Drummer Steve White and bassist Damon Minchella, both of whom played with Paul Weller for years, have formed a new band and released an album with the new group. The band is known as Trio Valore and also includes keyboardist Seamus Beaghen. (Beaghen had played with Morrissey in the past.) Trio Valore’s album is titled The Return of the Iron Monkey, and is comprised of instrumental rock that brings to mind the great 1960s American band, Booker T & the MGs. (Trio Valore is sometimes augmented by a guitarist when performing live.)

Steve White, who had played with Paul Weller since the days of The Style Council, and Damon Minchella, who was Weller’s bassist for over a decade (as well as being a member of Ocean Colour Scene with Weller’s guitarist, Steve Craddock) both left the Weller fold before the recording of Weller’s latest album, 22 Dreams. White’s departure, in particular, came as a shock to longtime Weller fans, since White had been performing with Weller since White’s teenage years.

White and Minchella also performed with The Who at the Live 8 London show at Hyde Park in July 2005 because The Who’s usual drummer and bassist–Zak Starkey and Pino Palladino, respectively–were not available for that performance.

Some of Trio Valore’s music can be heard on their MySpace page. I liked what I heard. It’s rocking, uptempo stuff.

To watch a clip of Trio Valore perfroming in Milan, Italy this past June, click below:

For more on Trio Valore, see:
http://www.myspace.com/triovaloreinc

As his female string section file into a West London rehearsal room, Paul Weller sits on a wall outside blinking in the sunshine, sipping tea and smoking Benson & Hedges.

In May, the Britrock legend turned 50 having just delivered the greatest, most surprising, album of his career.

Click here for full story.

Here’s a song from his new CD, 22 Dreams

Fiquei segurando a crítica do novo CD de Paul Weller (22 Dreams) para soltá-la perto da apresentação do artista no Rio. Dancei, como dançaram todos os que compraram ingressos para o show. Com uma justificativa estranha (leia mais aqui) o inglês cancelou as apresentações e o festival escalou Arnaldo Antunes e Roberta Sá para substituir (???) o britânico. Troca ridícula e com cheiro de fracasso no ar.

Leia a crítica de 22 Dreams que publiquei no Dia Online e assista abaixo Weller interpretando a faixa título.

The Modfather is back with a magnum opus of a new album. Both Sean and Vic are diehard Weller-ites but is 22 Dreams the return to form they had been hoping for.

Um dos mais influentes compositores da música britânica nos últimos 30 anos, Paul Weller fará shows no Brasil, em outubro. Apresentará seu último disco, o genial 22 Dreams, em São Paulo e no Rio. As apresentações ocorrerão no Ibirapuera, no dia 23, e, dois dias depois, no Rio Music Hall.

Podem anotar. É o show do ano.

Abaixo, o clipe de Have You Made Up Your Mind, do disco novo, que aliás está chegando esta semana às lojas brasileiras.

My review of Paul Weller’s two shows in New York City this week–Wednesday, September 10th at The Nokia Theatre Times Square and Thursday, September 11th at The HighLine Ballroom–is now online on the main Powerline A.D. site. Both shows were spectacular, featuring Weller classics old and new from his days with The Jam to his latest solo offering, 22 Dreams. Weller’s new touring band is a great ensemble, and they added new life to the songs. There were guest appearances over the two nights from Kelly Jones of Stereophonics and Gem Archer of Oasis. Liam Gallagher of Oasis also made a brief, but funny appearance onstage at The HighLine Ballroom.

You can read the review here.

To watch a Video EPK in which Paul Weller discusses the making of the 22 Dreams album, click below:

As Paul Weller prepares to hit New York City for two shows next week, the Boston Globe and AOL Music Canada have both recently featured very interesting and eye-opening interviews with The Modfather. In the interviews, Weller talks about what it was like to turn 50 recently and his latest album, the critically acclaimed 22 Dreams.

On the subject of how turning 50 inspired the adventurous spirit evidenced on 22 Dreams, Weller told the Boston Globe:

“I was very conscious of it. I thought, ‘You’re going to be 50, man, you should just do whatever you want and make the most indulgent record you’ve ever made, or ever wished to make.’ Which I did. The ironic thing is that it seems to have clicked with people.

“For a lot of artists, most of their best work’s behind them by the time they’re 50. But for me, there’s a kind of breakthrough with this record. It kind of showed me that anything’s possible, really - it’s showed me a way forward.”

To read the interview with Paul Weller from the September 5th edition of the Boston Globe, click here.

To read The Modfather’s interview from September 4th with AOL Music Canada, click here.

To watch Paul Weller perform “Have You Made Up Your Mind” and “The Changingman” on the June 6, 2008 edition of the BBC’s Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, click below:

This past Tuesday night, July 29th, Paul Weller appeared on BBC2’s The Culture Show. He performed two songs from his new 22 Dreams album–”All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)” and “Why Walk When You Can Run”–as well as being interviewed by the program’s host, BBC 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne. Weller did seem a bit miffed when, during the interview segment, Laverne brought up the months-old story about Conservative leader David Cameron’s alleged fondness for The Jam’s song “The Eton Rifles.” Weller had stated numerous times in the past that “The Eton Rifles” was written to blast people of privilege like David Cameron. I suppose that Weller didn’t feel like explaining that for the thousandth time for a member of the media. And I can’t blame him for that, really.

Below are the music and interview segments from the program:

“All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)”:

“Why Walk When You Can Run”:

Paul Weller’s interview with Lauren Laverne:

In other Paul Weller news, his July 2008 interview with SPIN magazine is available at http://digital.spin.com/spin/200807/?pm … pg=84&fm=1. In the interview, Weller discusses, among other things, his recent 50th birthday, the 22 Dreams album, his lack of stardom in America, splitting up The Jam at their peak, his interest in fashion, being managed by his father through a good part of his career, and what he thinks of his former Jam bandmates Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton playing together again as From The Jam. Weller, always a fantastic interview subject because of his extreme candor, doesn’t pull any punches. It is a great interview, and is well worth a read.

A video interview featuring Paul Weller and filmed at the recent iTunes Festival at Koko in London’s Camden Town has surfaced on You Tube. The interview is quite timely, since Weller’s latest solo album, 22 Dreams, was released domestically in America last week. Weller will be promoting the album here in the States with a tour in September.

In the interview, Weller discusses the making of the album, why he decided to make the album a double, what he’s currrently listening to on his iPod, as well as other subjects. To watch the interview, click below:

I have an ambivalent attitude to Paul Weller.

I don’t know why, because you could fill several CD’s with his highly enjoyable ‘best of’… However, I think he blows a bit hot and cold for me; maybe it’s just because he’s had such a phenomenal output in volume terms (even this album has a collosal 21 tracks).

Wildwood was classy.

I liked some, but not much, of Style Council, I liked some, but not all, of The Jam.

So, this stunning album, (I was prompted to buy it on the back of seeing him live on TV a couple of times, but more significantly by the outstanding single, ‘Have you made up your mind.“) has really taken me by surprise.

It’s massively varied, although it has a strong rock backbone to it.

It’s not a life-changing record but it is a very, very good one by a man who has had more iterations than a highly iterative thing.  Like a website for example.

Try it.  You might like it.

Here’s the stunning single I referred to.

]

The Modfather will make a triumphant return to America in September! On Friday, Paul Weller announced his North American tour dates. There are 10 shows in North America, with two each in the Weller strongholds of Los Angeles and New York City. The current tour is in support of his latest release, 22 Dreams. The album, which is already out in the UK, will be released in America on September 22nd. (Oddly, the American release date of the album comes AFTER he has already finished his tour here.)

The North American tour is as follows:

Tuesday, September 2nd = The Wiltern (Los Angeles, CA)
Wednesday, September 3rd = The Wiltern (Los Angeles, CA)
Thursday, September 4th = The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)
Sunday, September 7th = Island Park (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Tuesday, September 9th = Berklee Performance Center (Boston, MA)
Wednesday, September 10th = Nokia Theatre Times Square (New York, NY)
Thursday, Septmber 11th = HighLine Ballroom (New York, NY)
Saturday, September 13th = 9:30 Club (Washington, DC)
Sunday, September 14th = Trocadero Theatre (Philadelphia, PA)
Tuesday, September 16th = House of Blues (Chicago, IL)

Weller has radically changed his touring band, with only guitarist Steve Craddock remaining from his last tour. Longtime bassist Damon Minchella and drummer Steve White will not be performing with Weller on this tour. (White had played with Weller since the days of The Style Council in 1983.) I’m not quite sure what to make of that. I’ve always enjoyed Steve White’s drumming. But I have heard from people who’ve seen Weller’s recent shows in the UK, and they’ve told me that the gigs there were excellent.

To watch Paul Weller’s video for “Have You Made Up Your Mind” from the 22 Dreams album, click below:

XFM London’s exclusive five-part video documentary on Paul Weller now can be seen in full on the station’s Web site.

The XFM London Web site states:

Across five episodes, Paul Weller reveals the how 22 Dreams was made, the truth behind the collaborations with Noel Gallagher, Graham Coxon, Steve Craddock and others, what he really thinks of The Jam reunion that went ahead without him and why David Cameron has completely missed the point.

To read more and to access the five links to the video documentary, go to http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/exclusive-paul-weller-documentary.

…e poi il problema dei dischi solisti di Paul Weller è che sembrano quasi sempre quelle compilation alla “ecco le mie ispirazioni” oppure “cosa ascolto quando mi rilasso”, però con i pezzi scritti di suo pugno anziché pescati dal repertorio altrui.

(questo per dire che è uscito un nuovo disco di Paul Weller, si intitola “22 Dreams” e non è affatto male: lungo - 22 fra canzoni e interludi strumentali - e ambizioso, ma più robusto e coerente rispetto agli ultimi).

As mentioned earlier this week on Powerline A.D., Paul Weller has been doing many interviews to promote the release of his new album, 22 Dreams. His latest interview, with BBC 6 Music, has proven to be a bit controversial, as Weller had some very harsh words for David Cameron, MP for the Oxfordshire constituency of Witney and the current leader of Britain’s Conservative Party. (The Conservative Party, also known as the Tories, are currently the so -called opposition party since the current Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is a member of the Labour Party.)

And what did Cameron do to draw Weller’s ire? Cameron admitted to liking one of Weller’s songs, “The Eton Rifles” by The Jam. In his own defense, Cameron opined, ”I don’t see why the left should be the only ones allowed to listen to protest songs.”

But Weller wasn’t having that. About Cameron’s remark, Weller told BBC 6 Music, “Which part didn’t he get? It wasn’t a f—ing jolly drinking song for the cadet corps.” 

Weller wrote “The Eton Rifles” in angry response to seeing a news report on TV concerning pupils of the Eton school mocking unemployed people participating in a protest march. (The Eton school is a very elite school in England that counts members of the Royal Family as its alumni.) Weller and his touring band have been playing “The Eton Rifles” during gigs on his current UK tour in response to Cameron’s comments. (Weller had not played the song live in many years.)

For more on this story from the BBC 6 Music Web site, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080605_weller.shtml.

To watch a clip of The Jam performing David Cameron’s favorite song, “The Eton Rifles,” live on the UK music TV program Something Else in 1979, click below:

Este jovem senhor de cabelos desgrenhados, brancos, é um dos maiores compositores da música pop do século 20. Aos 17 estava à frente do Jam, um dos seminais grupos do punk dos anos 70. Na semana passada, ele lançou um novo disco, 22 Dreams. Recomendo!

Esta apresentação que está acima rolou no palco do programa Later… Jools Holand, exibido na semana passada pela BBC.

O homem tem talento!

Since Paul Weller’s latest album, 22 Dreams, was released in the UK yesterday (it will be released on CD in America next month, though it is now available for download on iTunes US), The Modfather busied himself this week doing interviews with the UK music press to promote the album’s release.

Weller spoke extensively to BBC 6 Music on several subjects. On the issue of free music downloads, Weller told 6 Music:

“I’d like to charge people double the price for my record if I could. But I don’t know if I’ll get away with it. I don’t see all this giving music away for nothing, I’m not having it. It lessens the art and cheapens the art. 

“I don’t agree with it (download giveaways). I think why shouldn’t an artist be paid for what they’re doing? It’s not for free.”

Weller also told 6 Music about his displeasure with the reunion of his former bandmates in The Jam, Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton, in the new group From The Jam:

“I’m not mad about the idea. I think it’s a bit cabaret. I thought we were against all that, what we stood for. I can see that people are trying to make a buck or make a living, but there’s other ways of doing it, I think.”

The full article from the BBC 6 Music Web site is at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080601_weller.shtml.

Weller also sat for a video interview with Julie Cullen of BBC 6 Music’s The Music Week program. To watch that interview. click below:

Weller sat for another video interview this week for XFM London. The XFM London interview is in five parts, and each part can be viewed individually on each weekday this week. Yesterday, Part 1 was available, today Part 2 is on the site, and Parts 3, 4, and 5 will be up on the site tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, respectively. To watch the XFM London video interviews with Paul Weller, go to http://www.xfm.co.uk/ and look for the clickable link to the videos.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 4th, Weller will be interviewed on the nationwide UK radio station Virgin Radio. That interview will take place at 4 p.m. Eastern time (9 p.m. BST) and can be heard by going to http://www.virginradio.co.uk and clicking the “LISTEN LIVE” button at the appropriate time.

If that isn’t enough Weller for you, he was also interviewed yesterday by the DJ Gary Crowley of BBC London. The airdate of that interview has not been made public yet, but should be sometime in the near future. Check http://www.bbc.co.uk/london for updates.

Have You Made Up Your Mind

Post relacionado:

Nuevo disco de Paul Weller: él es tan MODosito

Oprichter en spilfiguur van The Jam en The Style Council, Paul Weller, komt op 3 oktober naar de Ancienne Belgique. Daar zal hij zijn negende en nieuwe solalbum “22 dreams” voorstellen. Weller is al dertig jaar de ultieme referentie van de Britse scène en inspireerde onder meer Oasis en Blur. De Britse Paul Weller dankt zijn populariteit aan zijn poppy muziekstijl met een vaak politiek getinte toon. Op zijn negende soloalbum “22 Dreams”, dat op 2 juni uitkomt, levert hij een schitterende prestatie door rock, funk, soul, free jazz, classic, slam en electronica te mixen. Noel Gallager, Gem, Graham Coxon, Little Barie en John McCrusker werkten met zeer veel plezier mee aan het nieuwe album. De najaarstournee van Weller brengt hem op 3 oktober naar de Brusselse AB. Tickets kosten 28 euro en kunnen gereserveerd worden via Proximus Go For Music op het nummer 0900 2 60 60.

The video for the first single, “Echoes Round The Sun,” from Paul Weller’s upcoming release, 22 Dreams, is now available for viewing on You Tube. The video features Weller playing with the song’s co-writers, Gem Archer and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.

“Echoes Round The Sun” showcases The Modfather in fine form. It is a great tune, and it makes me curious to hear the rest of the 22 Dreams album.

There is quite a bit of activity in the Weller camp these days. He is currently on tour in the UK, is prepping for the release of the album, and just saw his PaulWeller.com Web site get a relaunch. Hopefully, Weller will get around to scheduling some American tour dates soon.

To watch the video for “Echoes Round The Sun,” click below:

For additional information on Paul Weller, go to:
http://www.paulweller.com
http://www.myspace.com/paulwellerstanleyroad

Está por cumplir años y a punto de sacar un nuevo disco. El 25 de mayo llegará a los 50 y el 24 de junio edita 22 Dreams, su primer trabajo de estudio en tres años.

Aunque ahora luce arrugas en su frente y algunas canas sigue siendo tan refinado como siempre. Paul Weller tiene imagen cool y hace música cool, además le dicen The Modfather que no quiere decir “padre modelo” sino “el padre del Mod“.

22 Dreams tendrá 21 canciones nuevas y contará con la colaboración de dos de sus amigotes Graham Coxon ( bien! ) y Noel Gallagher ( nunca me cayó bien ) , quien también es co-autor junto con Weller del tema que será el primer corte del álbum: Echoes Round the Sun.

Portada de 22 Dreams

La preventa ya comenzó en Amazon.com y Amazon.co.uk.

Paul Weller y Graham Coxon - Black River

Into Tomorrow

The Changingman

Documental sobre Paul Weller - Parte 1

Parte 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Nota : las canciones que se incluyen en Les Paradis Artificiels no están alojadas en este blog, son links a otros sitios o a las webs de los propios artistas que han publicado sus temas para difundirlos.

Paul Weller’s new single, a double-A side featuring the tracks “Echoes Round The Sun” and “Have You Made Up Your Mind”, has received airplay on UK radio. (”Echoes Round The Sun” was written with Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer of Oasis.) The single is due to be released on May 26th in the UK, with the 22 Dreams album to follow in June.

I like both tracks, particularly “Have You Made Up Your Mind.” That song is a really good piece of blue-eyed soul.

Of course, The Modfather has often been criticized in the UK music press as no longer being relevant and an artist who releases so-called “dad rock.” I think that label couldn’t be further from the truth. Weller’s songwriting has matured as he has aged. He’s still got plenty to offer as a songwriter and performer.

To hear the tracks, click in the appropriate places below:

“Echoes Round The Sun”:

“Have You Made Up Your Mind”:

Paul Weller (Ex-The Jam,-Style Council) veröffentlicht am 2. Juni 2008 sein neues Album “22 Dreams”. Er sagte im britischen Mojo Magazin “…Letzten Herbst begann ich damit und es wird eine Mischung aus Soul und Rock’n'Roll werden. Darunter auch Folksongs, ein bisschen Psychedelic ,a classical piece` wie auch Avantgarde beinhalten.”

Die Songs des Doppelalbums sind:

Disc One:

* ‘Light Nights’
* ‘22 Dreams’
* ‘All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)’
* ‘Have You Made Up Your Mind’
* ‘Empty Ring’
* ‘Invisible’
* ‘Song For Alice’
* ‘Cold Moments’
* ‘The Dark Pages Of September Lead To The New Leaves Of Spring’
* ‘Black River’
* ‘Why Walk When You Can Run’

Disc Two:

* ‘Push It Along’
* ‘A Dream Reprise’
* ‘Echoes Round The Sun’
* ‘One Bright Star’
* ‘Lullaby Für Kinder’
* ‘Where’er Ye Go’
* ‘God’
* ‘111′
* ‘Sea Spray’
* ‘Night Lights’

“Night Lights” sowie “Cold Moments” kann man sich als kleinen Vorgeschmack unter der Url von Fabchannel schon einmal in einer Interpretation zusammen mit Steve Cradock von der letztjährigen Akustiktour “Variations Of A Dream” anhören. Die erste Singleauskopplung “Echoes Round The Sun”/”Have You Made Up Your Mind” wird am 26. Mai 2008 veröffentlicht. Paul hat das Album gemeinsam mit Noel Gallagher und Gem Archer von Oasis aufgenommen.

22 Dreams Limited Edition

“In songwriting terms, it’s the first Weller/Gallagher collaboration,” Weller told Uncut.
“Noel came down to the studio with this loop he’d never been able to do anything with. He played the bass and the piano and then Gem played guitar on top. It’s a top tune.”

Andere Gäste sind Graham Coxon, Little Barrie und ex-Stone Roses Gittarist Aziz Ibrahim.

paulweller

Paul Weller bei Wikipedia

Photo 2008 by Lawrence Watson click

Edit: Paul Wellers Bandmitglieder DAMON MINCHELLA, STEVE WHITE & SEAMUS BEAGHEN haben nebenbei ein neues Projekt: Trio Valore inc.

Paul Weller’s latest album, 22 Dreams, which will be a double-album set, is going to be released on June 2nd in the UK. The first single from the album will be released on May 26th in the UK, and is a double-A side that will feature “Echoes Round The Sun” and “Have You Made Up Your Mind.” Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer of Oasis are featured on “Echoes Round The Sun.” Weller has performed with Gallagher on numerous occasions and did an acoustic tour with Archer in 2003.

The tracklisting for 22 Dreams is as follows:

Disc One:
Light Nights
22 Dreams
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
Have You Made Up Your Mind
Empty Ring
Invisible
Song For Alice
Cold Moments
The Dark Pages Of September Lead To The New Leaves Of Spring
Black River
Why Walk When You Can Run

Disc Two:
Push It Along
A Dream Reprise
Echoes Round The Sun
One Bright Star
Lullaby Fur KInder
Where’er Ye Go’
God
111
Sea Spray
Night Lights

The Modfather will be touring in the UK throughout the month of May, and will likely be previewing material from 22 Dreams in his live show.

To watch the video for Weller’s “Come On/Let’s Go,” which appeared on his last album of new material, As Is Now, click below: