South By Southwest: It's overwhelming, it's awesome, and at 2 AM, the sausage-cart guy in front of Emo's has delivered more people from hunger than Moses did from the Egyptians. Here's a direct quote from the official SXSW website: "Over 1300 acts are currently confirmed and more are on their way." Here's a small chunk of that list (because even if I just copied and pasted, it would still take too damn long to post everyone): A sampling of the...

Lately even my bosses have been whistling Peter Bjorn and John, and that is saying something. These are two guys who don’t know what end is up when it comes to new music—and they’ll freely admit it—yet once or twice a day that refrain comes wafting through the halls. So anyone who wants to catch them live (like you can see them right here), well, the magic of tour dates can grant your wildest dreams, provided you don’t live below...

Kill Rock Stars has announced that they will release New Moon, a compilation of Elliott Smith tracks from 1994-1997 (when he released Elliott Smith and Either/Or) on May 8, 2007. The final mixing for the double CD was done by Larry Crane, who is the archivist for the estate of Elliott Smith. A significant portion of proceeds from the album sales will go directly to Outside In, a Portland-based social service organization dedicated to providing diverse services for homeless youth...

“Hey, I thought maybe you could come check out my band tonight.” My friend Dan had called on a Sunday afternoon to let me know that his band was playing in Redondo Beach. I live in Silver Lake. A drive to Redondo is officially “a commitment.” And on a Sunday night, no less. After some light begging and promises of free drinks by Dan, I agreed. He waited a full two beats before mumbling, “Oh, yeah, it’s a cover band.”...

At this point I would be way more excited about LCD Soundsystem playing at my house. I would invite them in, feed them snacks, let them set up, then make them play "All My Friends" eighteen times in a row because that’s how I’m used to hearing it. Sound of Silver, their forthcoming album, is an attempt to move more than just your ass. James Murphy is in all his nasally glory on the obvious anthem and first single "North...

As we strive to bring you exclusive content from features to pre-released mp3s, the one technology that we’d like to see more of is video. So Ground Control is launching LUNARCAST, a series of video features that go way deeper than words on a page ever could. For our first installment, we chose the psychedelic pop band from Southern California, Bikeride. The foursome have thick, deep roots in the 60s, but through brain-numbing melodies, razor-sharp harmonies and pure production ingenuity,...

Heralded producer, composer and musician RJD2 is breaking new ground. His newest release "The Third Hand" finds this beat-maker creating and singing beautiful melodies reminiscent of Steely Dan, Zombies and King Crimson (without leaving his knack for production behind). This brave new avenue of music making has catapulted RJ into new realms and onto a new label (XL – home to Thom Yorke, Devendra Banhart, Tapes 'N Tapes…). The past year also kept him busy producing records for Aceyalone and...

(New York, NY) This March, The Sword and Priestbird (formerly Tarantula AD) will hit the road for what is sure to be one of the more explosive tours of the Spring (dates below). Nearly a year ago, The Sword and Priestbird briefly toured together forging a friendship and general interest in each other’s music. When the opportunity was presented, it was a no brainer for The Sword to invite the New York trio back on the road. The thirteen date...

Depending on what your expectations are from a live band these days, you would have left the Roxy Theater either completely thrilled by the performance from Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John or slightly disappointed with the fact that they didn’t sound exactly like the record and that they’re using a backing track/triggered samples during their “big song” and elsewhere. With the set opener, “Let’s Call it Off.” from of their third album Writer’s Block, it was immediately apparent that they...

Lately it seems as if everyone is in the business of mixing genres, trying to create something unheard of. This can be interesting, but sometimes it’s nice to stick to some roots. With the current folk revival, some artists are choosing to shy away from an over-produced sound to return to the basics. The result is simple, sweet music that is best enjoyed live. To be honest, it’s refreshing to once again see a show where there isn’t a single...