Monday Morning Newsletter (8/11/08)

The Stranded in Stereo Blog survived all week without any responsible adults around. I’d like to thank our loyal readers for allowing be to be a full-time bad-influence on their behavior. That said, on with the slander!

Soul singer Isaac Hayes died over the weekend at the age of 65 of an apparent stroke while running on a treadmill. In the terminology of Scientology, his personal belief system has gone “clear” and is a Number 5 state man. Hayes had his first stroke in 2007. Fellow cult member Tom Cruise said “It was a bummer when the ghost of L. Ron Hubbard made him stop being chef.”

Calexico has announced that their next album, Carried to Dust, will drop September 9th via Touch & Go Records. The album features guest appearances from Sam Beam of Iron & Wine and Douglas McCombs of Tortoise. In support of the record, Calexico has scheduled 3 weeks of European tour dates beginning in Dublin.

On October 7^th These Arms Are Snakes will be releasing Tail Swallower And Dove, on Suicide Squeeze Records. The group recorded and mixed the album at the Red Room in their home town of Seattle. The sessions for this, their third LP, were engineered by their drummer Chris Common.

Suicide Squeeze has also recently signed super-group Seattle's Past Lives. The group is comprised of former The Blood Brothers members Jordan Billie, Morgan Henderson, Devin Welch of Shoplifting, and Mark Gajadhar of Neon Blonde. They will be putting out the band's first EP Strange Symmetry on November 4th. José calls dibs on this one for review.

In industry news the Pennsauken-based independent CD press Disc Makers has purchased the independent online music seller CD Baby. The purchase is the culmination of a seven year partnership encouraging commerce among mediocre bands. Tony van Veen, President of Disc Makers said “I’m also pressing Derek to get a better haircut. This shaolin monk thing has gotta go.”

On September 16^th Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of the Mars Volta will be releasing a double LP vinyl edition of his solo album Calibration. N20 Records has the honors on this round. It’s certainly a step up from their previous work putting gout Jamaican mash-up compilations.

This week the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended the former home of Chuck Berry for inclusion on the National Register. The home at 3137 Whittier Street in St. Louis is a modest, one-story red-brick house that Berry bought in 1950. Berry sold the house in 1958. Billy Joe at the Slurp N’ Gulp a block away said Berry and his family lived in the during his most productive early songwriting period. For the record the dude is still alive and rocking.

Dr. Dre is launching a personal line of cognac and vodka this October. This promotional effort is tied into the release of his new album Detox. The album which has been in the works since 2004, is rumored to be his last. The marketing scheme is a joint venture between Drinks America Holdings Ltd. and Interscope records.

Andrew WK has announced a spoken word performance stream at London's Madame JoJo's on September 19. This is his first visit to the U.K. in four years but the visit includes no musical performances. One can only assume that this will somehow elaborate on hi previously well-documented stance on partying hard.