Robert Pollard Interview Reveals New Band "Boston Spaceships" And Fall Tour News!

Wowa-wee-wa! Huge news in the world of Bob! In a new interview with Billboard Magazine, Robert Pollard discusses details about the making of Off To Business and Guided By Voices Inc., a completely new band called Boston Spaceships, a full-fledged tour with Boston Spaceships and another new Circus Devils album! But don't take my word for it.


Regarding Off To Business, Bob sez...

"I made the album purposely into more of a classic rock-styled record, where I was a little more disciplined with my songwriting approach. Almost a semi-prog rock record, although it's a pop record too. Kind of in the vein of Peter Gabriel’s first solo album. It's a starting point."

And Bob almost released Off To Business as a new Guided By Voices album (a very good sign)...

"But then I thought it might be construed as I’m trying to capitalize on the name to sell more records -- and I didn’t want it to appear that way. My manager decided, 'Why don't we call that the label -- Guided By Voices Inc.?"

And the possibility of GBV Inc. releasing other band's albums is mentioned. One band that will definitely be on the label is the mysterious new Boston Spaceships...

"I continue to work with Todd Tobias, and we do the Circus Devils thing -- we have a Circus Devils record finished, and we've got another one we're going to work on soon. And I've got another project that I'm not really going to go into, because I want there to be a little bit of mystery about it – a new band I'm forming called Boston Spaceships. I'm not quite sure who's going to be involved, but I plan on that being my new band."

And I have it on good authority that Boston Spaceships will be Bob's touring band in the fall (a full-fledged tour including Dayton and Boston, at the very least)...

"I think I'm going to out in the fall -- after I have this album and a couple of more things finished, and I have a lot of material to work with. My goal is I don’t want to play anything I've played live before live. I know a lot of people expect ... 'Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory' and 'Cut-Out Witch' and things like that. I've been doing things like that for so long that I'm sick of doing that.... I want to play not necessarily mostly new stuff, but the older songs, I want them to be obscure -- like songs from 'Suitcase.'"

Exciting news all around! Can't wait to hear who exactly is in Boston Spaceships (ex-GBV members? The Ascended Masters?), what will be on the Boston Spaceship debut and where the tour will bring us the Bob.

Doug Gillard - Solo Shows In Cleveland This Weekend!

If you are fortunate enough to dwell in the greater Cleveland area, you have two opportunities this weekend to see the mighty Doug Gillard! And these are solo acoustic and electric shows, meaning new material from Doug's upcoming solo album will be showcased alongside a few old favorites, no doubt. And let me tell ya, the new stuff is brilliant and brings the rock!

Friday night's 7 PM show is "Words and Music" at Tri-C Metro campus (2900 Community College Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115- for more info call 216-987-3277) with Don Dixon (of REM production fame), Carlos Jones, and Tom Wiggins.

And on Saturday, the gig is Beachland Tavern (15711 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH 44110- for more info call 216-383-1124) with California Speedbag at 9:30 PM.

Have fun and report back here with your thoughts on the shows!

Robert Pollard Is Off To Business Available For Pre-Order!

Exciting news, kids. Bob Pollard's new 10 song LP, Off To Business is now available for pre-order from Rockathon Records! If you have been loving the Weatherman And Skin Goddess EP as much as I have (Coat Factory Zero is a monster), you have been waiting for this opportunity.

Plus, all vinyl orders from Rockathon will include a professional replicated CDR of the album. They only have 500 wax copies, so get yr orders in pronto. The other 500 LPs will be in stores without the CDR.

And on top of that, Rockathon will ship Off To Business in mid-May, in spite of the official June 3rd release date! But keep it under your hat- what the retail stores don't know won't hurt them...

Robert Pollard Is Off To Business will be Robert Pollard's only proper "Robert Pollard" full-length for 2008, released on Robert Pollard's own new label Guided By Voices, Inc. At 10 songs and 35 minutes, it's an extraordinary rock tour-de-force. Robert Pollard Is Off To Business sports Todd Tobias' cleanest and meanest production yet, giant songs and riffs that pack a wallop, and arguably Pollard's finest singing ever captured on record. For Pollard, whose albums normally run 15-25 songs, this 10-song work (the majority of the songs 3:30 or longer) is a departure from form. Since freeing himself of a band in 2004, his albums have each had very distinct and varied flavors, and his creativity has flowered.

Pollard Pardy Documentary Videos

These clips are pretty self-explanatory, but here's the deal in a nutshell: a Robert Pollard fan by the name of Johny Bekavac filmed a documentary of his road trip to the Robert Pollard shows late last year. And while assembling and editing the footage, he has released two excellently crafted trailers and the full mind-blowing credit sequence on YouTube. Brilliant work, my man and I can't wait for the finished product!..