HEY PAL!
Greetings to one and all. Perhaps you noticed on the way in, but if you blinked or passed out or something like that, we’d like to point out to you assembled masses that the time has come for web-surfing impulse buyers to add Drag City to their shopping cart. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally got PayPal in our corner, expediting your needs by accepting your credit card number in exchange for some of our various and sundry products. In other words, obtaining Drag City titles via mail order just got a little bit easier. Give it a try — we’re sure you’ll agree.
BACK TO BUSINESS
It’s the month of October — and what have we done for you lately? Hoo boy — by the end of this here newsletter, you too will be able to count the ways — but in the meantime, we’re going to have to do the counting for both of us. So, what have we done for you lately? Oh, nothing — nothing except fire release after release into your marketplace. Last we checked, the world at large was gobbling up both ends of a serious Drag City twinbill — new full-lengths from (Smog) and The Drag City Supersession. And really, under the circumstances, what else would the world do? These two records are two different shades of masterful, deep, heavy — and funny too! All-round entertainment, anyone? Fans of songs and singing could hardly ask for more — but when they do, we’ll be ready — with more! More on which in a Chicago minute (in other words, when we feel like it — which, fortunately for you, will be in a good old-fashioned real minute). For fans of the printed word, we also took pleasure in placing a new issue of The Minus Times everywhere that discerning buyers would permit us! Hunter Kennedy’s hard-core literary almanac features contributions from the published (Mark Richards, Sam Lipsyte, David Berman) as well as some names for tomorrow, as well — buy issue #27 and see! And if your local bookstore doesn’t have one still on the racks, pester them, please — another copy is only a couple days away!
Yeah, all those things were shipped during the fateful week of September 11th — just in time to be a part of the national revival here in America. It’s back to business for all of us — and as one shopowner told us in the wake of the tragedy, those terrorists failed — capitalism is still alive! Let (Smog), The Drag City Supersession, The Minus Times and the whole darn Drag City back catalog be your lifeblood, brothers and sisters! Though your consumer collaboration, our way of life shall endure.
WORLD TRADE CENTER CRASHES ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES!
Damn those terrorists! They served their cause, destroying thousands of lives, two tall buildings, the security of a nation...and now, All Tomorrow’s Parties. This festival was set for mid-October, slated to involve a dozen bands or more, four of which are Drag City acts. ATP LA may be rescheduled for early next year, but in the meantime — the Parties is over. All of our bands are still going out there, to help move the twisted wreckage and tons of rubble left in the aftermath of this terrible last-minute cancellation.
(SMOG) ON TOUR
(Smog) fans have more than just a new album to celebrate over — there is also the astonishing news that, for the second time this year, (Smog) is hitting the trail, taking his music back into the clubs once again. Rain on Lens is a good record to revive a live profile — it’s got raw moments of pure rock and ballads that are meant to set hundreds of hands a-swayin’ in the air. And now, those hands are going to get another chance, as the (Smog) caravan heads south, then west, then north, then south again, and finally east, on a three-week jaunt though mid-western, near-western and just plain western states in this beautiful country we call America. Also on the bus with (Smog) and Co. is Neil Michael Hagerty and band, aiming for their first gigs out west since the Neil Michael Hagerty album weighed in last March. This combination of talents will provide solid evenings of unpredictable entertainment for lucky locals from here to the coast, and back again. A few last dates are being added to the Tour page as we speak — so check it out! (Smog) and Neil Michael Hagerty may just be ravishing the hometown near you in the month of October.
FUCKING CHAMPS HEAD EAST
It’s been over a year since the world was rocked by the blast that was and is The Fucking Champs IV, in both LP and CD formats. Since then, they haven’t taken a fucking moment to rest on their laurels. No, they’re too busy to allow rest to interfere with their destiny — instead it’s been one tour after the next, sandwiched by retreats into the recording studio, to put flesh on the bones of the next chapter in Fucking Champs history. Back here at HQ, we’ve taken it all in with awe. But the saga continues — and for our friends on the other side of the Big Ditch, it’s just beginning. 11 October marks the start of a month-plus stint in the far-flung countries of the Old World for The Fucking Champs. Iceland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and others should brace themselves for the mighty attack in store for them. Their precise co-ordinates can be located on our Tours page, which we’ll be updating regularly to deliver late-breaking information. Hey, EU! Don’t miss The Fucking Champs — burning through a hamlet or village near you soon.
THE TIME OF THE SEASON OF FROST
It must be time for Edith Frost to breathe again — she’s back in the friendly confines of sweet home Chicago for the first time in nearly a month. The reason? You haven’t been keeping up, have you? It has to do with a little album called Wonder Wonder that came out over the summer and has been knocking them dead from sea to shining sea (and even in some of the landlocked countries too) ever since. It turns out that this record has been clamored about to such a degree that Edith was virtually forced to return to the stage for the first time in a couple of years. And once she got out there, the crowds were loving it! The tour was epic (as epic as a three-week tour can be), taking Edith and her big band through various Midwestern states, down to Texas, back east and then out to Chicago again — which by our count, leaves a few more regions of America to hit, as well as some other countries out there in the imperial territory we call The Rest of the World. And don’t worry — we’ll get her up, out and over there — but, shh! She’s not going to want to talk about this again until after she’s has at least a short winter nap. In the meantime, those of you not in the know have three LPs and one hit single to catch up on.
AUTUMN ALMANAC
Oh, have we got new releases for you! It’s almost painful not to have them for you right now — because the artists these new releases are representing are much-beloved characters — you don’t believe us, see if you can take in the following names without a bit of a gulp or a sigh. Here goes — Papa M, Jim O’Rourke and Silver Jews. Yeahhhh...now that’s more like it, eh? Oh my God — and are these records super-fine, too. If you didn’t check on the way in, there’s mp3s from Silver Jews and Jim O’Rourke that should sufficiently prove the point. But don’t be fooled — these records are about 10 times as good as these samples. Or at least ten times as long. And all just in time for Christmas, too!
So let’s run it down. First comes Papa M “Whatever, Mortal” 2xLP/CD, King Kong Breeding Ground CD and the Silver Jews “Tennessee” 12"/CDEP. They’ll hit you right at the end of this very month.
And what of them?
“Whatever, Mortal”
Papa M’s latest opus certainly seems to be titled cheerily enough — but once you get inside the belly of this beast, it’ll seem a little different. Fans of M’s previous, often-instrumental work will chill to the thrill of Papa piping in more than ever before. And when he sings, well, the effect of the words and the melodies is mournful, to say the least. It makes (Smog) look upbeat, believe it or not! Ah, there’s a few little jokes here and there on “Whatever, Mortal” (beyond the title, that is) — but even these have deep dark roots to them. It’s definitely through the glass darkly time for Senor M. As the songs pile up (there are a total of 17), so do the instruments used — Papa seems to have a brand new bag on almost every tune! It’s all mixed by the Continental OP, so you know what that’s worth. A complete and total masterwork, that’s what.
Breeding Ground
All of you in the King Kong krew, listen up! News updates from the kingdom of Kong have been fewer and farther between over the last couple of years, but life there is going on in typically high fashion. An album release is slated for next year. At this point, the title is The Big Bang, and in the grand tradition of klassics like Funny Farm and Me Hungry (not to mention their two other albums, which we’re not going to mention at this time), it’s going to turn the world you think you live in upside down. In advance of this new mind-bender, the fine fellows at Sea Note records (a Drag City subsidiary) are proudly putting forth a CD entitled Breeding Ground. This release will take you inside the mind and home of kaptain Kong himself, the one, and truly only, Ethan Buckler. For years, his demos entertained Drag City insiders while going unheard in the everyday world once the slick final product had been delivered. Every once in awhile, we’d shake our heard over how everyday people weren’t getting to enjoy the home-hewn original Kong sound. Well, long story short — now the people are getting their chance. Breeding Ground collects demos from 1992 all the way up to the present day, including early versions of Kong faves (like “Scooba Dooba Diver,” Horny Toad” and “Funny Farm”) as well as some secret hits that have been unjustly unshared (wait 'til you hear “Lollypop!”) — until very soon from now, that is.
“Tennessee”
The first taste of the new Silver Jews comes to you in 12”EP and CDEP form. The title track is the radio track, and combined with the three that follow it, “Tennessee” is a release that’s going make Silver Jews fans very happy. Why? Well, let’s see — there’s the classic Silver Jews assortment of grade-A song structures, strikingly original roots rock sounds, funny lines and heartfelt lead vocals from David Berman, all delivered in a new way that will cause the sentimental to be sentimental and the cynics out there to smirk cynically — making “Tennessee” an opiate for all mankind! And when mankind gets sick of this opiate three weeks later, the Bright Flight LP/CD will hit the streets and entertain all y’all anew.
Then there’s November.
This is the month that will be remembered in years to come as the month that the new Silver Jews and Jim O’Rourke came out. People will have these visceral memories of where they first heard these two records and everyone will see it the same way — a universal moment is at hand!
Insignificance
Jim O’Rourke’s return to full-length album making is a few years overdue, if you ask his thousands of fans — but he was busy, okay? Producing Sonic Youth and touring the world a few times with them doesn’t happen overnight, you know. Plus there’s the mysterious side-project LP with Jeff Tweedy recorded after midnight on a thousand and one nights in Chicago. And the arranging and producing of a bunch of exciting new Stereolab tracks. And the mixing of the new Wilco album (out on label X sometime next year). See — he’s been busy, damn it! But finally, he got down to doing his own album. And Insignificance revels in all the deferred rage that such wall-to-wall scheduling leaves one with. Especially when one is Mr. Jim O’Rourke. He’s got a handful of new tunes that you may find yourself ashamed to not being able to help singing along with, so rich are the lyrics with spite! But they’re so tuneful, you won’t be able to help it! Filled with rock and pop and other things, Insignificance finds Jim in full-blown singer-songwriter mode, experimentalism fully intact. It’s something else for everyone!
Bright Flight
This record we can’t get out of our heads, no matter how hard we try. What can you say? David Berman has a way with a tune that’s just undeniable. Even when he’s sounding at his most unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed, as he is throughout Bright Flight. It’s a vulnerable Silver Jews on display this time, with heartfelt (and heart-rending) moments medleying through from start to finish. It's sad — the poet laureate of the 90s seems to have fallen on hard, jagged times. And the result is the deepest Silver Jews record yet! Still and all, a Silver Jews record isn’t without it’s light moments — such as the one where Berman intones, “Punk rock died when the first kid said/punk’s not dead, punk’s not dead.” Oh, the humor! The guy doesn’t say funny things — he just looks at things funny! Silver Jews fans are already queuing up on any website that has a bit of Jews news, offering their opinions on the LP artwork and downloadable classic “Slow Education.” Don’t let them crowd you out — get involved. If you’re looking for something sad but catchy (and who isn’t?), Bright Flight is for you.
U.S. MAPLE PLOTS, PLANS, PLOTS
Meanwhile, in a space somewhere far from the mad rushing crowd, the remaining members of U.S. Maple are plotting their next moves. When Acre Thrills was released earlier this year, we anticipated big things for U.S. Maple. And we still do, despite the several months of inactivity they’ve gone through as a result of founding drummer Pat Samson’s departure from their ranks. The darkest moment is past; Adam (The Kid) Vida has signed on for skins duties and shows are being booked for his debut tour with the group, sometime in November. A show with interim drummer Thymme Jones is booked in Milwaukee, as a warm-up for the ill-fated ATP fest, now cancelled. Fans and foes alike should look for U.S. Maple soon — they’ll be back!
NEXT TIME
We talk about the exact release dates for our sacred triad of new releases! We talk about the Royal Trux comic book, and when exactly it will be done! We talk about what’s next for old Drag City! And what’s up with Moikai, Blue Chopsticks, Streamline and more! We tell you more about An Emotional Memoir of Martha Quinn! We prognosticate on the year 2002! We remember the year that was (and is) 2001! And more, god damn it — motherfucking more!!