Futureheads Show Cancelled

The Futureheads have cancelled their Fall tour, including their Oct. 19th show at Mississippi Nights.

Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne will be playing at The Pageant on Thursday, December 7. Ray's recently released Till the Sun Turns Black is another solid album from this increasingly popular singer/songwriter/guitar player from New Hampshire. While his sound is certainly steeped in the folk-rock tradition, it is a melancholy affair, featuring violins, cellos, keyboards and horns to accentuate his whispering Nick Drake-like vocal delivery.

MP3's:
Ray LaMontagne - Three More Days
Ray LaMontagne - Be Here Now
Ray LaMontagne - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover)

More Stuff

Don't forget about the Richard Buckner/Eric Bachmann show at the Duck Room tonight (see my previous post here, with mp3's). And here's the RFT write-up on Richard Buckner.

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This is a video clip I found on YouTube of the Descendents performing their song "Clean Sheets" at Mississippi Nights in 1987:


While the video is better than I would expect for a show like this (what's the source of this?), it's certainly not the best performance from the band, but I thought it was cool, nonetheless (and I'm a big Descendents fan).

Stuff

Ouch. This picture has no relation to the post. I don't like posts without pictures, though.

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The Riverfront Times, has recently started up a blog, which you can read here. Music editor Annie Zaleski's posts are a great resource for local music goings-on; she even gave me a tip of the hat, so here's to her on that. Be sure to add it to your daily website/blog reading regimen.

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The Lineup for this year's CMJ Music Marathon, which takes place in New York from October 31 until November 4, features such bands as The Shins, The Black Keys ,Ben Lee, Deerhoof, Blonde Redhead, Architecture In Helsinki, Tapes N Tapes and Cansei de Ser Sexy (and a few hundred more).

This year, based on my initial, cusory glance at the lineup, St. Louis has one band performing at the Marathon, Bunnygrunt. If I missed any other St. Louis bands, please let me know. Springfield, MO's Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (see their MySpace page) is also playing.

MP3's:
Bunnygrunt - Me and My Vampire Friends
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - House Fire

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Here are two cover songs for you, both of which are rocking my face right now:
Bishop Allen - Psycho Killer (live Talking Heads cover)
The Polyphonic Spree - Lithium (Nirvana cover from the Spree's new EP, Wait)

Two Gallants

Two Gallants will be playing at Off Broadway on Thursday, October 12th with Langhorne Slim and Trainwreck Riders . I have never seen Two Gallants live, but have only heard good things about the San Francisco duo's live show. The band delivers its take on folk rock with punk rock intensity that has drawn comparisons to The Pogues. As an interviewer said in a recent interview with the band, "You guys write awesome drinking songs." That should sum it up.

MP3's:
Two Gallants - Las Cruces Jail
Two Gallants - Waves of Grain

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Bonus:
Ever wondered what The Beatles' "Revolution #9" sounded like backwards, but were too lazy or too lacking in a proper turntable? Well, this guy has done it for you and has provided MP3's.

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Double Bonus:
Me as a kid:

French Kicks

The new French Kicks album, Two Thousand, came out this summer and shows the band poppier than ever. They've gotten some good press, and I have yet to write about them, so consider this my recommendation. You can even make up your own mind:

MP3's:
French Kicks - Keep It Amazed
French Kicks - Also Ran

Here's the video for French Kicks' "So Far We Are":

Say Panther and The Lemp Arts Center

I recently discovered local postpunkdiscorockers Say Panther and was quite impressed with the young band's take on the whole make-the-indie-kids-dance genre that was all the rage in New York a few years ago. I imagine the distorted vocals (think Julian Casablancas of The Strokes) would get old after a whole album, but hopefully they will eventually phase that technique out on future releases as the singer gets more confident with his singing voice.

They are playing at the Biliken Club on October 7 with Real Live Tigers and Emperor X.

Here are some mp3's from Say Panther:
Say Panther - Chik Chika
Say Panther - If It's So Hard
Say Panther - Cologne

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Also, tonight, at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, come out and see Berlin Whale, who recently blew the roof off at Riddle's as part of the RFT Music Awards Showcase (and are friends with the aforementioned Say Panther), Puppet Show and God Fodder for a fundraiser for the Center. $5.

Grovefest

Grovefest is taking place this weekend on the stretch of Manchester Road that is now being called the "Grove", from noon until midnight. They didn't really do a very good job of promoting this, so I am going to go ahead and give it a mention on here; not only are there some great bands playing, but the Arch Rival Roller Girls will be playing an exhibition match, there will be a beer garden (duh), there will be a "grape stomp", and a food court featuring food from neighborhood restaurants. The imagery from the website suggests that this is a music festival, but the press release suggests more of a block party vibe. I will be out of town this weekend, but if anybody goes, please report back here. I hope it's a huge success turns into an annual event - St. Louis needs as many neighborhood street festivals as it can get - I just hope people show up to it.

Here's the Music Lineup:

• Gentlemen Auction House
  
• Bunnygrunt
  
• Seven Shot Screamers
  
• The Bureau
  
• Casey Reid
  
• The Vultures
  
• Javier Mendoza
  
• Dogtown All Stars
  
• Johnny O and the Jerks
  
• Tom Hall
  
• Soulard Blues Band

Here's the press release:

Forest Park Southeast is one of the most exciting areas of rejuvenation in St. Louis. The neighborhood enjoys many of the best proximities in the metropolitan area. Conveniently located between both major highways, 40 and 44, Forest Park Southeast is also adjacent to the finest cultural institutions the city offers; the Saint Louis Science Center, The Missouri Botanical Gardens, Forest Park, and all of the Grand Center attractions. The Washington University Medical complex is within walking distance and the Saint Louis University is just around the corner. An envisioned bio-tech corridor is progressing just across highway 40 under the Cortex initiative. And established neighborhoods nearby such as the Central West End, Tower Grove, and Lafayette Square serve as excellent role models for this neighborhoods revitalization.
Manchester Avenue as the central corridor to Forest Park Southeast offers similar building character and streetscape potential to another popular local urban and culturally diverse destination “The Loop”. A retail, dining, and entertainment district is indeed emerging along Manchester in Forest Park Southeast and is on track to become an important asset for St. Louis in much the same way The Loop has. The Forest Park Southeast Business Association has begun the grassroots work of positioning this stretch of Manchester Avenue as “The Grove” derived from adjacent Adams Grove and Tower Grove.

With this progression in mind it seemed an opportune time to hold an annual festival that celebrates the city and the uniqueness of “The Grove”. Known as the Grove Fest, the annual neighborhood showcase invites the St. Louis metropolitan area to enjoy a day of food, music, art and activities with a spot light on what’s new and what’s coming to Forest Park Southeast.

Proceeds will support the effort to continue the revitalization of Manchester Avenue by funding sidewalk and curb repair/replacement, sidewalk enlargement for outdoor seating, improved signage, streetscape trees and lighting, street furniture, parking lot improvements, and traffic light enhancements.
On behalf of the Grove Fest Committee (dedicated business owners and stakeholders in Forest Park Southeast) we whole heartedly invite you to explore this exciting neighborhoods possibility and support the 1st annual Grove Fest. This year’s event takes place on Saturday, September 23rd on Manchester between Sarah and Boyle noon to midnight.

...So there you go.

TV on the Radio

TV on the Radio just released the excellent Return to Cookie Mountain. Several of the songs leaked earlier this summer, including the blazing "Wolf Like Me" (often tagged with the title "Playhouses" on the leaked versions). They played this song on Letterman last week, and tore it up. While one could envision hearing the recorded version of "Wolf Like Me" on dancefloors everywhere, the live version from Letterman's show was essentially a punk rock song.

From The Late Show with David Letterman:


TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me [MP3]

Man Man

The Man Man show I wrote about here is now scheduled to take place at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center on Wednesday night instead of the recently closed Hi-Pointe. They will be playing with Coyote, Casey Reid, and Super Fun Yeah Yeah Rocketship. I saw Casey Reid for the first time at Cicero's during the RFT Music Awards showcase, and was quite impressed with his set. I also say Super Fun Yeah Yeah Rocketship that day and was, at the very least, quite entertained by him.

Dragonforce

DragonForce, those English purveyors of power-super-uber-neoclassical-thrash-metal, are playing at The Pageant this Tuesday, September 19. They play fast. If you don't know who Dragonforce is, this video clip should explain it all:

My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket will be playing at The Pageant on Monday, November 20. They put on an outstanding show at Mississippi Nights last November, so this show is not to be missed. The band will be releasing Okonokos, a , ahem, double live album, featuring 21 live tracks on two discs, on September 26th on ATO/RCA Records.

My Morning Jacket - Off the Record
My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday (live at the Vogue Theater on 10/23/05)
My Morning Jacket - West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys cover)

Bishop Allen - August

Bishop Allen just released the latest in their monthly series of EP's - August. From the horse's mouth:

"This month's EP took us a little longer than usual because, well, it's a lot longer than usual: 13 songs—a whole show at the Middle East (just one block from Bishop Allen Drive), plus a bonus track from Pianos in New York City, where we've been playing a lot this year.

August features a coupla chestnuts from Charm School, all our favorite songs from this year's EPs, plus two previously unreleased songs. We spent the month either getting ready for tour, devising new arrangements and all that, or out on the road, and we thought we'd share the experience with you."

You can purchase August, along with all of their other relases from their website.

Bishop Allen - The Same Fire (live)
Bishop Allen - That Summer (live)
Bishop Allen - The Flood (live)

Wolfmother

Australia's Wolfmother is playing at Mississippi Nights on Sunday, November 26. That band's live shows are becoming near-legendary (despite my less-than-stellar assessment of their Coachella performance - based on one song, briefly, from the back of the tent; I am willing to give them another shot based on the opinions of friends whose opinions I respect highly). The band is most commonly compared to Sabbath or Zeppelin, but as long as you think of heavy metal, circa 1971, your expectations should be properly set.

Wolfmother - Woman

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Also, don't forget that the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are playing tonight at the Duck Room, while Muse is playing at the Pageant with The Like. Built to Spill is playing at Mississippi Nights on Sunday.

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
Built to Spill - Carry the Zero
Built to Spill - Goin' Against Your Mind

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Extra Bonus:
DJ Sunderland - Supermassive Mandy (Muse vs. The Spinto Band)

Lot photos

Here are some photos from The Lot, which took place on Saturday, Aug. 26th at the Schlafly Tap Room. Thanks to everyone who made it out and helped make this year's event such a success. All photos are by Jim Courrier, unless noted otherwise.


Tight Pants Sydrome


Tight Pants Syndrome/Photo: Me


Tight Pants Syndrome


Fertilizer Bomb


Fertilizer Bomb/Photo: Me


Fertilizer Bomb/Photo: Me


Marquise Knox


Marquise Knox


Murder City Players


Nyquill


Nyquill


Gentleman Auction House


Gentleman Auction House


Gentleman Auction House


Gentleman Auction House


Gentleman Auction House


Gentleman Auction House


Magnolia Summer


Magnolia Summer


Magnolia Summer


Magnolia Summer


Shame Club


Shame Club


Shame Club

The Scene and Setting:







Photo: Me


Photo: Me

Elf Power

Athens, Georgia's Elf Power are playing at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room this Friday, September 15. Formed more than 10 years ago, Elf Power may not necessarily one of the better known bands to emerge from the Elephant 6 collective of bands, but certainly is as good as and writes as melodic and catchy songs as anything put out by Of Motreal, Apples in Stereo, or Beulah. I have it on good word that they put on a great live show, too, in which they are known to throw in a healthy dose of covers - but don't come in looking for a Gnarls Barkley or Prince cover (as you might hear at, say,an Of Montreal show) or some other ironic statement on pop culture; their 2002 covers-only album, Nothing's Going to Happen, featured songs by punk, new wave, and psychadelic stalwarts such as Hüsker Dü, Bad Brains, The Buzzcocks, The Misfits, The Frogs, Gary Numan, Chris Knox, and Roky Erickson. Their eighth album, Back to the Web, was released by Rykodisc in April of this year.

Elf Power - Never Believe
Elf Power - An Old Familiar Scene
Elf Power - Evil Eye

RFT Music Awards Showcase

The RFT Music Awards showcase is going on today outside at the Loop and at many of the bars and clubs on the Loop. This year, the event features three national headliners: The Minus 5, Grant-Lee Phillips and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche; plus an ass-ton of great local bands.

The Minus 5 - Goove Supply
The Minus 5 - Daggers Drawn
The Minus 5 - Dear My Inspiration

Here is the full-lineup:
Main Stage (Leland Avenue and Delmar Boulevard)
1 p.m.: Magnolia Summer
1:40 p.m.: Love Experts
2:45 p.m.: Glenn Kotche
3:45 p.m.: Grant-Lee Phillips
5 p.m.: The Minus 5
6:30 p.m.: Men, Women & Children

Market in the Loop (outdoor stage)
Noon: The Pubes
1:30 p.m.: The Vultures
3 p.m.: So Many Dynamos
4:30 p.m.: Thats My Daughter
6 p.m.: Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship
7:30 p.m.: the Schwag

Blueberry Hills Duck Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-4444)
6 p.m.: Caleb Engstrom
7 p.m.: Grant Essig
8 p.m.: Lapush
9 p.m.: Jonathan Cour
10 p.m.: Red Eyed Driver

Blueberry Hills Elvis Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-4444)
7 p.m.: DJ Trackstar
8 p.m.: Big Will/Da SLU Cru
9 p.m.: Earthworms
10 p.m.: Spaide R.I.P.P.E.R.
11 p.m.: Ruka Puff

Ciceros (6691 Delmar Boulevard; 314-862-0009)
6 p.m.: Bad Folk
7 p.m.: Casey Reid
8 p.m.: Skarekrau Radio
9 p.m.: the Bureau
10 p.m.: Madahoochi

Riddles (6307 Delmar Boulevard; 314-725-6985)
6 p.m.: Joe Stickley
7 p.m.: Bob Reuter & Thee Dirty South
8 p.m.: Berlin Whale
9 p.m.: Rats and People
10 p.m.: Tight Pants Syndrome
11 p.m.: Dirty 30s

609 (609 Eastgate Avenue; 314-721-9168)
6 p.m.: Soulard Blues Band
7 p.m.: Kim Massie
8 p.m.: LaMar Harris
9 p.m.: Bennie Smith
10 p.m.: Erin Bode

Delmar Lounge (6235 Delmar Boulevard; 314-725-6565)
7 p.m.: Dubtronix
8 p.m.: Dogtown Allstars
9 p.m.: James Will and the Engines of Creation
10 p.m.: Ghost In Light
11 p.m.: Sex Robots
Midnight: Bunnygrunt

Halo Bar (6161 Delmar Boulevard; 314-726-6161)
6 p.m.: Harkonin
7 p.m.: Est. 1974
8 p.m.: Corbeta Corbata
9 p.m.: Johnny O & the Jerks
10 p.m.: Gentleman Callers
11 p.m.: Trip Daddys
Midnight: 7 Shot Screamers

Pin-Up Bowl (6191 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-5555)
8 p.m.: Mike Gow
9 p.m.: DJ Kid Delicious
10 p.m.: DJ Crucial
11 p.m.: DJ Needles

Enon

Enon is playing at the Creepy Crawl on Tuesday, September 12th, with Tokyo Police Club and Male Models. Enon are an odd bunch, playing noisy pop-songs that are heavy on samples and experimentation but, at the same time, manage to rock out and make you want to dance. They haven't released an album since 2003's Hocus Pocus, but their live shows aren't to be missed.

Songs for you:
Enon - Knock That Door
Enon - Count Sheep
Enon - In This City
Tokyo Police Club - Citizens of Tomorrow
Tokyo Police Club - Nature of the Experiment

Get the Vote Out

The Riverfront Times has opened the polls for its annual "Best of St. Louis" issue. As luck would have it, there are entries for "Best Blog" and "Best Local Website". If you are feeling generous, you could vote for me and this blog (Dividing By Zero Will Get You Nowhere, if you're too lazy to look to the top of the screen). Place your vote here.

Recent Reviews

I've been to several shows over the past few weeks, without posting any reviews of them. So, without ado, here are my brief and occasionally shoddy reviews a few recent shows:

Frank Black, August 11 @ The Duck Room
The Frank Black show was a good, but not great show. It was just him and a guitar. Even if it was Jesus and a guitar up on stage (and this was pretty damn close), the dynamic would get old after about an hour.

He played four Pixies songs - Frank Black, not Jesus - and they were "Holiday Song", "Monkey Gone to Heaven", "Wave of Mutilation", and "Where is my Mind?" He played a John Denver cover to open the show. He played "Los Angeles". It was a sold out show. There's not much more to say than that. I wouldn't kick myself too hard for missing it, if you did.

Of Montreal & The Minders, August 14 @ Mississippi Nights
The last time I saw Of Montreal here in town, it was a sellout and just a great, great party. This time was good, but not as good, and I'm saying that even though the venue I saw them at earlier in the year (the Gargoyle) didn't serve alcohol. The Minders were first, and they were great, without me even knowing any of their songs. I imagine that if I had known the songs, I would have enjoyed them as much, if not more than, as Of Montreal. As for their sound, I would describe them as your typical Elephant 6, 60's influenced-pop crossed with the noise and feedback of Sonic Youth's and Yo La Tengo's melodic noisy passages. it worked very well. They even closed with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam" as a tribute to the recently deceased Syd Barrett.

Of Montreal's set started with the band members marching onto stage waving battlefield-styled flags and wearing dresses. The band started out good, but it seemed like the mix was a little off. A couple instruments were monstrously loud, and you often couldn't really hear Kevin Barnes' vocals. The mix problems really pissed me off for the first 20 minutes or so. Then the beer kicked in and I didn't care quite as much. Additionally, the volume level was painfully high. Imean, it was really, really loud. It hurt the overall experience because with a band like Of Montreal, who have a lot going on and the whose melodies tend to be the loudest parts of the songs, the mix got really distorted at the crescendoes of the songs. I would say the crowd generally picked up the energy level as the show went on. Also remember that it was on a Monday night.

They took a quick break before the encore, in which they played a great version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" as they have been wont to do on this tour. If YouTube wasn't being a bitch, I would post video of it. Overall, the show was great, but I liked Of Montreal's perfomance better when I saw them last February.

Chuck Berry/The Haints, August 16 @ The Duck Room
Chuck Berry plays once a month at Blueberry Hill here in St. Louis. It sells out every month, too. I went in 2000 when I first moved to St. Louis and had a great time then. We decided it was time to go back and, six years later, Chuck still sounds great. He looks appreciably older, and his hands are a little slower on the fretboard, but his voice is as solid as ever and he is always the consummate showman. His son plays the second guitar in the band and his daughter sings on a few songs. She also plays a mean harmonica on several songs and just wails. On stage, Chuck also plays the doting father, stepping back for his son to take the spotlight on solos and prodding his daughter out of the corner and to the front of the crowd. It was a solid show.

When we walked in, The Haints were already playing. They were playing a americana/50's rock meld that brought to mind Buddy Holly as much as it did Son Volt. The singer's voice sounded familiar, but I was sure I had never heard The Haints before. It all fell into place when a friend informed me that The Haints were more commonly known as the Groovie Ghoulies. This was their country/acoustic side band. Having never seen the Groovie Ghoulies play live before, I didn't recognize them. They were good, but I definitely prefer the Ghoulies.

Split Lip Rayfield, August 17 @ The Duck Room
SOLD OUT. I suck because I should have gotten tickets beforehand. Boo to me.

Decibully/The Headlights/Gentleman Auction House, August 29 @ the Hi-Pointe
There were several bands playing this night that I wanted to see. The night out was also to serve as a last hurrah at the soon-to-be-closed Hi-pointe for me and my friends.

We first showed up at the venue right as Gentleman Auction House was finishing, which was unfortunate, since they really were the band I was interested in seeeing. There had been a booking foul-up, and the ended up only playing for about 20 minutes. Bummer for me. Up next was some band that I believe was actually touring with Decibully. This unknown band was horrrible. The music was slightly mathy, but the guys voice was so bad... and it was mixed really high in the mix. We lasted about one song before we headed downstairs to the bar. It was the last week open for the venue, so we were happy to sit down at the main bar (the music is upstairs) and reminisce about the place.

After about 40 minutes, we headed back upstairs to see The Headlights, who are from Champaign, IL, and were great. The most obvious musical reference would be Grandaddy, with less fuzzy distortion. The songs were sung by both the dude guitar player and the chick keyboard player. The chick had a great, great, voice. Breathy like Bjork, but not quite. It fit with the music very well. They would go from keyboard-heavy ambient moments right into bright and poppy indie rock songs. The bass player also played keyboards and would occasionally whip out an acocrdian. I liked them.

Then was Decibully. It was three people from Decibully plus 3/4's of The Headlights on stage. I really wanted to like them. Or, I should say, they really wanted us to like them, but it just wasn't happening. They were always on the verge of playing just an awesome rocking-out part, but never did. It was frustrating. All the songs started sounding the same. It was like a showcase for how great the singer was -- he clearly wanted to be Eric Bachmann or John Darnielle -- but the problem was, his lyrics were nothing to write home about and the songs themselves didn't draw you in, so you weren't really left with much. It was a school night, so we left early.

Overall, it was an OK evening. I wouldn't see Decibully again. I would show up early to see The Headlights if they were playing with someone else I knew. I might even see them on their own.

The Reverend Horton Heat

The Reverend Horton Heat is playing tomorrow night at Mississippi Nights with Horrorpops.

This post also serves as another post in my Self-Indulgent Musical Memories series of posts (see previous entries here and here).

I have seen the Reverend more times than I have seen any band (barely beating out Old 97s), with the current count standing somewhere in the 30-35 range. It has actually been almost two years since the last time I saw the band, so I am very excited about tomorrow night's show.

I first got into the band about 11 years ago, right around the release of 1995's Liquor in the Front. That album still stands out as an all-time favorite for me. Everytime I listen to it, I am reminded of driving around Dallas with friends, looking for bad neighborhoods that might have liquor stores that wouldn't card, when our old standby's like Cool's were closed or for some reason were carding. I am reminded of the many hours pre-partying in the free parking in Deep Ellum behind the old furniture store on Elm before we made our way into Trees to see the show. And I am reminded of consistently great live shows put on by a great showman (even if the majority of these memories are heavily biased by the consumption of booze - the Reverend's shows have a tendency to lead you down that path). The trio of guitarist and band leader Jim "The Reverend" Heath, bassist Jimbo "Nature Boy" Wallace, and new drummer Paul Simmons always put on an entertaining and lively show. The band helped bring the term "psychobilly" to a wider audience, expanding on the musical template of The Cramps, combining rockabilly, punk, surf rock, and country into one high-energy package, topped off by the unique and expert guitar playing of Heath.

In the heady days of 95-98, the Reverend usually opened his shows with the one-two-three-four punch of Liquor in the Front's first four songs: "Big Sky"/"Baddest of the Bad"/"One Time for Me"/"Five-O Ford". That's a hell of a way to start off a show, and it's a testament to the strength of that album that they kept opening with that set of songs well after they released subsequent albums.

When I went away to college in 1996, I was able to see the band in my college town once or twice a year, and the band was inevitably playing in Dallas on the weekends I would come home - especially on Thanksgiving weekend and often on Christmas night. I have yet to see them in St. Louis, despite the fact I've lived here for 6 years.

Reverend Horton Heat - Five-O Ford
Reverend Horton Heat - Bales of Cocaine
Reverend Horton Heat - Big Red Rocket of Love
Reverend Horton Heat - Baddest of the Bad
Reverend Horton Heat - Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash cover)

The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats just announced a second leg to their fall tour, and have included St. Louis on their itinerary. They will be playing at the Gargoyle on October 23, which is unfortunately a Monday. Nonetheless, they put on a great show and the, um, "intimate" environs of the Gargoyle should be a nice setting for singer John Darnielle's wonderful lyrics. The Mountain Goats just released their latest CD, Get Lonely, on 4AD records.


The Mountain Goats - New Monster Avenue
The Mountain Goats - Cotton


Here are all their dates this fall:
September
14 - Minneapolis, MN, Triple Rock Social Club
15 - Ames, IA, The Maintenance Shop
16 - Chicago, IL, The Empty Bottle
18 - Kalamazoo, MI, Kraftbrau Brewery
19 - Toronto, ON, Lee's Palace
20 - Pittsburgh, PA, The Andy Warhol Museum
21 - Athens, OH, The Union
23 - Ithaca, NY, Appel Commons at Cornell University
24 - Northhampton, MA, Pearl Street
26 - - Cambridge, MA, The Middle East
28 - - Washington, DC, The Black Cat
30 - - New York, NY, The Bowery Ballroom

October
1 - - New York, NY, The Bowery Ballroom
20 - Durham, NC, Troika Music Festival
23 - St. Louis, MO, Washington University
24 - Springfield, MO, Randy Bacon Gallery
26 - Norman, OK, the Opolis
27 - Lubbock, TX, Jake's Back Room
28 - Denton, TX, Rubber Gloves
29 - Austin, TX, the Parish
31 - Baton Rouge, LA, Spanish Moon

November
1 - Birmingham, AL, the Bottle Tree
3 - Atlanta, GA, the Earl
4 - St Augustine, FL, Cafe Eleven
6 - Tallahassee, FL, Club Downunder

Stuff

There is a general rule of blogging that says there is no quicker way to lose readers than to not post regularly, if not daily. I am obviously challenging this rule.

Anyway, in lieu of any substantive post, here's the video for "Chinese Translation" by M Ward, featuring Jim James from My Morning Jacket on backup vocals:

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...And here's a recording of Sonic Youth's set at the Pageant last weekend (registration required):

Sonic Youth - 8/26/06 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO