Fashawn – Samsonite Man (Live in SF)

This is some live footage of Fashawn in concert up in San Fransisco as he performed his next single “Samsonite Man” (which features Blu).

Bob Dylan 2009 Europe Tour

The man and his ever-traveling band return to Europe on March 23, 2009, starting in Stockholm, Sweden and hitting Oslo, Munich, Amsterdam, Rome and numerous other spots. The tour is currently set to conclude in Dublin, Ireland on May 6, but more dates will be announced so there’s a decent chance that may not be the finale for the so-called “Never-ending Tour,” which is actually taking a break until this European tour. Find full tour dates here.

Bob Dylan Pre-Release Stream

NPR Music will exclusively stream Tell Tale Signs, the highly-anticipated forthcoming album from Bob Dylan, beginning Tuesday, September 30 at midnight, one week ahead of the album’s release on October 7. The entire two-CD, 27-song set will be available to hear on-demand at NPR Music for the week leading up to its release.

Tell Tale Signs is the eighth installment in Dylan’s “Bootleg Series,” and features previously unreleased recordings, live performances and alternate versions of songs recorded during sessions for some of his most acclaimed albums, Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind among them. Also included on the album are Dylan’s recordings for the soundtracks of the films “Lucky You,” “Gods & Generals” and “North Country,” as well as “32-20 Blues,” his first ever release of a Robert Johnson song.

The complete track listing for Tell Tale Signs and additional information about the album will be available at NPR Music starting tonight, where there is also an extensive archive of past interviews with, and music by, the legend.

Jackie Greene :: The Prince of Americana

Dubbed “The Prince of Americana” by the New York Times, Jackie Greene is steeped in country, blues, jazz, rock and folk traditions, defying easy categorization. This Northern California native has been around for a while, but is slowly defying a new genre of music with his Bob Dylan-esque look and classic American sound.

“I’ve been writing, recording and performing non-stop. I’ve lived in cars, hotels, basements…slept on floors, couches, strange girl’s beds. I wrote lots of songs in those places. Some I’ll never remember, but that’s all part of it, I guess.”

Greene, who happens to be in his late twenties already has four albums out, a DVD, and miles upon miles of touring under his belt. Greene’s newest album, “Giving Up The Ghost” is by far his best work as an artist. He is currently living in San Francisco and touring various places along the east and west coast, although he is scheduled to play 14 shows with Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead) in New York City at the Nokia Theater beginning on Halloween night.

After visiting Jackie Greene’s MySpace I was instantly captured by his sound, but what lured me in even further was his past and his progression as an artist. If this isn’t good music, I don’t know what is.

Bob Dylan Endorses Line of Harmonicas

After giving musical instrument manufacturers Hohner USA plenty of potential ad fodder with pictures of him using their harmonicas, Bob Dylan has decided to partner with Hohner to create his own line of the things, according to Hohner’s website [via Billboard.biz]. In unrelated news, we’ve still got our fingers crossed for a line of Bob Dylan undergarments.

Each harmonica in the Bob Dylan Signature Series — available individually or in sets of seven– features a machine stamp of Dylan’s signature and a Dylan-designed logo. Hohner will also manufacture 25 sets of seven Marine Band harmonicas (in the natural keys of C, G, D, F, A, B, and E) that Dylan himself has apparently pre-tested, plus 100 individual Marine Band harmonicas (in C). Both of these limited run items will bear Dylan’s actual signature, and will be available exclusively via Sam Ash Music beginning October 29.

Dylan has a full schedule of shows to play over the next week and a half, continuing tonight (August 30) in Colorado.

8-30 Snowmass Village, CO – Jazz Aspen Snowmass
8-31 Park City, UT – Deer Valley Resort
9-1 Las Vegas, NV – The Joint @ The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
9-4 Temecula, CA – Pechanga Resort and Casino
9-6 San Diego, CA – Concerts on the Green @ Qualcomm Park
9-7 Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl

Source: Pitchfork Media

Pittsburgh Gets Major Music Festival

ATTENTION ALL YINZERS & FANS OF GOOD MUSIC:

Everyone knows about the major music festivals this summer. There’s Coachella in California, Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Now there’s the New American Music Union Festival in Pittsburgh and Bob Dylan is headlining it!

Yes Yinzers, finally you have something to look forward to other than indulging in monotonous belligerent weekends at the Strip, SathSide, Oakland, and Station Square. So sack up, get your kegs of Yuengling because this party is raging right in the heart of the SouthSide.

The festival will take place Aug. 8th and 9th at the SouthSide Works, and the lineup is killer: Bob Dylan Headlines, with The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, The Roots, Spoon and The Black Keys also on the bill. Anthony Kiedis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers will serve as host.

If nothing else, tickets are affordable: The general-admission two-day tickets are $49.50; student tickets are $25.

The concert will be held between Hot Metal and 26th streets in the town square area near the Cheesecake Factory. Two stages will be set up in the area.

Kiedis, who curated the festival lineup, said in a prepared statement he wanted to create a concert he would want to see.

“The thrill of seeing Bob Dylan next to the Raconteurs next to Gnarls Barkley next to the Roots is reason for us all to celebrate,” Kiedis said. “Music is still the most inspiring creative force that I know of, and this seemed like a prime opportunity to let it shine. Add to this the fact of a generously low ticket price and that it all takes place in the streets of Pittsburgh, and we have the most rocking block party of the summer.”

While the big-name acts are the draw — other bands on the bill include Black Mountain, The Duke Spirit, NASA and Tiny Masters of Today — the festival also is reaching out to budding collegiate musicians. Fifteen bands, including Nothing Unexpected from Robert Morris University, have been invited to participate in a competition, with the winner receiving $10,000 worth of studio time in Los Angeles and promotional considerations from American Eagle.

“The goal of the festival is to celebrate college music by giving college bands a national platform and the opportunity to share the stage with the artists that inspire them,” Barney says.

The New American Music Union Festival is unique. It will take place only in Pittsburgh. Barney says American Eagle hopes fans from around the country will be prompted to come to Western Pennsylvania for the two-day event.

Already, it has provided a surge of interest in local music circles.

“It’s exciting for Pittsburgh,” says Melissa Franko, marketing director for WYEP-FM. “I think it’s going to bring some national recognition to the city.”

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today at Ticketmaster outlets. To charge by phone: 866-448-7849. Online: www.ticketmaster.com or www.livenation.com.

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review