Pitchfork

The Alkaline Trio has had to back out of the 12-date tour they were scheduled to embark on in late January. A letter from their publicist reads: "While the band was in the studio recording the new album in December, Matt [Skiba, guitarist/vocalist] strained his vocal cords and had to take some time off. Even with the downtime around the holidays, the band thought it was best to concentrate on finishing the album and not putting Matt in a position to cause permanent damage by pushing himself."

While most of the shows are simply cancelled, the Trio was supposed to perform at a benefit for National Lymphedema Network and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in the band's hometown of Chicago. The other bands on the benefit's bill-- Hot Water Music, The Ghost, The Exit, and Solea-- went ahead as scheduled, so it's likely there will be no refunds due to the Trio's absence. Plus, what kind of dick would you be if you gave money to a good cause and then asked for it back? Refunds for the other shows can be sought at the venues or at the cesspool of bureaucracy and bullshit charges known as Ticketyessamassa. Remaining affected dates:

01-27 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
01-28 Boulder, CO - Fox Theater
01-29 Salt Lake City, UT - Bricks
01-31 Seattle, WA - Graceland
02-01 Portland, OR - B Complex
02-01 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
02-03 Pomona, CA - Glass House
02-04 West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
02-05 San Diego, CA - Cane's
02-06 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

Stop your crying, emobabies; it'll only be a couple more months before the Trio are out on the road again. They should wrap up recording later this month on their forthcoming album, brutally entitled Good Mourning, which is the follow-up to their 2001 Vagrant release From Here to Infirmary.