September 14th, 2010

The Dead Weather will be releasing three versions of their single “Blue Blood Blues” this week including, most excitingly, on a brand new format entitled the Triple Decker Record™. The Triple Decker Record ™ designed by Jack White and assembled by United Record Pressing Nashville, TN is a unique 7” version of the single embedded inside a 12” version. Triple Decker Record ™ will be available in a limited edition of 300 copies, 100 of which will be on-sale at the Third Man Records store in Nashville, and the remainder available randomly through mail order and at select brick and mortar vinyl dealers worldwide.

T Bone Burnett will premiere The Speaking Clock Revue – a multi-artist concert extravaganza – on October 16 at the Wang Center in Boston and October 20 at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Both evenings of the Revue will feature performances by Elton John & Leon Russell, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, Gregg Allman, Ralph Stanley, Jeff Bridges, Punch Brothers, Karen Elson, and newcomers The Secret Sisters. In addition, Neko Case and Jim James from My Morning Jacket will join the lineup in Boston and New York respectively.

It used to be the Dave Longstreth show. His previous albums featured a rotating crop of different musicians, all circling around the frontman’s not-so-disguised madness. The Dirty Projectors’ seventh album (and best), Bitte Orca, finds stability in a group of solid musicians who can keep up with the Yale-grad. These were the musicians Longstreth brought to Terminal 5 Saturday night (9/11). Not only did Bitte Orca sparkle live, the rest of the band’s old material was given new life. That’s not to say Longstreth’s corky yet soaring vocals weren’t the highlight.

Take That stars Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow were reunited on stage last night as a star-studded gig paid tribute to the armed forces. They performed new single Shame in front of 60,000 people at London’s Twickenham Stadium in aid of the Help For Heroes charity.

Visa delays for two of the band members forced Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil to begin their tour of the US acoustically when they arrived in Boston last night (13/9).

In today’s Soundbites, our quick take on news, reviews and tabloid gossip, John Mayer leaves a few million fans disappointed, Jonathan Ross could turn his back on the Brit Awards and we take a look at Manic Street Preachers’ new single. There’s also news of Simon Cowell continuing his tiff with Lou Reed and U2 unveil some new material.

Legendary 2-Tone band The Specials have told digital radio station BBC 6Music they could record new material following a successful reunion in 2008.

Fran Healy has taken to the streets of London to play a selection of Travis hits in support of the War Child charity. Healy performed tracks such as ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me‘, ‘Writing To Reach You‘ and ‘Turn‘ outside the city’s Deutsche Bank complex, which has named War Child on it’s shortlist for the 2011 Charity of the Year.