Gossip -- Mid-November 2001

Dayton News
Dayton rockers and Glue Factory recording artists, Rod (at www.rod-music.com), have announced an updated lineup.  The current lineup includes Mike Ingram on guitar, Kurt Kelley on drums, Mark McMillon on guitar, and Jeremiah Stikeleather on bass.  Mike Ingram was the bass player for Cincinnati's, The Scrubs, and has been dubbed Rod’s "goofy guitarist."  Kurt Kelley isn’t new to the band as he played on Rod's very first 7" release on What Else? Records. Stikeleather is also a veteran of Rod, who jumped ship to play in another Dayton band and returned shortly thereafter. Rod has just released a live CD on Do-Tell Records (www.dotellrecords.com) featuring 9 tracks of wholesome goodness. The band is currently writing new material, and planning a January tour. 

Dayton's Twelve Tribes continues to write a new full-length record which they say, "easily contains the most melodic, dynamic, and brutal sounds we have ever produced as a band." The record, which will be titled Prodigal Zoo, will be out early in 2002 on an undisclosed label.  The band promises to have promos of a couple new songs available at shows in upcoming months, and to have a new website up soon.

On October 31st, Guided By Voices frontman Bob Pollard released Circus Devils - Ringworm Interiors, the 15th album in the Fading Captain series. If you can’t find the 28 song album, they stock it at the band's official website.

Phylum Idiota has changed their name to When Sparks Fly to commemorate their move to new label home Confined Records.  At a recent show with Let It Burn, A Day In The Life, Project 208 and Waking Kills The Dream, they debuted the name and a few songs from their upcoming album.  The album, their second full-length record will hit the streets in December.

For The Rest Of You...
Ten Foot Pole is moving past the untimely passing of Leigh Lawson last year and are currently hard at work on demos, which they will use to shop to record labels. When they’ve settled into a label, the band plans to record and do extensive touring with new bassist Greg Vegas.

Seems that the pressure of September 11 has caught up with Jimmy Eat World and they have made the decision that all further re-pressings of their latest album, Bleed American will come out as a purely self-titled album.  However, the opening track keeps it's name. Frontman Jim Adkins said the band made the decision after talks with management and executives and are "trying to be sensitive to people who were directly affected by the tragedies. 

The Amazing Royal Crowns are calling it quits.  In a statement released by the band they said, "Well, here we are at the end of an 8 year run and I feel we owe you some explanations. It is true that Friday November 30th at Lupos in Rhode Island will be the final show that we play as the Amazing "Royal" Crowns.”  It seems that touring has taken its toll on a few of the members.  Jack will be returning to school and Gregg has a wife at home.

Would you like Mid Carson July to play in your basement?  The band has plans to tour in the middle of January. They plan on doing “a fun basement tour” of the east coast and a slight portion of the midwest. If you want to set up a show at your house, your friend's house, or a VFW hall, email MCJuly@hotmail.com.

The boys from Piebald, are on tour again.  They recently kicked off the U.S. leg of their world tour, which takes them to Europe for a month. The big tour comes just after Piebald finished recording their new album, We Are the Only Friends We Have, at Q Division studios in Boston with producer Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, the Cure, Hole). The full-length will be released on Big Wheel Recreation in February. No word as to whether the European leg of the tour will be made in their infamous Piebald “short tour bus.”

Seems that the Internet has proven to be more of a misinformation traffic jam than the information superhighway again. Seemingly, the latest incorrect Internet buzz is that The Alkaline Trio was signing to Fat. This bit of clarity comes according to Vagrant Records, the band's current home.

R.E.M. recently recorded their voice-overs for a Simpsons episode that will air sometime around Thanksgiving. 

Tree Records has come to an end after five years, 40 records, and a fight with their former distributor, Southern Records. The slow economy and the challenges of working with indie music made business understandably rough. The dispute with Southern was apparently over the rights to their albums and a massive amount of cash that Tree claims Southern still owes them. Tree's inspiring list of releases included Julie Dorion, Jen Wood, Pinback, Ethel Meserve, Franklin and Haeleh.   

Engine Down recently released their A Sign of Breath EP on Day After Records.  The EP was recorded during the winter of 2000 at Inner Ear Studios with J Robbins.

Karate has a new release on the helm in March 2002.  The Cancel/Sing CDEP holds two new tracks and will be a precurson to their newest full-length, which is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2002.

Better Looking Records, Ides of Space will have their song, "This Side of the Screen," featured in an episode of Dawson's Creek on November 14^th.

While Samiam are currently on hiatus, Sergie and Johnny are rocking out with Garrett Klan (ex-Texas is the Reason) and bassist, Brandon Patton. The guys recently recorded 6 songs at Johnny's house and plan on uploading them to MP3.com under the temporary heading: "wehavenonameyet". The new band hopes to re-record, have a CD out and tour by early 2002. However, any Samiam fans out there can be rest assured that this is only a side project for the guys and that Samiam are still together (just on a break). 

The Good Life have just finished recording their sophomore album, Black Out, and will release the record March 4th, 2002.  In the meantime, they been opening dates on Superchunk's fall tour. 

Desaparecidos, the new 5-piece rock band fronted by Bright Eyes singer/songwriter Conor Oberst have recently released their debut three-song CD single “The Happiest Place on Earth” b/w two non-album tracks "What's New For Fall" and "Give Me the Pen.” The band will release their debut album January 21st, 2002 on Saddle Creek.  

Blink-182 shot a skit for Fox's Mad TV in Los Angeles recently. In "Leave It to Blink-182," a parody of the sitcom Leave It To Beaver, Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker play themselves as troublemakers trapped in the Cleaver family's straight-laced 1950s. The skit will air on Mad TV on Saturday, November 24th, but the band will not be that episode's musical guest.

With Judas O, a hits and B-sides package documenting the last half of the Smashing Pumpkins' career, due November 20^th, Billy Corgan has announced his new project, Zwan. The band features Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin resuming his old post; Matthew Sweeney, singer-guitarist for New York indie band Chavez, on guitar; and "Skullfisher," whose true identity remains unknown, on bass. Zwan have four shows lined up, all in California, in November. 

Troubleman Unlimited released several albums in late October including: Champagne Kiss Dancing In The Pockets Of Thieves full-length, The Erase Errata Other Animals full-length, Red Monkey's Gunpowder, Treason And Plot full-length, and the Black Dice/Erase Errata split 7". Champagne Kiss includes members of Camera Obscura and has a similar sound. During November and December Troubleman will release albums by the ABCs and The Lack. ABCs are an accordian, saxaphone, and drum trio who play amazing math-influenced instrumental music and features members of Orthrelm. The Lack, from Columbus, Ohio, are dark loud industrial.  They were recently offered an opening spot for a few dates during Pigface's next tour.  During January, February and March 2002, Troubleman will bring us new releases from Party of Helicopters, The Panthers (members of Orchid), Glass Candy and the Shattered Theater and Enon (ex-members of Brainiac and The Lapse).              

Halloween night 2001, Helmet resurfaced at a Halloween party in Brooklyn. Apparently, the band was at this party where Q and Not U were supposed to perform. When it became evident that Q and Not U were not going to show, the band felt the calling and instantly reformed to rock the house.

The first full-length LP from Michigan's Red Shirt Brigade was released on November 13^th by the band's label, Arborvitae Records. The Detroit quartet have been playing the Midwest since 1998. Their first EP, Mock Election and the Post Selection, was released in 2000 on Suburban Sprawl.

In August, Johnette Napolitano, Jim Mankey, and Harry Rushakoff (a.k.a. Concrete Blonde) reunited in a Los Angeles studio to record 12 original songs for their first album since 1993's Mexican Moon. The three members signed with Manifesto, the L.A. indie label whose past laurels include releases from Tom Waits, Dead Kennedys, Tim Buckley, The Wedding Present and Cinerama. Concrete Blonde will begin a West Coast tour in mid-January 2002 in support of the record.

NME reported earlier this week that the Strokes have already inspired a cover band. Diff'rent Strokes, apparently recreates all the 11 songs from Is This It (12, if you include "New York City Cops") using a Casio-style keyboard. The UK label, Guided Missile, will release their debut album on December 3rd. 

Appleseed Cast, released two separately sold discs on Deep Elm this fall, titled Low Level Owl, Vol. I and Low Level Owl Vol. II they will be on the road with the Get Up Kids in upcoming months to support them.

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