We are trekking out to New England + thereabouts in a couple of weeks to play shows with a bunch of great bands. You can’t quantify the amount of excitement we’re feeling about this. I mean, just look at this silly thing we made:

Details:

8/24 / OAK BLUFFS, MA / The Dive Bar
– w/ The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries (Bob Weston, Chris Brokaw, Elisha Weisner)
8/25 / CAMBRIDGE, MA / TT The Bear’s Place
– w/ The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries + Major Stars
8/26 / BROOKLYN, NY / Death By Audio
– w/ The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries
8/27 / PHILADELPHIA, PA / Johnny Brenda’s
– w/ Arc In Round + Busses
8/28 / PITTSBURGH, PA / Brillobox
– w/ The Karl Hendricks Trio
8/29 / COLUMBUS, OH / The Treehouse

We’ll have some new t-shirts, which is good news for you because everyone is sick of looking at your six-pack. Really, control yourself, ok?

You can still, of course, pick up Devices + Emblems from Comedy Minus One and Works Progress.

Hey! Devices + Emblems is now available at all major download services, including iTunes, eMusic and Rhapsody. The digital version is courtesy of the otherwise excellent Comedy Minus One label, who also bring you great stuff from Bottomless Pit, Obits, and many others.

You can, of course, still buy a for-real vinyl copy (with digital download coupon) from Comedy Minus One or Works Progress.

We’re working on shows for August and September, in the Northeast, Midwest, and Texas. Hopefully the West coast sooner rather than later, but Joey Shithead from D.O.A. hasn’t returned any of my calls.

Also: here are a couple of nice reviews of the record from The Unblinking Ear and Dusted Magazine.

The vinyl (with included MP3 download coupon) version of Devices + Emblems is now available via mailorder from both Works Progress and Comedy Minus One.

It’s also available through your local record store. Just have your friendly sales clerk contact our distributor, CTD, Ltd to order.

The digital version will be available at iTunes, eMusic, and other digital shops on June 8th.

This week, we’re finally making it back to the Midwest for a few shows. No time for jokes, I’m busy packing!

Wed 03/24/2010 / St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
w/ Light Pollution + Exercise + Actor John Goodman
we play at 9pm

Thu 03/25/2010 / Kalamazoo, MI @ The Strutt
w/ Minutes + Glowfriends
we play second, I think?

Fri 03/26/2010 / Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
w/ Mar Caribe + Andy Wagner
we play at 10pm

Sat 03/27/2010 / Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
w/ Karma Vision + High Diving Ponies

Also, our friends at the great label Comedy Minus One will be releasing the digital version of Devices + Emblems. It will be available on iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, your cell phone, and elsewhere in June.

Hi there. This is the cover of our new LP, “Devices + Emblems”:

It has 9 songs, and was once again produced by Bubba Kadane and us. We’ll have more to say about it shortly.

It won’t be released officially until March 23, but barring some horrible disaster, you will be able to buy a copy of it at one of these two shows this weekend:

Friday, Feb 26
Austin, TX @ Beerland – Doors at 9pm
The Distant Seconds + Beautiful Supermachines + Tre Orsi + Nervous Curtains
We play second, at 11pm.

Nervous Curtains have a new LP, “Out of Sync With Time”, which Matt recorded. The Distant Seconds and Beautiful Supermachines have a new split 12″, which Matt also recorded half of.

Saturday, Feb 27
Denton, TX @ Majestic Dwelling of Doom (731 Texas St.) – FREE, BYOB, Doors at 9pm
Bosque Brown + Tre Orsi + Sabra Laval
We play second, at 10pm.

ADDED: Sunday, Feb 28
Dallas, TX @ Kessler Community Theater – Benefit for Tommy Atkins’ funeral expenses, $10
Everything starts at 4pm.

After this, we’ll do some Midwest shows in March, then hit the Eastern US later in the Spring. See you soon.

Hi, it’s been a while. Matt’s finally back from the epic David Bazan tour. Howard went on a vacation for the first time in 10 years. Bryan can now solve the Sunday Times’ crossword puzzle without breaking a sweat. It’s been a magical time.

Anyhoo, our song, “The Engineer” will be on the upcoming Matador Records compilation, Casual Victim Pile. That’s exciting, right?

We’re excited, you bet. It’s not everyday you get to work with a label whose artists (Pizzicato 5, MC Paul Barman, Chain Gang) you’ve relentlessly ripped-off for years.

There are 18 other Texas bands (including fellow Dentonites, the Bad Sports) on this thing. Every one of them is probably worth your time and devotion.

The release date is Jan 26, but you can pre-order it for super-cheap (on double-LP or CD) right now.

Last Fall, we had the time of our lives on tour with our brothers in Magnolia Electric Company and Bottomless Pit. At the end of the tour, MagElecCo recorded their recently-released album, Josephine with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio.

Someone at Pitchfork decided to use their powers for good instead of evil for once, so they’re streaming the documentary, Recording Josephine: a film about Magnolia Electric Company at Electrical Audio. Check it out.

This is our last show for a little while, as Howard will be backpacking through Iowa all October, and Matt will be tour-managing and sound-running for David Bazan’s US tour. We’ll be playing all of Jethro Tull’s classic, Aqualung, but in reverse. (There are a few kinks to work out, but I’m pretty sure we’ll nail it come show time.)

Dove Hunter / True Widow / Boom Boom Box / Tre Orsi
Thursday, 17 Sep @ Granada Theater, Dallas, TX.
Show starts/we play at 8 PM.

Oh man, we’re almost going on tour!

Fri, Sep 4: The Angelus / Tre Orsi / The Hopetrust @ Double Wide in Dallas – $5 I think. This will go down like Altamont.
Sat, Sep 5: Bridges & Blinking Lights / Tre Orsi / History At Our Disposal / Starhead and The Polycorns – FREE (as in “beer”, not as in “freedom”).

If you think this video is great you’ll probably enjoy the hell of out of these shows.

Once again, Rubber Gloves is hosting the Denton Humane Society’s “Cats & Dogs” benefit, which supports their work teaching dogs to do this kind of stuff:

They also do a lot of other great work, of course, like making puppies lick kitties and kitties lick bunnies.

Details:

CATS & DOGS: A Benefit For The Denton Humane Society
Fri Jul 31 (Doors open at 8pm; $6)
featuring: Brent Best, Tre Orsi, Spooky Folk, Dust Congress, New Science Projects

Sat Aug 1 (Doors open at 8pm; $6)
featuring: Record Hop, CS Flemmons, The Slowburners, Fishboy, The Heelers