'Music and Art of Radiohead' update

Just another update on the release of Joseph Tate's book 'The Music and Art of Radiohead'. It looks like the official release date is May 28. The publisher of the book has put the introduction online here.

Trey Anastasio covers 'Knives Out'

Former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio covered Radiohead's 'Knives Out' at the Landmark Theatre [April 26] in Richmond, VA. A recording is available via this thread on templand. [thanks Kyle & Ash]

Britney shops for Radiohead

Ha! Here's the gossip column... not really news but this one is worth a mention: Britney Spears did some shopping at a record store and returned with Radiohead's debut album 'Pablo Honey'. And there's proof... Pictures are at Drijfzand, scroll down to the bottom. Britney Spears is the one wearing the napkin. [thanks party42]

Pitchfork reviews new tracks

Pitchfork has posted a review of the new tracks 'House of Cards' & 'Las Flowers (til the Hospital)'. The tracks performed by Thom Yorke at the Trade Justice Movement rally were posted at ateaseweb.com a while ago.

[...] The crowd in attendance-- talking throughout both songs, probably about how the person making this bootleg had headgear or looked like the Napster cat-- surely must have access to some Truman Show-type booth where they watch us squirm for mindfucks. The songs are awesome, I think.

Read it in full at Pitchforkmedia.com, thanks James]

Dr. Tchock and Donwood piece raises £1800

At Ease reported about the Free Tibet Art Auction earlier. It turns out the auction generated over £13000. The piece by Thom Yorke (Dr. Tchock) & Stanley Donwood contributed £1800 to the total (well done Ingo!). Check freetibet.org for a summary of the event and more on the Free Tibet Campaign.

Thom heralds vigil as the "coolest" protest

Thom Yorke described the all night vigil [April 15th] as the "coolest" protest he had ever attended as he joined the thousands in the fringe events throughout the night.

"I've been to many demos but Wake Up to Trade Justice was by far the coolest. It is important to remind Tony Blair and Gordon Brown of their promises. They are talking the whole thing up and they are on the campaign trail - trade justice is one of the many things we are hassling them about."

Full story and more info on Trade Justice at Cafod.org.uk. [thanks TTBM]

AT EASE TV - The Launch

Ready, set, go... a bit later than we wanted, but we're proud to present the launch of AT EASE TV. No need to get discuss it any further... all the information you need is now available at AT EASE TV

Radiohead exclu good for indies

An interesting article on Radiohead's DVD 'The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time' was printed in Video Business [March 14, 2005]. The article, by Sussane Ault, is about how an exclusive distribution of the DVD to indie music stories can turn into a succes. Read it in the Press section [thanks Paul]

Jonny Greenwood interview on Radio 4

Today is the world permiere of Jonny Greenwood's 'Popcorn Superhet Receiver' performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Jonny is BBC Concert Orchestra's composer-in-residence and this concert will be the first chapter in their three-year partnership at LSO St Luke's in London.

Listen to an interview with Jonny Greenwood and a part of 'Popcorn Superhet Receiver', aired on Radio 4's 'Front Row' last night. Jonny talks about some embarassing moments during rehearsals at Maida Vale when something "sounded so bad and obviously wrong", Jonny's inspiration for the piece ("listening to the engine noise of the car"), the Ondes Martenot (referring to the Star Trek theme) and unexpected surprises he learned while working with BBC Concert Orchestra. The interview is available at the BBC Radio 4 website (interview starts at about 9 mins).

If you can't make it to the premiere tonight, you can listen to the piece on BBC's Radio 3's 'Mixing it' on June 24th. [thanks Alice]

Pitchfork reviews O'Riley's 'Hold me to this'

Pitchfork has reviewed Christopher O'Riley's newly released second tribute to Radiohead, entitled 'Hold me to this':

Two years after releasing his first covers album, True Love Waits, O'Riley returns with another batch, titled Hold Me to This. Compared to Mehldau, who often records as one member of a trio, O'Riley is something of a purist: His arrangements are strictly for solo piano, with no overdubs or guest musicians. These are impressionist covers, loosely translating rather than strictly transcribing tone and atmosphere into the more constrained setting. O'Riley fares best when his piano merely suggests a melody, as on "The Tourist" and "No Surprises". Conversely, bold melodic lines don't work very well. On "Like Spinning Plates", while one hand plays the low, rumbling pattern, the other bangs out the central melody in glaring chords that sound altogether out of place amid the subtler texture.

Read it in full at pitchforkmedia.com

[thanks Doug]

Msg board trouble

Yes... and again we're having some trouble with the at ease mb. I'm currently sorting out the best options to get things on the road again. Until then, visit Templand. Apolgies for the inconvenience.

Jack Johnson on Kid A

Jack Johnson was interviewed at RollingStone.com and was asked the following question: If you were forced to get baked and listen to an album: What kind of weed? What album?

Let's see. The weed doesn't really matter -- I've never been a weed aficionado. It's either there or it isn't. It's tough just picking one album. Radiohead is pretty amazing to check out. Kid A might put you in a funny mood, but that's definitely one to put some headphones on and listen to all the crazy layers. But some of those songs can be really dark, so I'd follow that up with some early Bob Marley stuff, like African Herbsman, to get you back into a good state of mind.

A while ago Jack Johnson said that Radiohead's 'The National Anthem' was on his mix tape when asked by VH1:

The first time I saw them live was at the Santa Barbara Bowl, and they opened with this one. By the end of the song I was about 30 to 40 yards closer to the stage then I was at the beginning. I had that weird feeling of being a teenager again, where you're just completely sucked into a rock show. You'll hear some pop stars say "I really appreciate so-and-so 'cause they reinvent themselves so well," but that's a little bit bullsh*t to me. To reinvent yourself 'cause that's what you're supposed to do to stay relevant is a strange concept. With Radiohead, they're reinventing music. It's totally innovative.

Download 'House of Cards' & 'Last Flowers'

Finally available, an mp3 of Thom Yorke's solo performance of new track 'House of Cards'. Mandy recorded this at Methodist Central Hall last Friday night. The sound quality is not that good and it's only a part of the full song, but this will give you a good idea of what the track sounds like: 'House of Cards'.

Let's continue with the excitement. Apart from new song 'House of Cards', Thom played an old song as well last week. NME claimed that the name of the song is 'Glass Flowers'. Somehow, 'Last Flowers (til the Hospital)' would be a more logical title, since that song is actually known for being around for years now. So we're gonna stick with that one for now. Anyway, you want to hear it. Here it is 'Last Flowers'. And thanks to Mandy for the recording again of course.

For bandwidth reasons the videos are not available on ateaseweb.com, so they can be downloaded at yousendit: House of Cards & Last Flowers.

Full Radiohead catalogue on WarChildMusic

[At Ease Exclusive] Radiohead's full back catalogue is now available at WarChildMusic.com. Every album and all singles + b-sides (Pablo Honey singles not included) are available at the store.

The Radiohead selection is part of the WCM Catalogue at WarChildMusic.com and has tens of thousands of tunes, everyone from Kylie to Radiohead. Individual tracks are priced at a very reasonable 99p and albums are £7.99. Don't forget that the HELP album, featuring Radiohead's 'Lucky' is still available as well as Jonny Greenwood's remix of the live version of 'Go to Sleep'. And most important part of the story: every 20p from a 99p track and up to £1.50 from a £7.99 album will go to War Child. So let's see those credit cards!

Support the Samaritans, buy w.a.s.t.e.

W.a.s.t.e. have devoted a section of their online store into a fundraising area for the Samaritans, which some of you will know has been supported by w.a.s.t.e and Radiohead in the past, both by fundraising and volunteering.

By purchasing anything from this section, you will not only be getting one of w.a.s.t.e.'s sweatshop free garments, but donating to the Samaritans also. ALL profit will go directly to help this worthwhile organisation.

Samaritans is available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide.

Samaritans' vision is for a society in which:

* Fewer people die by suicide
* People are able to explore their feelings
* People are able to acknowledge and respect the feelings of others

To learn more about the Samaritans go here www.samaritans.org or call +44 (0) 8457 909090

To help us raise much needed funds go here www.waste.uk.com. The Samaritans section has Radiohead items including the Special Edition of 'Kid A' and the 'Pacific Coast' shirts.

So this OK Computer album is quite good then?

As reported yesterday, Radiohead's 'OK Computer' topped Channel 4's '100 Greatest Albums' poll. Apparently it has led to album sales going through the roof. According to Amazon there has been a surge in the sales of albums that polled highly on the chart, reports Ananova.

Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake are doing particularly well making it to the top of Amazon’s Hot 100 music chart, pushing the likes of the Stereophonics out of the top ten…at last. Amazon’s co-music editor Paul Eisinger has said: "It's amazing the impact polls such as this can have on the public's buying trends."

The number one album from Channel 4’s poll, Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ has jumped hundreds of places to make it to number 14 in the Amazon chart, eight years after it was originally released..... so for those who still don't have it yet: buy it here

OK Computer the best

Radiohead's 'OK Computer' has knocked The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band off the top spot as the greatest of all time. About 400,000 people voted in a poll conducted by UK Channel 4 for its program, 100 Greatest Albums. In a similar poll five years ago, Sgt Pepper won the accolade, but this time it slipped to No 7. Radiohead's 'The Bends' is at 22.

While many of Channel 4's older viewers may never have heard of OK Computer, the 1997 album attracted plaudits from stars. REM singer Michael Stipe said: "OK Computer is Radiohead really stretching and pushing the boundaries of what they think they're capable of doing and what their audience think they're capable of doing, and it is a classic, brilliant record."

Johnny Marr from The Smiths said: "OK Computer is pretty much a landmark record. As time goes on and we get away from when it was released, more and more it would be seen as the important record it is."

[from news.com.au, thanks Nathan, Fatal Robot, Kiran, Nick, Ian]

Arpeggi recordings nearly finished

This weekend Thom revealed that the band are still working on new track 'Arpeggi', which debuted live at the Ether Festival recently. Thom said the song is nearly finished, but couldn't say if it will appear on Radiohead's upcoming album, but a new album is surely going to happen. [thanks Elodie]

Audio & video from Methodist Central Hall

Audio and video from Thom Yorke's solo performance at Methodist Central Hall have surfaced on the At Ease MB. You can imagine that it's very busy right now, so here are two (low quality) bits from 'Reckoner', 'No Surprises' and 'Big Ideas' for the waiting room: Reckoner I & Reckoner II, No Surprises, Big Ideas. Sorry, no sign of the first two tracks of the set yet.

Song titles revealed: 'Glass Flowers' & 'House of cards'

Speaking after a mass one minute silence outside Whitehall at midnight, Thom Yorke told nme.com: "It is important to remind (Tony) Blair and Gordon (Brown) of their promises really. They are talking the whole thing up and they are on the campaign trail and it (trade justice) is one of the many things we are hassling them about.”

According to the NME the new song, which Thom played at Methodist Central Hall is called 'House Of Cards'. The magazine said the 'old song' was 'Glass Flowers'. [thanks Simon]

Photos from Fair Trade Movement rally

Some great photos from Thom Yorke's performance and Thom and Stanley's paintings were shot yesterday. The photographer, Andrew Kendall, has uploaded them right here.

Trent Reznor on Radiohead

In a recent interview with Ingo Schmoll (German radio show host), Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has mentioned Radiohead at some length:

Schmoll: Is anyone relevant to you in the current music scene?

Trent: Relevant? You know, I've always thought in the last several years that Radiohead's been probably the best band out as far as having something to say, having an interesting way to say it....placing, seemingly placing art first. You know, it's been a nice alternative to prepackaged nonsense. [Thanks to Adrian for transcribing the interview]

Thom Yorke plays new song at Trade Justice rally

An all-night vigil in London demanding a better trade deal for the world's poor nations has ended with a march to the residence or Prime Minister Tony Blair. Thousands of people, including Thom Yorke, participated in a candlelight vigil, which was on a street near the heart of British government. Thom also played a solo acoustic set.

Thom started a set of 5 songs with an old song that has never seen the light of day followed by a brand new song. Thom also performed 'Big Ideas', 'No Surprises' and 'Reckoner'.

Thom and Stanley Donwood were painting a massive muriel in the church hall most of the night- so it could be taken onto the parade. The vigil was organized by the Trade Justice Movement, a coalition that seeks to change international trade conditions it says force farmers in developing countries to compete with cheaper foreign imports.

Yorke said the demonstration was "a reminder to the government during the election campaign that this is an issue that should be taken seriously."

"(Treasury chief) Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have a made a big fuss about their support for these issues. Hopefully they'll see that through," Yorke told BBC radio. Thom was also interviewed by BBC News. [click on 'Stars join protesters at Westminster Abbey' to watch the video]

[Thanks Mandy, Cris - photo by Corinna]

Happy Birthday Ed!

Today is Ed O'Brien's birthday. Let's just hope he spends his 37th birthday working really hard in the studio. Have a great one, Ed!

More Merce Cunningham collaborations

Following Radiohead's earlier collaboration (October 2003) with Merce Cunningham, Radiohead's drummer Phil Selway has been confirmed as a guest on several nights at Bite '05 at London's Barbican Theatre

One choreographer, 6 nights, 6 EVENTs. This remarkable series will be like no other - a celebration of Cunningham’s visionary collaborations with guest visual and musical artists. Each EVENT will contain different choreography, different décor and different musical accompaniment, all conceived specifically for the Barbican stage by ‘the high priest of pure movement’ Daily Telegraph.

Over in the USA you can check the 'Split Sides' performance again. Four performances, with music by Radiohead and Sigur Rós are scheduled for June 2 to 5 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. [thanks Kristal]

Battle of the 90's drummers

In the May 2005 issue of Q magazine (issue 226) the cover story on Green Day features a run in between Phil Selway and Tre Cool at 2004 Coachella on page 76:

But if there was one defining moment for their re-invention, it was an encounter with Radiohead. The night before Radiohead played Coachella festival in 2004, (Green Day drummer) Tre Cool was in his room at the hotel Chateau Marmont partying when he got a knock at the door. It was Radiohead's drummer, Phil Selway, in his slippers, asking him to turn the music down.

They like Radiohead. It's just that this was progress, because back in the old days they might have felt guilty about upsetting a band.

[Thanks Doug, Steef, CJ, Nicole & JBK]

Radiohead on the 100 Immortals list

Radiohead ranks #73 on Rolling Stone's 'Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time' Radiohead was nominated by Dave Matthews:

"Every time I buy a Radiohead album, I have a moment where I say to myself, "Maybe this is the one that will suck." But it never does. I wonder if it's even possible for them to be bad on record.

Seeing them perform makes me even angrier. No matter how much they let go in their shows, they never lose their clarity. There's no point where Jonny Greewood or Ed O'Brien will suddenly look up and say "Where the fuck are we?" There are no train wrecks in Radiohead; every album and performance is wretching. God, these guys have suffered, or they can fake it like nobody else."

[thanks Dick & Colin.. and Mike for transcribing]

Ed joins Thom in Trade Justice Movement Rally

Ed O'Brien will join Thom Yorke, various stars from stage and screen, and thousands of protesters on an overnight carnival of music, art and protest for Trade Justice.

The all-night event takes place on April 15 and forms part of a week of global action for Trade Justice. In London the day will include a gig at the Marquee Club in Leicester Square featuring Nitin Sawhney, DJ Bobby Friction and other as-yet-confirmed artists.

As previously reported, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is to be joining Vanessa Redgrave and Pete Postlethwaite for the nighttime protest march itself which will include a protest outside Downing Street.

Now Xfm can confirm that Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien will be joining the rally. For his part O'Brien will be serving up tea coffee and cakes when he pops in to help the Women’s Institute at their Fair Trade Café. No really.

Elsewhere, Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys will be joining the line up at the Marquee Club in Leicester Square when he plays a special acoustic set. Other special guests are yet to be announced to be joining the bill with rumours predictably centring round another singer with a political conscience. 

"It's an overnight 'happening',” Yorke explained in a statement, “And it’s happening at the same time as many events all around the world.  I'm going with a sleeping bag and a paint brush and maybe even a guitar if I can get it in the suitcase."

The protest has been staged to call on the UK Government to stop pushing poor countries to open up their economies and respect their right to decide on trade policies that will help them end poverty and protect their environment.  The vigil will continue all night, culminating in a dawn procession and delegations meeting representatives from the main political parties. 

For more information and a full schedule of the event check out www.tjm.org.uk. 

At Ease presents: Low Morale's 'Creep'

This has been floating around on the web for quite some time. A flash animation video for Radiohead's 'Creep'. The movie was in the news section before, but since there are a lot of people who still haven't seen it... it's now available on ateaseweb.com.

The animation is made by Laith Bahrani: "The Creep animation took 3 months to make, and contains over 1 million keyframes. I know this because I counted them. I counted them because I made the animation and delivered every one of those baby keyframes."

I've asked Laith to tell us a bit more about the production of the animation, which can be read here... along with this excellent video of course: Creep!

AT EASE TV

You have all seen the banner on the main page of ateaseweb.com. A new DVD project, entitled At Ease TV, is in the works. All will be revealed in the near future. Curious? Send an e-mail to get on the list. You will be notified when we can share some more details. Just hold on for a little while.

Matt Stone & Boy George on Radiohead

Matt Stone, one of the creators of 'South Park' had a fan chat at SouthParkStudios.com today. Radiohead appeared in the popular animation series a couple of years back.

"I'm a huge radiohead fan and we got to talking with the guys in the band and they wanted to do a voice.  I don't know if they were pysched on what the episode became with scott tenorman eating his parents. Great guys in that band. Really nice people. I know that sounds suck-up, but its true."

And another quote... this one's from Boy George (of Culture Club fame) who had an interview with the Sunday Herald.

Whereas other performers created an image to sell their product, for him, the looks and the music were inseparable. “I knew style and content went hand in hand,” he wrote in his first autobiography, Take It Like A Man.

He argues that this is true of all musicians, even hyper-credible bands like Radiohead, who are not supposed to share pop’s obsession with looks. “Their image is as considered as any drag queen, trust me,” claims George. “Thom Yorke is a very unusual looking man and he plays on that. It’s part of his beauty. I think he’s an extremely attractive bloke.”

[thanks Pezcore & Sarah]

Talk Show Host animation video

Kevin Fitzpatrick wrote in [a while ago - sorry] and sent in this video he did in college for Radiohead's 'Talk show host'. The result is quite impressive. Have a look.

Second Radiohead tribute Peru

April 8th is the confirmed date for the second Radiohead Tribute Concert organized by the Peruvian Radiohead Community. The event is set to start at 9pm with the projection of several videos and audiovisual material related to the band. The main part of the show is the appearance of live acts such as Space Bee, Jardin, Glam, Amnesiac and an acoustic show by violinist Pauchi Sasaki and guitarist Rodrigo Ráez. The after-concert hours will be filled with more visuals, the airing of Radiohead songs and more surprises.

Take note in case you'll be in Lima around that date:

Venue: Wayqui Perú Bar - Av. Grau 290-A, Barranco.
Date and time: Friday, April 8th 2005. 9pm.
Cost: s/.10 (about $3), including a drink courtesy of the bar.

If you'd like to get tickets, e-mail tributo@radioheadperu.com.

Observer reviews Ether Festival

In today's Observer you can find another review of the Ether Festival, where Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke performed at the Royal Festival last weekend.

Greenwood, still feeling his way in this genre, seems to have found the knack of producing bright, jewel-like sounds from an orchestra, and here his music closed with a lush and pleasing coda.

Wild-haired Thom Yorke brought the evening to a triumphant close, singing in his inimitable style - all shakes and jitters - in adaptations of Radiohead's Arpeggi (premiered here) and 'Where Bluebirds Fly'. Here was an attempt to fuse all the evening's elements - the Sinfonietta, the Nazareth Orchestra and the ondes Martenot players (Greenwood among them); all, as one, breaking down those barriers that divide pop and classical cultures.

[Read it in full, thanks Mandy]

Hard 'n Phirm: Fitter Clappier

I promised this a while ago, but it's finally online now: 'Fitter Clappier' by Hard 'n Phirm. As the title suggests the track has many Radiohead references. The track is available on Hard 'n Phirm's hilarious album 'Horses and Grasses' which also features the classic bluegrass Radiohead medley 'Rodeohead'.

Listen to 'Fitter Clappier' and 'Rodeohead' here, exclusively on ateaseweb.com.

Make sure to get the album 'Horses and Grasses' through CD Baby.

April Fools: Celine Dion & Radiohead

The Pitt News have an April Fools story online, which suggest Celine Dion doing a re-recording of Radiohead's 'Hail to the Thief':

Critically acclaimed Canadian pop songstress Celine Dion has decided to take Radiohead's music and place her voice on top of the tracks. She took the tracks from her album Let's Talk About Love (featuring the awesomely bad Titanic theme song "My Heart Will Go On") and combined it with Radiohead's latest LP, Hail to the Thief, to create the oh-so-cleverly titled Let's Talk About the Thief.

Read it in full.

Pixelsurgeon Ether Festival review

Pixelsurgeon.com reviewed Jonny Greenwood & Thom Yorke's performance with the London Sinfonietta, rating it with 8 stars out of 10.:

Thom Yorke wandered on stage to rapturous applause, looking slightly ill at ease. When he started singing, his voice was initially weak and thin, and perhaps slightly uncertain, but as the Ondes-Martenot arpeggios and orchestration grew stronger, so did Thom's voice. He closed his eyes and mimed playing a keyboard: a classicist's air guitar, if you will.

Read it in full. [thanks Pete]

Ether Festival photos

Remember those amazing Coachella pictures from Natalia? Well, she has done it again. She made some incredible photos at the Ether Festival. Here's the first batch. Enjoy!