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Merge's CMJ Showcase, Broken West tour dates, new Portastatic, Superchunk Bumbershoot pics & more

photos by Chris Graham

DOWNLOAD: Portastatic – Some Small History (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Julian Koster – Jingle Bells (MP3)

Superchunk @ Bumbershoot – Sept 1, 2008
Bumbershoot

Saturday 10/25/2008
Merge Records CMJ Showcase @ Mercury Lounge, NYC w/
* The Music Tapes
* Wye Oak
* Portastatic
* The Broken West
* The Rosebuds
* Oakley Hall

That’s a great lineup for Mercury Lounge. No advanced tickets, approximately 150 tickets sold at the door, and another 100 go to CMJ badgeholders.

The Music Tapes (Julian Koster)’s new album is out on Merge this week. The Singing Saw At Christmastime (from whence the above Chrismas MP3 came) is out October 7th. He/they’ll also be touring before CMJ as part of Elephant 6’s Holiday Surprise Tour. One day Elephant 6, the next Merge – lots of sleeping around, kind of like…

Conor Oberst whose new self-titled album is out now on Merge (and not on Saddle Creek or Team Love- two labels he founded). Conor’s tour dates are HERE.

Wye Oak, another band that recently came out with an album on Merge (and is playing the showcase) are on tour as we speak. They’re next Brooklyn show happens before September is over.

The Rosebuds will be playing at least one more show during CMJ, probably with the Ladybug Transistor who aren’t on the Merge showcase, but could be. The Rosebuds’ new album Life Like is out October 7th and some of the new songs are streaming at MySpace.

The Broken West, in addition to October 25th, are also playing Mercury Lounge on September 21st. That earlier show has them opening for Bobby Bare Jr. Tickets are on sale. Their new album Now or Heaven is out this week. All tour dates below.

The Broken West will also bid a fond farewell to drummer, Rob McCorkindale. A new baby and other family commitments have made Rob’s departure necessary, but everyone will miss him! Sean McDonald will take over the skins and join Dan, Brian, Ross and Jeff on the road this fall.

Oakley Hall is playing Webster Hall on September 24th with Calexico.

Though not playing the CMJ show, Lambchop shares that MErge affiliation. Kurt Wagner (Mr Lambchop) plays Joe’s Pub on October 8th. OH (Ohio) is out October 10th.

You can now subsribe to SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years.

And last but not least you’ll notice that one of Mac (Mr. Merge himself)’s bands is on this Mercury Lounge CMJ bill too. Portastatic has a 2-CD compilation of singles (covers included) coming out this week. The entire “Some Small History” tracklist is below…. right under the rest of the pictures (and a rough setlist) from Superchunk‘s set at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle on Labor Day…..

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot

Ouch, my bones. But what a show! Everyone in the band was on fire. Sound was great up front. Jon broke a drum. Was that David Cross rockin’ out stage right?

Setlist as best as I can remember:

throwing things
detroit has a skyline too
baxter
why do you have to put a date on everything
driveway to driveway
package thief
misfits and mistakes
cast iron
slack mf
precision auto
hyper enough

P.S. There were a few lone pogoers in a sea of sullen text-messaging 16 year olds. What’s up with that anyway? [gmontag]

Some Small history

Portastatic – Some Small History Tracklist

Disc 1
1. Starter
2. Sandals with White Socks
3. Oh My Sweet Carolina (Ryan Adams)
4. Lousy Penpal **
5. A Cunning Latch (acoustic) **
6. Teenage Kicks (The Undertones)
7. Too Trashed to Smoke **
8. Skinny Glasses Girl
9. Trajectory
10. Power Supply
11. Josephine (The Magnetic Fields)
12. Race You Home
13. Make You Up **
14. Your Own Cloud
15. Love Breaks Down (Prefab Sprout) **
16. Portraits from Before the War
17. Soft Fruit
18. Easily Aroused
19. Guessing
20. Little Fern
21. All I Need Is You (Sandy Denny & the Strawbs)
22. You Love to Fail (The Magnetic Fields)

Disc 2
1. Some Small History
2. San Andreas Crouch
3. Not the Same
4. Boy from School (Hot Chip)
5. Spying on the Spys
6. Too Close to the Screen
7. Weighted Raft
8. Dragging a Crow
9. Gray Robins
10. I Wanna Know Girls (acoustic demo)
11. Feel Better
12. Useless Switch
13. Had (full band) **
14. Secret Session
15. Tugboat (Galaxie 500)
16. Codes, Runes, Dunes
17. Candy Cigarettes
18. Firefly (American Music Club)
19. La Pelicula
20. Look, Honey, Peaches
21. Replacement Parts **
22. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)
** previously unreleased

Portastatic – 2008 Tour Dates
Sep 12 Chapel Hill NC USA Local 506
Sep 18 Wilmington NC USA The Soapbox Laundro-Lounge
Oct 18 Raleigh NC USA Meymandi Concert Hall
Oct 25 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge, Merge Showcase

The Broken West – 2008 Tour Dates
09/09 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
09/10 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr.
09/11 – Iowa City, IA @ The Picador
09/12 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Side Door
09/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
09/15 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
09/16 – Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
09/17 – Toronto @ Horseshoe Tavern
09/21 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
09/21 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
09/23 – New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
09/24 – Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
09/25 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
09/26 – Mt. Pleasant, SC @ Village Tavern
09/27 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
09/29 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
09/30 – Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf
10/01 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
11/07 – Los Angeles CA USA Spaceland
11/08 – San Francisco CA USA The Independent
11/10 – Portland OR USA Doug Fir Lounge
11/11 – Seattle WA USA Tractor Tavern

Lambchop – 2008 Tour Dates
Sep 27 Marfa TX USA Ballroom Marfa
Oct 2 Los Angeles CA USA Echoplex
Oct 6 Toronto ON Canada Drake Hotel
Oct 8 New York NY USA Joe’s Pub

Oakley Hall – 2008 Tour Dates
Sep 13 New London CT, USA Waterfront Park
Sep 24 New York NY USA Webster Hall w/ Calexico