Vic & The Elves



Two of our favorites artists here at the AGP have teamed up for one of the years most anticipated releases around these parts. Recorded at Vic Chesnutt's home studio with Elf Power, Dark Developments marks the first collaboration from two of Athens, GA's favorite citizens. With Elf Power's well crafted psych-pop and Chesnutt's bleak world view there strengths blends perfeclty together for a rewarding listen. The album will hit the brick and mortar shops on Tuesday 10/28 Via Orange Twin and a tour in support of Dark Developments will start on November 29th at Proud Larry's in Oxford, MS.

Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power- Stop The Horse 9-18-08 Barcelona

Five Years


I can remember the first time I heard the music of Elliot Smith like it was yesterday. I was in Stinkweeds in Tempe, AZ and Needle in The Hay was coming out of the speakers. My jaw was on the floor, I didn't know who or what it was but I knew I had to have it right then and there. Within a few minutes I was walking out of the store with Elliot Smith, his 1995 self titled release. I always think about that day when I think about Elliot's death, probable because his music meant a lot to me and I was crushed when I got the news. The Cobain suicide struck me as tragic but Elliot's passing put actual tears in my eyes. Five years have passed since that tragic day in Silverake, but Elliot's genius remains in the recordings that he left us. He's was one of those rare artists that can stump me when a friend asks for a starting point I have no idea where to point them. From Heatmiser to his posthumous released Basement on The Hill, all of his recorded work is essential and required listening.
Elliot you are missed.

Elliot Smith- Needle in The Hay

Wilderness
Baltimore, MD
USA



On November 4th Wilderness will release there third full length (K)no(w)here via Jagjaguwar. Inspired by there collaboration with visual artist Charles Long,which was exhibited at The Whitney Museum earlier this year. (K)no(w)here was originally conceived as one large musical piece and as a reslut the albums eight tracks flow into one another seamlessly. On(K)no(w)here Wilderness retain the sounds that occupied there previous two records with one notable change James Johnson is occasionally joined on vocals by Colin McCann aka The Lord Dog Bird. We dig these guys and we are eagerly awaiting the release of album #3, or to put it another way we're as giddy as couple of school girls.

Check out The Strands of Time from the forthcoming album (K)no(w)here.






















Wilderness - (K)no(w)here
Jagjaguwar 11/4

High Nero
Strand the Test of Time
(p)ablum
Silver Gene
Own Anything
Chinese Whisperers
Soft Cage
<....^....>

The unconvential band from Baltimore will be hitting the road in support of (k)no(w)here in mid-November. I'm holding out hope for a Boston show to be added soon.

Wilderness US Tour
11/19 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
11/23 Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox
11/24 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
11/25 Chicago, IL @ Schubas
11/26 Bloomington, IN @ Jake's
11/29 Asheville, NC @ Harvest Records
11/30 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
12/1 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree
12/3 Houston, TX @ The Mink
12/4 Austin, TX @ Emo's

wildernesssounds.com
jagjauwar.com

Boston Spaceships with Big Dipper
Tuesday September 30, 2008
The Paradise Boston, MA



All the good kids(and old men) came out for the return of Robert Pollard to Boston. After a two and a half year hiatus from touring Robert Pollard hit The Paradise stage fronting his new project Boston Spaceships for a nearly three hour set. First off this band might just be the finest Pollard has assembled to date. With Chris Slusarenko and John Moen as well Jason Narducy and power pop luminary Tommy Keene filling out the touring line-up Boston Spaceships ran through a tight and excellent set which focused on material from there debut Brown Submarine, Pollard's latest solo release Off To Business as well as few tracks off the Guided By Voices rarities box sets Suitcase & Suitcase 2 respectively. Tracks like Dorothy's a Planet and Headache Revolution take on new life when given the full band treatment. As per the norm Pollard had plenty to share in between songs including the reason for tapping our city for the name of his latest project. "I always wanted to be in a Boston band.... but I never wanted to be in the band Boston".



It's amazing to me that the bulk of the main set was culled from the material that Pollard has released in the last 12 months. Prior to the launching of this tour Pollard had mentioned that there would not be the usual onslaught of GBV hits, however there had been some rumors that he may pull out some surprises for the encores,but I didn't want to get my hopes up. That is until they ended the first encore with Game of Pricks. I have to admit my usual subdude concert demenor was out the window and my fist was in the air. After the band left the stage the lights went up and the house music came on so I assumed that I would be heading home exhilarated from a great Live show, but before I knew it they were back on stage and launching A Salty Salute and followed that a handful of classics. I won't bore you with more song titles but think Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes era GBV.
Robert Pollard has released two superb records in the last few months and this tour finds him in great vocal shape. Get out and see this band in your town, that is if you like to get your rock on.



I was bummed out when I missed the chance to see the Big Dipper reunion shows a few months back so I was especially excited when I found out that Robert Pollard had tapped them to open the Boston show. Due to some parking issues I ended missing the bands first two songs but what I did get to see was impressive. From Faith Healer to Ron Klause Wrecked his House Big Dipper proved be to worth the 20 years I've endured waiting for there return.

Thanks to Tim Bugbee for the use of the band shots.
Check out Tinnitus-Photography to see more of Tim's photos.

Tonight at The Dice

Tonight the inaugural tour of Robert Pollard's new project Boston Spaceships hits The Paradise with support from Boston's own and recently reformed Big Dipper. We are giddy with excitement to put it mildly. Doors are at 7:00.

Boston Spaceships - Andy Playboy from the excellent Brown Submarine album recorded on 9/26/08 at The Grog Shop in Cleavland, OH.

Archers of Loaf
White Trash Heroes



It doesn't happen often but every now and then I put the new releases aside and go back into the music collection and find something that's been collecting dust for a few years. This exercise can sometimes prove risky as some albums don't always age as well I expect them to. However in the case of White Trash Heroes the swan song from Archers of Loaf I find the opposite to be true. Can it be that this record is better than I remember it? Normally when I have the urge for some Archers I usually go with Icky Metal or my personal favorite Vee Vee but White Trash Heroes deserves some love too.
By the time this album was released the band had shed some of the chaos of there early records in favor of a more complex and refined sound. Released on Alias in 1998 this album found the N.C. darlings going out at the top of there game. It also gave a hint of what we could expect next from Eric Bachman and his post Archers of Loaf career.

For fans of Archers of Loaf, Barry Black, and Crooked Fingers.

Archers of Loaf resources
Alias Records
Archers of Loaf MySpace page

Sigur Ros and The Good Ole +1



I just got the news that I'll be attending tomorrow night's Sigur Ros show at The Bank of America Pavillion. A big thanks to my pal March for the plus 1 geneorosity.

I know a lot of people were unable to access the The Museum of Modern Art performance when it first aired back in August on Current TV, so I figured it would be the perfect time to share. Excuse the pre-show hyping.

Sigur Ros @ MOMA

Brown Submarine Day
An AGP Recommendation
If you've spent anytime visiting this site since it was created you already know of our appreciation of the music of Robert Pollard. If this is your first visit welcome and consider yourself warned. Today is the day Robert Pollard fans have been waiting for all summer. Brown Submarine the debut release from Pollard's new band Boston Spaceships hit stores today and I for one can say that it's living up to all my expectations. Pollard, Moen, and Slusarenko have turned in a superb and fun batch of pop, punk, and prog that is sure to be on many year end list, including ours. I'll resist the temptation to launch into a full on review at this point and just leave at this. We love Brown Submarine.

Brown Submarine is out now on Guided By Voices, Inc
Now go get it!

Boston Spaceships play The Paradise on 9/30

Here's the winner of the Boston Spaceships Fan Video Contest. Congratulations to The Man Sherm.

Winton's Atomic Bird

Returning To The Fold
I took some time off last week to hang out with the family and to get the little speaker boys ready to return to school. I for one am ready for this summer to come to a close and a crisp new fall to begin. With every fall there seems to be an abundance of quality shows that hit our town. With the likes of Silver Jews, Sigur Ros, Mogwai, and Death Cab For Cutie all playing shows over the next several weeks this autumn is shaping up to be a fantastic one on the music front. Here's a couple more shows to fill your calendars with.

The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour
October 12th @ churchofboston
Music Tapes/Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Kostner has described the upcoming "Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour" as something like "a big orchestra, variety show, silly happy thing." The October tour will celebrate the music of Olivia Tremor Control,Circulatory System, Music Tapes, and Elf Power.

E6 members confirmed to be in attendance, but not limited to:
Will Cullen Hart - Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System
Scott Spillane - The Gerbils
Laura Carter- Elf Power
Eric Harris- Olivia Tremor Control/ Circulatory System

There has been no mention nor denial of the involvement of reclusive Jeff Mangum at the time of this report. Although he does appear in the soon to be released Major Organ and The Adding Machine short film as a lobster. So let's just say it's not impossible.

The Decemberists
November 6th @ TheOrpheum
After wrapping up his solo tour in support of Colin Meloy Sings last spring Colin Meloy rejoined his band mates and hatched a can't miss plan for a fall tour. In conjunction with the just announced Bridesmaid Revisited Tour, The Decemberist have announced Always The Bridesmaid Single Series vinyl releases. The Always the Bridesmaid 12" Single Series can be pre-ordered Via decemberistsshop. One can either order the three installments in one shot and receive in a tidy package in December, or order them one by one and receive them as they are released (Vol. I on Oct. 14th, Vol. II on Nov. 4th and Vol. III on Dec. 2nd).

The Decemberist will play the Orpheum on November 6th. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10AM. I have made it a point to catch this band when the opportunity arises and this my friends is another opportunity I don't plan on passing up.

The Bridesmaid Revisited Tour
11-05 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11-06 Boston, MA - The Orpheum
11-07 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
11-08 Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live
11-09 Ithaca, NY - Cornell University, Barton Hall
11-11 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
11-24 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
11-25 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
11-29 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-30 Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre

All dates our supported by Portland's Loch Lamond

The Decemberists - Red Right Ankle
2/27/2007 Paradisio Amsterdam

Newly Released = The Walkmen- You & Me

This new Walkmen album is damn good. Not that 100 Miles Off isn't a decent record in it's own right. It just seems like there's something special happening here. You & Me is a more focused and confident collection of songs with all the drama and sense of adventure intact. I hate to go over the top on you, but this album might just prove to be The Walkmen's finest hour. Sure It could be the newness talking but I don't think that's it, I really don't. I'll keep spinning You & Me and try not issue anymore claims of greatness, while the rest of you head to the record store or digital shop and pick this one up.
The Walkmen will play downstairs at The Middle East on September 18th.

The Walkmen- In The New Year

Mission of Burma will be doing a special in-store performance on Friday September 12th @ 7PM at the Newbury Comics location on Newbury Street in Boston. I just had to get that little a piece of information to you as soon as I opened my e-mail this morning.

Micro-News
I figured this segment of Micro-News was a little over due, plus I have found myself with the time to type and didn't want to pass up the opportunity. This post contains news from Times New Viking, Death Cab For Cutie, and Okkervil River.

You can add Death Cab For Cutie to the onslaught of great shows that will be hitting the Boston area this fall. DCFC have announced a show at Agganis Arena on October 3rd. There will be a special fan club pre-sale on 8/20 with the general on sale set for 8/23. You can read up on all the details at deathcabforcutie.com.

Death Cab For Cutie Fall Tour Dates
08.15.08 - Seoul, South Korea - ETP Fest
08.17.08 - Melbourne, Australia - The Palace
08.18.08 - Newtown, Australia - The Enmore
08.20.08 - Fremantle, Australia - Metropolis
08.22.08 - Fortitude Valley, Australia - The Tivoli
09.01.08 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot
10.03.08 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
10.04.08 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theater
10.05.08 - Atlantic City, NJ - Showboat Casino Hotel
10.06.08 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
10.08.08 - Columbus, OH - LC Outdoor Amphitheater
10.12.08 - Champaign, IL - Assembly - University of Illinois
10.13.08 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
10.26.08 - New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Music Experience

On September 9th Okkervil River will be releasing The Stans Ins via Jagjaguwar. If you're a regular reader of this blog you know that I'm a big fan and I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel to The Stage Names. Thanks to Jagjaguwar we can hear the first track Lost Coastlines. Okkervil River will play Pearl Street in Northhampton, MA on October 8th. I'm still holding out a little hope for something a little closer to Boston. Keep those fingers crossed.




AGP favorites Times New Viking will release some new music this fall. Stay Awake a 5 song EP will drop in stores on October 21st via matador.



TMV will spend there late fall evenings on stage with Deerhunter, Pylon, and Sonic Youth. They play the Paradise with the aforementioned Deerhunter on November 10th.

Stay Awake EP (Release Date 10/21/08)
01 Call & Respond
02 Pagan Eyes
03 Hate Hate Hate
04 No Sympathy
05 Sick & Tyred

The 36th Running of The Falmouth Road Race


I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who supported me in last weekend's Falmouth Road Race. With your help I was able to raise money for Gosnold On Cape Cod. With 10,000 runners on hand as well all there friends and family this was a memorable day. Thanks again for your support and donations.

Pre-Show Hyping



Here at The AGP , we're down right giddy at the thought of next weeks Radiohead and Wilco shows respectively. So we have a busy week ahead as not one but two of music most important artists bring there Live shows to our commonwealth.

Jeff Tweedy and co. have been busy this summer playing festivals and singing Take Me Out To The Ballgame at Wriggly Field. However next Tuesday Wilco return to the Boston area for a show at Tanglewood. To be fair The Berkshires aren't exactly close to Boston, but us Wilco fans will take what we get and everyone loves a summer road trip.

Here's Wilco from last weekends Lollapolooza (08)
Pot Kettle Black


From the moment Radiohead unveiled In Rainbows and there pay what you want pricing US fans have been clamoring for the chance to catch this band Live on US soil. Next Wednesday evening we will finally get our chance to witness Radiohead Live at The Comcast Center in Mansfield. This band never disappoints, I mean never, ever, no way. So if your lucky enough to be holding the much coveted ticket of the summer, enjoy.

Radiohead-Scotch Mist (in it's entirety, all 52 beautiful minutes)

The Boston Spaceships Video Contest
Boston Spaceships A.K.A. John Moen, Chris Slusarenko, and Robert Pollard have announced a video contest for Winston's Atomic Bird the lead track off of the forthcoming Brown Submarine album. All you film maker types need to jump on this and quick. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Brown Submarine signed by the entire band.

Here's the details on the contest as posted on the bands site earlier today. We're looking for talented (and crazed) souls to create some fantastic visions to this tune. Anything is possible... straight out freak fests, sad British-styled dramas, whatever you think will do the song justice. And did you check out the grand prize above? Not too shabby. So get crackin' on these fine pieces of work and make us all proud. Post your finished videos on YouTube and then contact us at our MySpace page(www.myspace.com/bostonspaceships) to notify us that your video is ready for viewing. Please don't send us any video files -- just links to your posted YouTube videos. We will then post a link to it from our lovely site for maximum viewing. Only folks who contact us about their work being online will be eligible for the grand prize. After the end date, the band will pick the top 3 and then we will have you, the jury, pick the final winner! Videos will be accepted until noon PST on Friday Sept 5th. We will post the final 3 videos on Monday Sept. 8th and then you will have until noon PST on Monday Sept. 15th to vote for your favorite video.

Download Winston's Atomic Bird right here.
Brown Submarine will be released on September 9th via Guided By Voices, Inc and Boston Spaceships are booked to play The Paradise on September 30th.

The Primals Are Back
From the Screamadelica to XTRMNTR to Riot City Blues Primal Scream have always kept us guessing. Record number nine should be no different. Primal Scream have just dropped Beautiful Future in there homeland and the album will see it's stateside release this Tuesday 7/29 via b-Unique Records. Beautiful Future features Lovefoxx (CSS) and the guitar work of Josh Homme (Queens of The Stone Age) on the album's closer Necro Hex Blues. The album's first single Can't Go Back has been streaming on the bands website for a few weeks now and I can't get this track out of my head. I always find it a little tricky to describe someone else's art. In just a few words, kinetic sleaze rock might be a good start. Based on this track alone I will be running to my favorite record shop(yeah I still call it that) on Tuesday.

primalscream.net

Primal Scream- Can't Go Back

The Mats Re-issues
This week had me under the grip of my corporate headquarters complete with a visit from my the bosses bosses boss. So I thought I'd take some time and pay attention to The Replacemtents related news and activities that came to light this week. During the last few days I stumbled upon details on the upcoming Replacements re-issues as well as Paul Westeerberg's plan to release new music tomorrow!

Let's start with news on re-issues from our beloved Replacements. On September 23rd Rhino will be releasing remastered and expanded editions of The Replacements major label releases. As they did back in April with the Twintone albums, each of there four Sire full lengths come complete with a bunch of bonus tracks.

Here's the breakdown on the extras:

Tim
Can't Hardly Wait (acoustic, Alex Chilton sessions outtake)
Nowhere Is My Home (Alex Chilton sessions outtake) [bonus track]
Can't Hardly Wait (electric, Alex Chilton sessions outtake)
Kiss Me on the Bus (Tom Erdelyi demo) [previously unreleased]
Waitress in the Sky (outtake, alternate version) [previously unreleased]
Here Comes a Regular (outtake, alternate version) [previously unreleased]

Please To Meet Me
Birthday Gal (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Valentine (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Bundle Up (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Photo (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Election Day [bonus track]
Alex Chilton (alternate version) [previously unreleased]
Kick It In (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Route 66 [bonus track]
Tossin' 'N' Turnin' [bonus track]
Can't Hardly Wait (alternate version) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Cool Water [bonus track]

Don't Tell A Soul
Portland [bonus track]
Wake Up [bonus track]
Cruella DeVille [bonus track]
Talent Show (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
We'll Inherit the Earth (mix 1) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Date to Church [ft. Tom Waits] [bonus track]
We Know the Night (outtake) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Gudbuy T' Jane (Slade cover) (outtake) [previously unreleased bonus track]

All Shook Down
When It Began (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Nobody (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
One Wink at a Time (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Torture (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Attitude (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Happy Town (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Tiny Paper Plane (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Sadly Beautiful (demo) [previously unreleased bonus track]
Kissin' in Action [bonus track]
Ought to Get Love [bonus track]
Satellite [bonus track]

Paul Westerberg will be making some new music available to you on the cheap. 49 minutes of music for $0.49. You can download this new music tomorrow 7/19 at Paul's official site Man Without Ties. In a recent interview with Filter he explained how he came to deliver a bunch a songs to his manager " I did give at least 60 songs to my manager, Darren. I was at the point where I had to give them to someone or I was going to start erasing them. If I drop dead, he's got, like, five albums in the can."

Back to the Post
After a nice break over the Holiday weekend I spent most of the week getting caught up on work related projects. I've managed to clear the decks for a few minutes for a quick post to pass some information on next weeks No Age show as well as a concert announcement from of Montreal
No Age will be hitting the Middle East on Monday 7/14. Mondays show takes place just hours after the band wraps up there set at this weekends Sub Pop 2oth Anniversary Festival. The bands debut on the just mentioned indie rock institution Nouns has fast become an AGP favorite. It's no exaggeration to say that I haven't gone without listening to this record at least once day over the past few weeks. I am not the first nor will I be the last to heap praise on No Age and there excellent Nouns record but I'm more than pleased to be added to the long list of music geeks that have been shouting there name from the rooftops.

It may seem like I've posting a lot of video lately, but I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to post some No Age music just in case you the AGP reader has yet to experience this LA 2 piece.

No Age- Eraser



of Montreal will deliver the follow up to there excellent Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? this fall. The Athens, GA bands eleventh album, Skeletal Lamping will be released on via polyvinyl on October 7th. A full tour in support of the new album will kick off this fall. Tickets for there October 30th show at The Orpheum go on sale this morning at 10AM.

As we celebrate America's independence today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have given so much for our freedom.
Thank you.

There's nothing like a classic GBV track to bring it all together.
Guided By Voices- The Official Iron Men Rally Song

Friday Micro-News
I realize summer just started, but the fact that some of our favorite artists here at the AGP will be dropping new records at summers end has me looking past the dog days. By the way these releases will be supported by stops in our beloved city or close by anyway. So we have that to look forward to.

The New Year will be releasing there self titled third release on September 9th via touch&go. Matt and Bubba Kadane will be touring pre-release as The Kadane Brothers with The Bottomless Pit(Silkworm) and Chris Brokaw. They've scheduled a show at the Middle East on July 12th. A proper New Year tour is expected after the albums release.

The New Year new album teaser


Cold War Kids have been busy recording the follow up to Robbers and Cowards in a Southern California studio. The album is at this time without a title or official release date, OK they've narrowed it down to sometime in September. In the meantime you can check out the band in the studio through the magic of a video posted on coldwarkids.com
Look for the band to launch a tour in support of the new album this fall. Cold War Kids will play The Paradise on October 14th.

Calexico have finished recording the follow up to Garden Ruin and on September 9th they will unveil Carried to Dust on touch&go. Calexico has signed on to play this years newportfolkfestival on August 3rd.

Shall Noise Upon
Boston's psych-poppers Apollo Sunshine are set to return with album #3. Shall Noise Upon will be released on vinyl and digital formats on August 5th, with the official CD release set for September 2nd on Headless Heroes/Worlds Fair. The band is offering up a free download of 666:The Coming of The New World Government on there official site. They head off to the UK for a show on July 4th at the 02 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park before heading home for two shows at The Beachcomber in Wellfleet on August 8th and 9th.

Shall Noise Upon
{track listing}
1. Breeze
2. Singing To The Earth
3. 666: The Coming Of The New World Government
4. Shall Noise Upon
5. Brotherhood Of Death
6. Happiness
7. We Are Born When We Die
8. The Funky Chamberlain (Who Begot Who)
9. Wolf Frog White
10. Money
11. The Mermaid Angeline
12. Green Green Lawns Of Outer Space
13. Honestly
14. Coyote Hearing
15. Fog And Shadow
16. Light Of The World

The Hold Steady & Aberdeen City For Free


Let me be the 10th person to tell you about this FREE Hold Steady show. Just in case you somehow missed this announcement by some of my Boston Blogging Brethren (possible band name). This Thursday The Hold Steady will be playing The Paradise as part of the Going.com and Miller Lite Great Taste Music Series. To sweeten the deal Boston's own and always excellent Aberdeen City will open the show.

To gain access to this free show just RSVP here

The Hold Steady will release there fourth album Stay Positive on July 15th via Vagrant Records.

You can check out a track from the soon to be released Stay Positive on the bands My Space page. Sequestered in Memphis

Boston Spaceships On- Sale Update

Tickets for the Robert Pollard/Boston Spaceships show at The Paradise go on sale tomorrow morning through Ticketmaster.
Ah morning coffee and another on-line ticket hunt. go get em.

Thursday Night Micro-News


Thanks to a week in which we saw long awaited releases from the Silver Jews, Wolf Parade, and The Notwist hit the shelves I have plenty new music to get caught up on. Before I get to that I thought I'd focus on some upcoming shows that require our attendance and ticket purchases.

A pre-sale for the U.S. leg of the upcoming Sigur Ros tour will go on sale tomorrow. The pre-sale begins at 10 AM at sigurros.com. The tour will kick off on September 17th in New York and they hit the Bank of America Pavillion on September 19th. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly) will hit stores and digital shops next Tuesday 6/24. The band has been streaming the album on there site but I refuse to listen to it in that forum. I want hold the album in my hands and play it at maximum volume through my headphones. I admit I get a little carried away when it comes to this band and a few others too. To me it's a major event when a band of Sigur Ros' caliber release a new record, so I like to treat it as such.

Former Clem Snide front man Eef Barzelay recently released his second solo album Lose Big on 429Records. After scoring the film Rocket Science Eef was in a prolific space, writing a large chunk of the albums material in just 4 days. Wow I feel lazy. Eef Barzealy plays TT The Bears on June 28th. Get your tickets here

The very same night (6/29) Columbus,OH's Times New Viking return to town with a show at Great Scott in Allston. I had the chance to catch TNV when they opened for Super Furry Animals back in February. It was a jaw dropping set and I anxiously await there return to say the least. Hallelujah The Hills open the show to a solidify a terrific line up. Speaking of Hallelujah The Hills you can check out front man Ryan Walsh's interview with Cassie Beraman of the Silver Jews at Largeheartedboy.

Boston Spaceships

Hot on the heels of the release of Robert Pollard Is Off To Business, Bob is already planning his next release and 1st tour in two years. On September 9th GBV Inc. will release Brown Submarine the debut release from Boston Spaceships. The band constists of Robert Pollard, John Moen (Decemberists & the Jicks), and Chris Slusarenko (GBV & Sprinkler). In a press release of sorts Brown Submarine is given the following description, "This is this you know..." Though you'll notice some subtle prog flourishes and acoustic strums, Brown Submarine is a pop punk album, made by and for kids who've worn out the grooves on their Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Wire and dBs records. While Pollard has stretched out post-GBV, experimenting on each of his diverse and unique solo records, Boston Spaceships rock hard, have fun and drink Miller Lite.

A tour in support of Brown Submarine has been announced and includes one Boston area date. On September 30th Boston Spaceships will play The Paradise, and if you think things couldn't get any better for Boston area Pollard fans you would be wrong. I just learned that Big Dipper will be supporting at the Paradise show. As soon as I finish jumping up and down I'll get the ticket on-sale information posted.

Boston Spaceships Tour
09-26 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
09-27 Washington, DC - Black Cat
09-29 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
09-30 Boston, MA - Paradise (with Big Dipper)
10-01 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
10-03 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
10-04 Dayton, OH - Dayton Music Festival
10-06 Chicago, IL - Double Door
10-07 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
10-09 Champaign, IL - Higher Ground
10-10 St. Louis, MO - Bluebird
10-11 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
10-14 Austin, TX - The Parish
10-15 Dallas, TX - The Loft
10-17 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10-18 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
The High Strung will support all dates except for the above mentioned Boston show.


Boston Spaceships
Robert Pollard

Look for a Robert Pollard tour announcement right here at The Ash Gray Proclamation sometime tomorrow.
Now back to the Celtics quest for banner #17.

Up and Over The Bridge
As Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago continues to receive heaps of praise from fans and critics alike, Bon Iver has announced some shows with Wilco and a show on Cape Cod . In August Justin Vernon and co. will play a handful of dates supporting Wilco on there never ending Sky Blue Sky tour. However the news I'm most excited about is that they've announced two local shows, they'll play The Museum of Fine Arts on July 26th as well as a show on Cape Cod at Cape Cinema in Dennis, MA on July 27th. Quality shows on the other side of the Sagamore Bridge are rare so I jumped when I saw this news. A great show without the hour plus drive into the city, count me in.

Ticket information on the Cape Cod show will soon be posted here

You can get tickets for The MFA show here

For more info on Bon Iver check out there official site boniver.org

Here's Bon Iver performing Skinny Love Live on Later with Jools Holland for your listening and viewing pleasure. In a word, stunning.

Micro-News/Pop Hooks

There's nothing quite like a great pop song. Three of our favorite artists that occupy the powerpop/guitar pop genre have either released or are preparing to release new albums in the coming months. This edition of Micro-News contains news from Robert Pollard, Matthew Sweet, and Sloan.

Robert Pollard's latest release Off To Business had the official street date of June 3rd, however the mail tends to be a little slow to get out of Dayton. Seriously It usually takes a good week or so after the initial release before it shows up in the record shops here on the east coast. This time is no different, Off To Business is nowhere to be found. I've done some checking around and multiple sources have confirmed that Off To Business will be on the release list for next week. All this could be avoided if I remembered to pre-order from Rockathon, but things have been a little busy around here. Another way to get to your new Pollard fix is by going to Fina Music and buy a digital copy right now.

Popsmith Matthew Sweet will release his 10th studio album, Sunshine Lies on August 26th via Shout-Factory. Sweet described Sunshine Lies as"power-pop-folk-rock-psychedelic-melodic-singer-songwriter-type stuff" in a recent press release. Sunshine Lies was recorded at Lolina Green Studios in Los Angeles, CA, and produced and mixed by Matthew Sweet. Susanna Hoffs appears on the album, providing backup vocals on the title track. While familiars Ric Menck (drums), Ivan Julian (guitar), Greg Leisz (guitar/pedal steel guitar) and Richard Lloyd (guitar) are all in tow. A full tour in support of Sunshine Lies is expected to be announced by the time the album is released this summer.

Nova Scotia Pop veterans, Sloan will release Parallel Play on June 10th via Yep Roc. Parellel Play is the follow up to the superb Never Hear The End Of It, the bands high water mark in my opinion. The album has been described as more concise but sonically varied album, as the 4 songwriters continue to contribute equally throughout Parellel Play . Thanks to the nice folks at Yep Roc for streamingParallel Playfor our listening enjoyment.

Sloan play TT The Bears on June 18th.

Run Son Run

Prepare yourselves this post contains almost no music related news, review, or concert announcements. On August 10th I'll be running in the Falmouth Road Race to raise money for some worthy Cape Cod area charities. When I started running last fall I was just hoping to get into shape, but since then I've gotten hooked on it and rarely let more than a day or two go by without getting out for a run. As with most things In my life I have to add music to the mix and running is no exception. My ipod has been key while out on the road.

(Current) Top 5 songs to run to:
Game of Pricks (tigerbomb version)- GBV
You Are a Runner and I am My Fathers Son - Wolf Parade
The Birth and Death of The Day- Explosions in The Sky
Each to Each- The Gutter Twins
Retro-fit- The Hot Snakes
You loved the last mix tape I made you....right?

If you would like to learn more about the charities I'm raising money for or perhaps you would like help out a worthy cause. Shoot an e-mail to ashgrayproclamation@yahoo.com

The Perfect From Now On Tour

Built To Spill have announced that they will be playing there classic Perfect From Now On in it's entirety during there upcoming tour. The Tour will kick off in September with stops at the My Bloody Valentine curated All Tomorrow's Parties(NY) as well as some dates in Europe. Boston Built To Spill fans can rejoice in the confirmation of a show at The Orpheum on September 27th. In addition to the Perfect set the band will encore with material from there catalog. You may even hear a song or two from the almost completed new album slated for a 2009 release.

Perfect From Now On Tour
06-06 Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Festival
06-07 Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
07-03 Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
07-19 Boise, ID - Expo Idaho Fairgrounds
09-08 San Francisco, CA - Slim's *
09-09 San Francisco, CA - Slim's *
09-10 Hollywood, CA - Troubadour *
09-11 Hollywood, CA - Troubadour *
09-12 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet's *#
09-17 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place *
09-18 Northampton, MA - Calvin Theater *
09-19 Monticello, NY - ATP New York *
09-20 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero *
09-21 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero *
09-22 Richmond, VA - The National *
09-23 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
09-24 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live *
09-25 New York, NY - Terminal 5 *$
09-26 New York, NY - Terminal 5 *$
09-27 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre *
10-01 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje *
10-02 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg *
10-03 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli *
10-04 Groningen, Netherlands - Take Root Festival *
10-05 Brussels, Belgium - AB Box *
10-06 Aarhus, Denmark - VoxHall *
10-07 Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen *
10-09 Stavanger, Norway - Folken *
10-10 Mons, Belgium - USF *
10-11 Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller *
10-12 Gothenburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers *
10-13 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis *
10-14 Malmo, Sweden - KB *
10-15 Bielefeld, Germany - Forum *
10-16 Bochum, Germany - BHF Langendeer *
10-17 Stuttgart, Germany - Universum *
10-18 Heidelberg, Germany - Karlstorbahnhof *
10-19 Nuremberg, Germany - K4 *
10-21 Vienna, Austria - Flex *
10-22 Innsbruck, Austria - Weekender *
10-23 Saint Gallen, Switzerland - Palace *
10-24 Bologna, Italy - Locomotive *
10-25 Rome, Italy - INIT *
10-26 Verona, Italy - Interzone *
10-28 Clermont-Ferrand, France - La Cooperative *
10-29 Barcelona, Spain - Apolo *
10-30 Madrid, Spain - Caracol *
10-31 Bilbao, Spain - Azkena *
11-01 Angouleme, France - La Nef *
11-03 Paris, France - Maroquinerie *
11-04 London, England - Koko *
11-05 Bristol, England - Thekla *
11-06 Oxford, England - Zodiac *
11-07 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club *
11-08 Glasgow, Scotland - King Tuts *
11-09 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Limelight *
11-10 Dublin, Ireland - Academy *

While we wait for ticket information and on-sale dates to be announced I thought I'd share this video of Doug Martsch from 2002.

Doug Martsch 3-24-02 St. John's Pub Portland, OR
I Wouldn't Hurt A Fly

Micro-News (Pre-Memorial Day)

As you pack the car and prepare to head out on your long weekend.
Here's a compact edition of Micro-News. That is more compact that normal. Don't forget the sunscreen.

The Pernice Brothers are doing there part in supporting Manny Ramirez' quest for 500 hits .He is currently at 498, and in celebration of his approach to the milestone of they're we’re resurrecting Joe’s beat-heavy (for the Pernice Brothers) “Moonshot Manny” and offering said download for free. Just go to www.pernicebrothers.com and click on the picture of Manny. It there for free until he hits number 500.

Tonight Swervedriver kick off the 1st date of there reunion tour in Omaha. Did I really just type that? The recently reformed Swervedriver will hit the Paradise on June 10th where you'll find yours truly front and center.

I'd like to wish the AGP readers a happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Be Safe people.

The Stand Ins

I have a full news update coming tomorrow but there was one story I just couldn't wait to get posted. I just got some great news. One of our favorites here at the AGP have announced plans to release a new album this fall. Okkervil River will release The Stand Ins on September 9th via Jagjaguwar.

In celebration of this news I thought I'd share this video the band filmed for the recently launched Pitchforktv. This is must see, weather your a long standing fan or if your hearing them for the first time. Just hit play you won't be disapointed.


Okkervil River Song

We're Proud To Claim Them As Boston's Own...



Hallelujah The Hills recently won the "best local song" honors in this years Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll for there namesake track Hallelujah The Hills from Collective Psychosis Begone. Congratulations gentlemen. In other HTH news the Prepare to Qualify EP is still available for download on the bands site. However if you're like me and you like to have something tangible to hold in your hands, fear not the EP will soon be released by Misra. So download for free now and then buy it once it gets a proper CD release.

Hallelujah The Hills will play The Paradise on May 30th with Sea Wolf and The Jealous Girlfriends.

Prepare to Qualify EP

Two New Releases
Tomorrow Death Cab For Cuttie will release there 6th release and 2nd overall for Atlantic records. Narrow Stairs is said to be a bit of a curve ball. Based on the tracks I've heard it's darker and more powerful than there previous work.

Finally the posthumous Bury Me Standing from the now defunct Boston punks The Explosion will see the light of day via Paper + Plastic Records. I still listen to there excellent debut on a regular basis. I'm really looking forward to hearing the recorded end from one of Boston's finest punk outfits.

Looking toward next week:
The National - A Skin, A Night/ The Virginia EP (DVD/CD)

Micro-News
Two quick hits today, news of a possible Robert Pollard tour and MMJ confirm dates for there Evil Urges tour. Read on people.

According to Billboard Robert Pollard will be launching a tour this fall in support of his new album and debut full length for his new label Guided By Voices, Inc. Off to Business. According to Bob this won't be a tour were you'll be hearing the GBV Staples, "My goal is I don’t want to play anything I've played live before live". I'll keep you all posted on this in the works tour and any Boston show information once I can confirm details.

My Morning Jacket have just announced a show at The Bank of America Pavilion on September 6th. There new album Evil Urges will be released on June 10th. Ticket information including pre-sales can be found here. MMJ are the musical guest on this weeks Saturday Night Live, so set the DVR's.

Retunring to the Fold/ Micro-News on May Day
We pulled back into town last weekend, but it's taken me a few days to get back in the swing of things. It's never easy to return from a vacation and this week is no exception. I have a few minutes to spare so I thought I'd take the opportunity to get some fresh content posted.

The Hold Steady will release Stay Positive the follow up to Boys and Girls in America on July 15th via Vagrant Records. I am looking forward to checking this out once it drops in my favorite record shop this summer. Craig Finn took to writing the press release for new record. "A great American philosopher named D. Boon once said 'our band could be your life.' I think that is true. But 'your life could be our band' is also a true statement. I know this because we have lived it. These are our lives. These are your lives. This is our fourth record. Stay Positive."

Clinic will play The Paradise with support from Shearwater here in Boston on May 9th. The band is touring in support of there recently released Do It issued by Domino Records. Speaking of Domino they have an album sampler of Do It on there site. You know, so you can hear it before you plunk down the cash for it. I have to admit they lost me on the last couple of albums, but Do it returns to the excellence of there debut album.
Do It Preview

During my week away I had the chance to spend some time with a recently released yet neglected album. Neon Neon's Stainless Style is collaboration between Super Fury Animal Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip. The 1980's have returned and Neon Neon have knocked off New Order as the kings of synth pop.

April Vacation Holiday Tour
Tomorrow my wife and I will be loading the the Little Speakers into the automobile and heading south till we hit Florida. Don't go throwing any parties while we're gone.

Friday Micro News
A busy week has kept me away from my trusty laptop this week. The need to earn a living can really be distracting. This weeks Micro News features updates from The National, Mission of Burma, Arcade Fire, and Radiohead

On May 20th The National will release A Skin, A Night. A film that was director by Vincent Moon. The film captures the creative process of the band in the studio recording the fantastic Boxer. You can check out the trailer here. A Skin, A Night will be accompanied by The Virginia EP. The 12 song EP will include demos, live versions,British B-sides and an unreleased track, You've Done it Again, Virginia.

The Virginia EP's track listing:
You've Done It Again, Virginia
Santa Clara
Blank Slate
Tall Saint (demo)
Without Permission
Forever After Days (demo)
Slow Show (demo)
Lucky You (Daytrotter session)
Mansion on the Hill (live)
Fake Empire (live)
About Today (live)

Mission of Burma will be playing four shows this June in support of the recently released Mission of Burma: The Definitive Editions. These special shows will feature MOB playing either Signals, Calls, and Marches or Vs. in its entirety. They will play two shows in New York and two shows in Boston.
Here's the details on the Boston shows:
Thursday, June 12, 2008
performing the album Signals
Friday, June 13, 2008
performing the album VS
Paradise Rock Club
Boston, MA

Congratulations to Arcade Fire for being presented with Alternative Album of the Year at Canada's Juno Awards on Sunday night.

Let's pretend that you've been out of the country or trapped under something heavy and haven't heard the long awaited confirmation of the Radiohead show at The Tweeter Center on August 13th. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 AM via the usual ticket outlets. So I guess I'll be spending my Saturday morning in front of my computer hitting the refresh button. Good luck if you'll be in the hunt.

Radiohead Tour Announcement
This is still unconfirmed but it looks like Radiohead will play The Tweeter Center on August 13th. My brother just sent me this link, so let me give him the credit. Here's the story the way it appeared at ateaseweb just a few hours ago. Radiohead’s Boston show will take place at Mansfield’s Tweeter Center. The band will play the venue exactly 5 years after their last show: August 13 2008. Apparently, tickets for the show go on sale April 12th. Once further details are revealed or an official announcement is made I'll be sure to pass it along.

The Fenway Recordings Sesssions #56-58/Elf Power Ticket Giveaway
The thing I miss most about my former life in radio is the free stuff. Does that make me shallow? I hope not. The bottom line is that everyone loves something for nothing, especially when the something is free tickets to a great show happening this weekend. Through the generosity of Phil at Fenway Recordings and Live Nation I am able to offer up the first ticket giveaway here at The Ash Gray Proclamation. I have two pair of tickets for this Sunday's session with Elf Power. If you're interested in grabbing these just send me an e-mail to ashgrayproclamation@yahoo.com. It will be a first come first serve policy this time around.

Here's the rundown on this weeks session as well as the other sessions they have planned this month. Sunday, April 6th 2008 - Sessions # 56 presents Elf Power and DJ Carbo, 9pm/18+/$12
Elf Power has a storied history as one of the founding bands of Athens, Georgia's Elephant 6 collective, whose alumni include Of Montreal and Neutral Milk Hotel. Formed in 1994, Elf Power's line-up of talented musicians has differed from album to album, but the band has managed to maintain a distinct style while remaining open to experimentation with their sound. Leader Andrew Rieger's otherworldly lyrical stances, the band's easy way with melody and an overall eclectic approach towards making music is evident on their ninth studio album In a Cave. The current line-up of Rieger, Jimmy Hughes, Derek Almstead, Eric Harris, Laura Carter and Heather McIntosh used a series of experimental recording processes and approaches to make In a Cave one of the most psychedelic Elf Power records in years.
ElfPower

Thursday, April 17th- Sessions #57 presents Jason Collett with Paddy Casey, DJ Carbo at Great Scott, 9pm/18+/$12
When Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Collett (of Broken Social Scene) was mulling over titles for his new album, Here's To Being Here, he stumbled across the line in an anthology of poetry by his friend Emily Haines' (BSS, Metric) late father Paul, a well-known avant-garde jazz poet. "I really love the simple sentiment of the title," says Collett. "I think of it as a toast, a raising of the glass to the notion of being present to the moment." Collett began writing to try to escape the boredom of the suburb of Bramalea where he grew up. He logged time in Toronto bands before going on to craft two full-length albums (1999's Chrome Reflections and 2001's Bitter Beauty). In 2003 he joined the Arts & Crafts family in 2003, and continued to pen songs with a poet's knack for reflection and a journalist's eye for detail.
JasonCollet
Paddy Casey

Wednesday, April 30th Sessions #58 presents The Secret Machines and DJ Carbo, 9pm/18+/$15
The Secret Machines story begins in Dallas, where bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Brandon Curtis, his brother guitarist/vocalist Ben Curtis, and drummer Josh Garza spent some time in lesser-known experimental rock bands. Convinced they were destined for greater things, the trio head to Chicago where they recorded their first EP September 000, before continuing on to New York City. They moved into Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood in November of 2000, living in a one-room loft apartment with no hot water that doubled as their rehearsal space. Word began to spread about the band's fiery live performances and the buzz led to a record deal with Reprise, which released Now Here Is Nowhere in 2004. Secret Machines produced there new album themselves, as they did Now Here Is Nowhere, booking itself into Allaire, a secluded recording studio on a mountaintop in scenic Shokan, New York, and worked, ate, and slept there for three weeks in May and two weeks in July. "Producing ourselves, we came away with the essential nature of preserving the sanctity of the vibe of a recording studio," Brandon says. "When you're doing it yourself, you have to be responsible for dictating the feeling you want." In September, the band traveled to London to mix the album with legendary engineer/producer Alan Moulder.

Great Scott is located at 1222 Comm. Ave in Allston, MA.
Upcoming Sessions:
Thursday, May 1st 2008 Sunday, The Silver State, Johnny Lloyd Rollins, DJ Carbo at Great Scott
Monday, May 19th 2008 - The Long Blondes with Drug Rug, DJ Carbo at Great Scott
Saturday, May 31st 2008- Jeremy Enigk with Damien Jurado DJ Carbo at Great Scott
Thursday, June 5th 2008- Adam Green with DJ Carbo at Great Scott
Sunday, June 8th 2008- Lightspeed Champion with Flowers Forever, DJ Carbo at Great Scott
Thanks again to the good kids at Fenway Recordings.
fenwayrecordings