Ohayo! With every ever-lovin’ revolution of the earth, another record label, book imprint and/or distributor of independent-thinking lifestyle products is buried and another one or two of the same is born. We oughta know — the first rays of the new rising sun have blessed our mission for literally thousands of days since we first shouldered the Drag City rucksack, and our eyes are still wide-open to the process. As the grey light of oncoming winter flickers into the periscope of our underground bunker, we’re filled with hope and brimming with confidence — for truly, another new day is just another day that we have the opportunity to rock your world in the crazy-go-lucky fashion that only Drag City artists seem to have in this new day and age. Read on, to learn where to catch the next wave of entertainment...

Marching forward, weary from the rain, the shock troops of Drag City are descending on your village. Insinuating themselves among those you call “your own,” we don’t take over all at once. Maybe we never take over at all! The subtle affectation of grass roots is our aim; the gradual change of the status quo has ever been our conquest of choice. And as conversations around the dinner table turn around the events of the day, so too do the new releases from Drag City take their turn in the hearts and minds of a nation. That’s just us, creeping up and appearing where you’d least expect but most like us to be – like Fred Armisen “as” Jens Hannemann on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! last week. D’ja catch that? If you didn’t, don’t worry — there’ll be another wild event something like it coming sometime very soon! You can’t say we never take chances — no, the house that Royal Trux, Silver Jews, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Smog, Neil Hamburger and hundreds of others built is nothing more than a house of cards, one chance away from blowing into the wind. This disaster-baiting death ride is at the marrow of our appeal — the essence, the very thing that puts Drag City above all others.

It’s a legend of the Old Centuries: music is for the young. Is it now? Is that why the songs make us cry even more hysterically than we ever did back in the good young days? Pardon us, but we tend to feel so much more today than we ever did back then! Like that rheumatism in our joints when it rains — and getting winded when we go up a flight of stairs...so vivid and intense...and with a flash of colors, fading to black...so frightening...thank God we’ve got the music to lose our sorrows in. It’s a veritable fountain of youth, beside which we renew vows to live for today! Our forthcoming releases from The Valerie Project, Major Stars, Six Organs of Admittance, Baby Dee and slew of others are taking years off our lives — and if you’re not careful, they’ll send your youthful asses back up into the womb with their enfreshening sounds. But let’s not get ahead of (or behind) ourselves, shall we?

Right, we were going to live for today. Well, fluttering into shops today are the golden offspring from a variety of trees in our orchard. There’s Ghost, channeling their far-eastern magic underground sound through our fair offices since 1996. Today, they’ve added to their formidable live oeuvre (also including the now out-of-print Temple Stone LP/CD and the CD+DVD release Metamorphosis) with Overture, a deep excursion into multimedia. Again utilizing DVD to emphasize the in-the-face nature of their live performances, they’ve captured a way-out evening in a Yokohama warehouse — locked inside, their captive audience watched them through an intense light show that often swamped the band in it’s magnitude as the band improvised with the vast echoing nature of the warehouse space itself. The CD features a tighter edit of the performance, still capturing the essence of the evening but without the reliance of visuals on one’s frontal lobes. It’s a — can you guess we’ve been trying to avoid saying this since the start of the paragraph? — trip.

Also out now is the occasionally hilarious instruction of world-renowned drum master Jens Hannemann, who plays the skins the way some of us count change — which is to say, with a mindless skill and a secret glee! Presented by Fred Armisen, Complicated Drumming Technique is Jens’ gift to a world gone beatless — a highly principled breakdown of some of his freshest, most complicated drum patterns, along with hard-learned tips of the trade — all of which is imparted to you the viewer in way that never takes the fun out of the joy of playing music. Thirty minutes of learning never passed so quickly — or with so many high-energy moments of pure pleasure. Make Complicated Drumming Technique your own this fall — or give it to some novice percussionist this Christmas.

Lightning strikes for the third time, as new music from White Magic hits the planet for the third time in their storied existence. After the acclaimed mini-album release “Through the Sun Door” and their full-length debut Dat Rosa Mel Apibus, lots of us in here and lots of you out there were desiring even more from White Magic. Their excellent new EP "Dark Stars" satisfies that desire as well as creating EVEN MORE desire for more White Magic! How do they do that? The sound of "Dark Stars" is simply something different and new from White Magic, a fresh new sound that creates fresh new desires. Featuring Mira Billotte’s blues-siren lead vocals and electric piano playing, “Dark Stars” also showcases the talents of “Sleepy” Doug Shaw, Mira’s partner in magic. Together, they’ve hewn an awesome mini-set of songs for this EP, which is out now on CD and will be available on 12” in November. Best of all, they’ve got a national U.S. tour running from west to east from mid-November to mid-December! There's more details a bit further down the page here and even more details on the TOUR page. Look around! Until they fly through your town, “Dark Stars” will light the way.

Did someone say bluesy? How did that happen when we haven’t talked about Randall of Nazareth yet? Ol’ Randy’s always been a blues-loving son of a gun, ever since he and the other boys in Pearls and Brass got together in their early teens to rock the blues in thumping, highly electric fashion. Today, they’re one of the latter-day legends of rock and Randy’s now Randall of Nazareth, playing his way through a life-time’s worth of licks on a trusted acoustic, all while crooning in his ruined, late-night voice about his trials and tribulations. This isn’t your uncle Robert Johnson’s trials and tribulations, it’s not the Muddy Waters sound...and it sure ain’t in the same universe as that white boy Mayer’s plastic licks! No, Randy’s deep inside his own understanding of the music, as well as his own dark days. Randall of Nazareth is an introverted, occasionally tortured set of songs coming from his heart and aimed towards bleeding hearts — like yours, perhaps? If you like intimate, crafted songs that address matters of the soul, then yeah, your bleeding heart will do.

Just cause we love the way you love us, we’re giving you the heads-up on what’s happening a month from now — on November 20, to be precise. That’s right, just before Thanksgiving, we’re giving forth with a lot more to be thankful for. Checklists start here:

Six Organs of Admittance Shelter From the Ash
Darkly glinting, like the eyes of its creator, the new Six Organs of Admittance is a wonder to behold. From its seemingly straighforward presentation to the tight song constructions all the way through to the soaring spiritual burst you get once having made it through the maze, Shelter From the Ash is a rewarding listen. Not just one of Mr. Admittance’s best bunch of tunes, it’s also evidence of fresh collaborations in the 6OOA camp. Notably, the Magik Markers’ Elisa Ambrogio brings her powerful presence into the mix — on guitar, on vocal and on pure presence, adding a significant other-ness to the already wild-in-the-country axis that Chasny has swung from since day one. Comets on Fire’s Noel Harmonson brings a tribal familiarity to the Six Organs drum sound, working the skins in a sensitive, knowing contribution. Furthermore, Tim Green is on board for the second straight Six Organs album, bringing a ringing clarity to the guitar contrast, as acoustic and electric string together in a smoky, silvery lattice. It’s a bright, hot, dusty experience, our Shelter from the Ash – and we think it’s gonna turn a lotta heads.

The Valerie Project The Valerie Project
An epic work of love and cinematic visions, The Valerie Project is a double-album length virtual soundtrack, at once paying tribute to as well as provisionally reconstituting Lubos Fizer’s original soundtrack to the 1970 film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. A who’s-who of Philadelphia acid-folk heads led by the inestimable Greg Weeks wend their way through the darks and lights of Valerie’s surreal journey, rarely coming up for air. The mood is almost Byzantine, but definitely old-world of some kind, the air loaded with incense and other organic delights. Though meant to be played with the projected film itself, The Valerie Project has created its own space with this music, one that we promise today’s children of the future will love.

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy Ask Forgiveness
This here’s an EP of cover tunes from Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy with (Espers’) Meg Baird and Greg Weeks. It’s all played with extreme beauty and ol’ Bonny sings the songs like he wrote ‘em — when what he’s really done is loved ‘em. And having loved, he’s now got to turn them loose again... While listening to this lovely short-play record, you’ll have a moment or two to leaf through some photos that relate to the music in a fashion we can only call ‘incongruous.’ It’s nothing controversial — and nothing a Bonny-head wouldn’t put past the ‘Prince’ — but we’re just saying, that’s all.

Major Stars Mirror/Messenger
These veteran messengers of the guitar-rock creed are on their sixth album, but it’s a Drag City debut all the same. Wayne Rogers and Kate Village have been playing six-string storms out of their guitars since the late 80s with such legends as Crystalized Movements and Magic Hour. The past ten years have been spent cranking out the rock and roll in Major Stars, which of late, has expanded to a triple-guitar lineup, fronted by the power-wailings of Sandra Barrett, who aids the band in their newfound roadhouse aspirations. They do a bit of boogying here and there, charging forward with hard-nosed rock in their hearts and more than their share of scalding guitar breaks. For those who miss the near side-long epics of earlier Major Stars, worry not — there’s at least one of those here. It’s an incredible avalanche of rock and all in an old-school economical album length. Don’t forget the rock! It’s the chosen sound of Major Stars.

Back in March of this year, we issued RTX’s second ball-busting album, under a title that we all really loved and you did too. But the man! The man came down on us, telling us that in a court of law the album would be struck down and that we must cease and rethink. Thusly armed, we went to RTX and told them that a rebirth was at hand. Fortunately, they were up for the change – and RaTX is the inevitable result! Containing the exact same contents as its former self, RaTX has the additional benefit of being released in a super-limited vinyl edition (manufactured behind the former Iron Curtain) with exclusive artwork. It’s the least we can do to party in the face of the man and his stupid rules and laws.

We never thought we’d say this, but the years have been kind to Neil Hamburger. He doesn’t tell it that way, but we see a glass at least half full. If you’re a touring standup comic, what would you say to the actions of the past couple of years — a DVD release, non-stop national tour dates, return engagements on the Jimmy Kimmel show, a walk-on role in the Tenacious D movie (even though it flopped) as well as a cherry spot opening up for them in big halls (like Madison Square Garden) all across America — well, wouldn’t you be happy? Let’s face it, America’s Funnyman is a big fucking baby and a sourpuss — but thaaaaaaat’s his liiiiiiiiife, ugghhhhhhhh....Anyway, he’s got a few more chances to live the comic’s dream coming up here at the end of 2007: more tour dates, this time in the attractive Rocky Mountains! A residency at LA’s venerable Spaceland club, where he’ll appear on the last Sunday of every month! And best of all, a slot onstage at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, as a part of Tim & Eric Awesome Show Live! This is a stand-up’s dream — and if Mister Neil Hamburger can’t find a way to enjoy it, we may have to call in Carrot Top.

It’s not just America’s Funnyman who’s living the dream! More of our noble, perfection-obsessed artists than ever before are out in the world, playing their hearts out with no concern for the outcome other than that their audiences feel them! Do you know what that takes out of our artists? Us neither, we just keeping pushing them for more. And fortunately for us and you and maybe even them, we’re getting it. Between now and year’s end, the resourceful among you will be able to see a wide world of shows. Program your itinerary to include the following:

Bill Callahan’s Australian tour! They love him like their own down there — he’s the Keith Urban of Australia, except about a foot and a half taller and with songs about real people and things. Plus, he’s got a sense of humor you wouldn’t believe!

Boris and Kurihara are wrapping up an extraordinary scorched-earth tour of America that has them running rings around the states. They’ve only got a few dates left, but as a witness to one powerful display in Milwaukee, I heartily endorse your doing whatever you have to in order to catch the power and the glory that is Boris with Michio Kurihara on the eastern seaboard.

Another show personally witnessed was Joanna Newsom’s North American debut with orchestral support, also in Milwaukee (what’s up Chicago? Couldn’t you handle it?). It was a night of incredible, hitherto unknown highs, as Joanna and twenty-something musicians (many of whom, come to think of it, appeared to be twenty-somethings) wound through the phases and changes of Ys. We in the audience were drenched with excitement — particularly one cross-dressing dude who admired Joanna’s shirt a bit too avidly. I know what you’re thinking — it wasn’t Devendra Banhart. He’s got his own record to do...but anyway, it was a thrill to see Joanna in the long-hair environment — and then after the intermission, get a jolt of (acoustic) electricity when she came back out again with her Newsom Twosome (Ryan Francesconi and Neal Morgan)to play a bunch of non-orchestral (but nonetheless, orchestrated) favorites with the zeal of someone who’d just gotten a whole bunch of people off her back! You’d do right to catch this study in contrasts in selected cities for the next couple weeks.

November will also bring international Faun sightings — Faun Fables, that is — as Dawn McCarthy and her various and sundry charges play a place hilariously called Bad Bonn in Düdingen, Switzerland, then appear at the Unlimited Music 21 Festival in Austria, then jet back home to play both sides of the bay in sunny (but cold...so cold!) San Francisco.

Or how about this? Gary Higgins of Red Hash fame playing on the same bill with Baby Dee, soon to be of Safe Inside the Day fame, in Chicago? The dream bill that nobody even knew to dream of is actually going to happen at The Hideout on November 15th — on the same day that David Grubbs and Susan Howe are playing on the south side of town, at U of C. O woe! Woe to we of the Drag City persuasion! But wait? What if our schedule will allow us to witness both events? Only time will tell...and we’ll see you all there.

Care for the rare? In support of their mind-breaking new album Mirror/Messenger, Major Stars will be undertaking a highly unusual jaunt out of their Massachusetts home turf. At this point, they’re going as far west as Chicago, the western states having been burned to the ground already.

Also rare is an Alasdair Roberts North American tour — but fortunately, it’s becoming more of a semi-annual experience. The steel-hearted Scottish troubadour will be bringing his vast knowledge of traditional music as well as his own incredible originals along for the ride — and nothing else. An Alasdair solo tour is in the offing, all opening for Charalambides. Don’t miss it.

Also on the rare side (and with a taste for blood) is The Valerie Project tour, which as mentioned earlier, accompanies the film in venues that have been set up for mindblowing activities. Good thing, that. They’ll be playing their soundtrack-n-roll in NYC, out west and then in Chicago — all places with special facilities that allow for a maximum number of blown minds.

In celebration of the reissue of their second album, now titled RaTX, RTX will embark upon a tour of the still-burning west coast. RTX-heads and others who do the rock won’t want to miss a single show of Western Executioner tour, combing the far west until the very day of Thanksgiving.

Also happening on the verge of Thanksgiving is the Six Organs of Admittance Free Tour, touching communities near the heart and home of Ben Chasny. He’ll travel down to LA, come back to San Francisco, ride off to Portland and Seattle and come home again. Check the listings for the record store of choice in your lucky community!

Finally but not in any way furthest from our thoughts is the White Magic and Dark Stars tour set to begin in Big Sur on November 17th ! With nary a thought for Thanksgiving, they’ll roll on, hungry for the road and all it brings, with nary a day off until December 15th. Now that’s the White Magic tour all us dark types have been waiting for!

Did you know there’s a museum piece right now that lines a room with vinyl LPs and then you walk on them? There’s not even a thin think layer of Plexiglas over it – you don’t even take off your shoes – you just tromp over them leaving whatever dung you brought in behind. And that this is in tribute to the history of rock and roll? It’s so wrong — records weren’t meant to be walked on! Not even Dylan's suck-ass Blonde on Blonde (We prefer Self-Portrait). On the other hand, that’s one thing you can’t do with mp3s. Though who knows, we may one day dance on their grave. It wouldn’t be the first time. It’s not just us, either — kids everywhere are coming round to this truth, and we are digging it. An LP gives you that extra something that you can’t get in a 5” plastic box and that is absolutely nowhere in evidence in the phenomenon of the download. You’ll notice that all our November releases have vinyl editions — even the RTX album, which didn’t in it’s original release back in March. A lot has changed since then — and for the traditionalists, the good news is, it means more vinyl. If you’re going to be a part of the problem, why not be a part of the solution, too?

Yes, we do have Special Events for you. They’re not like the Special Olympics – no, these “special” events are open to everyone! And they’re brought to you by Drag City, so the enduring feeling of weirdness unique to our brand. Listening parties in grocery stores! Film screenings in trendy bars! A t-shirt designing contest! Inter-label bowling tournaments! And who knows what else. For more on all this, keep watching!

We’re wrought out! But we’re facing more. 2008 is already underway, with Baby Dee, Silver Jews and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy on the slate with incredible new releases. Plus. much, much more from Language of Stone and Yaala Yaala. And the usual gang of intangibles, “unique events,” book signings and other forms of collective mind reading and wish-fulfillment. We promise — because you demanded it.

Drag City marches on...

Rian Murphy
Drag City Inc.