Hello and welcome back to another edition of Duane’s Pit Stop. In case you haven’t heard, the Editor of MusicTAP, Matt Rowe is debating on whether he should close down MusicTAP entirely. Give him hell at mattrowe@musictap.net. As for this week's news, we have some great Pixies news as well as other things. To reader Joe “Kidd” Reyas, we here at MusicTAP do hope for your fast recovery, Bro. Quit those skate board stunts while drunk. You're living proof that it doesn’t work. With that final thought, let's get to the news. And Matt Rowe, you're still a inbred heathen bastard!
Pixies Reunion - Rumors of a Pixies reunion have been widely reported across the internet. Although 4AD represented Pixies when they were an active band and continue to release their catalogue, the label is not involved in their current activities so stop bugging' us for news! However, there have been plans in place for a long time to issue a DVD of the band (which will include a complete live show alongside a documentary, their videos and more) plus a new retrospective compilation CD. These are due for release in spring 2004
The most accurate information has appeared in Billboard online.
Pixies To Reform In April?
A decade after a bitter breakup, seminal alternative rock act the Pixies may reunite next year. At deadline, rumors of a tour and a potential new studio album remain unconfirmed. The manger of frontman Frank Black (aka Black Francis) tells Billboard.com, "I have received an offer for the Pixies to perform in April. That said, over the past 10 years, I have received dozens of offers for the Pixies." A spokesperson for the group's former label, 4AD, had no comment on potential reunion plans.
The group's last major tour came while supporting U2 on a number of U.S. dates on the 1992 Zoo TV trek. Goldenvoice Promotions head Paul Tollett tells Billboard.com he has tried to book the Pixies "every year" for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. "I still haven't made any movement," he reports. "[I'm] not sure if they are speaking to each other."
The Pixies -- vocalist/guitarist Black Francis, vocalist/bassist Kim Deal, lead guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering -- released four albums and an EP over the course of five years in the late '80s/early '90s, providing a blueprint for the alternative rock boom that dominated the latter decade.
In 1993, two years after the release of the group's final album, "Trompe Le Monde" (4AD/Elektra), Francis (real name: Charles Thompson) sent a press release to the media announcing the breakup of the Pixies. He went on to forge a solo career, now nine albums strong, as Frank Black. Deal found post-Pixies success with the Breeders, whose 1994 album "Last Splash" (4AD/Elektra) peaked at No. 33 on The Billboard 200 in 1994 and has sold 978,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Black has been incorporating Pixies songs into live performances with his band the Catholics with increasing regularity over the past few years. Songs like "Where Is My Mind?," "Mr. Grieves," "Crackity Jones," "Nimrod's Son," "Holiday Song" and "Gouge Away" have all surfaced in recent set lists, and a version of the latter recorded in April in Regina, Saskatchewan, appears on a new Frank Black & the Catholics EP, "Nadine," licensed this week by spinART exclusively to a number of independent U.S. retailers.
In July, Black told London radio station XFM that he still fantasized about reuniting his old band. "I do dream about the Pixies reunion, I do have to say," he said. "It's like those schoolboy dreams when you don't do your homework and you don't study for the test, but I'm at the gig and we're hanging out, but it's an utter failure and I don't know the songs, and hardly anyone turns up for the gig and people walk out. That's what I'm afraid of, that it'd be a big, big failure."
He added: "We might. We do get together and have private jams together, but not for public consumption."
During the Pixies' career, the group never made a huge commercial dent (their top-selling album is 1989's "Doolitte" at 552,000 copies). But its impact on critics and fans was far reaching. A handful of collections of Pixies material have surfaced during the band's hiatus, including the 1997 Elektra double-CD set "Death to the Pixies," which featured favorites and live compilation discs. Last year, spinART Records released "Pixies," a collection of unreleased songs from the band's original 1987 demo tape.
Help Out SouthernSka.com - After taking a break from the hassles of the internet world, SouthernSka.com has returned and the founder, Nick, needs your help. He needs news reps, journalists to review ska/punk or traditional ska albums, and someone to help with the website. No, you don't have to live in the south to help out, if you're interested or want more information, send Nick an e-mail at southernska@southernska.com.
A Static Split-Up - A Static Lullaby have decided to split with their current drummer Ben Newsham. A press release was put on their website and it goes as follows:
A Static Lullaby and drummer Ben Newsham have decided to part ways. Ben Newsham is going to continue on the road with the band, just not as the drummer. Ben is family to the band and although he won’t be behind the kit, he will still be part of the family. News on our drummer situation as soon as we have solidified something. Thank you.
-A Static Lullaby
Face To Face Need Your Help - In coincidence with their disbanding Face To Face has decided to have one last hurrah and release a DVD chronicling their career and they're looking for help from their fans. If you have any video footage of shows, interviews or anything else and send it in for inclusion with the DVD you can win a bag full of great F2F gear like stickers, posters, and more. Make sure if you want the video back to include a note saying so. Send any videos to the video below.
Face to Face DVD
4607 Lakeview Canyon Rd. #158
Westlake Village, CA 91361
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS JANUARY 15TH 2004.
The Forgotten, Remembered - Forever is Forgotten's EP "Dying Beautiful" will be re-released on Thorp Records in early 2004 with brand new artwork, two live tracks, one new recorded track straight from the studio, and also some live Furnace Fest footage. The Forever Is Forgotten website hasn't been updated in a while, but with the new release coming out, I'm sure they'll get on the ball so keep checking back.
Warped Releases - Kung Fu Records has a tentative release date for the 2003 Warped Tour DVD. The label plans on shipping it out sometime in April of next year. While your waiting for that to be release, keep your self busy by cruising over to Kung Fu Records and downloading from their generous MP3 collection that currently has all your old Kung Fu favorites as well as a few new faces.
RX Bandits Drop From Tour - Something Corporate has announced that the RX Bandits have decided to drop off of their tour due to "personal reasons." Instead of finding another band to fill in for the last 7 dates of the tour, a variety of bands will be filling in (supposedly locals). The band says that they will be taking a short break to work on new material. Be sure to look out for the Bandits' next tour in April/May 2004.
A Message From Ex-Count The Stars Members - Count The Stars broke up. Message boards everywhere were full of rumors on why the disunion occurred, but the band posted this statement on their website to set people straight:
"Okay, here's what you've all been waiting for, THE TRUTH. No more rumors. The first thing I'd like to say is that we have not broke up because of Chris winning the lottery or Clarke getting married, neither of those things are true. We also did not get in a big fight. In fact, we're all still very close and we all intend to stay in touch with each other. We've simply decided that we've been doing this for a long time and some of us weren't 100% into it anymore. We want to thank all the fans that have supported us. We can't tell you how much it means to us. We also want to thank Evange and everyone else at FATA booking, Victory Records, Tom Sarig, and everyone else who's helped us and supported us along the way. We can't tell you all how much we appreciate everything. We hope everyone will keep in touch. Thanks so much.
Count the Stars
Epitaph Signs The Matches - Epitaph announces on its` website that hey have signed Oakland, CA’s The Matches and will be re-releasing their debut full-length CD E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals on April 27, 2004. Originally recorded in the band members’ basements and living rooms, the re-release will feature re-mixing by Joe Barresi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Powerman 5000, Pennywise, Weezer, The Jesus Lizard, Melvins).
Junction 18 Hitting The Road - Junction 18 creates music that's edgy and immediate, emulating a sound in the vein of Weezer and Alkaline Trio that is simply just good rock music! With an amazing live show, Junction 18 rocks their way though a set that gets audiences up on their feet and dancing along. Junction 18 will be starting off 2004 by hitting the road with Tokyo Rose and Still Life Project! This will be one tour not to be missed!
1.16.04 - Taunton, MA @ Allabout Records
1.17.04 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
1.18.04 - Port Jervis, NY @ The Vault
1.19.04 - Charleroi, PA @ VFW
1.20.04 - Montclair, NJ @ Bloomfield Ave Cafe
1.21.04 - Greensboro, NC @ Aces Basement
1.22.04 - Marietta, GA @ Swayzes
1.23.04 - Melbourne, FL @ Jaycees
1.24.04 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Spankys
1.25.04 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
1.26.04 - Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub
1.27.04 - Gainesville, FL @ Eddie C's
1.28.04 - Anniston, AL @ Room 1213
1.29.04 - Johnson City, TN @ The Rambis
1.30.04 - Blacksburg, VA @ Attitudes
1.31.04 - Frederick, MD @ Point of Rocks Community Center
2.01.04 - Vineland, NJ @ Eugenes
2.06.04 - Mohegan Lake, NY @ The Oasis
2.07.04 - Wilkes Barre, PA @ Cafe Metropolis
Mashlin and Unsung Zeros Swap Members - Mashlin and Unsung Zeros have swapped members. Jason Burrows has left the Unsung Zeros and is now playing drums with Mashlin and their former drummer Omar Surillo is now playing guitar for Unsung Zeros. Unsung Zeros are still in search of a drummer. Mashlin has posted 2 new mp3's on their website - www.mashlin.com - that Jason Burrows played on.
Ever We Fall Mp3 - Coming Dec. 16th Ever We Fall drops their debut release on Rise Records. A 30 minute burst of energy and emotion. Endura is a sonic masterpiece. Produced and mixed by John Goodmanson (Vaux, Saliva, Sleater-Kinney). Brand new to the indie/emo scene, these young lads from Portland pour their hearts out. Unforgettable sing alongs layered with dense guitars. For fans of rock music ala Thursday, Jimmy Eat World and Juliana Theory. Listen to an mp3 here.
Ska Brawl: The Toasters Vs. Big D And The Kids Table - Ska's Back, and It's Angry! Ska Brawl 2004 will feature The Toasters and Big D and The Kids Table from Jan.16 to Feb 14th. These bands are the heavyweights in the scene. Legendary The Toasters from NYC are on tour in Europe and North America in support of “In Retrospect” (Stomp Records), the best of The Toasters 23 year (and counting) career. Toasters video for “Modern World America” to be launched live on the Toasters website in January 2004.
Boston, MA” favorite skacore pranksters, Big D and The Kids Table have finished recording “How It Goes” with producer Jim Siegel (Mighty Mighty Bosstones) and will be released some time in 2004 (label to be announced). Big D have just released a CD of Big D covers in the Gangster Rap style called “Porch Life”. Yes. In Gangster Rap style. The album is chock full of (bizarre) free style rap and prank phone calls and is definitely worth a listen. Available in the USA through Fork In Hand Records.
The tour dates are as follows:
Toasters NA Tour Dates
January 2, 2004 - Winston's - San Diego, CA
January 3, 2004 - The Anaheim - Orange County, CA
January 5, 2004 - Blake's on Telegraph - Berkeley, CA
January 6, 2004 - Red Devil Lounge - San Francisco, CA
January 7, 2004 - Wow Hall - Eugene, OR
January 8, 2004 - Meow Meow - Portland, OR
January 9, 2004 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
January 10, 2004 - Central Bar & Grill - Victoria, BC
January 11, 2004 - Wise Hall - Vancouver, BC
January 13, 2004 - Pi - Boise, ID
January 14, 2004 - Albee Square - Salt Lake City, UT
SKA BRAWL (Toasters Vs. Big D and The Kids Table)
January 16, 2004 - The Old Brickhouse - Phoenix, AZ
January 17, 2004 - Club 101 - El Paso, TX
January 20, 2004 - Summit - Durango, CO
January 21, 2004 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
January 22, 2004 - Barkleys - Frisco, CO
January 23, 2004 - The Starlight - Ft. Collins, CO
January 24, 2004 - 32 Bleu - Colorado Springs, CO
January 27, 2004 - Galaxy Club - Dallas, TX
January 28, 2004 - Flamingo Cantina - Austin, TX
January 29, 2004 - Sin 13 - San Antonio, TX
January 30, 2004 - Fitzgerald's - Houston, TX
February 3, 2004 - Green Room - Oklahoma City, OK
February 4, 2004 - Sticky Fingerz - Little Rock, AR
February 6, 2004 - The Music Cafe - Columbia, MD
February 7, 2004 - Creepy Crawl - St. Louis, MO
February 8, 2004 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
February 9, 2004 - The Reverb - Cedar Falls, IA
February 10, 2004 - The Dame - Lexington, KY
February 12, 2004 - Lafayette Brewing Company - Lafayette, IN
February 13, 2004 - The Odeon - Cleveland, OH
February 14, 2004 - Cafe Metropolis - Wilkes-Barre, PA
More info can be found at http://www.skabrawl.com
Remembering Never MP3 - An MP3 from the long-awaited and still upcoming CD by Remembering Never is posted here - www.ferretstyle.com/artist.php?aid=7 The song is called "From My Cold Dead Hands" and is definitely heavier and more pissed off sounding than their previous efforts.
Until The End Working On Album - Until The End will be entering world-famous Studio 13 with world-famous Jeremy Staska (Poison the Well, Marilyn Manson,etc.) to record their upcoming as-of-yet untitled full length CD for Eulogy Recordings. The recording will take place in January, and the record should hit stores in March/April.
Stiffler Strikes Again - After taking a month off to write some songs for their debut full length, Stiffler has booked some shows around their area. One show is December 19, at Adelphi Unitversity in Garden City, LI with Waking Aroara, and The Victory. The other is at Hamilton Street Cafe, in NJ December 26 with Southcott and The Forever Endever. For more info visit www.stifflermusic.tk.
Punchline Heading South - Punchline is heading to Florida this week and next, and they're bringing Bayside and My Hotel Year with them. Check out the dates at punchkids.com and come to one of the shows to get a free cd sampler with two new Punchline songs on it. www.punchkids.com www.fueledbyramen.com
Fall Out BoyOn Vinyl - Fall Out Boy just wrapped up the Less Than Jake tour, but will be out on the road through the end of the year. The vinyl version of "Take This To Your Grave" is available now in the FBR webstore ( www.fueldbyramen.com ) Be sure to check out www.falloutboyrock.com for info on how to win an invitation to FOB's New Year's Eve party.
Russ from Salt Lake City in Car Accident - On Sunday night, Russ Hubley, a long time friend of this site, Fastmusic, and a huge supporter of hundreds of bands, was involved in a hit and run car accident near his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. The other driver fled the scene after sending his car into a guardrail on the freeway. He is currently in the hospital with broken ribs and torn lungs. His condition is not life threatening, although a machine is helping him breath.
Russ is constantly helping bands and labels get started. He has been quite influential in building a more postive scene all over the country. If you know Russ, have heard of him, or would like to show your support, you can email him at rbhubley@yahoo.com Get well soon bro.
Tokyo Rose Tour - Junction 18 will be starting off 2004 by hitting the road with Tokyo Rose and Still Life Project. This will be one tour not to be missed. Select tour dates below:
1.16.04 - Taunton, MA @ Allabout Records
1.17.04 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
1.18.04 - Port Jervis, NY @ The Vault
1.19.04 - Charleroi, PA @ VFW
1.20.04 - Montclair, NJ @ Bloomfield Ave Cafe
1.21.04 - Greensboro, NC @ Aces Basement
1.22.04 - Marietta, GA @ Swayzes
1.23.04 - Melbourne, FL @ Jaycees
1.24.04 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Spankys
more at www.fearlessrecords.com.
Listen To No Motiv - The first 150 to pre-order the new No Motiv album Daylight Breaking will receive their CD booklet autographed by the band. All you need to do to pre-order is go here. You can listen to the single "Into The Darkess"" which is the featured song of the 2004 Winter X-Games in Aspen, CO. www.vagrant.com.
Taking Back Sunday & The Starting Line Video Interviews - Cave In The Starting Line and Taking Back Sunday have awesome video interviews up on PETA's website right now. The link is www.peta2.com and if you have any questions/suggestions/comments please let them know. You can email Debbie Wells at DebbieW@peta.org. You can also browse the website if you have a few minutes to check out stuff PETA has done in the past with artists like Thursday Deftones and Midtown plus athletes like Ed Templeton. Thanks and take care. Pulin Modi Education Department Assistant People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 757-622-7382 Ext. 1674 www.peta2.com
Tooth & Nail 10th Anniversary Box Set - This month Tooth & Nail Records is celebrating their 10 year anniversary by bringing you the Tooth & Nail 10th Anniversary Box Set. The set includes 6 CD's over 125 songs and a 36-page full color booklet - with songs from MxPx Further Seems Forever The Juliana Theory Mae Kutless, and others. This is a limited edition item, so don't miss it. Available in stores or at Tooth & Nail Mail-Order at www.toothandnail.com-mailorder.com.
S.O.J.H Rocks the Key Club - Having almost won the Earnie Ball battle of the bands Warped 2003 contest they came in 2nd Straight Outta Junior High won the chance to play to a huge crowd at the Key Club in Los Angeles CA tonight. Earnie Ball flew them out there and while I couldn't see the show rumor has it that people started getting spontanious nosebleeds during their set. They played with Allister and a bunch of other "bigger" bands. For more on SOJH and their upcoming Mindset/Fastmusic release Kiss Of Deaf, check out www.sojh.com , www.fastmusic.com and www.mindsetrecords.com.
Spotlight Syndicate Last Show, Video - Substandard Records' own The Spotlight Syndicate have a new live video up for the song "It's Not In Me" on their website, www.thespotlightsyndicate.com . Also be sure to check out the band's last shows before Carolyn (keyboards) goes to Spain for a few months to study abroad. The band will be back next summer to do a full US tour. While Carolyn is away Jeff will be focusing on recording the debut record with Disconnect, which also features Josh from This Computer Kills with. More at www.thespotlightsyndicate.com.
Stiffler Jumping the Train - Stiffler is playing with Drive Thru records own Steel Train on January 18, 2004. The show will be held at The Continental (3ave. St.Marks place NYC) and there will be more bands to be anounced. Doors will open at 3pm and tickets are $10. For more info visit www.stifflermusic.tk or www.excessdb.com.
Well that’s going to wrap up another week for Duane’s Pit Stop. And I do wish every one the best. I will talk to you next week.
Be good.
