It’s a Big Month for Chris Connelly. Last week he dropped his solo debut for Relapse, Artificial Madness; he’s also on Meshell Ndegeocello‘s brand-new album, Weather; and on November 11 he celebrated his 47th birthday. But that’s not all, folks! Connelly tells Gossip Wolf that his supergroup, the High Confessions, is writing a new album. Along with all that, he has a new project in the works with his High Confessions bandmate and Mr. Omnipresent Metal Man, Sanford Parker.
LA weirdo-dance label 100% Silk, an offshoot of weirdo-weirdo label Not Not Fun, has been perhaps a bit overhyped by music blogs—No Fear of Pop referred to it as “this year’s probably most lauded venture in popular culture.” Lofty language aside, this Wolf still wants to check out the label’s acts in the flesh! Good thing some of its 100 percent most hyped and silky artists—including LA Vampires, Ital, and Magic Touch—are swinging through town for a showcase on Sat 11/19. Various label peeps will DJ throughout; for more info, e-mail theminimalbeat@gmail.com.
Former Catfish Haven front dude George Hunter tells Gossip Wolf that his new outfit, Roach Beach, has a small-run cassette on the way. “It’s 97 tapes. That’s all we have.” He says the band has enough material in the can for two LPs, so expect a spate of releases this winter—just not digitally. Hunter is a bit of a neo-Luddite!
Lincoln Square landmark the Old Town School of Folk Music, second home to countless roots-jamming Chicagoans over the years, will put out Live From the Old Town School on Tue 12/13. The four-volume, 127-track set, released by Old Town School Recordings (natch), is culled from a vast archive that spans more than five decades; it includes onstage performances from folk and world-music artists as diverse as Donovan, Pete Seeger, Toumani Diabate, Steve Earle, Joan Baez, and Oumou Sangare. Proceeds will benefit the school.
Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf