Elf Power, Black Moth Super Rainbow do MACRoCK

From all over the mid-Atlantic states, they'll come: the few, the underpaid, the geeky. Yes, the crappy-promo-CD-envelope-openers of the region's college radio stations will converge on Harrisonburg, VA this weekend (April 4-5) for the annual Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (aka MACRoCk) conference.

Beyond all the talk of soundboards and CMJ charts is a fine rock'n'roll festival, if you know just where to look. Tucked away in several of Harrisonburg's music venues like a rare full-art copy, you'll find the likes of Elf Power, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Maps and Atlases, Aloha, Owen, Videohippos, Unwed Sailor, the Forms, the Extraordinaires, Anathallo, Fin Fang Foom, and Cloak/Dagger, among so many others.

Registration is still open, so even if you don't spend many of your wee hours of the morning playing Captain Beefheart to an imaginary audience, you're still free to MACRoCK around the clock.

Boris Recover Dude's Lost Ear, Write Song About It
Not a late April Fool's joke, we swear

As Japan's premiere noise-making trio, Boris have certainly wrecked a few ears in their day. But never quite like this.

Denton, Texas resident Josh Baish journeyed all the way to Marfa to catch Boris play at that city's Ballroom venue on October 18, 2007. During the performance he was assaulted by four men, who broke one of his ribs and managed to bite off a chunk of one of his ears.

It doesn't get much shittier than that, but then, it doesn't get much cooler than this either: while loading out after the gig, Boris found the missing piece of Baish's ear and returned it to him in the hopes it might be reattached. That's Baish with Boris vocalist/double-neck guitarist/bassist Takeshi-- and Baish's ear chunk on ice-- pictured above.

And then Boris wrote a song about it.

Baish received a "Statement/Floorshaker" 7" in the mail earlier this year, and upon hearing the first few lines of B-side "Floorshaker"-- "I found a ripped ear on the floor/ This must be yours"-- he couldn't help but Smile. And while it turned out surgeons couldn't reattach the ear piece, Baish went ahead and enshrined it behind the bar at the venue he owns in Denton, Rubber Gloves. Have a look:



As Baish summed up in an email to Pitchfork, "So basically, I lost my ear and broke a rib at a concert from my favorite band, and they wrote a song about it. I'd say it was worth it."

We sure hope Baish can properly hear Boris' latest, Smile, which hits U.S. shops April 29 and UK/European ones April 21 via Southern Lord. For a refresher on all the different formats/tracklists/covers, go here and here.

And should you happen to lose a body part somewhere in Europe over the coming weeks, or at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer, well, Boris might just be there to find it for you. [MORE...]

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Spring 2008

Welcome to a brand new addition to the Pitchfork News Department! It's our seasonal guide to upcoming releases, in which we list notable albums, EPs, singles, DVDs, and other musical goodies due in shops (both brick-and-mortar and otherwise) in the weeks and months ahead. Expect to see one of these every three months.

Compiling such a list isn't easy in this day and age, with different release dates for digital and physical versions of albums, as well as different release dates for different countries. So we tried to stick with North American physical release dates as much as possible, with exceptions as noted. When an album's North American release date differs from its overseas one, we also made a note of that.

Keep in mind that release dates are as shifty as Chicago weather, and any one of these is subject to change at any moment. [MORE...]

Caribou Find Replacement Drummer, Resume Tour

Photo by Alex Burack

Sweet relief! The epic Caribou/Fuck Buttons tour, in jeopardy following a broken wrist suffered by drummer Brad Weber over the weekend, is all set to continue as scheduled tonight (April 1) in Carrboro.

The band's search for a last-minute replacement drummer has ended successfully. Let's meet the man, shall we? His name is Ahmed Gallab, he has a project called Sinkane (they're opening the April 9 Caribou/Fuck Buttons show, in fact), and he likes piña coladas, walking in the rain, and rocking your face off. Welcome to the team, Ahmed! See you on the road. [MORE...]

Elbow Send New Album Stateside, Tour

Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes, watch out! UK rockers Elbow are elbowing their way back onto the scene with the Stateside release of their new album, The Seldom Seen Kid. The follow-up to 2005's Leaders of the Free World is available now across the pond, and it comes out April 22 here via Fiction/Geffen. The Seldom Seen Kid's recently-released first U.S. single, a digital affair, is called "One Day Like This".

These arm joints have a ton of tour dates in the UK, Europe, and North America to support The Seldom Seen Kid, starting with an April 4 appearance in Glasgow. [MORE...]

Weezer Reveal New Album Title? Or April Fool's Joke?
June 17 release date confirmed

Apparently content to limit their muse to the inside of a Crayola box, Weezer have revealed their new album's title:

Weezer.

They're referring to this third Weezer as their "Red Album" (you know, following the "Blue Album" and the "Green Album"), according to a RollingStone.com report.

However, a publicist from Interscope says that the title has not been confirmed yet. So it might be an April Fool's joke? If it's not, they have some pretty stiff competition for best Red Album.

The Rolling Stone-reported release date of June 17 has been confirmed, however.

The Make Believe follow-up is the band's sixth album, and it features production from Rick Rubin, "Jacknife" Lee, and frontman/sawngwriter Rivers Cuomo. The RollingStone.com report also names "Pork and Beans" as the first single from the "Red Album", which is certainly not a word that "starts with a T, ends with an R and contains twelve letters." Another joke?

According to the Weezer website, a new Weezer song called "Automatic (LA Riots remix)" appears on the soundtrack to the game Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. And what's so special about this song, other than the fact that it appears to have been remixed by LA Riots? Well, it's sung by Pat Wilson, not Rivers Cuomo! Also, a new Weezer song called "Everybody Get Dangerous" is apparently in that 21 movie.

The Rivers Cuomo sawngwriting contest is still going strong as well, with Steps 3b and 4 having been added since our last update. We're up to arrangements. He likes what he's seen so far, but he wants it FASTER, people!

Dischord/Indie Pop Vets Release Debut as Julie Ocean

Like a little pop puzzle, DC foursome Julie Ocean formed from the pieces of more indie bands than we can wrap our heads around. With a collective résumé that includes time spent in Velocity Girl, Glo-Worm, Swiz, Weatherhead, and Dischord acts the High Back Chairs and Severin, let's just say these dudes have credentials.

Julie Ocean will release their debut album, Long Gone and Nearly There, via Philly label Transit of Venus on May 13. Produced by Geoff Sanoff (Luna, Secret Machines, Fountains of Wayne), Long Gone sports 10 songs and clocks in at less than 30 minutes. The group will support the record with a couple shows in and near their hometown, and they have plans to play a larger East Coast tour in the future. [MORE...]

Kanye, Nine Inch Nails Head Up Baltimore's Virgin Fest

The first time's always a little awkward, and the second's never as good as you remember it, either. So, then, sit back, take a few deep breaths, and prepare thyself for the third installment of the American version of the Virgin Mobile Festival, which hits Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course the weekend of August 9-10.

The headliners for the big to-do are Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Jack "I Signed a Package Deal For This Stuff" Johnson, and, for your nostalgic bemusement, Stone Temple Pilots.

This, of course, is only the beginning, as the Virgin Festival organizers promise to let us in on the rest of the lineup in the coming weeks. Virgin Festival is also making a note of its efforts to go green, with the goal of minimizing carbon emissions. Says Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Richard Branson, "Virgin Mobile USA will again host a wonderfully eco-friendly event that's light on carbon impact but heavy on the rock and roll." So long as there's beer, man.

Dirty Projectors Back on the Road With Added Dates

Photo by Mia Ferm

Their tour technically began Sunday (March 30), but with apologies to the cities of Boston and Montreal, let's just say Dirty Projectors start their spring jaunt tonight in Toronto. So what are you waiting for? Hop a plane to Ontario already! Alternately, you could just wait for the punk-loving proggers to make their way to your home city, which they almost undoubtedly will, no matter where you live.

After touring North America with No Kids in April, the Projectors will head to Europe for a round of recently announced dates, including their stop at ATP vs. Pitchfork. They'll follow that set later this summer with an appearance at the sequel, aka the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival. [MORE...]

Death Cab for Cutie Add Dates, Gibbard Makes a Funny

Holy transit metaphors, showgoers: less than a week after our last musings on the matter, Death Cab for Cutie have already expanded their forthcoming North American tour. Ben and the boys went and filled in quite a few gaps in their May/June plans (ha), which find them hitting stages all over the U.S. and Canada throughout the late spring.

Of course, the trip is no mere joyride: all this new activity comes in the wake of Atlantic's May 13 release of the band's sixth full-length, Narrow Stairs. Prep that hailin' finger and click "MORE" below to see just where you can catch this Cab.

And while you're down there, make a note of the date and then say hello to Ben Gibbard's new vibes-heavy "side project", Just Jazzin'. Watch Ben explain his Just Jazzin' muse below, and download the entire self-titled Just Jazzin' debut, featuring guest appearances by Spank Rock, Sufjan Stevens, CSS, Will Oldham, Ian Curtis, and Yanni, right here.

[MORE...]

Cure, Bloc Party, Who, Rhys, Weller on Charity DVD

Once a year since 2000, Roger Daltrey of the Who gathers a generous portion of (mostly) British musicians and lets 'em loose on the big stage of London's Royal Albert Hall for a week or so. It's all in the name of the Teenage Cancer Trust, an organization that seeks to help provide special services for young folks afflicted with cancer.

Royal Albert Hall's a big place, sure, but no stadium on earth could contain every right-minded Who fan. So, come April 14, DVD Music Media Ltd. will issue TCT at the Royal Albert Hall, a DVD highlight reel of the 2006-2007 events. The UK-only video disc sports turns from the Cure, Bloc Party, the Who, Gruff Rhys, Kaiser Chiefs, Noel Gallagher of Oasis with and without Paul Weller of the Jam, the Coral, the View, Judas Priest, and others. Naturally, the money from this thing will be poured back into the Teenage Cancer Trust, so do yourself-- and, more importantly, the kids-- a favor.

How's this for good timing? The next round of Teenage Cancer Trust shows at the Royal Albert Hall kicks off April 8 with Madness. The full schedule is after the jump. [MORE...]

Lykke Li to Issue Little EP in the States

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Swedish-born popstress Lykke Li's "Little Bit" is more than just a little bit catchy. It's as good an introduction as any to Li's dynamic, atmospheric pop. And, wouldn't you know it, it's the first track on Li's Little Bit EP, which arrives in the States via her own LL Recordings May 6.

Backed by a trio of tracks-- including the equally infectious "Dance Dance Dance"-- the EP will serve to tantalize before Lykke Li's fine Youth Novels LP arrives in the U.S. later this year. And speaking of catchiness, the EP was produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John.

Li, as we've mentioned, is hanging around with that El Perro del Mar character quite a little bit over the next few months, with dates in Europe and North America this month and the next. [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.)