Gossip -- March 2003

Following The Minus Tide's release of a new 7" split w/ Pankration this past January, The Minus Tide took a sabbatical for the month of February. However, the band is gearing up to play this year's MACROCK, sharing a stage with Hopesfall and Converge. The band also plans to record new material this summer for a full-length CD/LP on Action Driver in Fall 2003.

Guided by Voices are back in the studio recording another full-length for Matador Records, their 14th so far. The new album won't hit stores until August 19th.

Jade Tree recently signed Statistics to the label family. Omaha, Nebraska's all-star Statistics is the new band from Desaparecidos founder, main songwriter and guitarist Denver Dalley. Complementing, yet expanding upon Denver's efforts with the Saddle Creek powerhouse he fronted with Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Statistics is said to be percolating, hushed electro-pop melded with power-rock dynamics and pure, timeless hooks. Jade Tree will be release the Statistics self-titled debut, Statistics CD E.P. on June 17.

Peter Gabriel will return to North America this summer for a second outing to promote his fall album, Up. The amphitheaters tour will kick off June 7 in San Francisco.

Longtime friends and fellow frontmen Vinnie Caruana of the Movielife and Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw have written a bunch of songs together for a side project they've dubbed H.A. Although Caruana noted in an interview that he'd like to record an album and embark on a tour, nothing specific has been set.

The Mars Volta -- the new band containing former At The Drive In members Cedric Bixler (vocals) and Omar Rodriguez (guitar) -- have announced that they've signed on with Universal Records for their debut full-length. The band recently finished recording the album with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who assumed bass duties in the studio, and Red Hot Chili Peppers (among many, many, many others) producer Rick Rubin at the controls. They'll also be touring with RHCP throughout Europe this month.

Starting in June 2003, Troubleman Unlimited will be releasing three 12" CD singles from Tussle, which will include remixes by Drew Daniel (Matmos, Soft Pink Truth) and Barry 7 of Add N to (X), among others. Look for a full-length LP to be released at a currently undetermined time.

New York City garage rockers the Mooney Suzuki have lined up a string of tour dates, beginning April 10 in New Haven, Connecticut. The quartet will bring along fellow Big Apple residents, the Realistics, to open the brief outing, which winds down April 27 in Los Angeles.

Notwist will embark on their first North American tour on April 2 at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. The group's 17-date jaunt in support of its recently released Neon Golden will end with a two-night stand at Los Angeles' Knitting Factory on April 14 and 15.

Spaz-core art punks The Locust will be releasing their next full-length on June 24 on Anti/Epitaph Records.

The Jealous Sound has just finished recording twelve new songs for their upcoming full-length album, Kill Them With Kindness. The record will be released in June 2003 on Better Looking Records. Kill Them With Kindness was produced and recorded by Tim O'Heir (All American Rejects, Superdrag, Juliana Hatfield, Dinosaur Jr). In addition to a new album, The Jealous Sound has a new drummer. Adam Wade, former member of Shudder to Think and Jawbox, will now handle duties behind the kit. The Jealous Sound will be performing at Noise Pop, SXSW and a full U.S. tour is currently being booked.

This May The New Pornographers will no doubt catapult Vancouver, BC into the international spotlight once again with the release of their second record, Electric Version. Not since the days before former Boston mayor Paul Cellucci came to town to become America's ambassador to Canada have the staid yet stately streets of the 'couv' quaked with such anticipation. The follow up the bands late 2000's debut Mass Romantic will be released by Mint Records and licensed to Matador Records for American distribution, according to the Matador Web site (http://www.matadorrecords.com/news/index.html).

The Weakerthans have inked a deal with Epitaph Records. The Winnipeg Sun said the band has been recording in Toronto, and are hoping for a summer release for their forthcoming disc.

Between The Buried And Me has signed with Victory Records. The North Carolina group was formed in late-2000 and features ex-members of Prayer For Cleansing, BTBAM has previously released material on Lifeforce Records.

Cave In's new video for the song "Anchor" off of their upcoming album Antenna is available on the RCA Records website - www.rcarecords.com/media.html The album will hit stores March 18th.

According to absolutepunk.net the new Thursday album will be titled War All The Time.

The brand new Further Seems Forever video, "The Sound," is now online at www. toothandnail.com/downloads/furtherseems/thesound.html.

Burnt By The Sun will undertake a short tour to SXSW. This short tour will run between February and March 30.

The planned Shai Hulud, Most Precious Blood, Terror, and Bleeding Through U.S. tour will run from May 21st through July 6th. Terror and bassist Rich Thurston recently parted ways. The group has added former Sworn Vengeance bassist and current First Blood vocalist Carl Swartz on bass. Swartz had been filling in and was quickly asked to join permanently.

Dysrhythmia have completed recording their Relapse debut ‘Pretest’ with engineer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Helmet). ‘Pretest’ will surface on May 13th. They will be out on tour from February 23 to March 30.

AFI has put together a special package for the Sing The Sorrow release. The special edition contains: Sing The Sorrow CD, collectable hardcover book with over 60 pages of lyrics, illustrations, and notes, "Clandestine" DVD featuring 5 audio tracks mixed in 5.1 surround sound, and the short film "Clandestine" by AFI.

In the continued tradition of releasing the most unkind mind grind, Relapse Records recently dropped a split between Dayton's Rune and Kalibas. This is spastic, extreme, dark, perplexing metal and grind that will mangle your mind.

According to New Musical Express, Radiohead will release their sixth studio effort on June 9th, with the first single set to hit the shelves on May 16th.

The Scene Creamers will be touring in March and April. The Scene Creamers recently released their first record, I Suck on That Emotion, via Drag City. Frontman Ian Svenonius, spent time in D.C.'s legendary The Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up and most recently Weird War (with Make-up compatriot and Scene Creamer Michelle Mae). The tour will start February 28 and run through April 6.

The Haunted, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Cephalic Carnage, Converge, Eighteen Visions, Nevermore, Mastodon, Opeth and the newly reformed seminal death metal outfit Suffocation are among the many acts scheduled to perform at this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, set to take place May 16 and 17 at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sahara Hotnights are scheduled to begin touring February 27 behind their second album, Jennie Bomb, released here by Jetset Records. The outing wraps up April 5. They'll also be hosting 120 Minutes on MTV2 on March 2nd, and playing Late Night with Conan O'Brien on April 10th. Jetset will also be issuing the first Sahara Hotnights album, C'Mon Let's Pretend on April 8th. Ikara Colt and Lookout Records' The Washdown will appear at all shows by SXSW.

British black metal purveyors and Ozzfest second stage co-headliners Cradle of Filth will see their major-label debut, Damnation and a Day, issued Stateside March 25. The band has already shot a video for the album's first single, "Babalon AD (So Glad for the Madness)" with director Wiz (Marilyn Manson).

Former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg is working on his second album for Vagrant Records. The follow-up to last year's Mono/Stereo double LP is slated to surface in late summer.

The Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline this year's Coachella festival, a spokesperson for the concert said recently. The April 26-27 bill will also include Queens of the Stone Age, N.E.R.D., the Donnas, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, White Stripes, Jack Johnson, Black Eyed Peas, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Badly Drawn Boy, Talib Kweli, Division of Laura Lee, Hot Hot Heat, Ben Kweller, Ladytron, the Rapture, the Mooney Suzuki, Nightmares on Wax, Sonic Youth, the Mars Volta, Johnny Marr and the Healers, Tortoise, El-P, Aesop Rock, the Von Bondies, and Fischerspooner.

Photographer Mark Beemer asked Kid Dynamite to get back together in order to benefit his late wife's endowment. Two years after their disbanding, they will reunite for two shows and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the endowment Beemer has established in the name of his wife, Syrentha J. Savio, who died of cancer. It provides chemotherapy and other medication for individuals who cannot afford this expensive medical treatment. Both shows will be held at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday, April 11th and 12th. Both shows are all ages events.

Founding member Marcos Curiel and P.O.D. have parted ways, at least partially due to the guitarist's side project. In an e-mail sent to fans February 19, singer Sonny Sandoval said Curiel left "to pursue his own vision apart from P.O.D.," however the guitarist told MTV that he was kicked out. He has been replaced by Jason Truby, former guitarist for Christian metal band Living Sacrifice. P.O.D. are recording the lead single for "The Matrix Reloaded" soundtrack and writing their third major-label album.
New Jersey's Rye Coalition will be touring with Queens of the Stone Age on their winter tour, which runs from February 22 to March 14.

Numbers will release their newest EP titled, Ee-Uh! on March 18. The disc will feature three new tracks and three live tracks, and is set to be released by Troubleman Unlimited. They will also be on tour in Europe from Feb. 22 - March 29.

Coheed And Cambria has recently begun writing material for their next album. The group will enter Applehead Studios in New York in early March to record with Michael Birnham. Look for the album to hit streets this Fall.

According to a recent report from the music website Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven, Phil Elvrum revealed that he is officially disbanding his Microphones project, a loose collective which included Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, The Blow's Khaela Maricich, Karl Blau of D+, Old Time Relijun's Aaron Hartman, Kyle Field of Little Wings, Yume Bitsu's Adam Forkner, Bret Lunsford of Beat Happening, singer/songwriter Anna Oxygen, and Calvin Johnson. Microphones have been active since 1999, and have released four albums, several full-lengths, and a bunch of seven-inches.

Trustkill Records (Eighteen Visions, Hopesfall, Open Hand) recently signed Throwdown. The group began recording a new full-length in January, which will consist of ten original tracks and some re-recorded older tracks. Look for the album to drop in June.

Pinback is scheduled drop E.P.s on Ace Fu and Absolutely Kosher this year. They will also produce a full-length for Touch & Go. The Absolutely Kosher EP release, titled Offcell, will be released on April 29th. Pinback frontman Rob Crow also just completed a solo album titled My Room Is a Mess. Absolutely Kosher have it slated for release on May 20th.

Coldplay won Album of the Year and Oasis were named Artist of the Year at the NME Awards in London in February. The Hives won Best International Band, while Dallas' Polyphonic Spree took home the F--- Me! Award for Innovation.

Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, Nickelback, Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain, Simple Plan, Our Lady Peace and Hot Hot Heat are among the nominees for the 2003 Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. Non-Canadians Creed, Nelly, Shakira, Eminem and Enrique Iglesias are up for the International Album of the Year award. The Juno Awards will take place April 6 in Kanata, Canada.

The Cure have signed a three-album deal with the ARTISTdirect Records imprint, I Am. In July, the band plans to enter a London studio to begin work on its 14th studio album. Ross Robinson is to produce the as-yet-untitled LP.

Paul Oakenfold, Les Rythmes Digitales, Tommy Sunshine and others contributed remixes to the Faint's Danse Macabre Remixed. The Omaha group is planning a spring tour to promote the release, due March 25.

Jane's Addiction are promising their long-awaited new album by summer.

A live version of Weezer's "Why Bother," Ben Kweller's previously unreleased "It's Not There" and songs from Phantom Planet and AM Radio are featured on A Benefit for Petra Haden, a fundraiser for the That Dog violinist who was severely injured when hit by a car in August 2000. Beck, Jack Black and Matthew Sweet have raised money in the past for Haden, who also recorded with Green Day, the Rentals and Luscious Jackson.
Gainesville's Salem, formerly known as As Friends Rust, will enter the studio on March 20th to record their new full length. The band is in talks with labels at the moment, details are forthcoming as to who will release the album.

Fischerspooner will embark on their first North American tour beginning April 8 in Toronto. Touring in support of their major-label debut, #1, the trek will be capped off with an elaborate performance at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival on April 27 in Indio, California

Former Black Flag singer Keith Morris appears on a track called "We've Had Enough" on the Alkaline Trio's new album, Good Mourning. Due May 13, the project was produced by Joe McGrath (Blink-182) and Jerry Finn (Green Day).

Sense Field are working on their as-yet-untitled successor to 2001's Tonight and Forever in their Dense Flies studio, located in El Segundo, California. Produced by Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Pete Yorn), the LP is due in early August.

The Mars Volta have announced the release date for their still untitled debut album has been pushed back until June 3rd. The album is supposedly a concept album about the life and death of a character named Serpintax, whom is based on a real life friend of some members of the band who passed due to problems with drug abuse.

Depeche Mode's Martin Gore and David Gahan have set spring release dates for their upcoming solo albums. Gore's Counterfeit2, a collection of covers of John Lennon, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop songs, is due April 28, while Gahan's as-yet-untitled debut is set for June 2.

Zwan began a tour in the UK February 12. The tour runs through April 8.

The Donnas were booted from their own after-show party at New York's Belmont Lounge recently when the gals got a little too drunk and rowdy. The Strokes were there to witness and partake in the revelry.

Blur have announced that former Verve guitarist Simon Tong will accompany them on the road when they tour this summer. He will not, however, be joining as a full-time member. Blur have been without a guitarist since original axeman Graham Coxon left last year before the band started recording in Morocco. Singer Damon Albarn played guitar on most of the record, which comes out later this year.

If you think this year's Lollapalooza lineup is too radio-friendly, you might want to check out Ipecac Records' traveling road show, which will feature the Melvins, Tomahawk and Skeleton Key. The U.S. tour is tentatively scheduled to begin in late April or early May and additional bands may be announced in the coming weeks.

Pigface, the Chicago industrial outfit revolving around ex-Ministry member Martin Atkins, recently auctioned off an onstage wedding during their upcoming U.S. spring tour to promote their new album, Easy Listening. Fans could bid to win the chance nuptials on eBay until Valentine's Day.

Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins and a friend have started a label called Western Tread, based in Arizona. The imprint's first release will be a vinyl version of Jimmy Eat World's self-titled LP that features the bonus track "Splash, Turn, Twist." It will be followed by an E.P. by the duo the Format, who will release a full-length debut next year on Elektra Records. The label's first full-length LP will feature Reubens Accomplice.

Surefire Records will release the recordings of the seminal J Mascis/Lou Barlow incarnation of Dinosaur Jr., and their related and prior projects in 2003. Before Dinosaur or Dinosaur Jr., Mascis and Barlow first formed Deep Wound, a hardcore quartet based out of Westfield, MA. Deep Wound released one seven-inch, an E.P. released in 1983 on Radiobeat Records, and a handful of singles. The as-yet-untitled Deep Wound collection will contain tracks from an out-of-print German bootleg, along with the entirety of the seven-inch, and a handful of previously unreleased live tracks. Surefire needs your help compiling the Deep Wound liner notes. If anyone has visual documentation of Deep Wound -- photos, handbills, etc. -- please contact the distributor through their website. Surefire is planning to release Dinosaur Jr.'s 1985 debut Dinosaur, 1987's You're Living All Over Me, 1988's Bug, and 1991's singles-roundup Fossils.

Tons of news from the Lovitt Records camp: The Sleepytime Trio discography CD, Memory Minus, has been repressed and has been remastered by Chad Clark. It also has a different tray card but same baby blue cover, if you care about that sort of thing. There is a new live MP3 on their MP3 page at lovitt.com. A CD of Division of Laura Lee's older material has just been mastered by Chad Clark. The CD should be out soon, but an MP3 from the CD is up on the Lovitt site now. Fin Fang Foom has been recording their new, second full length. It will be out soon. They will be touring Europe in April, and the U.S. after that. Ben Davis is working on his second full-length as well. There is no release date yet. Like the first LP, it's a studio album: Jonathan from Engine Down, Dave Laney from Milemarker, David NeSmith from practically every Lovitt band, Ash and Daron from Four Hundred Years and Bats & Mice, and Cornbread from Engine Down and Zetamale have all played on the record so far. Engine Down will be touring the U.S. with a panoply of indie stars, such as Q And Not U, Cursive, Minus the Bear and Gregor Samsa. Touring starts in early March. The Cassettes are now a duo. Finally, look for an interview with the Black Sea in an upcoming Punk Planet.

After releasing two full-lengths, an EP and completing numerous US tours, Long Island's The Stryder, has decided to dissolve. The band members have moved on to new endeavors in life and music. They have left us with the last two songs they recorded as MP3's for the fans to enjoy. Head over to Equal Vision's website for the MP3's.

Iodine Records recently signed Philidelphia's Aim of Conrad. The band was conceived in early 2000 and has toured the U.S. twice and released both a self titled 7 inch and split 7 inch with Boston's Transistor Transistor on Watson and the Shark. 2003 brings Aim back to the studio with Jonathan Kreinik (Trans Am, Frodus) to record their upcoming CDEP tentatively titled, Happiness And Smiles And Everyone Has Their Birthday Faces On. Look for their new CDEP out in April of 2003 and a U.S. tour this summer.

Initial is releasing their Black on Black Black Flag cover CD and LP. It was originally intended to only be a 7" featuring Old Man Gloom, American Nightmare, The Hope Conspiracy, and The National Acrobat, but the project grew and it now includes the first recorded material by Coalesce in over two years and the first recording on The Dillinger Escape Plan with vocalist Greg Puciato. with new vocalist, Greg Puciato. The record will also feature tracks by Bettawreckonize faves Anodyne, and Coalesce, Converge, Burnt By The Sun, Playing Enemy and Planes Mistaken For Stars.

On April 22, SubPop will release a CD/LP, which documents The Murder City Devils last show on Halloween, 2001 at The Showbox in Seattle. According to Bettawreckonize editor Tim Anderl, "I'm totally stoked for that release. It is going to be shit hot." On May 6 they will release the new record by Pleasure Forever, titled Alter (LP on GSL).

Swedish garage rockers the Soundtrack of Our Lives are planning a North American tour. The 19-date trek will kick off March 15 in Orlando and wrap April 27 in Indio, California.

Andrew W.K. has begun working on his second album, the follow-up to 2001's I Get Wet, in a New York studio. He is producing the effort himself, and it's expected to hit stores this summer, in time for his stint on the Warped Tour.

Interpol and Josh Wink are planning to churn out remixed versions of Ladytron's next single, "Blue Jeans." The tracks will be available on the U.K. single, but aren't slated for release in the U.S.

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead recently revealed to Pitchfork Media that they have completed a new EP, which is set to be released this spring via Interscope Records. Titled The Secret of Elena's Tomb, the disc will contain brand new studio material and an enhanced CD format that promises bonus features.

Bellingham, Washington's Death Cab for Cutie have announced a tour in support of the band's recent demo-reissue/rarities release, You Can Play These Songs with Chords. The eleven dates stretch across the west over February and March. They will be hitting the road with a replacement for departed drummer Michael Schorr, Jason McGerr.

In February, record producer Phil Spector was arrested on charges of first-degree murder in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his $1.1 million estate in Alhambra, California. She is best known for roles in "Amazon Women on the Moon" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Noise Ratchet recently signed to major-label American Recordings. Their six song EP will be out on The Militia Group in May.

The New Folk Implosion, so named for the two new members surrounding ex-Dinosaur Jr. bassist/ Sebadoh frontman Lou Barlow, kicks off their first tour in two years on February 27 in San Francisco and it runs through April 9 in Los Angeles.

Generation X, Billy Idol's original punk band, will be available as a three-disc Generation X Anthology on April 8. It includes singles, B-sides, live tracks and the previously unreleased Sweet Revenge LP, among other rare gems.

Audioslave have selected Burning Brides to open their inaugural tour, which kicks off February 21 in Denver. The Philadelphia rock trio are supporting last fall's Fall of the Plastic Empire.

The Dirty Three are set to embark on a North American tour April 3 in Champaign, Illinois, in support of their sixth studio album, She Has No Strings Apollo. The trek winds down May 5 in Vancouver.

Ted Leo is hitting the road for a massive tour, which includes a stop at Emo's in Austin, TX for a Lookout! Showcase at the South by Southwest Music Festival this March. His backing band includes James Canty (The Make-Up, Nation of Ulysses), Dave Lerner (Native Nod, The Van Pelt), and Chris Wilson (Aspera, Sean Na Na). Tour runs through April 4.

Har Mar Superstar is in negotiations to play Dancing Ernie in "Starsky & Hutch," director Todd Phillips' big-screen update of the 1970s cop show that stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles. Snoop Dogg will also appear, as street-informant Huggy Bear.

Washington D.C. metal band Darkest Hour have finished recording their latest full-length, titled Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation. The "Sadist Nation" track features guest vocals from Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates), while other cuts on the album feature appearances from Anders Bjorler (The Haunted, At The Gates), Peter Wichers (Soilwork), and Marcus Sunesson (The Crown). Meanwhile, the group will hitting the road for a full U.S. tour at the end of April or beginning of May.

Shadows Fall will shoot a video for "Destroyer of Senses" on February 16 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The second video from their latest album, The Art of Balance, will be directed by Zack Merek (Converge, Atreyu), and will feature guest appearances by members of Hatebreed, Lamb of God, Converge and others.

Tigerstyle recently announced the signing of several bands including: 21-year-old Guy Blakeslee, aka Entrance. Hailing from Baltimore, the former bassist for The Convocation Of… (Tiger Style/GSL), Entrance recently relocated to Chicago where he has been performing regularly at "Matt Sweeney's Monday Night Cabaret", hosted by Zwan members Matt Sweeney and David Pajo (Papa M), the latter of which he shares an upcoming split 7" with on Tiger Style. Tiger Style Records will release Entrance's debut full length The Kingdom Of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm on March 4th. Those Peabodys are a rock band who's self-titled debut full length on Post-Parlo Records is a 10-song snapshot of the intersection of punk rock energy, classic rock songwriting, and virtuoso precision. They are putting the finishing touches on their sophomore full-length and are looking for an early summer release. The Sick Lipstick who dropped a 12"/CDEP on Sound Virus last year as well as a split 7" with XBXRX on Deleted Art will head into the studio in March and Tigerstyle plans to release their debut full length sometime in June. Finally, the Appleseed Cast will drop their sixth release and newest full-length via the label sometime over the summer.

The White Stripes' full-length follow-up to their commercial breakthrough White Blood Cells, Elephant, is complete and ready to drop on April 1st on V2 Records.

Joe Strummer's last studio album is in the "final stages," and should be finished within the next few weeks. The finished record will contain eleven songs, which will be collected from other unheard sessions.

Dead Prez will release their new album, Revolutionary But Gangsta (RBG), on May 20. The first single, which is self-produced (as is much of the album), will be the anti-radio rant "Radio Freq."

NME recently reported that following the release of Love Is Hell on March 25, Ryan Adams will head to London to begin recording a new album at Abbey Road Studios with the on Doves serving as his backing band.

back to top