Gossip -- July 2003

Atom and His Package has called it quits. His final show is scheduled for September 29 in Philly. He is reported to have a project with Dan Yemin from Paint It Black in the works though.

Death Cab For Cutie have announced the release of their fourth full-length titled Transatlanticism out on October 7th. Transatlanticism will be released by Barsuk Records at which time Death Cab for Cutie will hit the road once again on a six-week North American tour.

Kingston, NY, the home of many respected bands such as Matchbook Romance, Coheed and Cambria, and Autopilot Off, is also the birthplace of the next great four-piece rock band, Anadivine. This quartet is set to release their eight-track self-titled EP on Sidecho Records on October 21, 2003. Be on the lookout for Anadivine's full-length release on The Militia Group in the summer of 2004.


Pleasure Forever have broken up. According to GSL Records, the newly re-located to Oregon three-piece has come to an end.

The Descendents have signed to Fat Wreck Chords. Their new record is scheduled for a March 2004 release.

Hopesfall had their practice space broken into and all of their gear was stolen. Anyone who has any information on the bad guys who are responsible for this crime are urged to notify info@trustkill.com or info@scratchfour.com, or call the Pineville Police at 704-889-2231, ask for Sgt. Owens.

12 Memories, Travis's follow-up to 2001's The Invisible Band, is due October 14.

Martyr AD is now "back," as they have finally found a permanent drummer and singer. Earlier this summer Karl Hensel, drummer for now-defunct Minneapolis hardcore band Holding On, had joined the Martyr AD. Now, in addition to Hensel, Holding On vocalist Andrew Hart has officially joined the group on vocals. This fall, the group will enter the studio to record their Victory Records debut, which has been titled On Earth As It Is In Hell and should hit stores in spring of 2004.

The new Blink 182 album, due November 18, will be self-titled. All of the tracks were recorded over the past six months at a studio they built in a rented house near San Diego.

Vagrant Records' very own Moneen are the opening act on the Saves The Day/Taking Back Sunday Tour which kicks off September 12in Hartford, CT.

New Found Glory are reportedly starting work on the follow-up to last year's Sticks and Stones. Pre-production will begin in an open space in the Hurley factory, located in Costa Mesa, California. NFG drummer Cyrus Bolooki recently shared some studio time with his younger brother Andrew's band All That's Left. Bolooki produced three tracks for the group, including "Please Don't," which features Ryan Key of Yellowcard.

Avenged Sevenfold begin their stint on this year's Take Action Tour (www.takeactiontour.com) on September 11, but when that wraps up on Oct. 9th, they'll embark on The Vans Off The Wall Club Tour with Sick of it All, The Unseen, Western Waste, Glasseater (Oct. 10 - Nov. 1) and with Suicide Machines, The Unseen, Western Waste (Nov. 6 - Nov. 23).

Josh Homme's next Desert Sessions project (volumes nine and 10, for those scoring at home) is set for release October 7. Recorded in February during a jam session at Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert, the disc includes contributions from A Perfect Circle's Josh Freese, Dean Ween, PJ Harvey and Twiggy Ramirez.

Celebrity's "Disconnected" video is now available for download at: http://www.doghouserecordsmedia.com/celebrity/celebdisco.wmv. The clips were lensed by Darren Doane (Deftones, AFI, Thursday) and it is expected to begin airing on MTV2 and FUSE in the next couple of weeks.

Wesley Willis, one of the most unusual characters in music, died in late-August. He was 40. Willis was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia at the end of 2002 and his health had been deteriorating rapidly.

Taking Back Sunday shot a video for "You're So Last Summer" on Sunday with a bunch of fans and Public Enemy faceplate Flavor Flav. The song is the third single from the hardcore band's debut, Tell All Your Friends.

Suicide Squeeze is set to release Lost Notes From Forgotten Songs, a new album capturing the magic made when The Six Parts Seven turned their songs over to the likes of Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse, Ugly Casanova), David Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession), John Atkins (The Magic Magicians, 764-Hero), Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), Katie Eastburn (Young People), Will Johnson (Centro-matic), and more. The record is out November 11th and the band is set to tour in October and November. The Six Parts Seven have also just released a split EP with The Black Keys.

Saves The Day has launched an e-card with 4 songs from their new album In Reverie, out on Sept 16th. Check it out here: www.savestheday.com/player/vagrant/

In early September, Punchline will be joining The Juliana Theory, Hopesfall for some shows. They're currently finishing up work on their new CD with Sean O'Keefe up in Chi-town.

The Special Goodness, Weezer drummer Pat Wilson's side project with former Rocket From the Crypt drummer Atom, are planning to issue their next record through punk staple Epitaph. "We are proud to announce that we've agreed in principle to sign with Epitaph Records," reads a posting on the band's Web site.

Count the Stars ground to a halt Saturday morning after a bad accident left their van and trailer totaled and singer/guitarist Chris Kasarjian in the hospital with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and stitches. After their driver lost control of the van, the trailer ripped off its hitch and flew twenty feet into the air, hitting a tree and coming apart, scattering the band's merch and equipment. The van flipped several times, causing Kasarjian's injuries but only bruises and minor cuts on the rest of the band and crew. The band will be cancelling their appearances on The Juliana Theory tour through at least September 20th, the dates following are contingent on Chris's recovery, so check at http://www.victoryrecords.com/tours.html.

Denali has just exited the studio with their exquisite follow up to their 2002 debut with The Instinct, which will be released October 28.

The Icarus Line, notorious for breaking open a display case containing a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar at South by Southwest in 2002, are putting the finishing touches on their second album, Penance Soiree. V2 is expected to release the follow-up to 2001's Mono early next year.

The Teen Idols have broken up. Apparently, guitarist Phillip had some difficulties on their current tour and quit the band abruptly.

The latest go-round of Vagrant Records' cross-country namesake tour will be headlined by Alkaline Trio and will include labelmates From Autumn to Ashes, Reggie & the Full Effect and No Motiv, the label's first signing. The 33-city tour begins October 29 in Minneapolis.

Strike Anywhere’s Exit English CD will be released September 30.

Boys Night Out’s new album Make Yourself Sick is scheduled for a September 23rd release date on Ferret Records.

Echo and the Bunnymen will launch a North American tour on October 23 in Boston. Dates run through November 7 in Anaheim, California. The band will follow the U.S. jaunt with a lengthy world tour.

Yo La Tengo will hit the road next month in support of their upcoming Today Is the Day EP, which is scheduled for release through Matador Records on October 21.

Chris Slusarenko and Superdrag's Sam Powers will sit in with Guided by Voices for the group's upcoming tours of the U.S. and Europe, respectively, following the departure of bassist Tim Tobias, according to a post on GBV's Web site.

Elliott have broken up. More info at www.elliottintransit.com

The Polyphonic Spree will kick off a North American tour September 19 in their hometown of Dallas. The outing, which will feature the Starlight Mints on the first leg and the Sleepy Jackson on the second, ends with a two-night stay November 23 and 24 in San Diego.

Anti-Flag has announced a series of small east coast tour dates. With the 10 dollar admission, every fan in attendance will receive a free copy of the new CD, The Terror State! Dates can be found at anti-flag.com

The first 250 people who pre-order the new Andrew WK CD (The Wolf) from www.awkworld.com will get a personalized phone call from the one and only AWK. He will post some of them onto his website aswell.

Former 88 Fingers Louie vocalist Denis Buckley is back with a new band called Undercast. The band is currently demoing new songs and should start playing out in mid to late fall. For more information visit the official Undercast website at www.undercast.net

Millencolin is going on tour starting Nov. 19th in Florida. Dates and support bands will be announced shortly.

The Dismemberment Plan will drop their final record, a remix collection called The People's History of the Dismemberment Plan, on September 30th on DeSoto Records.

Ted Leo is set to release a new EP October 7th on Lookout! Records. The lead track is "Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead" from the Hearts of Oak album, but there are also three more solo tracks and three very interesting covers including The Pogues’ “Dirty Old Town,” The Jam’s “Ghosts” and Split Enz’s “Six Months in a leaky boat.

Chicago's Empty Bottle will play host to a five-day festival. Sponsored, curated, and programmed by the UK mag The Wire, the Adventures in Modern Music fest begins September 24th and runs through the 28th. The lineup is an eclectic one, spanning from the roots-based amblings of Califone to the pounding post-rock dance vibe of !!!. In general, the overall theme leans toward the experimental.

The 2003 Shortlist Music Prize announced its "long list" of nominees on Monday (August 11). Among the 86 nominations are albums from Mars Volta, Kenna, Grandaddy, Floetry, Talib Kweli and Röyksopp. Judges like Spike Jonze and Erykah Badu will cut the long list down to 10 finalists in early September and one winner on October 16.

The Black Dahlia Murder dropped off their August tour when their drummer was arrested. Supposedly, half the band stayed behind to get their drummer out and two members quit and went home. The remaining members of the band still hope to make the upcoming Arch Enemy tour, with Joe of Set Ablaze reportedly set to step in on bass.

On the heels of their Lollapalooza tour jaunt, the Distillers are heading back out on the road next month, with the Bronx slated to take the opening slot. The 15-date outing starts September 5 in San Diego at the annual Street Scene festival, and wraps September 26 in Chicago at the Bottom Lounge.

Johnny Cash's collaboration with late Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer will appear on the country legend's box set, due out this Christmas. The five-disc set, tentatively titled Unearthed, is a collection of outtakes from the country legend's work with producer Rick Rubin

The CMJ Music Marathon has announced the first crop of confirmed bands for the annual festival and convention, set for October 22-25. The Broken Social Scene, My Morning Jacket, Mars Volta and the Shins are among the bands set to take the stage at dozens of New York clubs, while Yoko Ono has signed on as a featured speaker.

Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo, Further Seems Forever singer Jason Gleason and Shai Hulud screamer Geert Van der Velde have agreed to contribute spoken-word pieces to the upcoming album A.S.A.P.: Artists Speak Against Poverty. Proceeds will benefit Childreach, an organization that provides shelter, medicine and food for needy children around the world. Additional acts will be announced shortly.

Mates of State have already set the groundwork for a massive 46-show jaunt around North America. The dates from mid-October through early November will all be played with Death Cab for Cutie. The tour will also include bands like The Ladybug Transistor, I Am The World Trade Center and the Mates' Polyvinyl labelmates Saturday Looks Good to Me.

Breaking Pangaea vocalist and guitarist Fred Mascherino has been gracing Taking Back Sunday with his guitar virtuosity and his mean set of pipes while drummer Will has been playing in a new band called Straylight Run. They will be doing a short headlining tour in September 2003. For more information, visit www.straylightrun.com.

Peaches will launch a four-week tour to support her second album, Fatherfucker, due September 23. The trek kicks off October 1 in Washington, D.C.

Influential Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM is celebrating a resurgence in '80s-inspired rock with a Flashback to the Future theme for its third annual Inland Invasion concert. Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, Fountains of Wayne and Dashboard Confessional will join the Cure, Duran Duran, Violent Femmes, Echo & the Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, Bow Wow Wow, General Public, Soft Cell, Berlin and Flock of Seagulls at the event, September 20 at Hyundai Pavilion.

Slowdance Records recently signed Kissing Tigers. Based out of Santa Barbara, these five young men reportedly make for a mighty punk-rock dance party of keyboard-heavy distortion and a manic live show that involves numerous flailed limbs and an endless amount of youthful energy and showmanship. Their five-song debut, titled Trebuchet EP, will be out September 2nd.

Hot Hot Heat are headlining a club tour set to kick off September 17 in Phoenix and wrap October 2 in Minneapolis. The outing will also include one opening date, for the White Stripes in Los Angeles on September 24.

Dan the Automator is teaming up with Glassjaw's Daryl Palumbo (on vocals, bass and guitar) and Larry Gorman (on drums) for a new project called Head Automatica. The band, which Palumbo described in a statement as "dark and futuristic, with a blend of garage and dance," will enter the studio next month to record its debut album.

Ex-Libertines vocalist Pete Doherty has pleaded guilty to robbing the home of his bandmate Carl Barat. Doherty broke into Barat's basement apartment and made off with an antique guitar, video recorder, laptop computer, mouth organ and CD player. Doherty is due back in court September 8, and may receive jail time.

North, the new album by Elvis Costello, is set for release September 23. The first 100,000 copies of the LP, which follows last year's When I Was Cruel, will include a DVD portion with music videos.

Ten Grand singer Matt Davis died recently at age 26. The memorial service was held August 13 in Iowa City.

Chicago-based website New Eye Films has videos for Arab on Radar's "God is Dad" and The Locust's "Solar Panel Asses" and "Twenty Three Lubed Up Schizophrenics With Delusions of Granduer" on their site. Go to NewEyeFilms for more information.

Helmet's Helmet Unsung: The Very Best of Helmet (1991-1997) is expected late next month from Interscope.

The new Mates of State record now has an official name and release date. Team Boo, Mates' third album, will be released Sept. 16 and will be available through Polyvinyl mailorder as early as Sept 2nd.

The Raveonettes have finalized dates for a fall tour in support of their LP Chain Gang of Love, due September 2. The outing kicks off September 5 in Philadelphia and wraps October 12 in Tampa, Florida.

Mos Def and Talib Kweli will deliver a joint keynote lecture at the Field Museum's International Hip-Hop and Social Change Conference to be held in Chicago October 3-5. The conference will focus on the significance of artistic activity in the hip-hop community and its relation to social change.

Paul Westerberg will follow-up last year's Stereo/Mono set on October 7 with Dead Man Shake. Like Mono, the LP will be credited to the former Replacements singer's Grandpaboy alias.

According to Anti-Complacency zine Baltimore-based rapper Cex is working on a top-secret Prince remix record. Nothing has been confirmed yet. Cex has also just signed to Jade Tree, who will drop his next LP soon.

According to an online insider, The Murder City Devils are considering a reunion. Word is, the band will come back this fall with a new EP and minus a few members.

N.E.R.D.'s follow-up In Search Of ... is due November 18 and will be titled Fly or Die.

Rachel's, are set to release their fifth long-player on October 6th via Quarterstick Records. This one is labeled Systems/Layers.

On the heels of their EP, Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard, Sacramento's !!! are planning to head back into the studio. This forthcoming effort, which can be expected in early 2004, will be their second full-length (and first for Touch & Go Records).

After two postponements, the West Coast version of All Tomorrow's Parties has trimmed a day from its original three-day affair and relocated. ATP will take place November 8-9 aboard the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, California. Artists thus far confirmed for the festival, which is curated by "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, include Spoon, Modest Mouse, Cat Power, the Boredoms, Built to Spill, !!! and Mission of Burma.

San Francisco Bay Area metallists Neurosis and ex-Swans singer/keyboardist Jarboe will release the experimetal bone-rattler Neurosis & Jarboe on October 21. Tracks include "Within," "His Last Words," "Taker," "Receive" and "Erase." Neurosis also plan to hit the studio next month with producer Steve Albini to begin work on their next album.

Biz Markie is set to return with a new album, Weekend Warrior, on November 4. The first single is "Let Me See You Bounce," featuring Elephant Man.

Keepsake has replaced old guitarist Myke with new guitarist Derek Carte.

On August 26, Pro-Pain will release the covers album Run for Cover, with songs by Slayer, Agnostic Front, Motorhead, Sepultura, Discharge, Operation Ivy, Black Flag and others.

Belle and Sebastian are preparing to drop their fifth album sometime in October on Rough Trade.

Arch Enemy will kick off a 12-date U.S. tour on August 25 in Springfield, Virginia. Shows run through September 8 in Los Angeles. Hate Eternal, Evergrey and Black Dahlia Murder will support.

The Strokes recently told Billboard that their sophomore LP will be released in the U.S. by RCA on October 21st.

While preparing to record a new album next month with noted rap-rock producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit), the Cure are assembling tracks for an upcoming box set, expected to drop this fall. Coinciding with the set will be a reissue of all the band's LPs, including 1980's Boys Don't Cry, 1982's Pornography and 1987's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.

Black Market Activities (Deadwater Drowning, Found Dead Hanging) have officially signed Pennsylvania's From A Second Story Window. BMA will re-release the band's debut album, The Cassandra Complex, which will be remixed and remastered by Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer) at Visceral Sound. From A Second Story Window is in the process of booking a September tour with Coma Eternal.

Former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin is now also a former member of Zwan. Lenchantin, who left the Circle in February to join Zwan, has decided to focus instead on Papa M, a band formed by Zwan guitarist David Pajo. Papa M plan to tour in October and will enter the studio before the end of the year.

Thursday recently enlisted Joakim Ahlund, who has worked with similarly minded Swedish hardcore band Refused and subsequent spinoff act (International) Noise Conspiracy, to direct the clip for "Signals Over the Air," the first single from their forthcoming major-label debut, War All the Time.

Anti-Flag will be supported by Paint It Black, Pipedown and Thought Riot on a U.S. tour in support of their forthcoming album, The Terror State, which was produced by Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello. The trek will kick off October 14 with a record-release show in Cincinnati.

Planes Mistaken For Stars bassist Jaime Drier recently quit the band, and he’s been replaced by Chuck French of Peralta. According to No Idea, Planes Mistaken For Stars plan to release their next album, Up In Them Guts, sometime next year.

The Walkmen are reported to be working on the follow-up to 2002's Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone. The record is slated for a February 2004 release on Record Collection Records. Recording is taking place at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee with Stuart Sikes, who worked with the White Stripes on White Blood Cells.

October 9th, Tigerstyle will finally release Dead Low Tide’s self-titled CD/LP and a new Entrance CDEP.

After the Donnas' European tour, which begins September 22 in Hamburg, Germany, and ends October 17 in London, the ladies will begin working on a new album, due next year.

Darkest Hour will be on the road through the remainder of this year. Following their impending tour with Atreyu, God Forbid, and Underoath, the band will meet up with Avail and Jericho for a week of dates in the East. Then in October, they'll join The Great Deceiver for a month-long tour of Europe. The group also just announced a European tour with The Crown.

Living Colour's first studio album in a decade, the 16-track Collideoscope, will come out September 22.

Cold Crush Records, run by Derek of PGMG and Steve from Dim Mak, are going to be having a label showcase show on October 25th at the Knitting Factory which will feature Cobra High, Hint Hint, Anna Oxygen and more. Stay tuned for more info.

Rush will release a triple-CD live album and a two-disc DVD, both called Rush in Rio, on September 23. The sets, recorded November 23 on the final date of the band's tour behind Vapor Trials, will feature all 28 songs from the show.

Helloween, Beyond the Embrace and Jag Panzer will team up for a tour kicking off on October 1 in Tempe, Arizona.

A best-of series from Roadrunner Records hits stores on September 22. The first seven releases include Deicide, Life of Agony, Brujeria, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Madball and Malevolant Creation.

Former Afghan Whig Greg Dulli’s The Twilight Singers are preparing to release their second album, Blackberry Belle, in October. The long-awaited follow-up to 2000's Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers has found a home with Birdman Records

In the middle of August, Ministry will re-enter the studio to work on the follow-up to this year's Animositisomina. Frontman Al Jourgensen also plans to release albums by his side projects Revolting Cocks and Lard next year.

Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Lou Reed, Dan the Automator, the X-ecutioners and El-P are among the artists contributing tracks to Bird Up: The Charlie Parker Remix Project, due October 21.

AFI's self-titled 7-inch has been re-pressed on limited-edition yellow vinyl by Adeline Records, the Bay Area label co-owned by Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong that originally released the EP in 1998.

Tenacious D have pushed back the release of their Tenacious D-VD to October 21. Along with performances, the project will include documentaries on the making of the "Tribute "and "Wonderboy" videos, their appearance on "Crank Yankers" and more.

Singer/songwriters Elvis Costello, Pete Yorn, Jesse Malin and Billy Bragg are a few of the artists contributing to the double album Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen. Proceeds from the sale of the album, due September 2, will benefit the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org) and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, which grants money for cancer research and assists those suffering from the illness.

A five-song EP of unreleased Notwist material and remixes of tracks from the band's Neon Golden album will be released in America in early November via Domino Records. The EP is titled Different Cars And Trains and pulls together songs already available in Europe as B-sides of three singles released from Neon Golden: "Trashing Days", "Pick Up the Phone", and "Pilot". The EP also offers one non-album track that's not yet seen stateside release, "Red Room", as well as remixes by Console, Loopspool and Four Tet and Manitoba, who join forces on an eight-minute version of "This Room.”

After they return from their European tour, the Blood Brothers will kick off another U.S. tour. The launch is September 10 in Minneapolis, and dates run through October 17 in their hometown of Seattle. Cursive will open all shows.

Fat Mike revealed some of the details about his upcoming Rock Against Bush Tour and compilation. The tour will be a couple of months of free shows at colleges that will have voter registration booths on hand.

Kenna will be joining Fischerspooner on the road for their fall tour, which begins in September.

In recent postings on their Web site, Underoath explained that a friend from the band Winter Solstice will fill in for ex-vocalist Dallas Taylor on the band's upcoming tour with Atreyu. After the tour, Underoath will search for a permanent replacement for Taylor, who was recently asked to leave.

Face To Face is beginning to compile material for their new DVD documenting the band's history. The band is looking for bootlegs, photos, posters or any other band related material that could be put to use. To submit your material please email what material you have to misc@vagrant.com.

In October, electronic music mastermind Richie Hawtin will release his first album in five years under his techno alter ego, Plastikman. The follow-up to 1998's Consumed is titled Closer.

The Shins will drop their second album, Chutes Too Narrow, October 21. The follow-up to 2001's Oh, Inverted World will be preceded by first single "So Says I," to be released September 23. Following their performance at the annual Bumbershoot festival in Seattle on August 29, the band will begin a three-week tour in New York on September 2, and wrap things up in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 24.

Sparta is currently on their final break for a long while. In August they begin putting together all their new songs and begin working on the new album. It will tentatively be released at the beginning of April.

A thorough '70s punk rock retrospective box set, Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated? will be released on October 28. The package covers 1973 to 1980 and includes songs by the Clash, the Jam, Dead Kennedys, X-Ray Spex and Generation X, as well as outfits on the fringe of the movement such as Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Joy Division, Talking Heads and Joe Jackson.

S.T.U.N. will shoot their first video on Wednesday in Los Angeles for "Annihilation of the Generations." Joakim Ahlund, who helmed Refused's "New Noise" video, will direct.

Neva Dinova hit the studio in July with Omaha superstar Bright Eyes. The results will be a six-song record, which will be released later this year by Crank!

Eighteen Visions will enter the studio in October to begin working on a follow-up to last year's Vanity. The band has also prepped a cover of the Beatles classic "A Hard Day's Night," which they'll unleash on tour with Strung Out.

Rufus Wainwright will release his third full-length album, Want One, on DreamWorks this September 23rd. The album was recorded in New York and London and produced by Marius deVries, who has worked with Björk, Madonna, David Bowie, U2

Time in Malta are searching for a replacement for drummer Eric Alexander, who recently announced that he'll be leaving.

The Fire Theft starts their North American tour on September 26th in Vancouver and ends on October 18 The Fire Theft's self titled debut drops October 7th on Rykodisc.

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