We Are Scientists Among Bands Contributing To Ben Sherman’s V.I.P. Charity for Trekstock

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Mod British clothing company, Ben Sherman is about to open up a second round of auctions for their V.I.P. (Very Important Plectrum) charity.  As it was the first time around 100% of the proceeds will be kindly contributed to a worthy cause.  The focus for this auction is Trekstock, a UK-based foundation that specializes in this kind of thing.  Trekstock works with Cancer Research UK, collecting donations and raising awareness for youth with cancer through shows, music and fashion collaboration, and the like.

Participating artists in the auction will offer up their signed plectrums, otherwise known as picks — but think more than just guitars! harpsichords, mandolins, and ukuleles need to be plucked too.  To name a few bands involved: We Are Scientists, Anna Calvi, Band Of Horses, Interpol, and Broken Social Scene.  Check the poster above to see all participating artists, and go to Ben Sherman’s VIP site or Trekstock’s site to learn more.

Vincent Moon Starts His Own Traveling Label, “Petites Planètes”

Looking for a new genre to redirect his musical aspirations, Vincent Moon has branched out to all corners of the world to expose local musicians to the traditional western audience.  Typically blanketed under the insufficiently described banner of “World Music,” a Sao Paulo rooftop musician, a street performer in Chinatown, a folk singer in Buenos Aires, and a cello player in Rio are a sample of artists Moon will profile with his new label, Petites Planètes.

The project, solely funded from donations, will see an update every Friday, with both the films and soundtrack available for download for free under a CC license.  Go to www.petitesplanetes.cc for a look at this fantastic new series.

Tape Deck Mountain Kick Off Tour with New Single

Want a tour-exclusive limited edition Tape Deck Mountain cassette limited to 100 copies?  These few and proud tapes house the brand new single, “Kellies,”  a fuzzed-out stomper you can stream below.  Of course, to acquire a cassette, the stipulation is you go to the show… which should be an easy sell with Denver band Woodsman on the bill.

Here are the dates:

Thu 6/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Fri 6/3 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar *
Sat 6/4 – Sacramento, CA @ Luigi’s Fun Garden *
Sun 6/5 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern *
Mon 6/6 – Portland, OR @ Someday Lounge *
Tue 6/7 – Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse *
Wed 6/8 – Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective *
Thu 6/9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
Fri 6/10 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Sat 6/11 – Boulder, CO @ Astroland *
Sun 6/12 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall *
Mon 6/13 – Iowa City, IA @ Public Space One *
Tue 6/14 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
Wed 6/15 – Flint, MI @ Woobies Bar *
Thu 6/16 – Toronto, ON @ NXNE *
Mon 6/20 – Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
Tue 6/21 – Scranton, PA @ Embassy Vinyl ^
Wed 6/22 – New York City, NY @ Mercury Lounge #
Thu 6/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory ^
Fri 6/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room ^
Sat 6/25 – Baltimore, MD @ Golden West Cafe ^
Sun 6/26 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter ^
Mon 6/27 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
Tue 6/28 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
Thu 6/30 – Jackson, MS @ Hal & Mal’s
Fri 7/1 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola’s
Sat 7/2 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk (inside)
Sun 7/3 – Houston, TX @ The Mink
Tue 7/5 – Albuquerque, NM @ Low Spirits
Wed 7/6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space

* with Woodsman
^ with Grooms
# with Keepaway

Here We Go Magic Offer Track for Download off ‘The January EP’

Here We Go Magic are coming off the well-received release of The January EP, which they would be pleased for you to hear.  A couple of the EP’s tracks are available for download over at Pitchfork, “Song In Three” and “Hands In The Sky,” and you can stream the whole thing over at Spinner. Easy enough, then.

Consisting of leftovers from Pigeons, the band’s sophomore LP, The January EP wraps up a plentiful creative chapter for a group honing their original sound.

Moby Releases First Single From ‘Destroyed’

It’s easy to still root for Moby, but tough to expect to be surprised by him anymore.  “The Day” is the first single on Moby’s new album, Destroyed, out May 17th, and it’s an unbelievable bore.  If you want, you can listen here anyway.

The production, a homage to the Berlin Trilogy, has an emotionless gloss over it which gets further obscured by Moby’s flat vocal delivery.  Overall, the track is bogged down by sheer monotony; there’s no tonal shift, no significant tempo change, and nothing to hold on to.    Maybe he should have sang it in French.  No, that’s worse.

Ponytail Unleash “Honey Touches” Video On Unsuspecting Fruit

The manic Ponytail have released a video for “Honey Touches,” the first single on their third LP, Do Whatever You Want All The Time, out this week.  Fruit is the theme here — whether it’s being caved in, roundhouse kicked, blended, chopped, splayed, punched, dropped, bisected, or moved telekinetically…  but never eaten.   There’s no reason to the madness, and not enough karate styles to vanquish all the fruity foes.  They even throw some bacon in the mix.  Check it out over at SPIN.  Direction credits go to Bill Benz and Mike Giambra, or MENZ for short.