Forty-one years after its release, Hoi' Polloi's lone LP is available again. After a call from the new upstart reissue label Folk Evaluation, we decided to get in on this fabled Indiana record and help inject it back into the world. This new edition, is a beaut -- from the exact replication of jacket, labels and insert to the audio that was remastered from the original tapes. It's already been described as "the rare moment when a Paul McCartney comparison is apt. Nilsson, too." Not to mention the avant studio techniques used to lay this unheard masterpiece to tape. No need to pay $100s for this anymore. Above, Hoi' Polloi songwriter Charlie Bleak basks in the afterglow of his past. Full details here.

The ultimate Loren Connors overview has been written and compiled by the fine gents at The Out Door column over at Pitchfork. It is epic, beautiful and covers Loren's four decades as an artist and musician. It's got it all, from a summary of his many albums -- including many on FV -- and interviews with Suzanne Langille, Darin Gray, Alan Licht, Jim O'Rourke, some guy named Jandek and few others. Please, spend some time with this one. 

Chris Forsyth and his Solar Motel Band will perform every Thursday in June at Ortlieb's Lounge, 847 N. 3rd St., in Philadelphia. This is old school: three sets each night, starting at 9 p.m. Six bones gets you in. Please, buy Chris a beer for us.  

Apache Dropout is back on the road, this time with Thee Tsunamis and Blank Realm. Check 'em: 

May 24 Chicago @ the Burlington w/ Uh Bones
May 25 Cincinnati @ Chameleons
May 26 Columbus @ the Summit
May 27 Washington DC @ Black Cat w/ Foul Swoops
May 28 Brooklyn @ Death by Audio / Pop Zeus
May 29 Philly @ Ortliebs w/ Spacin'
May 30 ??
May 31 Cleveland @ Happy Dog w/ Wooly Bullies  
June 1 Detroit @ Lo and Behold Books

Mr. Loren Connors: "Well… NY Times critic Ben Ratliff says I play notes so slowly it makes you wonder if I’m losing my way. I think this comment was said as a joke, or with a light heart. But I like to think about slowness. The same kind of thing was said about Billie Holliday, Lester Young, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and on and on. The truth here lies in the fact that a person ages internally. The fast-paced, technically strong youthfulness gives way to a deeper concern. Look at Beethoven’s last quartets, op. 131 and others. Look at Chopin’s last nocturnes. And other great composers. They all offer us their slower, deeper sound in their final days. Like Ebenezer’s spirits, the spirit of Music past and Music present and even Music future is gonna haunt you. It sure will. And when you do get older, if it’s truth you’re after, you play like the man or woman that you’ve grown to become and you leave all the youthful techniques behind. At 63, I play like the man I’ve become, not the boy I once was."

Also, after some delay, we're proud to release a remastered, LP version of Loren's classic The Departing of a Dream. This is a gorgeous reissue of the 2002 CD, now with corrected cover photography and enhanced audio. There are only 700 copies, so it won't be around for long.