Chomsky will unveil Onward Quirky Soldiers, its follow-up to 1999's A Few Possible Selections for the Soundtrack of Your Life, on August 18, with a shindig at Trees that will also include performances by The Deathray Davies and Legendary Crystal Chandelier. But if you want an advance listen to one of the songs from the forthcoming disc, head to Good Records and pick up a copy of the three-song single the band pressed up in time for release at The Adventure Club's seventh-anniversary party (also at Trees) on July 14. The single is limited to 1,000 copies and features "00:15:00 to Rock" (from Quirky Soldiers) as well as "Utopia" and "Overtures," two songs that usually only show up in the group's occasional acoustic sets at Borders. If you missed the group at The Adventure Club par-tay, you can catch it at The Wreck Room in Fort Worth with Deathray and Austin's fantastic Household Names. Skip a couple of beers and pick up the band's excellent debut, last year's The Trouble With Being Nice. It's worth the sobriety. Probably. Wait--yes, it is...
Eleven Hundred Springs has another album ready, the band's fourth in more than two years, following 1999's Welcome to Eleven Hundred Springs and Live at Adair's and last year's No Stranger to the Blues. The all-acoustic disc, titled A Straighter Line, was recorded at guitarist Chris Claridy's South of Brown Studios in Waxahachie and debuts the band's latest (and probably best) lineup, as pedal steel guitarist Aaron Wynne joins Claridy, singer-guitarist Matt Hillyer, drummer Bruce Alford and bassist Steve Berg. The group will celebrate the disc's release with two shows at All Good Café on August 25. Pay for both sets, because the band doesn't play acoustic often, and you're probably not doing anything else that night anyway. No, really, you aren't...
Centro-matic will officially release its sixth album (and third for Idol Records), Distance & Clime, on August 14, and you can pick up a copy of the disc when the group performs at Good Records on August 25, while enjoying free beer and barbecue. In a surprise break from form, Centro-matic has delayed the release of Distance & Clime--again produced by drummer Matt Pence--letting fans catch their collective breath after South San Gabriel Songs/Music late last year. Centro-matic is also readying a second installment for Quality Park Records of The Static vs. The Strings, which collects the band's odds and/or ends, so the two-a-year pace will likely continue until they run out of plastic to put the songs on, or something like that...
Slowride has finished recording its first effort for Deep Elm Records, which should be out later this year, possibly in October. The band recorded in Lawrence, Kansas, with Ed Rose, who's worked with The Get Up Kids, among others. While you're waiting, a new song, "Rockets and Jets," appears on Deep Elm's latest label sampler, available from the Deep Elm Web site (www.deepelm.com) for $3. You've got $3. In other forthcoming release news, Austin's Has Anyone Ever Told You? Records is set to issue a 7-inch single by The Deathray Davies later this summer or early in the fall. No idea what songs will appear on the single, but you can bet it's just the start of a busy release schedule from the band over the next year or so. In other vinyl news, Quality Park Records will release the vinyl version of the pAper chAse's new cntl-alt-del-u EP on July 24, barring any last-minute glitches. (Chicago's Divot Records recently put out the CD version.) Quality Park's next official release is the second album from Little Grizzly, I'd Be Lying If I Said I Wasn't Scared, which should come out September 25 if all goes as planned. You can also look for a record from Denton's Blacksmiths on the label, though it's far too early to start scheduling release dates for that project. While you're waiting, you can check out Blacksmiths at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios on July 26. If this helps you make a decision, the band's drummer is named The Lord Hot Shit. Apparently. The Lord Hot Shit? Sometimes, they don't even make you try...
Last Beat Records' latest release is the self-titled debut by Cramer, the recording guise of 19-year-old Brent Cramer. You may remember him from such bands as Underage, The Punch-Outs or The Donut Game, or maybe you won't. Either way, Cramer plays guitar, bass, piano and violin on the disc (out as of July 17) in addition to singing, letting Vibrolux's Trey Pendergrass, Pinkston's Ben Burt and The Deathray Davies' John Dufilho handle the drums. Currently on summer break from Columbia University (where he's majoring in music and history), Cramer plans to gig--solo and with a backing band--until he has to go back to New York and college. Beats what we did during our breaks from college, but then again, it's not hard to top getting loaded. Next up for Last Beat is Chao's Hits the Miss, the debut solo project by Captain Audio singer-guitarist Regina Chellew, in September, and Pinkston's first full-length in November...
Stay inside; it's air-conditioned: The Old 97's, Slobberbone and [DARYL] are at Trees on July 20, followed by Baboon (celebrating 10 years together) the next night with All-American Rejects, Legendary Crystal Chandelier and Heaven is a Hotel; Jones, Astrogin and Vibrolux play the Gypsy Tea Room's tea room on July 20, while Doosu, Shiner and Red Animal War are in Gypsy's ballroom the same night; Yeti performs July 21 at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.