This is going to be one of those ‘holy shit’ posts: I got an email from Colby, the bassist with Black Mercies to introduce the band and let me know that they’re planning a short tour of the UK in April.

The holy shit part is that this band is awesome. They rock in all the right ways, if you know what I mean. BB (the lead singer) alternates between cool breathy vocals and impassioned yelps. Musically, I’m reluctant to compare Black Mercies to anyone else. Their brand of rock has a classic tinge to it, but remains distinctive and original.

With a knack for intriguing song names – Ballad Of A Kept Man, The Arsonist, Hellacopters – you’ll want to listen just to find out what the hell the songs are about! And Death 2 Celebrity is probably the best introduction to the band: frenzied drumming and brilliant, melodic guitar work (who’s that, BB again?)

Tour Dates

The UK tour is shaping up as follows, but keep an eye on their MySpace blog for any changes or additions to the schedule.

• 16 Apr 2009 – Jericho Tavern, Oxford, United Kingdom
• 17 Apr 2009 – Club Quattroz, Harlow, United Kingdom
• 20 Apr 2009 – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
• 21 Apr 2009 – The Leopard, Doncaster, United Kingdom
• 23 Apr 2009 – The Marquee Club, Hertford, United Kingdom
• 24 Apr 2009 – Hope and Anchor, London, United Kingdom

More Mercies

If you want to hear more of the Black Mercies, bounce over to their official website – it contains three songs not on their MySpace player.

Actually – unless the correct me – you can stream their entire Murder It Sweetly album, and if you go to the Media section, there are links to purchase the album at CD Baby or iTunes, depending on your preference.

Don’t forget to friend the band on MySpace and if you like them, spread the word! That’s part of the reason for doing posts like these – so go out and blog about the band, spray their name on walls and stuff like that!

Never ones to let the death of legendary frontman Jerry Garcia get in the way of a good tour, the surviving members of The Grateful Dead are to reunite for a 19 city tour. The tour will kick off on 12 April 2009 in Greensboro.

The group is now going by the slightly shorter name, the Dead, presumably out of respect for their deceased bandmate.

The tour has come about in the wake of the band playing at a benefit for Barrack Obama in Pennsylvania last October. Apparently the remaining members of the band managed to resolve their differences for that performance and discuss reforming for another tour.

Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann – the surviving original members – will be joined for the tour by Warren Haynes on lead guitar and Jeff Chimenti will play keyboards.

Tickets go on sale on 23rd January.

The Robert Plant/Alison Krauss collaboration, Raising Sand, has been amazingly successful both Stateside and here in the UK. No surprise that the two are planning to pack their bags and tour in the USA and Europe.

As you can see from our exclusive photo, Alison had some trouble understanding the concept of touring, so Robert helpfully explained by making an ‘aeroplane’ shape.

According to Billboard:

The first leg begins in Louisville, Ky., on April 20 and continues to Knoxville, Tenn., on April 22, Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 23 and Birmingham, Ala., on April 26. The tour’s 11-date run in Europe follows in May.

The duo will be joined on stage by producer and musician T Bone Burnett. Tickets for the April U.S. dates go on sale Jan. 25. A longer run of North American shows is planned for June and July, but dates and details have not yet been announced.

I’m especially pleased for Plant, as his post-Led Zeppelin career has avoided shameless commercialism. He’s always taken a road less travelled with his music, and I’m glad to see that the Raising Sand album has struck a chord with people across the world.

The obvious fact is that the tour with Krauss will shelve any plans for a Led Zeppelin tour. But as Robert said in an interview in the autumn, he wants to be a ‘creator, not a curator’. I think we can wait a little longer for a Zep tour.

What do you guys think?