Beastie Boys Add Swing State Shows

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)

Beastie Boys have expanded their previously reported "Get Out and Vote '08" tour by a factor of two. The number of shows in swing states is at six now, thanks to the addition of dates in Charlotte, Dayton, and Youngstown (Ohio). The new shows will also feature sets from Sheryl Crow, Santogold, Norah Jones, and Ben Harper.

Beastie Boys' political fascinations don't end with this tour. Today (October 15), Beastie Adam Yauch's film distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories released Frontrunners, a documentary film about the student council presidential campaign at NYC's Stuyvesant High School, to theaters. The film's soundtrack includes selections from various Elephant 6 bands and the Album Leaf.

Frontrunners is just one of many movies Oscilloscope is releasing this fall, both to theaters and on DVD. On October 21, Yauch's basketball documentary, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, comes to DVD. On Halloween, the company will release a true crime documentary called Dear Zachary to theaters. Finally, on December 10 comes Wendy and Lucy, a new movie from Old Joy director Kelly Reichardt starring Michelle Williams and featuring songwriter/Old Joy actor Will Oldham "as a face-tattooed gutter punk," according to a press release.

Yauch will appear at the Virgin Megastore in NYC's Union Square on October 21 to promote the release of the Gunnin' for That #1 Spot DVD.

"Get Out and Vote '08":

10-27 Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend *#
10-28 Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum #!%
10-29 Youngstown, OH - Chevrolet Center *!$
10-30 Dayton, OH - Hara Arena *$
11-01 Saint Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium $^
11-02 Milwaukee, WI - U.S. Cellular Arena $^~

* with Sheryl Crow
# with Santogold
! with Norah Jones
% with Jack Johnson
$ with Ben Harper
^ with Tenacious D
~ with Crosby & Nash

• Stream: Beastie Boys: Various Tracks

Beastie Boys Plot Star-Studded Vote Shows

(swiped from Billboard)

The Beastie Boys have drafted Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson and Ben Harper to join them on the Get Out and Vote tour, which will begin Oct. 28 in Richmond, Va. Shows are also set for Nov. 1 in St. Paul, Minn., and Nov. 2 in Milwaukee.

"This election is too important to stay at home," the rap trio said this morning (Oct. 10), adding that it is endorsing Barack Obama for president. "We hope that you can come out, have a nice night, dance, sing, get your freak on, and then wake up the next morning and get everyone that you possibly can to get out and vote."

Crow, Jones, Johnson and Santogold are on the bill for the Richmond show, while Harper and Tenacious D will support in St. Paul. Harper, Tenacious D and David Crosby and Graham Nash will join the Beasties in Milwaukee.

For ticket information, visit the Beasties' Web site.

Q-Tip Reveals Details of First Album in Nine Years

(Swiped From Pitchfork Media)

It's been nearly a decade since butter-voiced A Tribe Called Quest MC Q-Tip dropped his solo debut, Amplified, and pretty much ever since, he's been talking about the follow-up(s). According to a Billboard.com report, the long wait for at least one new disc from the one they call the Abstract is just about over. Universal Motown will issue The Renaissance this fall (Billboard.com notes an October 14 release date, but a Q-Tip rep suggests this is tentative). Either way, about damn time!

Billboard.com writes that the nine-track set "blends live instrumentation, scratching, and samples for a sound reminiscent of the rapper's work in A Tribe Called Quest." That sentence alone should have anybody with ears clamoring, but they go on. Pending clearance of the sample, the album will open with "Shaka", which matches excerpts from a speech from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama with a "guitar-tinged beat." There's "Fight/Love", wherein the Tipster-- alongside Raphael Saadiq-- recounts the stories of a young lady going through a bad relationship and a young soldier in Iraq. There's also the Norah Jones-assisted "Life Is Better", which finds Tip paying homage to a few of his favorite rhymers.

But wait, there's more! Amanda Diva features on a track called "ManWomanBoogie", which we're gonna guess is kind of a love song thing. There's a 1960s-flavored cut called "Won't Trade", as well as "Believe", which sporting some help from the incomparable, reclusive D'Angelo. And there's the recently Forkcasted easy on the ears first single "Gettin Up", which certainly bodes well for the rest of the set. Here's hoping this thing hits the shrinkwrap machine soon.

Ooh, and maybe this means we'll finally see Kamaal the Abstract in 2017? Or a collaboration with Nigel Godrich?

Q-Tip and the rest of the recently re-reunited Tribe Called Quest are currently out on the road with a coterie of rap royalty on the Rock the Bells tour, and Q has been supplementing the Tribe sets with a little solo Renaissance showcase.

ATCQ:
08-02 Miami, FL - Bayfront Park Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
08-03 Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
08-09 Devore, CA - Glen Helen Pavilion (Rock the Bells)
08-16 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
08-23 Englewood, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells)
09-06 George, WA - The Gorge (Rock the Bells)

Stream: Q-Tip: Gettin Up [from the forthcoming The Renaissance LP]