DAVID GRUBBS DRIVES DEEP INTO EUROPE
His brand-new soon-to-be-released LP now delivered to the Mother Company (as all our distributors call us – actually, we usually hang up after the "Mother" part....), David Grubbs is off to the Continent here in the merry month of May. Mostly he’ll be in France, touring around and speaking in French, but playing and singing onstage in good old English. Plus, he’ll be politely eating the food while he’s over there –- his hosts won’t hear a single complaint, unless of course they serve him some meat. He warms up for those tough French audiences by playing a show in Germany and one in Belgium. Playing on the bill for most of these shows is Amor Belham Duo – if you’ve heard of them, please let us know who they are. It all starts on Friday! Tourdates are located elsewhere on this very website.

ALSO GIGGING!
U.S. Maple are playing a few shows this week out east -- all of which will be mind-boggling, life-affirming, unique, deviant displays of stripped and reconstructed rock music the likes of which the uninitiated have never seen before. But, yawn...when is this band going to do something new? They play in New York and Philly at fine venues in each town, but it all really ends next Saturday, May the 6th, when they take part in The Last Show at Pardee Field in Princeton, NJ. Twelve bands, including Arab on Radar, Shellac, Enemymine, Rye Coalition, Paul Newman, Don Caballero, Destination, Uzeda, Seam, and U.S. Maple will be playing this thing. Don’t delay – buy your plane tickets today! Those New Jersey losers aren’t the only ones who should have the pleasure of seeing this.

Meanwhile, Jim O’Rourke is winging his way to the UK for a week of dates in collaboration with Loren Mazzacane-Connors ranging over Ireland, Scotland, and merry old England too. And once he gets back, it’s just more dates, live and in the studio, though June. Those of you dying for another new O’Rourke opus should remain patient and keep breathing – he’s working on it, inside, where it counts. Until then, seeing him as a member of Sonic Youth should be more than enough entertainment for ticket-holders to those June dates.

Also meanwhile, Papa M has returned from an extended sojourn overseas. They were gone for about a hundred M-years, which amounts to a month or so in actual Earth time. And hopefully the teeming hordes of Europe appreciated their post-global, shark cage guitar rock. But how will we ever know? They went through a lot of changes, though, and it’s good to have them back. Now they can begin to plot their next move, whatever that may be. All we can do is speculate but we speculate that it will be live - whether it’s live on your stereo or in front of your eyes, you can be assured that Papa M will back soon.

And as we have already mentioned, Royal Trux US tour dates for June are coming together. Look out, Ohio -- here they come again! Florida -- your rain check is ready! And Boston -- fuck you, too!

GAME OF THE WEEK
We here at Drag City are very excited about all these developments. But the most exciting show we know of is the one happening this week at the Hide Out in Chicago. On Thursday night, Chestnut Station will take the stage for two sets destined to live in infamy. Or at least on compact disc. You see, a party album will be recorded there that night, and all who attend will have the pleasure of perhaps identifying their own cheers and jeers one day in the not-so-distant future. All for the bargain price of $10!

Drag City
May 2, 2000