The brains behind Robert Pollard's new rock combo Boston Spaceships is offering fans to cut a video of its lead track - Winston's Atomic Bird - from the band's upcoming CD 'Brown Submarine'.
Make a video, throw it up on YouTube and share it with the band through its MySpace site. Could be rollicking good fun once the submissions come in - there are a LOT of twisted creative geniuses who've followed Pollard for years - now's their chance to shine.
With every recent CD release from Robert Pollard, I've been hoping that it's a return to his more rockin' punkpop flavors. You know, that feeling a listener got with his first hearing of "Exit Flagger", "Time Machines", "Motor Away" and others. Yet, it seems with the last few releases, I was hearing more progged out tunes with slower, more complex arrangements, kick-a-start rhythms and bulletbottom drums.
I thought Gratification to Concrete was great, a snappy, catchy return to (my preferred) form. Now I read that his new Boston Spaceships CD will be a rocked-up pop punk album (so says his website writer below) - HOOO-RAY, I say.
"Though you'll notice some subtle prog flourishes and acoustic strums, Brown Submarine is a pop punk album, made by and for kids who've worn out the grooves on their Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Wire and dBs records. While Pollard has stretched out post-GBV, experimenting on each of his diverse and unique solo records, Boston Spaceships rock hard, have fun and drink Miller Lite.
"Mr. Pollard was so enthusiastic about this album that he's decided to play his first proper club tour in two years. This from a guy who hates flying, goes bananas sitting in the van, and who has turned down tours with Radiohead and the Strokes. Give Brown Submarine a spin or two - it'll make you feel like a kid again, too."
Boston Spaceships' Brown Submarine (a poop reference?) is released on September 9th on Guided By Voices Inc. records.
Listen now to the song Go for the Exit. 
Robert Pollard tours with his pals Chris Slusarenko on guitar, John Moen on drums, plus Tommy Keene on guitar and Jason Narducy on bass later in September - dates below:
Thu 9/25 Cincinnati OH - Midpoint Music Festival
Fri 9/26 Cleveland OH - Grog Shop
Sat 9/27 Washington DC - Black Cat
Mon 9/29 Philadelphia PA - Johnny Brendas
Tue 9/30 Boston MA - Paradise
Wed 10/1 New York City - Highline Ballroom
Fri 10/3 Ann Arbor MI - Blind Pig
Sat 10/4 Dayton OH - Dayton Music Festival
Mon 10/6 Chicago IL - Double Door
Tue 10/7 St Paul MN - Turf Club
Thu 10/9 Champaign IL - High Dive
Fri 10/10 St Louis MO - Bluebird
Sat 10/11 Memphis TN - Hi Tone
Tue 10/14 Austin TX- Parish
Wed 10/15 Dallas TX - The Loft
Fri 10/17 Atlanta GA - The Earl
Sat 10/18 Nashville TN- Mercy Lounge
The new Robert Pollard rockin' pop CD Robert Pollard is Off to Business is released next week (June 3rd on his new label Guided By Voices Inc (read the Billboard article to find out why he named it so), and early reviewers are enjoying the songs.
Have a listen to the chugging pop-rocker Gratification to Concrete.
Popmatters writes: "The warm, classic-rock crunch of “The Original Heart” starts the album off with a punch, and shows that Pollard hasn’t forgotten how to weave his love for the Who into his own off-kilter brand of power-pop. “The Blondes” is a big ol’ rock ballad, and perhaps his best arrangement since “Edison’s Memos”. There’s also the punk-tinged, infectious punch of “1 Year Old” and the five-minute-plus “Weatherman and Skin Goddess”, which melds Britpop with arena rock and makes for the best track on the album."
Erasing Clouds writes: "Robert Pollard Is Off to Business is by no means the riskiest album he’s made, not even recently, but at its core it shows he’s serious about that route – about creating music that has heart and mystery to it, that people can spend time with. He’s off to that business of making music that people can listen deeply to and turn up on their car stereos. Music that’s the opposite of disposable." 
Sitting in the squirmish frontal room
She says I'm not very cool
But I know better than that
She knows better than that
And I know more than her
And she knows better than that
No no no no no...
Sitting in the squirmish frontal room
She says I'm not very cool
But I know better than that
She's no better than me
I'm no better than her
But it's not hip, not okay
I say no no no no...
(wild photo credit goes to Kelp Records)
Wow! Robert Pollard's new song "Gratification to Concrete" is one of the most immediate songs I've heard from him in several years...I mean, the guitars, drums and vocals are all right there, hitting you with hooks. BAM. Glad to hear Pollard's dipping back into his past for this big rock song...sounds like Green-era REM to me. Get Up.
The song will be on this album "Robert Pollard is Off to Business" coming out in June on his own GBV Inc. label. More info on his home page.
Pitchfork's got all the goods on the former GBV leaders musical moves.
The indefatigable Robert Pollard offers up a new CD this week called Superman Was a Rocker.
You can download the title track at this link.
According to his Rockathon site..."Robert Pollard's Superman Was A Rocker is a return to old ways for Bob. This mini-album (13 songs, 30 minutes) finds Bob using recording methods that he hasn't engaged in since the old GBV days. Bob recently poured through a bunch of old cassette tapes of his and found some great instrumentals that he either wrote or co-wrote, and never used. He decided to go into the studio and put vocals (and melodies!) over them. The music spans a 20+ year period. Due to the span of time and body of work from which the clips were accessed, many of the classic GBV alumni appear on this album; Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Kevin Fennell, Doug Gillard, Nate Farley."
Sounds cool - The best of the outtakes of the last 20 years, maybe? The title tracks's worth a go, with its groovy acoustic and electric guitars going at it.
And ya gotta love the line "what happens to us, when Fred(?) says rock and roll?".
Here's the track listing:
1. "Another Man's Blood"
2. "Go Down First"
3. "Back to the Farm"
4. "Substitute Heaven"
5. "Prince Alphabet"
6. "You Drove the Snake Crazy"
7. "Surveillance"
8. "Fascination Attempt"
9. "Love Your Spaceman"
10. "Jumping"
11. "St. Leroy"
12. "Peacock"
13. "More Hot Dogs Please"
Robert Pollard and his band finished their two-night 2007 World Tour on Saturday night at the Southgate House in Cincy/Kentucky (after Friday's Chicago Metro show).
A kind lad named Brian has offered up the first clip from Saturday's show, the opener "Our Gaze" from Pollard's recently released Coast to Coast Carpet of Love.
Sharp-eyed viewers will note Chicago rocker Jason Narducy (also of Bob Mould band) on bass and longtime Chicago guitarist Dag Juhlin (formerly of the great Chicago early 80s punk band The Slugs).
"I’m going to actually have an exhibition in November in New York with my collages, so the interest in that is starting to pick up, so I’ve been really busy doing that. And there’s actually even going to be a coffee table book released in the spring by Fantagraphics—I don’t know if you’re familiar with that company that puts out really cool coffee table books. They’ve got artists like R. Crumb and Charles Schulz, and people like that. So I’m really interested in that right now.
"I know it can be overwhelming for the consumer for all these things to come out, but it’s not overwhelming to me because it’s just part of my life. It’s what I do when I get up. I get up and drink coffee or whatever and I do this and I go drinking, and fuckin’ whatever I do, it’s just part of it. It’s become part of the routine for like 16 years now since I’ve been able to do it for a living. I guess to the outside viewer, it would appear that I’m really, really busy and active as a songwriter, but I’m not. I’ve gotten where I can do things really spontaneously and really quick and I kind of know what I like. It just comes up kind of natural."
God, I love Robert Pollard's creative life....
I've been posting a lot about Robert Pollard in recent weeks, but hey, the man is out there and DOIN' it! His two recent LPS are out on Merge, he hit the half-century mark yesterday and partied with friends over the weekend to celebrate, has his collaborative Circus Devils videos on YouTube, is playing two live shows at the end of the month, AND he's having a god-honest NYC art opening next month.
""Do The Collage", the debut art exhibit featuring the noted collage works of Robert Pollard, will be held December 9th and 10th, 2007. Pollard’s exhibition will consist of more than 50 collages that date from 1990 through 2007. Using collage elements from 1930’s - 60’s era magazines, pamphlets and found obscure pictoral paperbacks as his primary tool, he portrays allegorical personas and hallucinogenic-type environments to create small, almost random synapses of unmistakable compositions with sardonic titles, each serving as a story unto itself. The Artist’s media utilizes the archetypes of the working class, becoming pawn deities and martyrs found within the strata of near fantasy religion and the collective unconscious."
Dayton, OH's favorite hometown music singer/songwriter Robert Pollard celebrated his half-century mark on this earth over the weekend and lots of happy fans and friends helped celebrate with Bob.
Sullivan Smith was there and captured the 'door-opening surprise' (see clip below) with a humbled Pollard, as well as the musical carousing (Exit Flagger!) that followed, with lots of GBV alumni taking the stage to belt out a few classic songs. Bob remarks that he thought he was being arrested 'framed for some shit'...
Bob singing the GBV classic 'Exit Flagger':
Looks like rock machine songwriter Robert Pollard was just warming up in 2007 (with his recently released two CDs). Look at his 2008 release schedule (just announced)!
Happy Jack Rock Records Single Series continued:
Jan 22, 2008
Robert Pollard - Youth Leagues b/w Spirit Of The Fly -
Singles Collection #8 (7” single - vinyl only) - Happy
Jack Rock Records
Feb 22, 2008
Robert Pollard - Folded Claws b/w Speak Again -
Singles Collection #9 (7” single - vinyl only) - Happy
Jack Rock Records
March 22, 2008
Robert Pollard - When We Were Slaves b/w Battle For
Mankind 2 - Singles Collection #10 (7” single - vinyl
only) - Happy Jack Rock Records
April 22, 2008
Robert Pollard - The Killers b/w Revolver Tricks
(Stanley West) - Singles Collection #11 (7” single -
vinyl only) - Happy Jack Rock Records
May 22, 2008
Robert Pollard - Miles Under The Skin b/w Frostman
(Long Version) - Singles Collection #12 (7” single -
vinyl only) - Happy Jack Rock Records
Late January 2008
Robert Pollard - Superman Was A Rocker mini-cd/lp
(Happy Jack Rock Records)
Late February 2008
Psycho and the Birds - We've Moved full lgnth cd/lp
(Happy Jack Rock Records)
Sometime in 2008
Circus Devils - Ataxia full length cd/lp unknown
label
Sometime in 2008?
Town of Mirrors : The Reassembled Imagery of Robert
Pollard (Fantagraphics Books)
Coffee table, hard cover book collecting Bob collages
from EAT, album covers, exclusive collages, poetry and
lyrics (120+ pages)
Whew! Stay-at-home-and-recording-in-Kent,OH-machine - touring responsibilities = Pollard overload.
Speaking of touring, the former GBV honcho is rocking out his only two live 2007 shows in Chicago and Newport, KY (Cincy) on Nov. 30 and Dec 1.
(photo courtesy of Retrolowfi.com)
Yes! Robert Pollard is playing a few live shows! Good news.
The downside? Only two shows, one in Chicago and the other at his beloved Northern Kentucky Southgate House. From Robert Pollard.net....
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30th
with Death Of Fashion
Chicago, IL
METRO
Tickets on sale Saturday Oct. 6th at Ticketmaster.com
More info to follow
SATURDAY DECEMBER 1
with Death Of Fashion
Newport, KY
Southgate House 18+
Tickets on sale Friday October 5th
The band for this mega-tour?
Robert Pollard - frontman
Jason Narducy - bass, backing vox
David Suycott - drums
Dag Juhlin - guitar, backing vox
Mitch Marlow - guitar
In related Pollard excitement, see a bunch of his art collages gathered together as the video backdrop to his new song "Shadow Port".
Former Guided by Voices ringleader Robert Pollard is releasing two new CDs of music on October 9th (John Lennon's birthday).
You can download the track 'Rud Fins' from Coast to Coast Carpet of Love (or just click the link to stream the whole thing)
and the other track 'The Killers' from Standard Gargoyle Decisions. (Click the link to stream)
(I'm gonna start listening meself)
Filter, Harp and others are reporting on former GBV honcho Robert Pollard's two forthcoming CDs "Coast to Coast Carpet of Love" and "Standard Gargoyle Decisions", both expected October 9th on Merge Records. 
Fun titles. I hope both collections are devoid of heavy prog. Keep the songs poppy and dirty, Bobby.
Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love
01 Our Gaze
02 Count Us In
03 Exactly What Words Mean
04 Current Desperation (Angels Speak Of Nothing)
05 Dumb Lady
06 Rud Fins
07 Customer's Throat
08 Miles Under The Skin
09 Penumbra
10 Slow Hamilton
11 Looks Is What You Have
12 I Clap For Strangers
13 Life Of A Wife
14 Youth Leagues
15 When We Were Slaves
16 Nicely Now
Standard Gargoyle Decisions
01 The Killers
02 Pill Gone Girl
03 Hero Blows the Revolution
04 Psycho-Inertia
05 Shadow Port
06 Lay Me Down
07 Butcher Man
08 Motion Sickness Ghosts
09 I In The World
10 Here Comes Garcia
11 The Island Lobby
12 Folded Claws
13 Feel Not Crushed
14 Accusations
15 Don't Trust Anybody
16 Come Here Beautiful
17 Spider Eyes
The good kid(s?) behind the immensely great Guided by Voices database is offering up MP3s of a June 17, 2001 Austin, TX live show. Right on. This particular show comes from the Isolation Drills tour. 
At the same time, Robert Pollard had recorded an LP with Tobin Sprout called Tower in the Fountain of Sparks, including the cool chugger Stifled Man Casino, which according to the database, was played at only 8 live shows. So this bootleg is worth catching maybe just for that (oh, and Whiskey Ships in the encore, a Pollard classic).
Not that I need any more GBV boots; I think I'm currently sitting on (give or take) about 5 vinyl boots, 50 cassette boots and 35 or so CD boots. But you might need this. And that's why I'm here. To spread the love. To the fans of rock. On warm spring days.
