Upcoming Robert Pollard Projects - Late 2008 Edition... Updated Again!

Updated with 2009 Boston Spaceships, Robert Pollard solo and Circus Devils previews and tracklists, "The Butler Stands For All Of Us" EP news, EAT 6 and much more...

So we find ourselves more than half-way through the Year Of The Rat (my Chinese astrological sign, by the by), aka 2008. And it's about time to update one of the more popular posts on Pop Zeus, namely the upcoming Robert Pollard release calendar! Info has been scarce for projects beyond October. But here is what we know, including stuff from July and August in case you missed it...


Carbon Whales "South" EP/CD
(Happy Jack Rock Records. July 15th, 2008.)
Happy Jack Rock Records continues to deliver the goods with the release of Carbon Whales' 4 song EP entitled South (now available)! The tracklisting is...

01 Welcome To Miami
02 Work Into Me
03 False Teeth
04 The Jeep

But who are Carbon Whales? The liner notes provide only cryptic names and the press release claims that the are an Ohio band from the 70's with a singer that sounds like Bob Pollard, but it actually "Bob Evans". Rumors abound that the backing band are actually Paddy Considine's (Bob friend and fan) Riding The Low. I have also heard that the bass is unmistakable Chris Slusarenko. For years, Bob similarly denied that the psych band Nightwalker were Guided By Voices (they were). The truth is out there somewhere.


Robert Pollard "EAT 5 - The Dogshit Chronicles" Art/Literary Journal
(Rockathon Records. July 15th, 2008.)
EAT 5: The Dogshit Chronicles, an all text issue of Robert Pollard and Rockathon Records' series of literary/art journals, is something special. Check the word from my main man, Rich T...

EAT 5 will be out shortly and it is unlike any of the other EATs. It is actually a book of stories written by Bob. True stories of his times in Northridge. Really crazy stories written about some really crazy people.

And Bob sez...

It’s just going to be the very best drinking, crazy-ass party stories that I can conjure. The “How the hell did I survive that?” kind of thing. Kind of like the Basketball Diaries, but it’s the Dogshit Chronicles. It mainly has to do with alcohol, not heroin or whatever... I’ve got shitloads of them. But I can’t always come up with them, because they’re not like we went out and fucking burned a building down or something. It’s just where we went out and shit that we didn’t expect to happen would happen. The next day we go, “Jesus Christ, we’re lucky we didn’t kill ourselves.” Those kinds of things.

This issue of EAT is a hilarious "can't miss", trust me!


Boston Spaceships "You Satisfy Me b/w Impossible Octopus" 7" single
(Happy Jack Rock Records. August 5th, 2008.)
You Satisfy Me is the "promotional" red vinyl 7" single from the new Boston Spaceships album Brown Submarine. And the B-side is Impossible Octopus (written by Trebor Drallop), You Satisfy Me played backwards. It's a hauntingly beautiful track and a taste of the softer side of BS. And this vinyl-only, internet-only 500 copy limited edition is sure to go fast...


Robert Pollard "Town of Mirrors : The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard" Hardcover Book
(Fantagraphics Books. Late August 2008.)
This may be the 2008 project I'm most excited about. Following a December art gallery show in Manhattan, Fantagraphics Books (home to many of my favorite comic books) will be releasing this deluxe 10"x10" coffee-table book collection of over 140 Bob-picked collages and favorite song lyrics! If you already love Pollard's literary/art journal EAT, Town Of Mirrors is a no-brainer. Operators are standing by for your pre-order with Rockathon Records...


Boston Spaceships "Brown Submarine" LP/CD
(Guided By Voices Inc.. September 16th, 2008.)
The band's debut album, Brown Submarine (dropping [pun intended] on Pollard's own label Guided By Voices Inc.) was recorded in Portland with Chris Slusarenko on everything but drums (The Decembrists' John Moen). Bob's vocals were recorded sometime later by Todd Tobias at Waterloo Studios. And the tracklisting is...

01 Winston's Atomic Bird
02 Brown Submarine
03 You Satisfy Me
04 Ate It Twice
05 Two Girl Area
06 North 11 A.M.,
07 Zero Fix
08 Psych Threat
09 Andy Playboy
10 Rat Trap
11 Soggy Beavers
12 Ready to Pop
13 Still in Rome
14 Go for the Exit

If you have been paying attention, you will instantly recognize Go For The Exit as a re-titled and re-worked Suitcase 1 song (and one of my personal favorites) Go For The Answers. And that's one of the coolest things about the Boston Spaceships project. Pollard is using the band as a way to fully realize old songs that were either released only on Suitcase or weren't released at all. Suitcase songs like Soggy Beavers, It's Easy and Dorothy's A Planet will be among the "brown nuggets" on Boston Spaceships' docket. Another 1/3rd of the songs will be old songs never heard. And the final 1/3rd will be brand new Pollard compositions. Unlike The Takeovers, all the music will be penned by Pollard.

The news gets even better. Bob considers Boston Spaceships to be his new band. So a new BS album will be released every year! The follow up to Brown Submarine is already in the works. This is not to say that the yearly solo and Circus Devils albums will cease production. Never underestimate the Pollard work ethic!

Soon after Brown Submarine launches, the fully formed Boston Spaceships (supplemented by the excellent Tommy Keene on lead guitar and keyboards and Jason Narducy on bass) will hit the road to bring you the rock! Expect to hear an all-new setlist (GBV free, so I've heard) of Boston Spaceships tunes, new solo Pollard and other surprises. Here are the dates and opening acts...

09-25 Cincinnati, OH - Midpoint Music Festival *
09-26 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop *
09-27 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
09-29 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
09-30 Boston, MA - Paradise #
10-01 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom *
10-03 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig *
10-04 Dayton, OH - Dayton Music Festival
10-06 Chicago, IL - Double Door *
10-07 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club *
10-09 Champaign, IL - Higher Ground *
10-10 St. Louis, MO - Bluebird *
10-11 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone *
10-14 Austin, TX - The Parish *
10-15 Dallas, TX - The Loft *
10-17 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
10-18 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge *

* with the High Strung
# with Big Dipper

And while you are enjoying the live performance, the merch table will be featuring 2 brand new Boston Spaceships tee shirts. And if you are so inclined to buy one, you will get a free download card which will download the following mp3s...

1) Robert Pollard - Gratification To Concrete
from the album Robert Pollard Is Off To Business - 2008
2) Boston Spaceships - Go For The Exit
from the album Brown Submarine - 2008
3) Circus Devils - The Girls Will Make It Happen - 2008
from the album Ataxia - 2008
4) Carbon Whales - Welcome To Miami
from the single South - 2008
5) Circus Devils - Every Moment Flame On
from the album Gringo - October, 2009
6) Robert Pollard - By Silence Be Destroyed
from the album The Crawling Distance - January 20, 2009
7) Boston Spaceships - Heavy Crown
from the album The Planets Are Blasted - February 17, 2009

Wow!


Robert Pollard "EAT 6" Art/Literary Journal
(Rockathon Records. September 2008.)
Like EAT 4, EAT 6 will be another all-collage issue. And the latest news is that EAT 6 will be on sale at merchandise table at all upcoming Boston Spaceship shows (along with 2 styles of BS tee-shirts, Town of Mirrors, Carbon Whales, You Satisfy Me, Brown Submarine, etc). Looking forward to picking one up!


Circus Devils "Ataxia" LP/CD
(Happy Jack Rock Records. October 31st, 2008.)
The follow-up to Sgt. Disco (what many consider to be the best Circus Devils album) is already recorded and on its way! According to inside sources, Ataxia "fucking rocks", is the heaviest Pollard release in years and is influenced by Black Sabbath and Devo(?). And it looks to be another "October Surprise" for Ataxia, as Circus Devils returns to their traditional Halloween release date. Here is the final tracklist...

01 Under Review
02 I-Razors
03 Freedom's Monster
04 That's The Spirit
05 Backwash Television
06 The Girls Will Make It Happen
07 Mayflower Brought Disease
08 Stars, Stripes And Crack Pipes
09 Ataxia
10 Nets At Every Angle
11 Hi I'm Martha, How Are You?
12 Lunatic Style
13 Get Me Extra!
14 I Found The Black Mind
15 He Had All Day
16 Fuzz In The Street
17 Rat Faced Ballerina


Robert Pollard "The Butler Stands For All Of Us" 7"/CD
(Guided By Voices Inc., Mid-Late November, 2008.)
Want to hear a bit of what Bob has in store for us in 2009? Well, you won't have to wait too long. The Butler Stands For All Of Us will feature 4 non-album B-sides off of January 2009's Pollard solo album, The Crawling Distance (see below). Dig it!


Guided By Voices "Some Drinking Implied 2" DVD
(Rockathon Records. Tentative release date late 2008, early 2009?)
Even though this home brew Guided By Voices DVD from the folks at Rockathon didn't see the light of day in 2007, 2008 might just be our lucky year! Already confirmed for the DVD are videos for "Bughouse, War Horsies, Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft, The Best of Jill Hives, Circle Saw Boys Club, Get Me Extra!, Bogus Reactions, Shadow Port, Eye Razors, Sons Of Apollo as well as some amazing vintage footage of GBV performing in Dayton and all sorts of other crazy clips." I'm in!


Robert Pollard "The Crawling Distance" LP/CD
(Guided By Voices Inc., January 20th, 2009.)
A little birdy from Cleveland told me that Robert Pollard's next solo album (and follow up to this year's "Robert Pollard Is Off To Business") is already in the can! As expected, ace producer Todd Tobias is behind the board once again. And By Silence Be Destroyed can be downloaded for free with purchase of a Boston Spaceships tour tee shirt (see above)! The rest of the LP tracks (including two Suitcase gems, It's Easy and On Short Wave) are...

01 Faking My Harlequin
02 Cave Zone
03 Red Cross Vegas Night
04 The Butler Stands For All of Us
05 It's Easy
06 No Island
07 By Silence Be Destroyed
08 Imaginary Queen Ann
09 On Shortwave
10 Too Much Fun


Boston Spaceships "The Planets Are Blasted" LP/CD
(Guided By Voices Inc.. February 17th, 2009.)
Boston Spaceships returns at the speed of light with the follow-up to 2008's Brown Submarine! Chris Slusarenko (all guitars) and John Moen (drums) will return with, of course, Robert Pollard penning the tunes and singing the melodies plus guest appearances by ex-GBVer Greg Demos, Gary Jarman of the Cribs, and Chris Funk of the Decemberists. As with all records in the Boston Spaceships oeuvre, expect to hear unearthed old songs, brand new songs and newly realized songs from the Suitcase box sets- case in point being Heavy Crown, the first revealed track off of The Planets Are Blasted, available for free download with purchase of a Boston Spaceships Tour tee shirt! And the rest of the tracklisting is...

01 Canned Food Demons
02 Dorothy's a Planet
03 Tattoo Mission
04 Keep Me Down
05 Big O Gets an Earful
06 Catherine From Mid October
07 Headache Revolution
08 Slyph
09 UFO Love Letters
10 Lake of Fire
11 Queen of Stormy Weather
12 The Town That's After Me
13 Sight on Sight
14 Heavy Crown

Full band versions of Catherine From Mid-October from the Zoom EP and Suitcase classics Dorothy's A Planet and Headache Revolution? Booyah!


Circus Devils "Gringo" LP/CD
(Happy Jack Rock Records. February 2009?)
Following up on an anonymous tip in the comments of this very post, our friends the Circus Devils are ready to blow your mind once again with Gringo, the follow up to October 2008's Ataxia (described above)! Lead-off single Every Moment Flame On is available for download with purchase of a Boston Spaceships tour tee shirt (see above). The entire tracklist is as follows...

01 Witness Hill
02 Every Moment Flame On
03 Shipped From Prison to Prison
04 Bad Baby Blue
05 Easy Baby
06 Before it Walks
07 Monkey Head
08 When the Beast Falls Down
09 Letters From a Witch
10 Arizona Blacktop Co.
11 Hot Water Wine
12 In Your Hour of Rescue
13 The Ants
14 Stars Out all Night
15 Gasoline Drinkers
16 Yellow Cloud


Circus Devils "Untitled" LP/CD
(Happy Jack Rock Records. October 31st 2009?)
Rumor has it that there will be not one, but two Circus Devils records out in 2009! Huzzah!


And that just about covers it for this year (and a chunk of 2009), kids!