Bits and Bobs: Cornershop, Sade, Daft Punk, Deerhunter and More

- We’ve missed having Cornershop around. With their disco-plus-Asian sounds mixed in with the hip indie rock of the day, they have always been refreshing and eager to please. So we’re glad to hear they are releasing more music following 2009′s Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast on November 2 (The Battle of New Orleans EP) and they’re planning a U.S. tour to boot. No sign of an Atlanta date yet, but we have our fingers crossed.

- And in other no-Atlanta-date-announced-yet tour news, Sade is coming back stateside and we hear there will actually be an Atlanta date, it just hasn’t been announced yet. Or so Brooklyn Vegan says.

- Daft Punk are slowly but surely letting us listen to some of the incredible stuff they’re preparing for the Tron soundtrack. Pretty Much Amazing has got a nice little collection going.

- NME is offering up a free download of Diplo and Lunice remix of Deerhunter’s “Helicopter.” Also on that page to download: John Legend and The Roots cover Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” and Badly Drawn Boy’s It’s What They’re All Thinking EP, among other goodies.

Bits and Bobs: 40 Nights of Rock & Roll, HOToberFest, MoogFest, Mashable & Regator

- We’re stoked to finally see the first trailer for 40 Nights of Rock & Roll, a film that director Scott Sloan and writer (ex-Paste editor) Steve LaBate started work on back in April. Check it out over on Paste.

- Fall beer season is kicking off, and the first beer festival of the season is HOToberFest, this Saturday at the lovely Glenwood Park. There’s a great free-for-all part of the park, with some great live music and beer for you to buy, and of course the ticket-required beer tasting areas (including VIP area) with over 130 incredible beers for you to taste. Don’t forget to buy your tickets now!

- Celebrating the wonderful Robert Moog (American music pioneer, inventor of the Moog synthesizer), the annual MoogFest is taking place again in Asheville, N.C., October 29-31. There will be a ton of incredible artists – from DEVO to MGMT, Big Boi to Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation to Cee Lo Green – as well as some fascinating panels and demonstrations – like theremin performances, a panel on The Power of Modular Synthesis and a panel on The Birth of the Minimoog. It’s sure to be a mind-blowing weekend.

- For a second year, Mashable is teaming up with blog aggregator Regator to create Mashlanta 2.0, a party of mammoth proportions. It’s full open bar, with a killer DJ (Joseph Fuller of Nonsense at Noni’s) and the best social media, tech, press, bloggers networking opportunity you can find in these parts. You’ll want to get your tickets now because this gig is on Thursday and there’s not many spaces left.

Bits and Bobs: Ludacris, Jenny & Johnny, The Drums, Cee Lo

- Ludacris will be helping Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits reopen its Doraville location on Saturday, and in return the liquor store is giving Luda a $10,000 donation for his Ludacris Foundation, which supports Atlanta youth and the community. We love it when everybody wins.

- Jenny Lewis and her beau Johnathan Rice just dropped their Jenny & Johnny record, I’m Having Fun Now, and you can download a free mp3 of “Animal” HERE.

- Fellow hipsters The Drums have premiered a video for “Down By The Water” on Stereogum. They will be playing The Loft with Surfer Blood on September 15.

- The final fabulous video for Cee Lo’s “Fuck You” has arrived, and we just love it. Go check it out on Idolator if you’re somewhere that’s alright with a few dozen F-bombs.

Bits and Bobs: Vonnegutt, Big Boi, Beach House, Eels, Goat Farm

- Local rap-rockers (it’s not as bad as it sounds, really) Vonnegutt are planning on re-releasing their EP, The Appetizer, again on Big Boi’s Purple Ribbon label, but this time with Manchester Orchestra’s Favorite Gentlemen label on board too. The lads have been making themselves known recently, with their “Follow Us” collaboration for Big Boi’s recent release, and even performed the single on “Late Show with David Letterman” last night. Check out the video over on Idolator. You can also download single “Bright Eyes”.

- Beach House are coming back to Georgia, but won’t be playing Atlanta. They will be stopping off at the 40 Watt in Athens instead, on October 16. Tickets go on sale August 27 at 10 a.m.

- Spinner is streaming the new Eels album Tomorrow Morning right now.

- Sounds like the Nameless Festival went down a treat last weekend at Goat Farm. Ohmpark has videos of All The Saints, Balkans and Abby Go Go all performing at the too-cool-for-school “venue.”

Bits and Bobs: Dead Confederate, Cee-Lo, Klever, Jason Isbell and More

- Dead Confederate are streaming their new album, Sugar, here right now. Check it out and then go see them play their in-store at Criminal Records on Sunday, where you can get the CD and get it signed.

- In other awesome Georgia people news, Cee-Lo just released a video for his new song, “F*ck You,” which is just the lyrics popping up against a colorful background, but we love it. The tune has a sweet early ’70s, late ’60s soul vibe, but the lyrics are, as you can guess, pretty grumpy. Check it out here.

- East Atlanta’s Graveyard Tavern is going to be hosting a showcase for killer record label Slow Roast with Klever, Craze, Kill The Noize, 12th Planet and Rob Wonder. Tickets are on sale now at the link below.

- Locally-based mag Paste is launching their first tour, with ex-Drive-By Truckers man Jason Isbell, Langhorne Slim and others. The tour stops at The EARL on October 28. Paste has the scoop on their website, of course.

- And finally, we were sad to hear that Michael Been, vocalist and guitarist of ’80s band The Call and father of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Robert Been, has passed away after suffering from a heart attack. He was touring in Belgium with BRMC as a sound engineer.

Bits and Bobs: Janelle Monae, Fred Schneider, Emma Thompson, Fun Fun Fest

- We’d previously mentioned how Kele’s video for “Everything You Wanted” was our generation’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” but it seems that we were mistaken. Janelle Monae‘s one-take video from the neck up with a surprising outburst of genuine emotion obviously takes this honor. The video is below, and if you don’t get a little verklempt then you have no heart. Idolator has a little more information and some quotage about the filming session. In other Janelle news, she was on “So You Think You Can Dance” last night showing off her “Tightrope” moves. Idolator has the video again.

- Something we’ve surely all been waiting for: The B-52s’ Fred Schneider is signing a solo deal with Fanatic Records and is releasing a Christmas album on October 25. Destination… Christmas! will feature 11 original holiday songs by Schneider and his band The Superions. You can check out the trailer HERE. It’s guaranteed to make you giggle.

- Emma Thompson will be making a special appearance in Atlanta next Thursday, August 12 at the Margaret Mitchell House. She’ll be discussing her latest Nanny McPhee movie, adapted from the Christianna Brand Nurse Matilda book series, but we hope she’ll have some time to chat about, well, the rest of her career and life. Everything basically. Details on how to RSVP are HERE.

- How much do we love Austin, Texas? The ultimate BBQ (brisket!) city, more bands than you can shake a stick at, countless great venues, and of course the madness of SXSW. Add the annual Fun Fun Fest to that list. It’ll be taking place November 5-7 at Waterloo Park, and joining the stellar lineup of Weird Al (who is at the top of their list – which we love), MGMT, Devo, Wavves and loads more are our own Deerhunter and Mastodon.

Bits and Bobs: Massive Attack, The Hot Rods, LCD Soundsystem, Sleigh Bells, David Barbe

- As you probably noticed via our exclusive tweet over the weekend, Massive Attack will be coming to The Fox on October 29 for a show with Thievery Corporation. The presale starts tomorrow, August 4 at 10 a.m. (password: RIVAL).

- In other exciting show announcement news, the funnest party of the year will probably be at The Tabernacle on October 4, when LCD Soundsystem play with Sleigh Bells. Shame they won’t be joined by Hot Chip, as they will on other dates, shown here on Paste. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 6 at 10 a.m.

- And in Sad Show Announcement News, we’ve heard that Atlanta’s premier psychobilly group The Hot Rods will be calling it a day after their last show at The Clermont Lounge on Thursday, August 5. The band’s Facebook page has the details.

- Finally, congrats to Athens musician, producer and all-round cool guy David Barbe, who was just named interim director for UGA’s music business program.

Bits and Bobs: Wavves, Badly Drawn Boy, Terry Gilliam, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, BigChampagne

- Nathan Williams is bringing his Wavves, which means madness, back to Atlanta following the release of his second Fat Possum Record, King of the Beach, out August 3. Wavves will be hitting Drunken Unicorn September 30, and tickets go on sale at noon today. You can check out the whole of the new record over on Fat Possum’s website.

- The lovely Badly Drawn Boy has released a demo of the track “In Safe Hands,” a song from his upcoming record It’s What I’m Thinking, Pt 1, coming out in October in England. Check it out on Stereogum.

- For those sporty-minded ones reading the blog, you might be interested to know Athens is hosting its first half-marathon on October 23 and 24. There will also be a pasta dinner and reception available. Proceeds all go to benefit AthFest, Inc. More information and registration at athensgahalf.com.

- Incredible filmmaker and Monty Python lad Terry Gilliam is going to direct Arcade Fire‘s webcast of their Madison Square Gardens show. Oh the giddy excitement! Paste has the story.

- Kanye West debuted some of his new stuff at a – very – low-key event at the Facebook headquarters. We’re talking chill here – he’s standing on what looks like the table in the conference room, with no backing track, no mic, no people, just the man and his words. Slightly bizarre but we like getting surprises like his from Kanye. And he’s looking sharp. Check out the  videos over on Pitchfork.

- And speaking of Facebook, popularity, music and the like, half-locally-owned-company BigChampagne (an Atlanta/Beverly Hills based company) has been stirring the music industry press over the past week or so with the release of their Ultimate Chart, which basically does what it says on the tin: using all the data from “Song and Album Sales, Radio Airplay, Online Audio and Video Plays, and Fans/Friends/Followers.” The top 10 right now ranges from Lady Gaga to B.O.B. to Eminem, so we’d say it’s pretty darn accurate!

Bits and Bobs: The Felice Brothers, The Love Language, The Drums, Downtown Restaurant Week

- After the departure and consequential heart surgery of drummer/singer Simone Felice, The Felice Brothers are back and are off on tour. They’ll be coming to Atlanta for a show at The EARL on November 6.

- In other coming-to-The-EARL news, the lovely Love Language are coming on September 3!

- Perfect summer (evidenced in the video below) indie pop band The Drums are finally coming to Atlanta for a show at The Loft with Surfer Blood. Tickets go on sale July 30.

- Downtown Restaurant Week started yesterday, and actually runs for two weeks until August 8. There are a ton of great $25 and $35 prix fixe menus to choose from, but we personally will be going for Spoon, The Social, BLT and Thrive.

Bits and Bobs: Deerhunter, Movie Music Geeks, Kele, Tron

- Deerhunter is gearing up to release their new album Halcyon Digest in September, and they’re already throwing some treats out to their fans. For the street-teamers who printed out the flyers and posted them everywhere, Pitchfork reports that Deerhunter has bestowed the tracklisting, cover art, and now a free download. Visit the album website for more details.

- In other Deerhunter news, Ohmpark is reporting that there is a concert documentary in the works, directed by filmmaker John Albrecht. Check out the trailer below.

deerhunter live – film trailer from John Albrecht on Vimeo.

- In honor of all music geeks, Spinner has a great top-20 list of the greatest movie music geeks.

- Bloc Party’s Kele is looking quite the (very emotional) fittie in his new video for the amazing “Everything You Wanted,” from his solo record The Boxer. It’s like out generation’s “Nothing Compares To You,” with the teary Sinead O’Connor. Check it out on Stereogum.

- We are really starting to wish we were at ComicCon. They just premiered the new trailer for Tron: Legacy, which may or may not look just a wee bit confusing. For folks not massively familiar with the movie, like me, go over to Gawker to check out the trailer and see the break down. The only thing missing from the trailer: the Daft Punk soundtrack. Didn’t sound like any of the robotic duo’s recognizable tunes were there.

Bits and Bobs: Sweet Apple, Edwyn Collins, Bobby Bare, Widespread Panic, Black Lips

- Sweet Apple, the band led by Dinosaur Jr.’s guitar hero J Mascis, will be opening for Guided By Voices‘ reunion show at Buckhead Theatre on October 23. Tickets go on sale July 24 at 10 a.m.

- Pitchfork has a streaming track up from Edwyn Collins new record, due out September 13. Losing Sleep will feature tracks co-written with the likes of Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy, The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman, The Drums and the Magic Numbers’ Romeo Stodart. You can also download the track here.

- Bobby Bare Jr. will be followed around the country on his next tour by indie filmmakers, who will be making a documentary of the rocker. You can check out our city’s own part of the future film when Bobby stops by for a show at The EARL on September 21.

- Widespread Panic are playing a special charity show for Tunes for Tots, which supports arts and music education for kids, at Center Stage on September 23. Tickets go on sale for the $125 general admission tickets on July 30 here. But if you are a mega-fan who really wants to support the cause and get up close and personal with your idols, then you might want to splurge for the $500 VIP tickets, which gets you into the private VIP cocktail party with the band before the show (which includes open premium bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres from renowned Empire State South chef Hugh Acheson), early admittance to Center Stage, private cash bar during the show, signed poster and VIP parking. VIP tickets go on sale July 30 at Ticket Alternative.

- Hometown troublemakers The Black Lips will be opening for Devo at their Chastain show on July 28. We would definitely pay to see how this show goes down.

Bits and Bobs: Mercury Prize, Andy Hummel, Mark Ronson, Pitchfork Music Festival, Bryan Ferry

- This morning the Mercury Prize nominees were announced in London. Consequence of Sound has the full list, which includes our faves Dizzee Rascal and Paul Weller (and The XX, who I care a little less about). NME has all the records for you to listen to. The winner will be announced on September 7.

- Andy Hummel, the original bassist for Big Star, has passed away at age 59. Spinner has the story.

- Rolling Stone premiered the new video for Bryan Ferry‘s new song “You Can Dance,” from his solo album Olympia, due out October 26. We’d like to be excited about it, since he’s back working with Roxy Music members Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Brian Eno, but it’s all a bit disappointing – the music is pretty uninspiring, and (though we know having sexy ladies everywhere is Ferry’s “thing”) the video is fairly dull too.

- Apparently a little music festival took place in Chicago this past weekend, by some indie blog called Pitchfork. Pretty much everyone and their mother has pics up, so we’ll default to Pitchfork themselves.

- Mark Ronson has released the album art for his upcoming release Record Collection, due out October 5. Since he’s been working a ton with Duran Duran lately, it’s not too surprising that it’s pretty influenced by some of the ’80s band’s own album art. He’s also got a video out for the fab tune “Bang Bang Bang” – it’s all up on Arjan Writes now.

Bits and Bobs: Judi Chicago, Avett Brothers, Facebook, Weapons of Audio, Cookie Cakes

- Travis Thatcher of Judi Chicago is having what looks like a pretty kick-ass yard sale on Saturday. Look, he has a fancy flyer and everything.

- The model whose picture appears on the cover of Vampire Weekend‘s Contra is suing the band’s label XL Recordings and photographer Tod Brody (who sold the picture) for $2 million, saying that her signature was forged. Brooklyn Vegan has done a bit of investigative journalism for those who want the details. … Continue Reading

Bits and Bobs: B.O.B., James, Ed Harcourt, Joaquin Phoenix, Live Aid, Guided By Voices, Arcade Fire

- One of England’s best bands, James, will be joining one of England’s best troubadours, Ed Harcourt, for a fall jaunt around the U.S. They will be stopping in Atlanta on September 22 for a show at Variety Playhouse. Tickets go on sale July 16 HERE. Check out the video of a recent performance of James’ classic “Laid,” which shows the band definitely still rocks.

- The BBC is making a film about the relationship between Boomtown Rats’ Bob Geldof and promoter Harvey Goldsmith, the duo who created the legendary benefit concert event Live Aid. According to Spinner, … Continue Reading

Bits and Bobs: Matisyahu, Death on Two Wheels, Helen Mirren, Last Chance Runaround, Dark Night of the Soul

- Matisyahu will be joined by the new reincarnation of Sublime, Sublime with Rome, for a super-mellow night of reggae at The Masquerade on July 23.

- Tickets are now on sale for Kenny Leon’s True Colors 2010-2011 season. And if you order your subscription by July 15, you’ll get two free tickets for the always-popular Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity. The offer expires tomorrow (Thursday, July 15) so get on this now. More information here.

- Local rock ‘n’ roll heroes Death on Two Wheels will be kicking off their summer tour with The Rocketboys at The Masquerade on July 30.

- Our favorite harp-wielding folk rock duo Last Chance Runaround will be playing Decatur’s ace watering hole Twain’s on … Continue Reading