Odds and Ends

Once again, after another somewhat long break, I return with another post. My apologies again for not being on a schedule. A series of fortunate and unfortunate events left me rather busy and, quite frankly, a bit overwhelmed. I took a whirlwind trip to Chicago one weekend, broke things off with this guy I was seeing, and... yeah, I won't bore you with the details.

But I will bore you with things I find exciting. This won't be a long post; I'm sitting in an internet cafe on campus at Ohio State University and I have a choir rehearsal in a little over an hour. Anyway, here we go.

The new Neil Young album, Living With War, which I've been awaiting for quite some time now, was released this week and -- would you believe it?! -- conservatives hate it. Didn't see that one coming. I haven't heard the album yet, so I can't say my peace, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.

A few news bits from our friends at Pitchfork. First and foremost, in my opinion, is the upcoming Danielson tour. Now this is something I've been looking forward to for quite some time. I have not yet had the priviledge of experiencing such an event. Look for me at the Southgate House on July 28th. See also: Pitchfork gives the new Danielson album, Ships, a 9.1.

Also from the aforementioned internet music magazine, The Rentals are finally reuniting... sort of. While founding members Matt Sharp and Rachel Haden are in, a host of "newbies" are joining them. So while it's not quite the same lineup, it is at least something. They'll be playing a few shows, a "limited amount," according to Sharp, but they also plan to hit Canada and maybe Europe. Well, it's better than nothing at all.

Meanwhile, Stereogum still doesn't like Pitchfork.

A little bit of mystery surrounds the recent split between Apples in Stereo and their long-time label, SpinART. Their current work-in-progress, A New Magnetic Wonder, is still scheduled for release in 2007 on a "well-known independent label." Whatever that means.

Of Montreal are going on tour for the second summer in a row, and, as last year, we in the Ohio area are getting robbed. At least this year they aren't toying with us, suggesting on their website that they were playing in Columbus with a venue TBA. That was a heartbreaker. Oh well, if you're in the mood for a drive, you can still catch them in other Midwest venues.

Upcoming Columbus Shows
05.17: Heather Waugh and Ellery - Little Brother's
05.20: Invisible Children Benefit Show, featuring John Reuben, Everyday Sunday, House of Heroes and Secondhand - The LC Pavilion
05.27: Film School, Eric Metronome, and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - Little Brother's
05.30: Plumb - The Basement
06.06: Matt Pond PA - The Basement
06.08: Tilly and the Wall - Little Brother's
06.26: We Are Scientists and The Double - Little Brother's
06.27: The Boredoms - The Wexner Center
07.06: Panic! At the Disco, The Dresden Dolls, and The Hush Sound - The LC Pavilion
07.28: Danielson - The Southgate House (Newport, KY)
08.29: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Germain Ampitheater
09.27: Built to Spill - Newport Music Hall

Okay, so I have to run to class now, but it was great updating and I hope I'll be around more now that my schedule has cleared up a little. Until then, yeah, just keep it real.