Bright Eyes Joins Fall Tour Frenzy

Photo by Paparazzi by Appointment

A fever, a mirror, a clock, a spindle... a tour! Having shrugged off the illness that shelved a recent stretch of UK dates, and having more or less abandoned the vague existential malaise that colored his early records, Mr. Conor Oberst is all set to take it to the streets once again with Bright Eyes.

The lad's latest dates encompass a whole heaping chunk of the U.S. and Canada, and they kick off October 19 in Chicago following an October 3 Mexico City engagement. Before all that, however, our Cassadaga camper will cart his wares all the way to Alaska and a few other Northwestern locales, as previously reported.

Of course, there's still the Hollywood Bowl orchestral show popping off September 29, which now sports M. Ward-- no stranger to orchestral ambitions-- in the coveted opening spot.

All Smiles associate Nik Freitas will open the first leg of shows. [MORE...]

Morrissey Turns Down $75 Million for Smiths Reunion
Celibacy, vow of poverty...yep, he's becoming a priest

Photo by Paparazzi by Appointment

Morrissey money shocker! According to a new press release about Morrissey's previously reported fall U.S. tour, "In an effort to stop the speculation and kill off the rumor mongers who seem to use these things to take advantage of committed fans, we can tell you that one thing the future will not bring is a Smiths' reunion tour."

Turns out Moz was approached with an offer of $75 million smackers, payable upon completion of at least 50 worldwide shows provided Johnny Marr was in the band (no love for Andy and Mike?). Morrissey-- who'd like it to be known once and for all that it's not about the music but, rather, about the hurting-- turned them down. Morrissey previously bragged about how Coachella offered the Smiths $5 million to reunite, but that, it appears, was small potatoes.

In a related story, Modest Mouse doesn't have $75 million dollars either. Sorry, Johnny!

On two of this tour's lengthy runs, a pair of special offers has been made to Moz megafreaks. Starting August 27, fans will have a chance to buy tickets to all ten of the L.A. shows for the price of nine, or all five New York shows at a savings of $125. Those who pony up for the deals will get special commemorative (magic?) tickets that allow them into the general admission shows before everyone else. New York fans get a poster, but L.A. attendees get to see Morrissey ten times, so neener neeners.

Nestled in the same press release was this nugget of uncertainty: "these shows will be the last Morrissey will do for the foreseeable future." Indeed, that's a quip in line with the kind of dramatic overstatement we've come to know and love from Moz, but is he for real? Could these be the last Morrissey shows... evah? [MORE...]

Hold Steady Immortalized in Comic Book

Following perhaps the only path ever trod by both Belle and Sebastian and KISS, pub/arena-divide transcending revelry rockers the Hold Steady will soon swap the stein for the inkwell and commit their lovable likenesses (or at least their lyrics) to the pages of a comic book.

But wait, that's not all! If you're among the first 200 to buy today direct from the band, the Hold Steady will toss in a exclusive t-shirt and a copy of the Live at Fingerprints EP, along with these delightful cartoon renderings, which draw from the lyrics to last year's fabulous Boys and Girls in America. You heard that right: Live EP. Special edition t-shirt-- only available as part of this bundle, people! Never to be seen again! And kickass comic book. All for one low price!! Can you believe it, Pat? Why no, Diane, I simply cannot believe it.

That's the April-issued EP which, until now, has only been available to folks lucky enough to live near an independent record shop. Act now and you'll get yours the week of September 17! Void where prohibited, may cause nausea, dizziness, or involuntary bouts of binge drinking. Details here.

UPDATE: Apparently this comic book was originally given away with purchases of Boys and Girls in America at indie stores, way back when the record first came out! OOPS! Guess this isn't all that newsworthy after all...but it's still pretty cool.

Some sample images from the comic:

Stretch your dollar even further by catching the Hold Steady on the road-- and, if you live in one of our specially selected cities, we'll throw in Art Brut, at absolutely no extra cost!! HOLY SHIT PEOPLEZ [MORE...]

Lovett. Browne. Jewel. Killah. Word? Word.
It's very hard to write a news story when the subject makes your BRAIN GO KABOOM

We've been rather impressed with the folks Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan have managed to rope in for the very funny-seeming Walk Hard bioparody. (The trailer's here, and the film is due in December). Jack White of course, "Mike Honcho himself" John C. Reilly, Eddie Vedder, Jack Black, Jenna Fischer and Ed Helms from the American Office, and some top-shelf "SNL" people round out quite a cast. But, for a film at least tangentally about music, we've heard rather little about the soundtrack album.

That is, until Billboard.com posted this throwaway at the outset of a story about Texan shuffler Lyle Lovett's next album: Lovett, along with the "unlikely trio" (their understatement, not ours) of Jackson Browne, Jewel, and Ghostface Killah, has recorded the film's title track.

WU-T-F?!

Yep. Pretty Toney and Jewel, on the same song. A Lyle Lovett song. With Jackon Browne. Normally we'd make a funny or something, but we really have no idea what's going on with this-- when it's coming out, if it's in the movie-- and we're a bit beyond words. Though we'd like to mention to whoever's listening that we'd like to hear the track, uh, yesterday.

Ghost is out with the Wu rocking those bells, with a show at Las Vegas' Vegoose festival in October (dates to follow the jump). Both Jewel and Jackson Browne have a few tour dates throughout the fall. And, in case your dad's birthday's coming up or something, Lyle Lovett and his Large Band will issue It's Not Big It's Large August 28 on Lost Highway. [MORE...]

Joy Division Celebrated in Documentary

This happening new band Joy Division is certainly on a roll lately. Not only do they have that big budget biopic Control lighting up screens across the festival circuit, but now they're the subject of yet another documentary, the succinctly titled Joy Division, set to premiere next month at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

With "Decades" burning up the elbo.ws charts and blasting out of convertible stereos far and wide, there's never been a better time to learn more about indie rock's latest sensation. And Joy Division should make for a fine introduction to this hotly-tipped new act.

Co-written and directed by Grant Gee (whom you may remember for his work with another scrappy group of up-and-comers, Radiohead), Joy Division features commentary from members of JD/New Order, Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV), the late Tony Wilson, Factory Records graphic designer Peter Saville, and Ian Curtis mistress Annik Honoré. The film was co-written by the always entertaining Jon Savage.

Joy Division will premiere as part of the "Real to Reel" program at the Toronto fest, which runs from September 6-15.

Control, meanwhile, now appears set for an October 5 general theatrical release.

And as if that weren't enough, there's also significant chatter of late surrounding a set of expanded, remastered Joy Division reissues. While the info has not yet been confirmed, NME.com and several other outlets are reporting that Unknown Pleasures, Closer, and odds'n'ends collection Still will all receive the deluxe reissue treatment in the UK come September 10. Each will be bundled with a bonus disc, the presumed tracklists for which you may peruse below.

Finally, NME.com also reports that Joy Division will hit us with a brand spankin' new single called "Love Will Tear Us Apart" on September 24. I hear it's pretty good. [MORE...]

The Thermals Announce Fall Dates

The Thermals are a well-oiled touring machine. Even their newest release was the mostly live Insound Tour Support 2.0 odds and sods collection. So it comes as no surprise that the rest of their 2007 holds still more dates.

After two Pacific Northwestern festival performances scheduled for the coming weeks, the band will kick off their new tour in Vancouver on October 16. [MORE...]

Decemberists Remixed by Junior Boys, Diplo! Big Tour!
Indie rock meets blog house SHOCKA

It's two a.m. and you're on the floor at Making Time or Check Yo' Ponytail or something, grinding with a cutie you met in line at American Apparel. All of a sudden, a familiar voice comes over the speakers, accompanied by a thumping beat: "It was the perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect criiiime..."

Whoa, WTF? Did the cocaine just kick in? Is this some new Hood Internet mash-up? Is someone playing a joke? Nope! Believe your ears: The DJ just dropped the new Decemberists EP.

On September 25, Capitol will release The Perfect Crime #2 EP, featuring remixes of the titular track by Diplo, Junior Boys, and A Touch of Class, along with the previously unreleased "The Perfect Crime #2.5.1". It will be available as a download via digital music stores, as well as on vinyl via independent retail stores (see Thinkindie.com for a list of places).

The Crane Wife's "Perfect Crime #2" is probably the funkiest song in the Decemberists catalog-- which isn't saying much, I know. It will be interesting (to say the least) to hear what these knob-twiddlers come up with. All three remixers are no strangers to tackling indie rock tunes, usually with pretty great results. But can they turn Colin Meloy into a house diva?

All that would probably be enough Decemberists news to tide over rabid fans for the month until the EP is released, but wait! There's more! The band has also announced yet another tour in support of The Crane Wife, and, like last time, it's a tour with a concept.

"The Long and Short of It" fall tour will feature multiple-night stands in every city it hits, with each night dubbed either "Long of It" or "Short of It". According to a press release, "'Long' evenings will focus on the band's epic, progressive compositions. 'Short' nights (while no shorter in set length, we promise) will highlight their more succinct, pop-leaning material." In other words, you're more likely to hear "The Tain" and "The Island" suite on "long" nights than "short" ones.

Laura Veirs, who duets with Meloy on The Crane Wife's "Yankee Bayonet", will open all dates on the tour. She'l l be joined by her band Saltbreakers, which features Steve Moore on keyboards, Karl Blau on bass, and Crane Wife producer Tucker Martine on drums.

Usually we don't mention ticketing in tour news stories, because it would get a bit crazy (and boring) if we went through all the on-sale info for every show. But this tour has a cool twist we'd like to mention: A limited amount of pre-sale tickets for "The Long and Short of It" were custom-designed by Decemberists illustrator Carson Ellis, and pre-sale orders will come with a free poster. AND if you buy pre-sale tickets (or join the Decemberists mailing list), you get a free download of the Junior Boys remix. Whew!

In other Decemberists news (as if there wasn't enough already), the band will appear on PBS' "Austin City Limits" on October 13, and they've been added to the stellar list of people recording Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes" for the Showtime show "Weeds". [MORE...]

His Name Is Alive Back With Xmmer, Tour

There's an enigma living in our midst, and it's name is His Name Is Alive. The Warn/Warren Defever-led revolving door outfit has spent the better part of over 20 years bucking trends, hopping genres, and generally cultivating a more enduring mystique than pretty much anything from Michigan, ever.

On September 18, HNIA return with Xmmer, the follow-up to last year's well-received Detrola, due for release on the band's own Silver Mountain imprint. If closing cut "Come to Me"-- also featured on the Silver Makeup EP, which is available for a limited time as a free download on the band's website-- is any indication, Warn, frequent HNIA vocalist Andy FM, and the rest of the gang seem to be picking up right where Detrola left off.

The combo has pinned down some scattered dates in the coming months. Catch those and the Xmmer run-down just ahead. [MORE...]

Man Man, Wrens Play Bottom of the Hudson Benefit
Drummer Greg Lytle out of the hospital, getting better

Greg Lytle (R) photo by Mike White

Support continues to pour in for the family of Trevor Butler, the Bottom of the Hudson bassist and Coyote member who was killed in a tragic tour van crash late last month.

Butler's former Coyote bandmates played a benefit a few weeks back, and now comes word that the gentlemen of Man Man, BOTH's Absolutely Kosher labelmates the Wrens, and Philly combo (and recent Vagrant signees) the A-Sides will team up for a benefit gig at the City of Brotherly Love's First Unitarian Church on September 20. All proceeds from the event will go to Butler's family.

As previously reported, the A-Sides will also donate earnings from their August 30 record-release show at Johnny Brenda's in Philly to Trevor's family, and toward his BOTH bandmate Greg Lytle's medical bills.

On a hope-filled note, Lytle-- who was hospitalized following the crash and was at one point in critical condition-- is, as of August 10, back home and "doing well," according to Absolutely Kosher.

Even if you can't attend the benefits, you can still donate to Trevor's family via Paypal. Donations should be directed to both@absolutelykosher.com

Vampire Weekend Sign to XL

Buzz band about town (NYC, that is) Vampire Weekend have signed to venerable indie label XL-- current home of M.I.A., Dizzee Rascal, and Devendra Banhart, to name just a few-- to release their full-length debut in January. But first, they'll release a single called "Mansard Roof", which will see a U.S. release on October 23.

Vampire Weekend have a nice little tour lined up for themselves as well. Tomorrow night, August 23, they'll play in Portland, Maine on their current tour with YACHT and Dirty Projectors, and they also have a couple scattered dates next month.

Full disclosure: A couple of Pitchfork staffers know these guys pretty well. Congrats, dudes! [MORE...]

Michael Hurley's Ancestral Swamp Due on Gnomonsong

Before Devendra, before Jana and Joanna and that whole crowd, there were some freaky people making the folk. It's easy to forget in this ever-onward culture of ours, but Devendra's always been good at looking back. D's pulled Michael "Snocko" Hurley into the Gnomonsong stable for The Ancestral Swamp, giving the folk legend (and frequent Cat Power coveree) a home for his umpteenth album of skewed shanties and lonesome whistles.

Produced in part by Tara Jane O'Neil UPDATE: ALTHOUGH O'NEIL APPEARS ON THE ALBUM, SHE DID NOT DO ANY PRODUCTION WORK ON IT, Swamp emerges September 18. Meanwhile, Hurley's got quite a few dates lined up in the general vicinity of his Northwest. [MORE...]

Hometapes Gets Absolutely Kosher / Misra Distribution

Absolutely Kosher and Misra's indie empire just got a little bigger with the addition of a distribution deal between the two partnered labels and the Boulder, Colorado-based Hometapes imprint.

Founded by Little Rock natives and frequent relocaters Adam Heathcott and Sara Padgett Heathcott, Hometapes has quite a few forthcoming releases on its plate. They include a Brad Laner (Medicine, Electric Company) solo album, the debut from Bear in Heaven, and records by the Caribbean (the previously reported Populations), Pattern Is Movement, and Miami's (not Vermont's) Feathers.

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.)