Apparently, Lift to Experience's debut album, The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads, has sold out of its inaugural 5,000-copy pressing in the U.K. (where its label, Bella Union, is based) and Europe. Still no word on a domestic distributor for the disc, and we hope no one is scared off by Crossroads', uh, interesting artwork, a take on the ubiquitous album covers produced by Houston-based graphics group Pen & Pixel. (Just pick up any Master P or No Limit Records release, and you'll know what we're talking about.) Let's just say the Lift to Experience cover was an amusing idea gone awry, not unlike communism or the Bush presidency. At any rate, we'd be surprised if Crossroads isn't licensed for proper U.S. distribution by some American record label before the year is over, though we are merely speculating. In the meantime, Lift to Experience should be heading back to Europe later this summer to hit the festival circuit and for a potential stop in Paris to play with New Order and Outkast. Which is a lineup that couldn't be any more random if the names had been picked out of LTE singer-guitarist Josh Pearson's beat-up cowboy hat...
Expect a new Earl Harvin Trio record very soon on Two Ohm Hop, the former Denton label now based in Austin. The disc--produced by the threesome and Two Ohm Hop co-owner David Willingham--is the band's first for Two Ohm Hop, following the 2000 demise of Leaning House Records, the label that released the group's three previous efforts, including 1999's Live at the Gypsy Tea Room. Of course, the always-busy members of the band have more than just a new album on the itinerary for this summer. Among other things, the Trio's piano man, Dave Palmer, will play a string of dates in Japan later this summer--backed by a few members of Sub Oslo--thanks to a friendly booking contact who is a big fan of Palmer's work. (And why shouldn't he be?) Meanwhile, Harvin and his drums are scheduled to head into the studio with The The in the near future, continuing the relationship he began with Matt Johnson (The The Man behind The The) on last year's NakedSelf. Make up your own half-assed one-liner to finish off this paragraph...
Lewis has signed to Deep Elm Records, bringing the total of Dallas bands on the North Carolina-based label's roster to three, counting Red Animal War and Slowride. Looks as though Deep Elm is in direct competition with Washington, D.C.'s Beatville Records--which released the pAper chAse's Young Bodies Heal Quickly, You Know and is set to put out records by [DARYL] and Lucy Loves Schroeder in the next few months--to see who can sign the most area acts. Not that we're complaining, you understand: We've always followed a strict the-more-attention-the-better policy. Don't look for the results of Lewis' new deal just yet though, as the group has yet to record its debut full-length for the label, and the tentative plan is to have it in stores next spring. If you can't wait for local product bearing the Deep Elm imprint, however, a split single featuring Red Animal War and Slowride should be out in a couple of months or so, if that's vague enough for you. If it's not, just replace "couple of months or so" with "eventually." Lewis will play at the Curtain Club on July 27 with Pale and Macavity...
Chaz Knight, now former host of The Local Show on KEGL-FM (97.1), quit his post at the station at the end of his June 24 show, signing off by telling listeners that they could hear him next week on KYNG-FM (105.3)--you know, "The Talk That Rocks"...sort of. As one DJ put it, Knight will no longer be difficult to recognize, after pulling that stunt. "You should be able to see that guy coming from a mile away," he says. Why? Because of the size of his balls. In other news involving KEGL-FM, former nighttime hosts Kramer and Twitch are both a) still fired and b) talent-free morons...
One correction from last week: The shindig happening in Roanoke is not, in fact, called Massive Festival. Seems we performed an internal spell-check on the name; it's really known as MASSIV Festival. Head to www.massivfestival.com for more details...
Editor's note: If you're wondering why this week's column appears courtesy of Pinkston instead of that jackass Zac Crain, allow us to fill you in. Apparently--and completely unbeknownst to him, as it turns out--Crain has been giving the band a little help for a while now, composing its periodic newsletters and e-mailing them to Pinkston fans via his personal e-mail address, [email protected]. The group wanted to return the favor and give him a little time off, so it offered to write this week's edition of Scene, Heard. (Which has about the same degree of difficulty as breathing, from what we can tell.) If you're a fan of Pinkston, drop Zac a line at the Yahoo! address and give him a solid "attaboy," or something along those lines, for pitching in and helping out when he can. (Of course, if you actually want to reach Zac Crain, it's probably best not to use that address, since it doesn't actually belong to him, and was instead surreptitiously started, more than likely, by a member of Pinkston or one of their many, many friends. Feel free to become "Zac Crain" yourself; we're sure [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] is not taken, but you better hurry. We'd be remiss, however, if we didn't mention that if you've ever seen the guy, you wouldn't want to pretend to be him. Even on the Internet.)
