First Depeche Mode was forced to cancel some shows due to lead singer Dave Gahan coming down with the stomach flu. Then more dates were cancelled, that’s when I thought something greater may be wrong. Turns out ”while in hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumor in Dave’s bladder, which has since been successfully removed.” Dave is currently recovering and Tour of the Universe will resume June 8 in Leipzig, Germany, and they plan on continuing through the remainder of the year. They’ve updated the tour and rescheduled some dates. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Lollapalooza, or even Chicago, on the new list, but hopefully that was an oversight… we’ll see.

Movement (DEMF) 2009 sets to see, Monday 5/25/09:

Kero (Live Set), Red Bull Academy Stage: 2:00-3:30; Maybe catch some Luke Hess (Live Set), Vitamin Water Stage: 2:30-3:30
Adultnapper, Beatport Stage: 3:30-5:00
Ellen Allien, Beatport Stage: 5:00-6:30
Tiga, Beatport Stage: 6:30-8:00
Kevin Saunderson, Vitamin Water Stage: 8:00-10:00, Maybe see how interesting Busy P set is on the Red Bull Academy Stage is: 8:00-9:30
Close it our proper, Derrick May, Vitamin Water Stage: 10:00-12:00

The 2009 Bonnaroo Schedule is up.

A few acts to look for:    

Thursday: Passion Pit 11:15 - 12:15

Friday: Animal Collective 2:45 - 4:00, Yeah Yeah Yeahs 4:45 - 6:00, Santigold 4:45 - 6:00, Al Green 6:00 - 7:30, Grizzly Bear 5:00 - 6:15, TV on the Radio 6:45 - 8:00, Phish 11:00 - 2:00, Crystal Castles 12:30 - 1:30, Girl Talk 2:00 - 3:30

Saturday: The Mars Volta 7:15 - 8:45, The Decemberists 7:00 - 8:30, Nine Inch Nails 1:00 - 3:00, MGMT 2:15 - 3:45

Sunday: Erykah Badu 3:30 - 5:00, Okkervil River 4:30 - 5:45, 

2009 Bonnaroo Full Schedule

You gotta check out this totally rad video with clips from 1986′s Thrashin, staring Josh Brolin, and the new sounds of VEGA with “No Reasons” (from Well Known Pleasures, out 5/19). God…has Josh Brolin aged a day since he hit puberty? 

This is a new section that should be up every Friday. It’s my attempt to weed through free track downloads and provide the best of what I find that matches my interests. This first track hails from The Big Pink outta London. The group consists of Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell and they bring a few more friends while playing live. This is a self produced single, mixed by Alan Moulder (one of Trent Reznor’s usual co-producers) which I imagine will be on their upcoming debut album Too Young to Love, due out 6/23. The track has just the right subtly mix of electronic and live elements, climbing from samples, programed drums and mellancholly vocal to triumph with guitars, backing melodies and impressive strength. Two remixes for the track have already surfaced, one from Gang Gang Dance and one from Van Rivers & the Subliminal Kid, who contributed to the sound of Fever Ray, but neither remix harnesses the emotional authority this track demands.

The Big Pink, “Velvet”

I doubt it was any internet backlash that got the nin:access app back on the approval list… but it makes geeks with egos feel good, so let’s just leave it at that. Still can’t use special characters for passwords, but hey, a simple password change and I’m up.

This is a video interview, by a fan, with Trent Reznor to appease his salivating, info hungry fans (as if we don’t get enough). The video is in response to some questions that were left unanswered, in fans minds, after a recent interview Digg’s Kevin Rose. Trent gives some incites into the new tour set list such as not playing “Closer” and working “Lights in the Sky” into a set or two. He also mentions being a lot more structure-free on the upcoming NINJA tour. Allowing the band the freedom to play what they like on a nightly basis, which will make the set lists change dramatically. He also hints on where NIN will be, after recently staking this tour as the last Nine Inch Nails tour. For Good! He’s standing firm on that but also confesses Nails will probably always be making music in some form or another. Trent also touches on what types of projects he’ll be working on after this tour is up; things he’s been wanting to do but has been preoccupied with Nine Inch Nails. Take a look.

trent reznor fan-interview from wretchi wretch on Vimeo.

Two of Slipknot’s members will be playing solo sets at UK’s Sonisphere festival @ Knebworth on August 1-2. Shawn Crahan will be debuting his side project Dirty Little Rabbits (Gummo, anyone?) and Corey Taylor will be playing a solo acoustic set. Taylor’s vocal abilities are phenomenal and judging from the few tracks that appeared on Vol.3, his solo vocal performance is one not to be missed.

The tentative lineup for Sonisphere:

Airbourne
Alice In Chains
Anthrax
Attack! Attack!
Avenged Sevenfold
Bullet For My Valentine
Cancer Bats
Corey Taylor Acoustic Set
Dinosaur Pile-Up
Dirty Little Rabbits
Feeder
Fighting With Wire
Killing Joke
Lamb Of God
Linkin Park
Machine Head
Mastodon
Metallica
Nine Inch Nails
Rolo Tomassi
Skindred
Taking Back Sunday
The Chapman Family
The Sword
Thin Lizzy
Twin Atlantic

Who is N2IT? It’s an Amsterdam-based company which holds patents for technology that led to the first digital vinyl system (DVS), FinalScratch, waaaayyy back in’98. N2IT’s CEO also happens to be John Acquaviva. You remember, the guy that would hang around and look like Richie Hawtin when Richie was on this continent? Just kiddin John, we know he stole the minimal look and lifestyle from you anyway.

Now N2IT has filed a patent infringement claim against M-Audio in regards to it’s Torq/Connectiv live of digital DJ products. But not without first offering to license M-Audio the technology first. This isn’t the first time N2IT has filed a simliar claim either. In May 2007 they went down the same path with Native Instruments and NI’s Traktor Scratch. A year after that complaint, NI aanounced they would be licensing the N2IT technology. 

It looks as if M-Audio may take the same course of action. Who’s next Rane/Serato? Probably not far.

Both Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails, and Meg White, The White Stripes, are angaged to be married. No, not together…I just couldn’t see that. Thankfully I believe they’ve found much better matches. Reznor’s engaged to Mariqueen Maandig of the band West Indian Girl. I can honestly say I never thought I’d see the day. Nice pick though. Meg will marry Jackson Smith, son of punk legend Patti Smith and the late MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith. Both sound like matches made in heaven. Congrads!