Getting Sassy with...Via Tania (the lost questions)

Somewhere along the game of telephone that is asynchronous interview questionnaires--all of this is a verbose way of saying how we send out our "Getting Sassy with..." questions--half of Via Tania's interview got lost and was held captive by the monsters that live in the series of tubes that make up the Internet. So consider these remaining remarks from Via Tania a sort of amendment to the original interview, or maybe just a new take altogether.

If I wasn’t doing music I would be:
An art director or editorial makeup artist.

Last illegally downloaded song/album (be honest)?
Led Zeppelin “All Of My Love”.

Latest TV addictions?
"30 Rock", "Family Guy" (still).

Favorite music video this year?
Fever Ray “When I Grow Up”.

Who is in your dream band (must be living musicians)?
Charles Rumbuck and Liz Payne.

The best concert I went to this year was:
The Golden Horse Ranch Square Dance Band at the Hideout.

Recent song you can't get out of your head?
Fever Ray “When I Grow Up".

Press play on your iPod/media player and list the first three songs that come up.
Oh shit, 3 work-in-progress songs by Via Tania & Jori Hulkonnen.

(mp3)   Via Tania - Become Forest (Grafton Primary remix)

Godspeed!

Video: The Bronx drop two new videos this week

The Bronx's latest, third studio LP--cleverly titled The Bronx (III)--is full of force, energy and a fuck-all adventurous drive to it, much like the band's previous output in their catalog. And this week the band dropped a couple of new videos for album tracks "Knifeman" and "Past Lives" and both play to their strengths and sweat-fueled madness.. The former (above) is an officially shot video of the band letting it all out underwater in a friend's backyard pool while the latter is an interesting story.

"Past Lives" was put together by a fan in January but the band loved the concept so much they made their own edits to the clips to create perfect sync. How about that for fan appreciation?

(mp3)    The Bronx - Past Lives

Godspeed!

Tours: Rock The Bells (Nas, The Roots, more) presale happening now

Hosted by KRS-One, Supernatural, Murs & Pete Rock, this year's Rock The Bells tour goes even further out, hitting the regular marquee cities like New York, LA and Chicago as well as Detroit, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco and others. Tickets for six of the destinations are now available for pre-sale. General public tickets are up for getting on May 2.

Pre-sale info:
Date: May 1st
Time: 10am- 10pm
Password: CHARITY

Jun 27 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jun 28 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul 05 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre
Jul 12 Washington, DC Merriweather Post Pavilion
Jul 18 Boston, MA Comcast Center
Jul 19 New York, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre

The full line-up for the talent on-tour after the jump.

News: No Doubt back out on tour; need your help for "Just A Girl"

It's been forever and a few days since Gwen, Tony, Tom and Adrian played tour dates together, but now that they're about to jump out on a tour this summer (starting Saturday) where they'll finally be on stage together as No Doubt, they need your help. They're obviously going to want to play their massive mid-90s single "Just A Girl"--you know, the one that launched their careers--and they want fans to send them video clips so they can project them on screens behind them as they play the song. So, lip sync, dress like Gwen, just do whatever that you think is themed off of the band's track and record it. Then send it in to the band here and look out for your silly footage to end up being played live while No Doubt parties like it's 1996. Oh yeah, and you only have one day to do it as submissions end tomorrow. Eek.

(mp3)    No Doubt - Hella Good (Clockwork remix)

Godspeed!

News: Little Big Adventure to release new EP next month

We've been on the tip of the superb pop leanings and decadent arrangements from the brain of one-man-band Little Big Adventure for a bit now and his first label-released work, The Hateful Eye EP, will finally see release via Labrador in Sweden on May 13. Get stoked.

If you've heard his work before at all, you've probably become accustomed to Magnus Sätterström's penchant for lilting keyboard and programmed psalms of love, hate, loss, grief and all the emotional overhead baggage of growing up. If not, dig on the EP's first single "The Happiest Times", which may very well be an encompassing passage about everything a heart could experience. Even the feelings that the track's title isn't describing outright.

(mp3)    Little Big Adventure - The Happiest Times

Godspeed!

Tours: *stellastarr hit the road behind Civilized

Hot on the heels of their new record's release, NYC's sturm und drang band *stellastarr have just announced their first cross-country dates in over three years. Civilized hits shelves on July 7 and the following day, the quartet hit the pavement, playing for the next month.

Dates:

Jul 08 Boston, MA tune in to WFNX for ticket announcement
Jul 15 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
Jul 16 NYC Highline Ballroom
Jul 17 Washington, DC Rock ‘N' Roll Hotel
Jul 18 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
Jul 20 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre
Jul 21 Columbus, OH The Basement
Jul 23 Chicago, IL Double Door
Jul 27 Austin, TX The Parish
Jul 30 San Diego, CA Casbah
Jul 31 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Aug 01 San Francisco, CA Slim's
Aug 03 Portland, OR Doug Fir
Aug 04 Seattle, WA Chop Suey

(mp3)    *stellastarr - Homeland

Godspeed!

Emerging: Magic Wands

With song titles like "Kiss Me Dead", "Black Magic" and "Teenage Love", you don't have to throw a stone very far to figure out the modus operandi of indie rock duo Magic Wands and their formula for rocket ship-aimed success. It's all sharp-knife guitar stabs. Adding fuel to that burning blue fire would be the title of their soon-to-be-released EP Magic, Love & Dreams, out May 25. If you're into all things super sexed-up, vicious, dirty and raw to the bone, get in on Magic Wands immediately and make sure you line up to catch them on dates where they're supporting another duo with slithering sex leanings, The Kills. They both play Webster Hall in New York City on Saturday.

(mp3)    Magic Wands - Black Magic

Godspeed!

Download: Thunderheist - "Sweet 16 (MANSION remix)"

(photo by May Truong)

The duo of Thunderheist are pretty much right this minute playing in their hometown of Toronto for a performance on MTV Live as they're wrapping up the Exclaim! tour they've been on for a minute now. In honor of the stop-off and tour's end, their city-mates and DJ crew MANSION just sent over this remix of the band's latest single, "Sweet 16". And while it's not too much on the production side for tons and tons of bells and whistles, it still makes us want to break out into chants of "tap tap tap tap the booty". Which should be a win in their scorecard.

(mp3)    Thunderheist - Sweet 16 (MANSION remix)

Godspeed!

CONTESTS: Win tickets to Freeland's show at LPR this Saturday

What's up New York readers? If you're at all interested--and let's face it, who isn't?--in seeing the live band return of Freeland this Saturday, May 2, at LPR for free, you have got to enter to win this contest. See, Freeland's giving away free swag and additional tickets to all his North American live band shows on his Twitter (what, you're not following him already?) and we've got 2 pairs of free tickets to give away to Saturday's show. Hit us up on the email right now to win and check out the video for the single "Under Control" right here. Cope is out June 9.

(mp3)    Freeland - We Want Your Soul

Godspeed!

Download: Sky Larkin - "Matador (Lull's Channel Switch remix)"

(photo by David Ryle)

Here's an official remix of Sky Larkin's "Matador", set for release on the band's new cassette-release (and digital download, duh) single for "Antibodies" on Wichita Recordings May 11. If you're not familiar, let's just say that the Leeds three-piece breathe so much new life into female-fronted indie rock--and, really, just indie rock itself--it's like a kick in the face. Of course, in the best way possible. The chords are huge, the drums incessant, the anthemic qualities right up front. If you find yourself unable to lose your shit to Sky Larkin, we don't have any advice to offer you. It's just too strange for us to fathom it happening.

Tracklist:

Side A
01 Antibodies
02 These Are The Bones Of Traits And Traitors
03 LtoR
04 Matador (Lull's Channel Switch remix)
05 Antibodies (J.Xaverre remix)
06 Keepsakes (Cereal remix)

Side B
01 Hark To Heart
02 Ten Minutes
03 Real Attempts At Internet Dating

(mp3)    Sky Larkin - Matador (Lull's Channel Switch remix)

Godspeed!