Built to Spill Announce West Coast Tour
East coast/west coast feuding no longer limited to gangsta rap

10-30 Boise, ID - The Big Easy
11-01 Salt Lake City, UT - Club DV8
11-02 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
11-03 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
11-04 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
11-05 Phoenix, AZ - Nita's Hideaway
11-06 Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
11-07 Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
11-08 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11-09 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11-10 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11-11 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11-12 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11-14 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-15 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-16 Seattle, WA - Showbox
11-17 Seattle, WA - Showbox
11-18 Seattle, WA - Showbox

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/b/built-to-spill/ancient-melodies-of-the-future.shtml
Built to Spill: http://www.builttospill.com

Ladytron to Release Remix EP
Are they not men?

Capitalizing on the release of the highly acclaimed Ladytron album, 604, which was released in February by Emperor Norton Records, the band is ready to release a six-track EP featuring remixes from their contemporaries. Chicks on Speed's Tobias Neumann, Zombie Nation, Simian Playboy, producer-extraordinaire I Monster (of Add N to X and Pulp fame) and Felix Glitz Clubhead all lend a hand to accentuate the robot-electro pop stylings of the track "Playgirl."

To commemorate the release, Ladytron members Mira Aroyo and Reuben Wu played a DJ set at the International Electroclash Showcase on October 12th and 13th at Webster Hall in New York City. The four-day festival also featured acts such as Peaches, Chicks on Speed, DJ Larry Tee, DJ Mikey, Dr. Rendezvous, and Adult, making for quite an eclectic lineup. Ladytron has also stepped to the mixing board themselves, recently contributing a remix of the Kings of Convenience track "Little Kids" with the "Ladytron Fruits of the Forest Mix" on the recently released KoC Versus album, which also features remixes by Four Tet and Riton. It was released on Source as a limited 12" and full-length.

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/l/ladytron/604.shtml
Ladytron: http://www.ladytron.net
Emperor Norton Records: http://www.emperornorton.com

New End Original Tours the U.S.
Bandname spectacular in its meaninglessness

With his new band New End Original about to set out on their first US tour, Jonah Matranga, the former vocalist of emo posterboys Far, seems to think that playing 21 shows in 21 nights is not quite enough. His side project, Onelinedrawing, will play an intimate house show in Dallas, Texas the night before NEO opens their tour. Jonah is also looking to add a few more house shows along the way. We won't tell your landlord as long as you keep the beer bottles out of our yard.

New End Original, many of whose songs originated as Onelinedrawing tunes, released their debut full-length, Thriller, earlier this month on Jade Tree Records. The band, which features ex-members of Far, Chamberlain, and Texas is the Reason, also released the Lukewarm EP in late August. The band hits the road this weekend, playing all dates with Hey Mercedes, with the exception of November 4th-6th, when they'll be playing with Burning Airlines.

10-20 Arlington, TX - 1711 Windsor Dr. (Onelinedrawing house show)
10-21 Dallas, TX - Trees
10-22 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-23 Houston, TX - Mary Janes
10-24 Mobile, AL - TBA
10-25 Tallahassee, FL - Thunderdome
10-26 Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
10-27 Orlando, FL - Sapphire Supper Club
10-28 W. Palm Beach, FL - Respectable Street
10-29 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
10-30 Atlanta, GA - Cotton Club
10-31 TBA
11-01 Raleigh, NC - King's Lounge
11-02 Richmond, VA - Alley Katz
11-03 Washington, DC - Black Cat
11-04 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
11-05 Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs)
11-06 West Chester, PA - Rex's
11-07 Framingham, MA - Framingham Civic League
11-08 Buffalo, NY - Backstage Pub
11-09 TBA
11-10 Chicago, IL - Fireside Bowl

Onelinedrawing: http://www.onelinedrawing.com
Jade Tree: http://www.jadetree.com

Iffy Brings the Funk Back to the Midwest
Where it has not been heard since the Great Funk Riots of 1807

The eclectic mix of funk/hip-hop/electronica that is Iffy, a band featuring of former members of Minneapolis legends Run Westy Run (the bandname unfortunately pre-dates the late Western Homes, may God rest his soul), has extended their tour dates to return to the Midwest in early November. Coming off the recent success of their debut album, Biota Bondo, and previous shows this year out west, Iffy will hit the east coast at the end of October, and move on throughout the rest of country. The extensive lineup, consisting of Kirk Johnson on vocals, Tom Merkl, and Dave Pederson are joined by guitarist Kraig Johnson (Kirk's brother, currently a member of both the Jayhawks and Golden Smog), drummer Martin Dosh, and occasionally by Prince cohort Esther Godinez (also on percussion).

10-22 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
10-24 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
10-25 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
10-26 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
10-28 Cleveland, OH - The Grog Shop
11-01 Milwaukee, WI - TBA
11-02 Madison, WI - Cafe Montmartre
11-08 St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill
11-09 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
11-10 Kansas City, MO - Hurricane
11-15 Indianapolis, IN - Birdy's
11-16 Chicago, IL - Double Door
11-17 Rock Island, IL - Rock Island Brewing Co.
11-23/24 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
11-24 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry

Iffy: http://www.iffy.net
Foodchain Records: http://www.foodchainrecords.com

DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist Collaborate Again
Shadow now sporting scary Wes Borland look

In other Shadow news, the long-awaited followup to his Endtroducing.. is nearly ready to go. That 1996 release was his last solo full-length (1998's Preemptive Strike was a singles comp), so this one is certainly highly anticipated. The as-yet-untitled affair is slated for release in February of 2002 on MCA/Island. The record is being mixed by James Abbiss, who was behind the board for U.N.K.L.E.'s Psyence Fiction. Shadow/Chemist dates:

10-17 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
10-19 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
10-20 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
10-23 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-26 Glasgow, Scotland - Arches
10-27 Manchester, England - Planet K
10-28 London, England - La Scala
11-01 Tokyo, Japan - Liquid Room

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/d/dj-shadow/preemptive-strike.shtml
DJ Shadow: http://www.djshadow.com

Burning Airlines Consider Name Change
Brian Eno remains uncredited

Since the events of September 11th, some incredibly important aspects of our world have changed. In addition, the extent of the transformation was such that some incredibly inconsequential items have been affected as well. Hollywood has struggled to decide whether to cut the twin towers from its shots of New York, comedians of all stripes wonder if audiences will appreciate irony, and geometry teachers everywhere grapple with the Pentagon lesson. Add to this list a sudden rethinking of that most irrelevant of topics: indie rock band names. The Kindercore group I Am the World Trade Center were the most obviously affected, and have responded quickly in changing their name, at least for the time being, to "I Am the World." Theirs was a clear-cut example of a name that has an entirely different meaning now.

Another band whose name has been newly contextualized, albeit less obviously, is J. Robbins's post-punk band, Burning Airlines. On tour on the west coast when the attacks occurred, the band immediately felt the newfound sensitivity to a name that now evokes the horrifying deaths of thousands. Certain marquees displayed only "B. Airlines," and posters with the band's full name often prompted disbelieving looks. Robbins recounts the experiences of this tour on the band's website, disclosing that he is "still mulling over a name change, but I don't know if the rest of Burning Airlines are at all... I loved this band name when we came up with it, but whatever it's worth to me, it's worth a lot more to show some respect for the gravity of what happened."

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/b/burning-airlines/identikit.shtml
DeSoto Records: http://www.desotorecords.com

Indie All-Stars Go Heavenward
Low strikingly more confident about eternal life than Urge Overkill

What do the members of Mogwai, Hum, Low, Shudder to Think, Remy Zero, Snow Patrol, Urge Overkill, Switchfoot, Sonichrome, Decca Tree, Departure Lounge, Fountains of Wayne, Superdrag, Cirrus Blue States, Jimmy Eat World, Wheat, Starflyer 59, and Unbelievable Truth have in common? Could it be whiny, white male frontmen? That tasty uber-indie appeal? A revolving-door cast of short-lived drummers and bassists? Well, yes.

But there's more! Ocean Records artist Daniel Heavenward has recruited a few dudes from the above bands to contribute to a new project of his, entitled Neverending White Lights. Artist participation may vary from a simple guitar line, a few words, or a full-fledged melody line/lyrics/vocal track suite. This is still very much in the planning stages, however, and everything is subject to change.

Heavenward, known mostly for his work in electronic music, will be spreading his wings with the material, expanding his sonic palette from acoustic pop/rock to symphonic sounds to samples and loops. It sounds interesting, if he can pull off having a multitude of artists without sounding like the recent all-star tribute to Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On." The tentative release date for the project is sometime in late 2002.

Neverending White Lights: http://www.neverendingwhitelights.com
Daniel Heavenward: http://www.heavenward.net

Bobby Conn Tours to Support New Album
If he whips it out, we're leaving

Dressed in a green kimono and playing a red Gibson electric, Bobby Conn sticks out on stage like a New Orleans transvestite in a Greek Orthodox church. Often mistaken for PJ Harvey, he carries a tune like a woman and rocks the audience like Kiss Alive in '77.

The ex-Conducent guitarist has made a career out of playing live, exhibiting his outrageous antics. Thrill Jockey has kept him on their roster for yet another year, and plans to release his new album, The Golden Age on October 23rd. He will be touring the U.S. and Canada in November with the support of his latest lineup, which features Monica Bou Bou, Jonathan John (bass), Jonny Ride on Jonny, Nick Sula (keyboards), and Colby Starck on drums.

11-05 Hamilton, ON - The Raven
11-06 Toronto, Canada - El Mocambo
11-07 Ottawa, Canada - Bumper's
11-08 Montreal, Canada - Case del Poppolo
11-09 Boston, MA - TT the Bears (w/ The High Llamas)
11-10 New York, NY - Brownies
11-11 Brooklyn, NY - North Six
11-12 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
11-13 Washington DC - Black Cat
11-14 Chapel Hill, NC - Go Lounge
11-15 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
11-16 Lexington, VA - Art's Place

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/c/conn_bobby/llovessonngs.shtml
Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com

Hoerner Goes with Dashboard Confessional
Isn't it romantic?

For their part, Dashboard Confessional is essentially Carrabba's solo acoustic project. Last year's spare debut, Swiss Army Romance, was followed earlier this year by Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, which broke from the intimate solo emo formula slightly with the use of a backing band on some tracks. Tour dates are as follows:

10-31 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
11-02 New York, NY - CBGB's
11-03 Philadelphia, PA - TBA
11-04 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
11-06 Boston, MA - Massachusetts College of Art Gym
11-07 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Laga
11-08 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
11-09 Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
11-10 Chicago, IL - Metro
11-11 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
11-13 Sioux Falls, SD - Community Playhouse Actor's Studio
11-14 Minneapolis, MN - Club Quest
11-15 Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
11-16 Boulder, CO - Tulagi's
11-19 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Cafe
11-20 Portland, OR - Meow Meow
11-21 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11-23 Hollywood, CA - House of Blues
11-24 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
11-25 San Diego, CA - Epicentre
11-27 Mesa, AZ - Nile Theatre
11-29 Dallas, TX - The Door
11-30 Austin, TX - Emos
12-01 Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds
12-04 Nashville, TN - 328 Performance Hall
12-06 Tallahassee, FL - The Cow Haus
12-07 Orlando, FL - Sapphire Supper Club
12-08 Orlando, FL - Sapphire Supper Club
12-09 St. Petersburg, FL - The State Theatre
12-16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Freez

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/s/sunny-day-real-estate/rising-tide.shtml
Sunny Day Real Estate: http://www.sunnydayrealestate.net

Bob Mould Records Three New Albums
Whoa, one at a time there, old boy

Age: it sneaks up on all of us. One minute Brian Johnson is the super-hot rocker at the helm of AC/DC, and the next thing he knows, he's the guy in the old-man hat on Saturday Night Live screeching out the gross double-entendres.

But what do you do if you're Bob Mould? Okay, so you've laid down some foundational work in Hüsker Dü, then you formed a power-pop outfit called Sugar, and now you've settled down with a solo career. You start including acoustic guitars and strings in your songs to soften them up a bit. Then you go indie.

According to a source close to the band, Bob's been unable to get a contract for too long. What he's proposing now is three separate discs, to be released on the Granary imprint-- an album of dark acoustic material, an album of "aggressive electronic" material, and an album of ambient/instrumental material. Apparently, he wants to get it out by March, too. You go, Bob! The as-yet-untitled discs will be for sale online at his website and at shows in the near future.

Pitchfork Review: http:///record-reviews/m/mould_bob/last-dog-and-pony-show.shtml
Bob Mould: http://www.bobmould.com

Explosions in the Sky Tour This Fall
Man, that rock is like a bulldozer!

Explosions in the Sky, Temporary Residence's "favorite sons of drama-metal," are planning to spend the next two months crammed into a van. The Austin, Texas-based post-rock quartet is touring in support of their new album Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever. The band will let loose their cathartic instrumental music in dingy rock clubs all across US and Canada, sharing the stage with the Trail of Dead for a majority of the tour dates. With these two intense bands letting loose with head-churning noise and washes of spangled and mangled melody, expecting an emotional experience is practically a given. At least that's what the grad student at the bar told me. Dates:

10-10 Meadville, PA - Allegheny College
10-12 Bloomington, IN - Second Story
10-13 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (w/ Bardo Pond and We Ragazzi)
10-14 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
10-17 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber
10-19 New York, NY - The Knitting Factory
10-20 New York, NY - The Knitting Factory
10-21 Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo
10-22 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
10-24 Hamilton, ON - Raven
10-25 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
10-27 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry

Explosions in the Sky: http://www.explosionsinthesky.com
Temporary Residence: http://www.temporaryresidence.com

The National Tours Half the Nation
Midwest band brings America together for a giant hug

The National, made up five guys from Ohio who moved to the Big Apple and started a band, label, and maybe a revolution, are set to tour the eastern United States. Twin brothers Bryce and Aaron Dressner (guitar and bass, respectively) run Brassland Records with Alec Hanley Bemis (a writer for the L.A. Weekly and the Village Voice). The other members of the band include brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf (guitar and drums, respectively), and Matt Berninger (singer, no relation).

The National has been compared to a tall drink of Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits with a twist of David Bowie. They come from the same musically fertile Ohio valley as the Afghan Whigs and Guided by Voices. Elk City will open at all shows after November 6th. Dates:

11-03 Raleigh, NC - King's Bridgade
11-04 TBA
11-05 TBA
11-06 New Orleans, LA - Mermaid Lounge
11-07 Athens, GA - Caledonia
11-08 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
11-09 Bloomington, IN - The Space 101
11-10 Ann Arbor, MI - Touchdown's Cafe
11-11 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
11-12 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers
11-13 Louisville, KY - Barretone's
11-14 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
11-15 Newport, KY - Southgate House
11-16 Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant Street
11-17 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Roboto Project
11-18 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwells

The National: http://www.americanmary.com/

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