Turn, turn again to Drag City. You can trust us, we're sort of home. See, we don’t live today, not entirely. Sure, today you can find our leavings in quality capitalistic culture parlors all around the world, and musings on the same scattered through the world’s media on a monthly, weekly and yes, even daily basis. Our artists’ music is continually considered for attractive slots on television and in movies. At this very moment, we’re being hyped, helped and hurt on the web, our presence undiminished by the seemingly-limitless-yet-reductive powers of the “small screen.” Yeah, we’re in the present tense but we’re also all the time looking to tomorrow and the waves of the future to fuel our outrageous demand. The demand? That this cool world be ever cooler and ever entertaining.

And so it is. Read on...

Jesus God, we’re tired! But fuck, educating a world of nations’ll do that to you — and we’ve had a day’s-worth getting the word out about a new man a fellow named Callahan. Seems Mr. Callahan’s grown weary of being known by the code name we’ve all come to know and love over the years...the name Smog. Under that name, Bill evolved from a home-recorded wunderkind into a studio rat over the course of eleven deathless rock and roll classics with names like Julius Caesar, Red Apple Falls, Knock Knock and the critic’s pick of 2005, A River Ain’t Too Much To Love. But you know, time goes on and eventually you grow out of that leather jacket that didn’t even really fit you way back when you were a kid. And so it is with Bill and his alter-ego, Smog. Tears were shed, heads were shaken, common sense was rendered meaningless — but the Callahan plan moved forward apace. First, a catchy name was needed for the “debut” album check. Then, an album cover to catch the eye was required — got it. Finally, a set of great new songs were needed to draw listeners in — check and double-check. And voila! Loose in the world today is his great new album of exceptional new songs for today’s moods, Woke On a Whaleheart.

Bill Callahan is here! And the rest is up to you. And Bill. Mostly Bill.

Don’t look now, but also out there stirring up the dust is an all-new, mostly-evil (but lots of fun) 180-gram opus from The Fucking Champs. If you haven’t guessed, VI is the name and pure rock (with a healthy dose of synthetic sound) is its deadly-serious occupation. Though it's been five years since their last opus, The Fucking Champs haven’t lost a beat. As with classic Fucking Champs records of yore, a fist-ful of riffs in a variety of keys are mixed in good old, honest PLAY LOUD fashion — but even after the rock has fallen on you the listener’s head, VI is a colorful listen, one filled with impressionistic journeys that unfold alongside of the razor-edged riffage and kit-shaking drumming that typify all of the Greatest Recordings of All Time. The Fucking Champs have done it again! Get VI — it's totally out now.

Joanna Newsom’s also on the menu for April — now before you go puking a lung, let us explain. Yeah, she’s got a new record — a nice little three-song EP that comes on good-looking 12” and CDEP formats to suit all of your higher needs (no, mp3s don’t count on the higher need scale, sorry modern world). This new EP is called “Joanna Newsom & The Ys Street Band,” and that pretty much describes it all. It’s Joanna and the band she’s been touring the world with (no, not the London Philharmonic, that was only a few shows), playing an all-new song as well as addressing one song from Ys and one from The Milk-Eyed Mender. Each song is brought into the wooly-but-right realm of the band under the benevolent harptatorship of Joanna who sings more sweetlier than ever on this outing. Now, many of you are wondering, a three-song EP — who does this chick think she is, Royal Trux? Don’t forget, one song is from Ys and that’s all it takes to turn your average single into an EP, your average EP into an album and your average album into a very full life! And that’s what it’s doing here. All the songs begin with a “C” — we’ll have to wait until Miranda July interviews her again to figure out the significance in that, but the new song’s real catchy, the cover photo (an Eggleston original) is quite snappy, lyrics are included...what more could you want? Oh, right — another life’s worth of songs. Damn your greed, Joanna Newsom Army! We’ll succor you yet — one epic, incomprehensible song at a time.

Coming in the month of May: the hot and heavy Rainbow album, courtesy of Boris with Michio Kurihara! There’s a horde out there hanging on every slab of sound hurled their way by Boris — and then another assembly near to them waiting for the next quicksilver utterance from the guitar of Kurihara, whose sounds have graced Ghost records for ages, as well as White Heaven and Damon & Naomi releases. Both sides should be well pleased by this meeting of mystery and imagination — although we have to admit, there’s a bit more harmony and not as much black magic on Rainbow than on your average mountain-leveling Boris release. Again, we have to reference the conference of minds that resulted in Rainbow — the forces of Kuri and Boris, when combined, are greater than the sum of their parts, occasionally subsuming the accepted sound of either artist. And then again, there are the moments when the personality of each comes bursting through. It’s what they live for and what you’ll begin to live for (if you don’t already have the Japanese version, which, by the way, is slightly shorter as a result of two different mixes, one of which is extended on the Drag City release, and which features different artwork than this one as well) on May 22nd of this very year.

Attention, young and old alike! If you get a thrill from the organic musics of our civilizations, we’ve got someone we think you’d like. She’s one of the founders of Espers as well as one of its principal songwriters. And coming this May, she’s got a debut album called Dear Companion that’s going to floor you. Is it packed full of musical instruments and produced to within an inch of its life? Naw. Does it feature a procession of timely guest-stars strumming, warbling and perhaps even rapping their way through a series of bejeweled cameos? Nope. And you know what? We didn’t bring this lovely young woman's music to your attention just for you to ask us about all the things it isn’t. With your overstimulated senses, what she does on Dear Companion might be elusive to you... but probably not. Just sit down and chill out and listen to the sound of Meg Baird and her guitar. She sings songs she wrote, songs she found and songs she loves. And the voice, the guitar and the songs, they sink deeper into you every time you hear them. Just like a friendship, growing all the time down the years. Meg Baird’s Dear Companion is destined to become just that. Come May, you’ll see.

Also in the pipe for May is a trio of releases from a new label you may never have heard of before. Not unless you’ve been reading the Drag City update regularly — scooping the world, we are! The label is called Yaala Yaala Records, and their desire is to release music of the world, starting with three kinds of music from Mali and West Africa. The artists making their Yaala Yaala debut? Pekos & Yoro Diallo, and Daouda Dembele, plus a selection of music recorded at house parties in Bougouni and Bamako, Mali. Never heard of ‘em? Great! The world just got a little bigger. Check the front page for previews and hear for yourself.

Depending on where in time you are, RTX are gearing up or are already out there, rocking the world one town at a time on the Western Xterminator Tour 2007! This is really only the second-ever US tour for RTX, but the first time around for the rock-solid new lineup that holds forth on Western Xterminator. Backing the always-unbelievable Jennifer Herrema all the way are Brian McKinley, Kurt Midness and Jaimo Welch. Go for the show and stop by the merch table to see what craziness Nadav’s got for you this time around — skull rings, hoodies, wife-beaters — the sky’s the limit for RTX, on-stage and off!

You know, a lot of Drag City bands are combing the face of the earth right now, doing their bit for the ancient art of minstrelsy (the good kind). Like, for instance, Ghost! They’re playing at ATP in the UK and taking another two weeks to hit Europe for the first time ever, very exciting. White Magic are also playing ATP and a few other dates while they’re over there as well. Alasdair Roberts is playing shows with his band and solo over the course of the next month or so. And Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is finishing up an epic run through the old world right now himself, with a combination of festivals and other high-profile dates. Speaking of festivals, Espers are doing the Tryptych festival in Scotland and the Hockhocking Festival in Ohio. Dawn McCarthy is fronting three different Faun Fables lineups in front of her European brethren before playing at ATP and then coming home to play in front of her American brethren. And lest we forget, Joanna Newsom will also be at ATP as part of her big European tour currently in progress. Meanwhile back in the states, King Kong will be heading west to play their second set of west-coast tour dates ever (go to the show: you might make it into the Kong blog!). Gary Higgins is finally making it to California and he’s playing with P.G. Six and Mark Fosson while he’s out there! Before May’s done, The Fucking Champs will be following RTX out there into the hard rock road that never ends.

Fresh off their national tour, The Howling Hex are rising up as a new force in this land. A united front, they are prepared to present to the world their multifarious new face later this year in the form of an all-new, senses-challenging album that will feature material many of you memorized in the fleeting moments they appeared before you during the recent spate of dates. In the meantime...plotting and planning, of course. As well as the occasional short film. Check the link here to see some of the baffling images with which The Howling Hex intend to capturing international media attention and note how very like the world those images are. If you’re into life (as opposed to anti-life), The Howling Hex have got a future for you. Stay tuned.

Word is coming down from shadowy corners somewhere at the top: we’re all doomed, hard-product's days are numbered! The reasons given are nefarious. We’re told that the problem is us: the industry will no longer bear the mediocrity we’ve been doling out for the past thirty years. Not so shockingly, we’ve got solid info that proves the industry’s actually suffering from thirty years of mediocre mid-level executives! Shit, people — records are still selling. CDs too. And once the current administration is out of there, perhaps we can get back to the dream economy this world was destined to have. But in the meantime, your average Joe Indie Label is going to do what he (or she — Jo Indie Label) does best — sell and promote records by the word of mouth and other grassroots methods (which sometimes include features in Details, thank you very much!). It’s all that we who believe in what we’re doing can do. Selling our records isn’t a pay-to-play game designed to rob us of our hard-earned change, it’s a shared experience involving music lovers everywhere — a chain that includes the artists who make the music; us desk-bound drones; the distributors and retailers who are where they are because they too love music; and finally the music lovers who aren’t the artists, the industry or us: you the fans, the friends, the consumers and the curious. Creator bless you!

Here’s a couple pictures that bear out our way of living, and they came about in this elementary fashion: Stores sell Drag City records. They don’t buy from Drag City, but what the hell, they get in touch anyway. Could we send some posters and a play copy or two for the new titles? Sure we could — and if they make a nice display, we’d love to see it. The kids at Rhino Records did just that, in spades:

Yeah, extra points for creativity, too. Y'all got a visual sense about you, little Rhino-ites! Thanks also to Dennis Callaci for setting the process in motion. And stop by the shop if you happen to be in sunny Claremont, California, they're at 235 Yale Ave.

Meanwhile, GO INDUSTRY! We know you can do it.

And that’s 'nuff said. Until the next one —

Rian Murphy
Drag City Inc.
May 2007