Birthday Suits to Release Split Single With The Marked Men

As Valentine's Day approaches, the music community at large is getting some special releases pertaining to the holiday. Nationally, Ryan Adams is set to release a EP with all of his best love songs. In terms of Minneapolis artists, Birthday Suits and The Marked Men are about to give listeners something special as well. The groups are releasing a seven-inch, one which will consist of two songs from each band: One original, and one where each covers the other's material (in other words, Birthday Suits have one original song, then cover a song by The Marked Men, and vice versa).

Read more about the single, including the historical precedent for these band's getting together, here. To get your hands on it, go to The Birthday Suits show this Friday @ the Entry.

Birthday Suits MySpace Page
The Marked Men MySpace Page

Gospel Gossip Unveil Cover of New Single

Should you opt to attend the Jan. 22nd show at the 7th Street Entry with a whole host of raw MPLS talent, then you'll be able to get your paws on "Nashville," the new single from newgazers Gospel Gossip. The band unveiled the news on their MySpace blog. They also said that they'll be posting the song on MySpace on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. So I know what I'm staying up late for.

Gospel Gossip MySpace Page

Jay Reatard Covers Deerhunter, Tours

Download: Jay Reatard - "Always Wanting More" (via Pitchfork)
Download: Deerhunter - "Wash Off"


Contrary to popular belief, (belief that, to be fair, was probably inspired by this man's moniker), psychotic garage blues-man Jay Reatard is, in fact, a pretty smart guy. Or, at the very least, smart enough to be a great songwriter. The fact that his recently released singles compilation is getting rave reviews should serve as some kind of testament to his garage-rock prowess. Not only that, but the series of singles xthat Jay has been putting out this year on Matador Records demonstrates that Reatard is upholding the greatest garage-rock tendency to put out an insane amount of music in very little time.

For his fourth (out of a scheduled six) single for the veritable indie institution, Reatard is putting out a split 7" with Atlanta neo-shoegazers Deerhunter. On side A, Reatard will cover Deerhunter's "Flourescent Grey"; on Side B, Deerhunter returns the favor by playing Reatard's "Oh, It's Such a Shame". The single will be available for purchase one week from today, on July 14th. One day before that is when Reatard kicks off his tour. Dates are below:

Sun 7/13/08 Sonar Baltimore MD
Mon 7/14/08 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia PA
Tue 7/15/08 Prospect Park Brooklyn NY w/Spoon
Wed 7/17/08 Lupo’s Providence RI w/Spoon
Sat 7/19/08 Pitchfork Festival Chicago IL
Mon 7/21/08 Triple Rock Minneapolis MN w/Cheap Time
Tue 7/22/08 The Aquarium Fargo ND w/Cheap Time
Fri 7/25/08 Capitol Hill block Party Seattle WA w/Cheap Time
Sat 7/26/08 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver BC w/Les Savy Fav
Sun 7/27/08 Doug Fir Lounge Portland OR w/Cheap Time
Tue 7/29/08 Independent San Francisco CA w/Cheap Time
Wed 7/30/08 Echo Los Angeles CA w/Cheap Time
Thu 7/31/08 Casbah San Diego CA w/Cheap Time
Fri 8/1/08 Hollywood Alley Mesa AZ w/Cheap Time
Sun 8/3/08 Red 7 Austin TX w/Cheap Time
Mon 8/4/08 Club Dada Dallas TX w/Cheap Time

In Deerhunter/Atlas Sound news, Bradford Cox, the man behind both groups, recently remixed London-based group The Chap's "They Have A Name". Listen to the original and the remix below:

Download: The Chap - "They Have A Name" (Atlas Sound Remix)
Download: The Chap - "They Have A Name"

Jay Reatard MySpace Page
Deerhunter MySpace Page
The Chap MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

The Hold Steady Are "Sequestered In Memphis" - But Not For So Long That They Can't Go On Tour

(Pic via Switchblade Comb)

Download: The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"

We already know the track-listing, title, and release date for the fourth long player from Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis indie-nostalgists The Hold Steady - but what about the first single? Will it allow us to Stay Positive about the Craig Finn-led group's irresistible winning streak of a recording career? We'll have to wait until July 15th until we truly know for sure, as that's when the album drops. But, on May 20th, which is in a few short days, we'll be able to hear the first single from Stay Positive. The song is called "Sequestered In Memphis", and it will be available on iTunes on the date mentioned in the previous sentence. No word on whether the label or the band will release that MP3 as a promo, but if we do, we'll let you know.

Being "Sequestered in Memphis" may or may not sound like your cup of tea vis-a-vis shootin' the shit and having good times, but certainly, a Hold Steady tour will float your boat. The band announce a full-length jaunt which begins in late June and goes all the way through August, with stops in Chicago for the P4K festival, amongst other summer fests. Check out the dates below.

6.08 - Chula Vista, CA - 94/9 Independence Jam
06.27 - Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live!
06.28 - Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier - School of Rock Festival
06.29 - Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Pool
07.17 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
07.18 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
07.19 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival
07.21 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
07.22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
07.23 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre
07.26 - Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
07.27 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
07.29 - San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
07.30 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
08.02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
08.03 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
08.05 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
08.06 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
08.08 - Oxford, MS - Proud Larry’s
08.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt
08.10 - Charleston, SC - The Pourhouse
08.12 - Carrborro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
08.13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva

Tickets for the MPLS show go on sale at 10 AM Today. Click here for tix.

The Hold Steady MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)