As I slowly wake up...

Maybe I need to pay closer attention, but I don’t think I knew Carbon/Silicon was Mick Jones’ latest project.

I just read about a series of gigs Carbon/Silicon played in the Clash's old stomping grounds in London's Notting Hill neighborhood. According to Yahoo news, the band has been putting on ticketless shows at Inn on the Green, accompanied by young punk bands. They just played their last show there last night.

The shows were notable not just for the passing of the punk baton, as the story says, but also for some of the guests who have stopped in to jam with Carbon/Silicon. The first show saw ex-Clash drummer Topper Headon take to the stage for encores of Clash classics “Train in Vain” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” It was the first time the pair had played together for 25 years. Subsequent nights have seen the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock and Paul Cook step up from the audience to do show stoppers like the Pistols’ cover of “Stepping Stone.”

Carbon/Silicon will be at SXSW in a couple of weeks, kicking off their North American tour, which surprisingly (note the sarcasm, please), does not bring them to Miami. Info on what cities they are playing can be found on the Carbon/Silicon Web site.

Some quick bio info, in case I’m not the only person who’s a little slow. James and Jones came together in 2002 and wrote “M.P.Free,” inspired by P2P networks. Since then, they’ve slowly evolved into a four-piece band, and have continued to release their music for free online. “We will continue to write, record and release new songs for free through our Web site as well as ‘conventional’ media like CDs out in the real world,” Mick and Tony wrote on their site. “We believe the 2 worlds will co-exist happily and Art will prosper... We will continue to follow our beliefs... Who knows what the future holds for us?... and if there is a revolution going on - we’re in.....”

Here are a couple of new tracks from their Web site. There are also a few others posted on the site.

Pier 51.mp3
Prophet.mp3

Labels: new stuff, rock, the Clash

posted by aikin @ 11:38 AM