Q: What did the drummer say right before he got pushed out of the airplane?
A: Who cares?
Okay, so we all know that drummers making solo records is typically a hilarious concept. And why not? Drummers are the butts of any good band joke for good reason, right? Such crazy, jilted, zeitgeist-ian affairs are often stuffed with “guest stars” and “co-writers” and seem to come more from a drummer’s sense of spite at “never having his ideas taken seriously” than from any real artistic need to make a record. So sure, I’m with you.
But it’s all fun and games and bad jokes until someone like Radiohead’s Phil Selway steps up to the plate. This dude’s got class, he’s insanely musical, and he’s got one heck of a Rolodex when it comes to the “guest stars” thing. Singer/songwriter Lisa Germano, former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Sansone have all contributed to his debut album Familial, which is out August 30 through Bella Union.
And now Selway’s manning-up even more with a small but incredibly classy list of shows lined up for the fall. In addition to hitting up Bestival, End of the Road, and Electric Picnic festivals, he’s also tagging along with Wilco for a couple of giant UK shows. Talk about good company. My guess is that it’ll probably be a while before we see Selway putting on that Shining Time Station conductor’s cap (though I’d pay to see that too).
Dates:
09.04.10 - Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic Festival
09.11.10 - Isle of Wight, UK - Bestival
09.12.10 - Salsbury, UK - End of the Road Festival
09.14.10 - London, UK - London Royal Festival Hall *
09.15.10 - Newcastle, UK - 02 Academy Newcastle *
09.16.10 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowland Ballroom *
* Wilco
• Radiohead: http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace
• Bella Union: http://www.bellaunion.com
[Photo: Wonker]
