(there will be plenty of time for questions, just as soon as I’m finished with my speech)

Ever notice how government officials (and/or the New York Mets) try to bury stories that don’t entirely flatter themselves on Friday nights or weekends? No? GOOD, you’re just my kind of person! In the spirit of helpfulness (and perhaps acknowledging that every member of our constituency doesn’t read popular music blogs 75 times a day), we’d like to issue the following friendly reminders ;

a) On April 26, Merge (U.S.) and Wichita (UK) will be releasing the new Times New Viking album, ‘Dancer Equired’. We’ve heard it, and no matter what hyperbole our rec. biz pals are throwing around, it’s even better than whatever they’re saying. .

b) On Feb. 22, Jagjaguwar is issuing the 3rd album from The Cave Singers, ‘No Witch’. I’ve not heard this one (damn you, Web Sharrif!), but when we’re promised the new full-length exhibits “a ferocity and bite we’ve yet to see from the band”, you can be certain I’m getting my rabies vaccination cash in order. Hope you do the same.

photo by Reuben Cox

Pitchfork’s been chronicling a sneak peek into the experience that was Matador at 21: The Lost Weekend. Check out some behind-the-scenes action by heading over to Pitchfork TV where they’re rolling out documentary footage from “The Lost Weekend” as we speak. Right now you can watch Chris Lombardi and Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham take you on a tour of the concert grounds (from the Pearl Ballroom to the Hardwood Suite) , Girls’ Christopher Owens performing new tracks in a bathtub, Fucked Up and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists engaging in a legendary battle of the bands, and most recently:

Damian on The Old Strip:

Bob Nastanovich – The Gambler:

Kurt Vile – “Hunchback” (at the Palms Ballroom):

Times New Viking – “Natural Resources, I Love Mine” (at the Palms Ballroom):

The Clean – “Anything Could Happen” (at the Palms Ballroom):

Keep up with Pitchfork for Matador at 21 videos.

Myspace Music also covered the event with live concert highlights from Pavement, Come, Chavez, Fucked Up, The New Pornographers, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Shearwater, Guided By Voices, Liz Phair, Sonic Youth and more.

First off, if these changes have left anyone disappointed or inconvenienced, we’re truly sorry.  I’ve been watching videos of the guys in the BP commercials all week trying to strike the right tone for this post, and wouldn’t you know it, MY VIDEO CAMERA IS BROKEN.   Bullet dodged.

On the bright side, hey, DEAD MEADOW are playing.    The opening VIP gala is still happening at 4pm Friday in the Hardwood Suite with dj sets by Ted Leo and myself.  Same room becomes a VIP lounge Friday and Saturday nights, plus late night dj action on Friday (James McNew, Dean Bein) and Saturday (Dave Martin, Robby Morris).  Here’s the live entertainment schedule of events.  Much like real life, everything is subject to change.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1st

THE PEARL
Pavement: 12:00am – 1:00am
Sonic Youth: 10:40pm – 11:30am
Fucked Up: 9:35pm – 10:15pm
Chavez: 8:30pm – 9:10pm
Guitar Wolf: 7:30pm – 8:10pm
Doors: 7:00pm

MC : Jeff Jensen

LATE NIGHT PARTY IN PALMS BALLROOM  (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Fucked Up Vs. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: 1:30am – 2:30am
(One stage. Two bands.  At once. They’re supposed to take turns, song by song…but who knows?)
Doors: 1:00am

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2nd

THE PEARL
Belle & Sebastian: 11:45pm – 1:00am
Spoon: 10:25pm – 11:15pm
Superchunk: 9:20pm – 10:00pm
Cat Power: 8:15pm – 8:55pm
Perfume Genius: 7:55pm – 8:15pm
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: 6:50pm – 7:30pm
Come: 5:45pm – 6:25pm
Girls: 4:40pm – 5:20pm
Doors 4:00pm

MC : Bob Nastanovich

MATINEE IN THE PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Dead Meadow: 2:30pm – 3:15pm
Harlem: 1:30pm – 2:05pm
Doors: 1:00pm

LATE NIGHT PARTY IN PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Cold Cave: 2:25am – 3:15am
Esben and The Witch: 1:30am – 2:00am
Doors: 1:00am

KARAOKE UNDERGROUND AT LITTLE BUDDHA:
STARTS AT 1:30am

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3rd

THE PEARL
Guided By Voices: 11:30pm – 1:00am
Yo La Tengo: 10:10pm – 11:05pm
Liz Phair: 9:50pm – 10:10pm
The New Pornographers: 8:40pm – 9:25pm
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: 7:35pm – 8:15pm
Shearwater: 6:30pm – 7:10pm
Doors: 6:00pm

MC’s : Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster

MATINEE IN THE PALMS BALLROOM
The Clean: 4:30pm – 5:15pm
Times New Viking: 3:30pm – 4:05pm
Kurt Vile: 2:30pm – 3:05pm
Doors: 2:00pm

General questions :  21@matadorrecords.com

This event is sponsored by MySpace Music, Altamont, Incase, Sailor Jerry and Yowie.

Here’s a brand-new video for the “Move To California” 7″ b-side “Teen Spirit In Hell”. Buy the 7″, and the album Born Again Revisited, and more awesome TNV crap. The video was directed by Brandon Reichard and edited by Marina Goldshteyn:

The Columbus, OH sons and daughter of the revolution are playing shows with two of the best bands (just, the best).

Tonight they open for Pavement in Central Park, and play with that band again in Atlanta on Sunday.

Next week, TNV hit the road with the reunited, classic Guided By Voices lineup.

Times New Viking will have their hands full blowing those bands off the stage, like they’re used to doing. Go see them try, harder:

September
Wednesday 22 – New York, NY - Rumsey Playfield @ Central Park w/Pavement
Thursday 23 – Montclair, NJ – Meat Locker
Fri Sep 24 – Haverford, PA – Haverford College
Sunday 26 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle w/Pavement
Tue Sep 28 – Little Rock, AR – White Water Tavern
Wed Sep 29 – Dallas, TX – Palladium
Thursday 30 – Austin, TX – The East Side Drive In w/Guided By Voices

October
Sat October 02 – Lawrence, KS – Scion Garage Fest
Sun October 03 – Las Vegas, NV – Matador 21
Monday 04 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern w/Guided By Voices
Tuesday 05 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre w/Guided By Voices
Thursday 07 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom w/Guided By Voices
Saturday 09 – Seattle Wa, WA – Showbox SODO w/Guided By Voices
Tuesday 12 – Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue w/Guided By Voices
Wednesday 13 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre w/Guided By Voices
Thursday 14 – St. Louis, MO – St. Louis University/Billken Club

First of all, we know you’ve been waiting patiently for the information below, and we sincerely apologize for the length of time it took to get it together. But if wanting to put together an even sicker bill than previously announced is a crime, PLEASE LOCK US UP.

1) 50 additional pairs of tickets priced at $250.00 per person  (not including taxes and fees) will be available via a public lottery sometime next week.  We’ll announce the details here and on the 21 site beforehand.

2) Details regarding a limited number of room upgrades will be available at that time.

3) We regret to announce that at present, our supply of VIP tickets has been exhausted.  If that situation changes, we’ll let you know.

4) As rumored in a bunch of places (including this very blog), we’re very happy to confirm the following additions to The Lost Weekend Bill ;  Liz Phair, Times New Viking, Esben and the Witch, Perfume Genius, The Clean, MC’s Jeff Jensen, Bob Nastanovich, Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster, and a late Friday evening presentation by Austin’s Karaoke Underground. The rough schedule can be found below, and is very much subject to change :

Friday:

4 PM: Gala opening party, Hardwood Suite (VIP ticketholders, limited capacity)

MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):

doors open 6 PM, first band (Guitar Wolf) on at 7 PM

Pavement
Sonic Youth
Fucked Up
Chavez
Cold Cave
Guitar Wolf

MC : Jeff Jensen

2am onwards :  Superchunk/Fucked Up/bands TBC,  Hardwood Suite (VIP ticketholders only, capacity limited)
2am onwards :  Karaoke Underground at Little Buddha (open to all ticketholders, space permitting)

Saturday:

MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):

Belle and Sebastian
Spoon
Superchunk
Cat Power
Perfume Genius
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Come
Girls

MC : Bob Nastanovich

2am : Esben and the Witch, Harlem,  Key West Ballroom (open to all ticketholders, space permitting)

Sunday (MATINEE, in Key West Ballroom, open to all ticketholders, capacity limited):

The Clean
Times New Viking
Kurt Vile

Sunday evening :

MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):

Guided By Voices
Yo La Tengo
Liz Phair
The New Pornographers
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Shearwater

MC’s : Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster

Matador at 21: The Lost Weekend takes place at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from October 1-3, 2010. This event is sponsored by MySpace Music, Altamont and Incase.

It’s that time of year again – where if you want some Matador shows, then best head to Europe in May.

In alphabetical order…

COLD CAVE on tour in May :

7  UK, All Tomorrows Parties, Minehead Butlins

8 UK, Leeds, Nation of Shopkeepers

9 Scotland, Glasgow, Captains Rest

10 UK, Manchester, Deaf Institute

12 UK, London, Cargo

13  UK, Brighton, Great Escape Festival

14 Holland, Amsterdam, Paradiso

15 Belgium, Brussells, Rotonde

16 Germany, Hamburg, Uebel & Gefahrlich

18 Sweden, Stockholm, Svenska

19 Denmark, Copenhagen, Rust

20 Germany, Berlin, Bang Bang Club

21 Germany, Offenbach, Hafen 2

22 Switzerland, St Gallen @Theater Palace

23 Switzerland, Fribourg @fri-Son

24 Italy, Bologna, Rocker Festival

25 Italy, Turin, Spazio 211

27 France, Paris, Point Emphere

29 Spain, Barcelona, Primavera Festival

MISSION OF BURMA also on tour in May :

12 Dublin, Ireland, Crawdaddy

13 London, England, Dingwalls

14 Minehead, England, All Tomorrows Parties

24 Lisbon, Portugal,  ZDB – Zé dos Bois

25 Porto, Portugal, Serralves Museu del Arte (note-seated venue)

26 Vigo, Spain, Marco

27 Barcelona, Primavera

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS holidaying in May :

19 UK, London, Electric Ballroom

21 Germany, Berlin, Magnet ‘Club NME’

22 Germany, Hamburg, Molotow

23 Holland, Amsterdam, Melkweg

25 Belgium, Brussels, Orangerie

26 France, Paris, La Maroquinerie

28 Spain, Barcelona, Primavera Festival

TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS busking throughout May :

06 UK, London, Luminaire

07 UK, Plymouth, White Rabbit

08 Ireland, Dublin, Whelans

09 UK, Belfast, Oh Yeah Centre

10 UK, Glasgow, Captains Rest

11 UK, Newcastle, Cluny

13 UK,  Cardiff, Buffalo Bar

16 Netherlands, Utrecht, DB’s Studio

18 Germany, Hamburg, Prinzenbar

22 Croatia, Zagreb, Kset

26 France, Paris, Cafe De La Danse

TIMES NEW VIKING back to party in May :

14 UK, All Tomorrows Parties, Minehead Butlins

Don’t forget, there’s also the previously announced Dead Meadow European May dates and the Pavement reunion shows also in May.  Harlem May/June dates will be on the way too.  Mark your diaries.

Adam, Beth and Jared kick off their marathon 40-date European tour tonight. Come out and say hi.

The Times New Viking “Adam Needs A Cap For His Tooth” Tour hits the following cities:

March
17th – Sound Control, Manchester
18th – Nice ‘n Sleazy, Glasgow
19th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
20th – The Dome, London
21st – Portland Arms, Cambridge
23rd – Charlatan, Gent
24th – Prinzenbar, Hamburg
25th – Loppen, Copenhagen
26th – Debaser, Stockholm
27th – Umea Open Festival, Umea
29th – Mono, Oslo
30th – Parken, Gothenburg
31st – Musikcafeen, Aarhus
April
2nd – Klub 007 Strahov, Prague
3rd – Le Romandie, Lausanne
4th – B72, Vienna
5th – 59:01:00, Munich
6th – Cairo, Wurzburg
7th – Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin
8th – Nato, Leipzig
9th – Glocksee, Hanover
10th – Gleis 22, Munster
11th – Vera, Groningen
12th – OCCII, Amsterdam
13th – Point Ephemere, Paris
15th – Locanda Atlantide, Rome
16th – Covo Club, Bologna
17th – La Casa Milan 139, Milan
20th – Plano B, Porto
21st – ZDB, Lisbon
22nd – Moby Dick, Madrid
23rd – El Tinglado No. 2, Valencia
24th – Nitsa, Barcelona
26th – The Rest Is Noise, London
27th – Arts Centre, Norwich
28th – Masque, Liverpool
29th – Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
30th – Stereo, Glasgow
May
1st – The Victoria, Birmingham
14th – All Tomorrow’s Parties (Pavement curated)

Photo above taken from Romorosso’s Flickr without permission

For some people: Burt Reynolds, Larry Merchant, Leslie Nielsen, and Jennifer Aniston to name a few, 2/11 can never be forgotten, it’s their birthday. For sports fans 2/11 marks the day Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson (1990), Dean Smith (UNC) racked up his 600th career coaching win (1987), and Willie Mays became the highest paid player in baseball with an annual salary of $130,000 (1966). Others who are historically inclined remember 2/11 as the day Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison (1990), Dwight Eisenhower became the commander of allied forces in Europe (1943), and Pennsylvania Hospital, the first in America, was opened in large part because of Benjamin Franklin (1752).

So as I’ve demonstrated there are plenty of reasons to never forget 2/11. But in our humble opinion there is no reason more important than Times New Viking and their greatly under appreciated album of last fall, Born Again Revisited. So in doing our part to never forget 2/11, we’re offering a free MP3 download of TNV’s 2/11 Don’t Forget with a few stipulations. 1) you play it loud and often, and 2) you never forget 2/11. We never will.

download available here:
2/11 Don’t Forget

It’s the greatest thing to hit Pontiac, MI since Wayne Fontes’ hair.  Greater, perhaps.   Yo La Tengo and Times New Viking hit the road starting today in support of their respective 2009 masterpieces, ‘Popular Songs’ and ‘Born Again Revisited’.   While the Jan. 29 show in Austin, TX is a sellout, tickets still remain for the rest of the following shows (prices below include NO ADDITIONAL SERVICE CHARGE) ;

Fri., 1/22 – Pontiac MI – Crofoot Ballroom – $17
Tickets available from Stormy, 13210 Michigan Ave., Dearborn MI 48126
Wazoo, 336 1/2 State St., Ann Arbor MI 48104
Crofoot box office, 1 South Saginaw St., Pontiac MI  48342

Sat., 1/23 – Madison WI – Barrymore Theatre – $20
Tickets available from B Side, 436 State St., Madison WI 53703
Barrymore box office, 2090 Atwood Ave., Madison WI 53704)

Sun., 1/24 – St Louis MO – The Pageant – $19.50
Tickets available from Vintage Vinyl, 6610 Del Mar Ave., St. Louis MO 63130
Euclid, 601 East Lockwood, St. Louis MO 63119
Pageant box office, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis  MO 63112-1200 (cash only)

Tue., 1/26 – Lawrence KS – Granada Theatre – $17
Tickets : Love Garden, 822 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
Granada box office, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044

Weds, 1/27 – Tulsa, OK, Cain’s Ballroom

Thu., 1/28 – Houston TX – Warehouse Live – $20
Tickets  Vinal Edge, 13171 Veteran’s Memorial Drive, Houston TX 77014
Sound Exchange,1846 Richmond, Houston TX 77098
Cactus, 2110 Portsmouth, Houston TX 77098

Fri., 1/29 – Austin TX – Antone’s  (SOLD OUT)

Sat., 1/30 – Dallas TX – Granada Theatre – $20
Good Records, 1808 Greenville Ave., Dallas TX 75206
Granada box office, 3524 Greenville Ave., Dallas TX 75206

Adorable photo stolen without permission from Pooneh Ghana’s photostream on Flickr.

Happy New Year everyone, and what a year it should be.  Lots of exciting events on the way for 2010.  So get your fresh Moleskine diaries out from your pile of gifts and christen them with some hot-off-the-press Times New Viking dates.

Wed    17-Mar-10    UK    Manchester    Sound Control
Thu    18-Mar-10    UK    Glasgow    Nice & Sleazy
Fri    19-Mar-10    UK    Leeds    The Brudenell Social Club
Sat    20-Mar-10    UK    London    The Dome
Sun    21-Mar-10    UK    Cambridge    The Portland Arms
Tue    23-Mar-10    Belgium    Gent     Charlatan
Wed    24-Mar-10    Germany    Hamburg    Prinzenbar
Thu    25-Mar-10    Denmark    Copenhagen    Loppen
Fri    26-Mar-10    Sweden    Stockholm    Debaser
Sat    27-Mar-10    Sweden    Umea    Umea Open Festival
Mon    29-Mar-10    Norway    Oslo    Mono
Tue    30-Mar-10    Sweden    Gothenburg    Parken
Wed    31-Mar-10    Denmark    Aarhus    Musikcafeen
Fri    2-Apr-10    Czech republic    Prague    Klub 007 Strahov
Sat    3-Apr-10    Switzerland    Lausanne    Le Romandie
Sun    4-Apr-10    Austria    Vienna    B72
Mon    5-Apr-10    Germany    Munich    59:01:00
Tue    6-Apr-10    Germany    Wurzburg    Cairo
Wed    7-Apr-10    Germany    Berlin    Festsaal Kreuzberg
Thu    8-Apr-10    Germany    Leipzig    Nato
Fri    9-Apr-10    Germany    Hanover    Glocksee
Sat    10-Apr-10    Germany    Munster    Gleis 22
Sun    11-Apr-10    Netherlands    Groningen    Vera
Mon    12-Apr-10    Netherlands    Amsterdam    OCCII
Tue    20-Apr-10    Portugal    Porto    Plano B
Wed    21-Apr-10    Portugal    Lisbon    ZDB
Thu    22-Apr-10    Spain    Madrid    Moby Dick
Fri    23-Apr-10    Spain    Valencia    El Tinglado No 2
Sat    24-Apr-10    Spain    Barcelona    Nitsa
Tue    27-Apr-10    UK    Norwich    Arts Centre
Wed    28-Apr-10    UK    Liverpool    The Masque
Thu    29-Apr-10    UK    Nottingham    Bodega Social Club
Fri    30-Apr-10    UK    York     Stereo
Sat    1-May-10    UK    Birmingham    The Victoria