White Stripes, Flaming Lips Team Up For New Years Gig; Flaming Lips Remix Chumbawamba
Candy cane children 95% white, only 5% red, in direct violation of fan club guidelines

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Will Bryant and Joshua Sharp report:
So let me see if I can get this story straight: Jack White gives the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne a plastic fiber-optic Jesus figurine-- which, let's face it, is a fine gift-- and Coyne immortalizes said appliance-slash-messiah in a perfectly passable b-side on the group's otherwise lacking-sorely-for-new-material Fight Test EP. Then, White goes and bends his finger waaaaaaaaaaaaay further back than that freaky kid in your third-grade class who had no bones in his left hand, and the next thing you know, the good ol' Lips are subbing for the Stripes at festivals in Scotland and Ireland, dutifully covering "Seven Nation Army" and replacing the sexual tension between Jack and Meg with sexual tension between Coyne and a boxing-nun puppet. White then goes and posts some really digusting video of his surgery on the Stripes' website accompanied by the ubiquitous riff from his own hit single. Is that Lips or what? I mean, get a room!

Well, apparently they have: at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom on December 31st, the Flaming Lips and White Stripes will join forces for what undoubtedly will be a very lively evening of animal costumes, disturbing medical footage, and guitars strummed viciously with bloodied hands-- and that's just the White Stripes section of the evening! We predict: (a) the same basic setlist the Lips have been playing since 1998; (b) a 'surprise' duet between Coyne and White on either "We're Going To Be Friends" or "It's True That We Love One Another" (homos!); and (c) at least a half-pound of confetti down the front of Meg White's peasant blouse:

12-31 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom

In other Lips news, it is my supreme pleasure to report-- hold on to your monocles, folks-- that the Flaming Lips have completed a remix of Chumbawamba's hit single of 1997, "Tubthumping," which will appear on the awkwardly monikered group's new album, Readymades and Then Some. Yes, that is the song you're thinking of. The one about the knocking down and the getting back up again. It's supposedly a very downtempo interpretation of the baby shower classic, and the Lips reportedly took on the project because they 'know what it's like to be a one-hit wonder band' because "She Don't Use Jelly" was their only calling card for so long. They better not mess up my #1 jam with their lame symphonics, or I'm going soccer hooligan on their asses. Readymades and Then Some is set to be released, accompanied by a bonus DVD, on October 21st. As previously reported, the Flaming Lips are currently doing a whole bunch of other ridiculous crap.

Flaming Lips: http://www.flaminglips.com
Chumbwamba: http://www.chumba.com

Slim Moon: Kill Rock Stars Is Not Shutting Down
Hard copy of Corin Tucker interview buried in pile of Taco Bird demos

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 14:40:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

In a recent and widely-cogitated interview with online zine/radio program Babes in Boyland, Sleater-Kinney singer/guitarist Corin Tucker lamented that the band's record label, Kill Rock Stars, might soon be closing its doors. While discussing the consequences that arise from releasing music for independent record labels, Tucker also said that she believes One Beat (Sleater-Kinney's sixth full-length, which ranked at #14 on our list of the top 50 albums of '02) might be their last record released on Kill Rock Stars.

"It is partly because of financial demands, and partly because Slim [Moon], who runs the label, doesn't really want to do the label anymore", Tucker remarked. "I do not think we will be signing onto a major label any time soon, but it is really difficult, it has got much leaner in the States. I mean the whole economy is going down the tubes, but the music industry is very much like you're either on a major label or you're really struggling."

But Kill Rock Stars owner Slim Moon, who's run the label since 1991, tells Pitchfork another story entirely: "I absolutely and categorically deny that KRS has any plans to shut down, or that I have any lack of interest in doing the label," Moon declared to us via electronic post. "I plan to do this until I die. I'll bet you a thousand dollars that KRS is still going long after Sleater-Kinney has broken up and Corin has lost interest in being in a band. Hell, we've signed six new bands in the last six months, and just signed a five-year lease in a new office/warehouse. My bet is that Corin was misquoted."

Sleater-Kinney is currently on hiatus following extensive touring and the release of One Beat, and drummer Janet Weiss' quirky pop duo Quasi have recently released their fourth full-length, Hot Shit. As previously reported, Quasi is currently on tour through November; dates are in our previous story linked below.

Sleater-Kinney: http://www.sleater-kinney.net
Kill Rock Stars: http://www.killrockstars.com
Babes in Boyland: http://www.babesinboyland.info

Out Hud Set Fall Tour
Paul Newman still very confident in his heterosexuality

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Last night, I made the mistake of letting my sick big disc changer select Out Hud's 2002 Kranky Records release, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D., just as my gal Mollie and I were falling asleep. I managed to slumber through most of the art-funq fueled mayhem-- but upon waking, found my moped torched, my Sigur Rós albums smashed, and my poor cat's fur shaven into a fuzzy orange mohawk. Mollie, meanwhile, emerged from the dumpster naked and holding hands with ol' drunken Lamar. That's how hot.

Point is, like their Sacramento brethren in !!!, Out Hud's electro-acoustic dance jams make indie kids actually move it (as if they had it in the first place) and give you hope you might put your tooter where it was never meant to be. The Cali quartet will take a break from recording at Washington, D.C.'s National Recording Studios this fall to warm up the show for New York's tightest, the Rapture, on their U.S. tour and headline a few dates on the East Coast with Le Tigre:

10-03 Bennington, VT - Bennington College
10-04 Bennington, VT - Bennington College
11-06 New York, NY - Irving Plaza (w/ Measles Mumps Rubella) *
11-11 Seattle, WA - Graceland (w/ Beans) #
11-12 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan #
11-13 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall #
11-15 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey #
11-16 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey #
11-22 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero (w/ Aspera) *
11-23 Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club (w/ Aspera) *
11-26 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
12-05 Swarthmore, PA - Swarthmore College

* with Le Tigre
# with The Rapture

Outhud: http://www.brainwashed.com/outhud
Kranky: http://www.kranky.net

Badly Drawn Boy Gets Minimal On New LP; Touring In November
Reduced to Rorschach blot in most recent 8x10 glossy

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

We haven't had much to say about Badly Drawn Boy recently here on the Pitchfork newswire. This just doesn't seem fair. I mean, for chrissakes, we report every time Interpol takes a whiz, but we can't even find space to let our fair readers know that the poorly executed one recently started work on a new album due out March 2004?

It's true: Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) is currently planning his follow-up to Have You Fed The Fish?. Gough told New Musical Express the new record will be "very sparse-- minimal instruments. With just drums, bass, piano, and vocals it sounds hard. Even with just piano they're really hard-sounding songs. It's unique for me." Sparse? Minimal? Maybe some of you fear that Gough might be for'Gough'ing (where's my rimshot, motherfucker?) his trademark brasses, strings, and other fancy-shmancy musicalia (not a real word). Quoth Gough: "It's a bit darker, a bit less writing about relationships and more about abstract things." Like philosophy?

Our Boy is also planning a tour or two in his near future. He started with a recent headlining spot on a benefit concert for the Peace One Day organization, along with Faithless and Lamb and other bands I've never heard of before, and now he's added fourteen November dates for the abstract minimalist in you:

11-01 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
11-02 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
11-03 Rochester, NY - Water Street
11-04 Albany, NY - The Egg
11-06 Baltimore, MD - Recher
11-07 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
11-09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
11-11 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
11-12 Chicago, IL - Park West
11-13 Nashville, TN - Belcourt
11-14 Ashville, GA - Orange Peel
11-15 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
11-17 Austin, TX - Mercury
11-18 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room

Badly Drawn Boy: http://www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk
Artist Direct: http://www.artistdirectrecords.com

Black Keys Tour, Release Peel Sessions
Supported by pentatonic scale on all dates

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The White Stripes aren't the only ones blocking off calendars and booking New Years' gigs-- that's right: The Black Keys, everybody's favorite blues-rock duo, recently announced more U.S. dates for their upcoming tour. The dates start in Massachusetts next week and wind up in Ohio for a New Years' Eve bash. They even include a UK performance for BBC Radio! A tour diary will also be posted on the Keys' website. So what this all boils down to is, if you're in the mood for some bluesy tunes in the future, but don't want to shell out the heavily convenience-charged to see the White Stripes, you've got an alternative, at the following venues:

10-06 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse *
10-07 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club *
10-08 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
10-09 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
10-10 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's *
10-11 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar *
10-12 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
10-14 Richmond, VA - Alley Katz *
10-15 Charlottesville, VA - Starr Hill Music Hall *
10-16 Carrboro, NC - Room 4 *
10-17 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel *
10-18 Athens, GA - 40 Watt *
10-19 Atlanta, GA - Starlight Drive-In *
10-21 Birmingham, Al - The Nick #
10-22 New Orleans, LA - Parish #
10-23 Houston, TX - Rudyard's #
10-24 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-25 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room #
10-28 Brighton, England - BBC Radio One
10-29 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground #
10-30 Iowa City, IA - Gabe's Oasis #
11-01 Chicago, IL - Abbey
12-06 Oberlin, OH - Dionysus Club
12-31 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom

* with Magic Magicians
# with The Shams

The Keys just released a new single for "Have Love Will Travel" in the UK, whose contents "include two tracks taken from a Peel session the band recorded in April 2003." Tracklist:

01 Have Love Will Travel
02 No Trust [Peel session]
03 The Moan [Peel session]

The Black Keys: http://www.theblackkeys.com

Oneida Tours with Ted Leo, Magnolia Electric Co.
Weezy Jefferson still having difficulty frying fish, burning beans

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Brooklyn's best punky keyboard/keyboard psychedelic noise show is hitting the road this fall. The band has added a set of dates in the middle/southern regions of this great country to bring you the spazzed-out rock you so richly deserve. They will be joining Mr. Ted Leo and his Pharmacists for several of these dates, and Mr. Jason Molina and his Magnolia Electric Company will make an appearance for at least one show. In addition, Oneida has recorded a new LP, called Secret Wars, with a release date set for January 2004. So get out and enjoy what New Yorkers get on a regular basis (the bastards). Tour dates:

11-08 Cleveland, OH - TBA
11-09 Detroit, MI - Shelter *
11-11 Chicago, IL - Fireside Bowl *
11-12 Bloomington, IN - TBA (w/ Aspera)
11-13 Lexington, KY - Mecca (w/ Magnolia Electric Co.)
11-14 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
11-15 Atlanta, GA - Earl

* with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

In related, and bizarre and tragic, but ultimately uplifting testament-to-the-human-spirit news, Papa Crazy, the former singer of Oneida (now with Oakley Hall) suffered a debilitating injury to his right hand in early June, the result of a table saw accident. He lost his right finger and sustained nerve and artery damage to two others. But according to the Oakley Hall website, "Crazee's back." Yep, he's been keeping up with his daily (actually hourly) therapy exercises, which has moved from a strap-on robot hand to rocking the organ with Pagan Baby, an Oakley Hall side project.

Big ups to Papa Crazy for his Willis Reed-like comeback (and for not posting any surgery footage online). Nicely done. Expect the debut Oakley Hall full length in the coming year.

Oneida: http://www.enemyhogs.com
Oakley Hall: http://www.oakleyhall.net

GoGoGo Airheart Working on New Album, Touring
Caged dancers on sidelines to be referred to as 'interpretive kinetic artists' at all times

[Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Jagged, high-pitched guitars. Thick, propulsive basslines. Jittery, spitting, and often impenetrable vocals. If you count the aforementioned aural components among your favored qualities in underground music, it's a good time to buy a case of eardrums. While perhaps not as widely publicized as the dancepunk boom, the upswept art-punk revival is hitting that perfect median between unsuitable obscurity and immoderate saturation.

One the most underlooked acts of this movement, and arguably the most innovative (taking into account the demise of The Fire Show), the San Diego quartet GoGoGo Airheart have recently announced that they have begun recording their fourth album. Though the term "art-punk" paints a distinct musical portrait, GoGoGo Airheart is commendable for expanding on the existing categorical frame with an eclectic and uncommonly easy-to-digest blend of stylistic cornerstones. Though the traditional abrasive instrumentation remains in place, it is enriched and occasionally replaced by such contextually intriguing elements such as acoustic guitars, accordions, string arrangements, and an unabashed appreciation for good old sixties pop. An adulterating wave of boring art-punk retreads is sure to come-- I personally sleep with my copy of Entertainment! tucked safely in my arms in preparation for this pervasive mongrel horde-- but GoGoGo Airheart make it clear from the start that they do not travel among them.

According to the band's website, it won't be long until their latest effort is ready for mass consumption. "We've been spending most of our time writing new material and rehearsing. In July we began to record things ourselves on our own machine at Andy's place. Early in August we parted ways with [drummer] Jay Hough, which changed the dynamic of the sound. Then we started recording with John Reis (Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes) at his studio."

The modest Courier text, which I like to think is a blasphemous cyborg amalgamation of the remaining band members, goes on to divulge a bit about what to expect in the new songs: "The material we have already laid down sounds 'way dyno-mite!'," the mechanical mockery awkwardly declares in a disastrous attempt to emulate human speech patterns. "It looks like we're gonna put out a single with GSL early in the new year and have the full length out in the spring."

In the meantime, the band has announced a handful of California dates (including several shows with quirky pop veterans Enon) at which they will be playing a choice selection of fresh new material:

10-02 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar *
10-03 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo *
10-04 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord *
10-05 San Francisco, CA - Verdi Club (w/ Evening, Low Flying Owls)
10-31 San Diego, CA - The Casbah (w/ Rocket from the Crypt, 21st Century Lepers)

* with Enon

GoGoGo Airheart: http://www.gogogoairheart.com
Gold Standard Labs: http://www.goldstandardlabs.com

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