Days of our nights

Happily, we stand corrected: Guided By Voices will indeed make a Northwest appearance this summer, despite their damaged drummer. Look for them at Bumbershoot on Sept. 3. . . . Instead of handing a young girl one more glitter stick or ‘N Sync trading card, how about handing her a guitar? We’re shilling for the nonprofit Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, dedicated to “providing a positive outlet for expression and creativity to girls of varying socio-economic status and abilities.” So if you can spare it, go to www.girlsrockcamp.org or mail a check to P.O. Box 86633, Portland, OR, 97286-0633. Help create the next little Stevie Nicks or Kathleen Hanna, and, of course, it’s tax deductible. . . . One more public service announcement, one not requiring any part of your paycheck: An open call has been issued for the best underground MCs in Seattle. At Mic Check 2001, a nationwide MC battle, 32 MCs will compete on Aug. 22-23 at I-Spy. Prizes include free recording time, $500 in cash, a big shiny trophy, and the opportunity to defend your title at the next Mic Check in New Orleans. For more info, call 877-870-1217 or e-mail undaground@mail.com. . . . Stupid, stupid neighbors to the North. Chixdiggit‘s tour has been canceled because Canada won’t let them cross the border. So much for NAFTA. . . . Not since George C. Scott turned down his Oscar have we seen such a blatant eff-you to the entertainment industry’s Cult of the Golden Statuette: Animated hip-hop supergroup Gorillaz have turned down their nomination for this year’s Mercury Prize, the U.K.’s top music honor. Bassist Murdoc claimed the prospect was “heavy,” like “carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity.” The group was the odds-on favorite to win, so that leaves the door wide open for either Radiohead or Basement Jaxx, the closest

runners-up. . . . In other dissing news, beloved roots rockers Wilco have been dumped by Reprise Records after the label rejected the group’s forthcoming album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (produced by the equally beloved Jim O’Rourke), according to sources, for not being “commercial” enough. The future of the album remains uncertain. Yet another warm and fuzzy chapter from the annals of the music business. . . . There were plenty of shows this week, but only one we’ll remember past our next deadline: Sunday night’s wildly successful yet thrown-together affair at the Rendezvous. Six bands in four hours? At a bar infamous for its disproportionate number of crackheads and freaks? On a Sunday night? Hell, yes. The Carving Knives from Austin, Texas, screeched through the kind of extra-loud expert punk that would make a man like Mark E. Smith proud as hell. And who needs a drummer when you’ve got Dr. Rhythm and three of the raddest guitar players in town? Not the Charming Snakes, for Christ’s sake. The trio is about to lose their third member to Austin’s swampy heat for the rest of the summer, but stay tuned for the reunion—unlike the revolution, it will be televised. The Rendezvous also proved to be the perfect setting for New Luck Toy; the three-piece ripped it up proper before yielding to the Briefs. Speaking of, are the Briefs Seattle’s version of Jawbreaker or what? Guess we’ll have to see how the whole Interscope thing shakes down, but for now we’re happy as hell to call them our own. But, by all accounts, the show belonged to Austin’s Those Peabodys. The rapt crowd watched as Archers of Loaf, AC/DC, the MC5, and the Who converged in front of their very eyes in the form of four 23-year-olds with wicked haircuts and licks for days. They closed the set with a song that exhaustibly asked rock’s preeminent question, “Why’s the party always at my house?” Hard act

to follow, but Weird Science handled it expertly; their Devo-meets-the-Ramones style rocked hard and steady until the ‘vous staff pulled the plug. And that friends, is rock ‘n’ roll. . . . August at EMP is “Electronic Month,” and the big names include techno legends Juan Atkins and Derrick May, junglists Diesel Boy and Bad Company, and Mexico’s multi-culti funboys Nortec Collective, plus, since it is EMP, reams of symposiums, instructional events, and films. Check the music calendar for updates. . . . Ah, true love. In case you cared, rumors of wedding bells for Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock have been zipping down both coasts, much, we’re sure, to the chagrin of respectively dumped paramours Tommy Lee and Sheryl Crow. Since they’ve been rutting publicly at just about every restaurant, sports game, and industry party they attend, maybe it’s time America’s favorite trashy blonds made it official and started pumping out the future Nobel prize-winners we’re sure their offspring will be. . . .