Secret Machines Sign To Sire; Full-Length Debut Due in 2004
Deal stipulates mandatory group lube after every 3,000 units sold

[Posted Tuesday, October 28th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Secret Machines have just mastered their full-length debut for Warner-affiliated Sire Records, according to guitarist Benjamin Curtis. "We have been working on it off and on since the Spring of '03," Curtis informed Pitchfork through the magic of Friendster. "A title hasn't been settled on as of today, but it definitely won't be self-titled. Life's too short for a 'self-titled debut'."

In regards to the sound of the new album, Curtis elaborated: "It's self-produced, mixed by Rich Costey and the Secret Machines, and is a huge improvement on the sound of [the group's debut EP] September 000. I haven't heard anything else like it, really, so I don't know what else to compare it to other than what we've been doing live in the past year. Our label has been more than supportive. They encouraged us to make a record we're happy with, and then left us do to it. What more could we want?" Curtis also provided us with a tentative tracklist, which reads as follows:

01 First Wave Intact
02 Sad And Lonely
03 The Leaves Are Gone
04 Nowhere Again
05 The Road Leads Where It's Lead
06 Pharoahs' Daughter
07 You Are Chains
08 Light's On
09 Now Here Is Nowhere

September 000 (released last year on Ace Fu) was a sparse and gently unravelling tapestry of experimental pop, making use of traditional instrumentation but eschewing the psych-pop genre's cliches and forging a bold new sound entirely their own. But although the short-player was an excellent achievement (and landed at #37 on our list of the Top 50 records of 2002) it was, more than anything else, a promise of even better things to come. The album is set for release in February, and you can catch the band live at a handful of upcoming dates in December:

12-04 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber
12-05 Harrisburg, PA - Gullifty's Underground
12-06 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Fun House & Theatre

Secret Machines: http://www.thesecretmachines.com
Sire: http://www.sirerecords.com
Ace Fu: http://www.acefu.com

Beck, Rilo Kiley Headline Elliott Smith Memorial Concert
Shut-out fans stock up on roadie bandanas, Mentos

[Updated Tuesday, October 28th, 2003 20:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

In what might be the biggest here's-something-really-cool-you-unfortunately-can't-enjoy story of the month, Beck, Beth Orton, Rilo Kiley, Lou Barlow, Alaska!, Radar Bros and Future Pigeon have all signed on for a memorial concert to be held next Monday, November 3rd, at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Each artist will perform at least one of Smith's songs, and the program will also include a screening of Steve Hanft's bizarro short Strange Parallel, which features the late singer obsessed with an infomercial where he can purchase a robotic hand that will make him the world's greatest guitar player (I know, you just have to see it). All proceeds will benefit the Elliott Smith Foundation for Abused Children, a charity fund that Smith had set up before his untimely death.

In our earlier update, we noted that the event had sold out; apparently, more tickets may become available later this week. Please check the official Elliott Smith website, Sweet Adeline, for more details. Also, the lineup has changed somewhat as Grandaddy and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst will not be able to perform at the event. Lou Barlow, Papa M and Alaska! have been added to the bill, which also promises "special guests." Actually, it promises SPECIAL GUESTS in capital letters, so they're probably just that special. If you don't live in Los Angeles or would simply like to contribute to Smith's charity, the foundation has set up an address where fans can send donations in Smith's memory: The Elliott Smith Foundation, 2658 Griffith Park Blvd #195, Los Angeles, CA 90039.

Elliott Smith: http://www.sweetadeline.net

Pretty Girls Make Graves Cover Bow Wow Wow, Extend Fall Tour
Editors fear Byrom's next news story will be in form of elaborate knock-knock joke

[Posted Tuesday, October 28th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Pretty Girls Make Graves have recorded a cover of Bow Wow Wow's "C30 C60 C90 Go" for inclusion on the "All Medicated Geniuses" single to be released in December. The bad news is that the single will be released only in the UK, not here in the U.S. On the bright side, Matador will have the single available through its website. But on the other hand, the single will have an ancient curse upon it. Sometimes, you just can't win. But it has a Bow Wow Wow cover on it, right? Just checking. Tracklist:

01 All Medicated Geniuses
02 C30 C60 C90 Go [Bow Wow Wow]
03 Magic Lights
04 This Is Our Emergency [video]

In addition, the band is in the midst of a lengthy tour that will take them to the UK in December. The good news is that the tour is expanding almost as rapidly as PGMG's fanbase. The bad news is that they will only be doing U.S. dates until the end of November. Though you could make the case that there are plenty of Midwest and West Coast dates left in the tour, they almost certainly won't be able to make it to my annual Thanksgiving potluck. Tour dates:

10-28 East Lansing, MI - Union Ballroom
10-29 Detroit, MI - The Shelter
10-30 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10-31 Covington, KY - Jillian's
11-01 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Bar
11-02 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
11-19 Portland, OR - Dante's
11-21 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
11-22 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
11-23 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
11-25 San Antonio, TX - Sin 13
11-26 Houston, TX - Fat Cats
11-27 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
11-28 Austin, TX - Emo's
11-29 El Paso, TX - Club 101
12-01 Las Vegas, NV - Crossroads
12-15 Oxford, England - Zodiac
12-16 Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
12-17 Manchester, England - Uni
12-18 London, England - Meanfiddler
12-19 Brighton, England - Freebut

Pretty Girls Make Graves: http://www.prettygirlsmakegraves.com
Matador: http://www.matadorrecords.com

Johnny Cash Box Set Details Unearthed
Posthumous volume offers hitchhikers convenient way to avoid paying in ass or grass

[Posted Tuesday, October 28th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

November 25th will see the release of a five-disc posthumous box set from Johnny Cash. Titled Unearthed, the set will contain a whopping 79 songs (a staggering 64 of which have never been released) recorded between 1994 and 2002 under the supervision of producer Rick Rubin during the sessions for Cash's four mostly-stellar American Recordings albums.

Among the gems included in discs one through three are acoustic versions of the Cash classics "Long Black Veil" and "Flesh and Blood," plus covers of Steve Earle's "Devil's Right Hand," Roy Orbison's "Down the Line," and two Neil Young tracks, "Pocahontas" and "Heart of Gold." In addition, you can expect many unreleased duets with stars from the past and present including Carl Perkins, Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Nick Cave, and Tom Petty. One of the more somber duets promises to be Cash and late Clash vocalist Joe Strummer on a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song."

Disc four will apparently be Cash's long-rumored, but never realized collection of traditional gospel hymns recorded with Rubin. Subtitled "My Mother's Hymn Book," the disc will feature 15 solo, acoustic, deeply spiritual songs taken from a book of hymns Cash's mother sang to him when he was a child. The disc should be a fascinating addition to the set due to Cash's open, and sometimes behavior-contradicting, deeply religious nature.

Disc five, the only previously released material in the set, will be a greatest hits of his four American Recordings discs. In addition, the set will include a 104 page, cloth-bound book full of commentary on each track from Cash, Rubin, and many others, along with one of Cash's final interviews. Tracklist:

Disc one: "Who's Gonna Cry":
01 Long Black Veil
02 Flesh And Blood
03 Just The Other Side Of Nowhere
04 If I Give My Soul
05 Understand Your Man
06 Banks Of The Ohio
07 Two Timin' Woman
08 The Caretaker
09 Old Chunk Of Coal
10 I'm Going To Memphis
11 Breaking Bread
12 Waiting For A Train
13 Casey's Last Ride
14 No Earthly Good
15 The Fourth Man In The Fire
16 Dark As A Dungeon
17 Book Review
18 Down There By The Train

Disc two: "Trouble In Mind":
01 Pocahontas
02 I'm A Drifter [version 1]
03 Trouble In Mind
04 Down The Line
05 I'm Moving On
06 As Long As The Green Grass Shall Grow
07 Heart of Gold
08 The Running Kind [with Tom Petty]
09 Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
10 Brown-Eyed Handsome Man [with Carl Perkins]
11 'T' For Texas
12 Devil's Right Hand
13 I'm A Drifter [version 2]
14 Like A Soldier [with Willie Nelson]
15 Drive On [alternate lyrics]
16 Bird on a Wire [live with orchestra]

Disc three: "Redemption Songs":
01 A Singer Of Songs
02 The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
03 Redemption Song [with Joe Strummer]
04 Father And Son [with Fiona Apple]
05 Chattanooga Sugar Babe
06 He Stopped Loving Her Today
07 Hard Times
08 Wichita Lineman
09 Cindy [with Nick Cave]
10 Big Iron
11 Salty Dog
12 Gentle On My Mind [with Glen Campbell]
13 You Are My Sunshine
14 You'll Never Walk Alone
15 The Man Comes Around [early take]

Disc four: "My Mother's Hymn Book":
01 Where We'll Never Grow Old
02 I Shall Not Be Moved
03 I Am a Pilgrim
04 Do Lord
05 When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
06 If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven
07 I'll Fly Away
08 Where The Soul Of A Man Never Dies
09 Let The Lower Lights Be Burning
10 When He Reached Down
11 In The Sweet By And By
12 I'm Bound For The Promised Land
13 In The Garden
14 Softly And Tenderly
15 Just As I Am

Disc five: "Redemption Songs":
01 Delia's Gone
02 Bird On A Wire
03 Thirteen [Danzig]
04 Rowboat [Beck]
05 The One Rose
06 Rusty Cage [Soundgarden]
07 Southern Accents
08 The Mercy Seat [Nick Cave]
09 Solitary Man [Neil Diamond]
10 Wayfaring Stranger
11 One [U2]
12 I Hung My Head
13 The Man Comes Around
14 We'll Meet Again
15 Hurt [Nine Inch Nails]

Johnny Cash: http://www.johnnycash.com
American: http://www.americanrecordings.com

Aesop Rock Expands Fall Tour
A BITCH!/ Ready to whelp, earnestly axed/ A shepherd for a place to drop her litter/ Damn!

[Posted Tuesday, October 28th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

In September, Definitive Jux MC Aesop Rock left New York like a bat outta hell-- or like a bat into hell, if we're talking about some kind of crazy hell-bat that loves hell-- to tour in support of his smokin' new platter of politically conscious hip-hop, Bazooka Tooth. Accompanied by fellow Def Juxers El-P, DJ Wiz, Mr. Lif, MURS, and DJ Fakts One, Aesop has extended his tour through December and picked up a few more road warriors to augment his "fabled" (sorry) live sets, including S.A. Smash, C-Rayz Walz and Akrobatik. It's tough to get that many rappers together at once-- how many times have you gone to see a show by the Wu-Tang Clan, only for Cappadonna to show up alone with a broken turntable and a head cold? Def Jux is more reliable (umm, at least where Cannibal Ox isn't involved).

The new dates include a stop at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, where, unless it's a very misleadingly named club, Aesop and company will rock the cipher with snake handlers, thinly-veiled atheists and people who worship fire hydrants. The last leg of the gargantuan tour also seems to include a series of stops at some franchised venue called TBA; I wonder if we'll get one here in Chapel Hill soon? Probably not, we don't even rate a Wal-Mart Super Center yet! Marvel at the amazing, expanding tour schedule, as per the official Definitive Jux webjoint (all dates with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One):

10-28 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
10-29 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *
10-31 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase *
11-01 Worcester, MA - The Grind *
11-02 Boston, MA - Middle East *
11-13 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge #
11-14 Athens, GA - 40 Watt #
11-15 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle #
11-17 Orlando, FL - Social #
11-18 Miami, FL - I/O #
11-19 Tampa, FL - State Theater #
11-20 Gainesville, FL - Common Ground #
11-21 New Orleans, LA - Tulane University #
11-22 Houston, TX - Rhythm Room #
11-23 Austin, TX - Emo's #
11-24 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room #
12-04 Ft. Collins, CO - Aggie Theater $
12-05 Boulder, CO - Fox Theater $
12-06 Salt Lake City, UT - TBA $
12-08 Seattle, WA - TBA $
12-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richards on Richards $
12-10 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater $
12-12 San Francisco, CA - Slim's $
12-13 Los Angeles, CA - TBA $
12-14 San Diego, CA - TBA $
12-15 Las Vegas, NV - TBA $
12-16 Phoenix, AZ - Bash on Ash $
12-17 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater $

* with MURS, S.A. Smash
# with C-Rayz Walz
$ with Akrobatik

.: The Bitch and Her Whelps: here

Def Jux: http://www.definitivejux.net

Deftones Handpick Denali For Fall Tour
Also pick dodgeball team, ceramic tile for kitchen, own noses

[Posted Tuesday, October 28th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The Deftones (a band I let scream at me every day of my early adolescence, and loved it) have stumbled into the prongs of their cliche, leaving some fans wishing for some more Around the Fur action, and I don't mean the kind you get from Peaches' overexposed armpits. With their last self-titled release dropping into near obscurity just weeks after its release, the Deftones are spinning another 180 with their opening band selection: Denali. That's right-- Denali-- handpicked and ready to support them on their fall tour.

Denali are touring in support of their just-dropped second album, The Instinct, on Jade Tree. The dates:

10-30 Las Vegas, NV - Cox Pavillion
10-31 San Diego, CA - SOMA
11-01 Phoenix, AZ - Mesa Amplitheater
11-03 Albuquerque, NM - Albuquerque Convention Center
11-05 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
11-06 Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall
11-07 Grand Prairie, TX - Next Stage At Grand Prairie
11-08 New Orleans, LA - State Palace Theatre
11-10 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
11-11 Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
11-13 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
11-14 Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
11-15 Washington, D.C. - Patriot Center
11-17 Worcester, MA - Palladium
11-19 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
11-20 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
11-21 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
11-22 Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Convention Center

Deftones: http://www.deftones.com
Denali: http://www.denalimusic.com

Fate Of Unreleased Elliott Smith Album To Be Decided By Family

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The unreleased album that Elliott Smith had been preparing for an early 2004 release might see release on a label other than Dreamworks, according to comments on an hour-long tribute broadcast last weekend on the syndicated radio program New Ground. Host Chris Douridas assembled the tribute from interviews with Kill Rock Stars' Slim Moon, Smith's friend and one-time manager Margaret Mittleman, producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, Dreamworks head Lenny Waronker, and Smith's A&R rep, Luke Wood.

Of the unreleased album, known by its working title From A Basement On The Hill, Wood said that Smith probably had more than 30 songs tracked for the record. "I think there's definitely enough of that record that his family will be able to finish it up," Wood told New Ground. "They're gonna decide where it comes out, because that record was his record-- Dreamworks gave it back to him, and it was gonna come out on an independent label of his choosing, and now that'll be the family's choice. So, you know, hopefully next year we'll all get to hear it."

In the interview, Wood also expressed his surprise at Smith's apparent suicide last Tuesday: "As someone who's spent time with Elliott in the last few months, who saw him... he was really clean, and focused... I really thought that the worst days were behind him, and I felt like his drive to get this record out, you know, was what was keeping him looking forward to the next day."

Wood confirmed on the program that Smith's work-in-progress was meant to be a double album that reconciles the hushed intimacy of his earlier home-recorded albums with the ambitious, layered production that characterized XO and Figure 8. Wood called the album, as Smith envisioned it, a "true summary of all of his records" that veered from the "intimate, brutally honest two-track guitar/vocal-- you know, that certainly signified the earlier records-- to these bizarre, lush, beautiful, hectic, you know, really pushing-the-envelope sort of stereo, spectral, soundscape, multi-track drum songs... [like] something you'd hear off of Pet Sounds, but in the most, you know, creative, pushing-the-envelope moments of Pet Sounds."

Producers Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock remembered Smith's creative drive and an often jovial atmosphere in the studio. "People've been asking me, like, well, was, you know... was [Smith] just a miserable person?" Schnapf said. "And, uh, no... we had a lot of fun making these records. For example, XO, a lot of it was made in a wig... you know, we were wearing wigs... we weren't all depressed, we weren't shoegazing the whole time... it was fun, it was really rewarding."

Rothrock fondly shared stories of recording with Smith at Abbey Road, and shared an unreleased instrumental from the Figure 8 sessions, the Beatlesque "Tiny Time Machine," on the program. The tribute is archived by NPR affiliate KCRW on their website linked below.

Elliott Smith: http://www.sweetadeline.net
New Ground: http://www.kcrw.org/show/gz

Hot Hot Heat Dodge Studio, Tour Canada
DJ Curad prepares "ouchless" remix of "Bandages"

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

As last reported in September, Hot Hot Heat will soon be returning home to Canada and their homes in Victoria, on the isle of Vancouver. Now, we hoped that the hyperactive young lads would hole up in a recording studio for at least a couple of weeks, perhaps to wrap up that new record they pumped to Drowned In Sound (something along the lines of, "we have a couple [of songs] that are completed and a bunch of stuff in the works"). But apparently the boys are indulging in just a bit more teenage adulation with countless (well, more than my ten fingers will allow) shows across the land that celebrates Thanksgiving on Columbus Day weekend.

Come on, fellas: you've been touring for a year, I've heard "Bandages" more than ten (read: countless) times on the radio and I saw you live in three venues in two states-- let's hear the new material already. Don't get all Interpol on us, even if we have seen your CD's side by side at Target. Tour dates, Canadian style:

10-27 Bristol, England - Bristol University $
10-29 London, England - Astoria
10-30 Norwich, England - Waterfront
11-01 Sheffield, England - Leadmill $
11-02 Manchester, England - MDH $
11-03 Newcastle, England - Newcastle University $
11-04 Glasgow, Scotland - QMU $
11-05 Nottingham, England - Rock City $
11-06 Wolverhampton, England - Wulfrun Hall $
11-08 Lille, France - Aeronef #
11-09 Paris, France - La Cigalle (w/ My Morning Jacket) #
11-10 Nantes, France - Olympic #
11-12 Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey #
11-15 Victoria, British Columbia - University of Victoria *
11-16 Victoria, British Columbia - Sugar *
11-17 Vancouver, British Columbia - Croatian Cultural Club *
11-18 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
11-19 Kamloops, British Columbia - UCC Kamloops *
11-21 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall *
11-22 Edmonton, Alberta - Red's *
11-23 Saskatoon, Sasketchuwan - USSU *
11-24 Regina, Sasketchuwan - The State *
11-25 Winnipeg, Manitoba - The Pyramid *
11-28 Peterborough, Ontario - The Trasheteria +
11-29 Hamilton, Ontario - The Underground +
12-02 London, Ontario - Call The Office +
12-10 Kingston, Ontario - A.J.'s Hangar +
12-12 Quebec City, Quebec - L'Anti +
12-13 Toronto, Ontario - The Opera House +

$ with Franz Ferdinand, The Fiery Furnaces
# with Kings of Leon, The Black Keys
* with Metric, The Unicorns
+ with The French Kicks, The Unicorns

In addition to the touring action, a new single (still off Make Up The Breakdown), "Talk To Me, Dance With Me" is out November 3rd in the UK, backed with two fresh-out-of-the-oven... oh. Really? Backed with an album cut and live recording, huh? How very:

01 Talk To Me, Dance With Me
02 Oh, Goddamnit
03 Le, Le, Low (live)

Hot Hot Heat: http://www.hothotheat.com
Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com

Pedro The Lion Cover Low On Christmas Single
Elitist Santa to give 200 copies to orphans on TV, sell remainder piecemeal on eBay

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Continuing the limited but growing tradition of independent artists getting in the holiday spirit, Suicide Squeeze will be releasing the second in a series of Pedro The Lion Christmas singles this November. Last years seven-inch offering featured somberizations of the standards "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." This time around, Pedro's David Bazan continues the traditionwith "The First Noel" on the a-side, and a cover of Low's Christmas original "Long Way Around the Sea" on the flip. I know that last song is a Christmas song, see, 'cause it was originally found on Low's 1999 holiday album, entitled Christmas. The single will be a limited release of 3000 copies pressed on Christmasy snow-white vinyl-- not that coal-black shit all the bad kids have to listen to.

As previously reported, Pedro the Lion are on the road a bit in November (see previous story for the dates), and then will be spending the chilly winter months recording a new album. Bazan has also contributed a vocal track to the new Six Parts Seven remix album, and, in the most exciting and unexpected news of all... Suicide Squeeze is making sure you're fashionable this holiday season as you exercise your indie chic with a Pedro the Lion (or Modest Mouse) tote bag. The only question: will it meet with the discerning tastes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Fab Five?

Pedro The Lion: http://www.pedrothelion.com
Suicide Squeeze: http://www.suicidesqueeze.net

Mirah Launching Tour Of Northeast U.S., Canada
Witch Mountain Music Project to feature telekinetic twins Tony, Tia

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

As luck would have it, K Records' Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn (this is truncated on album sleeves and in AOL chatrooms to just Mirah) is saddling up for her next tour, bringing fans the Rock of Ages. Grab your scarves, whitey, it's going to be a cold November!

Mirah recently released a brand new album, Songs From The Black Mountain Music Project, with Ginger Brooks Takahashi and friends. As Pitchfork's own veteran ratings-slinger Matt LeMay put it, Mirah's sound is defined by a combination of accessibility and allure, and this record features much of the same.

For this record, Mirah and her musical cohorts secluded themselves in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains and "surrounded themselves with instruments and recording equipment for one month." Does the album mark the Special Death of Mirah's long standing collaborative history with noise-pop pioneer Phil Elvrum? Only time and the Million Miles of Mirah's upcoming tour will tell. Here are those dates, marked with the Advisory Committee's official Recommendation:

10-27 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase
10-28 Bryn Mawr, PA - Bryn Mawr College
10-30 Providence, RI - TBA
11-02 Burlington, VT - Billings North Lounge
11-05 Montreal, Quebec - Island View Beach
11-06 Ottawa, Ontario - Club SAW
11-07 Toronto, Ontario - TBA
11-08 Alfred, NY - Alfred University
11-09 Saratoga, NY - Skidmore College
11-13 Keene, NH - Keene State
11-15 Northampton, MA - Smith College
11-16 Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar
11-20 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11-21 New York, NY - CBGB's 313 Gallery

K: http://www.krecs.com

Xiu Xiu And A Bunch Of Bands I've Never Heard Of Cover Throwing Muses
Don't trust a muse any farther than you can throw them

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Throwing Muses, one of the most respected giants of college/indie music in the '80s and '90s, will be graced by society's sincerest form of flattery come November 18th. Kuma-Chan Records' Hot Hands: A Tribute to Throwing Muses and Kristin Hersh will feature Throwing Muses songs (and solo Hersh compositions) covered by a variety of acts including HypoFixx (putting an industrial/dance spin on "Bright Yellow Gun"), Dirty Power (taking a heavy metal approach on "Hate My Way"), and PDSexton's electronic cover of the Muses' classic "Graffiti." Other artists include Paul Durham (Black Lab frontman), Xiu Xiu, Flare, The Blood Group, Rose Polenzani, Mary Lorson (of Madder Rose & Saint Low), and QuasiMojo. A "mystery track" will appear for the purpose of a future online contest. Tracklist:

01 Sharashka: "Furious"
02 The Blood Group: "Buzz"
03 Flying Winnebago & Annie Hayden: "A Feeling"
04 Dirty Power: "Hate My Way"
05 Phil Locke: "Uncle June and Aunt Kiyoti"
06 Mary Lorson & Kathy Ziegler: "Honeychain"
07 HypoFixx: "Bright Yellow Gun"
08 Flare: "Dizzy"
09 Paul Durham: "Your Ghost"
10 Taikonaut: "Night Driving"
11 Rose Polenzani & Sharon Lewis: "Ellen West"
12 Gradicela: "Gazebo Tree"
13 PDSexton: "Graffiti"
14 John Ashfield: "Portia"
15 Xiu Xiu: "Juno"
16 QuasiMojo: "Listerine"
17 Waycross: "Two Step"
18 BLK w/ BEAR: (bonus mystery track)

Throwing Music: http://www.throwingmusic.com
Kuma-Chan: http://www.kuma-chan.com

JR Ewing Touring Stateside With Panthers
Roy Horn offers helpful do's and don'ts on sharing stage with big cats

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Sweeping in from the hinterlands like Odin, Norwegian hardcore rockers JR Ewing are coming stateside to bring their uniquely heavy, spastic, yet somehow delightfully melodic sounds to our virgin ears. JR Ewing just wrapped up a stint supporting the evil cuties in Pretty Girls Make Graves, and are trying to get the word out on this side of the Atlantic about their excellent 2002 release Ride Paranoia. And if Omar (late of At The Drive-In/currently of the Mars Volta) likes them, well, shoot, how can we say no?

These Norsemen of the apocalypse are currently finishing off their U.S. tour in the westerns states with Panthers. Make the effort to catch them if they are in the neighborhood, because they are kick ass. Tour dates (all shows with Panthers):

10-27 Akron, OH - Lime Spider
10-29 Columbia, OH - Mojo's
10-31 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11-01 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
11-03 Seattle, WA - Graceland
11-04 Portland, OR - Disjecta
11-05 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill
11-06 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
11-07 San Diego, CA - Che Cafe

JR Ewing: http://www.thejrewing.com
Gold Standard Labs: http://www.goldstandardlabs.com

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.)