Bon Iver, Dan Deacon, Cursive Play Mission Creek Fest
Spoon, Walkmen, Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes play satellite shows

Iowans will get their indie kicks with the arrival of the 2008 Mission Creek Midwest Festival, which takes place April 2-5, i.e. this week!

The Mission Creek festivities include readings, visual art exhibitions, and film showings in conjunction with the Iowa City Documentary Film Festival, and the majority of these events happen at various venues in Iowa City. On the musical side of things, the Mission Creek lineup includes Bon Iver, Evangelicals, Dan Deacon, Cursive, Neva Dinova, the Hood Internet, Headlights, Alejandro Escovedo, So Many Dynamos, Mouth of the Architect, Oh Astro, Capgun Coup, Baby Teeth, and Death Ships, among many others.

However, Iowa City isn't the only place with Creek-related goings on, as festival organizers have partnered with Daytrotter to present a couple of Mission Creek satellite shows in the nearby Quad Cities. Spoon, the Walkmen, Blitzen Trapper, and Fleet Foxes are all scheduled to play satellite shows.

Photos: Blitzen Trapper / Fleet Foxes / Ola Podrida [New York, NY; 03/29/08]

Photos by Kathryn Yu

Two of the finer specimens in Sub Pop's animal-heavy stable have joined forces for a bit of mass migration, as you know. Fleet Foxes, whose self-titled full-length debut arrives June 3, and Blitzen Trapper, whose Wild Mountain Nation wowed us in 2007, dropped by New York's Bowery Ballroom over the weekend, joined by Brooklyn's own Ola Podrida.

BT and FF's travels in tandem continue tomorrow night (April 1) in Montreal and don't wrap up until mid-April. After that, Blitzen Trapper head to Europe while Fleet Foxes play a couple scattered gigs in anticipation of their appearance at the recently beefed-up Pitchfork Music Festival (woo!) on July 19. Ola Podrida have some gigs lined up as well. Find all that and more below.

BLITZEN TRAPPER




FLEET FOXES








OLA PODRIDA

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Deerhunter Record, Cox Joins Karen O for Wild Things
"I've never had a better time in my life playing music with people. The audiences for the music and the movie should be stoked because it's going to blow them away."

Photo by Matthew Taplinger

Mere weeks after the close of the first Atlas Sound tour, and Bradford Cox is already at it again. That other band of his, Deerhunter, is ensconced at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room Studios (yup, that place) at the moment, working on their third LP, Microcastle, with producer Nicolas Vernhes. The band is now officially a four-piece once again, with guitarist Colin Mee no longer in the picture.

But that's not all Cox has been up to lately. As heavily rumored and subsequently confirmed in the latest issue of SPIN magazine, Cox has collaborated with his good friend Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the music for the Dave Eggers-scripted, Spike Jonze-directed film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic picture book Where the Wild Things Are.

Cox provided us with this statement to help clear up any confusion regarding his earlier reticence to discuss the material:

"Last year Karen asked me as well as some other musicians to help out with some demos of songs she was writing for the score to Spike's amazing movie. The songs she had crafted are radical and honest. I was just a helping hand. The big story is not who was there, but Karen's excellent song-writing. I did not want to discuss working on the soundtrack because I think plenty of people would assume that I was trying to use Karen and her project to get attention for my album or whatever. That's not the case. I have no big news to break. Karen rules. Spike rules. All the people that were there ruled hard. I've never had a better time in my life playing music with people. The audiences for the music and the movie should be stoked because it's going to blow them away."

However, all of this is not to say that Atlas Sound is over and done with, even temporarily. In fact, Cox posted a new Atlas Sound track, "Sea Burial", to the Deerhunter blog over the weekend. As you know, 4AD will issue the Best New Music'd Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel in Europe--complete with new bonus disc-- May 5.

Atlas Sound have a couple of appearances planned for the next few months: at the Explosions in the Sky-curated ATP in May, and in July at the awesomer-by-the-minute Pitchfork Music Festival. Deerhunter have also lined up quite a few more post-hiatus gigs, including a few club dates with High Places in Europe and the recently announced Sled Island Festival in Calgary. [MORE...]

Radiohead Roundup: Yorke Remix, Greenwood Debuts

Never content to dwell idly at their perch atop the mountain of guitar bands with experimental leanings, Radiohead have long been known to branch out. The latest extracurricular excursions for England's finest come courtesy of members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood.

In case you haven't heard, say, Kid A, The Eraser, or all those remix twelves, Thom Yorke has an affinity for all things electronic. He'll hop in the remix seat himself to contribute a reworking to a forthcoming project, according to an At Ease report confirmed by Radiohead's publicist.

John Matthias and Nick Ryan's Cortical Songs arrives this May on the UK's Nonclassical imprint, a label founded and run by Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of canonical Russian composer Sergei. In addition to Yorke's tweaking, the disc also includes remixes by Simon Tong (ex-The Verve, the Good, the Bad & the Queen), Nick McCabe (The Verve), Simon Jones (The Verve), and John Maclean (ex-The Beta Band, the Aliens).

And in case you haven't heard Bodysong, Popcorn Superhet Receiver, or the There Will Be Blood soundtrack, Jonny Greenwood is also keen on contemporary compositional stylings. He and the rest of Radiohead will be on hand June 12 as Spain's Ensemble Nacional de España de Música Contemporánea presents the world premiere of three Greenwood pieces at Barcelona's Daydream Festival.

In addition to the debuts, ENEMC will also perform two more Greenwood offerings and a handful of variations on music from OK Computer. Radiohead will also headline the festival, which takes place at Parc del Fòrum, with a full-band performance.

And while, contrary to some reports, the band did not curate the fest per se, organizers selected the accompanying acts with the spirit of Radiohead in mind. Those acts (so far) include 2008 tourmates Liars and Bat for Lashes, as well as Low, Clinic, and Modeselektor. Not a dud on the list! People should put together festivals with this so-called "spirit of Radiohead" in mind more often.

Finally, Radiohead's other Greenwood brother, Colin, recently sat down with Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal for a chat. Eavesdrop right here. [MORE...]

The New Wolf Parade Album Title Is Terrible
ROFL Parade

Photo by Carlie Armstrong

No, the long-in-the-works new Wolf Parade album isn't called Terrible. That would actually be a pretty cool album title. The new Wolf Parade album title is:

Kissing the Beehive

Oy vey.

It's out June 17 on Sub Pop.

The album shares its title with author Johnathan Carroll's 1997 novel.

Wolf Parade are currently lining up a tour for July and August, but in the meantime, offshoots Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs are on the road.

Sub Pop is also selling some sweet new Wolf Parade t-shirts:

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Photos: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band [Portland, OR; 03/28/08]
Bruce and Band add European, U.S. dates

Photos by Minh Tran

Hey, Bruce Springsteen! We hear he's pretty great live. Even when he's not joined by members of the Arcade Fire, as was the case Friday night at Portland's Rose Garden.

The Boss and his E Street Band have been truckin' around the continent in support of last year's Magic, with their next marathon concert scheduled for tonight (March 31) in Vancouver. The guys have also added a whole heap of overseas dates since our last report, and even a few more U.S. ones in July and August, when Magic's "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" will sound most appropriate.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND







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Fred Armisen Jens Hannemann Drum Sticks!

"Saturday Night Live" utility player Fred Armisen-- er, we mean legendary drummer Jens Hannemann-- is busy expanding his brand. After conquering the world of instructional DVDs, he now has his very own signature drumsticks. Featuring Hannemann's autograph in a bold red script, the Pro Mark sticks will be available soon in music shops and on the Drag City website. You can see these beauties from multiple angles by taking a gander right here.

Of course, Hannemann's calling card is the Complicated Drumming Technique DVD, and he has brought it back into the spotlight with a promotional clip featuring testimonials to its power from percussion colleagues like Glenn Kotche (Wilco), Torry Castellano (the Donnas), and Adrian Young (No Doubt).

Just check out these ringing endorsements:

"He's a bully. That's the only definition I can think of [for] him. He's a musical bully"

-Glenn Kotche

"It'd probably make you a worse drummer and... a worse person."

-Torry Castellano

Or just watch them for yourself:


Finally, Fred Armisen-- who is in no way related to Jens Hannemann-- is currently shooting a movie called Confessions of a Shopaholic in NYC. Right, because when we first saw "The Prince Show", we totally thought Armisen was perfect for a movie like this: "A college grad lands a job as a financial journalist in New York City to support her shopping addiction and falls for a wealthy entrepreneur."

Moby Issues Last Night This Week

On his new LP Last Night, Moby is looking to recreate the recent past. Writes the uppercase-averse producer/DJ/soundtracker of commerce on his website: "in making 'last night', i essentially tried to take a long 8 hour night out in new york city and condense it into a 65 minute long album."

Brushing the dandruff off your best shirt, waiting for an hour outside a bar, sucking down one too many Brooklyn Browns, and an afterparty at a taqueria: it's all here on Last Night, due from Mute tomorrow (April 1) in the U.S. and today digitally in the UK, with a UK physical release to follow May 12. Well, all that, and appearances from Grandmaster Caz of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers, Aynzli Jones, Sylvia of Brooklyn's Kudu, and Smokey and S.O. Simple from the 419 Squad.

Moby has been DJing around quite a bit of late, and he's got a gig lined up April 3 at Hiro Ballroom in NYC. [MORE...]

Liz Phair Reissues Exile in Guyville, Signs to ATO
Phair interviews John Cusack, Ira Glass, Steve Albini, Matador dudes for accompanying DVD

Yes, everything you've heard about Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville being one of the greatest albums of all time is true. The songs really do hit that hard. The lyrics really are that good. And the perspective of a smart woman navigating her way through the indie rock scene really is that necessary, even today.

Fifteen years after its Matador Records release in 1993, Exile in Guyville is getting the reissue celebration it deserves. On June 24, ATO Records will beef up the album with four bonus tracks from the original Guyville sessions as well as an accompanying DVD.

The bonus tracks: the solo cut "Ant in Alaska", a song inspired by the Troggs' "Wild Thing", the full band cut "Say You", and an untitled solo instrumental. "Ant in Alaska" and "Wild Thing" have both been previously attributed to Phair's notorious pre-Guyville "Girly Sound" demos.

The DVD: Guyville Redux, a documentary about the making of the album, with a focus on the indie scene in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, out of which Phair sprung in the early 90s. In the documentary, Phair herself interviews a series of luminaries connected to the scene, including radio/TV personality Ira Glass, actor John Cusack (whose role in High Fidelity pretty much epitomized the kind of guy Phair disses on Exile in Guyville), Steve Albini, Matador's Gerard Cosloy and Chris Lombardi, Guyville producer Brad Wood, members of Urge Overkill, and John Henderson of Chicago label Feel Good All Over.

And who do we have to thank for all of this Liz Phair goodness? Why, Dave Matthews, of course! Matthews is one of the co-founders of ATO Records, which in addition to putting out the reissue has signed Phair for a new studio album due in the fall. (Yes, she is no longer on Capitol Records.) AND Dave introduces the Guyville Redux DVD.

So between this, My Morning Jacket, and Radiohead, is it finally time to stop hating Dave Matthews? [MORE...]

Dinosaur Jr., Jarvis Cocker, Ghost and Rae, Mission of Burma to Play Pitchfork Music Festival
Plus: Dirty Projectors, Apples in Stereo, Cut Copy, Jay Reatard, and more!

The 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival invades Chicago's Union Park from July 18-20. We've already revealed 13 of the 41 scheduled acts-- including Public Enemy doing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Animal Collective, Spiritualized, and Vampire Weekend -- and now, we're pleased to announce 13 more.

On Friday night, the Pitchfork Music Festival and All Tomorrow's Parties present "Don't Look Back". Along with the previously announced performance by Public Enemy, Mission of Burma will play their just-reissued 1983 post-punk classic Vs.! A third "Don't Look Back" act will be added in the coming weeks.

Other additions to the lineup include the original lineup of the legendary Dinosaur Jr., Ghostface and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan performing together, and Jarvis Cocker, who will be making his first Midwest appearance in more than 12 years.

Also set to appear: the Apples in Stereo, Dirty Projectors, Cut Copy, Jay Reatard, King Khan & His Shrines, Fuck Buttons, the Ruby Suns, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, and Chicago's own Occidental Brothers Dance Band International.

With those additions, the festival lineup to date is (latest additions starred):

Friday, July 18:
Pitchfork Music Festival and All Tomorrow's Parties present "Don't Look Back"

Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
* Mission of Burma performing Vs. *
+ one more to be announced

Saturday, July 19:

Animal Collective
* Jarvis Cocker *
!!!
Vampire Weekend
Dizzee Rascal
Fleet Foxes
No Age
* Jay Reatard *
* King Khan & His Shrines *
Atlas Sound
* The Ruby Suns *
* A Hawk and a Hacksaw *
* Occidental Brothers Dance Band International *
+ many more!

Sunday, July 20:

* Dinosaur Jr. *
Spiritualized
M. Ward
* Ghostface and Raekwon *
* The Apples in Stereo *
Boris
* Dirty Projectors *
* Cut Copy *
Extra Golden
El Guincho
* Fuck Buttons *
+ many more!

And if all that onstage goodness isn't enough, the Pitchfork Music Festival is thrilled to announce that its new radio partner, KEXP, will broadcast live from Chicago in the days leading up to the festival. KEXP DJs John Richards and Cheryl Waters will do their shows from the festival grounds on Saturday and Sunday, and throughout the weekend KEXP will air select live festival performances.

Tickets for the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival are on sale now. As in previous years, we've worked to ensure you get the most bang for your buck. Three-day passes run $65, two-day passes for Saturday and Sunday go for $50, and individual day passes can be yours for $30. If you like seeing awesome bands outdoors in the summertime in one of the world's great cities and don't want to spend a lot of money doing it, you can buy your tickets here.

Mark Kozelek Tours, Bundles Bonus CD With Book

The good news? Mark Kozelek is touring the U.S. and Japan over the next few months, which means all those ex-girlfriends of mine will get a chance to hear all those songs I put on all those damn mixtapes live and in person. The bad news? Before it even began, Mark had to cancel a date in Toronto. You win some, as they say, and you lose some; and if you didn't, well, you wouldn't have any lyrical fodder for Sun Kil Moon songs.

Sun Kil Moon songs like the ones on April, due Tuesday (April 1) on Mark's own Caldo Verde label.

Oh, and about the new edition of that Nights of Passed Over lyric book we mentioned some months back? Well, it, too, is out April 1. It's also limited to 2,500 copies, and it comes with a 12-song bonus CD called Nights LP. The disc sports rarities, live tracks, and assorted ephemera, including the live version of "Drop" recently featured in Forkcast. [MORE...]

Black Francis Readies Mini-Album
Also known as an EP

While we await the arrival of his Isaac Brock and Larry Norman-enhanced re-working of Lee Hazlewood's Trouble Is a Lonesome Town, Black Francis aka Frank Black aka Charles Thompson aka that guy in front of Pixies for a while there has assembled a collection of new solo material.

The Bluefinger follow-up is a mini-album called Svn Fngrs, and it comes out April 1 via Cooking Vinyl. Regarding the format, Black had this to say in a press release:

"There are seven songs clocking in at 20 minutes, and so I suppose it qualifies as a mini-LP under the old formats. No one seems to know or care what the current format models are (a very weakened LP on compact disc continues to rule the roost by default), which is WONDERFUL; so let's just call it music and pay whatever price your Google research turns up. If you want it for free, you can usually find some tracks for free download on my MySpace page or on my own blackfrancis.net."

Black also had an interesting note about the content of Svn Fngrs, saying, "The theme revolves around a lot of NASTY sex, NASTIER death, and beautifully strange birth."

The first Svn Fngrs song to hit the net (via an official YouTube video and the audio player on Black's website) is "I Sent Away". Cooking Vinyl, however, plans to release a "Charles Normal Re-mix" of Svn opener "The Seus" as a single. A video for that song is expected as well.

Black's only scheduled live date is an appearance at San Francisco's Castro Theatre on April 25. [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.)