Smells Like Alternative

The number of festivals headlined by alternative heavyweights keeps growing and growing with the announcement of the headliners for the Voodoo Music Experience.
Image details: Live 8 London – Stage served by picapp.com
R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails and Stone Temple Pilots have been tapped to participate in the 10th annual Voodoo Music Festival down in New Orleans from October 24-26.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 2, and for all your additional info check out the festival’s official site.
Besides the Voodoo Fest, Lollapalooza and the Virgin Festival had previously announced line-ups filled with alternative bands including Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine, and …read more

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Growing up in the 90’s it was hard to ignore R.E.M.
Afterall, the band released back to back classics with 1991’s Out of Time and 1992’s Automatic for the People, only to be followed up by the 1994 rocker Monster.
Then, the Athens legends began a slow descent.
In retrospect, 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi is actually a great album, but was hard to realize that then after the departure of drummer Bill Berry and the following releases.
Up from 1998, Reveal from 2001 and Around the Sun from 2004 are, for the most part, lackluster albums that many have forgotten.
Long story short, I …read more

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A lot is going on with R.E.M. right now, as they’re gearing up for the release of Accelerate and a tour this spring. So, let’s revisit a previous FYI on the Athens, GA natives.
FYI: R.E.M.
For now, enjoy this performance of “Man on the Moon” from their induction into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame from last year. As if this song couldn’t get any cooler, the band was joined by one Eddie Vedder. Sweet.

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R.E.M. is currently streaming the first single from their upcoming release Accelerate, which comes out April 1.
You can check out the track, “Supernatural Superseious”, on R.E.M.’s official site.
It’s a pretty standard and straight forward rock song, but it’s still sweet. I think it’s a catchy tune.
Last month the band shot the video for “Supernatural Superserious” in New York City at a restaurant and a sex shop.
Here’s a brief behind the scenes look at the video shoot.

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The legendary Athens, GA natives have dubbed their 14th studio album Accelerate and are looking for an April release date.
Accelerate will be the follow-up to 2004’s Around The Sunand was recorded in Vancouver and Dublin. The album was also produced Jacknife Lee, who has worked with newer acts that include Bloc Party and Snow Patrol.
Confirmed tracks for Accelerate are: “Until The Day Is Done”, “Living Well Is The Best Revenge”, “Mr. Richards”, “Staring Down The Barrel Of Middle Existence” and “I’m Gonna DJ”. The band previewed several new tracks during their five night stand at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin last summer.
Michael Stipe told …read more

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Just a reminder that R.E.M. just released a live disc this past Tuesday.
Live was recorded during two nights in Dublin back in 2005 and is blend of classic and newer R.E.M. tunes. Live is 2 discs and a dvd that should keep every R.E.M. fan occupied.
Here’s the tracklisting:
Disc 1:
1. I Took Your Name
2. So Fast, So Numb
3. Boy In The Well
4. Cuyahoga
5. Everybody Hurts
6. Electron Blue                                                                                                                                7. Bad Day
8. The Ascent Of Man
9. The Great Beyond
10. Leaving New York
11. Orange Crush
12. I Wanted To Be Wrong
13. Final Straw
14. Imitation Of Life
15. The One I Love
16. Walk Unafraid
17. Losing My Religion
Disc …read more

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The Athens, GA natives will release a live album from their recent Dublin performances on October 16 and they just donated a track for the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund.

The band made their first public performance in April of 1980 at a friend’s birthday party.
Before settling on R.E.M., the band considered the names Twisted Kites, Can of Piss and Negro Wives.
In May of 1980 R.E.M. headlined their first show at Tyrone’s Club in Athens, GA.
The band open up for The Police in Atlanta in December, 1980.
By April of 1981 they have recorded their first demo.
May, 1982 their debut EP, Chronic Town, is …read more

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This week’s song is “Bittersweet Me” by R.E.M. I heard this song a couple of days ago and it’s been stuck in my head since. It was the second single from the band’s tenth studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, released in 1996. It was also the last album that featured drummer Bill Berry. The band has never played it live either.
The song itself is quite beautiful. It opens with simple and quit guitars with great lyrics by Stipe. It then picks up during the chorus and gets stuck in your head rather quickly. Right now, it’s one of my favorite R.E.M. …read more

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