FILTER is teaming up with the infamous workwear Dickies to bring you Men Behind The Music, a blog that brings you inside the life of tour managers, roadies, bus drivers, guitar techs, and anyone else that makes your favorite artists run like the well-oiled machine they seem to be.

The blog will be a host for exclusive videos that give you an inside look from these working men as well as interviews, lists of top tour stops, highlighted venues, eateries, tools, and anything else that we think matters.

Check out the first video with Jake MacLaughlin, the man behind Yeasayer, AA Bondy, The Album Leaf, and currently Delta Spirit.

Click here to see the Men Behind The Music.

For John Lennon's would be 70th birthday, EMI Music (with help from Yoko Ono) will be releasing the John Lennon 'Gimme Some Truth' catalogue.

The catalogue will hold eight re-mastered John Lennon solo albums and new titles including Double Fantasy Stripped Down, Power To The People: The Hits, Gimme Some Truth, and the John Lennon Signature Box.

The 11-CD and digital John Lennon Signature Box includes 13 previously unreleased home recordings and family written personal essays for the collection.

John Lennon 'Gimme Some Truth' arrives October 5th in the US (October 4th in Europe).

Check out the track list below.
See more info about the release HERE.
 

Ever dream of playing guitar with Pavement? Well here's your chance!

California's newly-reunited influential indie-rockers are hosting a little contest to allow one lucky winner the chance to perform as their special guest guitarist on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on September 23rd. All you have to do is video yourself covering any of the approved Pavement jams and upload it to the site below.

Check out this site for all the details!
 

With only a few weeks left before their new album Halcyon Digest arrives, Deerhunter has unveiled a new video for their track "Helicopter."

The clip is basically a super long close up of front man Bradford Cox singing to the camera, while images flash onto the screen.

Not totally sure as to the point of it, maybe you will have a better understanding.

To check out the video, click the link below and then click on the words of Dennis Cooper.

Halcyon Digest arrives September 28th via 4AD

| Deerhunter - 'Helicopter' |
 

Huge congrats to Kaitlin Olson & Rob McElhenney  of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/FILTER cover fame. The couple welcomed their first baby, Axel Lee McElhenney, on Sep 1, 2010 at their home in Sherman Oaks.

As Olson remembers, "I went into labor at the Phillies/Dodgers game on Tuesday night. As soon as Ryan Howard hit a 3 run home run, we felt comfortable leaving to go have our baby. Axel Lee McElhenney was born at home on September 1st at 12:52 pm. 8 lbs 7oz. We love him like crazy, even though he made us miss the second half of the game."  
 
See early (but slightly obscured) photos of Axel in the FILTER cover story on stands today!
 

The second half of 2010 is shaping up to be a busy time for New Brunswick, N.J. natives Screaming Females. The trio of frontwoman/guitarist Marissa Paternoster, bassist King Mike and drummer Jarrett Dougherty are about to embark on an extensive U.S. and European toured lined up that will take them through the fall and they are releasing their fourth album, Castle Talk, on Don Giovanni Records. Recently, FILTER caught up with the band to discuss their background in the New Brunswick basement scene, the reason behind their decision to sign with Don Giovanni and what the trio is looking forward to most at the FYF Fest in Los Angeles on Labor Day weekend.


Marissa and Mike, having been in bands together since high school and having several lineup changes, what stood out Jarrett's drumming that has made him permanently a part of your band. What's the magic that he brings to the band that the others didn't?

Marissa: Mike and I were only in one band before Screaming Females. We were called Surgery on TV and we only lasted for about six months. I guess I haven't really played with a lot of different drummers, I'm really happy we lucked out and found a drummer like Jarrett. He's got snazzy ideas and he plays melodically which works out really well for Screaming Females!

Mike: Jarrett is leaps and bounds beyond what we were working with. Unlike our drummer in Surgery on TV, Jarrett brought plenty of suggestions and ideas to the table whereas our other drummer played the same beat through every single song. I think the first time we played with Jarrett, we both agreed that he was going to be in our band. Marissa and I both learned how to play music with other people from the same person: our math teacher Mr. Ciliberto. Mr. C was way into Phish and Medeski Martin and Wood. He would make us jam along to Phish songs against our will. Jarrett had a similar musical background having actually liked those bands so I think that might have something to do with the chemistry between the three of us. Jarrett is also the most level headed and responsible person in this band and without him we could never have done a single record or tour or perhaps even play a show. I owe my life to Jarrett.


The New Brunswick basement scene has helped catapult bands like The Ergs!, The Bouncing Souls, Thursday and Midtown. How has this helped you release your music to the under-21 crowd and would you agree that this scene has helped you build a younger, core following?

Marissa: Playing in basements in New Brunswick is borne out of necessity. There isn't a viable alternative to basement shows in New Brunswick so the kids built their own venues. It's pretty neat.

Jarrett: I think it’s a large misconception that all-ages show mean under 21 shows. I think that all ages shows at DIY venues allowed us to play for all different types of people, age or otherwise.


Your third album, Power Move showed a huge maturation in your songwriting. What were some of the biggest differences in making this album as compared to the first two?

Marissa: I'm not sure if it'd be a good thing for a band to regress in terms of songwriting as they grow older. I hope we keep making interesting music as time goes on and that nice new people will enjoy our records.

Mike: I think that's just part of playing music with the same people for so long.... I feel like we have some sort of psychic-mind-meld-music-making-mastery between the three of us.

Jarrett: Having the engineer, Eric Bennett, involved in that project as well as on our new record, Castle Talk, was a huge help. He brought in new ideas and new sounds that we might not have thought of otherwise.


After self-releasing your first albums, you guys were approached by several labels and eventually signed with Don Giovanni Records in New Brunswick. What made you decide to work with Don Giovanni as opposed to any of the independent labels that are popping up all over the greater New York-New Jersey region?

Mike: Joe and Zach are our friends. We like to work with our friends.


The FYF Festival is a big festival here in Los Angeles. What do you guys have planned for the your performance? Are there any bands you are excited to share the bill with?

Marissa: I'm going to enter the stage atop a white horse, playing a custom neon green plexiglass Ibanez whilst wearing a coconut bra and a grass skirt. Aside from that, I'm just gonna make certain that my stupid pedals work.

Mike: I plan on asking Wavves for weed. If they give me some then I'll probably be way psyched for the Sleep set. I'm also really excited about Davila 666 I haven't seen them since we played in Puerto Rico last year.

 

In support of their forthcoming album, Write About Love, Belle and Sebastian are releasing a series of unique videos.

The half-hour video features the band playing two new songs titled "I Want The World to Stop" and "I Didn't See It Coming", doing a Q&A with fans, fan montages, and little skits.

Check out the video below!

Write About Love drops October 12 in the US.
"Write About Love" the single will drop September 7th. People who follow the band's Twitter will receive the single 24 hours before the public.

You can also catch the band at any of these dates.

All a writer really needs is a place to sit, the proper implements and an idea. The latter is usually the tricky part, but author Patrick deWitt doesn’t seem to be running short of those anytime soon. While his brilliant debut novel Ablutions follows the unsavory and addictive travails of a Los Angeles bartender, his upcoming work, The Sisters Brothers, follows two brothers who also happen to be hitmen in the old West. With such breadth between subjects, there are no safe bets for what may come further down the line. Here, deWitt speaks to FILTER about how he recreates elements from his own life on the page and how moving from L.A. to Portland—not to mention the birth of his son—has affected his writing routine.

Prepare to have your day/weekend/year made. Starting TODAY, our triumphant new issue, FILTER 41: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: DIY or Die" is available on stands everywhere! So if you don't have a yearly subscription yet (why wait any longer?), head to your local Urban Outfitters, Barnes and Noble, Borders, independent music retailer, Bookstar, or wherever your source of choice is, and pick up the new issue! Be sure to let us know what you think of it over at facebook.com/FILTERmagazine; we have a feeling you're going to love it. Where else can you see Danny Devito facing off against an ostrich?

Seriously, don't miss out on this one, and thanks for all of your continued support. It means the world to us.

Love,
FILTER

Future FILTER Magazine Culture Collide indie rockers Land Of Talk have unveiled their new video for "Quarry Hymns."

The clip features a very gracious dancer, dancing alone in a room while another woman watches. There are a few other elements in the video including a cup of tea, a key, and onlooker disappearing and reappearing.

I'm not 100% sure as to what the video means, but it couples with the music very well.

"Quarry Hymns" is from Land Of Talk's latest record, Cloak And Cipher, out now.

Catch Land Of Talk at the dates below including a set at FILTER Magazine's Culture Collide Festival!
 

Los Angeles' Zola Jesus has released a new video for her track "Sea Talk."

The clip features the experimental singer/songwriter walking through a creepy house, appearing on a not-so perfectly working TV, and getting intimate with some electricity.

I doubt it was her goal, but all I think of when watching this clip, is the movie Poltergeist.

Check out the video below.

]]> Video 2010-09-02T17:45:05+00:00 http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/media/entry/kid_cudi_do_you_get_it/ http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/media/entry/kid_cudi_do_you_get_it/#When:17:26:43Z

Following a slew of album delays and the release of 3 buffer tracks (an attempt to keep fans interested but not as pissed about the album delay), Kid Cudi has dropped a new track titled "Do You Get It."

The new track isn't exactly groundbreaking but it IS a new track. What more do you want?

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is set for a November 9th release. Maybe.

(try to ignore the Young Money HD ads)

KiD CuDi – Do You Get It by Hypetrak

About a year ago, Radiohead played at Prauge's Výstaviště Holešovice Exhibition Hall with over 50 fans taping the concert via their Flip cameras. The result is a fan shot concert film called Live in Praha. The band also gave the Czech fans that filmed the concert their audio masters from the show.

You can download or stream the whole 25-song set for free right HERE.

Check out the trailer below!

While a two-piece band might seem a bit limited by size, Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez of Buke & Gass don’t let their numbers stop them from making a range of sounds. In addition to the custom-made instruments that are the band’s namesake, the ankle bells, “toe-bourine” and a modified bass drum work together alongside Dyer’s cutting vocals. With Dyer's time as a bike mechanic and Sanchez's experience as an instrument designer for the Blue Man Group, it's clear they're not afraid to get their hands dirty for the cause. Buke & Gass push this approach even further with their self-produced debut album Riposte, out September 14th on Brassland.

From his home in upstate New York, Sanchez talked to FILTER about how the duo wound up using so many instruments, the difficulties of playing them all at once and why a standard issue instrument just doesn’t interest him.

The 40th Bumbershoot, Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, is just a few days away. Taking place in the heart of Seattle at the 74-acre Seattle Center, this year's festival is bringing great acts like Bob Dylan, The Raveonettes, Neko Case, The Decemberists, and many more! There are also food vendors, an indie market, comedy, films, dancing, and tons of other little goodies to fill your weekend.

Oh you didn't get tickets? Well FILTER wants to send you there and get you a new pair of ASICS Sportstyle sneakers!

We're giving away 1 pair of single day tickets and a new pair of the ASICS Sportstyle sneakers of your choice, to 3 lucky winners! Each winner will then choose their sneakers at the ASICS World's Biggest Lite Brite underneath the Space Needle!

For your chance to be one of these winners, enter below!

Make sure you stop by the ASICS World's Biggest Lite Brite underneath the Space Needle to get your picture taken with the lite brite as a free keepsake!

Check out the full line-up and schedule for the 2010 Bumbershoot HERE.

Plan what sneakers you want to win here!

Overview:

3 winners will be chosen. Each winner will receive 2 single day tickets to either September 4th, 5th, or 6th and will win 1 pair of ASICS Sportstyle sneakers of their choice to be shipped to them.

*Keep in mind, we are ONLY giving away tickets and the shoes, transportation and lodging are NOT provided! 

Enter now because this contest won't be around for long!