Him Without She (sort of): M. Ward’s New Solo Album Out February 17 (Plus Guest Performances)
By ryryjensen on 10-20-2008
Folk's busiest man M. Ward, who recently confirmed a sequel to She & Him's Volume One (with the über-adorable Zooey Deschanel), has also finally confirmed the details of his new solo album, which we wrote about not too long ago (TMT News). Titled Hold Time, the album is scheduled to drop on February 17, 2009, courtesy of Merge, and features guest performances by Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Lucinda Williams, Tom Hagerman (DeVotchKa), and, of course, Zooey Deschanel.
Can't stand the wait? This old video of a Late Night with Conan O'Brien performance featuring M. Ward, Neko Case, and Jim James should tide you over.
Hold Time tracklist:
Meanwhile, we'll have to wait at least a year or two before we hear recordings from his songwriting super group with My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst.
Castanets To Embark on 17-Date Tour of the Electoral Map; Hannity & Colmes to Floss Teeth with Raposa’s Beard Hair
By Mango Starr on 10-20-2008
Having just released new album City of Refuge (TMT Review) on Asthmatic Kitty, Castanets are set to tour North America, so why, America is asking, are they avoiding swing states? The most prominent swing state on their tour itinerary is Ohio, while political analysts insist that the remainder of their tour would have little effect on the outcome of the election. It's an interesting strategy, considering the impending recession on the minds of swing voters, not to mention the rising cost of health care, job security, the housing market, nuclear power, clean coal technology, pork barrel legislation, Joe the Plumber, misuse of power, social security, special interests, tax cuts, tax breaks, tax increases, privatize, privatize, privatize, privatize, privatize, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH asd2w3oiu 12kj 241;k~!$!k k 2089skjfd@j3!!
Sigh.
Ray Raposa + Annie Palmer + Yoni Kifle:
* Paul Nelson
# Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Sebastien Grainger (ex-DFA 1979) Announces Debut Tourdates
By Annapocalypse on 10-20-2008
Going solo when you’re used to playing in band can either be a freeing or anxiety-ridden experience. For Sebastien Grainger, the former drummer for Death From Above 1979, it appears to be the former rather than the latter. Branching away from his dance-punk background, Grainger’s debut album, Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains, is due tomorrow (October 21), and to celebrate, he’s embarking on his first solo tour ever. Take that, Jesse F. Keeler!
The Dodos Tour As The Crow Flies
By Hatchet on 10-20-2008
Excerpted from the new anthology, The Journals of J. Porter Huxley: Rogue British Naturalist and Seafaring Vagabond, out this month by Reliant Press.
- Chapter VIII - July 1578: Rumors from the Mainland
WE SET OUT months ago, Captain reminded me over morning tea, and we have yet to see The Bird. The quiet ocean is sobering and we are nowhere. A restlessness hangs in the air. Indeed, it had been quite some time since rumors from the mainland enticed me out into open waters in search of The Bird. Isle after isle, nothing. They leave me with less and less hope after each unsuccessful trek. I have to remind myself, lest Captain Tilley do it for me, that fame comes not to those who do not make it home. Our supplies are depleted, but I will not allow the boat to return to known ports.
The Captain is an able man, but he is limited. He knows only what he has seen before. He provided a cautionary tale of the excursion of Daniel Rogers into the Amazon interior. The fable is well-traveled, and understandably, a case study in the follies of conventional wisdom. Unlike he, I will not go mad in search of a myth. I am reminding myself daily of this to temper the coward's call of my crew. They believe I am like the others, out for fortune and history, but they are lesser minds. I will cease when the rumors cease. I press on for knowledge, to confirm or deny The Bird!
- Chapter XX - November 1581: Tailwind
AT LAST, THE BIRD is spotted. The long days are behind us and we have finally headed east to the mainland. James has taken ill and it is feared his maladies will be the death of him. By grace, he is recovering despite the prognosis. The crew is in good spirits as we return home with the specimen aboard.
Great caution was taken in securing The Bird's safety. Curiously, it showed no fright of us and quite easily bounded aboard the ship. I should say that we are more afraid of it than it of us! A tether was tied to its leg so that it would not fly away, in case the rumors of its flightlessness were misled. They were not, and The Bird has gotten rather comfortable in our quarters. It has taken a certain fondness to Captain Tilley, much to his annoyance. The Good Captain has called him a dodo on occasion, and it somehow has stuck with the crew. The sun is bright now, and to promote its Visiter status, I have already begun planning The Dodos exhibition tour of Europe. Knowledge has won, as I hoped it would. I am, for now, at peace.
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Fall Tour; Hopes Audiences Will Alleviate Some of That Painful Loneliness
By Scott Lauer on 10-20-2008
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, the ridiculously long moniker of musician Owen Ashworth’s one-man group, will be touring (actually HAS been touring) to promote his new Town Topic EP, which boasts 15 tracks in a measly 22 minutes. The EP, which serves as a soundtrack to the film Stay The Same Never Change, features 13 short instrumentals, kicking off and closing with vocal tracks. The first track, “Ice Cream Truck, is charmingly described as “a simulated July soundscape of Mr. Softee jingles, cicadas and trunk-rattling bass from passing cars, tells the story of criminal-minded kids who go joy-riding in a stolen ice cream truck and make other poorly-informed decisions along the way.”
While we're on the topic (sort of), I have a couple side notes: (1) Casiotone For The Painfully Alone’s Etiquette (TMT Review) is my favorite “sleeper” album of 2006, and (2) Ashworth has got to be one of the only people on Earth who can make CCR romantic, with the fantastic track "I Love Creedence." Okay, I just had to get that off my chest -- thanks for listening!
CFTPA East Coast Tourdates:
