Supervillain (MF) Doom hits Europe…or does he?

Mysterious hip-hop artist (MF) Doom (aka Daniel Dumile) is to tour the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, and the majority of Scandinavia starting in October of 2010.

The idiosyncratic MC is a favorite of many, as are his collaborations as Danger Doom (with Danger Mouse) and Madvillain (with Madlib).

Known for sending impersonators to wear his mask and lip-sync on tour, Doom is as much a character as a performer, so what happens on his newest tour is anyone’s guess. He’ll be touring in support of Expektoration, a live album planned for release on September 14, 2010 on Gold Dust Media.

Sunn O))) to curate 2011 Roadburn Festival

Since 1999, The Netherlands’ annual Roadburn Festival has showcased adventurous alt-metal, psychedelic, doom, noise, and experimental music from around the globe.

Drone-doom poster duo Sunn O))) will curate the 2011 festival, guaranteeing another exceptional lineup.  The two official members (Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley) have participated in various past Roadburns, and they will follow curators David Tibet and Neurosis from past years.  Specifically, the group will choose the events of Friday, April 15, personally selecting bands to play before headlining the event.

Last year’s stellar roster included Shining (Norway), Russian Circles, Earthless, Kylesa, Enslaved, Master Musicians of Bukkake, Jesu, Bohren Und Der Club of Gore, Nachtmystiuim, and Shrinebuilder.  The 2011 festival will take place on April 14-17 in Tilburg, Holland.

Gallery Spotlight: The Wood Street Galleries

Directly above Pittsburgh’s T-Line Station, at the intersection of Wood Street and Liberty Street, is the Wood Street Galleries, one of downtown Pittsburgh’s prized cultural spaces for technology-based art. Since 2000, the organization has exclusively featured work by media artists and has elevated Pittsburgh’s emerging tech-inspired DIY scene into the fine-art realm.

“I would say what sets [us] apart internationally is that we solely focus on new-media artwork,” says Murray Horne, curator for the Wood Street Gallery. “I think that in North America, we are the gallery that focuses on that more than anybody else.”

Russian Circles, P.O.S, William Elliot Whitmore to play first Middlewest Fest

Middle-of-nowhere festivals can be real gems, and the first annual Middlewest Fest is doing what it can to get on the map. The two-day, twelve-show event in DeKalb, Illinois is ready to rock the state’s northwestern cornfields with Russian Circles and Born of Osiris recently added to its lineup.

The fest will make its debut on September 10 and 11, featuring a bevy of artists and ALARM favorites such as P.O.S. and William Elliot Whitmore. Other notable performers include Smoking Popes, Murder by Death, Maps & Atlases, Mark Rose (ex-Spitalfield), and more.