Bassist Tony Butler — who joined Big Country prior to the recording of its 1982 debut single ‘Harvest Home’ — announced this past weekend that he’s leaving the recently reunited band, writing in a message to fans that ‘after 32 years of incredible highs and a very tragic low, I feel that now is the time to look to new horizons.’
This week’s new releases include expanded reissues of albums from R.E.M. (‘Document’), Sex Pistols (‘Never Mind the Bollocks’), INXS (‘Kick’) and Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, plus new music from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, with Yoko Ono, and Mark Eitzel, John Foxx and The Cure’s Robert Smith.
This week’s round-up of Slicing Up Eyeballs headlines includes items about New Order, Peter Hook playing New Order, Peter Buck, Paul Westerberg, Midnight Oil, The Lemonheads, The House of Love, Kitchens of Distinction, Peter Murphy, Erasure, Inspiral Carpets, Adam Ant and more.
Last night in Seattle, former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck played his first-ever solo show — after conducting, as he noted from the stage, his first-ever solo soundcheck — he debuted his new backing band Richard M. Nixon as the opening act for the first of two Young Fresh Fellows album-release shows at The Sunset.
Out of the blue today, Paul Westerberg slipped a new song into the world, a solo piano ballad called “My Road Now” that marks the former Replacements leader’s first new music in nearly two years —and you can stream and/or download it here right now.
For this week’s “120 Minutes” Rewind, we turn to some newly uploaded clips — via dpallen — of the legendary Lou Reed hosting an episode some time in 1986. Check out a 7-minute clip of a very prickly Reed grilling Mark Josephson, co-director of the New Music Seminar and shorter clips of the rocker chatting with Suzanne Vega.
On the heels of last week’s announcement of a new 2CD best-of, Aussie rockers Midnight Oil today began offering a free download of “Read About It” recorded live in 2009 at one of two warm-up shows the band played in Canberra prior to taking part in the Sound Relief benefit concert.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 