Adam Yauch Diagnosed with Cancerous Tumor

The sad news has already circled around the Twitter Universe, but for those who may not know Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch (MCA) announced this morning that he had been diagnosed with a small tumor on his parotid gland in his neck.

Fortunately for Yauch the tumor was discovered early enough that the cancer had not spread and could be much more easily treated. However, the group was forced to cancel all of their remaining Summer tour dates and push back the release of their upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1.

The select cancelled dates include; Jersey City's All Points West, San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, and more.

Adam also released a video explaining the situation below ...



Of course the large issue here aside from the health and well-being of Yauch is what to do to replace the group who was headlining so many Summer festivals. As of now the possibilities are completely up in the air with minor word of mouth suggesting possibilities of Foo Fighters or Muse to replace the group at Lollapalooza, but as far as the other festivals are concerned there's very little certainty.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Grizzly Bear on Letterman

Grizzly Bear, continuing their reign of late night talk shows, appeared on Letterman last week (after having their previous performance pushed back) with another Veckatimest beauty, "Ready, Able", backed by the ACME String Quartet. As expected the sound is remarkable and breathtaking, but anything less of Grizzly Bear at this point would be obscene.

The band recently added a slew of new concert dates, including a visit to Philadelphia's Electric Factory October 7 with Baltimore's Beach House.

Grizzly Bear (ft. ACME String Quartet) - Ready, Able (Live on Letterman)

New Passion Pit Video: To Kingdom Come

Last Friday Passion Pit released the second video from their May full-length debut Manners. The band plays the part of late 19th century/early 20th century scientists who discover how to destroy the Earth behind the most gleeful and distracting indie pop music possible.

The band will be appearing at their fair share of summer festivals soon, including; Pukkelpop, Lowlands, the Leeds and Reading Festival, and the festival so frequently mentioned on Bears and Bullets - Lollapalooza.

Passion Pit - To Kingdom Come

Dead Weather Tonight

Tonight I'll be lucky enough to catch Jack White and Alison Mosshart's side-project The Dead Weather at New York City's Terminal 5 at 8 PM. Ask for me if your going too.

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

Kurt Vile, Fergus & Geronimo, and more.

Today's solid crop of MP3's (all of which are courtesy of Gorilla vs. Bear) include "Overnite Religion," the first single from Philadelphia native Kurt Vile and his Matador debut Childish Prodigy. Vile will be performing tomorrow night at Brooklyn's Bruars Falls alongside Queens group Blues Control for a meager $8.

Kurt Vile - Overnite Religion - MP3

Fergus & Geronimo - Tell it in My Ear - MP3

Fergus & Geronimo - Harder Than It's Ever Been - MP3

Rainbow Bridge - Big Wave Rider - MP3

Sparrow House - When I am Gone - MP3

Wilco and Feist on Letterman

It may be an oddly strange assumption that Wilco are the best band in America, but the assumption while sounding other-worldly is tastefully accurate. The Chicago group recently released seventh studio record Wilco (The Album) debuted at number four on the Billboard Album Charts this week, the highest ever for the Nonesuch alums.

If anyone missed it, the band recently performed on the Late Show with David Letterman with frontman Jeff Tweedy working the vocals of the single "You and I" with an impossibly cheerful Leslie Feist, just as they did (along with Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste) at their Coney Island show several nights before.

Wilco (ft. Feist) - You and I (Live on Letterman)

Reading Rainbow

Philadelphia's lo-fi psychedelic garage duo Reading Rainbow, named after the PBS show starring Star Trek alum Levar Burton, are set to release their debut album Mystical Participation August 1. The album is sure to be stocked full of the fuzzy dream-gazing material akin to their Chimney Sweeps Records partners Eternal Summers, who are releasing a duel 7" with Reading Rainbow entitled Summer Reading, also due out sometime this Summer.

You can pre-order the Mystical Participation 12" download here, or grab their "The Sun is Out" MP3 and watch their slightly cheap video here.

Reading Rainbow - The Sun is Out - MP3

Reading Rainbow - The Sun is Out


MP3's Courtesy of Gorilla vs. Bear

Atmosphere's Free EP

MC Sean Daley (Slug) and DJ Anthony Davis (Ant) of Minneapolis hip-hop group Atmosphere are following the route of the music giveaway for the second time in their career. First with 2007's Strictly Leakage (which you can still get for free here) and now their brand new seven track Leak at Will EP.

And a message from Slug ...

“As we approach the launch of our new digital online store Anthony and myself have put together another project we are giving away for free to any of you who sign up for a user account on our online store…Consider it another “thank you” for all of the support you have offered us over the years."

The steps are simple; Go to Fifth Element Online, add the free Leak at Will EP to your cart, register for a free account, and download the file.

Enjoy.

Worst Cover Ever?

Los Angeles screamo/emocore band Confide have been recieving some "not so good" accolades for their cover of The Postal Service's single "Such Great Heights." And by Not So Good accolades I mean possibly the worst cover rendition in recent memory.

Comments on the cover rage from:

"this song has made decide once and for all to become an athiest."

"just got idiot shivers from watching this."

And ...

"This is worse than the new Woody Allen movie."

See for yourself, or just watch the original Postal Service version or Iron & Wine cover.

Confide - Such Great Heights (Postal Service Cover)



Postal Service - Such Great Heights



Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights (Postal Service Cover)

New Dead Weather Video: Treat Me Like Your Mother

Jonathan Glazer's newest video for The Dead Weather's single "Treat Me Like Your Mother" off their album Horehound (out this Tuesday) scores the simple concept of Man vs. Woman. Man (Jack White) and Woman (Alison Mosshart) stagger towards each other in the backyards of a California-looking suburb and discuss their differences in a classic Western-American tense - shooting the Hell out of one another.

Simple logic would tell you that neither can be harmed by mortal weapons.

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother