LeRoi Moore, saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band, has reportedly passed away at a Los Angeles hospital following a string of complications from an ATV accident back in June. The details look a little fuzzy right now but that much is confirmed. This is a very sad day for Dave Matthews Band fans as Moore was a truly integral part of the group from the beginning. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to see DMB perform with Moore a few times in my lifetime, and he will truly be missed by the fans the community surrounding the live powerhouse.

Here's the statement from dmband.com:

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

Just as My Morning Jacket returned to the US in support of Evil Urges, they announced 12 additional dates in Europe during the months preceding their hopefully earth shattering New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden. To the relief of tired feet everywhere, they also announced that every show will start on time. So, if the ticket says 7:30, the band will be on stage at 7:30. They also had to cancel their Sept. 24th date in Las Vegas due to a "casino scheduling conflict."

In other MMJ news, they premiered a video for the amazing "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt.II" on MTV's subterranean blog. The song, which has become quite the set closer recently, is represented well in the creepy/fun vibe they seem to revel in so effortlessly.

My Morning Jacket - Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. II (Subterranean)

Read on for more info.

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MMJ: In an effort to give our fans the best show possible, we'll be starting our shows at the showtime listed on your ticket, and below. Please spread the word to your friends and family coming to the show to get there early. Love, My Morning Jacket

The September 24th date in Las Vegas at The Joint Inside Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has been cancelled due to a casino scheduling conflict, and unfortunately will not be rescheduled on this tour. Anyone holding advance purchase tickets may return them for refund at the point of sale.

My Morning Jacket 2008 Tour Dates

08/19/2008 - Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Cove - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
08/21/2008 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Doors: 6:00 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
08/23/2008 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom - Doors: 7:30 PM / Showtime: 8:30 PM
08/24/2008 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
08/27/2008 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theater - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
08/29/2008 - Miami, FL - The Fillmore Miami Beach - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
08/30/2008 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
08/31/2008 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
09/03/2008 - Washington, DC - Constitution Hall - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
09/04/2008 - Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion - Doors: 6:00 PM / Showtime: 7:00 PM
09/05/2008 - Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
09/06/2008 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
09/19/2008 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
09/21/2008 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
09/23/2008 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theatre - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
09/25/2008 - San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theatre - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
09/27/2008 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater - Doors: 5:00 PM / Showtime: 6:30 PM
09/28/2008 - Seattle, WA - McCaw Hall - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
10/02/2008 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
10/03/2008 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
10/04/2008 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
10/06/2008 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion - Doors: 7:00 PM / Showtime: 8:00 PM
10/09/2008 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM
10/10/2008 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre - Doors: 6:30 PM / Showtime: 7:30 PM

Additional European Dates:

10/29 Dublin, Ireland - Irish Museum of Modern Art

11/1 Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royale

11/2 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso

11/4 Copenhagen, Denmark - Small Vega

11/5 Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene

11/6 Stockholm, Sweden - Berns

11/7 Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet

11/9 Berlin, Germany - Lido

11/10 Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp

11/12 London, UK - Brixton Academy
(as Special Guest to The Black Keys)

11/13 Manchester, UK - University

11/14 Glasgow, UK - ABC

Just saw this news coming through the inbox and it just rocks -- plain and simple:

You've heard the rumours - and this rock and roll wet dream is coming true.

Drive-By Truckers and The Hold Steady have teamed up to bring you the Rock and Roll Means Well Tour this Fall! Catch the double-rock show in cities across the country. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 10AM ET.

Dates via drivebytruckers.com

Rock and Roll Means Well Tour Fall 2008:
10.30 Louisville KY COYOTE'S @ CITY BLOCK (HS Closes)
10.31 Nashville TN RYMAN AUDITORIUM (DBT Closes)
11.01 Atlanta GA TABERNACLE (DBT Closes)
11.02 Tallahassee FL THE MOON @ FSU (HS Closes)
11.03 Raleigh NC LINCOLN THEATRE (DBT Closes)
11.05 State College PA THE STATE THEATRE (HS Closes)
11.06 New York, NY TERMINAL 5 (DBT Closes)
11.07 New York, NY TERMINAL 5 (HS Closes)
11.08 Philadelphia, PA ELECTRIC FACTORY (DBT Closes)
11.09 Boston MA ORPHEUM THEATRE (HS Closes)
11.11 Toronto ONT PHOENIX THEATRE (DBT Closes)
11.12 Pittsburgh PA CARNEGIE MUSIC HALL (HS Closes)
11.13 Bloomington IN BLUEBIRD (DBT Closes)
11.14 Chicago IL RIVIERA (HS Closes)
11.15 Minneapolis MN FIRST AVENUE MAINROOM (DBT Closes)
11.16 Minneapolis MN FIRST AVENUE MAINROOM (HS Closes)
11.19 Boise ID THE BIG EASY (DBT Closes)
11.20 Seattle WA THE SHOWBOX (HS Closes)
11.21 Seattle WA THE SHOWBOX (DBT Closes)
11.22 Portland OR CRYSTAL BALLROOM (HS Closes)
11.23 San Francisco CA THE FILLMORE (DBT Closes)
11.24 San Francisco CA THE FILLMORE (HS Closes)
11.25 Los Angeles CA THE WILTERN (HS Closes)

Pre-sale tickets go on sale Tues, 8/19 at 10AM ET

The Octopus Project ala iPhone | Photo © Justin Ward

Holy cow. I swore to myself that more posts would be up on this here blog today, but the rather spiraly turn of events that would otherwise be referred to as "my day" got a bit out of hand and I'm just now settling down from it all. I don't even really know what that means either.

SO YEAH, it's time to round up the week and re-post the headlines from what we got posted on the site last week, all while I build a solid round of anticipation for a couple cool things I plan on getting posted over the next couple days. First, we've got Paul's coverage from All Points West finally wrapped up and settled, and his photos look absolutely incredible. Second, yet another round of tour dates are flooding our inbox and we plan on dropping a couple posts highlighting our favorites. And finally, I'll be putting up some reviews from the shows I saw this weekend (The Octopus Project and Benevento/Russo Duo). Oh yeah, Outside Lands starts this Friday, too. Man it's a good time to be alive...

Lots more coming from us this week, so read on for the headlines and check back in early tomorrow (today) for some more updates from the crew. Holla.

• Dan Deacon & Wham City Friends | Round Robin Tour
  Known to take hard left turns when it comes to the live music experience, Dan Deacon is at it again. This time around I think he may have outdone himself, which is saying a lot if you've ever seen him...
• Forward Music Fest Update
  I wrote to FMF organizer and Dane101 editor Jesse Russell for some comments on the slew of updates coming from Madison in anticipation of the September music festival. He seemed pleased. The tickets are selling out quickly, Killdozer is still...
• Outside Lands Music Festival | Schedule Posted
  The schedule for Outside Lands has been posted, and you can customize your own over at JamBase. I'm pleasantly surprised, to be honest, but I've already gotten a couple IM's that people are a bit upset with some of the...
• Atmosphere | "Paint the Nation" Fall Tour 2008
  Last spring Atmosphere released When LIfe Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold, which saw the highest level of success for any of their albums to date. Moving away from the melodramatic narrative that has predominated most of their...
• Yeasayer | 2008 Tour Dates
  Yeasayer just announced their first headlining tour, which is just hugely impressive if you consider that earlier this year they were co-billing small clubs with MGMT. I've seen them like 20 times now and I still love every yelp,...
• Girl Talk | Fall 2008 Tour Dates
  Mr. Girl Talk himself, Gregg Gillis, just added a few dates to his Feed the Animals supporting tour. Stereogum got some good shots from his set at All Points West, which only made me want to catch him more when...
• Man Man | Fall 2008 Tour Dates
  Man Man is going out on tour soon, a band I last caught with Yeasayer at Logan Square Auditorium right before I moved out west. Man that show ruled. Man Yeasayer got really boring and trippy -- which was...
• Metallica | 2008 Tour Dates (into 2009)
  Many bands seem to be announcing fall tours right now. Rock and Roll Daily ran with the news that Metallica had announced their Fall 2008-Winter 2009 tour dates supporting their upcoming release of Death Magnetic. I wonder if their Bonnaroo...
• Lollapalooza 2008 | Staff Reviews
  Even though I checked in briefly and dropped some thoughts on the first day of Lollapalooza, I really wanted to try and round up the entire staff experience considering that Mitch, Andrew and myself all attended the festivites (and...
• Mike Gordon @ State Theatre, Falls Church, VA 8/12/08
  This guest post is by Aaron Baum, who went to see Mike Gordon's new project and got a ton of great photos (see his full gallery here). I didn't have much of a bias going into the night, I was...
• Tour Dates Roundup
  We've posted a couple rounds of tour dates already this week and the announcements keep coming in, so I thought a little roundup was in order: Dungen just announced fall tour dates in support of their new album, 4. Coldplay...
• Made Out of Babies, Plague Bringer, PIGS @ Empty Bottle, Chicago 8/10/2008
  Due to some unforeseen barbecue delays, I was a bit late getting over to the Empty Bottle the other night. It was a reasonable turnout for a Sunday night show -- about a hundred metal-hipsters in all their glory....
• Phish Friday | R&R on Anniversary Day
  Today was a day of anniversary in the Phish world, as Coventry, Lemonwheel, and Clifford Ball all occurred around this weekend in the years past when the band was busy taking over the live music underground (although I wouldn't present...
• Canada Pulls a Fast One | Public Funds Cut for Artists
  There's been an interesting story coming out of Canada over the last few days and it is unfortunately negative news for a lot of touring bands that come from the great white north. PromArt is a funding program for artists...
• Tonight: The Octopus Project in San Fran
  Tonight I got the pleasure of being added to a guest list spot for The Octopus Project at Bottom of the Hill, and yet this is a band I've probably only listened to for more than two seconds for the...
• Sunday Free Show: Sharon Jones at Summerstage
  Sunday is the final show of the 2008 Summerstage season. Wrapping up this twenty-third season of music are bands associated with Daptone Records, bearer of the torch of classic R&B. For the friendly price of nothing, you're getting three Brooklyn...
• The Octopus Project | 2008 Tour Dates
  Given the show I saw last night, I'm about ready to go on tour with this band. Imagine if Battles was a bit more accessible and little less math rock-y, and you've got yourself one tremendous band called The Octopus...
• Tonight: Benevento/Russo Duo Begin Mojito Residency
  Benevento/Russo Duo, Jam in the 'Dam 2006 | Photo © Justin Ward Last night I got to see a great show and I'm fortunate to have gotten in for free -- that perk will never get old, by the...

Benevento/Russo Duo, Jam in the 'Dam 2006 | Photo © Justin Ward

Last night I got to see a great show and I'm fortunate to have gotten in for free -- that perk will never get old, by the way -- but I'm definitely looking forward to the show that I'll be hitting tonight in the neighborhood immediately east (and over a hill) from my current place of residence. The Benevento/Russo Duo is starting a four-night residency at the Mojito in the North Beach neighborhood, and I couldn't be more excited to get up close and personal with the guys again after first getting comfortable with their repertoire over in Amsterdam during Jam in the 'Dam 2006. The band is promising some treats, some surprises, and a dip into the back catalogue, which inevitably means they'll be blowing minds for four nights in a row before playing a sunset-lit stage at Outside Lands on Friday. Can't wait.

The Duo will be playing four consecutive nights at the Mojito in San Francisco August 17, 18, 19, and 20. The comfortable and intimate setting will certainly remind some of the old Tap Bar days, and we'd guess that the experience might lead to some old-school musical explorations on stage. All this will exploration will blossom into a huge, blooming festival set at the simply amazing Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in Golden Gate park on August 22nd.

For those that didn't read it the first time through, go back and get a look at the editorial that Andrew wrote up on the current state of touring and how many artists are looking at interesting approaches to saving money on the cost of getting their show on the road. The residency is something I wouldn't mind seeing more of, assuming the artists themselves don't mind being gone from home for longer. Thankfully a lot of us are in an environment that supports such things and doesn't work to take them away.

See you in the beer line.

The Octopus Project Tour Dates

08/18 - Portland, OR @ Satyricon
08/19 - Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
08/20 - Vancouver, BC @ Richard's
08/22 - Edmonton, ALB @ Velvet Underground
08/23 - Calgary, ALB @ Hi Fi
08/25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
08/26 - Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
08/28 - Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola's
08/29 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
09/28 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits

The show starts at three with Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens.

Next up, is the Menaham Street Band made up of members of the Dap-Kings, Antibalas and The Budos Band. All of these bands can lay down a serious groove, so this should be a good one.

Finally, closing out the day, and the summer, is Ms. Sharon Jones. After tearing up festivals across the nation, I expect her to be in top form for the hometown crowd.

It is going to be a beautiful day on Sunday. I'll be there, representing LMB. If you're going let us know.

Photos to follow, of course.

• The Octopus Project - "Music is Happiness" [mp3]

This band also gets my vote for cutest art ever. Diagonals, Sassy!!! and The Hot Toddies open. See you in the beer line.

The program, which has helped give us a lot of great bands from Canada, was recently cut by the Conservative Tory government. In addition to the $4.7M PromArt program, a $9M program called Trade Routes was cut as well. Trade Routes funded cultural entrepreneurs who sought to develop export strategies for Canadian arts. Both of these pull backs are harmful to the entire arts community in Canada but is woeful because it sets a precedent of de-facto censorship and puts our neighbors to the north on a slippery slope.

Canada's Leader Post covered the story well with some interesting quotes from an anonymous government official. In one notable instance he rationalizes the cutback, "I think there's a reasonable expectation by taxpayers that they won't fund the world travel of wealthy rock stars, ideological activists or fringe and alternative groups."

Wealthy rock stars aside, it is fringe groups and ideological activists that help to promote new thought and keep the rest of society from falling into the monotony of state sponsorship. Free societies should have these devices as their disposal and Canada was progressive to fund them with government money. But now, arguments coming from the government seem to be entirely based upon the fact that the artists are outside of their notion of mainstream art. That is entirely disappointing.

From an economic perspective the funds helped Canadian artist compete on an international stage, which generated revenues for the country's entertainment industry and most likely the country as a whole. From my musical point of view Canada was competing on a grand scale. The list of successful Canadian bands is presently great and their artistic credibility is deep. Though now, the spigot may have been turned off. The music industry, which is suffering generally, took a blow from this move by Canada.

For more information on this story check out some of these article and editorials:

Tories to cancel PromArt - Leader Post
End of Trade Routes and PromArt - CIRPA
Public Funds Take a Hit - Coolfer
Don't Blame Us - CBC News

Let's head back to Lemonwheel, once again...

"At the festival, the band had the audience make candles throughout the weekend. At the end of the first show, the band lined the stage with the candles, turned out all the lights, and played one long, quiet, ambient jam." [Wikipedia]

• Phish - "Ambient Jam" (live, Lemonwheel 8/15/98) [mp3]

Oh yeah, that's the good stuff.

Too bad I had to work all day and I couldn't hang out with Andy and the Hidden Track guys over at the impromptu Phish Friday jam session webcast, so then I got cranky. And I'm not going to see STS9 tonight because I wasn't a fan club member and I didn't get to the announcement in time to get tickets before it sold-out. Bah!