08.17.06 (MusicPortal.com) Universal Music Group has announced the forthcoming release of a DVD collection of the definitive live performances and original videos of FREE. Slated for a simultaneous September 18th release with "Free - Live At The BBC" (CD), "Free - Forever" will be available as a limited edition double-disc DVD set, and as a standard Amaray version 2 x set. Long sought by Free devotees and collectors, this marks the first-ever official release of these rare and legendary performances. Recent interviews with Paul Rodgers, Andy Fraser and Simon Kirke, fused with archive footage captured at the peak of their relatively short lived career, perfectly demonstrates why Free remain one of the finest Blues/Rock bands of their time. Famed for the perennial Rock anthem 'All Right Now,' Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of Rock - stripping the earthy tones of British Blues down to its minimalist core and pioneering an exciting new sound. As bassist Andy Fraser explains: "I have had to relent, and submit to the fact that the memory of Free still burns strong, despite all that has gone in between. I still receive thousands of letters from fans - proving that I am not alone in the love I had for Free." Arguably as influential as their late 60's supergroup stablemates Cream, Free's musical legacy lives on today in bands such as Kings Of Leon, Wolfmother and Jet. "People tell me it (Free) has been the soundtrack to their lives, that they still play it daily, have turned their kids onto it, which is pretty overwhelming," added Fraser. "Free - Forever" offers over 4 1/2 hours of classic TV recordings, videos, interviews and live performances, including three tracks from their seminal appearance at the Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970. Other highlights include an early television performance on Germany's "Beat Club," a five-song set on Granada TV's "Doin' Their Thing," and the ultra-rare original videos for 'All Right Now,' 'The Stealer,' 'My Brother Jake' and 'Wishing Well.'

08.10.06 (MusicPortal.com) THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT will commence a new tour next month in support of their current album, "Revival." Tour Dates: 09/06 St. Louis, MO [Mississippi Nights] • 09/07 Bloomington, IN [Bluebird Theatre] • 09/08 Bowling Green, OH [Black Swamp Arts Festival] • 09/09/06 Lexington, KY [The Dame] • 09/10 Charlottesville, VA [Satellite Ballroom] • 09/12 Raleigh, NC [Lincoln Theatre] • 09/13 Myrtle Beach, SC [House Of Blues] • 09/14 Charlotte, NC [Visulite Theatre] • 09/15 Fayetteville, NC [Jesters] • 09/16 Atlanta, GA [Roxy] • 09/17 Jacksonville, NC [Planet Rock] • 09/19 Jacksonville, FL [Jack Rabbits] • 09/20 Gainesville, FL [Abbey Road] • 09/21 Ft. Lauderdale, FL [Culture Room] • 09/22 St. Petersburg, FL [State Theatre] • 09/23 Lake Buena Vista, FL [House Of Blues] • 09/24 Tallahassee, FL [Beta Bar] • 09/26 Mobile, AL [Cell Block] • 09/27 New Orleans, LA [House Of Blues] • 09/28 Houston, TX [Meridian] • 09/29 Austin, TX [Stubbs] • 09/30 Dallas, TX [Granada Theatre] • 10/29 Colorado Springs, CO [Black Sheep] • 10/30 Ft. Collins, CO [Aggie Theatre] • 10/31 Little Rock, AR [Cornerstone] • 10/31 Denver, CO [Ogden Theatre] • 11/01 Louisville, KY [Jim Porters] • 11/02 Cleveland, OH [House Of Blues] • 11/03 Buffalo, NY [Icon] • 11/04 Cambridge, MA [Middle East] • 11/05 Cambridge, MA [Middle East] • 11/08 Burlington, VT [Higher Ground] • 11/09 Portland, ME [The Asylum] • 11/10 New Haven, CT [Toad's Place] • 11/11 Brooklyn, NY [Southpaw] • 11/12 Brooklyn, NY [Southpaw] • 11/14 Asbury Park, NJ [Asbury Lanes] • 11/15 Teaneck, NJ [Mexicali Blues] • 11/16 Atlantic City, NJ [House Of Blues] • 11/17 Philadelphia, PA [Theatre Of The Living Arts] • 11/18 Washington, DC [9:30 Club] • 11/19 Huntington, WV [Huntington Music Hall] • 11/21 Nashville, TN [Mercy Lounge] • 12/01 Irvine, CA [Silverado Ranch] • 12/23 Dallas, TX [Gypsy Tea Room]
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08.04.06 (MusicPortal.com) The Black Keys make their Nonesuch Records debut September 12th with their new album, "Magic Potion," the band's fourth album and the follow-up to 2004's critically acclaimed "Rubber Factory." The Black Keys -- vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney -- recorded and produced "Magic Potion" this past Winter in Akron, Ohio in Carney's basement studio, The Audio Eagle Nest. Carney says, "Unlike all the other records, where we were just trying to figure out how everything worked, or pretending like we knew what we were doing by experimenting with mic placement, on this one we just figured out what we liked and stuck to it," he explained. "The whole album has a more consistent sound, and it's a little bit heavier than our other records." Childhood friends, Auerbach and Carney wrote and self-released their first album, 2002's "The Big Come Up" while mowing lawns in Akron. After fortuitously getting fired from their day jobs, The Black Keys embarked on their first tour. They received enthusiastic responses from audiences and critics and decidedly devoted all of their time to music. Over the next four years they practiced and toured relentlessly, releasing two more albums in 2003's "Thickfreakness" and the aforementioned "Rubber Factory," which was named after the abandoned tire factory where they recorded the album. They signed to Nonesuch Records earlier this year. The Black Keys' live shows receive as much acclaim as their releases. In a recent review, The Washington Post described "a giant crashing that is louder and fuller and grimmer than a drummer and guitarist alone should be able to produce," and went on to say that "Auerbach is a ferociously talented guitarist whose leads bristle and burn as if the guitar were a molten mass. And Carney wails on his drums as if he were taking part in an anger management therapy exercise. The pair's concert is as much a show of force as it is a musical performance."
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[Blues News: July 2006]
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