Fuchs was on his way to a benefit for The Uniform Project, an organization that helps  children in India’s slums. He was apparently stuck in a broken freight elevator and attempted to leap to a fourth floor hallway when a piece of his clothing caught and swung him back into the empty shaft.

LCD frontman James Murphy spoke at a gathering of Fuch’s friends Sunday night, calling him “one of the only people we all knew who was literally great at what he did.” Longtime friend Jon Fine noted, “He could play metal, prog rock with multiple time signatures, aggressive indie disco … His passing puts an enormous hold on the Brooklyn music scene. The world of independent music has sustained a really significant loss.”

Tributes:

The Juan MacLean website

Maserati website

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are coming to The Fox Theater in Oakland to pump folks up about their latest record It’s Blitz! on September 9th & 10th. I’m thinking it won’t be too tough to get a ticket to such a big joint on a Wednesday or Thursday night but hey, no reason superfans shouldn’t get tickets now before they go on sale to the general schlepulous Sunday.  To that end the good Samaritans at Another Planet are providing a pre-sale for ya. The password is “yeah105″ (though I’m hearing that “foxy” will work too and that’s a lot more fun!).             Click here to buy ‘em.

While we’re on the subject, you gotta wonder how the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are feeling about the video for “Heads Will Roll” now that the fella the werewolf is imitating has kicked the bucket:

And since I’m still in awestruck-by-Sonic-Youth mode here’s a nifty acoustic cover of Diamond Sea from an iTunes session a couple years back. Oh what the hell, let’s toss in a Bjork cover for good measure…

Diamond Sea (Sonic Youth cover)

Hyper Ballad (Bjork cover)

How ’bout we throw in an It’s Blitz! bonus track?

Faces (thanks to becca darling is: the bee charmer for this one)

Bummed I missed the Bat For Lashes show at the Great American Music Hall the other night. You just can’t get to ‘em all unfortunately. And judging by the snippets of live tracks she’s streaming on her myspace page it was a magical night. I say snippets because the full versions are on the Pearl’s Dream EP available on iTune’s UK store (no word on whether or not the US store will have it). Here’s the tracklist:

- Pearl’s Dream (album version)
- Pearl’s Dream (Cenzo Townshend Radio Edit)
- Sleep Alone (909′s In DarkTimes Mix)
- Siren Song (Live At Shepherd’s Bush Empire)
- Good Love (Live At Shepherd’s Bush Empire)

909 is apparently the pseudonym of David Sitek (TV on the Radio & Telepathe). Since we haven’t gotten our own copy here at NHT we’ll just have to share what BFL tracks are kicking around the old hard drive already (covers of course):

I’m On Fire WAY more convincing than the Boss, from the beeb’s Dermot O’Leary Show in 2007

Sweet Dreams The Eurythmics’ classic from Jo Whiley’s Live Lounge (also on the BBC) in 2008

Use Somebody A Kings Of Leon cover also from Jo Whiley’s Live Lounge, this time back on April 9th of this year

THere’s a video for Pearl’s Dream up on BFL’s website but it’s not nearly as cool as the video for What’s a Girl To Do from her 2006 debut Fur And Gold so I’ll post that instead!

NHT has already posted about Mermaid Avenue, the ESSENTIAL collaboration between Wilco and Billy Bragg. Now there’s a new twist on an old theme: Wilco covering a song Woody Guthrie actually recorded.  100% of proceeds from suggested donations of $2 per download will go directly to the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives. Nora Guthrie, Woody’s daughter and head of the foundation, asked the band to record the perfect comment on these troubled times:

The Jolly Banker

Now since it’s a benefit thing NHT is only posting half the track. If you want the whole deal (including the tastiest of lap steel solos by Nels Cline) you need to go to Wilcoworld.net where’s there’s a guilt inducing donation button right under the download button. If you want to get your philanthropic on go here to kick down some corn.

In other Wilco news, looks like the new records all done. Wilco (The Album) is due June 30 on Nonesuch Records. Here’s the tracklist:

Wilco (the song)
Deeper Down
One Wing
Bull Black Nova
You And I
You Never Know
Country Disappeared
Solitaire
I’ll Fight
Sonny Feeling
Everlasting Everything

Another live concert film “Ashes of American Flags” was officially released on Saturday, April 18 as part of Record Store Day. The film will be available via DVD and iTunes on April 28. The DVD is now available for pre-order via the Wilco store.

Hi Friends,

We’re excited to announce a special early release of our new album, Elvis Perkins In Dearland!
With the help of our friends at Amie Street, we are releasing the album a week early for only $8.
When you purchase the album, $2 will be donated to Clearwater, an organization founded by Pete Seeger that’s dedicated to protecting, restoring and celebrating the Hudson River. Clearwater is one of the very best environmental education and advocacy organizations in the country.

Click here to purchase the new album. We hope you enjoy it and thank you for supporting this excellent organization!

Elvis, Brigham, Nick and Wyndham

You gotta at least head over there and grab the free download of “Shampoo,” probably my favorite track off Elvis Perkins In Dearland. But don’t take my word for it, check out the video:

Elvis Perkins In Dearland plays the Cafe Du Nord tomorrow night

I love how the stock clerks rockin’ the storeroom look fits perfectly with Bruce’s blue collar oeuvre. How much fun would it be to jump behind that drum kit?

More tour dates at the Avett’s website.