Primal Scream join line-up for SXSW 2009

SXSW, the Texan music industry showcase, has announced the bands making their way over of the event with Primal Scream and White Lies joining the ranks. 

South By Southwest will see a good contingent of British bands this year including White Lies, The Courteeners, Future Of The Left and Danananaykroyd.

Other include Swedish popsters Peter, Bjorn And John, Ida Maria, one of our tips for 2009 The Temper Trap and LA based Crystal Method. 

The line-up so far is:

Akron/Family (Williamsport, PA),

Asobi Seksu (Brooklyn, NY)

Astrid Williamson (Shetland Islands, SCOTLAND)

Banda de Turistas (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Bar-Kays (Memphis, TN)

Ben Kweller (Austin, TX)

Benny Gallagher (West Wickham, ENGLAND)

Black Cherry (London, ENGLAND)

Buck 65 (Halifax, NS)

Chris T-T (Brighton, ENGLAND)

Come On Gang! (Edinburgh, SCOTLAND)

Crystal Method (Los Angeles, CA)

Dananananaykroyd (Glasgow, Scotland)

Dead Prez (New York, NY)

Dirtblonde (Liverpool, ENGLAND)

EBONY BONES! (London, ENGLAND)

Ella (Bristol, ENGLAND)

Explosions in the Sky (Austin, TX)

Flood of Red (Glasgow, SCOTLAND)

Ida Maria (Stockholm, Sweden)

Kid Sister (Chicago, IL)

Manana (Basil, SWITZERLAND)

Mandi Perkins (Los Angeles, CA)

Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City, Mexico)

Micachu (London, ENGLAND)

My Federation (Hove, ENGLAND)

Peter Bjorn & John (Stockholm, Sweden)

Peter Rosenberg (New York, NY)

Primal Scream (Glasgow, Scotland)

Suzy & Los Quattro (Barcelona, Spain)

The Courteneers (Manchester, UK)

The deBretts (London, ENGLAND)

The Sonics (Seattle, WA)

The Temper Trap (Nth Fitzroy, AUSTRALIA)

thecocknbullkid (London, ENGLAND)

Virgin Passages (London, ENGLAND)

Volodja Balzalorsky (Ljubljana, SLOVENIA)

WAZ (Los Angeles, CA)

We Have Band (London, ENGLAND)

We Should Be Dead (Limerick, IRELAND)

White Lies (London, ENGLAND)

South By Southwest takes place in Austin, Texas, between March 18-22 

Levellers spring 2009 tour dates announced

Levellers 'Letters From The Underground' spring 2009 tour dates announced.

Having celebrated their 20th year together in style in 2008, the Levellers are set to embark on a ten date UK tour this April continuing to support their latest studio album 'Letters From The Underground'.

For a limited time, there is a free download of "Behold A Pale Rider" live at the Royal Albert Hall available from www.lettersfromtheunderground.com

Support on all dates comes from Pama International and Hobo Jones and The Junkyard Dogs.

April

21st - Portsmouth Pyramids

22nd - Cambridge Corn Exchange

23rd - Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall

24th - Stoke-on-Trent Victoria Hall

25th - London Forum

26th – Nottingham Rock City

28th - Cheltenham Town Hall

29th - Edinburgh Picture House

30th - Newcastle Academy

May

1st - Wolverhampton Wulfrun

www.levellers.co.uk 

www.myspace.com/levellers

www.myspace.com/pamainternational 

www.myspace.com/junkyarddogs 

SIMPLE PLAN REVEALS WORLDWIDE CHARITY SINGLE

Lava/Atlantic recording group Simple Plan has announced details surrounding their upcoming iTunes Store single, “Save You.” Net proceeds from each download sale will be distributed to cancer charities around the world, through the Montreal-based band’s own Simple Plan Foundation. “Save You” – which is also found on Simple Plan’s self-titled third studio album – will be released worldwide via iTunes, available in the U.S. and Canada on October 14th.

“Save You” was penned in tribute to lead singer Pierre Bouvier’s brother Jay, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer at the age of 28. Thankfully now in remission, Bouvier’s illness inspired the band to include cancer awareness as one of the initiatives of the Simple Plan Foundation. Thus far, the Foundation has donated over $100,000 to various charitable organizations around Canada and has raised over another $200,000 at various benefit events. In addition, Simple Plan has donated portions of their merchandise sales as well as 50 cents from each ticket sold on their recent and forthcoming tours. For full details on the charity organization, please visit http://www.simpleplanfoundation.org.

“After what happened to someone so close to us, we feel that, as a band, we had to do something to help,” explain Simple Plan in a statement. “We should get involved and use our voice to make a difference in the fight against cancer.”

In addition to the “Save You” single, a special companion video is currently in production. The clip will feature appearances from cancer survivors from all walks of life, including such famous faces as Sharon Osbourne, Marissa Winokur (of the original Broadway production of Hairspray), Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn, and Saku Koivu (captain of the NHL’s Montreal Canadians).

The philanthropic effort behind “Save You” is the result of a partnership between Simple Plan, iTunes, Lava/Atlantic, and Warner/Chappell Music, the song’s publisher. The donation period begins on October 14th and continues through January 31st, 2009.

An incredible & uplifting story comes out of “Save You”

“I’m sorry, Simple Plan are not going to be able to call you tomorrow…They want to meet you backstage at their gig on Saturday night!”

In June 2007 I was told by my mum and dad that my dad had unoperable stomach cancer. At this time I had just overcome some bullies at school and I thought I was finally taking a step forward in my life, but as they say, I took one step forward and two steps back…

From then on my Dad stopped going to work and spent more and more time at home. But I didn’t start to notice the change until that Christmas. There was one last girl I had to sort out at school and my dad had been helping me and coaching me through it telling me how to present my self in a polite yet “get the hell out my life” sort of way!

Just before Christmas 2007 my dad told me that the chemo he was having wasn’t helping and was only making his body weaker. He decided to have no medical treatment as anything else the doctors could give him wouldn’t definitely work. This was massive and I couldn’t pretend I was fine any longer. I became quite depressed and didn’t really enjoy things or school. I thought the world was against me.

My dad and I were very close but during this time, I started listening to really deep, dark music. And I don’t remember how, but some how I started listening to a band called Simple Plan. The first time I heard them was when their song came on in the film Cheaper By The Dozen and I loved it! But this time I was really listening to the music and I could relate every song and every word to my life in some way. From the moment I started listening to Simple Plan I loved them! The songs are mostly upbeat but at the same time have SOO much meaning to them.

In March 2008 I took about a week off school to spend time with my dad. At the beginning of this week, Simple Plan’s new album came out. I got the album and started listening to it straight away. I heard this one song, called “Save You”, and the lyrics were “Sometimes I just wish I could save you”. As soon as I had listened to the album and decided what I thought of it, I took it to my dad and let him listen. I said, “Dad these lyrics are exactly how I feel towards you” - at this time he was now bedridden and we had been told he could die any day.

I spent my days listening to Simple Plan, I jumped at every opportunity to talk about them or to tell people how great they are or to listen to them, I felt really close to the band, even though they had no idea I exsisted. Over the week I had off school I chatted to my dad about music and lyrics and we spent time talking about Simple Plan and what we both thought of their lyrics. Simple Plan’s lyrics saved me from this time, I’m not sure what I would have done without them.

In my computer lessons in school I decided to create a website about Simple Plan, I read up on them and got all their details on how they formed etc. I signed up to their offical website fan thing, I wasn’t really sure but they sent me emails every once in a while to tell me about up and coming events and competition. I never enter their competitions because Simple Plan are an American based band so I didn’t think I had any chance in winning.

One day I saw the subject of an email from Simple Plan saying “Win an Interview with Simple Plan”. I read it and it told me that the song “Save You” was written for Pierre’s brother because he had cancer. I did some research and found out Simple Plan were raising lots of money for cancer charities world wide. This just told me AGAIN how amazing they are. To enter the competition you had to email in and tell them how cancer had affected you. I didn’t see any chance in winning so I wrote in 200 words and didn’t think much of it.

Next thing I know Pete from MTV is on the phone telling me Simple Plan are going to call me tomorrow at 3. I said I was at school and so he said he would talk to the band and see what he could do. He called back and said it wasn’t possible for the band to call me tomorrow and I honestly thought I had ruined my chances. But he said they wanted to meet me at their gig on Saturday night! I was SOOOO excited. I even managed to get 4 tickets, for my mum and two sisters. This meant more than anything to me because I felt SUCH a connection with the band and I had told my dad many times I wanted to meet them and talk to them about their lyrics.

So when I went along on Saturday we walked up to their dressing room and I got to chat to them and take some pictures. I asked Pierre how he came up with the lyrics and he told me, the whole room was silent and Pierre, the man I had been most longing to talk to, was talking to me, ME! But David the bass guitarist wasn’t there but I didn’t mind, I had a signed paper plate and pictures with the band! Then we went down stairs and “bumped” into the support bands, as well as getting lost and nearly walking onto the stage!

The show was FANTASTIC I loved EVERY minute of it. They all play with such power and meaning. I just felt SOOO MUCH more closer to them now that I had met them. Then they came to play Save You. David said he wanted to say some words so he spent quite a while explaining he had missed an autograph signing and he was sorry but he had just been told his sister was ill and he was getting him mum on a flight from canada and then they were going on to Paris. He was soo nice and said he would sign everybody’s autograph after the show. Pierre then said thats cool this song goes out to The Gleeson Family and his brother and David’s sister I imideiately burst into tears. I couldn’t believe all this was happening to me. After the show I queued up to get David to sign my paper plate next to the rest of the band. He gave me MASSIVE hug and an awesome chat. It was so amazing and he was really cheery and nice.

This just showed me dreams can come true and when life is tough just keep on walking because everyone get their chance to be happy! Now I know for sure my dad is always listening, because he passed away the week after I took off school, on Monday March 17th and this is a massive sign before christmas for me to know he’s here. I know he got me 4 back stage passes to meet and see Simple Plan on Saturday 29th November 2008 and that is something I will NEVER forget.

If anyone learns anything from this, it should be to never give up and keep on trying as long as there’s hope there’s life.

Taken from http://www.simpleplan.com/