Over the past week, we caught news of a mini Soundgarden/TAD live jam, a new Kayo Dot album, a new/streaming Trash Talk EP, another Mars Volta album, another Zach Hill project, and a release date for the new Tortoise album. Read about this and more after the jump.
Tortoise
What We’re Seeing This Weekend: Themselves, Wil Blades Organ Trio
After a six-year hiatus, Anticon hip-hop duo Themselves (Doseone and Jel) is back on tour and ready for a new album in August. Ascending jazz organist Wil Blades also hits town, performing with his organ trio and luminous guitarist Jeff Parker of Tortoise.
What We’re Seeing This Weekend: Watchmen, Irepress, Trail of Dead
How far can you stretch the weekend? We’ll try for five nights while watching the Watchmen, Irepress, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Dex Romweber Duo, The Lonesome Organist, and W.W. Lowman.
What We’re Seeing This Weekend: Fucked Up, Monotonix, Cheer-Accident, D. Rider
We’ll see plenty of rock this weekend as our destinations treat us to punk, post-punk, metal, avant-garde rock, quirk rock, and funk. Click onward to read our four-day itinerary.
What We’re Seeing This Weekend: Tortoise, TyK Pinups, Mi Ami, onYou
This weekend, our plans include catching Tortoise and its sneak preview of new material, attending a “going to press” party for the Thought You Knew pinup calendar, and seeing a pair of widely influenced, experimental groups (Mi Ami, onYou) at The Hideout.
Weekly Music News Roundup
Details emerge about new albums from Isis, Tortoise, Akron/Family, and Stinking Lizaveta; Zu announces some dates for a world tour (a pair of which are with Mike Patton); Dark Meat will go on tour with its 17 members; the Scion Rock Fest hosts a spate of crushing metal bands in Atlanta on February 28.
Keep readin’…
What We’re Seeing Saturday: Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble
With nimble fingers and fluttering melodies, flutist/composer Nicole Mitchell is a master of her instrument. Here she gathers a quartet version of her Black Earth Ensemble, a hard-bop lineup with plenty of grooves to hold down the solos and improvisational moments.
What We’re Doing This Weekend: Saturday
Saturday brings the electric edition of bassist Tatsu Aoki‘s compelling mixture of American jazz with Japanese taiko drumming. It also brings another post-reunion show from punk standouts Hot Water Music and Naked Raygun.
What We’re Doing This Weekend: Sunday
Why bother going to bed at a respectable hour? Stay up late with some of us on Sunday as we head to the Hungry Brain, a local bar that hosts a weekly avant-jazz series.
This week’s installment features a makeshift ensemble that includes Tortoise drummer John Herndon, members of jazzy post-rockers Algernon, the trombonist from jazz quintet Herculaneum, the bassist from experimental indie-jazz outfit Isotope 217, and more.
What We’re Doing This Weekend: Thursday
Whether or not one has off on Friday, Thursday night is the official start of the weekend — if only because there are too many good shows to see. One of those includes Chicago quintet Algernon, a psychedelic, jazz-tinged post-rock outfit that hits hard.
Weekend Planner (9-19-08)
If you’re in New York or Chicago, you have some mighty fine festival options this weekend. Check out our recommendations for ATP New York and Chicago’s Hideout Block Party, including My Bloody Valentine (shown left), Tortoise, Plastic People of the Universe, Tim Fite, and many others.
Russian Circles: Embracing a New Sound on Second Album
Russian Circles discusses Chicago’s influence on their music as they experiment across several genres and collaborate with the likes of These Arms Are Snakes‘ Brian Cook.