Gossip -- October 2001

Dayton News
Eyes Upon Separation’s charismatic frontman, Brandon Smith, has returned to live with his parents in Athens, Ohio “because it’s free.”  Despite Smith’s move the band has a full-length on the helm that was recorded by Waking Kills The Dream’s Chris Commons and has been mastered.  I am 99 percent sure it is called I Hope She Has Nightmares.  Smith has also recently teamed with Zao’s Jesse Smith, no relation, and a few others for a dark euro-pop outfit that sounds suspiciously like Blur.  No, I‘m not kidding… EUS guitarist Matt has joined Zao for their future efforts.

For The Rest Of You...
In support of their upcoming release, Change, the Dismemberment Plan are embarking on a massive world tour, including dates in Europe and the U.S. To commence the European leg of the tour, they'll travel to lovely Reykjavik, Iceland to share the stage of the Iceland Airwaves Festival with Gorillaz, Chicks on Speed, and the new At the Drive-In side project Sparta.  Ted Leo and the Pharmacists will be opening for the Plan on select dates towards the end of the tour.

Jim, Paul, and Tony from At the Drive-In are in the midst of a tour under the name Sparta. The tour, which takes the band through select southwestern U.S. cities, will end with a stop in Reykjavic, Iceland for the Iceland Airwaves Festival. Sparta plans to record and release an album soon, but no dates have been set.

Converge and American Nightmare are combining for what will probably be the most terrifying hardcore tour of the winter. Beginning in Rhode Island, the hardcore capital of the universe, on November 21st and continuing through most of December, they'll be joined by Thursday (November 21st - December 2nd), Thrice (November 26th - December 5th), the Hope Conspiracy (November 21st- November 25th), Carry On (December 9th), and Over My Dead Body will round the tour out.  A couple dates within driving distance include:
11-25 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
11-26 Pittsburgh, PA - Roboto2
11-27 Detroit, MI - The Shelter
11-28 Chicago, IL - Fireside Bowl

The Get Up Kids will be embarking on a 2-week December tour beginning on December 8^th in Wisconsin. Details of the tour are available on the vagrant website.  Stops include Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York and Massachusetts.

The beginning of the Vagrant Records split EP series begins with a modern pop classic marriage between independent rock icons Superdrag and TGUK alt-protégés The Anniversary. Both bands are contributing 3 brand new, exclusive tracks to the release.

J. Robbins's Burning Airlines has felt the newfound sensitivity of a name that now evokes the horrifying deaths of thousands. Certain marquees on their recent West Coast tour displayed only "B. Airlines," and posters with the band's full name often prompted disbelieving looks. Robbins recounts the experiences of this tour on the band's website, disclosing that he is "still mulling over a name change, but I don't know if the rest of Burning Airlines are at all... I loved this band name when we came up with it, but whatever it's worth to me, it's worth a lot more to show some respect for the gravity of what happened."

OK, this one left me scratching my head, but here goes… Dan Hoerner of Sunny Day Real Estate is collaborating with Chris Carrabba and his Dashboard Confessional project. According to the Sunny Day website, Hoerner will be touring with Dashboard Confessional, and has been working on a new EP with Carrabba.

According to a source close to Bob Mould, he's proposing three separate discs, to be released on the Granary imprint -- an album of dark acoustic material, an album of "aggressive electronic" material, and an album of ambient/instrumental material. Apparently, he wants to get it out by March, too. The as-yet-untitled discs will be for sale at his website and at shows in the near future.

The National, made up five guys from Ohio, are set to tour the eastern US. The National has been compared to Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and David Bowie. Elk City will open at all shows after November 6th.

After a decade-long hiatus, then Go-Gos and headlining tours, the Psychedelic Furs are releasing Psychedelic Furs Live From House Of Blues to celebrate their reunion. The House of Blues-produced DVD and VHS full-length live concert includes exclusive acoustic performances, Furs commentary, a documentary and more. The feature supports the release of their upcoming live album, Beautiful Chaos, set for release on Sony Legacy in October. The band will be touring this year in support of the new album. Additionally, Sony will reissue the first three studio albums — The Psychedelic Furs, Talk, Talk, Talk, Forever Now — all of which will be repackaged with bonus tracks, and available in early 2002.  

GSL plans to "rock you" with a Queen tribute compilation in the near future. Should be interesting to hear the anthems of an early decade's premiere rockers put through the meat grinder.  Tracks slated for the album include: The Blood Brothers "Under Pressure;" The Locust "Flash;" The Convocation Of  "Get Down Make Love;" and Melt Banana "We Will Rock You."

Drive-Thru records has 3 new releases guaranteed to treat you a whole lot better than the chilli dog you got at that other place. Something Corporate's debut EP "Audioboxer" was released
October 2, Finch's debut EP "Falling Into Place" released October 9, and the Drive-Thru debut of the Movie Life "The Movie Life Has a Gambling Problem" EP  is on the helm for early November.

Saddle Creek recording artists The Faint will release a 12" EP on GSL in October. The record will include a couple of remixes, songs left off their newest, Danse Macabre, as well as a suberb cover of Sonic Youth's "Mote!" This will be a vinyl-only release.

After ten years and numerous releases Jamie Stilman's (Party of Helicopters, The "New Terror Class, Harriet The Spy) Donut Friends have called it quits. Troubleman Unlimited is planning a benefit release to cover debts amassed while bringing us some of the best rock of the last decade.  Though DF lies in ruins, there are rumors of a new label, in which Stilman will take part, in the near future.

Our last Sunny Day Real Estate update had the band broken up with each member beginning new projects.  However, Jeremy and Will recorded in Seattle in September.  Will has laid 15 drum tracks with Jeremy working on keyboards, vocals, and guitar.  Rumor has it that Nate Mendel would contribute on bass. This work will supposedly be produced by Brad Wood, who brought you Diary and the self-titled Pink Album.  Now word as to whether they will continue under the SDRE name, Bettawreckonize speculates that they'll probably come up with something new.

In early October xbxrx called it quits. Their November tour has been cancelled though the European tour in February may be done with a one-time-only member change.  The seven song CD/7" EP will still come out this winter on Troubleman Unlimited.

Haunted guitarist Anders Bjˆrler recently left the band due to personal reasons. Bjˆrler said he has been thinking about leaving the band for almost six months because he has grown tired of touring, and has decided to continue courses at a university, focusing on his studies.  Who knew metal guitarists were so studious?]

Seattle, Washington’s The Murder City Devils have come to a had a couple recent shake-ups. Keyboardist, and resident hottie, Leslie Hardy has departed, leaving the band with the feeling it cannot continue playing the songs she helped write and perform. The US tour, in support of their new EP Thelema, will go on as scheduled in October with replacement keyboardist Nick DeWitt. After these shows are completed, bassist Derek Fudesco will leave the band to concentrate on his new band, Pretty Girls Make Graves. The Murder City Devils' remaining members: Nate Manny, Coady Willis, Dann Gallucci, Spencer Moody and Gabe the Roadie will continue under a different name.

Radiohead will release a live CD containing eight tracks (including the never-before-released "True Love Waits," a song originally written around the time OK Computer was released) from their recent North American tour on November 13th. The selected songs were hand-picked from different shows.

In late September Carl Crack, co-founder, DJ and MC of Atari Teenage Riot, was found dead in his Berlin apartment on September 6th. He was thirty years old. Though autopsy results reportedly showed evidence of pills and alcohol in his stomach, the actual cause of death has not been released.

San Diego emo pioneers Boilermaker are set to take their act on the road this October, touring in support of their new full-length, Leucadia. The band will play a number of dates with fellow San Diego act Pinback (hot diggity dog!) later in the fall. Leucadia, which was recently released on Better Looking Records, is largely a compilation of the band's earlier work, but includes two new songs.

Les Savy Fav has taken over a four-piece band, that formed in 1995 while its members were students at the Rhode Island School of Design, will hit the road this fall with the likes of Modest Mouse, !!!, and labelmates the Apes.  The tour is to promote the upcoming release of their third studio LP, Go Forth, which is slated for an October 30th release on their own Frenchkiss imprint.

According to the Vagrant website the Anniversary are finally prepared to release their second full-length. Your Majesty will hit shelves on October 30th. In support of the new record, the five-piece band plans to tour with bands like Superdrag, Mars Volta, Lawrence Arms, Selby Tigers, Mates of State, and Seafood.

On October 15th, Fugazi releases their newest, The Argument. Recorded earlier this year at Inner Ear Studios with Don Zientara, the album features eleven new tracks and features guest appearances by Mascott drummer Jerry Busher, Unrest's Bridget Cross, Bikini Kill's Kathi Wilcox, and Telegraph Melts' Amy Domingues.  A three-track EP is also scheduled for release on the same date, and includes the tracks, "Furniture," "Hello Morning," and instrumental titled "Number 5."

Cerberus Shoal, Maine's very own post-space-rock ensemble, will release a follow-up to last year's, Crash My Space Yacht, on November 19th. The 70-minute, double album, Mr. Boy Dog is divided into two six-song sets. One set will reportedly be mellow and ambient, while the other set will be rockin'.

Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk) will be providing lead vocals for an upcoming Dillinger Escape Plan EP that will be released on Epitaph's Anti- imprint. The EP will feature three new songs and a cover of Aphex Twin's "Come To Daddy.". A permanent vocalist to replace Dimitri Minakakis has not yet been selected. A new album release will appear on Relapse next year.  In other Dillinger Escape Plan news, Nic Endo of Atari Teenage Riot has remixed DEP's "43% Burnt" for DIY Fest Volume Onea recent collection of works and music. Check out www.diyfest.com for more information.

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