Top 5 Beers At Beer Hoptacular!

I had a great time at the first annual Beer Hoptacular! There was a lot of beer, but these were my top five. Cheers!

1. Wild Onion Brewing Company - Paddy Pale Ale
2. Destihl - Rasberry Wheat
3. Magic Hat - Odd Notion
4. Mickey Finn's Brewery - R.K.'s IPA
5. Stevens Point Brewery - Nude Beach
   

Thank Boosh It's Friday!

It's going to be a great weekend! I am psyched about Beer Hoptacular! tonight. If you haven't got your tickets yet, there is still time. Tomorrow, I have a bachelor party for one of my best friends. No plans for Sunday, but it will probably be a rest day. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

• Snoop Dogg to join Gorillaz at Glastonbury?
• NPR pays tribute to The Mighty Uke
• Just how bad are record sales? Check it out
• MGMT unveils their open taping policy
• Aerosmith's Joe Perry has high hopes for their next record
• Check out the Band of Horses video for "For Annabelle"

Phish - Waste

Wilco Sponsors Little League Teams

The members of Wilco are not known for their athletic prowess, although drummer Glenn Kotche and guitar wiz Nels Cline each get substantial workouts during Wilco shows. The band is sponsoring little league teams in their hometown of Chicago and in Northampton, MA. Check out the info below.

Wilco: The Baseball Team
Wilco's Jeffy Tweedy has referenced his physicality before in self-deprecating fashion (saying in “Kicking Television” that he’s “working on his abs”), but a news update on the group’s website indicates that the band is more likely to hitting groundballs than doing sit-ups. That’s because Wilco is sponsoring not one, but two little league baseball teams in Chicago and Northampton, Mass., respectively. The Chicago team, the Royals, plays in the Warren Park Youth Baseball League, while the Mass. team is in the Northampton Little League, Junior Division. This seems like a natural place to make a joke about whether the teams will shift lineups as much as Wilco has, but who would do such a thing?

Chicagoist presents Wilco: The Product Guide

[Via Chicagoist]

Listen to Two New Rush Songs

Rush has just released two new songs from their forthcoming release Clockwork Angels, which will be released later this year. Rush will hit the road this summer in which they will play Moving Pictures in it's entirety along with songs from their storied career. Check out their official website for the 411.

Rush - Brought Up To Believe

Rush - Caravan

[Via Consequence of Sound]

Great Lake Swimmers Give 'Lost Channels' Vinyl Deluxe Treatment

On June 22, Great Lake Swimmers will release Lost Channels on vinyl, but with a few extra bells and whistles. Check out the release info below.

The vinyl package will include:

• Deluxe 180-gram vinyl
• A live bonus 7" with 2 songs from the Trinity St. Paul's show in Toronto
• Album download card with 3 additional songs
  

The 7" will be packaged inside of the the vinyl cover with it's own unique sleeve. 7" tracks, "Put There By The Land" & "Concrete Heart," will also be available as digital downloads through the download card along with extra track, "It's Too Late." Preorder details and unboxing video to come.

Lost Channels Vinyl Track Listing :
Palmistry
Everything Is Moving So Fast
Pulling On A Line
Concrete Heart
She Comes to Me In Dreams
The Chorus In The Underground
Singer Castle Bells
Stealing Tomorrow
Still
New Light
River's Edge
Unison Falling Into Harmony

Download Card Track Listing :
Palmistry
Everything Is Moving So Fast
Pulling On A Line
Concrete Heart
She Comes to Me In Dreams
The Chorus In The Underground
Singer Castle Bells
Stealing Tomorrow
Still
New Light
River's Edge
Unison Falling Into Harmony
Put There By The Land (Live)
Concrete Heart (Live)
*Bonus - It's Too Late

Hump Day Happenings

It's been a pretty crazy day for me, but I am looking forward to having a beer and watching the Hawks game tonight. Not much else is going on so with that, I present some news and a video to get you over your Wednesday afternoon hump.

• Chicago gets a new music festival for Labor Day Weekend
• Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party announces lineup
• Conan sat in with Vampire Weekend at his NYC tour stop
• Keith Richards autobiography is due to hit stores this fall
• iClips reveals their Mountain Jam webcast schedule
• Maybe Live Nation has a heart after all

Gov't Mule - Soulshine

The National Announce Fall Tour

I will admit at first listen, I wasn't sold on The National's High Violet, but then again it took me a few listens on both Alligator & Boxer. After I played the album the second and third time through, the light bulb went off. High Violet is a stunning masterpiece and if you don't own it you should pick it up ASAP! Today, the band announced their Fall US tour. I am excited that the band is playing Lollapalooza, but this band is clearly made for theaters and smaller venues. I am hoping that they announce a Lolla aftershow. These shows are bound to sell out so make sure you computer clock is set!

Check the bands official website for the ticketing links and on-sale times.

The National Fall Tour Dates
Sept. 12 @ Music Fest Northwest, Portland, OR
Sept. 24 @ Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ
Sept. 25 @ Carnegie Library Homestead, Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 27 @ Brown Theater, Louisville, KY
Sept. 29 @ Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO
Sept. 30 @ The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
Oct. 2 @ Murat Egyptian, Indianapolis, IN
Oct. 3 @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Oct. 4 @ Memorial Hall, Raleigh, NC
Oct. 5 @ Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
Oct. 6 @ House of Blues, Orlando, FL
Oct. 8 @ House of Blues, Houston, TX
Oct. 9 @ House of Blues, Dallas, TX
Oct. 10 @ Austin City Limits Festival, Austin, TX
Oct. 13 @ Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ
Oct. 14 @ Marquee Theater, Tempe, AZ
Oct. 16 @ Fox Theater, Pomona, CA
Oct. 18 @ Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO