Jukebox – Music News Cuts – 9/13

Jukebox.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

The 2024 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival will be taking place at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco from October 4^th to October 6^th. Tey have a spectacular lineup, which is as follows:

Sleater Kinney, Mavis Staples, Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris, Yo La Tengo, Jessica Pratt, Cunningham Bird, Cat Power, Glen Hansard, Devandra Banhart, Ibibio Sound Machine, Levitation Room, Greensky Bluegrass, and others.

It won’t just be straight performances. It will include collaborations and songwriting circles.

Get there if you can.

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand is unleashing their first new album in six years. The album is called The Human Fear, and they’ve released a single from it called “Audacious.” They’ve also announced a number of tour dates in Europe for 2025.

The album deals with the title word, “fear” and how to overcome it. They’ve brought in a new drummer, Audrey Tait. Alex Kapranos, in talking about the album, said, , “Making this record was one of the most life-affirming experiences I’ve had, but it’s called The Human Fear — fear reminds you that you’re alive.”

He added to that: , “I think we all are addicted in some way to the buzz [fear] can give us. How we respond to it shows how we are human. So, here’s a bunch of songs searching for the thrill of being human via fears. Not that you’d necessarily notice on first listen.”

Touring Bands

It is fall, and while summer is seen as the high time of band touring, it’s not a live music desert in the fall. Music site BrooklynVegan rounded up touring news from a number of national acts, and we will present them here:

WILCO

“The shows FKA ‘Winterlude’ are getting out of Chicago,” Wilco write, announcing some December live dates. “Wind down the year with Wilco in Austin, Tulsa and St. Paul. For a special evening (or two, or three) with the band ft. no opener & no repeats.” Dates are here.

wilco december shows

JACK WHITE

Jack White began a short Northeast run in Jersey City on Monday, and play CT tonight and Cambridge, MA on Tuesday before jetting off to the UK for a trio of shows this weekend.

SOCCER MOMMY

Soccer Mommy will release her new album Evergreen soon and she’s announced a tour with support from L’Rain, Tomberlin, and Hana Vu.

MEW

Mew are calling it quits but will play some farewell shows.

REFUSED / QUICKSAND

Swedish punks Refused have also announced they’re breaking up (again), but not before a tour with Quicksand.

KNOCKED LOOSE / DANNY BROWN

Knocked Loose are going on a headlining tour with The Garden, Drain, and Militarie Gun this fall. That run has gotten even more exciting with the addition of Danny Brown on a few shows.

KYLESA

Kylesa recently announced that they’ll be reuniting in 2025, beginning at Roadburn and followed by “a limited number of special shows” that celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. Today, they’ve announced their first North American reunion appearance.

DREAM THEATER

Having reunited with original drummer Mike Portnoy last year, Dream Theater have announced they’ll celebrate their 40th anniversary on the road in North America in 2025.

BIG EARS 2025

Knoxville, TN’s Big Ears festival announced its 2025 lineup, which includes ANOHNI and the Johnsons, Waxahatchee, Yo La Tengo, Sun Ra Arkestra, Jessica Pratt, Lankum, Explosions in the Sky, Tindersticks, Beak>, and more.

SQUEEZE / BOY GEORGE

Squeeze and Boy George are in the home stretch of their co-headlining tour, which hits NYC later this month for a show at SummerStage in Central Park on September 17. See all remaining dates here.

PHISH

Phish have announced three Albany shows that benefit the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program and its newly opened facility in Ludlow, Vermont.

ANGEL DU$T (DATES WITH SAY ANYTHING, SPEED, MORE)

Angel Du$t are on tour this fall with Speed, including a Brooklyn show at Elsewhere on September 24. They’ve also got shows later in the fall with Say Anything, plus a headlining Long Island show at Amityville Music Hall on November 11 with Family Dinner, Private Mind, and Heavy Hex. All dates are here.

angel dust amityville

PAUL MASVIDAL (OF CYNIC AND DEATH)

Cynic’s Paul Masvidal is playing some solo shows on the East Coast this month. The official description reads: “Forget the shred. Experience Paul Masvidal, the visionary co-founder of Cynic and a pivotal member of Death, as he blasts your senses with isochronic tones and raw, ambient acoustic heart songs, all while wearing his otherworldly mask. Expect tracks from Cynic’s deeper cuts to Aeon Spoke and Mythical Human Vessel.” Tickets and dates are HERE.

LOU KOLLER BENEFIT

Sick Of It All vocalist Lou Koller was diagnosed with esophageal cancer that extends into his stomach earlier this summer, and he’s currently undergoing chemotherapy to combat it. To help raise funds for his treatment, the hardcore community is coming to his aid with an NYC benefit show in November.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS

Lucinda Williams is currently on tour, including dates with with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, as well as special “Don’t Tell Anybody The Secrets” show with “stories, songs, & visuals.” She’s just announced more tour dates, including a couple in the NYC area.

HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the free festival at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, happens October 4-6, and the lineup includes Patti Smith, Sleater-Kinney, Glen Hansard, Jessica Pratt, Buddy Miller, Yo La Tengo, Emmylou Harris, and more.

JOAN SHELLEY

Folk singer Joan Shelley will play a couple NYC-area shows in support of her new EP.

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

Godspeed You! have added a second NYC show to their tour.

JULIO TORRES

The creator of Los Espookys, Problemista and Fantasmas will be taking his new standup show, Color Theories, on the road this fall.

JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN

Actor and comedian John Hodgman is taking his podcast “Judge John Hodgman” on the road, and dates include a NYC show at City Winery on Wednesday, September 11.

judge john hodgman

GIRL IN RED

Norwegian artist girl in red will be heading to the US in late fall for the I Have to See You Again tour, with dates kicking off in Dallas on 11/23 and wrapping up in Mesa, AZ in 12/14. There’s a NYC-area show at Monclair’s The Wellmont Theater on 12/1.