After touring the midwest and Canada in June and July, The Fever have decided to take the show out west to California in support of their latest album, Red Bedroom.

* with Moving Units
July
30: Santa Barbara, CA @ Hard to Find Place *
31: San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe *

August
01: Los Angeles, CA @ Standard Hotel (Vice Party)
03: Los Angeles, CA @ The Key Club
06: Bakersfield, CA @ Jerry’s *
07: Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction *
10: San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
11: Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
12: Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk *
13: San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord *
14: San Luis Obispo/Santa Cruz, CA @ SLO Brewing Co/418 Space *

The Fever: thefeveronline.com

Richmond, Virginia’s Strike Anywhere are on the road again, touring up the east coast and into Canada, but not before making a stop at this years Hellfest, July 23rd at Rexplex in New Jersey. While at the fest the band will be spending some time hanging out in support of both FaunaVision and Oasis Sanctuary, two groups dedicated to animal advocacy. The not-for-profit organizations will have tables set up where various bands will be stopping by to talk about animal rights.

All dates w/ New Mexican Disaster Squad except for July 23rd

July
23: Elizabeth, NJ @ Rexplex (1001 Ikea Dr) HELLFEST
24: Rochester, NY @ Milestone Music Room (170 E Ave) w/ Black Cross, Lords
25: Erie, PA @ Forward Hall (2502 Peach St) w/ The Start, The AKA’s, The Code
27: London, ON @ Call The Office (216 York St)
28: Hamilton, ON @ The Underground (41 Catherine St N)
29: Toronto, ON @ Fun Haus (529 Queen St W) w/ Engine Down, Rainer Maria
30: Ottawa, ON @ Babylon (316 Ban St) w/ Engine Down
31: Montreal, QC @ Rainbow (182 St. Catherine East) w/ Engine Down, Between The Buried and Me

August
1: Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti (725 Abraham) w/ Engine Down, Fifth Hour Hero
3: Matane, QC @ Moose Hall (Cartier and St-Christophe St) w/ Engine Down, Fifth Hour Hero
4: Ramouski, QC @ Chantrelle Hall (148 Du Rocher Blanc) w/ Engine Down
5: Burlington, VT @ 242 Main (250 Main St) w/ Engine Down

*Oasis Sanctuary: oasissanctuary.org
*Strike Anywhere: strikeanywhere.org
*Jade Tree Records: jadetree.com
*Strike Anywhere – Infrared MP3

Not to be confused with sex, which is something dirty that you should never talk about, Rjyan Kidwell aka Cex will be touring the country this summer with Aloha drummer Cale Parks. The tour’s set will of course include performances from his latelst album Maryland Mansions, but will also likely debut tracks from Invisible Sidis an album currently in the works. Performances from July 23rd – August 12th will be with Make Believe.

July
23: Bloomington, IN @ Second Story
24: Chicago, IL @ Abbey Pub w/ Dream Weapon
25: Detroit, MI @ Detroit Art Space w/ The Billy Nayer Show
26: Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Art Works
27: Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church w/ Automato
28: New York, NY @ Sin-e
29: Hamden, CT @ The Space w/ Short Pants Romance
30: East Hampton, MA @ The Flywheel w/ Nadelle and Thom
31: Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Early Show w/ Certainly Sir
31: Providene, RI @ Century Lounge w/ Ur Dog

August
1: Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
2: Charlottesville, VA @ Tokyo Rose
3: Carrboro, NC @ Rm 4 / Go Rehearsal
4: Mount Pleasant, SC @ Village Tavern
5: Atlanta, GA @ MJQ Drunken Unicorn Rm w/ Emperor
6: Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
7: Miami, FL @ Poplife
9: Houston, TX @ Mary Jane’s Fat Cat
10: Austin, TX @ Emo’s
11: Denton, TX @ Hailey’s
12: Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
14: Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts w/ Peachcake
15: Tucson, AZ @ Solar Cultural Gallery
17: Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
18: San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
20: Seattle, WA @ Paradox
21: Portland, OR @ Nocturnal

*Cex: rjyan.com
*Jade Tree: jadetree.com
*Temporary Residence Limited: temporaryresidence.com

In support of their recently released album, If You Can, The Race are heading out on a tour of the Eastern United States in July followed by a Western tour in August.

July
12: Pittsburgh, PA @ The Eye w/ We Ragazzi
13: Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar w/ We Ragazzi
14: New York, NY @ Knitting Factory (Tap Bar) w/ EZT
16: New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
17: Boston, MA @ The Allston Plan w/ The Silent League
18: Washington DC @ Velvent Lounge w/ The Silent League
20: Philadelphia, PA @ The Khyber
21: Baltimore, MD @ Mojo’s
22: Richmond, VA @ Hyperlink Cafe
23: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl w/ Jet By Day & United States
24: Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light
25: Newport, KY @ Southgate House w/ Rainer Maria & Engine Down
26: Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird w/ Early Day Miners
27: Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar

August (all dates w/ Old Canes)
11: St. Louis, MO @ Rocket Bar
12: Kansas City, MO @ The Brick
13: Omaha, NE @ TBA
14: Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
15: Colorado Springs, CO @ TBA
16: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
17: Seattle, WA @ TBA
18: Portland, OR @ TBA w/ Talk Demonic
19: San Francisco, CA @ Edinburgh Castle w/ Iowa Snake
21: Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory
22: Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
23: San Diego, CA @ TBA
24: Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts w/ Xiu Xiu
25: El Paso, TX @ Moontime Pizza
26: Odessa, TX @ TBA
27: Denton, TX @ TBA
28: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
29: Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot
30: Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s

I learned to love shitty coffee at a dive called Moe’s over a summer of lifeguarding days and cottage party nights. It was bad enough to be considered good by us, and after a couple months’ worth of it hard and black while seated in the green vinyl booths, cabbies all around, anything else was nectar. I don’t smoke, though.

Jim Jarmusch’s new, and finally completed, collection of vignettes Coffee and Cigarettes is a meticulously casual film about the iconic combination denoted in the title and the possibilities of the American café setting. Jitter-jump-started almost two decades ago, the project’s first chapter features Italian actor Roberto Benigni and arid-king comedian Steven Wright. Benigni, renowned for playing characters whose blood is seemingly replaced by pure espresso, is already hopped-up on caffeine when Wright enters. The two play what seems to be an improvised scene centering on unwanted dentistry and awkward communication (brilliantly, Wright completely ignores Benigni’s bizarre, “So, you know my mother?”). It’s like those crude prototypes of Far Side cartoons Gary Larson made when he was a teenager.

The ten remaining segments build upon this distinct form: black and white stock, a checker-board motif, a café setting, and marathons of tobacco smoke trails & bottomless cups of mud. Re-references link some of the scenes (repeating of lines in different contexts) but only in a playful and superficial sense. The real genius of the film, apart from the structure Jarmusch provides for his cast, is the craft of acting in all its varied styles. You get the natural charisma of Tom Waits playing against the puppy-faced personality of Iggy Pop; you also enjoy the more technically played scene between Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan, the film’s highlight. The nuanced meeting between Alex Descas and Isaach de Bankolé unfolds like a masterful etude in an acting class. Cate Blanchett plays against herself convincingly in a dual role. All the actors play themselves, or versions of themselves – in many scenes, part of the appeal is the existence of icons as themselves, most notably Bill Murray as himself playing a waiter trying to keep low-profile while serving/chilling with members of the Wu-Tang Clan (who hilariously refer to him at all times by both his first and last names).

Coffee and Cigarettes reminds filmgoers what joy can be unleashed from a simple premise carried-out to its richest conclusions. While the dialogues veer occasionally into meditations on nostalgia, acoustics, idealism, and metaphysics, the film never aspires to capture anything more profound than can be captured during idle chit-chat. The most moving observation made is of the small irritabilities and defensive postures we throw up during conversations: veiled calls for ego-massage, uncomfortable silences, and expressions of personal offense are nailed vividly. In this way, Coffee and Cigarettes avoids the possibly harmful side-effects of other conversation-based films like Waking Life and My Dinner with Andre, films that can be faulted for excessive mental-masturbation. But hey, masturbation of any kind is rewarding. Well, maybe not on animals for aiding with artificial insemination…