Fleet Foxes announced the release of their new album, Helplessness Blues, out May 3rd (album art above). The band also announced an initial run of tour dates and provided an audio stream of the new album’s title track which you can hear by clicking the above image.

Discuss: What do you think of the track?

Here are the Wisconsin and Illinois shows we recommend you take in this week. Check them out below and let us know which ones you’ll be attending or ones you think should really make our list.

Upcoming Shows:

1/31 – Snoop Dogg – Canopy Club (URBANA)
2/1 – Snoop Dogg – Orpheum Theatre (MADISON)
2/2 – Lyle Lovett + John Hiatt – Pabst Theater (MILWAUKEE)
2/2 – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue – Lincoln Hall (CHICAGO)
2/4 – Group Of The Altos + Cages – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)
2/4 – Keller Williams – Majestic Theatre (MADISON)
2/4 – Mason Jennings – The Lower 48 – Turner Hall Ballroom (MILWAUKEE)
2/4 – Peter Wolf Crier + Retribution Gospel Choir – Shank Hall (MILWAUKEE)
2/4 – Sat. Nite Duets + In Tall Buildings – Der Rathskeller (MADISON)
2/4 – The Decemberists + Mountain Man – Riviera Theatre (CHICAGO)
2/4 – The Moondoggies – Hideout (CHICAGO)
2/4 – Yo La Tengo + William Tyler – Metro (CHICAGO)
2/5 – My Brightest Diamond – Der Rathskeller (MADISON)
2/5 – The Decemberists + Mountain Man – Riverside Theater (MILWAUKEE)
2/5 – Mason Jennings + The Lower 48 – Majestic Theatre (MADISON)
2/5 – Joan of Arc + Out Like Lambs – Cowboy Monkey (CHAMPAIGN)
2/5 – Peter Wolf Crier + Retribution Gospel Choir – Schubas Tavern (CHICAGO)

Just Announced:

2/16 – Bobby Long – Turner Hall Ballroom (MILWAUKEE)
2/19 – Southeast Engine – Schubas (CHICAGO)
2/25 – Pete Yorn + Ben Kweller – Pabst Theater (MILWAUKEE)
3/8 – Mucca Pazza – Turner Hall Ballroom (MILWAUKEE)
3/27 – Henry Rollins – Great Hall in the Memorial Union (MADISON)
3/29 – Jeff Tweedy – Capital Theater (MADISON)
4/3 – Klaxons + Creep – High Noon Saloon (MADISON)
4/23 – Chris Cornell – Pabst Theater (MILWAUKEE)
4/25 – Foals + Freelance Whales – Turner Hall Ballroom (MILWAUKEE)
5/6 – YACHT – Turner Hall Ballroom (MILWAUKEE)

+Bookmark our upcoming shows page for all your concert announcements+

Pizza Rats are another great band calling Wisconsin home. I’ve been trying to get my hands on all the audio I can from these guys. At this point, the above video and the four songs here are enough to keep me wanting more.

By Jeff Kollath

Today, the music world lost another great, as Charlie Louvin (born Charles Loudermilk), founding member of the Louvin Brothers and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, passed away at the age of 83 from pancreatic cancer. A World War II and Korean War veteran, Louvin and his brother, Ira, became one of the country music’s most celebrated duos, their soaring, close harmonies and traditional ballads at the core of their defining sound. Walking a fine line between sacred and secular throughout their career, the Louvin Brothers scored hits with murder ballads (“Knoxville Girl”), warnings about the atomic bomb (“The Great Atomic Power”), songs about temperance (“You’re Running Wild”), and songs about the Lord (“River of Jordan”). While Charlie lived as a teetotaler, piety was merely a veneer for Ira, whose drinking and temper drove the brothers apart numerous times, until finally splitting for good in 1963. Before Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix smashed their guitars, Ira Louvin was smashing his mandolin in a drunken rage.  Ira died in 1965 after a car accident in Missouri.  Charlie had a long and relatively successful career as a solo artist, releasing fourteen albums between 1965 and 1974, performing regularly on the Grand Ole Opry, and serving as one of country music’s wise, elder statesmen. Louvin’s songs have long been admired by rock artists, such as Gram Parsons who brought “The Christian Life” to the Byrds for 1968’s seminal Sweetheart of the Rodeo. In recent years, Louvin’s songs have experienced a resurgence, with artists like Nick Lowe, Ron Sexsmith, Elvis Costello, and Jeff Tweedy, not to mention Emmylou Harris who had a top 5 hit with “If I Could Only Win Your Love” in 1975.

Download: Charlin Louvin Daytrotter Session
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Buy: The Louvin Brothers – Tragic Songs of Life | The Louvin Brothers – Satan Is Real

Wilco today announced the formation of their new self-released imprint, dBpm, to release their future albums, with distribution provided by ANTI-. In addition to some Wilco dates, Jeff Tweedy continues his solo tour run, including a stop at the Capitol Theater in Madison on Monday, March 28th.

JEFF TWEEDY SOLO TOUR DATES:

March 22 Toronto Queen Elizabeth Theatre
March 25 Montreal L’Olympia de Montréal
March 26 Portland, ME State Theatre
March 28 Madison, WI Capitol Theater
March 29 Rochester, MN Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall
March 30 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre

WILCO TOUR DATES:

May 2 Montgomery, AL Montgomery PAC
May 3 Mobile, AL Saenger Theatre
May 5 New Orleans, LA Jazzfest
May 6 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
May 7 Denton, TX University of N. TX Auditorium
May 8 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom

Related: Wisco: A Tribute To Wilco’s Summerteeth

I randomly checked out the Milwaukee Theater web page and saw this: Legends of Hip Hop with Salt n Pepa, Naughty by Nature, Kool Moe Dee, Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick. Tickets are on sale now ($42.50/$52.50) for the Saturday, April 9th performance. Who’s going? These artists collectively represented about 90% of the tapes I owned as a kid. Nostalgia!