Well, you’re in luck. You can have them all. ALL OF THEM. PLAYING SEPARATELY….AND THEN TOGETHER. AT ONE SHOW.

JASON, BOB AND LOU, are coming to the eastern side of North America with a triple whammy tour of awesome.

You’ll get the following combination: Jason and Bob will  perform as the heavy duty Circle of Buzzards, then there will be Mr. Lou Barlow solo, THEN, as if this wasn’t enough, you’ll get 30+ songs of Sebadoh goodness including JASON, BOB AND LOU.

Says Sebadeth’s Jason Loewenstein of the August tour: “I cannot wait to prove that Sebadoh collectively is the hardest-working band in 21st-century show business”.

You lucky bastards, eastern North America. The West Coast currently hates on you, but whatever, go and enjoy and buy lots of tickets and t-shirts and rock out and swoon and take videos (’specially of any new songs) so the rest of us can live vicariously through you.

Here are the dates:

August 7 – Philadelphia, Union Transfer

August 8 – Boston, Middle East

August 9 – Northampton, Pearl St.

August 10 – Washington, DC, Black Cat

August 11 – Carrboro, NC, Cats Cradle

August 12 – Atlanta, GA,  The Earl

August 14 – Nashville, TN, Mercy Lounge

August 15 – St Louis, MO, Off Broadway

August 16 – Chicago, IL, Schubas

August 17 – Cleveland, OH, Grog Shop

August 18 – Hamilton, ON, Casbah

August 20 – Toronto, ON, Horseshoe Tavern

August 21 – Montreal, QUE, La Sala Rossa

August 22 – New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom

AND IN NEW SEBADOH ALBUM NEWS, Jason and Bob fly out again to Silverlake, CA on May 23 to join up with Lou, who’s been spending the last few weeks fastidiously working on and refining his songs and lyrics from the first batch of recording in March.  They’ll reconvene to continue work on all of the songs recorded in the first go-round, and maybe throw in a few new ones.

With a Dinosaur Jr album out in the autumn, we might not get to hear a full new Sebadoh album until early 2013, but just you wait. The other scoop  is that the band is planning to put out an EP ahead of the tour, with songs that won’t be on the long-player. We’ll let you know more as it takes shape and all the who/what/wheres.

Hold on to your hair. \m/

Musician, video-maker and band friend Adam Harding was there to shoot it, Lou handwrote the titles, and voila, here’s a video from this special performance…freshly uploaded at Lou’s house LAST NIGHT.

Here’s eight tracks from the most excellent Weed Forestin’ album, which Pitchfork recently anointed with an 8.2 rating. Weed Forestin’, it must be said, really is a special album. Go buy it. Watch the majesty here:

In other, ridiculously exciting news for indie rock fans the universe over, Sebadoh have been recording their first new music in 14 years. [Insert Kermit-like arm-waving yelling here.]

Lou, Jason Loewenstein and drummer Bob D’Amico converged last week at Lou’s rehearsal space in Glendale and house in Silverlake, and began to hash out the basics of eleven songs, at Warp Factor Woah This is Going Awesomely Speed.

I’ve been talking to the band throughout the week and without giving anything away, can say that there’s an enormity of exciting things coming down the pipeline. Not the least of which is new Sebadoh music – something I think a lot of us weren’t sure we’d ever see happen again.

On Friday, Lou described the time as one of the most creatively fulfilling weeks in his life. He’s excited about the songs, excited about how well the collaborating has been going. “I can’t tell you how great this week has been,” he wrote. “Actually, I just did.”

Sebadoh will reconvene  in May following Lou’s solo acoustic tour of Australia, to continue work on the new album. Stay tuned here, as always,  for more details on when/where/how etc.

For those of you not following on Twitter (@RealSeBADoh, @TheLouBarlow, @J_Loewenstein), or at Jakerock.com, herewith a roundup of the recording from Lou and Jason…click on the links to see pics that Jason’s taken along the way.

• Lou: i just realized it’s been 14 , count ‘em, years since sebadoh recorded an album..we start a new one tomorrow..
• Jason: First sebadoh recording session in 13 years begins today! Well.. for me and Bob it does. Me, Bob and the Jakerock Mobile Recording Unit are headed to los angeles to record in lou’s rehearsal spot for the next 10 days… Good times!
• Lou: sebadoh LP day 1:wife and kids airport@4am,set up studio @10, sick bob clinic@1,mudrock’s 4 gear@2 (tnx!), computer
  fucks up@7-no music tday
• Jason: Band Meeting! Discussing a very hands on approach to the release of the recordings now in progress….
• Jason: Day two of tracking / learning lou’s tunes… tech problems first day… now have basics for one song, learning #2…
• Lou: sebadoh new LP day 2 : jake’s presonus fp10 computer recording interface boxes aren’t talking to each other.. help….@ 10 dreaded Guitar Center run t remedy puter prob,@ 1 prob solved!@ 7 my song #1 in place! @8 bob makes delicious dinner
• Lou: sebadoh LP day 3: atwater farmers mkt for papusas,song #2 done by 3, do #1 again-tuned to D#+slower- jason intros #3, epic drop C-done by 6 momentum gained , jason intros #4 @ 6, then across the yard for a Thai New Year feast with @indiegodess
• Jason: Sebadoh recording, day four. We think we have basic tracks for three songs now, and at this pace there should be two more today.  We have benefitted greatly from having toured a bunch last year. Pretty darn efficient, and also we are getting a very “human” vibe. Not going robotic with any aspect. Sounds like much earlier times in the band.
• Lou: sebadoh LP day 4: jake’s #4 is loose math rock but for his soulful vox , Rush is referenced.. my #5 is heavy strumming and pounding toms..#5 finished by 5..then work on my #6..Rush loving bandmates puzzle over -my- odd timing hah! work till 9 then wine
• Jason: Song 5 (lou #3) basics done!
• Jason: Sebadoh day five… good morning rockers! Heading back to the studio… song six was @ 95% when we left last night,  so should get it pretty quick.
• Lou: sebadoh LP day 5: finish my 50’s song #6 jake’s song ‘can’t live without my drugs’ #7 ironic cause this is the first ever sober seb record…#7 killed #8 my flimsiest song idea yet,takes shape in an hour w/ bob and jakes attention-feels miraculous
• Jason: Sebadoh recording session… song #7 basics done! Song #3 from jake
• Lou (to another on Twitter): it’s good that we sober, believe me.. drugs have narrow benefits, best left to the young and healthy who can sustain damage
  
• Lou: sebadoh record day 6:confusing armenian xperience 4 blunch #8 readdressed + done,#9 old jakerock song done , my bass part sucks-fix later
• [BSR note: Lou to me on Twitter: a word for an unofficial brunch @BackstageRider breakfast/lunch BLUNCH!! what people who don't have to get up early eat everyday]
• Jason: Sebadoh recording … day six… backing up song #8! Lou tune. In 6/8!
• Jason: Sebadoh recording… day 7...Left the studio last night with song 10 @90% ready. From today onward Lou’s busy schedule is going to make for some short working hours. I am going to go  find a guru.
• Lou: sebadoh record day 7: hungover from night 6 wineage, retry #10 why are the simplest songs the hardest? gotta get the ‘feel’ right that’s why…we get the feel for #10 at 2 pm ..then we stop so i can practice for my solo show that night at the cemetary
• [BSR note: Jason and Bob go to the comedy/gig... and Jason says he was "proud to know Lou" after seeing him perform solo.]
• Jason: Sebadoh recording: song 10 (jake) in the can. Bob is the man.
• Lou: sebadoh LP day 8: start #11, my only song with a title: ‘let it out’ , it’s quiet, brushes on plastic chair percussion , typical ‘me’ song…jason and bob lock the #11 rhythm/bass down- i shop for easter, wife and kids return today, gotta clean the house.
• Lou: sebadoh LP day 10: we took day 9 off so i could prepare for family arrival , we’re off till session 2 in late may..11 ‘basics’ in the can’

Soon Bob and Jason return to Brooklyn, Lou prepares to fly off to Oz…but next month, oh, next month, Sebadoh starts this new music recording thing all over again. And for that, we’re all thankful. \m/

After a whopping three hours of “sleep” in which MEGABOAT rocks side to side (how is that even possible on a ship this big? Oh Sea, you are a powerful beast and I would bow to you if I didn’t think it would make me puke) and “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT BANGING AT 9AM WHEN WE ONLY GOT TO BED 3 HOURS AGO?”, Cabinmate Terri and I slowly arise and extricate ourselves from Casa Weezer to go hunting for Breakfast Goods. We wander, then I sit in the sun for a bit contemplating whether my liver will ever recover. At about 1pm we head over to the Lido Deck….

Yum! It’s Yuck! Again! This is kinda the gig I wanted to see most because I was having a really hard time fathoming how the spindly Brits (and my new adopted family) would fare in the SUNLIGHT ON A CRUISE SHIP AT ONE PM. But nobody exploded! Turns out Yuck aren’t vampires after all.

I need to say this: Max Bloom is made out of all kindsa shades of wonderful. He rocks way more than that guy in the shorts and pointy cap to the left of him, which goes without saying, but hey. In case there’s any doubt, here’s more on WHY I LOVE YUCK.

Obligatory Mariko Doi is Effortlessly Stylish pic. And you know what else is cool? Embiggen the photo (by making to click on it) and you can see the crowd in her sunglasses. But hers aren’t the only retro shades…

Wow, people still wear Ray Bans? Here’s my new cousin Daniel Blumberg. A cousin, because he’s wearing the Canadian tuxedo of jeans and a jeanshirt. On stage, Daniel announces that it’s sound guy Lewis Lovely’s birthday and that if the audience just turns around to the booth, they’ll see a guy who looks like “Korean Jesus”. And that they should all buy him a drink. And as there are few Korean Jesuses on the boat, Lewis fares well and ends up getting fucking hammered.

But let’s not abandon the retro shades discussion. Here’s Jonny’s awesome wood-framed ones. I remember at some point hearing someone blather to Jonny about how rad his afro is. “It should be,” he said, “I’ve been working on it for 21 years…” But enough about Yuck’s fashion style…”Georgia”, “Get Away” and b-side “Cousin Corona” sound perfect in the sun. If you haven’t heard Yuck, there’s still a stream of their self-titled debut here.

Meanwhile in the peanut gallery, the White Wizard, looking a spot more tanned than white from recent tours to Australia and a few days on t’boat, checks out the young English folk he’s going to have open for him the next day in Miami at Grand Central. Oh J Mascis, you look a bit sweet here. And I also Heart Tony Harrison.

But for soon! It’s time for the Nervous Wreckords!

The NWs were one of the surprise highlights of the Cruise for a lot of people. Freed from the side-kick role in LouisXIV, Brian’s a great lead, and the songs fall in nicely with the onboard party vibe. Plus, every time I looked him, I thought “finally, someone else on the boat IS WEARING ALL BLACK. EVERYDAY. HE MUST BE AS HOT AS I AM!” Also hot in the hot tub, were these two….

Here’s Kel with Day 4’s ridiculous Daily Special: a blow-fish filled with sugary alcohol. Yesterday’s was in a fake coconut, but we gave up on the drinks specials after going into a Diabetic coma from the pink sludge from Day 1. Also, this is Matt, in process of unfurling his rockhands. They’re both chilling out, while rocking behind the Lido Deck stage, in what I liked to call the Spunk Bath.  More about this shortly. BUT SPEAKING OF ROCK….

Here’s Brian Karscig from Nervous Wreckords again, being a rockstar. The BackstageRider approves. Of the music and The Beard. Although I have come to learn recently that Mr. Karscig has, after many years, shaved said Beard off. So rides the amazing dimple chin again! Awaiting proof, though. Stay tuned.

Anyway, back to the Spunk Bath.

I call it that,’cos the jacuzzi at stage right, behind the Lido Deck stage, was the “Party Jacuzzi”. And on Sunday, the crusin’ Weezer fans decided it was also New Year’s Eve. After every song they’d countdown from 10 and scream Happy New Year. This was fun the first of  the 100 times they did this.

But whatevs, we had places to be, and Weezers to see. See, ‘cos Weezer’s “people” slipped a note under our door (technically to the bands and crew, with us being CREW) saying that they’d not had enough time to hang with the bands and did we all want to come to the Criterion Lounge to say howdy and for a group pic? Uh, how about FULL OF YES. So off we went.

Meanwhile, my favourite camera lens (the “Nifty 50″) was starting to lose its will to live. Something about carrying it around drunkenly out of its bag for four days.  So everything from above until “now on” will have a fuzzy glow or be from my phone. Anyway! This was fun. Here’s Weezer’s Rivers and Pat chatting with Dinosaur Jr (that’s Murph in the purple, Sophie Trudeau in the jean vest, and J Mascis sitting down with the hair). Later, Dinosaur Jr poses for a pic with them. Which I find kind of entertaining.

Then I see that Rivers is alone for a split second.MY WINDOW! You snooze you lose, suckers! I approach. Rivers is an oddball, but kinda lovely. We talk about how I’m “with Sebadoh” and he wonders where Lou is. “Soundchecking for tonight’s Palladium show” I say, then gesture towards our booth of totally unimportant non-band people.  ”You should come and hang out with us, I think you knew Ramona from back in the day in Boston.” “Oh yeah,” says Rivers, cheerfully, “Let’s go over there.”

So, Cabinmate Terri, Awesome Ramona, Weezer Rivers and Giant-Headed Mikala  hang out. We talk about a lot of things. “Remind me more about what we did in Boston?” Rivers asks Ramona, and she obliges. He looked relieved to not be paraded around like a show pony and stays at our table for a bit. I told him how Lou had been rocking out during the Pinkerton show the night before and he grins. “Is it true there’s a Barlow Island on the album art for Pinkerton?,” I ask Rivers. “Oh yeah,” he says, smiling. “I hope Lou can really hear how influential he was on the lyrics of that album.” Ramona and I make a mental note to tell Lou this. BECAUSE IT IS A BIT MIND-BLOWING.

Daniel and Max from Yuck also join us at our table and I introduce them to Rivers, because somebody has to. “Oh! I didn’t know you guys weren’t American!” Rivers says to the Brits. We laugh. Daniel tells Rivers about his friends’ band Fanzine and Rivers mentions Male Bonding. “I love those guys!” I chirp. (Later, Max will tell me that meeting the Weezer King was kinda nerve-wracking: “I was all cool on the outside, but I was really freaking out inside.” It’s sweet.)

Then we posed for the group pic:

It’s easy to spot the Yacht Rock Revue guys in blue and white – I’m behind the strawberry blonde girl in the grey dress, about two or three people away from Weezer’s Pat Wilson, on the left side. Throwin’ the horns of course! Also there are Sleeper Agent, Ozma, Daniel, Mariko and Lewis Lovely from Yuck, Dinosaur Jr’s tour manager Dan Mapp, and Tim & Michael from Antlers.

Soon it’s time for Rivers to press on and be Cap’n of the Boat. After all, there’s another group photo to take part in!

We all gather on the Lido for the big Weezer group photo, with everyone throwin’ the W’s. I admire a band that has its own rockhands.

Here’s the finished picture, thanks to Cherrie, Wendy L and Marie for sending on. Still, even if you embiggen, you won’t see me or anyone, really, for that matter. We are all but specks on the sea of life…or something. But enough of that silly sunshine, it’s time to go back into the dark of the Criterion Lounge for the final Antlers show!

Peter and Darby, being rather quite good….

…and Peter and Tim being even more goodlier. I stand off to the side, with Lou, who’s just arrived for his following set. He’s enormously hungover and has shaved his stubble away so that he’s got a sort of mustache because it’s Mustache Night on the boat. Joy. Lou Barlow must never, ever again, wear a mustache.

Lou’s second solo show is also full up. Word has spread and this time, Barlow’s brought his uke. His hangover, a gift from our epic partying the night before, is massive, and he seems a bit raw. The songs are still predictably beautiful. Daniel from Yuck, Ramona and I sit quaffing the bottle of champers I’d brought from Miami. Rivers slips in quietly in the back to watch a bit of the set. NOT beautiful is the girl who drunkenly believes that she’s having a private conversation with her hero on stage, and who smothers him loudly with her love between every song. “You’re not making any friends,” Lou says gently, as her mate literally puts a hand over her mouth.

After the set, a few of us chill at the table while Keepaway set up and go, but Lou’s exhausted, rattled, and goes to hang in his room for a bit, before this….

Battling monumental indifference, sadly overlooked as creatively inferior bands are basically treated like geniuses and receive enormous recording budgets. Buns up to corporate waste mongers, IT’S SEBADOH!

Yeah, it’s Lou’s SEVENTH and last show on the boat (he’ll still play a Miami club date with Dinosaur Jr and Yuck the next night, though) and he sort of grumbles through “Freed Pig”. The show’s fraught with buzzing, technical difficulties but then, as Jason Loewenstein says afterwards, it’s “finally, a proper Sebadoh show….we felt right at home!”. And they press on and and nail it anyway. We all rock out in the front row. That makes it my 12th Sebadoh show in 365 days.

Afterwards, and backstage, we sit around, tired. Lou’s wife Kath calls time and we all hug and say our farewells. Cabinmate Terri, Awesome Ramona and I wander up to what is now party central in the Casino and take one last pic with the gang. It’s been like Summer Camp, actually… minus the broken arm, hair burning and barbecuing of frogs (that’s what my Summer Camp was like.) L-R is Kel, me, Brett, Ramona and Matt and Terri down front.

The Casino feels a bit feral with a last-night sorta desperate vibe. Mariko from Yuck is hanging around looking for the others, and so am I. I wander over to the Criterion to catch the last song of Ozma and instead run into a suitably refreshed Michael Lerner from the Antlers. He’s got two beers and gives me one. Guess I’m not going to bed? So we hang out chatting and drinking in the hallway, and I make a joke about not seeing them enough because I was way too in demand. “Yes, you were certainly popular on the boat,” he says. I LOVE MICHAEL.

But yes, all good things must come to an end. I say more goodbyes, and head back to the room. Cabinmate Terri shows up a half-hour later telling me she was trying to convince Daniel and Max from Yuck to come to ours. We could have all fit on the single bed, no problem.

The next morning, we grab coffees and run into Nervous Wreckords and a hoarse Jonny, Max and Mariko from Yuck. The Sebadudes join us, and we – sans Lou who’s staying with Dino – head down to the shuttle buses.  But before I go, I nab a few of these. I’m saving them for special occasions…

So thanks a lot Weezer! Thanks for inviting the most unlikely of Cruisers, Sebadoh, on the boat, so I could get involved. And thanks for convincing J Mascis (with a nicely fat incentive) to hit the high seas. And thanks for hooking me back up with my boys (and girl) in Yuck, whom I never get to see enough. And thanks for letting me FINALLY see my old friend Brian’s new joint Nervous Wreckords. And thanks for making my ears happy by having the Antlers around. And thanks for letting me get away from a Vancouver snowstorm. And thanks for letting me talk to Rivers about Pinkerton. And thanks for having some really decent fans so I could meet a lot of rad people, and make new friends.

Thanks a lot, Weezer. My liver hates you, but the rest of me thanks you for that truly one-of-a-kind adventure.\m/

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 1

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 2

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 3

Cabinmate Terri’s and my plan to have “24 Hour Room Service” for breakfast fails miserably as it never arrives. We waste precious outdoor hangover time by waiting in our festy box, and finally bail on the room no-service to go in search of buffet. We leave and see the door of our across-the-hall-mates in Room 2296.

These mysterious Post-It notes had started showing up on the door. By the end of the Cruise, there was, like, 10 of them and we’d never see anybody coming or going…  I’m convinced it’s actually deliberate/art, and made coming back to the room entertaining. WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS KIMI BOO BOO FUCK!?

We find foods and I rip apart copious French Toast. After brekkie, Terri and I split up and I go wandering. I find Yuck soundguy Lewis and singer Daniel locked in a tense morning stand off:

Apparently the mustard can only move in an L-shaped position when the Ketchup isn’t blocking it.

We head outside for a bit. It’s still sunny. Perfect weather for TATTOOING PEOPLE WITH BACKSTAGERIDER ROCKHANDS.

This is lush Cabinmate Terri – modelling the finest in BackstageRider Weezer Cruise-themed Temporary Tattoo Wear. I also manage to nail a few of our  brand-new friends (it’s like summer camp, yo!) with them, and a random kid who comes outta the pool. After a bit of what they call “shenanigans”, Terri and I go round the back of the boat for a wander. It’s FLIP CUP TOURNEY TIME with Philly duo The Knocks!

The Knocks’ Ben Ruttner is wearing a Lance Herbstrong shirt. Nice.

And this one’s in a Canuck tee. I couldn’t resist getting a pic of another fellow maple syrup sipper flippin’ her cup, then drinkin’ her beer. After all, we’re experts at beer in Canada, eh. What we’re not experts in, is dealing with the shitty light beers that they seem to be serving everywhere on this boat.

And after a smoke on the aft deck with Jason from Sebadoh, I ramble over to the main stage to find these guys: THE BEE GEES!

Okay, not really. This is Yacht Rock Revue. They turn out to be the surprise awesome of the trip. An all-70s/80s cover band dressed in pressed-polyester and groovy hair. They do all that cruise rock shit (Hall n’ Oates, Men at Work, Jimmy Buffet, the lot) expertly.

But then it’s time to GET CULTURED! Yes! Terri and I are off to be civilized. Our friends in the Nervous Wreckords are hosting an elegant wine tasting event in the dining room. We’re going to learn about wine and sip and slurp and be all grown up, right?

Yeah, maybe for the first, oh…5 minutes. We arrive and there’s a table full of samplers and some good-looking Nervous Wreckords people sitting by them. That’s Brian with the combined hotness that is Lindsay and Cindy. And after the Spanish Maitre ‘D gets all serious about where wine comes from, Brian gets up to give usTHE REAL SPEECH ABOUT WINE. It’s (intentionally) riddled with historical inaccuracies and we all laugh, and this is because he is funny, not because we’re getting drunk.

And by “WE all laugh” I mean: YAY! YUCK HAVE COME TO THE WINE TASTING TOO! Daniel, Max and friend Sam are sitting at the table behind us. This is going to be a blessing and a curse. Our table and theirs starts to embark on a war of giddiness. We start heckling from the back while drinking two ‘orrible types of white, two meh reds and one decent red. The waiters refill our glasses. Repeatedly. OH GODS HERE WE GO. The nice couple from Oxford, England at our table soon ask to get BSR tattoos, and so do these monkeys:

I cannot overstate how much I love Max and Daniel Yuck. Look, there’s guerilla branding for you! ROCKHANDS AND ROCKHAND TATTOOS! And I love them even moreso when – AND I SWEAR I DIDN’T PUT HIM UP TO THIS – Daniel does this….

BACKSTAGE BELLY! So… what time is it? Let me just check. Oh, it’s HOLY CRAP WE’RE DRUNK O’CLOCK. And by the time a random stranger (Donna!) from Scotland makes my day by actually coming up to me and asking me if I’m the BackstageRider, we’re practically feral.  We all sit munted at tables or run around,  and I blather incoherently at the Nervous Wreckords video guy, Russell.

\

Apparently Daniel invited Brian back to his room to hang with all the leftover bottles from the tasting, but then Daniel passed out and Brian left. They both have shows later on…gods help them. And us. We end up spending so much time getting hammered on wine and being goofy that we sadly miss this…

…my boys Bob and Jason from Sebadoh hosted the Cannonball Contest at the aft Lido Deck. I’d wanted to go, naturally, but uh, we totally lost track of time and space….(Thanks to Ramona Clifton for the pic!)

\

Slurring as we talked, and swaying as we walked, we  do bobble our way past Wavves playing in the sunshine. They’re alright, Wavves. For a kind of  boring buzzband. Seem like nice enough chaps, though.

Right! Back inside! If we can find inside! What? Huh? Where are we? Oh yeah, we’re waiting for this to finish in the Criterion Lounge…

It’s ROCK BINGO with some band called Free Energy! They’re from Philly too! They play rock music! BINGO!

(Really, we just wanted good seats for this guy, below…you may have read about him here before. He’s called Lou Barlow and he’s playing SEVEN fookin’ shows on the boat with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr and solo. This was his first of two solo shows. Look at his smiley face and bare feet. D’awwwww.)

Lou plays a remarkable set for a few reasons (and I swear I’m not just saying this as his good mate):

1) It’s awesome to hear Lou singing acoustically, and away from the squonk of his other bands, much as I love their squonk
2) You can hear a pin drop, though the room is packed. The crowd is just that reverential and respectful,  rare and wonderful at gigs
3) He does his aces double cover of Smog’s “A Hit” which segues into his own hit, Folk Implosion’s “Natural One”, as well as “Legendary” from his solo elpee EMOH and a ton more beauties.
4) He gets a standing ovation afterwards, and the next day, the sound guy approaches Lou to heap praise on him. It’s just such a wonderful show.

But during a New Folk Implosion song, “Easy”, the wine and the beauty of the ride, as it were, hits me like a kick to a thickening gut and the beat has gone beaten me up. No-one’s gonna lift me out of this rut. (Okay, okay, I’ll stop quoting Barlow’s “Caterpillar Girl”) I’ve had weird and emotionally rollercoaster-y year, so rather than break down sobbing in the 2nd row of a Lou Barlow show, I decide that going to to the Casino to get more alcohol – a depressant – is a good idea. WOW! WHAT A GOOD IDEA! I return for the rest of Lou’s set, bloody but unbowed.

Which means that by the time the awesome Nervous Wreckords get back on stage in the same room, me and my gig buddies Fiona and Brett are completely fishpaste drunk. But we’re all ready to shake our booties to the NWs, who have shaken off their earlier wine hangover and are bringing the fun rock. Good set, lords und ladies!

Afterwards, I go next door to this little lounge where Sleeper Agent and Yuck are hanging out, and I enter into a rather serious wine-fuelled conversation with dudeman Lee from Sleeper Agent about how, with his knitted cap and beard, he should be in Grandaddy instead. He is impressed by my mention of Grandaddy. I am impressed that someone who is, errr, 20?, knows Grandaddy. Okay, now it’s time for…

Daniel and Max are awake and have slightly sobered up (that’s Jonny, tho, in the ‘fro.) We, on the other hand, have not…

Here’s Brett, me, and Fiona ON THE FLOOR of the Criterion Lounge with Daniel Yuck in the background. (Thanks Donna Nicolson for the pic!) Let me point out that we were all sharing our drinks: Bud Light, umpteenth glass of wine on the stage and see that coffee cup? Fiona managed to smuggle on a full bottle of vodka. Yeah, I was drinking from that too. *barf* Have I suddenly turned 17 again? I might as well have been creating Jungle Juice and skimming off my parents’ liquor cabinet.

But Yuck are wonderful, I know that much. “Tell me when the pain kicks in…” Daniel sings in ” Get Away” and I’m starting wonder if the song’s about what my tomorrow morning is going to be like.

Seems that Nathan from Wavves is also nodding out/along to Yuck. He sits on their stage and expresses the international symbol for “Nice one, lads.” Either that or he’s hitchhiking.

And here’s just a random picture of Yuck’s Mariko, who is so effortlessly stylish and cool. FRINGE DIVISION!  Yay, great set, Yuck. But now we need to lurch and fall into walls! Where to next, Brett and Fiona? Oh! It’s 11pm and Sebadoh are playing on the Lido Deck again? Christ, well, we have to go there, yes?

YES. Slightly amazed I manage to take any pictures in focus, really. The next day Lou tells me I was the drunkest he’s ever seen me. I’m not proud, but that’s some achievement. Drummer Bob says he and Jason were wondering if they should stop for a sec to prop me up….but we’re all in the front row, having a great time, woo!

To demonstrate just how stupid messy I was, herewith a totally unflattering and embarrassing video of me taking a picture of Brett and I in the front row of Sebadoh. ONLY I HAD THE VIDEO ON, NOT THE CAMERA. Oh, Mikala, you’re so fucking cool.

OH DEAR, right?  Here’s even more rockhands, as Brett and I are joined by Perth, Australia’s very own tattooed awesome lady, Kel, proudly sporting her Cap’n’s hat. Fun fact: Kel’s dog is named Squid Vicious.

Aaaand, yeah, that’s probably a good picture to end on (thanks Fiona Love!), because afterwards we  find Cabinmate Terri again, head to the New York Diner for food to line our liquor-addled stomaches and I don’t remember much of that. Except for when the Antlers walked by and I drunkenly bleated at them, while holding my sandwich. Drummer Michael Lerner laughed at me, and Peter Silberman looked scared, I remember that. OY VEY.

Oh and then I go home, drop my pass on the bathroom floor, can’t find my pajamas,  and pass out with my contacts in, wake up half naked at 6am confused about where I am and wanting to kill myself. BUT TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY! And it’s COZUMEL!\m/

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 1

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 3

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 4

Over the next few months,  a dozen+ alt-rock bands get added to the bill, J Mascis miraculously agrees, and soon I’m booking my berth aboard the Bonkers Boat for the inaugural Weezer Cruise.

Setting sail January 19-23 from Miami to Mexico, the theory was that 2500 indie rock fans and 15 bands would hit the high seas, get drunk, listen and play music and generally party. The reality? Yeah, that. So in order to facilitate, I became Julie Cruise Director for Lou and Sebadoh (Sebadoh had three gigs, Lou SEVEN) and kinda “tour” managed the band’s way onto the ship.

I mean, how could I NOT be on the boat? I’m mates/acquaintances with a third of the bands who’d be on board: Dinosaur Jr, London, England’s Yuck, San Diego’s Nervous Wreckords and Brooklyn’s The Antlers, among ‘em. Plus Boom Bip, Wavves, Free Energy, Ozma, The Knocks, Sleeper Agent AND our friend Andy from Wye Oak, who was coming just for fun? Uh, yeah. This was going to be a boat of such indie-rockness, it’d be amazing if it didn’t sink from awesome.

Let’s set sail, shall we?

We begin, the night before, in ghost-town down-town Miami at a cool club called Grand Central, where Sebadoh are playing. There’s a pre-Cruise party upstairs, and we try to go for food but find out from local bands Plains and Jacuzzi Boys that the next best restaurant is too many blocks away (WTF Miami? You are SO weird), so Lou and my cabin-mate Terri and I have to order in sushi from a local joint. It’s dodgy, but none of us puke on stage or off. Win?

“We haven’t played together in three months” Lou says from the stage, “so welcome to our rehearsal.” But it doesn’t sound like that all – shhh don’t tell anyone, but the Sebadudes are tiiiight. Afterwards I snap the above pic of the band with promoter Mario, then we all bundle into a mini van. Gods bless him, Dinosaur Jr’s tour manager extraordinaire Dan has come to collect us and take us back to the hotel.

Cruise Day. I run into Max Bloom from Yuck ambling past the hotel pool, but my number-one priority is basically getting Lou & Co on the boat. Once I get ‘em on board, I can relax and begin the long, arduous task of getting drunk. I feel like a sheepdog in the lobby trying to herd everyone, including wives and gear, on the Artist Shuttle. BUT WE MAKE IT TO THE CARNIVAL DESTINY. Reeee-zult.

But our rooms aren’t ready yet! Boo! Lou grumbles about how the rest of Dino didn’t have to come until later and I make a joke about the Lou Barlow Jealousy Vortex – the one where he disappears into a hole of envy at his own other band. But we’re all pretty stoked anyway and hang out on the Lido Deck, babbling varieties of “HOLY CRAP! I’M ON A BOAT!!!”, “WHAT THE FUCK?”, “JESUS, I’M HOT”, “UGH, THIS RUM-BASED DRINK IS TOTALLY TOO SWEET” and “CAN YOU WATCH MY STUFF?”. I am in charge of watching stuff. That’s Lou’s bass, above. I’ve got my eye on you, Lou’s Bass. Don’t make any sudden moves, ‘cos I’m really preoccupied by the fact that I’M ON A BOAT!

Soon it’s time to find our rooms. En route, we run into the rest of the lovelies in Yuck who drop their gear to hug us. I adopt them, and they adopt me. We’re a funny-looking family.

Marvel at the splendour of our “stateroom” and bask in its cheap hotel room feel! We do. We also marvel at the fact that right up until push-off, there was a dude outside PAINTING our window and that during the cruise, someone seems to enjoy banging  above or below us at 8am on mornings when we got to bed at 6am. But nevermind. This room will see little action except for towel animals, when I wake up half-naked with my contact lenses in, and when I fall backwards off the bed.

At 4pm sharpish, we’re all supposed to meet at a “Muster Station” – an area we’re assigned to go to in the event of an emergency. Bands, including Weezer, line up next to fans, and we cozy up with Andy from Wye Oak. That’s Andy.

We run into Brian Karscig and his band in the production office . Brian used to be in rad band Louis XIV, and is now the chief of equally rad band Nervous Wreckords. Brian and I go way back to a night in Vancouver when we all got drunk on the tour bus (read about that, here on their blog) and I taught him how to use teh Twitters. He now has a band of good-looking people who make good-sounding rock choons. I’m excited to finally see this incarnation – and I do, twice. That’s Brian on deck in his uniform: black, hat, and beard, as we’re all awaiting…

….WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZER! Holy shit I can’t believe they’re doing “Hash Pipe” first! I can go home now. No wait, I can’t..I’M ON A BOAT!

Would you look at that adorable nerdy guitar solo face? Oh, Rivers. I’m sorry if I ever doubted you and told people I was basically going on the Lou Cruise. Weezer, you’re kind of really good.

This is the new thing. Never mind cam-phones. How about an iPAD in your face, Scott?

Yeah, so Rivers dons a captain’s hat and goes for a walk in the grinning crowd. Did his trousers rip or summat? Check out the little girl’s face behind him. But this is a fun moment. I’m wedged dead centre by the sound tent and Rivers basically straddles his way up the pole while singing the hits. (It was the Hits and Blue show – Pinkerton and rareties would come later.)

And what, pray tell, is Rivers gunning for? THAT. THE GIANT BLUE WATERSLIDE. Which he promptly climbs. (Note the drummer: that’s Josh Freese, who is, basically, the best US rock session drummer everrr. He’s stellar and pinch-hitting so Patrick Wilson can play guitar. Freese is so good that even Murph from Dinosaur Jr  tells me he wants to meet him.)

So Rivers gets to the top of the waterslide, the sun is starting to set on his face, and I’m guessing someone asked him if he could touch his tongue to his nose?

And there’s the sunset. Nice! So long, Vice City! See you in a couple of days! Following Weezer’s set, we wander  trying to get our bearings, and eat the buffet. And in no time, it’s time for….

…SeBADoh to confuse all the mainstream Weezer fans and delight all the hardcore fanboys with their raucous melodipunk! (Or indie rock, whatever.)

This is officially one of my fave pictures of Sebadoh’s Jason Loewenstein, aside from this one with his pet pig Emmett. This is also Jason Loewenstein rocking out. He does that. I mean, seriously, have you HEARD the track “Careful” and all the other ones he belts? Gah. LOVE.

Love this pic of Lou, too, even though he’s already complained to me about the double chin. And the crowd’s pretty ace. You gotta hand it to the devotees for showing up to Seb’s first of three shows on t’boat. Is that Max from Yuck watching? And acclaimed music journo Brian J. Bowe (author of books on Judas Priest, the Ramones AND the Clash, writer/editor for Creem and SO MUCH MORE)? And “the Indie Rock Professor” (no, really, she’s an anthropologist who specializes in indie rock) Wendy Fonorow? YUP, all watching. I mean, seriously, when is this much cool going to be on a ship together again?

Oh hai, Bob D’Amico, drummer and Animal (the Muppet) for Sebadoh! I like to describe him as the punk-rock Marlboro Man. He doesn’t smoke, though. He’s too cool.

But soon! It’s time to pry ourselves from the Lido Deck and go find a bucket of beer in the big venue, the Palladium, where there’s comfy seats, waiters and a ploosh front-row vantage point for these guys:

Oh, Antlers. How I love you and your albums Hospice and Burst Apart. Peter’s voice sounds stunning, per usual. I last saw/met The Antlers at Music Fest Northwest in Portland, where me and the gang were imagining what it’d be like on the Cruise, and if Wavves would be the ones who’d be bringing the pot onboard. (Not saying a word, here.)

Darby Antlers is kind of ridiculously handsome (good ‘boardist too, hell, everything about the Antlers is amazing) but…

…drummer Michael Lerner is my buddy. Also handsome. He gives good drum face. Musically? You can’t really fault anything tonight. Because we have a bucket of beer. And Antlers are like 10 feet in front of me.

Shortly after, with only a half-hour in between sets, Mr. Lou Barlow steps offstage on the Lido Deck with Sebadoh and directly onstage at the Palladium with…

….Dinosaur Jr! Not the tightest musically, but I gotta say, this is the most eventful and rocking Dino show I’ve ever been at. Not only is Barlow playing at Warp Factor Bass God (no, really, everyone’s mouths are hanging open and for a guy who’s JUST PLAYED, he’s going INSANE on stage), but J is throwing some minor rock poses AND HIS HAIR GETS IN HIS FACE! That’s when you know he’s really letting loose (see below). Seriously, this was quite awesome. And he’s even chatty! “I’d like to thank Weezer, ‘cos without them I woulda never met the Fonz”, drawls the White Wizard, while Scott and Patrick from Weezer look on.

… But that’s not all! There’s a drunk/stoned couple next to us throwing shapes in the aisles so emphatically they have to be escorted back to their seats five times by the tolerant security guards. Back at their seats, dude puts his hand in his missus’ shirt and pulls her boob out. Fun! Then he falls on his girlf and they both get gently escorted out. At which point, another dude tries to stagedive during “Feel the Pain” into the 2nd row, lands on the back of the (at least padded) bench, and splits open his face. It’s a MONSTER of a show, and actually one of my faves.

But that’s STILL not all! We all pile backstage after, and Lou’s missus, Kath, is screaming: OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODTHEREWASACOUPLEINROWSIXWHOWEREHAVING…….SEX! We think it’s the same couple from before who’d come back, ‘cos apparently he had her bent over the bench, thrusting during “Forget the Swan.” Kath’s traumatized. Note to self: Do not sit in the sixth row for Weezer’s Pinkerton show. Even J smiles at the news about the audience participation/sexytime.

Then a couple of us head out to the Lido Deck for Brian Bell from Weezer’s Midnight Movie. Young Frankenstein? ALL KINDS OF HELL YES. *Applauds* We hang with Murph, walk past J at the back of the boat looking at the wake of the black water whilst hanging with his band friends, Sweetapple, talk about the show for a bit and admire all the folks in lounge chairs under blankets. Nice one. But by this time we’re drunk and hungry (drunkgry?) and LO AND BEHOLD, the “New York Deli” onboard is open until 3am. I get a sandwich and pile my plate high with pickles, then run into…

…THIS GUY. This is the adorbs Daniel from Yuck, who’s hanging around with bandmates Max and Mariko in the restaurant, where they’re availing themselves of the hot drinks. I tease them mercilessly about being English and needing a cuppa tea, but Daniel insists he’s having coffee. They’re deliciously tipsy and Daniel follows us around. “I”m just going to follow you around,” he says as we walk by Mascis (we do a lot of walking past J Mascis over the course of four days), whom he goes to thank for letting Yuck open for Dino on the return show in Miami. I can’t watch. I have this thing where every time a fan or ANYONE approaches J, I have to look away ‘cos I’m afraid we’ll all die of mutual awkwardness.

As we’re walking around,  plate in hand, we come up on afro’d Yuck drummer Jonny, and Sleeper Agent’s teen singer Alex Kandel. I offer Jonny some of my pickles, which he takes (he’s from Brooklyn, of course!), and Alex slurs at me to come see her band at some point. Uh….whoops.

Soon, it’s time for bed. We get in the room and are greeted by this guy:

Night night, Towel Creature! For tomorrow is another day and I’M ON A BOAT! \m/

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 2

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 3

READ WEEZER CRUISE DIARY DAY 4

Last month, Lou Barlow and I sat down over sushi in Seattle – post-soundcheck for Dinosaur Jr – to discuss and chew on what the new year might look like for Sebadoh.

It seems that the trio are actually planning to do some new music. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIRTEEN YEARS.

For those who’ve rediscovered our indie rock heroes and those old songs from the 90s, this is enormous news.

The band had a busy year – back-to-back-to-back tours of the US-Canada-Europe-Australia-Asia-US again and now on the Weezer Cruise next week – but they’ve been touring albums that were released when grunge was a real word.

So here we are in 2012 and the scoop is this:  When Lou finishes recording and writing with Dinosaur Jr in February, it’ll be go for Sebadoh.  The re-release/remaster of 1987’s Weed Forestin’ will also hit metaphorical shelves (or mailboxes)….

…and yes, Sebadoh will be recording new music. With  a new drummer (Bob D’Amico) and renewed sense of purpose. The time is right, the tide is high, planets are aligned, the drummer’s an Animal, musicians have been trained on how to use social media, and hey, you know, Sebadoh are really kinda awesome…again.

The details as I know it (which is pretty much as much as the band knows at this point):

• Brooklynites Jason  Loewenstein (who reminded us this past year on tour that the songs he writes are even more ENORMOUS than you ever remembered) and Bob will likely be flying out to L.A. to record with Lou in and around April.
• Though this is still under discussion, the album may be fan-funded (in part at least) with possible help from a label. It’s lo-fi, baby, just the way nature intended it.
• If that’s the route they take, there will be all kindsa awesome incentives for fans: maybe some vinyl, limited edition artwork, credits, signed things, possibly even the stuff that dreams are made of. We’ve been asking fans on Facebook (fb.com/realsebadoh) what they’d like to see (first choice: NEW MUSIC) and have been compiling the votes.
• “This will be a good year for writing…I know that,” Lou told me yesterday. Now that he’s got some time back at home, post-holidays with the family, he’s been sitting in his studio strumming and putting ideas down for both Dino and Sebadoh. This. Bodes. Well.
• We’ll need fans’ help to spread the word – got a couple of bucks to put towards do your mates run some really cool blogs? Know any friends at record stores? Do you know how to retweet or post on your Twitter and Facebook? Every little bit will count.
• Release dates? Likely end of year, beginning of next, and the band is expected to head out on the road again in the summer/fall to try out the new stuff.

This is all good news, right? OH YES. I’ll be sailing the high seas with the boys next week on the Weezer Cruise and maybe between margaritas we might firm up some more details, so stay tuned here as always, on Facebook or via Twitter.com/RealSeBADoh.

Sebadoh AHOY! \m/

This year was good for music, sure, but there wasn’t a ton that blew me away to the point of drooling obsession. There were drool-worthy MOMENTS (meeting Matt Berninger of the National for a brief, shining second being one, crossing the border into Canada on the Dinosaur Jr. tourbus with Henry Rollins, being another, doing an exclusive photoshoot and meeting Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer for a third), but not a lot changed my life.

Still, let’s hear it for the really, really most excellent albums released this year, and the ones I played the most:

• Wye Oak – Civilian
  
• WU LYF – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
• Austra - Feel it Break
• Duran Duran - All You Need is Now
• Girls – Father - Son, Holy Ghost
• Mike Doughty –  Yes and Also Yes
• Pack AD - Unpersons
• The Antlers - Burst Apart
• Yuck - Yuck
• Baxter Dury – Happy Soup

…but that’s getting rather list-like, innit? There were also some  lovely chilled offerings from Dan Mangan, Richard Buckner, Kate Bush, Kurt Vile , Thurston Moore, Wire, Bon Iver, M83, Beirut and on and on. Lovely albums, yes. Mind-blowing? No.

So I’ve decided to look ahead. Be positive. Future-thinking. Buck the trend, etc etc.

Here’s the Top 11 things I’m looking forward to in 2012, yo:

1. WEEZER CRUISE – I will be drunk on a boat for a week in January cruising from Miami to Cozumel with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, The Antlers, Nervous Wreckords, Yuck, Wavves, Gene Ween and, yeah, Rivers Cuomo et al on the Weezer Cruise. Even Andy Stack from Wye Oak will be joining us on board for fun. How can this not be absurdly awesome? Note that I will also have the mother of all Weezer prize packs to give away in January. Stay tuned.
2. THE ELDERS OF BRITPOP RETURNETH – Apparently Blur will be meeting up over the hols to decide whether Alex can leave his cheese farm long enough for the guys to make some new music. Hmmm. Add to that, the car-crash?/amazing? news that the Stone Roses have reunited for a tour and new album (this was one of my fave columns written this past year). PLUS possibly/definitely more car-crash from Shaun William Ryder’s Happy Mondays reunion or the La’s playing New York’s Sound City? Let’s see how this all turns out, shall we? I’ll be pulling up a chair to watch.
3. GENTLEMEN, RE-START YOUR ENGINES– please dear gods, let this one stick. The Afghan Whigs mighta broken up 10 years ago, but announced in early December that they will be playing ATP festivals in New Jersey and England in 2012. Praying for news of a complete tour that comes close to where I live. I’d really like to hear ANYTHING off of Gentlemen come out of singer Greg Dulli’s mouth again. And new music? Uh, fuh yeah.
4. BOLDLY GOING TO GIGS I’VE NEVER GONE TO BEFORE – tons of bands touring next year that I’ve never seen live: Kasabian, Gotye, Bombay Bicycle Club, folks tell me I should like Fanfarlo, and more. Hell, I’ve never seen the Kaiser Chiefs, which is weird. Look forward to lots of “Huh…they were better/worse than I expected” posts.
5. LIKE A MONKEY WITH A MINIATURE CYMBAL- My favourite show of almost all time happened back in 2008, and was Hot Chip. The band itself even rated Vancouver’s gig as the best of their entire North American tour. But they’ve not been back and the five-piece’s now in total side-project mode. I’d really like to have Hot Chip back, please. At least live? Maybe this year? Al from Hot Chip told me a few months ago over  Twitter that the band were aching to tour again and hadn’t forgotten the Vancouver show.
   
6. GIMME MORE INDIE ROCK… – A new Sebadoh record? YUP. Their last album happened in 1999, but after a series of pretty rad “Bakesale/Harmacy Remembering Time” tours last year, the addition of an amazing new drummer Bob D’Amico, and a new lease on indie rock life, it looks like the band that never really broke up is gearing up to put together some new music in 2012 as part of a fan-funded project. Expect Jason, Bob and Lou to record in March with hopefully an autumn release and all sorts of goodies if you help them make it a reality. I’m pleased to announce, too, that I’ll be involved this project, too…which may be unsurprising to anyone who reads BSR regularly and saw the umpteen posts about how I went on tour this past year with Sebadoh in the US and Germany.
7. …AND MORE GOTH: Rumour has it that when The Cure recorded their 13th album 4:13 Dream (which was wayyy more poppier than any of us’d like), they also recorded a batch of suitably gloomy stuff for a possible “Dark Album”. And rumour ALSO has it that that album may show its birdsnest-hair-head in 2012. I will weep tears mixed with gothy black eyeliner if not.
8. BRONZE SLIPPY – electro duo Underworld were named musical directors of the London 2012 Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremonies, and are teaming up up with Slumdog Millionaire/Trainspotting director Danny Boyle to direct this big insanity, happening on July 27th. I reckon this could be interesting, ‘cos there’ll be lots of cool folks involved. Am I curious? HELL YES. I mean, Vancouver had Bryan Adams. SO TOP THAT, KARL HYDE!
9. RECORDS BEING SET STRAIGHT - Mike Doughty has spent the last, oooh, millions of years dissing his former band Soul Coughing and talking openly and honestly about life as a drug addict in the 90s. His very first book (not including Slanky, his poetry collection) is a memoir called The Book Of Drugs, and will reach deeply into how Soul Coughing came together, then fell apart and also look at the anatomy of a musician addict. Doughty’s a superb writer and I’ve got an advance copy going beside my bed. It’s brilliant, honest and really bolshy. Pre-order The Book of Drugs now, it’s out on Jan. 10.
10. BORN TO DIE OF OVEREXPOSURE? – Fascinated by how mainstream media glommed on to quirky Florence and the Machine a year or two ago, I’mma gonna be watching as the squeaky and annoying wheels of MAJOR MARKETING continue to spin around Lizzy Grant, aka Lana Del Rey. I’m not really buying it – though clearly everyone wants us to. Lizzy will be playing SNL before her first album comes out and she’s got mega bucks invested in her. I’m guessing they wanna fill the void of Lady Gaga/Crooner Girl hybrids? Should be fascinating to watch this THING explode.
11. THE BEST ROCKHANDS ARE YET TO COME – I’ve got my fingers in so many pies that I feel like a really sticky octopus. There might be some festivals, too (though I’m broke), some partnerships with the coolest of the West Coast music scene, and there will DEFINITELY be a lot of surprises coming up on BackstageRider. One thing I can guarantee that I will look forward to next year: knowing that you’re reading me, tweeting me, FB’ing me, Google+’ing me, and supporting this one-woman show. So keep talking to me, okay? And in the meantime, seriously, why aren’t you on the Rockhands Gallery? Send in your pics of you and friends throwin’ the horns for our gallery now.

Have yerself a merry little holiday and a groovy 2012. Rock on! \m/

And hey, guess what? I was there, too. Why? Because Portland rules: there’s beers, hippies, hipsters, fixie bikes, good food, nice venues and awesome donuts. And I spent three outta the five nights doing what I like to call SERIOUS MUSICKING.

Here’s what transpired on September 8th: Part 1.

Couldn’t quite get up in time for Sweden’s Little Dragon, who played Thursday’s “HOW early?” 10am KEXP session, but made it to the Doug Fir in time to catch my fave new US band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra. “Ffunny Ffriends” sounded particularly sunny, and lead singer/guitarist Ruban thanked folks for coming to the set so early. “Normally I’d be getting up around this time. And thinking about whether or not to smoke a bowl.”

After the sesh, and a chat in the Green Room with my new KEXP mates (including friend Shelly Corbett, who is a live-session videographer) and UMO, we all bail upstairs to the outdoor patio. It’s about 14 degrees hotter than Hades and we’re all digging the Indian Summer. By sweating.

…and drinking gin and tonics. Portland local and UMO bassist Jake Portrait and I catch up – he’d given me a list of great places to try out in town, including the almighty Sizzle Pie pizza shop. (Kind of rock n’ roll pie place down the street, which had conveniently renamed some of its pizzas for its favourite MFNW bands. Over two days I had the Kylesa and the Explosions in the Sky. They were out of the Sebadoh.) I also make him do the rockhands, but he insists that at this time of the day, this is all he is able to muster. It’s pretty fucking pathetic…

…so we teach him to straighten up and rock right. I mean, these things are important, yeah? \m/

Around the time, my boys in Sebadoh show up in their little silver rental car, and get set up for the next KEXP session. Jason Loewenstein does some pretty swift thinking during “Careful” and drops the “bullshit” at the end of the line “Watch out for my bullshit/Everybody’s got it” for the benefit of radio listeners with sensitive ears. Quick thinking, JL! And it makes Lou Barlow laugh…

After a seven-song set, including the rarely played (this year) “Soul and Fire” and the always awesome “Forced Love”, Sebadoh zip out to the street to do a KEXP photo shoot, and then we hang out with a fan who’d driven 22 hours to see them from Las Vegas. The band is pretty impressed and the fan – Jake – and his brother end up hanging with us after the night’s show. But first! There’s musician geek shopping to do! So we head nearby to the Old Town Music shoppe ‘cos the guys need strings for the bass and guitar.

After chatting for a bit with Jason, and not quite making the connection that he’s got Sebadoh shopping in his store, sales guy Hank looks up to see Lou Barlow pottering around the guitar section…and the penny drops. (Though his sandwich doesn’t). “Holy fuck,” he says, it all falling into place. “That’s Lou Barlow…. Wow, huh…okay now I get it.” He gives the guys t-shirts and helps ‘em out with strings. Meanwhile Bob has fallen in love with a snare drum and both he and Jason spend time drumming on it. I walk around admiring pedals like the “Big Muff”, which will never cease to make me snicker. Because I am a child. We also put Hank and his buddy at the store on the guest list for later that night. As a thanks for letting us interrupt his lunch.

Then it’s off to the Crystal Ballroom for soundcheck. Still unsure how “Just Gimmie Indie Jock” rockers Archers of Loaf have the headline slot tonight but Lou assures me people really heart them. I never got the Archers, and am actually curious to see ‘em first timey.

At the venue, Lou catches up with Matt and Eric from Archers. They re-acquaint, though the bands have -strangely- never actually shared a bill, though are from the same circles/era. Matt appears to be quite the Sebadoh fan. It’s kinda cute.

Opener Kevin Robinson from the night’s third band, Viva Voce, was pottering around during soundcheck and approached Sebadoh’s Jason for a chat. He had a nice clear drumkit. Aaaand that’s about all I can tell you about the duo of Viva Voce. I watched their set, but…yeah. Fine.

Anyway! After Sebadoh played (I was too busy drinking half of Lou’s bottle of white wine to shoot pics by this stage.), it was Archers o’clock. THE ‘DOH AND THE LOAF, together for the first time!”  The 1500-capacity room was PACKED and the crowd awaiting Icky Mettle stuffs. The Sebadudes and I all came upstairs to watch from the wings. Eric Bachmann rocked out, indeed, and bassist Matt Gentling bounced about like Flea from the Chili Peppers’ bro. Some of us shrugged, but yeah, seemed like the Loaf were winning with most folks.

Returning back downstairs,we returned to getting squiffy and laughing like loons…when at precisely the perfect moment, actor/comedian and former Trenchmouth drummer (“he was really good!” said Lou) Fred Armisen knocks and I let him in. He’s got a long history with Sebadoh via mutual friends and record company connections, and he’s insanely sweet. It also blows my mind that I’m standing backstage chatting in Portlandia with the co-creator and main dude of…PORTLANDIA. Stick a bird on this picture, stat!

What would the end of the night be without a strange ceramic cat bank? Nothing! Marvel at the gift of psychedelia kitsch that was bestowed upon cat-loving Mr. Barlow by a rad girl called Alix who hung out with us backstage. She had, apparently, painted kitty herself. It was pretty….scary. Its green eyes still haunt me in my dreams.

And soon it was actually time for dreams. I think. Not entirely sure. I was a bit drunk. ROLL ON the next day!

NOW READ PART TWO, FEATURING THE HORRORS, DAN MANGAN, RHETT MILLER, SHARON VAN ETTEN, TYPHOON AND MORE!

NOW READ PART THREE, FEATURING ANTLERS, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, TYPHOON, AVI BUFFALO AND OFF!

FOR MORE PICS FROM MUSICFESTNW, PEEP MY COVERAGE IN CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND

As if back-to-back tours of Canada, the US, Europe, Japan and Australia all this year hasn’t been enough, Sebadoh are announcing NEW tourdates in the US through October and November:

They are:

Tuesday 10/25 – Pittsburgh,  Brillobox
Wednesday 10/26 – Detroit,  Magic Stick
Thursday 10/27 – Cincinnati , Southgate House
Friday 10/28 – Indianapolis,  Radio Radio
Saturday 10/29 – Columbia,  Mojo’s
Sunday 10/30 – Chicago,  Schubas
Monday 10/31 Madison, High Noon
Tuesday 11/01 – Iowa City,  The Mill
Wednesday 11/02 – Minneapolis,  400 Bar

Friday 11/04 – Louisville, Headliners
Saturday 11/05 – Memphis,  Hi Tone
Sunday 11/06 – New Orleans,   One Eyed Jack’s
Monday 11/07 – Athens, 40 Watt
Tuesday 11/08 – Asheville,  Grey Eagle

Thursday 11/10 – Baltimore,  Ottobar
Friday 11/11 – Hoboken, Maxwell’s
Saturday 11/12 – Brooklyn,  Music Hall

Wednesday 01/18/2012 – Miami, Grand Central

The band will hit some of the cities it missed the first time out in February/March, and bring their 30+ setlist of Bakesale, Harmacy and other Sebatracks to happy ears, before Lou joins a West Coast Dinosaur Jr “Bug” tour. They then meet up with EVERYONE (including me!) on the Weezer Cruise in January. After that? The band were pretty clear about their desire to record something new, for the first time in one-trillion years, following the exhaustive touring. Here’s hoping. Can I get a hell yeah? \m/

For BSR’s epic three-parter on touring with Sebadoh in Germany, check out posts from Berlin, Hamburg and Köln

For BSR’s epic four-partner on touring with Sebadoh in Canada and the US, check out posts from San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver.