Brittany Howard must have to pinch herself from time to time to make sure that she’s not dreaming. The Alabama Shakes have been on quite the hot streak of late – making their SNL debut, earning three Grammy nominations and they have a monster summer tour lined up. Next up for Howard will be her solo first release on Jack White’s Third Man Records label, which sees the Shakes front woman teaming up with Ruby Amanfu (White’s duet partner on Love Interruption from his solo album), for a very cool sounding Blue Series Single that will be released on March 12. The A-Side will feature a cover of HT fave Rodriguez’s I Wonder from his debut album Cold Fact, while the B Side will see the duo taking on Memphis Minnie’s When My Man Comes Home.
Finally, while The Rolling Stones seemed to largely ignore their 50th anniversary in 2012, choosing to celebrate the milestone with a handful of anniversary shows on both sides of the pond instead of a major world tour, the band’s enduring influence and legacy will be the subject of a new exhibit opening at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this spring. Set to open on May 24, the comprehensive exhibit dubbed Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction will take up two-and-a-half floors of the museum. According to the LA Times some of the items that will be on display include “the black leather bomber jacket Keith Richards is wearing on the cover of the 1966 Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) compilation album; a 1970 letter from the Stones requesting Santana’s permission to include their performance in the concert film from Altamont that became ‘Gimme Shelter’ (Santana declined); Mick Jagger’s 1981 stage costume made from British and American flags; and a 1963 publishing agreement for ‘Stoned,’ one of the first songs the band members ever wrote.”
We’ve been enthusiastically touting the music of Rodriguez since his lost classic debut Cold Fact was re-released by Light In The Attic back in 2008. Last year, the singer-songwriter’s remarkable story got a major boost thanks to the fantastic Oscar-nominated documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which has earned heaps of accolades and has again revived interest in not only his recordings but also as a live act. Yesterday, Rolling Stone broke the news that the now 70-year-old Rodriguez will likely head into the studio for the first time in over 40 years and team up with Steve Rowland who produced his 1971 sophomore album Coming From Reality, when he wraps his upcoming world tour that includes a high profile appearance at Coachella and gig at New York City’s Beacon Theater.
List Time: 16 Best Albums Released By Musicians After They Died
Finally, normally you wouldn’t think that The Flaming Lips and football could be uttered in the same sentence, but come this Sunday the psychedelic-rock act will be featured prominently in an ad for the Hyundai Santa Fe during the Super Bowl. Earlier this week the Oklahoma City-based band, who will release their new studio album The Terror on April 2, dropped the non-album track Sun Blows Up Today, which soundtracks the irreverent commercial called Epic Playdate. Check it out…
Ever since 2008Jeff has been telling us about and updating us on the story and music of Rodriguez, the Detroit singer-songwriter who put out a couple of outstanding albums in the early ’70s that failed commercially in the states but were huge hits in South Africa years later. Decades after he retired to a “normal” life, and rumors circulated in South Africa that he was dead, Rodriguez was brought to South Africa and treated as a hero. This incredible Cinderella story was documented in the critically-acclaimed documentary Searching For Sugar Man and for a tear-jerking piece on tonight’s episode of 60 Minutes.
If you missed the episode, you’ve gotta see the segment – trust us…
And here’s the “web-only” extras 60 Minutes has shared…
All the way back in 2008 I fell in love with Light In The Attic’s re-release of Cold Fact, the lost-classic debut from a Detroit singer-songwriter simply known as Rodriguez. Originally put out in March of 1970, it’s an album that features a heady blend of psychedelic rock, folk and soul, with a heavy socio-political bent to its lyrics. While it failed to make an impact when it was first released, the album became a cult classic in far off places like Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand and especially in South Africa, where Rodriguez became a counter-culture icon, with Cold Fact becoming “the anthem of the white resistance in Apartheid-era South Africa.”
The legend of the seemingly mysterious singer-songwriter grew, and tales of just what had happened to him became urban legend in that part of the world. It’s that story which is the subject of the new documentary Searching For The Sugar Man as two South African filmmakers set out find out just what had happened to this important cultural figure. Let’s check out the trailer…
Searching For The Sugar Man will open in New York and Los Angeles on July 27, with additional cities to follow. The doc will also be screened as part of the Newport Folk Festival in conjunction with newportFILM at the Jane Pickens Theater on Saturday, June 28 at 8 PM. For those headed to the fest, Rodriguez will also performing there the very next day, who we highly recommend going to check out.
Last year, I was infatuated with Light In The Attic’s reissue of Cold Fact, the rediscovered lost classic of psychedelic-soul and folk-rock from a guy simply known as Rodriguez. The 67 year-old singer-songwriter will embark on his first ever North American tour this spring that kicks off on April 10 in Madison, WI with scattered dates through the end of June including a stop at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on May 15 that I’m eagerly anticipating.
If the music of Rodriguez isn’t your thing, than maybe you’ll want to hit one of these recently announced tours…
Finally, this August will mark the 40th anniverasry of the prototype for the modern American music festie – the Woodstock Music & Art Fair. To celebrate the milestone original fest, founder Michael Lang is looking to honor the event with a pair of free two-day events to be held in New York and Germany. Rumors are currently circulating that event promoters are looking to recruit some of the acts that played the original Woodstock – which include the Grateful Dead, Santana and The Who. The New York concert will take place on the actual anniversary, while the event to be held at an abandoned airport in Berlin will take place a week later. Let’s hope that this one works out better than the disastrous ’99 incarnation.
Earlier this week the HT Staff picked their favorite albums of ’08, when we gathered Around The Barbecue. To continue on our year-end house cleaning, we’ve got another list. Back in early July I dropped my Top 6 Of The First 6 list, and since we’re not ones for traditional Top Ten around these parts I figured I’d revisit that format to round out the year’s releases.
The second half of the year saw releases from a number of my favorite artists, many of which made it on this list. So let’s get to my favorite six albums that were released in the last six months of 2008…
This album was a late discovery for me – despite its July release. I literally picked it up several weeks back after hearing it mentioned on NPR during All Songs Considered’s Year In Music show and haven’t been able to stop listening to it since. Blind Pilot have taken the White Stripes/Black Keys minimalist band model of guitarist and drummer and unplugged it – though live they play with a nine-piece band. The Portland, OR duo’s debut is chocked full of strummy, lush indie-folk that would provide the perfect Sunday morning soundtrack and has helped to cement the Pacific Northwest’s stronghold on producing some of the best albums of the year.
READ ON for Some Dude’s top five releases of the second half of ’08…
Alright kids, thought I’d get all those holiday songs that have been floating in your head for the last 48 hours or so out of there with a Mix Tape chocked full of some of my favorite tunes from 2008 releases. So sick back and relax and be prepared to have these six tunes rattling around your cranium…
We kick things off with Bag Of Hammers from Thao Nyguyen off her fabulous indie-folk-pop album We Brave Bee Stings and All. From there comes one from the rediscovered Rodriguez with Sugar Man from the re-release of his brilliant debut album Cold Fact. Next up is former BtN act Okkervil River with Singer Songwriter from quite possibly the Smart Rock album of the year The Stand Ins. Then, we’ve got the song that I’ve been obsessed with for the last few weeks Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s – Tall As Cliffs – which is featured on both Animal! and Not Animal. We continue with the amazing Dr. Dog and the very last track on their latest effort Fate – My Friend - that vaguely reminds of The Beatles’ A Day In The Life. Finally we close things with Campus from Vampire Weekend infectious self-titled debut.
While everyone is either off unwrapping presents, drinking eggnog and enjoying some time with their family or figuring out which movie they’ll see followed by chomping down on some Chinese food I figured we’d cut right to the chase and unload a batch of links to get you through the day….
List Time: Stereogum’s 20 Albums To Get Excited About For ’09
Every few years, some record company seems to unearth an album from a lost artist of the 1960s or ’70s that blows people away – i.e. Shuggie Otis, Os Mutantes, Gary Higgins, Judee Sill, etc. This year’s lost classic, Cold Fact, comes to us from a Detroit singer-songwriter simply known as Rodriguez. The album is chocked full of an interesting combination of psychedelic rock meets folk rock meets Motown soul and one that I’ve been obsessing over.
As the story goes the album never took off the states, but Rodriguez became a bit of a cult figure in both Australia in the late ’70s and South Africa in the 1990s (where he played sold out stadium shows). It wasn’t until recently though – that the now 66 year-old – played a headlining show of his own in the states – thanks to all the buzz surrounding the reissue by Light In The Attic Records. The album opens with Sugar Man and infectious ode about a drug dealer, check this version from the Byron Bay Blues Festival…
was re-released by Light In The Attic back in 2008. Last year, 
, which has earned heaps of accolades and has again revived interest in not only his recordings but also as a live act. Yesterday, Rolling Stone 
, when he wraps his upcoming 
From there comes one from the rediscovered Rodriguez with Sugar Man from the re-release of his brilliant debut album 
Then, we’ve got the song that I’ve been obsessed with for the last few weeks Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s – Tall As Cliffs – which is featured on both 
and 
We continue with the amazing Dr. Dog and the very last track on their latest effort 
– My Friend - that vaguely reminds of The Beatles’ A Day In The Life. Finally we close things with Campus from Vampire Weekend infectious 
