Friday, March 17, 2023

‘More than flesh and bone’: David Frazer's book interpreting Waits songs

David Frazer is publishing a book, More than flesh and bone, interpreting the Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan songs The last rose of summer, Take it with me and The briar and the rose.

The handbound book contains 26 wood engravings, a linocut and typeset printed by hand, by Frazer and the edition is limited to 30 copies, all signed by Tom Waits and David Frazer. Each book contains a loose engraving signed by Frazer. 

A copy sets you back 2.200 US dollar. 


Tuesday, March 07, 2023

New ‘Closing time’ reissue

To mark the 50th anniversary of Closing Time, Anti is releasing a limited edition double LP on clear or black 180g, cut at 45rpm with half-speed mastering by Abbey Road Studios and packaged in a gatefold jacket with lyrics. 

Release date is June 2nd, but you can pre-order it at Kings Road Merch.


  

Friday, January 20, 2023

Re-edited version of Francis Ford Coppola's ‘Twixt’ available on Blu-ray


B’Twixt Now and Sunrise
- a re-edited and restored version of Francis Ford Coppola's 2011 Twixt, with Tom Waits as the narrator - arrives on Blu-ray (including a digital copy) on February 28 from Lionsgate. 

It's already available for pre-order on Amazon



The original trailer for the 2011 movie:




Wednesday, December 07, 2022

Happy birthday Tom Waits

On December 7, 1949, Thomas Alan Waits was born to Jesse Frank Waits and Alma Johnson McMurray.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Tom Waits joins voice cast of ‘Wildwood’

Animation studio Laika has revealed the voice cast for its next stop-motion and CG animated feature, Wildwood. According to Hollywood Reporter, Tom Waits will be heard along side Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day and Richard E. Grant in this movie directed by Travis Knight and based on the novel by The Decemberists lead singer and songwriter, Colin Meloy.




Friday, November 04, 2022

KCRW to release 1987 Tom Waits recording

Radio station KCRW will be releasing various live recordings - ‘recently unearthed and unheard for nearly 40 years’ and ‘newly-remastered’ - from its  archives. One of those is Tom Waits' interview and performance of August 24, 1987 (which has been circulating as a bootleg). Other names include Nick Cave, Cowboy Junkies, Daniel Lanois and R.E.M.

The Bent By Nature archive will be released to the general public on November 14 on KCRW, members get early access starting Friday November 4.

In tandem, KCRW will launch BENT24, a 24-hour, on-demand streaming service featuring a shuffling playlist of Deirdre O’Donoghue’s SNAP episodes (1981-1991). 

From the press release

When approached by KCRW for permission to release his live performance, Tom Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan wrote, “In a town filled with sounds borne of the marriage of music and commerce, Deirdre [O’Donoghue] was a voice and venue for the undiscovered or marginalized and a refuge for artists who felt estranged from the prevailing currents. She opened so many ears and hearts, including ours, with her earthy and irreverent voice and wide ranging enthusiasm for all music. So great someone thought to do this.”





From the archives: 'We're all mad here'

 While celebrating the 20th anniversary of Blood money and Alice, you might want to have a look at what Tom Waits had to say about those albums in 2002.