Thrill Jockey Anniversary: Girl Talk Mix, Fest, Box Set
Fiery Furnaces, Tortoise, Califone, Sea and Cake play London shows

Venerable Chicago label Thrill Jockey is 15 years old. And since you can't exactly issue a veteran record label a learner's permit, they're celebrating the big 1-5 instead with a series of intercontinental flights and booze-soaked soirees. Hey, just like the time I turned 15! (Not really, mom.)

On November 11 and 12, Thrill Jockey vets and newbies alike will take the stage at London's Koko to toast the label at a party presented by All Tomorrow's Parties. November 11 is an all-day event with the Fiery Furnaces, Califone, the Sea and Cake, and others, while the 12th finds Tortoise headlining something that more closely approximates a "normal" show, which includes a set from new Thrill Jockey signing KTL, aka Sunn O))) guitarist Stephen O'Malley and Mego label boss Peter "Pita" Rehber.

A Chicago party is in the works for December as well.

What's more, Trey Told 'Em, aka Gregg "Girl Talk" Gillis and partner Frank Musarra will somehow manage to squeeze the width and breadth of the Thrill Jockey catalog onto a mix CD, which will be given away free at the anniversary shows. In case you ever wondered how Tortoise's "Djed" would sound rubbing elbows with Lil Wayne's "Go DJ", you may be in luck. UPDATE: There will only be Thrill Jockey artists on the mix. So, alas, no Lil Wayne. Unless, of course, Thrill Jockey signs Lil Wayne.

But wait, there's even more! A limited edition box set is in the works, containing 7"s of Thrill Jockey bands covering their favorite Thrill Jockey tunes. Many of the fest acts contribute tracks, as do David Byrne, Freakwater, Thalia Zedek, and Pullman. We're not so sure when this thing drops or who else is on it, but it sounds damn good on paper, huh? [MORE...]

The Donnas to Release Bitchin' New Album

Photo by Casey Curry

Half hair metal/half punk rock quartet the Donnas will self-release their their seventh (!) album (and second sans Ramones-esque aliases) on September 18.

The follow-up to 2004's Gold Medal is called Bitchin', and it will hit stores via the band's new Purple Feather label, distributed by RedEye.

The Donnas are planning a full North American tour in support of the record, but for now, they have enough dates to keep them busy, including a few this month in Brazil. Their next show is tomorrow (August 3) in Carson, California. [MORE...]

My Brightest Diamond Announces Fall Tour

Shara Worden will saddle up even more Workhorses this fall as she keeps My Brightest Diamond on the road for almost two months' worth of UK and European club and festival dates beginning August 16 in Hasselt, Belgium. Then, in November, she'll tour America again.

But first, Worden and current tourmate Rasputina will finish their previously reported dates together, the next of which is tonight (August 2) in Asheville, North Carolina. [MORE...]

Art Brut + The Hold Steady = Tour
Rock critics + drunks = ticket buyers

How 'bout another round for the booking agents of the world? Though the neverending Speedwagon/Foreigner dual bill isn't one to be slept on, they've packed this fall with a few of the smartest tour pairings we can recall. And we just caught wind of another hot one: Art Brut will be touring with the Hold Steady. 

We don't have many dates now-- there's only one confirmed at the moment: Toad's Place in Richmond, Virginia on November 19-- but we're already readying our "this band is their country's version of that band" metaphors in anticipation. We'll get those dates to you as soon as we hear about 'em (word on the street is it'll be a couple weeks); you just get good and ready to get yourself rocked.

You read about the Hold Steady's current plans yesterday, though you didn't know-- 'cause we just found out-- that their August 18 date at Slane Castle in Ireland is an opening slot for some band called the Rolling Stones. Craig Finn's also performing solo at the Barnes & Noble in New York's Union Square on September 13, and a few days later, the whole band is playing a show at the World Trade Center Plaza.

As for Art Brut, though the sounds of summer will soon become a faint ringing in your ears, it's no matter to them. Eddie Argos will bring their "Sound of Summer" and almost certainly several other self-referential shoutalongs to fans the world over on a series of tour dates that just won't let up. Currently taking a breather from the road (and, perhaps, uncovering the fate of new BFF Harry Potter or prepping themselves to go liver-to-liver with Tad Kubler) before a few scattered European dates this month, they'll move around North America, Europe again, and Australia like their shoes don't fit in August, September, and October, all before taking up on their string of massive nights and killer parties. [MORE...]

Great Lake Swimmers Tour Canada, U.S., Canada Again

Photo by Adrian Fish

While it's not quite White Stripesean in scope, Great Lake Swimmers do have a fairly epic Canadian tour of their own on the horizon, one which will sweep them from the Canuck capital of Ottawa to the tiny fishing village of Peggy's Cove to the (appropriately) Saddest Music in the World city of Winnipeg.

That's a whole lot of Canada, even for countryman Tony Dekker and his band, so naturally they're dividing their Northern journey in half by ducking into the U.S. for a string of October dates. Those start October 2 in NYC and wrap up a couple weeks later in Seattle, with a lone Chicago date tacked on post-Canada Leg 2.

Great Lake Swimmers head out again in support of third LP (and first for Nettwerk) Ongiara, which this reporter finds to contain perfectly lovely news-story-writing music. Dekker and co. will also open for Final Fantasy-- whose Owen Pallett arranged strings on Ongiara-- on a pair of maple leaf dates. [MORE...]

Stars Set Their Sights on Europe

The war against the wait for Stars' latest (in physical formats, anyhow) ends September 25, as In Our Bedroom After the War washes ashore courtesy of the good soldiers at Arts & Crafts.

Ever practitioners of foresight, Stars have already devised their own version of the Marshall Plan (The Torquil Plan?), in which the band will be airlifted to various Old World locales to administer hope and romantic advice (by way of song) to our War-addled friends abroad.

Those operations commence September 19 in Hanover, Germany, following a few training exercises in the U.S. and Canada in early September. And don't worry, Stars will still see to our domestic concerns, as you may have read, beginning October 17 in Vermont.

Furthermore, members of the Stars camp rendezvous with members of the Broken Social Scene camp on that new Kevin Drew disc. And for a taste of Stars' own album preparation initiatives, consult the Electronic Press Kit video linked below. [MORE...]

The Caribbean Tour Populations

D.C. group the Caribbean will release a new album titled Populations via Hometapes on October 30.

The follow-up to 2005's Plastic Explosives, Populations is the Caribbean's fourth full-length, and they will preview it for human populations on a tour that starts today (August 2) in Denver. [MORE...]

Psychic TV / PTV3 Plan Provocative August Tour

Photo by Dan Mandell

Out of hibernation and ready to challenge pretty much every preconceived notion you ever had about anything, Psychic TV's daring PTV3 incarnation will soon hit the roads of America. This bit of peregrination comes in support of glam-rockin' gender-bender Hell Is Invisible...Heaven Is Her/e, which dropped this past June on Cargo Records/Sweet Nothing.

More or less guaranteed to be an assault on the senses, the tour kicks off August 4 in Queens and leaps across the U.S. through August, finally settling in California, where the PTV3 crew will probably look half-normal.

If your city didn't make the itinerary this time out, weep not. Call us psychic, but something tells us another U.S. tour is already taking shape for November. [MORE...]

Boris / Kurihara / Damon & Naomi Tour Revealed
New Damon & Naomi album out in September

Boris have collaborated with Ghost's Michio Kurihara (see Rainbow), and so have former Galaxie 500 members Damon & Naomi. And now, all three acts have announced their previously mentioned tour together. The tour begins September 30 with an appearance in Chicago at The Wire's Adventures in Modern Music festival. Kurihara will serve double duty, as he'll be playing with both bands each night.

As for Damon & Naomi, they have a new album coming out September 25 on their own 20/20/20 label, titled Within These Walls. Naturally, it features Kurihara as a guest, in addition to contributions from Helena Espvall (Espers), Bhob Rainey (Nmperign), and Vashti Bunyan collaborators Margaret Wienk and Katt Hernandez. Listen to the haunting song "Cruel Queen", available for download below. [MORE...]

Blitzen Trapper Announce Fall Tour
Two Gallants will join them

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

They haven't finished their most recent tour yet, but Blitzen Trapper have already scheduled this tour's follow-up: a month's worth of dates with Two Gallants starting in mid-September. Two Gallants also have their own recently reported dates to attend to before and afterward.

Also, for those who saw our report that the Trappers have signed to Sub Pop and thought the little self-releasing indie band had abandoned course entirely: do not fear. The Sub Pop deal for Wild Mountain Nation is only for the album's international release on October 22; they're still putting it out themselves on our shores. [MORE...]

Scarlett Johansson Works With Sitek, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Talk about In Good Company!

Oh my god. As if it wasn't shocking enough that starlet Scarlett Johansson was working on an album of Tom Waits covers (read Tom's reaction here), and sang with the Jesus and Mary Chain at Coachella. Apparently, her album is being produced by David Sitek of TV on the Radio and features members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration!!!

According to Lafayette, Louisiana's Daily Advertiser, the Ghost World and Lost in Translation star spent "33 days in Maurice [Louisiana] recording her debut CD at Dockside Studio."

Studio owner Steve Nails described the music as "like a theater, big screen. Lots of heavy bass tones in it. Without a bass guitar, we used all kind of different instruments to create these sounds. It was a great experiment. Very avant garde. She sounds like Marilyn Monroe." He also "predicts her CD will go platinum and win a Grammy," according to the Daily Advertiser.

Man, now that we know this, could indie dudes possibly find Scarlett Johansson any more attractive?! Oh, wait: the article mentions that "boyfriend Ryan Reynolds visited for two weeks." Yeah, thinking about her getting it on with the dude from Van Wilder can be kind of a boner killer.

Kevin Drew LP Guests: Mascis. Kannberg. Cochrane?!
Yes, Tom "Life Is a Highway" Cochrane

Title, tracklist, release date, cover art-- we thought we knew all there was to know about the forthcoming Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew Spirit If... album, out September 18 on Arts & Crafts. But not, until now, did we know the guest stars. And when the early press materials spoke of a few "outside" contributors, we thought, "Okay, cool, probably some guy from Wolf Parade or something." Little did we know!

Sure, all your BSS-orbit regulars are on there-- Feist, Stars' Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, Metric's Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, etc.-- as well as a few indie rock giants: J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) and Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs of Pavement). Plus Ohad Benchechrit and Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think), Joules Scott-Key (Metric), Andrew Kenny (The American Analog Set), and Gonzales (piano dude). And then...Tom Cochrane.

Yes, Tom Cochrane, the man responsible for the 1991 road warrior anthem "Life Is a Highway". Dude plays a mean harmonica, as you may recall, although it's not clear yet exactly what he contributes to Spirit If... What is (slightly) clearer is that Spirit If... has a first single, and it's "Backed Out on the..." (perhaps you caught the video over in Forkcast with Dinosaur Jr.? Or the stream of the B-side, "Cocaine Skin"?). No word yet on a release date for the single.

A Kevin Drew/BSS tour is slowly materializing, and thus far includes three dates, two of which fall overseas. Life's like a road that you travel on, indeed. [MORE...]

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.)