The Hold Steady release their sixth album, Teeth Dreams, on March 24 – in this piece from the Uncut archives (June 2009, Take 145), Craig Finn reveals 10 of the albums or songs that have changed his life, raising a glass to St Joe Strummer and his other heroes – including Billy Joel! Interview: Rob Hughes___________________The first record I owned
The Bay City Rollers
Greatest Hits (1977)
His many fans will no doubt wonder at the absence of anything by Wayne County from the list of Top 50 American punk albums we've compiled as part of this month's cover story on the Ramones. After all, Wayne – who by 1980 was Jayne County, following the necessary surgery – was with his band Queen Elizabeth part of the same Max's Kansas City, Mercer Arts Center and Club 82 scene that nurtured the early New York Dolls.
Twelve years after he was pulling pints in a pub in London Bridge, Brian Burton is perhaps busier than ever – he has a new Broken Bells album out on Monday (January 13), he’s been working with U2 and is rumoured to be producing the next Black Keys record. It’s been a whirlwind decade for the writer and producer better known as Danger Mouse: after making his name by daring to cross-breed The Beatles with Jay-Z, he’s gone on to work with everyone from Damon Albarn to David Lynch.
When you’re in the business of writing about/codifying/making up a musical scene, it always helps if you can locate its nexus. Reading the small print on record sleeves, a good few of the American musicians negotiating the space between roots music and avant-garde jamming these past few years - part of what used to be called free folk, for a while - all turn out to have recorded at Black Dirt Studios in upstate New York.
Today (December 18), Keith Richards is 70 years old – to celebrate the Stone's landmark birthday, here's a classic interview from the Uncut archive (January 2004, Take 80), originally published to mark the guitarist's 60th birthday. Jon Wilde hooks up with Richards to discuss his favourite Rolling Stones songs, the importance of Max Miller jokes and going without sleep for nine days…
A 20-second teaser for Damon Albarn's forthcoming solo album has been uploaded to the performer's official YouTube account.
Shot in black and white, the video shows Albarn, from behind, playing a keyboard topped with two skulls and a stuffed owl. Following shots of musical instruments and recording equipment, the text reads "Damon Albarn, first solo album, coming 2014". Click below to watch.
The Black Keys are set to headline the The Heineken Open'er Festival 2014.
The duo are the first band to be announced for the yearly event, which takes place in Gdynia, Poland. Next year's festival will take place from July 2-5, 2014. Tickets are already on sale at Opener.pl/en and more artists will be announced over the coming months. The Black Keys will be headlining the opening day of the festival, July 2.
