Plus One's, The Morning Benders, recorded some of their older favorite records and released them for free as Bedroom Cover. You can Listen to most of the songs HERE at their PerfSpot profile, but you can also download the record for free at their blog http://ambenders.blogspot.com/. Over the past week, the band has released a handful of the covers exclusively to some of their favorite blogs including My Old Kentucky Blog, I Am Fuel/You Are Friends, 3Hive, I Pick My Nose, and Spinner.

the bedroom covers tracklisting
1. crying - roy orbison
2. mother and child reunion - paul simon
3. why dont they let us fall in love? - the ronettes
4. lovefool - the cardigans
5. i won't share you - the smiths
6. he's a rebel - the crystals
7. marie - randy newman
8. fools rush in - johnny mercer/rube bloom
9. temptation inside your heart - velvet underground
10. dreams - fleetwood mac
11. pull up the roots - talking heads
12. caroline, no- beach boys remix (bonus track)
12. 5 why don't they let us fall in love? - the ronettes (live daytrotter version)

US Tour Dates
September 13th Morrison, CO Monolith @ Red Rocks
September 21st San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Music Festival
September 28th San Diego, CA @ Casbah (with Ra Ra Riot)
September 29th Phoenix, AZ @ Modified (with Ra Ra Riot)
September 30th Tucson, AZ @ Plush (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 2nd Dallas, TX @ The Loft (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 3rd Austin, TX @ Stubb's (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 4th Houston, TX @ Rudyards (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 7th Orlando, FL @ The Social (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 8th Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 10th Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 11th Raleigh, NC @ Local 506 (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 12th Washington, DC @ Black Cat Backstage (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 14th Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar (with Ra Ra Riot)
Octboer 15th Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 18th Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs (with Ra Ra Riot)
October 20th Boston, MA @ Puma Store
October 21st New York, NY @ Puma Store
October 28th Santa Barbara, CA @ UCSB
October 29th Los Angeles, CA @ Puma Store

Stay tuned for more info on NYC shows shortly

Virgin Records recording artist Tristan Prettyman's breakthrough 2nd album Hello has sold more units in its first two months than her debut record in it's first year on the shelves. Tristan will head out on the road for a seven week tour supporting G Love and Special Sauce and John Butler Trio. Tristan and gang shared a track with PerfSpot, you can check it out on her PerfSpot profile HERE.

Go see the G Love, JB, and Tristan Live!

August 01 Stir Cove Council Bluffs IA
August 02 Madison Roots Festival Madison WI
August 06 Egyptian Room Indianapolis IN
August 07 Promowest Pavilion Columbus OH
August 08 Freedom Hill Amphitheater Detroit MI
August 09 Sound Academy Toronto ONT
August 13 Roseland Ballroom New York NY
August 14 Bank of America Pavilion Boston MA
August 15 Wolftrap Filene Center Vienna VA
August 16 Festival Pier at Penn's Landing Philadelphia PA
August 17 Pier Six Concert Pavilion Baltimore MD
August 20 SC House of Blues Myrtle Beach
August 24 Saint Augustine Amphitheatre Saint Augustine FL
August 26 Arkansas Music Pavilion Fayetteville AR
August 28 Pine Mountain Amphitheatre Flagstaff AZ
August 29 The Joint Las Vegas NV
August 30 Hawkins Amphitheatre Reno NV
September 03 Malkin Bowl Vancouver BC
September 05 Britt Pavilion Jacksonville OR
September 06 Edgefield Portland OR
September 07 Red Butte Gardens Salt Lake City UT
September 12 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison CO
September 13 Blues & Brews Festival Telluride CO
September 17 Greek Theatre Los Angeles CA
September 19 Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara CA

Modular records have been dominating the Australian electronic/pop scene for quite some time now. Cut Copy and The Presets are headlining a North American tour this fall in support of their new records In Ghost Colours and Apocalypso.  Head over to their PerfSpot profiles HERE and HERE to check out some of the tracks off their new albums.

US Tour Dates:

SAT 9/13 - Monolith Festival - Denver, CO
MON 9/15 – The Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
TUES 9/16 - Fine Line Music Cafe- Minneaplis, MN
WED 9/17 - Metro - Chicago, IL
FRI 9/19 Sound Academy - Toronto, Ontario
SAT 9/20 - Club Soda - Montreal, Quebec
SUN 9/21 - Webster Hall - New York City, NY
MON 9/22 - Webster Hall - New York City, NY
TUE 9/23 - Paradise - Boston, MA
THURS 9/25 – The Trocadero Theater - Philadelphia, PA
FRI 9/26 9:30 Club - Washington D.C.
SAT 9/27 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
MON 9/29 - Emo's Alternative Lounge - Austin, TX
TUES 9/30 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
FRI 10/3 – The Glass House - Pomona, CA
SUN 10/5 - Mezzanine - San Francisco, CA
TUES 10/7 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
WED 10/8 - Showbox At The Market - Seattle, WA
THURS 10/9 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, B.C.

Mr. Wendel! Tennessee!! Everyday People!!! Remember these guys? Well we do and they are back with a new album. The line up on this go-around is Speech, Bab Oje, Montsho Eshe, Nicha, Rasa Don, One Love and JJ Boogie. Leader and main vocalist for Arrested Development made sure the group took time in recording this record due to the unforgiving nature of Hip Hop fans, "the fact that we've done a lot doesn't matter to the average head out there, they wanna hear heat, and that's what we yearn to give." Time spent was not in vein. The record is as earth, groovy and lyrically sound as any of their previous outings. Check out three tracks from their new record HERE. 

Arrested Development on Tour

July 19th    Poland
Aug 30th   Thornville, Ohio
Sep   5th    Raleigh, North Carolina
Sep 26th    Atlanta, GA
Oct 10th    Johannesburg, South Africa
Oct 11th    Cape Town, South Africa
Oct 15th     Dubai
Oct 17th     Dubai

Conor Oberst, better known as the Bright Eyes front man, indie heartthrob and Clear Channels #1 enemy is releasing his first solo record in 13 years. Merge Records was kind enough to share a track off the August 5th record with us over at his PerfSpot profile HERE. The first single "Danny Callahan" has Conor sticking to his usual folky roots, while still delivering a great melody and with a full band accompaniment.
Unlike Bright Eyes string of very successful record this project was not produced by Mike Mogis, but rather Conor himself. Andy Lemaster of Now Its Overhead co-produced the record with Oberst in Tepoztlan, Mexico, in a temporary studio the guys created in mountain villa. You can check out Now it's Overhead at their Perf Spot profile HERE.Conor's backing band known as the Mystic Valley Band will be heading out on tour with for the next few months in support of the record.

Check out Bright Eyes HERE

Columbia Records released Black Kids new record Partie Traumatic, on July 7th which the band will be touring through fall to support. On first listen Black Kids reminded me a bit of The Cure/Killers but the more you dive into the album the more depth and creativity shoots out at you. Although influences may be apparent they definitely have their own style. Head over to their Perf Spot profile HERE to check out two singles from their new record "Hurricane Jane" and "I'm Not Going Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You", and see what all the fuss is about.

From what we hear their live show is blazing so make sure to check them out on tour. I know I will.

Tour Dates:

Thursday 07/24/08  The Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)
Friday 07/25/08  NYC, NY @ Santo’s Party House
Monday 07/28/08  Morning Becomes Eclectic (KCRW)
Tuesday 07/29/08  Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
Sunday 8/3/08  Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
Friday 09/19/08  Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird
Saturday 09/20/08  Orlando, FL @ The Social
Tuesday 09/23/08  Atlanta, GA @ Earl
Wednesday 09/24/08  Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
Thursday 09/25/08  Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Friday 09/26/08  Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Saturday 09/27/08  Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
Monday 09/29/08  Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Thursday 10/02/08  Boston, MA @ Paradise
Saturday 10/04/08  Montreal, PQ @ Cabaret Music Hall
Sunday 10/05/08   Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
Monday 10/06/08  Chicago, IL @ Metro
Tuesday 10/07/08  Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Friday 10/10/08  Seattle, WA @ Neumo‚s
Saturday 10/11/08  Vancouver, BC @ Richards
Sunday 10/12/08  Portland, OR @ Hawthorne
Monday 10/13/08  San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore

A Night at the Tavern

It was a good night to be in Solana Beach, California. The Belly Up Tavern manifested an impressive crowd on June 26, 2008 with indie bands Calico Horse, Manuok and The Album Leaf. The variety was thick and the air was cool and despite the mellow demeanor of the band’s sound the reaction was anything but.

They should have added Patsy Cline to their list of influences. And I mean that in the most commending sense. Carrying a hint of Cline’s vocal tenacity, lead vocalist Emily Neveu of San Diego based band Calico Horse brings an almost haunting ambiance to the band’s indie/experimental genre. Neveu also lends her musical abilities to keys and guitar, contributing to Calico Horse’s success in endorsing original musical tones.
With Dave Pettijohn on bass, Scott Wheeler on guitar, and Tom (former drummer of “Comfortable for You”) on drums, the music easily concedes to the listener’s ears. Playing tracks off their recent May 2008 album release “Mirror” merely insinuates the simple complexity in the undertones behind the melody. “Colors” and “Father Feed Me” highlight the band’s novelty as a fresh new face in indie music. Covering Radiohead’s “Idioteque” highlighted the band’s ability to put an impressive spin on an already formidable song, which as most of us know, can be a tough maneuver to pull. Props to Calico Horse for reining in on the widespread of the indie music genus.

Manuok, a solo artist also out of San Diego, picked up off the heels of Calico Horse with his soothingly lyrical folk endeavor. Implicated with both indie and experimental musical styles, Manuok is releases an innovative emotion that remains to be contagious from one ear to the next. Hitting a softer spot in the San Diego music scene, Manuok, real name Scott Mercado, influences you to stop and listen. Yes, we all listen…but I mean really LISTEN. Where the five senses exist-touch, sight, smell, taste and sound, Mercado adds a second level to sound, and yes, in my world, that’s possible.
It’s the sort of music that makes you stop and think. As quoted in a previous interview in 2005 on www.popmatters.com, Manuok “feels things so deeply that they’re (his songs) born with a natural heaviness of heart.

He’s not wallowing in it, just communicating it”. Rightfully so, I agree.

Mercado carries a certain intensity in his music that’s laid out in its own mellow format, combining both raw feeling and melodies demonstrating pure clarity. Perhaps sincerity in its finest element.
And let’s talk about another band who opens up a world beyond our senses. Closing out the night at the Belly Up was The Album Leaf, a primarily instrumental band that leaves no leaf unturned when it comes to the imagination. While still holding a post-rock timbre, The Album Leaf branches out on a composite mixture of effusion. The keys, played by Jimmy LaValle (essentially, The Album Leaf is LaValle’s solos project) and violin, mastered by Matthew Resovich, transport sonance into Drews Andrews’

unprecedented guitar playing and Louis Hermosillo’s simplistically original bass. Drums, exhibited by Tim Reece, also displays an elaborate but bare, almost seemingly effortless, rhythm through out each piece…and, yes, I say ‘piece’ because this band takes music to a completely heightened and unsought level. By definition, a song is classified as “a short metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas” (courtesy of dictionary.com). La Valle and the rest of the band climb way beyond the threshold of metrics and rhymed singing. It falls nothing short of being beautifully stunning in its own musical characteristics and it falls into the methodically genius category, which is no surprise why it’s been featured in shows like, The O.C., Brotherhood, Grey’s Anatomy and commercials for Macbeth footwear. You don’t need song names and you don’t need specifications as to which one might be better than the next: yes, on my soul, I swear to you that they are that good.

A few encore songs from The Album Leaf ended the evening and left the crowd in a happy state, myself included. Calico Horse, Manok and The Album Leaf are the kind of bands that put things in a different perspective and leave you feeling whole. If at all possible, I highly suggest checking out a live show or two.

Check ‘em out:

Calico Horse
Monday, August 18, 2008 @ The Casbah, San Diego w/ Colorstore & Swim Party

Manuok
Thursday, July 17, 2008 @ Chasers, San Diego Friday, July 18, 2008 @ Make Out Room, San Francisco Saturday, July 19, 2008 @ El Rio, San Francisco Thursday, July 24, 2008 @ Beauty Bar, San Diego

The Album Leaf
Saturday, August 23, 2008 @ Metamorphose Festival, Tokyo, Japan

For further information on CDs and merch, check out www.myspace.com/calicohorsemusic, www.myspace.com/manuok and www.myspace.com/thealbumleaf.

Reviewed by Jayme Laforte

Click HERE for Exclusive SoundCheck pics from the show!

Tour expands to forty-five dates in North America

(June 27, 2008 - Brooklyn, NY) To ring in their 10th anniversary as an independent label and hip-hop collective, Hieroglyphics announced details for the second leg of their massive North American fashion and music expo that will span from mid-summer into fall. Twelve dates have been added to the 3-month long tour. The Freshly Dipped Tour celebrates Hiero Imperium's prolific past ten years as indie hip-hop trailblazers and looks ahead to their expansion into the fashion industry and their continuing role of bringing both classic and new West Coast hip-hop artists to the masses.

Combining elements of fashion and music, The Freshly Dipped Tour will feature Hiero Imperium's stable of artists as well as their brand-new lifestyle line (www.hierojeans.com). Available at the shows will be a selection of Hiero Jeans denim and shirts as well a copies of Souls of Mischief emcee Opio's new album, Vulture's Wisdom, Volume One, and a limited edition Freshly Dipped Tour 7".

The Lineup:

Hieroglyphics: Souls of Mischief (Tajai, A Plus, Phesto, Opio), Casual, Pep Love, and Domino. Opio's new album Vulture's Wisdom, Volume One in stores in July

Blue Scholars: MassLine/ Rawkus. New album to be released June 2007, new EP Butter & Gun$ out now. Video and single for "Loyalty" in rotation on MTVu

Prince Ali: Eye 5/Hiero Imperium. New album Curb Side Service in stores now. Video for “The Majors feat. Casual, Planet Asia and Keith Murray" in rotation on MTV and BET

Musab: Rhymesayers Entertainment Founder, Hiero Imperium. New album Slicks Box in stores now

Knobody: Bumpin Muzic, Hiero Imperium. Album Tha Clean-Up in stores now

Tour Dates:

Fri-Jul-11 Pomona, CA Glasshous
Sat-Jul-12 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
Sun-Jul-13 San Diego, CA Belly Up
Tue-Jul-15 Tempe, AZ Clubhouse
Wed-Jul-16 Flagstaff, AZ Orpheum
Thu-Jul-17 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine
Fri-Jul-18 Dallas, TX Granada
Sat-Jul-19 Austin, TX Emo's
Sun-Jul-20 New Orleans, LA Parrish
Tue-Jul-22 Orlando, FL Social-Late Show
Wed-Jul-23 Atlanta, GA Masq
Thu-Jul-24 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Fri-Jul-25 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
Sat-Jul-26 Wilmington, NC Soapbox
Sun-Jul-27 Virginia Beach, VA Steppin Out
Tue-Jul-29 Baltimore, MD Bedrock
Wed-Jul-30 West Chester, PA The Note
Thu-Jul-31 New York City, NY Highline
Sun-Aug-03 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
Tue-Aug-05 Ottawa, ON Babylon
Wed-Aug-06 Toronto, ON Mod Club
Thu-Aug-07 London, ON The Salt Lounge
Fri-Aug-08 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
Sat-Aug-09 Columbus, OH Skullys
Sun-Aug-10 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
Tue-Aug-12 Madison, WI High Noon
Wed-Aug-13 Minneapolis, MN First Ave-Early Show
Thu-Aug-14 Omaha, NE Waiting Room
Fri-Aug-15 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
Sat-Aug-16 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
Thu-Sep-18 San Francisco, CA Fillmore Theater
Fri-Sep-19 Chico, CA Senator Theatre
Sat-Sep-20 Sacramento, CA Colonial Theatre
Mon-Sep-22 Bend, OR Midtown
Tue-Sep-23 Eugene, OR Mcdonald Theatre
Wed-Sep-24 Portland, OR Roseland
Fri-Sep-26 Seattle, WA Showbox Market
Sat-Sep-27 Seattle, WA Showbox Market
Sun-Sep-28 Vancouver, BC CanadaRichard's on Richards
Mon-Sep-29 Victoria, MB Element
Wed-Oct-01Reno, NV New Oasis
Thu-Oct-02 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst

Also check out Souls of Mischief frontman Opio’s new solo album, with tracks here.

Reviewed by Jayme Laforte

Click HERE for Exclusive SoundCheck pics from the show!

Rumors are surfacing that French electro duo Justice will be producing the next Red Hot Chili Peppers record. Ed Banger Records owner Busy P apparently dropped the news to UK’s Data Transmission. Whether or not this is a fact or just a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat rumor is still unknown.

What makes us think there maybe some truth to the statement, is that Anthony Kiedis, frontman of rock giants, Red Hot Chili Peppers, is a well known fan of Justice, having publicly stated that he often listens to the duo in get pumped up before a show.

No concrete details have surfaced as of yet, but rest assured that when they do, PerfSpot will bring it straight to you.

Justice is currently on tour. Check out the dates below and roll over to their PerfSpot profile.

June, 27 - Open Air Fest - St. Gallen, Switzerland
July, 2 - Quart Festival - Kristiansand, Norway
July, 4 – Mainsquare - Arras, France
July, 5 - Heineken Music Hall - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
July, 6 - Werchter – Werchter, Belgium
July, 7 - Arena Civica – Milan, Italy
July, 11- Somerset Hsouse- London, UK
July, 12 – Oxegen Festival – Punchestown Racecourse, Ireland
July, 13 - T in the Park - Balado Kinross, Scotland
July, 18 – Angoulême - Angoulême, France
July, 20 - Benicassim Fest - Benicassim, Spain
July, 25 - Les Voix Gaou - Toulon, France
July, 31 - Grand Lake Festival - Ostersund, Sweden
August, 1 – Emmaboda Festivalen - Emmaboda, Sweden
August, 9   - Summer Sonic Festival - Osaka, Japan
August, 10 - Summer Sonic Festival - Tokyo, Japan

August 23 - Reading Festival - Reading, UK

August, 24 - Leeds Festival – Leeds, UK
August, 29 - Rock En Seine - Paris, France
September, 14 - Monolith Festival – Denver, CO, USA