This week’s Slicing Up Eyeballs headlines include news about The Cure, The Stone Roses, Pixies, The Cult, The Mission, Killing Joke, Bob Mould, Meat Puppets, Budgie, Morrissey, Dinosaur Jr, Madness, Sonic Youth, Peter Gabriel and PiL — plus our latest Auto Reverse mixtape for your downloading pleasure.
Here’s video shot in the last week of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore covering the Rolling Stones’ ‘It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)’ in Rio and bandmate Lee Ranaldo doing his take on Talking Heads”Thank You For Sending Me An Angel,’ before segueing into his own song ‘Fire Island (Phases),’ in Barcelona.
Lee Ranaldo may have an excellent new solo album to promote — ‘Between the Times and the Tides,’ due out March 20 on Matador Records — but he’s invariably going to be asked at every turn about the future of Sonic Youth, given last year’s break-up of bandmates and spouses Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon.
If you’ve haven’t seen director Tim Irwin’s 2005 documentary ‘We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen,’ now’s your chance — the full 90-minute film has made its way onto YouTube. The film features interviews with surviving members Mike Watt and George Hurley.
Sonic Youth wrapped up a short South American tour last night with a 70-minute set at the SWU Music & Arts Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil — something that normally wouldn’t be particularly newsworthy, except that it might have been the legendary noise-rockers’ final performance after 30 years together.
The future of Sonic Youth may still be uncertain, but fans can at least take solace in Matador Records’ announcement today that Lee Ranaldo will release a new solo album called ‘Between The Times & The Tides’ next spring — and judging by the recent live debut of the songs, it’s a fairly rock-oriented affair.
After 27 years of marriage and 30 years as bandmates, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon today issued a statement announcing they’ve separated, and while Sonic Youth will honor its South American touring commitments next month, the future of the band is uncertain.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 