The Dandy Warhols Cover "Blackbird"

In perhaps the most auxiliary turn of events resulting from the death of Michael Jackson, The Dandy Warhols have indeed covered "Blackbird".

For those not aware, on the opening track to Welcome To The Monkeyhouse, the Dandies promised "when Michael Jackson dies, we're covering "Blackbird"". Presumably this was in reference to Jackson's rather obnoxious purchase of the Beatles' catalog rights from under Paul McCartney's nose many years back, and a desire to deny Jackson any royalties.

Well, now here we are post-Jackson-mortem, and The Dandies have lived up to their promise. Ironically, the event also comes right on the heels of the band re-releasing their alternate version of Monkeyhouse entitled "The Dandy Warhols Are Sound". The cover of "Blackbird" is now being included as a bonus with the purchase of the new record.

We gave the track (which you can hear below) a listen, and we have to say we're a little bummed. It's such a straight-ahead cover, with Zia on vocals a highly manipulated Courtney Taylor Taylor on vocals and a bunch of layered synths, that it never seems to really go anywhere or do anything. Granted, the original is pretty mellow as well, but we were kind of hoping the Dandies would push it to another level. That being said, at least they kept their promise!

Dandy Warhols To Release New-Old Album

We're huge fans of The Dandy Warhols, but we'd be lying if we didn't admit that 13 Tales Of Urban Bohemia was really a high point for the band. While we dug Welcome To The Monkeyhouse, somehow it didn't seem like a legit follow up to such a masterpiece, and we simply accepted that fact that perhaps the band had hit some magic sweet spot that they haven't been able to reproduce. Turns out, that may have not been the case.

Apparently the original tapes for Monkeyhouse were entitled The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound, and were turned down by Capital Records upon submission. Rather than take the Wilco route, and risk being dropped, the band allowed the label to remix/remaster the album, and the result was released as the band's next album. This revelation is particularly poignant because Monkeyhouse is such a poppy gem, when compared to the relatively experimental and epic scope of Urban Bohemia. Discovering it's the product of a record company's taste, rather than the band's, makes a whole lot more sense.

Fast forward seven years, and the Dandies are now on their own label and free to do as they please. As such, The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound will now see its first official release on July 14th via the band's own label, Beat The World Records. While we have no idea what the record will actually sound like (we've never heard it, even as a bootleg), we have to say that we are very, very curious.

While you're waiting for the record to drop, there's plenty to keep you occupied: the band has released remix ep's from last year's Earth To The Dandy Warhols, and is lining up so Los Angeles area dates, notably at the Playboy Mansion and Pomona's Glass House. Head to the Dandies' web page to check it all out.

The Dandy Warhols: New Charity, Warfield On Saturday

In the wake of their latest record, Earth To The Dandy Warhols, the Portland-based rockers have apparently been quite busy. According to pitchfork, the band has launched a new charity that involves bands collaborating on tracks in the Dandies' studio "The Odditorium". All the proceeds from this program, called "Breath Easy" go to the Three Rivers Land Conservancy. Some of the big names on board include Spoon, J Mascis, and Saul Williams. You can click through to the pitchfork link, or watch the trailer above for a little taste of what's in store. For us, this really seems like one of those "wait and see" moments. The idea sounds great (and fun!) in practice, but the proof is in the pudding, no?

Obviously, the band is also touring in support of the new record. Lucky for you - they'll be at The Warfield on Saturday night! Seeing the Dandies live is quite a different experience from their records: far more droney and jammy than one might expect. It's a quite a bit of fun, and we highly recommend it. However, make sure you come prepared with your concert endurance: we've seen their gigs stretch out to the three hour mark...

As of the moment, tickets are still available.

Dandy Warhols To Play Warfield In October

While there's no official news of it, either on the Dandy's site or on ticketmaster, there's rumor of a Dandy Warhols show at the Warfield on October 4th. This should come as no huge surprise, since the band has a new record out, and has already graced the Northwest with some warmup gigs. The Dandy's live drone fest is a good one, and highly recommended. We'll let you know as details develop.

Stream: The Dandy Warhols - ...Earth To The Dandy Warhols...

Dandy Warhols: New Record, Listening Party Tonight @ 111 Minna

So, do you remember that post back at the beginning of March about the Dandy Warhols starting their own label? Well, the label has borne fruits, and the Dandies have a new record on the way! The disc will be entitled ...Earth To The Dandy Warhols..., and will launch in two "phases". The first phase, which starts today, includes free play of the record on 10,000 jukeboxes (seriously?) as well as the free first single linked below. The second phase will be the release and digital downloadability of the record on May 19th.

Now here's the cool part: The Dandies will be in San Francisco tonight at 111 Minna for a free listening party. Drinks, food, records spinning, the whole bit. Get over there and check it out.

mp3: The Dandy Warhols - The World The People Together (C'Mon)

Dandy Warhols Start Their Own Label

Ever since the masterpiece of Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, we here at H.A.D. have been hooked on the consistently rewarding efforts of Portland's Dandy Warhols. Unfortunately, their last album Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars landed with not so much of a bang as a whimper. The record has some great moments, but it really didn't seem to make waves critically or commercially.

Well, it seems that the Dandies were just as aware of this as everyone else, as they've happily departed Capital Records and decided to start their own label Beat The World. Frankly, we're glad to see the Dandies step into the indie rock world - who needs the majors anyway? We're looking forward to seeing what this migration brings to the band. Thanks to Glorious Noise for the tip.

Stream: The Dandy Warhols

Gamble Of The Week: Brian Jonestown Massacre

Coming up this Monday and Tuesday, notorious local troublemaker Anton Newcombe will be bringing his ever rotating cast of musical characters to the Independent for a two night stand. It seems inevitable that every discussion of BJM these days is accompanied by a mention of the 2005 documentary Dig! The film is a totally fantastic and bizarre look into the musical competition of BJM and the Dandy Warhols over the course of the 90's. Following the film's release, Newcombe insisted that his drug use and many outbursts were taken out of context, and that the film misrepresented him. Now, I don't know him, so in some cases that may be true. However, in the show I saw two summers ago at Old Ironsides in Sacramento, he was firmly "in character" from the film. Songs stopped and started haphazardly, he yelled at other band members, and everyone looked pretty upset in general. Now, that being said, when they hit their groove the tunes were sublime, and the performances awesome. Point being: this isn't a guaranteed smooth and polished rock show that you might expect from your average band. My recommendation for this coming Monday and Tuesday? Go check them out - I think the good firmly outweighs the bad here, and I always see BJM as a worthwhile risk when they come to town.

Dimmer opens, Monday night is already sold out.

mp3: BJM - Vacuum Boots
mp3: BJM - Super-Sonic
Bonus: Most of the BJM back catalog is available for free on their website in the open source ogg format.