MJ Inbox - 3.20.12

Today's Stuff = Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Nada Surf, Brigg Fair, Animal Kingdom,
Benjamin Francis Leftwich, It's A Musical, Greg Laswell & JES

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Daily Disclaimer: We get sent stuff. We're sharing it. This isn't an endorsement. There's so much we can't always keep up with it all, but rather than just let it sit in our inbox, we're putting it out there for you to judge. Give a listen and tell us what you think.

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New video from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for "Hysterical".


Hysterical from CYHSY on Vimeo.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah tour dates:
5/18 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA
5/19 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
5/21 - Soho - Santa Barbara, CA
5/22 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
5/23 - Harlow's - Sacramento, CA
5/25 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR
5/25-5/28 - Sasquatch Music Festival - Quincy, WA
5/26 - Electric Owl - Vancouver, BC
6/1 - The Happy Fun Time Fest - Dallas, TX
6/2-6/3 - Free Press Summer Festival - Houston, TX
6/4 - Beacham Theatre - Orlando, FL ^
6/5 - Revolution - Fort Lauderdale, FL ^
6/6 - The Ritz - Tampa, FL ^
6/10 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA ^
6/11 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC ^
6/12 - Ram's Head Line - Baltimore, MD ^
^ = w/ Two Door Cinema Club

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Nada Surf Tour Dates:

MARCH
21 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
23 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
24 - Seattle, WA - Neptune
25 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw
27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
29 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
30 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
31 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

APRIL
02 - Chicago, IL - The Metro
04 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
05 - Montreal, QC - The Corona Theatre
06 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
07 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
09 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

JUNE
19 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
21 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
22 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
23 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe @ Old National Center
24 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
25 - St. Louis, MO -The Old Rock House
27 - Little Rock, AR - Juanita's
28 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
29 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
30 - Houston, TX - Fitzegerald's

JULY
2 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
3 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
5 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live

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Brigg Fair - "Last Surrender" from the upcoming Kill Yourself For Change on 4/17



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Animal Kingdom - Strange Attractor







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Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Look At Miss Ohio


Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Ticket To Ride


Tour Dates:
March 20th - Homegrown Hamilton / Hamilton, Ontario
March 21st - Raw Sugar Cafe / Ottawa, Ontario
March 22nd - CMW Cameron House / Toronto, Ontario
March 23rd - CMW Supermarket / Toronto, Ontario
March 25th - E Bar / Guelph, Ontario
March 26th - Call The Office / London, Ontario
March 28th - 2nd Cup / Buffalo, New York
March 29th - Vibe Lounge / Syracuse, New York
April 3rd - Cafe Nine / New Haven, Connecticut
April 4th - Club Cafe / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
April 5th - Music Gallery / Baltimore, Maryland
April 10th - Bowery Ballroom / New York (w/ The Jezabels)
April 11th - The Knitting Factory / Brooklyn, New York
April 13th - Johnny Brendas / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (w/ The Jezabels)
April 14th - Red Palace / Washington, D.C (w/ The Jezabels)
April 16th - Brighton Music Hall / Boston, Massachusetts (w/ The Jezabels)
April 17th - Divan Orange / Montreal, Quebec (w/ The Jezabels)
April 18th - Mod Club / Toronto, Quebec (w/ The Jezabels)
April 19th - The Active Room / Detroit, Michigan
April 20th - Lincoln Hall / Chicago, Illinois (w/ The Jezabels)
April 21st - Triple Rock / Minneapolis, Minnesota (w/ The Jezabels)
April 23rd - WECC / Winnipeg, Manitoba (w/ The Jezabels)
April 24th - Amigo's / Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (w/ The Jezabels)
April 26th - Sarlite / Edmonton, Alberta (w/ The Jezabels)
April 27th - SAIT / Calgary, Alberta (w/ The Jezabels)
April 28th - The Royal / Nelson, British Colombia (w/ The Jezabels)
April 30th - The Longhorn / Whistler, British Columbia (w/ The Jezabels)
May 1st - Venue / Vancouver, British Columbia (w/ The Jezabels)
May 2nd - Lucky Bar / Victoria, British Columbia
May 3rd - Crocodile / Seattle, Wasshington (w/ The Jezabels)
May 4th - Mississippi / Portland, Oregon (w/ The Jezabels)
May 8th - Independant / San Francisco, California (w/ The Jezabels)
May 9th - Soho / Santa Barbara, California (w/ The Jezabels)
May 11th - Troubadour / Los Angeles, California (w/ The Jezabels)
May 12th - Casbah / San Diego, California (w/ The Jezabels)

UK TOUR:

01/10 - BRIGHTON - Concorde 2
02/10 - BOURNEMOUTH - Old Fire Station
03/10 - EXETER - The Phoenix
04/10 - FALMOUTH - Princess Pavilion
05/10 - SWANSEA - Sin City
06/10 - BRISTOL - O2 Academy
08/10 - OXFORD - Town Hall
09/10 - NEWCASTLE - Northumbria Uni
10/10 - EDINBURGH - Pleasance Theatre
11/10 - ABERDEEN - Lemon Tree
12/10 - INVERNESS - Ironworks
13/10 - GLASGOW - Oran Mor
15/10 - LEEDS - Varieties
16/10 - SHEFFIELD - Plug
17/10 - BIRMINGHAM - Irish Centre
18/10 - CAMBRIDGE - Junction
19/10 - NORWICH - Waterfront
20/10 - NOTTINGHAM - Rescue Rooms
22/10 - CARLISLE - Brickyard
23/10 - LIVERPOOL - Stanley Theatre
24/10 - LONDON - KOKO
25/10 - MANCHESTER - HMV Ritz
26/10 - STOKE - Sugar Mill
27/10 - YORK - The Duchess
29/10 - WREXHAM - Central Station
31/10 - GALWAY (Ireland) - Roisin Dubh
01/11 - CORK (Ireland) - Cyprus Avenue
02/11 - DUBLIN (Ireland) - Whelan's
03/11 - BELFAST (Ireland) - The Limelight

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It's A Musical - For Years and Years


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Greg Laswell Tour Dates:
May 15 - Charlotte, NC @ Casbah @ Tremont Music Hall
May 16 - Charleston, SC @ The Pour House
May 18 - Louisville, KY @ Headliner's Music Hall
May 19 - Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
May 21 - Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
May 22 - Birmingham, AL @ Work Play Theatre
May 24 - Houston, TX @ Dosey Doe
May 25 - Dallas, TX @ The Prophet bar
May 26 - Austin, TX @ The Parish
May 28 - Tuscon, AZ @ Club Congress
May 29 - San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
May 31 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
June 01 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
June 02 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
June 03 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
June 05 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
June 06 - Denver, CO @ The Walnut Room
June 08 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
June 09 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
June 11 - St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
June 14 - Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
June 15 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
June 16 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
June 19 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
June 20 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
June 21 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
June 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live

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JES - High Glow



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#SXSW 2012 - Saturday

A slow start to the day combined with massive St. Patty's day crowds kept us from covering as much ground as we had other days. We stumbled into the Rachel Ray party at Stubbs just in time to see the TV star singing a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" with Train. Yeah, quite the musical highlight as you'll see below.

Next, somehow we walked right into the MOG Party at the Mohawk just before The Roots' only SXSW appearance. The best band in late night played a loose 75 minute set which ran from "Here I Come" to covers of "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Bad To The Bone".

After a trip to ACL Live to see Sleigh Bells and Nas, we finished up with a boozy Tommy Stinson set at the appropriately named Whiskey Club. The sound guy and venue's equipment sucked and after several attempts to get mics to work and vocals in the monitors, Stinson had enough & declared the gig over, walking off the stage. Stinson's wife (and backing vocalist) pulled the thing back together and got him back on stage for a gloriously woozy blast which was the perfect end to a great South By.

Worthy: The Roots, Sleigh Bells, Tommy Stinson
Meh: Nas, Train (guilty pleasures though they may be)
Regrets: Wasting the 8 pm timeslot waiting at ACL Live for a "TBD" set that ended up being no one... No one? They couldn't find anyone that was willing to play a premier SXSW venue in front of Sleigh Bells and Nas? Unforgivable.

MJTV: The dB's - Live @ B.D. Riley's - #SXSW 2012

The dB's put on a great show last night at SXSW. But don't just take my word for it. Here's six videos from their performance. Two tracks are new from the upcoming Falling Off The Sky, due in June. The others are classic dB's tracks including my personal fav, "Love Is For Lovers".

#SXSW 2012 - Friday

Another great day at South By. Skrillex, 50 Cent & Eminem, Heartless Bastards, Blitzen Trapper, The reunited dB's. We've seen so much amazing stuff that we're playing with the house's money at this point.

I'll be posting some cool exclusive video I shot of the dB's set at B.D. Riley's

Worthy: Skrillex, 50 Cent & Eminem, the dB's, Heartless Bastards (twice), Blitzen Trapper, Ben Kweller, free beer at the Google Live Lot, that 6 story tall Doritos vending machine stage
Meh: Asher Roth, The Sour Notes, the complete takeover of SXSW by major labels and big brands
Regrets: Our walk back & forth to the hotel when cabs are not to be found, no Emo's on 6th Street (really?)

MJTV: Bruce Springsteen's Complete #SXSW Keynote

The whole thing. Enjoy. You're welcome. :)

"So rumble, young musicians, rumble. Open your ears and open your hearts. Don't take yourself too seriously, and take yourself as seriously as death itself. Don't worry. Worry your ass off. Have ironclad confidence, but doubt. It keeps you awake and alert. Believe you are the baddest ass in town -- and you suck! It keeps you honest. Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well inside of your heart and head at all times. If it doesn't drive you crazy, it will make you strong. And stay hard, stay hungry and stay alive. And when you walk on stage tonight to bring the noise, treat it like it's all we have -- and then remember it's only rock 'n' roll." - Bruce Springsteen @ SXSW, March 15 2012

MJTV: 50 Cent & Eminem - Patiently Waiting (Live @ #SXSW)

I don't know where you were last night, but I was here. Eminem's like a fuckin' laser.

#SXSW 2012 - Thursday

"There is no right way, no pure way of doing it. There's just doing it."
- Bruce Springsteen

So much to say... so little time. Maybe we'll get it written, maybe not. Follow us on Twitter @musicaljustice for live updates!

Worthy: Springsteen's Keynote, Guthrie Tribute, MGK, Jesus + Mary Chain, Lil Wayne, Kaiser Chiefs, Gary Clark Jr., Girls, MTVu Woodies
Meh: Dev(borderline...coulda moved her to worthy), Wallpaper, Milo Greene, Dry The River
Regrets: Of Verona

#SXSW 2012 - Wednesday

"I was in the Right Place, but it musta been the Wrong Time."

The good news, we got to see the legendary Dr. John rip through that classic track last night at La Zona Rosa. The bad news? You'll see...

Got to Austin without incident. In fact, other than having a hotel room that's in a neighboring ZIP code with a mile+ walk to 6th Street we're good. Filled up on Mexican food, headed to the Convention Center, picked up badges in a ridiculously fast moving line, got the swag bag, loaded it up with more trinkets from the trade show & hustled it back to our room before heading to Austin Music Hall to see local Austin legend, Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns.

After a ripping set by the Crowns, we looked over the next 3 hours at AMH and with the highlight before a closing set by Alejandro Escovedo being a "special" appearance by Christopher Cross (!?!), we decided to skip seeing Al this time for the Warner Sound showcase down the street at LZR.

The theme at LZR turned out to be talented musicians who just might not be great songwriters. For the most part, the performances outshined the material. L.P. is the chick who wrote that "Somebody Left the Gate Open" song ("Into The Wild"). Punch Brothers feature Chris Thile, formerly of Nickel Creek, and their performance was pure virtuosity. Kimbra's high energy, but the hoped for Gotye sighting never materialized. Those guest rumors NEVER come through... Heh.

The set of the night came from UK up-and-comer, Ed Sheeran, who tore through what was officially an acoustic set, but with loops and layers turned into a high-energy romp. Next came the ironic hipster dance band with the awful name, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr. Ironic use of a bubble machine? Barely redeemed themselves with a fun Whitney Houston 'tribute' , I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

About this time, I made the mistake of checking Twitter. Ugh! Bruce Springsteen had just finished up joining his pal Alejandro's set just down the street. Seriously? Sadly, yes. So there's was a twinge of irony as we sang along with Dr. John's first song, the aforementioned "Right Place Wrong Time". John was solid and the material from his upcoming record sounds like some of the best of his legendary career.

We closed the night with a set from Gary Clark Jr, Austin's newest favorite son. He's a tremendous blues guitarist, the real deal there. But I'd say he's a little underdeveloped vocally and none of the songs really rose above off-the-shelf blues stuff. Time will tell if he's yet another Austin music act who never really sustains orbit outside of Texas.

Yesterday's rankings...
Worthy: Ed Sheeran, Dr. John, Gary Clark Jr., Punch Brothers, Joe King Carrasco.
Meh: L.P., Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, Kimbra
Regrets: Other than missing Bruce joining Alejandro? That's enough for one night.

Ed Sheeran:


Gary Clark Jr.



That damn commercial: