The Jesus Lizard Are Coming! The Jesus Lizard Are Coming! And They Have Reissues!

Another day, another reunion story. But this one's sliiightly -- just slightly -- different. Mostly because it's about a band that people can't accuse of cashing in on the 30th anniversary of punk (they weren't around), or because there's not a reality show about finding love with one of the members (it probably wouldn't capture the Paris Hilton's My New BFF demographic), or whatever else people blame these reunion things on. That band is The Jesus Lizard.

They haven't played a show in 10 years, but next spring they will magically reunite in the oh-so-charming coastal town of Minehead, England for the famed All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

- The date: May 9-10, 2009.
- The players: David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims, and Mac McNeilly.
- The other band you can see, if you either (a) live within traveling distance or (b) are a Jesus Lizard superfan who will do ANYTHING to see David Yow sing something off of Goat for one possible last time: Sleep, Devo, Spiritualized, Young Marble Giants, The Cave Singers, Antipop Consortium, and Sleepy Sun.
- The mystery: this is the Fans Strike Back version of ATP, in which attendees vote for the bands they want to see play -- since the votes have not yet been tabulated, not every artist has been announced.
- My vote: Al Franken!!!

In addition to the ATP festivities, Touch and Go will also reissue and remaster several Jesus Lizard albums, including Liar, Head, Goat, and Down, with the expanded packaging and fancy liner notes we reissue collectors have come to know and love. Release dates are set for sometime in May 2009, and Drowned in Sound is reporting that Bob Weston of Shellac will be the man behind the remastering with Mr. Steve Albini himself "sitting in."

Fortunately, if you're broke like me and can't envision yourself getting any closer to this totally bitchin' reunion than maybe possibly saving up for a reissued LP, there is good news. The Jesus Lizard are playing a super-limited, super-secret series of shows (well, "secret" in a they-haven't-revealed-them-yet way) in the months after ATP, concluding with a final final show in the infinitely-closer-than-Minehead city of Chicago next November.

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