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Gossip -- May 2002

While we weren’t paying attention, the good folks at Touch and Go were busy.  In June, they release Enon’s High Society and Silkworm’s Italian Platinum. Enon is new to Touch and Go, and features John Schmersal of Brainiac (can we ever mention that too much). Portland's The Standard will put a record for the Chicago label in August and !!! will have a record out in early 2003 .  Also, the Mekons’ 25th (!?) anniversary is coming up this fall with special tour in the works and a new album called OOOH!

Knoxville, Tenn.’s Superdrag is set to release Last Call for Vitriol on July 9 on Arena Rock Recording Co. Oh, and Guided By Voice’s Bob Pollard guests on the lead track.

The Dropscience will be recording their new album Dies Tonight... in May with Bob Weston (of Shellac fame) in Chicago.  The CD will also more than likely be interactive and contain a trailer for the new indie film that the guys in The Dropscience are currently hard at work on in their secret lair

Love Lost But Not Forgotten's new album On the right, I saw a new misery is mixed and at the pressing plant!  Up the tech, up the insanity, up the production quality...everything about the new album is just bigger and better.  The album will hits stores on May 28th just in time for their full US tour with hardcore heavyweights Code Seven.

Pageninetynine are currently immersed in writing a new full-length for Happy Couples Never Last to be recorded sometime in the Fall after they return from their numerous tours.  Word on the street is that they are looking to go a totally different direction with this record integrated electronics, samples, breakbeats, etc.

Glue Factory Records release, BECAUSE WE CARE: A Benefit For The Children's Hospital of Orange County hit stores in early May.  In an effort to raise money for the hospital and to show appreciation to the hundreds of doctors, nurses and support staffers for their invaluable efforts, twenty Orange County bands have teamed up with Glue Factory Records to donate their time and talent to this very special release. Highlights of Because We Care include Yellowcard's "Rough Draft,” D.O.W.'s "Roads," Gameface's cover of the Jackson Brown 70's rock gem "Doctor My Eyes,” Thrice's reworking of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," and Fairview's live, acoustic "Telegram."

The Black Presence, the new album by Bluebird, will be released on June 11th by Dopamine Records. No exact release dates yet for the upcoming full-lengths on Dim Mak or the split EP with Dead Meadow for Buddyhead at this time. Oh yeah, did anyone see MTV2’s Iann Robinson sporting a Bluebird shirt for a whole weekend of MTV news in April.

Manplanet has added a fourth blue member, the appropriately-named Blue#4 -- previously known as Ben of the recently disbanded pop band The Benjamins.  Blue#4 will be administering Manplanet multi-task duties on lead guitar and synthesizer from here on out.  Besides their imminent landing on the West Coast, there will be several Manplanet sightings this Spring on television's Comedy Central, where the band will be featured in three more episodes of Let's Bowl - everyone's favorite bowling/comedy program.  The second season of Let's Bowl began April 8.  Manplanet will be featured on the following episodes: "Dog Poop," "Internet Porn," and "Tattoo."

Fred Mascherino, the singer from Breaking Pangaea just had a little girl.  Her name is Lilianna.  Congratulate him at one of the many shows they are playing on the east coast this May.

The Get Up Kidswill release their latest effort, On A Wire, May 14th on Vagrant.

The Beautiful Mistake just got back from their first nationwide tour.  The re-release of their EP on SideCho Records (www.sidecho.com) will be in stores everywhere in May.  They have finished recording their to-be-titled full-length, which will be out late Summer.  They are also recording a track for the Vans Warped Tour Comp., so be sure to pick that up.

Doug Martsch of Built To Spill fame is participating in a solo venture. It appears that Warner Bros. Records will release Now You Know, Martsch's first solo album, this September. Recorded two years ago in his home studio, the new album is said to be a bluesy departure from Built to Spill's indie-rock sound.

Cake, Flaming Lips and De La Soul are among the artists slated for the Unlimited Sunlight 2002 tour, scheduled to launch in mid-July. Other groups participating in what is being planned as a five-week trek are Modest Mouse and the Hackensaw Boys.

Jimmy Eat World will follow their stint on the Pop Disaster Tour and a few weeks of European shows in late May with their own headlining tour of North America.

Godflesh have cancelled their first U.S. tour in nearly six years due to an undisclosed illness affecting frontman Justin Broadrick. The tour was to be in support of the band's upcoming Koch/Music For Nations release Hymns and was to include supporting acts High On Fire and Halo.

Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp has filed a lawsuit against the remaining members. Sharp claims to have cowritten many of the Weezer songs and that he is owed money. Sharp claims that he co-wrote Weezer's biggest radio hit, "Undone (the Sweater Song)" with singer/guitarist Rivers Cuomo and drummer Pat Wilson, and should be entitled to "undivided 1/3 interest in and to the copyright of that work." He also claims to have co-authored many of the tracks from 1996's Pinkerton, including "Tired of Sex," "Getchoo," and "The Good Life." Sharp was the bassist for Weezer for their first two albums before leaving to make his side project, The Rentals, a full time band.

Hot Water Music will record their second release for Epitaph records in May.  They are once again in the studio with Brian McTernan of Salad Days in DC.  The record is tentatively set for release for October 2002.  Hot Water Music will also be joining the line up for this year Vans Warped Tour.

Layne Staley, singer for 90s grunge kingpins Alice In Chains was found dead at his Seattle home April 19.  

In Slowdance Records news, The Velvet Teen will be hitting the road in May with The Gloria Record, who are supporting their newest record “Start Here.”  Lucky fans on the west coast will be able to see these two excellent acts together. 

Reubens's Accomplice are ready to hit the road again in May opening for The Promise Ring and The Weakerthans.

The Smiths recently staved-off seminal rock acts The Beatles, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones to be voted most influential band ever by British music bible, NME.

The Walt Disney Company is shutting down Mammoth Records, according to a report on Billboard's website. Mammoth was started in North Carolina in 1988 by Jay Faires, who hoped to create a home for artists in the then-burgeoning Raleigh/Chapel Hill scene. Mammoth was the original home of the Blake Babies and Juliana Hatfield, Victoria Williams, and Frente!

Christiansen recently signed with Revelation Records. Their upcoming EP titled, Forensics Brothers and Sisters! will hit the streets on July 2.

Dischord records are remastering their old titles as they go into re-press. The label has already finished Rites of Spring, Soulside, and Shudder to Think’s Ten Spot/Funeral At the Movies. Next up for the treatment is Embrace, which will include two unreleased tracks and new artwork. The Faith/Void album will also be done. Also on the horizon are remasters of the Dag Nasty albums. Can I Say, which is out May 28th with new artwork and six bonus tracks, and Wig Out at Denko’s, will includes five studio songs from the Mango Sessions and two live acoustic tracks, out June 24.

Following Bluetip’s break up in January, their guitar player and singer, Jason Ferrell (also of Swiz) has relocated to New York City and returned with a new band called RETiSONIC. The group also features ex-Bluetip bandmate Joe Gorelic. RETiSONIC have a six song EP on the way, produced by J. Robbins, and a full-length to be released on Boston’s Leisure Class Records.

At the Drive-In offshoot Sparta are in the midst of a tour of the U.S. and Europe that will keep the band on the road until June. Sparta just released a four-song EP, Austere, on Restart/DreamWorks in April.  Their full-length album is due out July 28.

Megadeth, the band whose 19-year career helped define the heavy metal genre, is disbanding due to serious injuries to founder Dave Mustaine’s left arm and hand that have left him unable to play the guitar. He is currently in physical therapy and says that he hops to someday play guitar again.

Sweden’sThe Hives are currently amidst a major-label battle. Although the Hives' licensing deal (via Sweden's Burning Heart label) owes Epitaph another record, that release as well as Veni Vidi Vicious will be marketed and distributed in conjunction with Warner Bros. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Warner Bros. even offered to put the record out on the now-defunct Sire imprint (longtime home to bands like the Talking Heads, Ramones, The Smiths and Morrissey) in order to seal the deal.

This just in, everyone’s favorite socially aware label, Hopeless Records, will be having a special item on sale every two weeks at their online store. The special sale item will either be cheaper in price or by accompanied by a free item.  In April, the Hopeless Plea for Peace/Take Action and SubCity/Take Action Samplers were a dollar.  Not only do you get over twenty songs on each disc, but proceeds from all SubCity purchases are distributed among several non-profit charities. Who said you can’t buy conscience about unhealthy spending habits! (www.hoplessrecords.com)

Ryan Adams will be enlisting the help of producer Scott Litt (R.E.M., The Replacements) to do the knob turning on his next album. New Musical Express has reported that Adams was planning to release four albums on the same day later this year. Among the recordings Adams has completed are 48 Hours, a collection of b-sides from the Gold sessions; The Suicide Handbook, a collection of acoustic material; a punk-rock album recorded with side project The Pinkhearts; and a lo-fi, home-recorded version of the Strokes' Is This It. Adams is set to tour Alanis Morissette in coming months.

Snapcase will be releasing a new album in September titled, Pariahs 3210.  The album is now in the production stage and is being mixed by Brian McTernan (Hot Water Music).

Pinback are set to release their next effort on Touch and Go Records in 2003, according to label spokesperson Scott Giampino. The duo of Rob Crow and Armistead Smith released their first two albums, Pinback and Blue Screen Life, on Ace Fu. In addition to the forthcoming full-length, Pinback are expected to release an EP later in 2002 on Absolutely Kosher who reissued the Some Voices EP earlier this year.

D.C.'s Q and Not U recently released a single called On Play Patterns on Dischord on April 22nd. After losing bassist Matt Borlik, the band decided continue as a trio.  The single, available as a CD or 7”, features "Ten Thousand Animal Calls" and "Soft Pyramids." Ian MacKaye produced this mutha.

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