One Step Beyond Beer. Gladness Lager-like Ale From Madness.

The beer from bands trend continues with a new brew from the chart-topping Ska band Madness. The beer, described as "A lager that's an ale" was brewed in conjunction with Growler Brewery (formerly Nethergate) in Essex.



Gladness is 4.2% alcohol and a combination between an ale and a lager- or as the band's publicity calls is “A lager that’s an ale – that’s totally mad.” It is brewed using local Maris Otter malt, a traditional ale variety, and Tettnang and Saaz hops, which are usually associated with European-style lagers. The blonde beer is said to be highly refreshing with a lovely subtle hop flavour and aroma, reminiscent of a pilsner.



above: Paul Gower, left, head brewer at Nethergate's Growler Brewery, Madness frontman Suggs, center, and keyboard player Mike 'Monsieur Barso' Barson celebrate the launch of the band's official beer, Gladness

Named after a line in their well-known song "Madness", the beverage will be stocked at 800 venues, owned by Nicholson's Pubs, across the U.K. for the next three months.

Buy Madness Music

Here Lies Love By David Byrne & Fatboy Slim

HERE LIES LOVE by David Byrne & Fatboy Slim

Here Lies Love – A Song Cycle deals with the life of Imelda Marcos, co-ruler of the Philippines in the 70s and 80s, as well as the life of Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her.



Through a series of songs written by David Byrne, with musical contributions from Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook), Songs from Here Lies Love presents Imelda Marcos meditating on events in her life, from her childhood spent in poverty and her rise to power to her ultimate departure from the palace.



In particular, the production looks at the relationship between Imelda and a servant from her childhood, Estrella Cumpas, who appeared at key moments in Imelda's life.




To be released April 6th 2010 on Todomundo/Nonesuch Records

“The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves? I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if—as this piece would be principally composed of clubby dance music—one could experience it in a club setting? Could one bring a ‘story’ and a kind of theater to the disco? Was that possible? If so, wouldn’t that be amazing!”

—DB, from the introduction

The album is available in multiple formats (MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless, and CD/DVD).




The Band:
David Byrne – guitar, vocals
Joan Almedilla – “Imelda” vocals
Ganda Suthivarakom – “Estrella” vocals
Paul Frazier – bass
Graham Hawthorne – drums
Mauro Refosco – percussion
Thomas Bartlett – keys
Production:
Mark Edwards – Production Manager
Terry Pearson – Sound
Kris Umezawa – Monitor

Contributors:
David Whitehead – Manager
Frank Hendler – Project Coördinator
RZO – Business Management

Clothes With A B-side; April 77 Records Combines Threads and Grooves

Talk about a unique combination of product and marketing; the French Denim label, April 77 , known for their skinny jeans and Rock n' Rolla clothes (yes, Mick Jagger wears them) has just launched April 77 records, a collaboration with indie musicians, that offers a reasonably priced line of sweaters, denim and t-shirts that include downloadable MP3s from upcoming indie bands. The tracks are also available "old-school" as vinyl singles on the site.



A record-cum-clothing label, each product comes with a hang tag that includes a scratch off 'code' that input at their website, enables you to download a free mp3.



Their clothes are for both men and women... and the wannabe rock n' rolla. Their line includes leather jackets, retro sweaters and cardigans, artist and label t-shirts, classic dress shirts, jeans and pants. A fun touch is that many of the articles of clothing include a special pocket to hold a guitar pick that comes with the product :



Some of the collection:



Details of the pieces shown above:








So... how does it work?

The hang tag on the item is your key:

Scratch off the gold area on the tag to reveal your download code:

Input the code at their site:

And voila! You have a new article of clothing and a new song:

Note: the songs are only downloadable once.

Below are some of the APRIL77 Records:
Last Rapes Of Mister Teach
Rodeo Massacre •
The Go •
Last Rapes Of Mister Teach •
Mixel Pixel •
Intelligence •
Project:Komakino •
Pets •
The Red Hearts •
The Willowz •
Neils Children •

Go here to learn about the artists.

Answers To Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Are you a clothing brand or a music label?
We are both. Our clothing is music, and music lives on our clothing.

2. What is a single?
A single is the A-side and B-side of the artist of the month.

3. What is a custom artist product?
A custom artist product is an item of clothing or an accessory always related to a specific APRIL77RECORDS artist of the month. These items will always allow you to download the single from this artist.

4. Are the mp3s protected?
No. You can do what you want with your mp3 files once you have downloaded them.

5. What format are your music files?
All APRIL77RECORDS singles are in .mp3 format, downloadable in a compressed zip file.

6. I can't find my download code. Where is it?
If you purchased an article of APRIL77RECORDS clothing, the download code can be found on the hang tag (or the APRIL77RECORDS label that looks like a vinyl record). You must scratch off the gold to reveal the code. The 7-inch vinyls work in a similar way, however, the scratch-off area is located on the outside sticker. It's kind of like a lottery ticket, except you win every time.

7. How many times can I use my download code?
Each code is unique and valid for the download of one single only.

7. I just discovered APRIL77RECORDS and would like to have a single from a previous month's artist. What do I do?
If the artist is no longer the APRIL77RECORDS artist of the month, the single can still be downloaded upon the purchase of a 7-inch vinyl or a custom artist product. These will be available while supplies last.

8. What happens when I purchase an APRIL77RECORDS article of clothing in May and don't download until June?
You will receive the June artist of the month.

9. I bought two items of APRIL77RECORDS clothing this month. Does this mean I can only download the same singles twice?
No. If you purchased an APRIL77RECORDS product that is not a custom artist product, you can choose the month in which you wish to download. If you enter your download code during the month of May, you will receive the APRIL77RECORDS May artist. If you wait, for example, to enter your second download code during the month of June, you will receive the APRIL77RECORDS June artist. You can space out your downloads as you wish.

Start dressing, downloading and dancing here.