CocoRosie's Bianca Casady Exhibits Her Art

When more traditional hip-hop artists want to explore their non-musical sides, it's often acting they pursue first. But when it comes to experimental freak folkies whose ties to hip-hop come in the form of the occasional use of beats and a penchant for fitteds, an art show is perhaps a better place for them to fully express the depth of their weirdness.

CocoRosie's Bianca Casady seems to think the same way, as she will debut a collection of her visual art in New York City on October 6. Titled "Lil' Girl Slim 'Cosmic Willingness' Pipe Dreamz A Revelation", the exhibit will feature work in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, video, works on paper, and performance.

"Lil' Girl Slim..." will run at Deitch Projects through October 19, when CocoRosie will also perform at the space. The Casady sisters also have a solid number of European dates scheduled for this fall, the next of which is tonight, September 27, in Paris. [MORE...]

Kevin Drew Extends Spirit If... Tour Into December

From Spirit If... to "Backed Out on the..." to the wayfaring lifestyle he leads, Kevin Drew seems hellbent on expressing a certain fondness for...trailing off. And when he trails, boy howdy, does he ever trail hard.

Drew's previously announced tour in support of his solo-ish debut will keep trailing on for a few extra stops this December, and a few others in between for good measure. Gear up for extended jams and endless stage prattle and the continual accruing of band members and ever-longer beards and... [MORE...]

Viva Voce Package Early Albums Together, Tour

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

New to the Viva Voce party? It's cool, take your coat off, settle in a bit. In fact, why don't you swing by the punchbowl and make nice with 2003's Lovers, Lead the Way! and 2004's The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, a pair of out of print early Voce platters. They're real friendly like, and they're coming out in a two disc set complete with plenty of bonus material November 13 from Amore!Phonics.

Viva Voce will follow in Maritime's footsteps when they get chummy with Jimmy Eat World on their fall tour. [MORE...]

Arthur Russell Covers EP [ft. Lekman] Headed to U.S.
Also features Electrelane's Verity Sussman, Taken by Trees, and Hidden Camera Joel Gibb

Arthur Russell: Composer. Maverick. Disco dynamo. In certain circles, the late Charles Arthur Russell Jr. garnered quite the reputation for quality and eclecticism both in his years on earth, and perhaps even moreso in the 15 since his death.

And four of today's finest young artists-- Jens Lekman, Verity Sussman of Electrelane (whose Mia Lily Clarke is a former Pitchfork contributor), Victoria Bergsman of Taken by Trees (and ex-Concretes), and Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras-- have paid tribute to Russell on a previously muttered about EP soon to be released in the U.S. from Rough Trade.

Four Songs by Arthur Russell captures Ms. Sussman (here as Vera November) tackling "Our Last Night Together", Jens doing the very obscure "A Little Lost", Taken by Trees' "Make 1, 2", and Joel Gibb's "That's Us/Wild Combination". The EP is already out in Europe, but it hits the U.S. in an exclusively digital way October 23.

And Arthur's father approves. Quoth Charles Arthur Russell Sr. in a press release: "Hearing a different arrangement with another voice after hearing 30 years of Arthur is an exhilaratingly pleasant but strange experience for Arthur's mother and me. These renditions by four talented artists are truly outstanding." [MORE...]

Photos: Revenge of the Book Eaters [Boston, MA; 09/26/07]

Photos by Josh Bean

You may remember the Big Apple's incarnation of the 826 tutoring program's Revenge of the Book Eaters benefit-- featuring an indie rock all-star cast of Feist, Grizzly Bear, AC Newman, Britt Daniel, Jim James, and Kevin Drew. Well, last night it was Boston's turn, and they had a Kevin, too-- Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, that is, who played an acoustic set with Of Montreal guitarist Bryan "The Late B.P. Helium" Poole at the Berklee Performance Center event. And it wasn't just the music that was stripped-down-- neither Barnes nor Poole wore their usual outrageous costumes.

Mates of State were there, too, covering Jackson Browne's "These Days", as were Via Audio, alumni of Berklee. Eugene Mirman, Rodney Rothman, and Sarah Vowell brought the yuks, along with author and 826 founder Dave Eggers. FOUND magazine's Davy and Peter Rothbart also performed.

More photos below.

OF MONTREAL's KEVIN BARNES AND BRYAN POOLE






MATES OF STATE




VIA AUDIO


DAVE EGGERS


EUGENE MIRMAN

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Ex-Deerhoof Dude's Cryptacize Sign to Asthmatic Kitty

Photo by Kate Fruchey

Cryptacize? Is that what this guy does at the gym? Maybe, but it's also the latest indie rock band to take the interwebs by storm!

The baby of Chris Cohen, once the fourth member of Deerhoof and presently of the Curtains, and Nedelle Torrisi, who's recorded for Kill Rock Stars under her first name and with Nedelle and Thom, Cryptacize is rounded out by percussionist Michael Carreira (not to be confused with this guy). The trio recently signed to Asthmatic Kitty, also home to the Curtains and some dude whose name begins with an "S" or something.

Their origin story, as recounted in the press release, is more interesting than most, so let's recount it here, shall we? "Cryptacize began across the street from the C&H Sugar Factory in Crockett, CA, where Nedelle and Chris lived in a tilted apartment. Constant dizziness and the smell of burning sugar became a permanent part of their psyches, and this is their #1 influence. One morning while brushing their teeth, toothpaste running sideways out of their mouths, Nedelle pronounced the word 'Cryptacize' and the house appeared to incline in the opposite direction.

"Soon after this strange incident, they discovered something even stranger on YouTube: a percussionist named Michael Carreira. Having only seen his video, which was a closeup of his hands, they sought him out and miraculously convinced him to join their uncanny crusade."

An album is apparently on the way. For now, catch a whiff of that burning sugar high this fall, as Cryptacize hit the road. [MORE...]

Stooges, CYHSY, Black Keys Lollapalooza Sets on iTunes
Also: Pearl Jam, Sparklehorse, Tokyo Police Club, the Polyphonic Spree

Maybe you went to Lollapalooza. Maybe before that you were trapped in a time capsule from the mid-90s jam scene, and going to Lollapalooza was the first thing you did after buying clothes and maybe getting a bite to eat. That's a big maybe, but if you were, you may very well have left the gig wondering who to contact about how to get some sweet tape-trading action going so you could own an audio document of the sets you'd just seen.

If all of the above is true, welcome to 2007, first of all. Also, we totally have your hook-up. It's this internet music store called iTunes, and you're probably gonna like it because just this week it released digital versions of parts of the 2007 Lollapalooza sets by Iggy & the Stooges, Pearl Jam, Sparklehorse, Son Volt, and more people who were around back in your day.

For the rest of us, there are also sets by more recently formed acts like Tokyo Police Club, the Black Keys, the Polyphonic Spree, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Matt & Kim, White Rabbits, and Heartless Bastards, among others.

To access this new-fangled treasure trove, visit the iTunes store right here.

Black Swans Go Through Change! on New Album, Tour
Band members find feathers in awkward places, experience urges to fly in V formation

Columbus, Ohio's the Black Swans have all sorts of goings on going on across a variety of media and U.S. cities this fall, including the release of an album, a bunch of a shows, an art exhibition, and a lecture on Bob Dylan by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jerry DeCicca.

Let's start with the record, Change! (mere coincidence that the title combines two Dismemberment Plan LPs?), which comes out on La Société Expéditionnaire on November 6. It's the band's sophomore full-length and the follow-up to last year's Sex Brain EP. The CD's cover artwork is a painting called Untitled by Debbie Porchetti, a member of Arc North Workshop, which is a sheltered art workshop under the umbrella of Columbus' Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. The limited edition vinyl version of Change! comes in a run of 500, and each LP features a different cover with art by Arc North members. You can see video of Arc North artists at work on the project here.

The art exhibition is a showing of these covers at Columbus' Yeah, Me Too Coffee Shop, and the Black Swans will play its opening on November 2. But the art opening is only one of a couple handfuls of shows the Swans will play this fall, most of which are in either Columbus or Brooklyn, though the next one is in Nashville on September 29.

Still with us? Good, because maybe the most awesome of the flock of Black Swans-related news is Jerry DeCicca's guest lecture on Bob Dylan at the Ohio State University's Denny Hall on November 14. Unfortunately it's not open to the public, but OSU students should keep an eye out for DeCicca's From Infidels to Time Out of Mind: The Unhinged and Rhymed Mind of Bob Dylan in the 80s and 90s.

Finally, DeCicca recently co-produced recordings by former Monument Records artist Larry Jon Wilson, the latter's first new stuff in 30 years. That music will see a UK release early next year via 1965 Records/Sony. [MORE...]

Photos: Beirut in Central Park [New York, NY; 09/26/07]

Photos by Kathryn Yu

With a full moon looming overhead, Beirut's Zach Condon and band took to the open-air stage at the Delacorte Theatre last night, nestled in New York City's verdant haven Central Park. The performance took place as part of the Joe's Pub in the Park festival, and said stage is no stranger to musical characters, as it also plays host to the famous "Shakespeare in the Park" series.

The Flying Club Cup launches October 9 Stateside via Ba Da Bing!, and a day before in the UK thanks to 4AD. Digital retailers have it now. Play a pining Juliet to Zach's Romeo at any of the remaining Beirut dates, yours-- along with more photos-- below.










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Black Mountain Reveal Future Tracklist, Cover Art
Whoa...duuuuude

The future has arrived! Or, at least, the tracklist to Black Mountain's forthcoming sophomore LP In the Future. And the prog-alicious cover art too! Study up on that so you won't have to look twice while at the record shop January 21, when Jagjaguwar unleashes this beast upon the world in CD and double LP formats.

In addition to nine brand new misty Black Mountain hops mixed by John Congleton of the Paper Chase, In the Future also includes "Stay Free", which first appeared on that Spider-Man 3 soundtrack. And what's this? My stoner rock sense is telling me that Black Mountain are poised to strike in a town near you, starting tonight in Boise, Idaho! Just remember, guys: with great riffs comes great responsibility.

Don't forget to snatch a copy of that previously mentioned tour 12" as well, which provides you access to a secret preview of In the Future on November 13. [MORE...]

Apostle of Hustle Tour With Do Make Say Think

They say the heart of blustery Canadian rock'n'roll is still beatin', and you don't have to tell that to Andrew Whiteman and his Apostle of Hustle.

Following their recent take on Huey Lewis' me-generation signpost "I Want a New Drug", Whiteman and friends are gettin' all hopped up on asphalt and rest stops on a month of North American dates, kicking off October 17 on Prince Edward Island. A few gigs later they'll join up with Do Make Say Think for that run across the continent. [MORE...]

Andrew Bird Adds Shows With Wilco, Bright Eyes

Photo by Joseph Mohan

Sure, this is the first Andrew Bird tour story we've run in a while, but my guess is, it won't be the last we run in the none-too-far-off future. The Chi-town crooner has squeezed quite a few more dates into his previously announced tour schedule (including a buncha gigs with Wilco and two spots opening for that Conor feller), but don't think for a second he's done. Even more shows are promised for January. [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.)