Optical Atlas

Ben Crum of Great Lakes has posted three new songs from their forthcoming album on the band’s MySpace page.  At last!

And NPR’s All Songs Considered calls The Apples in Stereo’s Travellers in Space and Time their “best album yet.”

The Great Lakes recently took a short tour of Norway, and here’s a nice memento: an acoustic performance, by Ben Crum and Kevin Shea, of their new song “A Good Day to Die,” performed on a boat in Egersund, Norway.  It’s splendid.

Two more Great Lakes performances are coming up, this Thursday and Friday night.  The first is tomorrow night at the Charleston (174 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY) at 11pm.  The second is Friday at the Lit (93 2nd Ave, NYC) at 9pm.  As Ben Crum states, “Potential chaos alert:  I got hit by by a real douchebag of a bicycle delivery guy who was hauling ass the wrong way down a one-way street a few days ago and I’ve been pretty out it ever since.  I think I got a concussion–so who knows what’ll happen…”  Everyone bring ice packs and smelling salts.

Great Lakes will be playing two shows as part of CMJ this week.  On Wednesday the band will be part of the Happy Happy Birthday to Me showcase (not to be missed; it also features Bearsuit and Cars Can Be Blue).  This free event is at Spike Hill in Williamsburg, and Ben Crum & crew take the stage at 9.  Then on Saturday Great Lakes will be playing with The Hard Lessons, The Teenage Prayers, and the Box Social at the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca ($10, CMJ badges welcome, doors at 8). 

This week is the 2008 Athens Popfest! Posted below is the finalized schedule per the Popfest website:

Tuesday, August 12
Cine
8:00 PM – Fish Schticks
8:35 PM – Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars
9:10 PM – Allison Weiss
9:45 PM – Titans of Filth

Wednesday, August 13
Little Kings
2:00 PM – Boy Genius
2:35 PM – the Hotwalls
3:15 PM – Amo Joy!
4:00 PM – Afternoon Naps
4:45 PM – Nervous Systems
5:30 PM – Oh Sanders
8:00 PM – Supercluster
8:35 PM – Blondie-Grunt
9:10 PM – Nana Grizol
9:45 PM – Hot Pants Romance
10:20 PM – the Coathangers
11:00 PM – Whistling School for Boys
11:30 PM – Judi Chicago
12:00 AM – Spring Tigers
12:35 AM – the Selmanaires
01:15 AM – We Versus the Shark

Thursday, August 14
The 40 Watt Club
8:00 PM – Patience Please
8:30 PM – Velcro Stars
9:00 PM – Bunnygrunt
9:30 PM – Cars Can Be Blue
10:15 PM – Great Lakes
11:00 PM – the Love Letter Band
11:45 PM – Dark Meat
12:30 AM – Roky Erickson & the Explosives

Little Kings
2:00 PM – That’s My Daughter
2:40 PM – Little Birds
3:20 PM – A Faulty Chromosome
4:00 PM – Panda Riot
4:45 PM – Averkiou

Flicker Theater and Bar
6:00 PM – Night Driving in Small Towns
6:45 PM – Good Graces
7:30 PM – Mary O Harrison

Caledonia
8:30 PM – the Ocelots
9:30 PM – Tom Gorrio (Baby Calendar)
10:30 PM – Twin Tigers
11:30 PM – Dead Confederate

Friday, August 15
The 40 Watt Club
8:00 PM – Cryptacize
8:30 PM – Secret History
9:10 PM – the Faintest Ideas
9:50 PM – Ruby Isle
10:30 PM – the Buddy System
11:00 PM – the Lolligags
11:30 PM – Fishboy
12:15 AM – the Apes
01:00 AM – Boyracer

Little Kings
2:00 PM – Railcars
2:40 PM – Tendaberry
3:20 PM – One Happy Island
4:00 PM – Hat Company
4:30 PM – Fat Planet

Flicker Theater and Bar
6:00 PM – Umbrella Tree
6:45 PM – Noisycrane
7:30 PM – Gospel Gossip

Cine
7:00 PM – “I Need That Record” screening

Caledonia
8:30 PM – Laminated Cat
9:30 PM – Ham 1
10:30 PM – My Teenage Stride
11:30 PM – A Armada
12:00 AM – DJ Other Voices, Other Rooms

Saturday, August 16
The 40 Watt Club
8:00 PM – the Smittens
8:30 PM – Big Fresh
9:00 PM – Thee American Revolution
9:30 PM – Pipes You See Pipes You Don’t
10:00 PM – Andy from Denver
10:30 PM – Casper & the Cookies
11:00 PM – Circulatory System
12:00 AM – Elf Power
01:00 AM – the Music Tapes

Little Kings
2:00 PM – Lognhalsmottagningen
2:15 PM – Bad Animal
3:00 PM – the Young Untold
3:30 PM – American Cheeseburger

Flicker Theater and Bar
6:00 PM – Oh Fortuna
6:45 PM – Marc with a C
7:30 PM – Hot Lava

Cine
4:15 PM – “I Need That Record” screening
7:00 PM – “I Need That Record” screening

Caledonia
8:30 PM – Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
9:30 PM -The Arcs
10:30 PM – Baak Gwai
11:30 PM – Man Factory
12:00 AM – DJ Other Voices, Other Rooms

Sunday, August 17
Cine
4:15 PM -”I Need That Record” screening
7:00 PM -”I Need That Record” screening

The Fifth Annual Athens Popfest lineup has been announced (well, mostly – there are still 16 more bands to be named), and in addition to featuring the long-awaited return of The Music Tapes (news which Merge Records broke a few weeks ago), Roky Erickson & the Explosives, featuring Thirteenth Floor Elevators‘ legendary frontman, will also be playing, as well as many Elephant 6-related bands such as Circulatory System, Elf Power, Thee American Revolution, Casper & the Cookies, Great Lakes, Andy from Denver, and more. Here’s the list as it stands right now:

Roky Erickson & The Explosives, The Music Tapes, Elf Power, Dark Meat, Boyracer, The Apes, Bunnygrunt, Thee American Revolution, Circulatory System, My Teenage Stride, The Faintest Ideas, We Versus the Shark, Casper & the Cookies, Cryptacize, Ruby Isle, The Great Lakes, Fishboy, Cars Can Be Blue, Love Letter Band, Andy From Denver, The Buddy System, The Smittens, Big Fresh, Supercluster, The Coathangers, The Selmanaires, Spring Tigers, Dead Confederate, Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies, Velcro Stars, Red Pony Clock, the Lolligags, Secret History, Judi Chicago, Hot Pants Romance, Nana Grizol, The Sterns, Thrushes, Laminated Cat, Fat Planet, The Ocelots, The Besties, Twin Tigers, The Afternoon Naps, Boy Genius, the Hotwalls, Amo Joy!, Oh Sanders, That’s My Daughter, Little Birds, A Faulty Chromosome, Panda Riot, Patience Please, Railcars, Tendaberry, One Happy Island, The Hat Company, The Young Untold, Bad Animal, Oh Fortuna, Good Graces, Night Driving in Small Towns, Umbrella Tree, Noisycrane, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Allison Weiss, Whistling School for Boys

Festival passes are on sale here. The festival will be held the third week in August in Athens, Georgia.

Optical Atlas’ erstwhile correspondent Adam Schragin has checked in with a review of the new compilation Build Your Army with Potatoes, from Royal Rhino Flying Records, and featuring The Instruments, Great Lakes, Ideal Free Distribution, Mendoza Line, The Lilys, and more.  Read it here.

Just saw that when Elf Power hits New York on their just-launched tour, they’ll be playing with Great Lakes.  That’s April 8th at Union Hall.  Not a show to be missed.
Also, I wanted to let everyone know that if you sent me an email within the last couple of days (at info@opticalatlas.com), I didn’t get it.  Please resend.