Ex-Dismemberment Plan, Promise Ring Alums Join Forces For Maritime
Amphibious tour van saves group a bundle on bridge tolls, gas

Maritime, the three-piece outfit made up of former Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric Axelson and two former Promise Ring members (vocalist/guitarist Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier), has signed to DeSoto Records. Maritime's debut full-length, Glass Floor, will be released on May 31st, , the label reports. Von Bohlen and Didier have been working together since the Promise Ring broke up in 2002, having released two albums on Kindercore under the name of Vermont. Upon picking up Axelson, the band was known briefly as In English before settling on Maritime, perhaps drawing the inspiration from a visit to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, just up the Lake Michigan coast from the band's Milwaukee home.

Maritime has been recording and touring since last year, and has already released a five-song EP called Adios to "keep the fires burning" while the band recorded Glass Floor. An MP3 of the title track from Adios can be found on their official website. J. Robbins produced the EP as well as the forthcoming full-length (in fact, an MP3 of Glass Floor's "King of Doves" can be found on his own site). Tracklist:

01 The Window Is The Door
02 Sleep Around
03 Someone Has To Die
04 King of Doves
05 We've Got To Get Out
06 James
07 A Night Like This
08 Souvenirs
09 Adios
10 I'm Not Afraid
11 If All My Days Go By
12 Lights
13 Human Beings

A tour in support of Glass Floor is expected to begin in late spring and continue for most of the summer. The band is already planning a follow-up album, and seems to be generally chomping at the bit for their new music to be heard. As Davey writes on the bands' site: "I feel like we've been sitting on the record forever, and we can't wait to have it drop." Coincidentally, "drop"is on the short list of words the news staff has vowed to try and stop using, because, as features editor Kristin Sage Rockermann once pointed out, it makes it sound like the band is laying an egg.

Maritime: http://www.maritimesongs.com
J. Robbins: http://www.jrobbins.net
DeSoto: http://www.desotorecords.com/

Spoon To Unveil New Material at Local Shows, Skip SXSW
Ricky Schroeder assumes band's finances while group take turns riding electric train around Jim Eno's toy-filled mansion

As I'm sure you're aware, loose lips do, in fact, sink ships. Britt Daniel of Spoon has been hewing closely to this adage, as it's been about as easy to get information about the upcoming Spoon album as it is to get George W. Bush to pronounce "nuclear" correctly. Unfortunately, this hasn't changed-- the word from Martin Hall at Merge Records is that though recording is proceeding apace, there is still no firm release date, tracklist, title, or tour plans. Daniel and the boys have chosen to remain pretty tight lipped about the new recordings, which are progressing nicely at Jim Eno's Austin studio.

However, you can get a look at the sessions thanks to a slideshow of pictures taken by John Vanderslice in December of last year. We see Daniel, wearing headphones-- his expression plainly wondering if the camera shutter has ruined the last guitar take; Eno simultaneous brandishing a mallet and threatening to karate-chop a kick drum; a half-eaten barbecue platter. An ordinary closet serves as an isolation chamber; a pipe-smoking alien and lovable mutt exchange nonverbal commentary on the racket as bassist Josh Zarbo concentrates on new song "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentin." Vanderslice and engineer Scott Solter (The Court & Spark, Howard Hello) appear on the sidelines. It's a hell of a better ride than those slides Aunt Gladys brought back from Carlsbad Caverns that one time.

What with being cooped up in the studio and all, Spoon have all but foregone touring as of late, and will continue to lay low until the album comes out in the fall. That being said, the boys will be taking some of their new material for a trial run at a couple of hometown shows in Austin this weekend. And though they'll regrettably be absent from SXSW for the first time in many many years, Daniel will be performing a solo set at the 12XU Records showcase on March 20th, should you be inclined to muscle past all the damn label scouts. Spoon shows:

03-05 Austin, TX - The Parish (w/ Pack of Lies, Western Keys)
03-06 Austin, TX - The Parish (w/ The Bulemics, This Microwave World)

Britt Daniel solo show for SXSW:

03-20 Austin, TX - Red Eyed Fly (w/ Chris Brokaw, Silkworm, Thalia Zedek)

Spoon: http://www.spoontheband.com
Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com
Photo Slideshow: http://www.johnvanderslice.com/html/2003spoon/start.html

Les Savy Fav Prep Singles Compilation, DVD for April Release
Fred Armisen banned from doing Prince impression on commentary track

According to Frenchkiss Records, Les Savy Fav will release a singles compilation called Inches, along with a bonus DVD full of videos, live footage, and interviews, in April. Many of the singles have been previously released in seven-inch format by a variety of labels, including Tiger Style, Suicide Squeeze, and Monitor Records. Nevertheless, this, friends, will be twelve bucks well spent. Imagine watching Tim Harrington assault unsuspecting inattentive audience members from the comforts of your own living room, completely confident you won't be the next jackass with lead-singer-man-cub crotch and/or nipples rubbed all over your face much to the delight of the surrounding snots. A previously untapped demographic of nebbishes everywhere are high-fiving themselves at this very moment.

Filming for the DVD project began eight years ago when the band first formed, says bassist Syd Butler. And, apparently, the results yielded some groundbreaking shit: "It's going to be the first of it's kind. We have directors commentary by David Cross, Fred Armisen, and other friends, all 18 singles-- most that have never been heard before-- six videos and live footage from a show at Northsix [in Brooklyn, NY]."

Unreleased singles and three songs worth of video from a hometown show makes for some happy Les Savy fans. Buy, buy, buy with confidence, kids.

Frenckiss: http://www.frenchkissrecords.com

Wolf Eyes To Release New Album, Single on Sub Pop
Trounce Frog Eyes, TV Eyes handily in staring contest

Wolf Eyes, the inventive Michigan trio wielding their own unique fusion of experimental electronica and indie-rawk, have announced the release of their sixth full-length, Burned Mind, for a late spring/early summer release on Sub Pop. A single will also hits stores this April. Graphically titled "Stabbed in the Face," this instrumental twelve-inch sports a handmade sleeve from the hands the Wolf Eyes boys themselves. The band will hit the road to promote their latest creation this spring, spreading their lupine charm. The dates:

03-06 Hasselt, Belgium - KC Belgie (K-RAA-K Festival)
03-16 Cambridge, MA - T. T. The Bears
03-17 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
03-18 Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar
03-23 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
03-26 Heights, OH - Grog Shop (w/ Khanate)
05-26 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *
05-28 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub *
05-29 Minneapolis, MN - Tribal Rock Social Club *

* with Acid Mothers Temple and Subanachroid Space

Recently signed to Sub Pop along with a veritable cache of other aspiring acts such as Comets On Fire, The Album Leaf, and Helio Sequence, Wolf Eyes has a notorious career of label-hopping. Their debut and sophomore releases came through Hanson Records, followed by a several-year bout with Bulb where the producing hand of none other than Andrew W.K. graced their work. Strange, no?

Wolf Eyes: http://www.hansonrecords.com/wolfeyes
Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com

Ryan Adams Starts Own Label; First Signing: Ryan Adams!
Reportly giving self 'sweetheart deal' on action figure rights, sitcom spinoffs

Micah C. Harding and Ashford Tucker report:
Since the far off days of Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams has followed his autistic muse through more than a few ridiculous musical moments. 2003 presented a new low for songwriter/fan expectations by simultaneously affirming our worst fears that love is, in fact, hell; and furthermore, breaking rules #4 and #12 of the Sub Pop "Dean's List of Rock & Roll Do's & Don'ts." Now, after being run ragged by utter failures, palling around with Liam Gallagher, releasing an album whose name is printed in reverse, co-interviewing girlfriend Parker Posey in Interview magazine, and breaking his wrist at a performance in Liverpool, rendering himself completely incapable of masturbating-- Adams has stopped to rest in the city he loves-- New York, New York-- for the past month, regaining focus. And all this pain just for rocking out too hard on "Shadowlands"!

From his signature blend of angst, simple songwriting, and dependable disappointments, our mussy-haired hero has decided to create his own label, Paxamerican, to help those aspiring unsigned acts he deems worthy of endorsement. In the same vein of distaste as a recent Elvis Costello box set or the career or Courtney Love, so too has Adams crossed that thin red line determining what is/isn't releasable by including two collections of his own recordings (one old four-track stuff, the other new demos) as the label's debut. One can only speculate on Adams' reasoning. Possibly, after spending several weeks at home with a broken wrist, staring longingly at his acoustic guitar and laminated photos of Jack White (experiencing that adolescent realization that it's just not the same with the other hand) Adams came across his old four-track, from way back in those good ol' country days, and was filled with uncontrollable nostalgia. Tracklists:

The Rescue Blues:
01 The Rescue Blues [four-track demo]
02 Come Pick Me Up [four-track demo]
03 Enemy Blanks [four-track demo]
04 Tell Me How You Want Me To Feel [four-track demo]

California:
01 California
02 Waves Crashing
03 Secret Powers
04 Do You Wanna Get High?

In addition to this four-track poppycock, Adams also recently announced the release of his latest single "This Is It," (unfortunately not a threat to retire, and no, not a dyslexic cover of the Strokes), scheduled for March 23rd. In addition, New Musical Express reports that last year's Love Is Hell EP's, originally sold in two incoherent volumes last year, will be reunited on a single incoherent disc, as originally conceived, this May.

Ryan Adams: http://www.ryan-adams.com

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hit Seven Countries On Spring Tour
"The 'O' is for ''orrible'" - Melody Maker (R.I.P.)

The chart-topping, MTV-hogging, Grammy attention-getting trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs are about to embark on a massive 24-date U.S. and international tour, crossing the Atlantic with seven countries on their itinerary (counting the U.S. and Canada). Quickly growing in success in the past several years despite very few studio releases, these university kids have come a long way from their Strokes-supporting days, garnering their own audience of avid fans. The dates:

03-01 Newport, KY - Southgate House *
03-02 Chicago, IL - Metro (w/ Entrance) *
03-03 Madison, WI - The Barrymore *
03-05 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground * (w/ Beep Beep)
03-06 Lawrence, KS - Granada * (w/ The Chromatics)
03-07 Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom *
03-09 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress +
03-10 San Diego, CA - Soma (w/ Entrance, Kill Me Tomorrow)
03-12 Pomona, CA - Glass House +
03-13 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater +
03-14 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater (w/ Entrance, Starlight Desperation)
03-16 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w/ Entrance, Har Mar Superstar)
03-17 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w/ Entrance, Har Mar Superstar)
03-19 Seattle, WA - Neumo's (w/ Shoplifting, Book of Black Earth)
03-20 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore (w/ Shoplifting)
04-11 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
04-12 Birmingham, England - Birmingham Carling Academy
04-13 Manchester, England - Manchester Academy
04-15 London, England - London Forum
04-16 London, England - London Forum
04-19 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
04-24 France - Printemps de Bourges
04-26 Bologna, Italy - Bologna Estragon
04-27 Florence, Italy - Flog

* with SSION
+ with Entrance, Beehive & The Barracudas

Joining the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for a few nights during their expansive garage rock invasion is Beehive & The Barracuda, the like-minded supergroup featuring members of Rocket From The Crypt, PeeChees, and the Red Aunts. The 'Cuda released their third full-length in July 2003, at the producing hand of vintage-sound veteran Derek "Snee" McGee through Swami Records. But the album was almost never released (which may or may not be a good thing) due to a sudden fire at McGee's Strange Sound studio. The fire, although not totally destroying the studio, did melt the majority of its expensive equipment and incinerated the adjoined house; but luckily, the newly mixed tracks were safe inside McGee's 1978 Subaru hatchback. Classic!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com

Pixies Website Not "Official" Yet, According To Webmaster
Google away, you can Google away -- stay all day if you want to!

Cory D. Byrom and Will Bryant report:
So you may have noticed that the recently reunited Pixies now have their own webspace, PixiesMusic.com. The site promises a wealth of up-to-date information regarding the band's plans, but don't call them the "official" website for the band just yet-- despite the air of authority the site projects, webmaster Sean T. Rayburn tells Pitchfork the spec project is "under negotiation" with the band's management for official status and that no such agreement as yet been made. "We will still continue to provide up-to-the-minute information on the band as well as tour information and an ever-growing message board community for free and open discussion. We will continue to be the #1 source for all things Pixies," Rayburn told Pitchfork. "An 'official' title is something we are working towards, and has been talked about with band management, but we aren't there yet."

While the O-word is not used anywhere on PixiesMusic.com, the site hosts publicity stills of the group, current tourdates, links to purchase tickets, an updated biography and offers an e-mail newsletter. Rayburn and his design team, Ray Dolber and VP Holleran (who have worked on sites for clients as diverse as Interpol and L'Oréal) call the site a "labor of love" and a space for Pixies fans to "get together, talk about the band, and build friendships." The message board currently requires users to register before gaining access to the already quite-active topics (the forums have already attracted more than 2300 posts since their February 4th debut).

As for the rest of the site, currently you can find information about the Pixies' upcoming tour of the West Coast, Canada, and parts of the UK and Europe. Included is the tidbit that the show in Winnipeg sold out in four minutes, which is especially fascinating given the high Yeti-to-human ratio the city is known for. I guess the Pixies can expect to play their first show in ten-plus years to a horde of Chewbacca-like bigfoots swaying to and fro to the tune of "Wave of Mutilation," "Where Is My Mind?," and "U-Mass." I just hope the Sasquatches have the decency to stand in the back. They're tall, you know.

In addition, there is a wee bit of information about the set list for the tour-- i.e. they have one. There's not much other than that, except a quick mention that new songs will be played. Rest assured that the band will be playing mostly Pixies songs along with, and I quote, "a Latvian lullaby, a Czech dirge, and a Bulgarian ballad." Besides being a failed attempt at alliteration (c'mon, a Czech concerto! a Dutch dirge! you can do better!), this snide little comment is surely tongue-in-cheek.

The Pixies have also been confirmed at several festivals other than Coachella, all of which are inconveniently not in the U.S. Among the fests the band has been tapped for areAustria's Aerodrome Festival (June 10th and 11th, featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Korn, Slayer, and German punk old-schoolers Die Toten Hosen); Sweden's Hultsfred Festival (June 18th-20th, featuring Sahara Hotnights, the Roots, and more); Germany's Hurricane/Southside Festival (June 26th-28th, with the Hives, David Bowie, the Mars Volta and more); Belgium's Rock Werchter festival (July 2nd-4th, alongside an eclectic list of groups including Metallica, the Darkness, Korn, Lenny Kravitz, and David Bowie); and other festivals in Norway, Scotland, and Denmark. There's something about the fact that two of these festivals have the Pixies playing alongside Metallica and Korn that makes me a little uneasy.

Of course, by now there is a good chance you've heard rumors of a co-headlining tour with another massively popular, massively influential early-alternative act who also happens to be playing at Coachella. Well, we've heard those rumors too, and that's about all we've got to report about that. Rest assured, however, that if those rumors become more than just speculation, you'll hear it from us first.

Pixies: http://www.pixiesmusic.com

Unreleased Pedro The Lion, Cex, Statistics Tracks Beef Up Jade Tree Comp
Rocks much harder than a Whitman's Sampler, but lacks delicious cherry cordials

Little known fact: Jade Tree originally planned this as a two-part sampler. For every rock and punk band on the label (Challenger, From Ashes Rise), there's someone who's liable to be found sitting on a stool, quietly strumming (Pedro the Lion, Onelinedrawing). So what Jade Tree decided to do is to release two samplers-- one full of their heavier bands, one full of their quieter ones. The heavy one, entitled The Standing Sampler, was pressed first, and came off without a hitch. But unfortunately, Jade Tree didn't think ahead.

It's been reported that the collective forehead-slap that occurred at the label's offices, after 1,000 copies of The Stool Sampler had been pressed and someone finally noticed the unfortunate allusion of the title, reached decibel levels that cracked windows and awakened babies up to five city blocks away. The entire project was scrapped amid much blame-shifting and recrimination, and leaked copies of The Standing Sampler are going for upwards of fifty dollars on eBay. The Stool Sampler, so heavily suppressed that it can't even be found on Soulseek, will live on in the hearts and minds of fans for decades to come-- mythically enlarging by dint of its absence, like the missing endings of Kafka novels.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. But not in this case. Jade Tree has announced that they're releasing a new sampler in April, one that has no gimmicky concepts or scatological references whatsoever (caveat: there may, actually, be scatological references-- I haven't heard the whole thing-- but probably not). Location is Everything, Vol. 2 is available for pre-order via the Jade Tree website right now, and will hit stores April 20th. In addition to offering curious Jade Tree dilettantes an overview of the label's wares, it has a little something for established fans as well-- bonus tracks featuring live recordings, demos, and unreleased cuts from Cex, Pedro the Lion, From Ashes Rise, Paint It Black, Statistics, and Onelinedrawing. Behold the mighty tracklist as it ripples through negative space:

01 These Arms Are Snakes: "Riding the Grape Dragon"
02 Cex: "Kill Me"
03 Strike Anywhere: "Infrared"
04 Statistics: "Hours Seem Like Days"
05 Paint It Black: "Womb Envy"
06 Denali: "Hold Your Breath"
07 From Ashes Rise: "Reaction"
08 Onelinedrawing: "We Had a Deal"
09 Challenger: "Input the Output"
10 Ester Drang: "The Greatest Thing"
11 Kid Dynamite: "Heart a Tact"
12 Fury: "Resurrection"
13 Joan of Arc: "Dead Together"
14 Milemarker: "The Banner to the Sick"
15 Jets to Brazil: "You're the One I Want"
16 From Ashes Rise: "Bloodlust" [live]
17 Cex: "Cut Wrists" [previously unreleased]
18 Pedro the Lion: "I Do" [demo version]
19 Paint It Black: "The Pharmacist" [live]
20 Statistics: "Another Space Song" [previously unreleased]
21 Onelinedrawing: "Rapture" [previously unreleased]

Jade Tree: http://www.jadetree.com

Starlight Mints, Dressy Bessy Team Up For Spring Tour
At a brewpub, crystal-ball reader, tea room or chicken shack near you

Imagine the two most syrupy-sweet pop bands you can think of. Now imagine them touring together. No, Apples in Stereo isn't one of them. No, neither is the All Girl Summer Fun band. Damn it all, no, Beatnik Termites broke up years ago! Fine, stop imagining the most syrupy-sweet pop bands you can think of. I'll just tell you: Starlight Mints and Dressy Bessy will be heading out on a month-long tour, bringing each band's special brand of pure pop goodness to fans all over the western half of the country (and even a little bit of Canada).

Dressy Bessy's self-titled third LP was issued via the Kindercore before the label's implosion back in November, though no word has surfaced yet as to with what label the band now resides. Starlight Mints, on the other hand, released their second full length, Built on Squares, way back in May of 2003 on PIAS America. The record garnered many favorable reviews, as well as comparisons to the Flaming Lips, thanks to the saccharine string arrangements and mischievous vocals of guitarist/vocalist Alan Vest. Also, I should mention that, as it turns out, Beatnik Termites did not break up years ago. They released an album last year. Dates:

03-10 Austin, TX - Mercury
03-11 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
03-12 Houston, TX - Engine Room
03-16 Columbia, MO - Music Cafe
03-17 Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
03-18 St. Louis, MO - Washington University
03-19 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub
03-20 Milwaukee, WI - Onopa Brewing Company
03-21 Madison, WI - The Annex
03-22 Minneapolis, MN - The Ascot Room at the Quest
03-23 Omaha, NE - Ranch Bowl Entertainment Center
03-24 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
03-26 Boise, ID - Neurolux
03-27 Portland, OR - Dante's
03-28 Seattle, WA - Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room
03-29 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
04-01 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
04-02 San Diego, CA - Casbah
04-04 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
04-06 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
04-07 Tucson, AZ - City Limits
04-09 Tulsa, OK - The Venue
04-10 Little Rock, AR - Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack

Starlight Mints: http://www.starlightmints.com
Dressy Bessy: http://www.dressybessy.com

Rainer Maria To Release Live Album, DVD
Rob Mitchum sounds so baked on the commentary track

Love them or hate them, you can't deny the fact that Rainer Maria are in fact a band. As a band, it's only logical that they will release records. Following in a long tradition of live albums, including Frampton Comes Alive, Alive II, Live at Budokan, Ben Folds Live, and, uh, Live, Rainer Maria will issue the CD/DVD set Anyone In Love With You (Already Knows) on March 9th by means of Polyvinyl.

The DVD was filmed at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC almost a year to the day before its release. The band hammered through a career-spanning setlist, although it does rely heavily on tracks from the band's 2003 album Long Knives Drawn. Bifocal Media, who were also responsible for Braid's Killing a Camera video, filmed the show and recorded with a combination of live and soundboard mics. The CD set, however, is not just the aforementioned audio, as it was compiled from material recorded over the last four years. Therefore it features a wider range of tracks not found on the DVD. All in all, you're looking at two-and-a-half hours of live Rainer Maria. Tracklist:

CD:
01 Tinfoil
02 Soul Singer
03 Mystery and Misery
04 Artificial Light
05 The Reason the Night Is Long
06 The Seven Sisters
07 The Contents of Lincoln's Pockets
08 Spit and Fire
09 Long Knives
10 Thought I Was
11 Rise

DVD:
01 Mystery and Misery
02 Artificial Light
03 Long Knives
04 Atlantic
05 Planetary
06 Broken Radio
07 CT Catholic
08 Breakfast of Champions
09 The Contents of Lincoln's Pockets
10 Ears Ring
11 Tinfoil
12 The Reason the Night Is Long & Situation: Relation

Rainer Maria: http://www.rainermaria.com
Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com

Catheters on Tour; New Album In May
New record full of piss and vinegar-- well, piss anyway

We've heard little from The Catheters since 2002's Static Delusions and Stone-Still Days, a fuzzed-out platter of punishing Stooges-philia that provoked Pitchfork's Rob Mitchum to new extremes in creative review formatting. The Seattle foursome has been kicking out the jams (reference intentional) with various personnel since 1995, and in that time has toured with like-minded bands ranging from the Murder City Devils to Division of Laura Lee. Is singer Brian Standeford truly serious about reincarnating Iggy Pop while Iggy's arguably still alive, or is he just taking the piss? Beat. Ba dum ching!

According to Sub Pop, The Catheters are finally rallying to release a new album in May-- of which, in the finest slapdash punk rock fashion, very little concrete information exists besides the title (Howling... It Grows and Grows!!!). John Goodmanson (Sleater-Kinney, Unwound, The Dwarves) is producing the album, this much is certain. It will rock in the meat-and-potatoes style, this much falls safely within the realm of probable outcomes. Watch this space for a tracklist and more precise release date when they become available. There are tour dates. To wit:

03-13 Palo Alto, CA - Mitchell Park Center * (w/ Solemite)
03-14 Reno, NV - Satellite Bar *
03-15 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *
03-16 Boulder, CO - Club 156 * (w/ The Swayback)
03-19 Austin, TX - The Ritz (SXSW)
03-20 Houston, TX - Silky's (w/ The Lawrence Arms, Grabass Charlestons, Business Machines)
03-21 Odessa, TX - Earl's *
03-22 El Paso, TX - E9 *
03-23 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad *
03-24 Tucson, AZ - Skrappy's
03-25 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
03-26 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *
04-17 Sacramento, CA - Boardwalk

* with Your Enemies Friends

The Catheters: http://www.thecatheters.com
Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com

The Walkmen Extend U.S. Tour, Release Limited-Edition Single
Per diem of 38 "AA" batteries written into band's rider

The Walkmen, already out in support of their sophomore long-player Bows and Arrows, have recently announced the expansion of their tour to include stops all across the eastern U.S. The band will now make stops on the east coast, the Midwest, Northeast and one night in Toronto. This band is extraordinary live, and my heart melts at the thought of hearing their new album played from the stage instead of my cold, dead iPod. All dates with the French Kicks:

02-26 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
02-27 Boston, MA - Middle East
02-28 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber Pass
03-03 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe
03-04 East Lansing, MI - Michigan State University
03-05 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
03-06 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
03-07 Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet
03-08 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
03-10 Champlaign, VT - High Dive
03-11 Chicago, IL - Metro
03-12 Iowa City, IA - Gabes Oasis
03-13 Columbia, MS - Mojos
03-14 Norman, OK - Opolis
03-15 Denton, TX - Haileys
03-16 Houston, TX - Fat Cat's
03-22 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
03-23 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
03-24 Carrboro, NC - Go Room 4
04-01 New York, NY - Irving Plaza

The Walkmen are also planning to release a limited edition seven-inch to coincide with the upcoming tour. According to the band's publicist, the a-side will feature my personal favorite "Little House of Savages" backed with "No Christmas While I'm Talking," live from Brixton Academy in London. Of the 1600 copies, some will be for sale from the band on the road, and the remaining stock will be available from your favorite indie music shop, granted that shop doesn't suck ass.

.: Pitchfork News:New Walkmen Album, North American Tour in February
.: The Walkmen: http://www.thewalkmen.com

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)