Sing along! Here’s the update.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!?!
We’re still pumping out the releases! April’s titles were Monade, Alasdair Roberts and Papa M — remember?

Both Monade and Alasdair Roberts are great records that you the record enthusiast might know better under other names — so let’s connect the dots, shall we? Monade is Laetitia from Stereolab, assisted by friends from Pram and Stereolab. She’s been doing this Monade thing on and off for years, but Socialisme ou Barbarie is her first proper full-length. Oh, by the way — the record is a lovely set of pop songs in a stripped-down setting, revealing Laetitita’s charms in the spare surroundings. Almost like Stereolab unplugged, really — but with a personality all it’s own, thankfully. The Stereolab family has such pretty children!

While we’re making introductions, allow us to also introduce Alasdair Roberts. He’s the muse behind Appendix Out, Scottish players of some of your favorite authentic neo-Euro-folk over the last few years. Alasdair has been doing lots writing and playing and singing since The Night is Advancing came out back in 2001 (including his time spent in Amalgamated Sons of Rest with Will Oldham and Jason Molina). While recording Farewell Sorrow he decided that he’d rather be known by his given name than by the name he’d given himself. So that’s that — the change is made! It comes at an opportune time, since Alasdair has produced his most forthright, finely-tuned song-cycle to date — with his finest melodies to boot! Frankly, we’re thrilled — the Appendix Out records were just getting better and better and Farewell Sorrow takes it even further. In honor of making a career out of it, Alasdair will be playing more gigs than ever before in 2003, starting in Scotland, the UK and the rest of Europe and finally (around September) coming to America for a few long-overdue weeks in the clubs on this side of the pond. More on this as it develops — meantime, check the tour page for the Alasdair show nearest you.

Then there’s Papa. Living in three time zones a day, playing gigs around the world, appearing on SNL at a moment’s notice…this guy Papa M is busy! Plus, he’s got his singles series with us to attend to. That’s right — instead of a new album to follow 2001’s epic (and immortal) “Whatever, Mortal,” we have instead a series of CD singles, scheduled to come out every second month of 2003. This means February, April, June, August, October and December. Now, a singles series might just sound like a holding pattern to some of you out there — but let us assure you that it’s anything but! Some of the best Papa M songs ever are on these singles. Mixing his own with covers and traditionals, Papa M sings and picks and arranges every little thing like it was the biggest thing instead. The result: arcing, violent mini-missives from a life spent on the road. Beautiful. The April release is among you now, with the June single in production as we speak. Papa M has been pretty good about delivering the goods, but when it comes to the August, October and December singles, we’re still waiting…so if you see Papa in your little corner of this global village, tell him to roll down the limo windows — then tell him to phone home. We’re waiting!

April was also a really cool month for shows. If you missed ‘em...you missed ‘em! There were a lot of them too — the end of Scene Creamers’ triumphant American tour, the start of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s supreme “Mountains and Deserts Tour” of the Near West, some solo piano gigs from AZITA, and a few choice readings from Silver Jew David Berman.

Those shows were indeed cool, but there’s more coming — just keep reading —

DRAG CITY TODAY!
And so, with all that behind us, we step, dizzy and blinking, into May. There’s lots to do and sell and talk about in this month, but as far as new releases go, there’s only one to talk about. And in a way, that’s perfect, since that is record is Neil Michael Hagerty The Howling Hex 2xLP/CD. The Howling Hex is Neils third album, and it’s getting scary now, it really is, how amazing his records are. The roving eyes of Hagerty have seen so many different scenes…fortunately, The Howling Hex boils it all down for you in a spicy rock and roll stew. Changing kaleidoscopically from tune to tune, touching on folk and country ballads, sax-honking rock and roll, raging live jams and the occasional trip into the supernatural, The Howling Hex pulls out all the stops, leaves it all out there on the floor, goes for the K.O…get the picture? Good, now get the record. Also, look for the TV commercial for the record on your local cable television network. We’re doing everything we can to promote this record — if you’ve got ideas for moves in your area, let us know!

Starting at the end of May, Neil will be taking the show on the road for little runs here and there. This first route takes Neil and band from Chicago to NYC and almost all the way back. These are going to be electric shows, make no mistake — but don’t be surprised to see Neil Michael at one of your local coffeehouses, playing acoustic and loving it. He’s going to be out there!

ALIVE, ALIVE, OH!
Lately, as we alluded to above, our notoriously mysterious and reclusive acts are doing themselves and everybody else a favor — by playing live shows early and often! We’re extremely appreciative of this, as should you be — for who knows what tomorrow and the rest of time will bring? These artistic types might just head back into their respective shells, and then where will you be? With a handful of records stuck halfway up your ass, that’s where! So get off the couch and go down the venue —   someone’s coming!

On the move in the month of May we have Cynthia Dall, with an ultra-rare run around the American East and Midwest territories. Don’t miss these shows — Cynthia’s closet chanteusery is a singular item — one that hasn’t been screened for the public since, like, ’97! At this rate, she won’t be back again until your little five-year old is showing with the grand-kids. Make it to the club, will ya?

The way things are around here right now, we’ve got not one but two chanteuses on the road in the month of May. There’s also AZITA. If you’ve got tickets to the Steve Malkmus show in any number of East Coast cities as well as a couple of Canadian dates in late May, you’ve got tickets to see AZITA too! She’ll be playing material from Enantiodromia. Plus some newer things. Plus whatever she wants. Accompanied by her crack rhythm section, AZITA will tickle the ivories to her and your heart’s content! If the shows we’ve seen have been any indicator, you owe it to yourself to get there early  and watch AZITA blow Malkmus and his so-called Jicks off the stage. It’s actually not that hard to do — but AZITA can do it right! 

Check what we said above — in May, we’ve got three chanteuses on the road! Because see, (Smog) is in Europe for the entirety of the month of May, starting his globe-spanning, year-long Supper tour with his many and sundry fans in Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Spain and Portugal. He’ll then be back in the USA in June and July, playing all over the place in the first American leg of the Supper tour. More on this as the (Smog) clears…sorry, couldn’t resist! 

All this plus...Alasdair Roberts, roving through the hills and valleys, the forest and glens of the fabled north — the land of his birth — the land called Scotland. Almost heaven, Scotland. He’ll be playing solo — go see him and hear some Appendix Out songs, some Farewell Sorrow songs, some traditionals, and some of the hottest fingerpicking around! If you’re in Scotland, go see.

That’s what’s happening live in May — but if you’re in LA, one of the hottest tickets in town is clearly going to be Neil Hamburger. Previewing new material is only one of the things on Neil’s agenda as he appears every Wednesday night in May at Los Angeles’ Knitting Factory. The audience will be a who’s-who of the west coast comedy scene! If you’re smart, you’ll be there too. Prepare yourself for long lines and mucho hype after Neil’s incendiary appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tuesday May 6th.

THE LONG HOT SUMMER OF DRAG CITY
Whew! Pardon us if we pant — looking out over the desert-like expanse of summertime months ahead of us, we can’t help getting a bit thirsty  for records and other things to put out! The releases may be few and far-between — but they’ll all be good, thought-provoking LPs, CDs, books and t-shirts, don’t worry. Let’s walk it through, shall we?

First there’s June. On June 17th, we’ll be bringing you two new titles — the third of the Papa M singles series and the sophomore effort from The Suntanama, Another.

Papa M fans who’ve been following the plot know these CD singles we’ve been putting out every other month in 2003 are a delight, mixing his folk and country-blues with spaced instrumentals over the course of a three-song duration. There’s covers and originals mixed together with the dreaded “traditional” (which means that somebody’s estate is getting screwed and don’t even know it) in an odd, exotic ten-to-fifteen-minute experience that only Papa M seems to be able to bring to you. God damn! Well…you’ll need this one. Fans of the Drag City Sampler, Now Who’s Crazy (available on eBay!) will recognize Papa’s contribution on the June single, but — what about the single Four, due out in August? Or single Five, on streets in October? We don’t even know. Will the mysterious Papa M rally and deliver the singles on time? Or has he Zwan and he can’t get up? Tune in further along and see.

While you’re waiting, dig The Suntanama! What’s a Suntanama, you ask? It’s a The Suntanama, idiot! Anyway, The Suntanama is a six-headed creature of rock that hails from New York City. Loose, grungy and free, in addition to being jaded and literate, The Suntanama have gone to the head of the class in an unlikely time for such antics. I mean, playing pastoral tones and folky tunes in these days is regarded in some corners as anachronistic. But whatever, we say! If we had a nickel for every time we’d heard that old cheer, we’d be heavy with nickels, to say the least. And if it was a nickel bag, we’d be dead, homes! Anyway...The Suntanama. These guys are so crazy. We got Neil Michael Hagerty to produce their debut last year, figuring if they were going to play urban mountain rock that they ought to have Neil’s understanding of the same and more again to guide them. Which it did. For their follow-up, they employed themselves to produce  and the results clearly show, The Suntanama are coming into their own. Their own what, we won’t say. What we can say is this — the record is called Another — but it’s not just another slice of the same you got when you bought The Suntanama. Another stands next to that first foray as a brother, with a different personality, different hair, a similar laugh and…well, you can guess the rest. Or buy Another. It’s got rock and roll, roots grooves, jamming and the ever-outrageous Catfish!

Dropping in June…

The remainder of the summer will be spent putting the finishing touches on the David Berman Actual Air limited hardcover edition, the Wayne Rogers’ Constant Displacement CD reissue, Papa M’s mysterious single Four and hopefully getting the next John Fahey book out there too! Oh, and there’s also the Galactic Zoo Dossier Collection!

More on all of this — come June…

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF DRAG CITY
…Fall like Autumn, capice? Yeah, after a long hot summer we’re going to have a really cool Fall this year! Check it out  all-new releases from High Llamas, Ghost and U.S. Maple along with a very special, long-demanded release — The Palace Brothers’ Greatest Hits!

But there’s all those other months in between. So let the sun shine out! 
June…it will be soon.

Rian Murphy
Drag City Inc.