Gossip -- December 2001

Dayton News
Pop-core newbies A Day In The Life recently finished in the studio, putting the final touches on their debut album 9 Reasons To Say Goodbye.  Their debut album is scheduled for release in early December on Confined Records.

Dayton’s Viking metal hellions-of-song, Dead Blue Sky, are tentatively planning a European tour for July 2002. The tour will support their freshman full-length, Symptoms Of An Unwanted Emotion, that was released on Goodlife Recordings earlier this year.

On the heels of last year's Secretly Canadian release, Number Seven Uptown, Swearing at Motorists’ Dave Doughman is currently working on the follow-up at MagRecOne Studios in Olympia, Washington. The new album, While Laughing, the Joker Tells the Truth, doesn’t yet have a release date. Doughman has also just finished collaborating with Jean Smith of the Vancouver-based Mecca Normal. The Fargo, ND-based label Super Asbestos also plans to release a split 7" between Spoon and the Motorists this winter.

Kill Jessica Fletcher is recording their full-length titled, Mack the Knife. The LP will be out early this Winter on Dayton’s Tree Fort Record Company and features art by ex-Link 80 guitarist Adam Davis.  Also, a demo CD title Strangers with Egos will be out a lot in December 2001.  Members James Downing and Jayson Hartings are also currently involved in another band called May Jane Robertson.  They have a 7” coming out in January or February.

Beatles guitarist George Harrison died in late November at the age of 58. Harrison was staying at the home of his longtime friend Gavin De Becker in Los Angeles, and passed away of throat cancer. His wife, Olivia Harrison, and his 24 year-old son Dhani were with him when he died. 

The Minus Tide have signed on to do a full-length CD on Kickstart Audio, an indie label out of Philadelphia. The record should be out this summer. They are also probably going to be doing a split 12" with their friends Turn Around Norman from Morgantown, WV. for release this spring.

Detroit Fest is back and is scheduled for March 22-24.  The tentative lineup includes: Aloha; Arab on Radar; Honor System; Hot Water Music; Isis; Milemarker; Small Brown Bike; Sweep the Leg Johnny; Ted Leo; and The Liars.

On February 19, 2002, Milemarker’s third album, Frigid Forms Sell will be re-released by Jade Tree. Originally release by Lovitt Records in 2000, this album is the one that solidified the full scope of the group’s potential. Milemarker is currently on tour with International Noise Conspiracy, supporting their fourth and latest release, Anaesthetic.

Following the success of previous releases on File-13, Philly's matt pond PA recently released a new four song 7" for Polyvinyl on November 20^th.  Their their third album, The Green Fury, hits the streets in January.

Fueled By Ramen will be releasing Less Than Jake’s Goodbye Blue and White soon. This CD is a collection of B-sides, rarities, and live tracks that has been available for a short time through Less Than Jake's mail order and in the UK.  This version will have a slightly different track listing.

Vermont, the side project of Pele's Dan Didier and Davey von Bohlen from the Promise Ring are set to release their sophomore effort. Calling Albany will be released by Kindercore Records on January 22.

Jersey's drummer, Ian, has left the band. At a recent show, he announced it would be his last with the band, and gave an emotional speech. The band will continue on with a yet to be named replacement drummer. Reasons for leaving were not disclosed but he and
everyone within the band are still on good terms.

Cadillac is said to be developing the Snoop Deville, a limited edition Cadillac with hydraulics.  The car is named after rapper Snoop Dogg and should be hitting the streets sometime in 2002.

Arena Rock Recording Company of Brooklyn, New York will be releasing the first full-length album from Texas-based emogazers The Gloria Record.  The Gloria Record formed four years ago from the ashes of the emo-rock pioneers, Mineral. Arena Rock will be releasing, the currently untitled record in March of 2002.

Revolution Studio's newest movie The New Guy is a teen comedy featuring DJ Qualls as a high school student who is trying to be the "cool kid" and Eddie Griffin as a felon trying to help him. The movie apparently has a diverse group of artists making cameos like rocker Henry Rollins, pro-skater Tony Hawk, ex-rapper Vanilla Ice and Lyle Lovett. The movie is due for release early in 2002.

The Starting Line, who recently dropped off a tour with the Juliana Theory when their singer got Mono, goes into the studio January 2002 to record their full-length with our Mark Trombino. Tentative release date for the CD is July 16, 2002.

Racebannon, former Level-Plane recording artist will be releasing their upcoming full length on Secretly Canadian.

The Get Up Kids are working on a new album that will be produced by Scott Litt, who also produced Nirvana, REM and the Replacements. Recording will begin on January 3rd, 2002.

Chad Yaro, the guitarist from 1995 to 2001, of punk staple Face to Face is out of the band. No word on why or who will replace him.

Travis will be releasing a live VHS and DVD recorded live in Glasgow at the Gig On The Green concert, and at the Reading and Leeds festivals in late August. Titled More Than Us, the VHS/DVD will contain eighteen tracks including: “Sing,” “Writing To Reach You,” “Driftwood,”  “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?,” and “Happy.”

Drummer Brant Bjork left Fu Manchu recently.  On the helm is the release of their new album, California Crossing, due in February.

Check Engine will release a self-titled debut LP on Southern Records on January 21st, 2002. Check engine is the side-project of Sweep the Leg Johnny's Steve Sostak and Chris Daly, Lynx bassist Paul Joyce, Intelligibles guitarist Joe Cannon, and Brian Wnukowski.

In November, Fire-tone Records released the compilation CD Indie Rock Unites... Vol. 1 to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The 21-track set features tracks by Poster Children, the Figgs, Waxwings, and the Push Stars, among others. More than half of the songs are previously unreleased. Fire-tone founder Matt Friscia has a reason to help the cause, as his own father died of complications related to diabetes when Friscia was just 6 years old.

Amen guitarist Paul Fig has parted ways with his west coast mosher counterparts recently.  Rumor has it that he has hooked up with the bass player from Sub Pop’s The Black Halos for a new musical endeavour.

It seems that the mysterious Zwan bassist, Skullfisher, is actually Dave Pajo of Papa M, Slint, and Tortoise fame.

British band Pitchshifter have signed with Sanctuary Records. The band are currently recording in the Hoboken, New Jersey, studio Machine Shop with producer Machine, who has helmed the band’s 1998 Geffen album as well as records by Vision Of Disorder and hed (p.e.). The band plans to tour in support of the album in late 2002.

American punk-rock figurehead Joey Ramone may have a corner of New York City named in his honor. The Public Safety And Transportation Committee Of Manhattan unanimously approved plans to rename the corner of East Second Street and the

Bowery as Joey Ramone Place. All of the local community groups have given the go-ahead for the new name; all that remains now is to have the proposal sealed by local Congressmen.  

D.C. post-punkers Bluetip just released Post Mortem Anthem, a collection of six years' worth of songs. The disc includes five previously unreleased songs (recorded during various session over the past few years), as well as five other songs that were previously available only on seven-inches and out-of-print compilations.

Three of the four members of one of post-punk's seminal trios, Mission of Burma have announced that they will reunite to play two shows in January; one at New York’s Irving Plaza and one at Boston’s Avalon Ballroom.  Since 1983 when they parted ways, Mission of Burma have assumed a legendary status in the underground rock world. The Boston four-piece existed for only four years before guitarist Roger Miller's tinnitus forced the band’s abandonment.  Martin Swope, who lended riveting tape manipulations to the band’s overall sound, will be absent.

New Found Glory has posted a Christmas song at one of their fan sites,  www.newfoundglory2.com. The song is called "Ex-Miss."

Monitor Records imprint, home to such acts as Oxes, and Per Mission (the new project from Rodan and Rachel's member Jason Noble) has announced the signing of Bellini, a new band involving former math rocker and Don Caballero drummer Damon Che, Agostino Tilotta and Giovanna Nicosia of Italian experimental group Uzeda, and Matthew Taylor. The album is scheduled to hit the streets early next year.

On December 11^th the autobiography of Kiss bassist Gene Simmons hits shelves at a bookstore near you.  This promises to be dirtier than your brother’s Infest shirt. Rounding out Kiss's longtime-coming retirement, the band released Kiss: The Box Set on November 20th. The ninety-four-track, five-disc compilation combines thirty previously unreleased demos, outtakes and live songs with album tracks from 1968 through 2001.

Political hip-hoppers Public Enemy plan to release a new album in late February, which will feature four of the group's past hits remixed by fans. This summer, through frontman Chuck D's own SlamJamz.com, P.E. offered fans a chance to download acapella versions of "Shut Em Down," "Public Enemy No. 1," "B Side Wins Again," and "By the Time I Get to Arizona," and write new music for the tracks. Those whose submissions were chosen will be given co-songwriting credit and royalties.

AFI recently stated that they will not sign to a major label after all. Though there was talk of AFI signing to a major, it looks like they will stay at current their current home, Nitro records.

Elliott Smith is nearly finished recording his next album, which he has titled From the Basement on theHill.  Unlike his previous major label records, 1998's XO and 2000's Figure 8, which were produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, Smith is recording the new LP himself.  Smith invited a few guests to collaborate on the new album including Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd and Beachwood Sparks' Aaron Sperske.

Hot Water Music is busy writing a new record for an upcoming March studio date.  The tentative release date for the album is September 2002.

Badly Drawn Boy will follow up his debut album with the soundtrack to the comedy "About a Boy." The Manchester, England, singer/songwriter, whose real name is Damon Gough, has written 10 songs for the film and several offshoots that will be used as the score.

Beginning January 1st, 2002, Kill Rock Stars will hand distribution duties over to Touch and Go. KRS joins such indie labels as Drag City, Estrus, Merge, Thrill Jockey, Emperor Jones, and Overcoat. According to a statement the label recently made, KRS has "always had a high regard for Touch and Go and their entire family of distributed labels, and it seemed like a natural fit to join their cause."

Australian songwriter and Claire Daine’s boytoy Ben Lee has been spotted working on the follow-up to his 1999 LP, Breathing Tornados, in the San Francisco home-studio of Dan "The Automator" Nakumara (who’s prior musical adventure’s include Handsome Boy Modelling School, Dr. Octagon, Gorillaz and Deltron 3030).  The sessions should be complete around December and the album is slated for release on an unannounced label in 2002.

From the ashes of mid-nineties post-punk staples Harriet The Spy and head-bangers Three Studies for a Cruxifiction comes the Portland-based, but Ohio bred, rocking of Damn These Monkey Hands. The band includes Marc Mondo (ex-Sequoia), the mysterious Shaine, Dave Nissan (ex-The “New Terror Class, Harriet The Spy), Richard Coss (ex-Three Studies) and Jeff Lewis (ex-Sequoia).  No word yet on when these bad boys will start playing out.

According to Betterlooking Records, the Australian band Ides of Space are preparing to head across the seas to tour the United States in January 2002. This will be their first live exposure in the United States.

Political punks Anti-Flag have recorded several new tracks and will record a live set on December 1st in Pittsburgh for release in February. The EP is tentativley titled Mobilize. A tour is in the works for February.

Ex-Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams has joined forces with former Smashing Pumpkins James Iha and Melissa Auf Der Mar, and Lemonhead Evan Dando. The band, The Virgins, will record their debut album at Iha's Manhattan studio, but they haven't yet announced whether they will tour to support whatever results.

Fat Wreck Chords announced the indefinite hiatus of its Internet radio site Fat Free Radio recently. The label cited increasing bandwidth costs from increased listenership as the reason for the shutdown. The label hopes to relaunch Fat Free Radio in the near future, when bandwidth costs allow the venture to be more manageable.

Todd Bryan Eckhardt, bassist and songwriter for Washington D.C.’s the Pietasters, died on November 14.  An official statement from the band said he died in his sleep of a viral heart infection

Vagrant Record’s Dashboard Confessional will release a new EP, So Impossible, on December 18.  The EP comes just in time to put it under the Christmas tree for your girlfriend.

The garage-rock duo known as The White Stripes recently signed a two-album deal with V2 Records. The upcoming release on V2 will be the duo’s fourth full-length release and their first record not to be released by the Long Beach, California-based indie label Sympathy For The Record Industry. They will begin recording the album, which is due out in 2002, when they return from their European tour in December.

Congratulations to Mr. Gabe Serbian and Mr. Justin Pearson of The Locust on their marrage on October 31st, 2001 in Honolulu, HI. Feel free to shower them with gifts at P.O. Box 178262. San Diego, CA. 92177. USA.

Love Lost But Not Forgotten recently announced that they are officially on hiatus. One of their members was badly hurt in a motorcycle accident, though it is reported that he’ll be OK.  They have not broken up, but recent events obviously put a damper on their plans to record another record for Happy Couples Never Last in December.

According to VH-1, Lollapalooza will be back in2002. At present, it's not known what bands make the bill, though festival organizers claim that they will be searching for acts that have built devoted followings without major radio support.

Saves the Day's video for "At Your Funeral" began airing on MTV2 starting
Thursday the 29th. It is playing every hour on the hour.

Rumors of the Benjamins breaking up were recently refuted by the band. However, they said that they have planned a split for January or February and that their final show will be in Milwaukee.

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