Black Lips = Movie Stars
Paparazzi = so dead

Photo by Daniel Arnold

2007 has been a banner year for the Black Lips. They came, they saw, and now they're making their move to the silver screen as the stars of the forthcoming film Let It Be. According to its website, the movie is "the story of the movement in underground American music that was known as D.I.Y." as told through the narrative of a fictional band called the Renegades, played by the Black Lips.

Springboard Films is working in collaboration with the Lips' label, Vice, on Let It Be, which will be produced by The Breakfast Club/Fried Green Tomatoes producer Andrew Meyer and Winn Coslick. It will be directed by Roger Rawlings.

Given the mid-late 80s setting of the movie and the name of the fictional band it takes as its subject, its title seems more an homage to the Replacements than the Beatles. According to a press release, "the movie will be filmed throughout the Southeast and will include notable music of the period and new music written by the band [Black Lips]."

The Lips have a month-and-a-half of dates scheduled for this year to keep them busy for at least a little while longer until production on Let It Be begins in May 2008. [MORE...]

Trail of Dead's Keely Tears Interscope a New One
"They really helped us to grow. They've taught us about the worthlessness of A&R people, how to yell at idiots running an art department, and how to shake hands with smiling retailers who have no idea who you are."

Photo by © Rachael Warner

An amicable split this was not. As reported earlier this month, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have parted ways with Interscope Records after releasing three albums via the major label, including last year's So Divided. Never one to hold his tongue (nor pen), frontman Conrad Keely spoke out about the label shakeup this week on the band's website. The gist of Mr. Keely's words? Burrrrrrn.

UPDATE: THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TRAIL OF DEAD WEBSITE

Interscope, naturally, took the brunt of Keely's barbs. Label chief Jimmy Iovine in particular: his work with John Lennon and Phil Spector was called into question by Keely, as were his alleged relationships with Stevie Nicks and "the lead singer guy of the Pussycat Dolls."

"He's had a great dating record," wrote Keely, "he just won't have the next TOD record." OK then.

As for the label itself? "At the expense of a massive debt to them of half a million dollars, they really helped us to grow. They've taught us about the worthlessness of A&R people, how to yell at idiots running an art department, and how to shake hands with smiling retailers who have no idea who you are." Furthermore, "their idea of marketing [was] keeping it a secret that we'd released a record."

Also caught up in the bilious crossfire: a recent set of Yahoo.com interview questions ("I was asked a bunch of dumb questions so I gave a bunch of what I thought were even less relevant answers."), Ratatat ("like a great band where they accidentally erased all the vocal tracks"), and an unnamed basketball video game ("which I hate").

Amidst all the animus and enmity, Keely did find at least one potential friend: "fictional guitarist Skwisgaar Skwigelf" of Trail of Dead's present tourmates, cartoon band Dethklok (dates below). "He and I will no doubt have many things to talk about."

Thoroughly amusing-- if a mite frightening (Happy Halloween, yo)-- the entirety of Mr. Keely's diatribe may be found here.

And speaking of outlets for pent-up aggression, how about roller derby? All girl roller derby, to be precise. Hell on Wheels is a documentary that explores the phenomenon, and it features original music from, you guessed it, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The film has been playing at festivals from SXSW to CMJ this year; seek it out next time you yearn to burn someone or something. [MORE...]

Arthur & Yu Tour With Kevin Drew, Iron & Wine (Again)

Photo by Greg Lutze

Arthur & Yu: In Camera and on stages across the nation this autumn. The fresh-faced, folksy Seattle duo will soon saddle up for another round of dates in support of their afore-linked debut for Sub Pop's lil' cousin label Hardly Art, and we're at least as excited about it as this guy.

This time around they'll be warming stages for Broken Social Scenester Kevin Drew and his Spirit If... crew. Arthur & Yu & Drew's travels in tandem commence tomorrow evening (November 1) in Boulder, Colorado.

What's more, the romance of the ampersands has been rekindled, as A&Y will reunite with recent tourmates Iron & Wine for a week's worth of December gigs in the Wild Wild West.

In between all that: a lone Seattle date, but one of cosmic proportions, at which Arthur & Yu collide with the very inspiration for their label's name: The Thermals. Who knows what will remain of the Pacific Northwest after that dust settles. [MORE...]

Radiohead/XL Deal: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

And the rumors have proven true. As suggested for weeks now and confirmed in a Billboard.com report today, Radiohead have traded their free-agent-hood-- outside North America, anyway-- for a deal with XL Recordings.

Old friends XL will treat territories outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to the physical version of In Rainbows, that Best New Music-worthy record that's blowing up all over your hard drive right now. It's still unclear when this will happen; the early word from Radiohead's PR was 2008, but some folks have suggested the physical release may coincide with that of the In Rainbows discbox, due December 3.

As for North America? It's still not confirmed whether Dave Matthews' ATO imprint and Coran Capshaw's Side One will indeed handle In Rainbows over here, but don't be surprised if that's precisely what happens.

And however it happens, at least we'll have something tangible for the guys to autograph when we stalk them outside their tour bus next year.

Okkervil River Extend Tour Into 2008

Whether they've amassed enough frequent flyer miles to earn them a complimentary trek across the pond whenever they feel like it, or they've just grown fond of the chicken piccata on British Airways' transcontinental flights, Okkervil River are filling up those passports awful quick, as they've added yet another run of UK shows in February 2008. Those dates come after a lengthy European tour set to close out this banner year. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the in-flight movie, fellas.

Before they head to Europe, the band will delight a hometown crowd over the weekend at Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Oh, and for those of us stuck at home watching Soul Plane and drinking those tiny bottles of scotch, you can flip to NPR's World Café November 10 and 12 to hear a rebroadcast of the band's recent recording session and interview. [MORE...]

Cryptacize Hope You'll Dig That Treasure in February

Photo by Kate Fruchey

Dig That Treasure is the debut full-length from the newly minted trio Cryptacize, featuring ex-Deerhoofer/current Curtain Chris Cohen, occasional Kill Rock Stars roster-maker Nedelle Torrisi, and percussionist Michael Carriera. Awash in influences from movie musicals to free jazz, the disc emerges February 19 from Asthmatic Kitty.

And what's a new band and a new LP without a new tour to go along with them? Cryptacize's fall jaunt isn't exactly new, though their tour-capping San Francisco date is. Hoosier types ought to supplement their Halloween hayride and apple-bob with a stop tonight (October 31) at Indianapolis' Harrison Center, where Cryptacize-- along with Castanets and Deer Tick-- will help inaugurate the Unusual Animals Project Space/"specialized gallery" with a performance. [MORE...]

Modest Mouse/Man Man Tour Kicks Off Tonight

They're no strangers, of course, but there won't be any shortage of strangeness each and every night of the Modest Mouse/Man Man tour, which kicks off tonight, appropriately enough on Halloween. From the Brockster's native Washington State most of the way to Man Man's East Coast digs, the shows cover much of November, with a little time apart around Turkey Day.

Following the split, Modest Mouse have a handful of shows of their own in December, before Professor Marr heads back to the ivy to administer final exams. Man Man, too, have a date far off in the distance we feel bears mentioning: their set at next May's ATP vs. Pitchfork Fest. [MORE...]

Tweedy, Strummer in Wilco Documentarian Jones' Book

Chances are, you've come across Sam Jones' work somewhere: in magazines, perhaps, or-- since you're here, after all-- in the 2002 Wilco documentary that he directed, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. The occasional filmmaker is really a photographer at heart; those haunting, skeletal black and white shots of Chicago in Trying were evidence enough of that. Now Jones' print work has been anthologized in The Here and Now: The Photography of Sam Jones, out this week from Harper Entertainment.

The Here and Now collects over 100 of Jones' images of famous faces, some starkly captured in black and white, and many gussied up in uncharacteristic, borderline wacky wardrobes. Thespians abound, though a few tunesmiths made the cut: Jeff Tweedy of course, Johnny Ramone and Joe Strummer perched next to each other, a very preggers Tori Amos, a grinning Willie Nelson, Ice Cube at the movies, Aimee Mann and Michael Penn re-doing Dylan's famed Freewheelin' cover... oh, and barenaked Barenaked Ladies with their manparts tucked between their thighs. :-(

On the actor tip, there's some Cusacks, Seth Rogen, and a mustachioed Will Ferrell playing ping-pong, among others. George Clooney not only provides the book's foreword, but stares back at you with those mysterious, knowing eyes from the cover.

Jones is also lined up to direct a screen adaptation of David Foster Wallace's 1,000+ page novel Infinite Jest. How does one go about making a film with footnotes?

Malajube Kick Off Tour

It's easy to lose Canadian bands in the shuffle these days, there are so damn many of them (not that we're complaining). That's especially true of Malajube, who don't have a blog or a million side projects, and who sing in their native québécois. But Malajube's excellent second album, Trompe-l'Oeil, came out just last year, and come on, our attention spans are longer than that, right?

Hoping the answer to that question is "Yes!", the band will head out on a North American tour that will keep them going all the way into December. The tour begins tonight, October 31, in Ottawa, and its tail end finds Malajube exploring the overlooked corners of their native province: Lavaltrie! Rimouski! Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu! Sounds like a Sufjan song title. [MORE...]

B-52's Craft Funplex, First Studio LP in 16 Years

Ready the Aqua Net and throw some extra starch on your skinny ties: the B-52's are taking you out past the "Love Shack" all the way to the Funplex.

Funplex is the first studio LP from the Athens, GA campy post-punk legends since 1992's Good Stuff, which, as you've already subtracted, is an awfully long time away from the studio. The disc, produced by Happy Mondays/New Order knobsmith Steve Osborne, is bubbling over with what guitarist Keith Strickland calls (in the press release) "loud, sexy rock and roll for your pleasure zones, with the beat pumped up to hot pink." Colorful!

Funplex emerges February 26 on Astralwerks, and the band will show it off on a handful of live appearances over the next few months-- including a Halloween gala in NYC tonight with the Rapture. [MORE...]

Pink Floyd Studio Catalogue Reissued in Box Set
I'm in the high fidelity first class traveling set/ And I think I need a box set

For their 40th anniversary, Pink Floyd could have gone out and bought red convertibles or taken a month-long vacation in Cabo or ran off with their secretaries. Instead, they've taken a more civilized approach to being "older, shorter of breath, and one day closer to death" (as they themselves said in "Time"). And that approach involves reissues.

Just last month, they reissued their essential debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in two- and three-disc 40th anniversary editions. Now, they've packaged Piper with their other 13 studio albums for a box set called Oh By the Way.

Capitol/EMI will release Oh By the Way on December 4, and the set presents each CD in a miniature vinyl-style wallet, complete with original artwork. Some of the longer albums are on two CDs, and some of the sleeves are gatefold. There are also various stickers, posters, postcards, and other extras included in the package, as well as a 40th anniversary fabric poster designed by Pink Floyd album artist Storm Thorgerson. [MORE...]

Stars Announce 2008 Dates
Next year = after the war?

Photo by Michael Alan Goldberg

Stars, the most romantic musical theater troupe around, have extended their War campaign.

In their pursuit of the ears, minds, and hearts of anyone with a penchant for idealism, the Canadian quintet announced a run of UK dates that will take place early next year, after the band wraps up its current North American tour.

And speaking of those North American shows, the next one is tonight, October 31, in Dallas. [MORE...]

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)