Nina Barnes sells and distributes her art under the name Geminitactics, and now she is selling some Skeletal Lamping-themed prints at her Etsy store, with more to come.

In non-of Montreal news, Merge Records will continue celebrating its 20-year anniversary, not just through a massive subscription-series box set, but also through a 5-day music festival, “XX Merge”, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, July 22-26. No acts have been announced yet, but The Music Tapes might be a safe bet.

Oh, and I don’t think I ever mentioned that Orange Twin now has a digital store, where you can download albums by Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power, The Visitations, Nana Grizol, The Instruments, Ham1, Madeline, and Geoff Reacher. Very nice.

Athens’ Ham1, fronted by Jim Willingham, is following up this summer’s Athens Popfest appearance by releasing the band’s third album, The Underground Stream, via Chamber of Commerce this fall.  This is almost exactly a year after their last release, the lo-fi, eclectic and winning The Captain’s Table (on Orange Twin).  Like its predecessor, The Underground Stream is a blend of surf rock instrumentals, sleepy vocals, and surrealist lyrics, as Willingham is joined by the usual Ham1 suspects: Eric Harris (Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control), Jacob Morris, and Chris Sugiuchi, with additional contributions from Lucas Jensen (Venice is Sinking) and Jason NeSmith (Casper & the Cookies), who helped engineer the album.  Best of all, for a limited time you can download the entire album for free right now at Ham1’s website.  Although collectors should note that Infinity Cat Records will issue the album on vinyl in early 2009.  

The Underground Stream,
by Ham1
1. Will You Ever See Me Again ?
2. Mel Bay
3. Toothless Frontlines
4. This Is Your Life
5. Begonia
6. Thylacine
7. Potato Gun
8. Fallen Trees
9. I Wave Back
10. Adirondack Chair
11. The Underground Stream

Athens-based singer/songwriter Liz Durrett is an acoustic folk artist, but not of the typical mold; on her latest album Outside Our Gates, she isn’t afraid of applying some gorgeous, occasionally left-field instrumentation courtesy members of HAM1, Olivia Tremor Control, Tin Cup Prophette, and Man or Astro-Man?, as well as taking contributions from her uncle, celebrated songwriter Vic Chesnutt (whose collaborative album with Elf Power, Dark Developments, is out this fall on Orange Twin). Outside Our Gates is released September 9th on WARM Electronic Recordings and iTunes. Track listing, with an MP3 courtesy Liz Durrett’s official site, is below.

Outside Our Gates,
by Liz Durrett

1. Wake to Believe
2. Wild as Them
3. In the Eaves
4. We Build Bridges
5. Lost Hiker
6. All of Them All
7. Note for a Girl
8. You Live Alone
9. Always Signs
10. Not Running
11. The Sea a Dream

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

Full Festival Schedule

CINE 8.12.08
8:00 – Fish Schticks
8:35 – Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars
9:10 – Allison Weiss
9:45 – Titans of Filth

LITTLE KINGS 8.13.08
2:00 – Boy Genius
2:35 – the Hotwalls
3:15 – Amo Joy!
4:00 – Afternoon Naps
4:45 – Nervous Systems (not confirmed yet)
5:30 – Oh Sanders
(Break time!)
8:00 – Supercluster
8:35 – Blondie-Grunt
9:10 – Nana Grizol
9:45 – Hot Pants Romance
10:20 – the Coathangers
11:00 – Whistling School for Boys
11:30 – Judi Chicago
12:00 – Spring Tigers
12:35 – the Selmanaires
1:15 – We Versus the Shark

LITTLE KINGS 8.14.08
2:00 – That’s My Daughter
2:40 – Little Birds
3:20 – A Faulty Chromosome
4:00 – Panda Riot
4:45 – Averkiou

FLICKER 8.14.08
6:00 – Night Driving in Small Towns
6:45 – Good Graces
7:30 – Mary O Harrison

CALEDONIA 8.14.08
8:30 – the Ocelots
9:30 – the Besties
10:30 – Twin Tigers
11:30 – Dead Confederate

40 WATT CLUB 8.14.08
8:00 – Patience Please
8:30 – Velcro Stars
9:00 – Bunnygrunt
9:30 – Cars Can Be Blue
10:15 – Great Lakes
11:00 – the Love Letter Band
11:45 – Dark Meat
12:30 – Roky Erickson & the Explosives

LITTLE KINGS 8.15.08
2:00 – Railcars
2:40 – Tendaberry
3:20 – One Happy Island
4:00 – Hat Company
4:30 – Fat Planet

FLICKER 8.15.08
6:00 – Oh Fortuna
6:45 – Noisycrane
7:30 – Gospel Gossip

CALEDONIA 8.15.08
8:30 – Laminated Cat
9:30 – Ham 1
10:30 – My Teenage Stride
11:30 – Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies

40 WATT 8.15.08
8:00 – Cryptacize
8:30 – Secret History
9:00 – the Faintest Ideas
9:30 – Ruby Isle
10:00 – the Buddy System
10:30 – the Lolligags
11:00 – Fishboy
11:30 – the Apes
12:15 – Boyracer
1:00 – TBA

LITTLE KINGS 8.16.08
2:00 – Lognhalsmottagningen
2:15 – Bad Animal
3:00 – the Young Untold
3:30 – Bright Lights
4:15 – American Cheeseburger

FLICKER 8.16.08
6:00 – Oh Fortuna
6:45 – Marc with a C
7:30 – Hot Lava

CALEDONIA 8.16.08
8:30 – Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
9:30 – Thrushes
10:30 – the Sterns
11:30 – Man Factory

40 WATT 8.16.08
8:00 – the Smittens
8:30 – Big Fresh
9:00 – Thee American Revolution
9:30 – Pipes You See Pipes You Don’t
10:00 – Andy from Denver
10:30 – Casper & the Cookies
11:00 – Circulatory System
12:00 – Elf Power
1:00 – the Music Tapes