Thursday, January 29, 2004 I'm off to see The Unicorns rock tonight in the unitarian church basement in Philadelphia. Here's a little letter/update from Josh Tillman of Saxon Shore: hello friends saxon shore is taking a hiatus for the time-being as different members record other projects (matt and josh), move (zach), and take up full-time employment (stone). the plan is to reconviene in the fall/winter to record a new full-length and subsequently tour. we're very grateful for all the kind press "four months of darkness" is getting and we're excited to record what we believe to be far and away our best material to date. thanks for standing by us and we look forward to seeing everybody when we get back on the road. take care jt Saxon Shore's Four Months of Darkness was #2 in Buzz Online's top 10 for 2003. By the way, Johnathon Ford (Unwed Sailor) is now the official bass player for Decahedron. There is an mp3 and video from the forthcoming release due in April on Lovitt Records. Dates for their tour are: 01/31/04 - Washington, DC @ The Warehouse Next Door w/ Moments in Grace 02/01/04 - Harrisonburg, VA @ Pete's House (575 E Market Street) w/Moments in Grace 02/04/04 - Carrboro, NC @ Go w/ Engine Down, Statistics w/ Moments in Grace 02/05/04 - Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern w/ Engine Down, Moments in Grace 02/06/04 - St. Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven w/ Engine Down, Statistics, Moments in Grace 02/07/04 - Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds w/ Engine Down, Statistics, Moments in Grace 02/08/04 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum w/ Engine Down, Statistics, Moments in Grace 02/09/04 - Orlando, FL @ The Social w/ Engine Down, Statistics, Moments in Grace 02/10/04 - Pensacola, FL @ End of the Line Cafe(610 Wright Street) w/ Moments in Grace 02/11/04 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon w/ Engine Down, Statistics w/Moments in Grace 02/12/04 - Houston, TX @ Mary Jane's Fat Cat w/ Engine Down, Statistics w/ Moments in Grace 02/13/04 - Fort Worth, TX @ Ridglea Lounge w/ Engine Down, Statistics w/ Moments in Grace 02/14/04 - Austin, TX @ Emo's w/ Engine Down, Statistics w/ Moments in Grace 02/15/04 - Fayetteville, AR @ JR's w/ Snailhuntr w/ Moments in Grace 02/16/04 - Lawrence KS @ The Bottleneck w/ Moments in Grace 02/17/04 - Des Moines IA @ The Vaudeville Mews w/ Moments in Grace 02/18/04 - Chicago, IL @ The Fireside Bowl w/ Moments In Grace 02/19/04 - Akron, OH @ The Lime Spider w/ Moments in Grace 02/20/04 - Wilkes-Barre, PA @ 94 South Main Street (next to Topper's and Top of the Slope) w/Deep Six 02/21/04 - Brooklyn, NY @ North Six w/ Deep Six 02/22/04 - Newark, DE @ College Show or House Show w/ Deep Six 02/24/04 - Washington D.C. @ The Black Cat w/ The Aquarium 04/02-03/04 - Harrisonburg, VA @ Macrock Festival :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 06:52 PM CST Tuesday, January 27, 2004 For all of you lovers out there who need a place to go on Valentine's Day, for those whose lovers are far away, or for those with no lovers at all, come to a special show in Philadelphia this Valentine's Day at The Khyber: 2-6pm with Adam Arcuragi, Gerhardt Koerner, Joey Sweeney, and Denison Witmer. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 02:42 PM CST Sunday, January 25, 2004 I just don't know where to start with everything. I just got back from Europe a few hours ago and it feels like it's been a lot longer than just a week I've been away. First, The Trouble with Sweeney : I Know You Destroy was #1 in another year end top 10 list, this time from the Tuscon Weekly. TTWS will be recording a new ep shortly, featuring the following five songs: The Amazing Malcolm Smith and His Off-Roading Motorcycle (A Girl Called) Young Song Evelyn Rochman The City Let Me I Hope Your Sleep Is Dreamless and enhanced video clips for "Karen" and "Surrey Is A Word I Hardly Ever Use" off I Know You Destroy. No word on the official release date and name of the ep. Denison Witmer's Philadelphia Songs will be released in Europe this spring through Sweden's Bad Taste Records. The deals have all been set and the actual release date and details will be made known shortly. This means that it will be easier to find Denison's album in Europe and that he should be making a jaunt or two or three over to softly rock your socks off. Johnathon Ford from Unwed Sailor has hit the road with Decahedron, a new band with Jason and Shelby from Frodus. The Decahedron full-length will be out on Lovitt in April and the touring starts 31 January in DC. There are plans for Unwed Sailor dates in the US later in the Spring. I don't believe that I have announced this before, but Burnt Toast Vinyl and Washington, Inc. (Denmark) will be releasing a live performance of Mount Eerie (formerly The Microphones) which my dear friend Mikael recorded last year. It will be a 3xLP box with 5 sides of audio and a sixth side etching. It will be a member of the one-sided LP series and out sometime this spring. The audio has been sent for plates. This is slightly ambitious, but the show is incredible. Afterwards, Mikael and Phil went off to Mikael's house to record the new song "The Boom". Thanks to everyone in Amsterdam for entertaining me: Lucas, Diana, Micke, Sarah, Lodewijk, Dorien, Bas, Rik, Aleke, Joel, Minco, Stephan, Erik, and everyone else. I will never think of Heavy Metal Parking Lot quite the same way or any obscure Southern California punk rock bands from 1990 whose lyrics Lucas and I shouted out loud and clear late last night. Happy birthday to both Lucas and Diana, too. Props to the fine folks at the Prael brewery for the special tour, you are loved. New releases from Rowing on the Lakes of Kanada, At the Close of Every Day, and Sixteen Horsepower (the Olden vinyl) will be added to the btv shortly, thanks to Erik, Minco, and Jos for some trades. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 07:42 PM CST Thursday, January 15, 2004 I was in DC this weekend with Randall from the masterful Jetenderpaul, trying to eek out details about new recordings. There is one complete song and a few more in progress. He's also working on a 7" for Milk and Honey Records in Norway for his side project band The Shaker Manifesto. While waiting for Randall to hob nob with bow-tied historians, I visited the International Spy Museum which was a little too expensive and super crowded, but there were some nice exhibits. It kept me out of the cold. We did manage to work in some record shopping at a couple of stores. Arrangements are getting more and more final for Mara Miller to record her Bosque Brown album with Eric Fisher, Damien Jurado, and friends in Seattle. It's looking more like a release for this Autumn. The Trouble with Sweeney are readying songs for a Spring single release that will be a preview for their Autumn full-length. Denison Witmer is talking recording time again, too, but no firm details yet. I'm off to Italy for a week on Friday night with a weekend stop in each direction in Amsterdam. Maybe I can escape the bitter cold that's just swept in here. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 09:56 AM CST Friday, January 9, 2004 The Trouble with Sweeney : I Know You Destroy! has made it onto a couple of Amplifier magazine music critics' top 10 lists, a writer from the Philadelphia Weekly's top 10, and in top local albums for the Philadelphia City Paper. More support for the theory that this is one amazing record. I'm off to DC tonight to visit Randall from Jetenderpaul. We will be partying down. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 01:32 PM CST Wednesday, January 7, 2004 I got back from meeting with Joey and Adam, the new manager for The Trouble with Sweeney, to usher in 2004 as The Year of the Sweeney. Plans for a new springtime single/cdep and an autumn full-length were discussed. More details as everything comes together. Is anyone else out there as sick of hearing about Pete Rose as I am? Keep that stinking crook out of baseball. I'm off to Amsterdam and Italy for a short trip in about a week and a half. See you all over there soon. My parents had to put their cat Sam to sleep. Rest in peace big guy. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 12:02 AM CST Monday, January 5, 2004 My cousin Deanna and her husband Norman won the Powerball lottery last week with someone from Pennsylvania. They have the difficult task of choosing between a $60 million lump sum or $110 million over time. I know a nice, up and coming record label that could use a benevolent investor... The Madison, WI Isthmus listed The Trouble with Sweeney's I Know You Destroy as one of the best 5 albums in 2003. I Know You Destroy is #5 of the year's top 10 for Rolling Stone music critic Christina Saraceno. Chandler from WICR in Indianapolis named Unwed Sailor's The Marionette and The Music Box as his favorite album in 2003. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 10:03 AM CST [ Archives ]