Sun Records (Memphis legend, music legend) has joined forces with a new legend, Third Man Records. The first three releases from this truly amazing collaboration are Bear Cat by Rufus Thomas, Just Walking in the Rain by The Prisonaires and Get Rhythm by Johnny Cash. This disparate selection of songs ranges from old-school R&B, Sun's first big hit from The Prisonaires and the original A-side for Cash's hit, I Walk The Line.

The releases have the sun logo and label design and remain faithful to the original 45s.

These singles are just the beginning of the partnership and are available individually or as a bundle. There will be limited edition versions with yellow and black splatter vinyl (sun-ray vinyl!). There will be 150 of each limited edition and 100 of these will be sold via the Rolling Stone Record Store May 28, 29 and 30th.

This will be an ongoing partnership between Sun and Third Man and future releases are already in the works. Pre-orders for all three initial release (available for purchase individually or as part of a bundle) begin today, with an official release date of May 21st.

The 28th sees the sale of the limited Cash single at Sun Records in Memphis. On the 29th Rufus Thomas single will be on sale in Louisville at Please & Thank You. On the 30th The Prisonaires limited will be sold at Luna Records in Indianapolis.

Fifty copies of the limited editions will go randomly in orders of the standard edition vinyl from the Third Man website.

Fossil Collective, from the UK, sign to Vagrant Records. Their LP, Tell Where I Lie, is out now (on Vagrant and Dirty Hit Records). The band is currently touring Europe and soon hits the road in North America supporting The Boxer Rebellion. Dates are below.

The band has only been around a couple of years so their rise, if not meteoric, has still been quick. The video below has over 200,000 hits. That track, Let It Go, was the title track of the band's debut EP.

For more on the band head to www.fossilcollective.com.

Tour

European dates
May 1 – Aberdeen @ The Tunnels
May 2 – Glasgow @ King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
May 3 – Newcastle Upon Tyne @ The Cluny
May 4 – Liverpool @ Sound City
May 9 – Belfast @ Limelight 2
May 10 – Dublin @ Whelans
May 18 – Tockwith @ Tockwith Beer Festival
 
North American opening for Boxer Rebellion
May 23 – Montreal, QC @ Café Campus
May 24 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
May 28 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
May 29 – Calgary, BC @ Republik
May 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
Jun 1 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Jun 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune
Jun 5 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Jun 7 – Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
Jun 10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Jun 12 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Jun 14 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
Jun 15 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Jun 17 – Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls
Jun 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Jun 20 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Jun 22 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
 
Festival dates
Jul 27 – Kendal @ Kendal Calling
Aug 11 – Wigan @ Wuchiefest
Aug 17 – Glanusk (Wales) @ Green Man Festival
Aug 31 – North Dorset @ End of the Road Festival

The Bellwether Syndicate, who earlier in April, played at Convergence Festival in Austin, have their first EP, The Night Watch, up streaming digitally. You should check it out. You can download it for $5.

The band features William Faith and Scary Rose ( DJ Scary Lady Sarah) with Philly Peroxide and Mike Skull adding live keyboards/percussion and bass (respectively).

Keep eyes on the band website, www.thebellwethersyndicate.com, for updated info, live shows and HOPEFULLY new material.

Masaki Batoh, the man behind Ghost, is coming to the USA to play some Brain Pulse Music. Rather than me explaining this I strongly suggest you watch the two videos below. Top is the music, below the tour dates is an instructional video.

Batoh, an accupuncturist in addition to an experimental musician, conceived this project to bring together the spirit and the body. The entire recording, released last year, was made using a Brain Pulse Machine. Simply put? It takes bio-electric functions in the brain and turns it into music. The music comes from brain waves.

The music was interupted by tragedy--the terrible earthquake that shook Japan on March 11, 2011 took place during the recording. Rolling blackouts, evacuations an fear of radioactivity and the deaths of thousands devastated the nation. After this patients came to see Batoh with anxiety and his effort to use electronics and music to reconcile spirit and body became more urgent. All of the seven tracks on the record are a sort of prayer and requiem

All proceeds from the record go to assist disaster victims through the Japan Red Cross.

We’ve written a slew about Sin Fang, a solo project from Sindri Már Sigfússon of Seabear, a few times recently. But now we have been made aware you can stream the record at Conan O’Brien’s website.

Sigfússon has also realized his dream of designing two special edition skateboard decks in collaboration with Alien Workshop (long time fans).  If you buy one of the decks you get a download code for Flowers.

The Knife is releasing their first CD in seven years. Shaking The Habitual comes out April 9, 2013 on Mute. This is the Swedish duo’s first record since Silent Shout. You can check out a teaser video at the band website, www.theknife.net.

European shows in 2013 as well.

I wish I had some more information but I do not. If you are not familiar with the group you should have a little surf around the internet after checking out the video on their website.

Maximum Hedrum, the latest project of DJ Sam Speigel put out a remix of the first single, Keep In Touch, which you can check out below. The remix is by N.A.S.A. --not actually the space agency but the North America South America founded by Spiegel. The track features Spiegel, Derrick Green (Sepultura vocalist) and Harold Faltermeyer (remember him?).

They have an eponymous full-length coming soon.

They will also have a live residency at Los Globos in Los Angeles (January 14, 21 and 28th). Also keep an eye open for them at SXSW and for various mix tapes and videos.

 Find more info at  www.maximumhedrum.com.

China Rats, out of Leeds, have a new single coming out in March. The group will be hitting, yes, you guessed it, SXSW around that time as well. The band is slightly over a year old and have an EP, To Be Like I, which was released in the UK.

A demo song N.O.M.O.N.E.Y can be heard below. You can also look at it since it is a video.

They Might Be Giants are releasing a new record, Nanobots, on March 15, 2013. Before then they not only have three sold out New Year’s Eve shows but those dates are to be followed by a massive tour.

A track from the record is out now via Rolling Stone. Leaked? If something LEAKS it is an accident, like a White House staffer saying to a reporter , “I saw the President strangle a puppy….” or someone sending Julian Assange a boatload of confidential documents.

This sounds INTENTIONAL to me. Head HERE to check out and download the song, Call Your Mom.

Tour
Shows (SOLD OUT)
12/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
12/30: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
12/31: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
 
2012 Dates
2/27: Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
2/28: Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
3/1: Rochester, NY @ Historic German House
3/2: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
3/3: Cincinnati, OH @ Madison Theatre
3/5: Louisville, KY @ Headliners
3/6: Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
3/7: Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theatre
3/8: New Orleans, LA @ HOB
3/9: Houston, TX @ HOB
3/ 12: Dallas, TX @ HOB
3/13: Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
3/14: Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
3/15: St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
3/16: Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater
3/17: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
3/19: Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theater
3/20: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's
3/21: Tarrytown, NY @ Tarrytown Music Hall
3/22: Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
4/3: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
4/4: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
4/5: Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
4/6: Baltimore, MD @ Ram's Head Live
4/7: Richmond, VA @ The National
4/9: Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
4/10: Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
4/11: Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
4/12: Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
4/13: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
4/14: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

A new record from Sweden’s Junip is something to get excited about. The group’s second and eponymous release hits the streets on April 23, 2013. This is the long overdue follow up to Fields (2010). Junip is a band to check out live as well.

Remarkable all around. Check out the video below.