and check the footage from the band, below.

[Photo
credit: Adam Smith]

And what an ass it be. Sheer luxe, at that…

By Fred Mills

Sasha Grey, that little minx, she’s showing her ass again!
Not content to take the porn world by storm, she decided to go mainstream by
appearing in Stephen Soderbergh’s recent film The Girlfriend Experience, then she turned around and did an
interview and photo shoot for BLURT. (See our spread and feature here.)

Now, American Apparel just unveiled its new line of assless
lingerie – euphemistically described, product wise, as “Sheer Luxe Cut Out
Pantyhose,” but we know what they are getting’ at, now, don’t we? Who do you think is modeling the goods? Yup.

$28 dollars will get you a black, nylon blend thong cut
back/sewn seam at toe outfit, perfect for that “Add to Wishlist.” Glom onto
some of the pics above in case you or your partner need convincing, then surf
over to the AA order page, pronto. First five orders will be hand-delivered by
Gray herself… or so some may be fantasizing…

The estimable Mrs.
Earle hooks up with R.S. Field to craft a high-soaring gem.

By Blurt Staff

Allison Moorer is set to release her new album Crows,
on February 9 – it’ll be her debut for the Ryko label.  Produced by R.S.
Field (Buddy Guy, John Mayall) at the House of David Studio in Nashville, TN,
the 13-track album is the follow up to her critically acclaimed 2008 album, Mockingbird,
which was a celebration of songs composed by female songwriters including Nina
Simone, Patti Smith, Cat Power, her sister Shelby Lynne, and more.  
It also follows Moorer’s first Grammy Award Nomination for the song “Days
Aren’t Long Enough,” a composition she co-wrote with her husband, Steve Earle,
for his Grammy Award Winning 2007 album Washington Square Serenade.  

Speaking with Billboard recently regarding Crows, Moorer stated “I really just set myself free
and just threw all the rules out the window.” Regarding the album’s title,
Moorer offered “We have crows in the yard at our place up in Woodstock. I am a little obsessed with birds,
and have been told that they are indeed our messengers from the other
side.  So I decided that instead of letting the crows make me uneasy, I
would start to consider them as friendlies, and that they were actually
bringing me a message of comfort.”

Ruby Marchand, head of A&R for Ryko, said in an official statement, “Ryko
is enormously proud to welcome Allison Moorer to our family of artists. 
Allison’s extraordinarily evocative songs and vocal style capture her unique
signature in the singer/songwriter community.  With the February 2010
release of Crows, Ryko celebrates the beginning of a worldwide
relationship with Allison through an album of astonishing breadth and
scope.” 

In other Moorer news, on December 13^th, 2009,
Moorer will be seen in The People Speak, a film inspired by the Howard
Zinn book A People’s History of the
United States and the Zinn/Anthony Arnove-penned Voices of A People’s History of the United States.  The film,
presented by The History Channel, also features Bob Dylan, Morgan Freeman,
Bruce Springsteen, Danny Glover, Matt Damon, John Legend, Rosario Dawson, Josh
Brolin, Benjamin Bratt and more.

Tracklisting:

1. Abalone Sky

2. Goodbye To The Ground

3. Just Another Fool

4. The Broken Girl

5. Should I Be Concerned

6. When You Wake Up Feeling Bad

7. Easy In The Summertime

8. The Stars and I (Mama’s Song)

9. Still This Side Of Gone

10. Like The Rain

11. Sorrow (Don’t Come Around)

12. It’s Gonna Feel Good

13. Crows

Up next: reinventing
the wheel; creating a better mouse trap; and locating some suitable hair plugs
for the Edge so he can finally ditch the ski cap.

By Fred Mills

Never ones to rest on their laurels, U2 announced today
their plans to do a free concert on November 5 at the Brandenberg Gate in
Berlin to mark the 20^th anniversary of the toppling of the Berlin
Wall (technically, Nov. 9, 1989, was the date the East German government made
the announcement of the Wall’s imminent opening).

Not all that coincidentally, Nov. 5 is the date of the MTV
Europe Music Awards in Germany
and the performance will be broadcast into Berlin’s O2 Arena, the site of the Awards. In
a statement, U2 manager Paul McGuinness observed, “It’ll be an exciting
spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down. Should be
fun.”

Added Awards executive produer Antonio Campo Dall’Orto, “The
world’s major music players will be coming together against the backdrop of the
fall of the Berlin Wall to celebrate music, freedom and the birth of a new age
in Europe”.

Wow. That’s astoundingly cynical.

At any rate, Katy Perry will be hosting the Awards, which
sounds like a good reason to wall Berlin
back in and not let her out. Oh yeah, U2’s up for “Best Rock Band” award, hence
their performance.

Go here to read our report on last weekend’s U2 mega-concert
in Pasadena.

Pictured below: (top) U2 fans queue up in advance for the
concert; and (bottom) MTV Awards bouncers remove them for trespassing.

And if that sends a
Halloween shudder down your spine, well… you’re not alone. Somebody let Fred
Durst know about this.

By Blurt Staff

Well, it’s been practically an all-distaff day in the Blurt
news department, what with fresh items posted this morning and this afternoon
on such fine ladies as Allison Moorer, Sasha Grey and Bono… er, and also the
Dexateens, but work with us here. So word arrives now of the imminent return of…
Lilith Fair.

Yes, THAT Lilith Fair, the ‘90s estrogen fest co-founded by
Sarah McLachlan whose reputation for crunchiness was sometimes deserved and
sometimes not-so deserved. Well, it foisted Jewel on the world, which counts as
an unpardonable sin, so.. But to detractors, it probably didn’t help that the same era also brought the
rise of rap-rock and mook-metal as epitomized by Limp Bizkit, Korn and Tool.
Rock’s never been an equal opportunity employer – and it shouldn’t be, of
course, but it’s also a shame that the guys’ exploits have always overshadowed
the gals’ endeavors.

Of course, the Lilith organizers went laughing to the bank ‘cos the event was one of the summer’s perennial hot tickets.
Check these factoids:

From 1997 through 1999,
Lilith Fair was one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world,
with over 1.5 million fans in attendance and raising over $10 million dollars
for national and local charities. 
Founded by Grammy-award winning artist Sarah McLachlan along with Dan
Fraser, Marty Diamond and Terry McBride, Lilith Fair was the only tour of its
kind-a celebration of women in music featuring artists like Sheryl Crow,
Christina Aguilera, Erykah Badu, The Dixie Chicks, Missy Elliot, The
Pretenders, Nelly Furtado, Jewel, Fiona Apple, Joan Osborne, Queen Latifah,
Indigo Girls, Tegan and Sara and of course, Sarah McLachlan.

That’s
a lotta damn dough, yo.

So today,
the official Lilith 2010 website launches, not only revealing the
new look and feel of Lilith a decade later, but also the first set of cities
that the traveling festival will be hitting -New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver,
Toronto, London and more.  Check out www.lilithfair.com for the complete list. 

“I
can’t reveal anything further now,” says LF co-founder (and Nettwerk Records
CEO) Terry McBride,  “but I can assure
fans that we have some exciting announcements over the course of the following
weeks, from confirmed artists to additional cities to innovative social
initiatives. Lilith 2010 is very much upon us.”

Lilith
2010 promises to be a much bigger summer festival than it was in the past,
traveling for the first time overseas and celebrating a mix of international
artists and local up-and-comers.  To
capture the new energy of Lilith, Vancouver’s Traction Creative was brought on
board to reinvigorate the Lilith brand – the new look is revealed today for the
first time with the launch of the website.

Hey
Terry, just promise us – no Jewel, hokay?

Indiepop’s resident Doublemint gals deliver
new album next year; announce fall tour.

By
Blurt Staff

the
Watson Twins will have their sophomore
release Talking To You, Talking To Me issued on Vanguard Records February 9their most ambitious
album to date. The new album finds the Watson Twins taking a soulful turn a la
Carole King, but with a pop edge reminiscent of Feist. The result is a
heartfelt nod to their roots, retaining the ethereal harmonies that have become
their signature while incorporating a variety of influences and inspirations.

In June of 2009 Chandra and Leigh,
along with producers J. Soda and Russell Pollard, went to a remote cabin in the
High Sierras near Yosemite to demo songs for
the new album. What they captured there would be the backbone of Talking To
You, Talking To Me. The songs were brought back to Los Angeles where a band of friends
(including members of Everest and My Morning Jacket) came together to help
record the album at Fairfax Recordings. Talking To You, Talking To Me captures the essence of the Watson Twins extraordinary music… driving, poignant
and beautiful. More information and links below.
  

The Watson Twins will also be
starting a tour with Joshua Radin on October 28^th through November
22^nd:

10/28/2009   
Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre

10/29/2009   
San Francisco, CA
– Great American Music Hall  

10/30/2009   
Portland, OR
– Aladdin Theatre 

11/1/2009     
Seattle, WA –
Neumo’s
11/2/2009      Spokane,
WA – Knitting Factory

11/3/2009     
Boise, ID – The
Knitting Factory
11/5/2009      Denver,
CO – Bluebird Theater 

11/6/2009     
Lawrence, KS –
Granada Theatre
11/7/2009      St.
Louis, MO – Blueberry
Hill – Duck Room

11/8/2009
     Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Soundstage Theatre
11/10/2009    Saint
Petersburg, FL –
State Theatre

11/11/2009
   Fort Lauderdale,
FL – Culture Room

11/13/2009
   Orlando, FL
– The Social 
11/14/2009    Atlanta,
GA – Center Stage Theatre

11/15/2009   
Raleigh, NC
– Lincoln Theatre

11/17/2009
   Washington, DC
– Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
11/19/2009    New York,
NY – Webster Hall

11/20/2009   
Philadelphia, PA
– The Trocadero Theatre
11/21/2009    Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
11/22/2009    Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston