After weeks of questionable moral decisions—uncrossed legs, degrading Polaroids, another sex tape with the dude from Grey's Anatomy—we have uncovered the top secret headliner of Sunday's free show at Rontoms:

Langhorne Slim

You didn't hear it from us—okay, well maybe you did—but Slim will be joined by Marty Marquis (of Blitzen Trapper) and Y La Bamba for a pretty fantastic triple bill. Evidently it was beyond standing room only when the Dandies performed their secret show at the same space a few weeks back, so arrive early (fun starts at 8pm) to stake out your spot.

See you there.

...Helio Sequence.

Here is all the info on the show, they go on at 5pm.

Word on the street is that mom-and-pop indie store Anthem Records is bidding adieu to SE Belmont (well, technically 828 SE 34th), and relocating to the bright lights of downtown Portland. They'll be moving in next door to Upper Playground, in an expanded space that used to be the art gallery/store Motel.

We tried to confirm this with Anthem, but their email address is down and their phone is always busy when we call. Maybe they blocked us? I can't blame them, I would do the same.

Everyone is all aflutter about the secret "Headliner TBA" for Sunday's free Rontoms show. It's Dave Chappelle, right? Nope, but the band that is joining Morning Teleportation and Ded Pigeons is definitely a big Portland act, one who normally plays far bigger rooms and is supposedly as cool as Kim Deal (well, that should have given it away). Get there early, since it'll be more crowded than a monkey house.

Rontoms, 600 E Burnside, Sunday August 23, 9 pm, FREE

None of this is official, folks, just the rumor mill doing its usual churning, but the Goner Records message board—ground zero for everything regarding garage rock—has had some rumors trickling out in the past month-and-a-half, and a couple weeks ago, a question popped up over on our Questionland. So none of this is news. But yeah, you might want to take a look... That is, if you're interested in a free (w/RSVP) day-long fest of some serious garage rock, featuring some of the best bands in the country.

Expect an official announcement in a couple weeks.

Idolator is reporting the rumor that batshit crazy misunderstood Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has picked Mike Byrne, a 19-year-old from Beaverton, as the winner of his drummer competition.

Byrne performs in Moses, Smell The Roses (who just recently played a house show in SE Portland), and while he has yet to be formally announced as the pick, he's the heavily-rumored replacement for longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.

Good luck, kid.

At Jenny Lewis' show last night at the Roseland, Zooey Deschanel made a guest appearance! This comes on the heels of the rumor of her being spotted around town. Deschanel sang unobtrusive backing vocals, along with two members of Lewis' backing band, on "Trying My Best to Love You," a tune from Lewis' Acid Tongue album, then hastily left the stage. It was swell. She was adorable. On my personal 1-to-10 scale of the momentous events in my life, "Being in the Same Room as Zooey Deschanel" rates at least a 9.5, ranking just above "Losing Virginity" and just below "Death."

Sigh.

I took a couple pics with my phone, but since they are of embarrassingly shitty quality, I'll post them after the jump.

Okay, so it's not Norman Bates' crib, but word on the street is that there is a mysterious new venue/bar coming soon to a former SE funeral home. This new showspace will be in the Moreland/Sellwood area, and would be the second Portland venue to open up inside a former funeral home (the late Towne Lounge was the first).

We'll strap on our Proton Packs (you just can't be too safe) and check out the space this week. Stay tuned for the details...

photo by Liza Lubell
In an interview on PopWreckoning, Langhorne Slim chats about SXSW and some other things. Slim, AKA one Sean Scolnick, originally hails from from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and took his name from his hometown, but as he tells PopWreckoning:

I don’t live in Pennsylvania anymore. I’m about an hour north of San Francisco looking forward to a move to Portland.

New York was always my dream. I had a very romantic vision of it. I lived there for a while and the romance faded. New York and I kind of broke up. Now we’re back on better terms, so we’ll see what happens. Yeah, I needed to get out of there and just try something different. That’s why I moved out to northern California and now she and I are breaking up so I’ll try Portland. I like to move around a little bit.

Read the whole interview here.

Want to experience last night's rumored Sleater-Kinney reunion? Click here and then continue after the jump...

We might be reading too much into our less-than-reputable sources—and we'd hate to ignite a frenzy with this gossip—but what beloved band just might be reuniting for a secret show tonight? Tonight's (possible) performance would be their first since going on "indefinite hiatus" nearly three years ago.

(Yes, there is a reason why a certain band member gets two bars over his face.)

Anyway, here is the world's most obvious blind item:
Which hard-partying bar rock band with an affinity for Bert Blyleven will be taking part in one of those boozy sponsorship shows at the Crystal Ballroom on the 16th of March?

The sponsor is based out of Lynchburg, Tennessee—as compared to, say, Ybor City—and the show will most likely be invite only. Or you'll have to sign up for some email list or something. We'll keep you, and the other hood rats, updated.

(Note: Is that how you spell "Glass Candy" en francais?)

According to a very ALL CAPS blog post, it would seem that Glass Candy's Johnny Jewel has packed up his glitter and relocated to Montréal.

Why the move to le français du Québec? Other than being a lifelong Andres Galarraga fan, Jewel just seemed to have a blast in (sorry, Toronto) Canada's finest city: "AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT...WE FELL IN LOVE. & DECIDED TO MOVE TO MONTREAL."

Jeez, you don't have to yell. The post also explains how the band will become bi-coastal (and bi-country, I guess), shuttling between from Montréal to PDX to record their new album.

Thanks to Mike for the tip.

While we are busy guessing the Sasquatch! lineup (ooh! ooh! Simply Red!), another festival has quietly dropped some hints as to who will be performing. Pickathon was one of the best times of last summer—no shit—and this year promises to be just as fun. I feel like I shouldn't tell you yet who will be there, because I only know by stumbling onto their website yesterday and glimpsing at a lineup that shouldn't have been live yet—they've since taken it down. But there are two big bands of note, both of whom fall outside the acoustic roots music of typical Pickathon bands. One is a big local indie rock band who have a song about turning into an animal, and the other is a national indie rock act who, if the name is to be believed, is an animal that is also a medical professional.

The Pickathon 2009 festival will run July 31 to Aug 2 at Pendarvis Farm. Mark your calendars—you will definitely want to be there.

I'm no Miss Cleo, so I'll leave the predicting of which bands are performing at the Sasquatch Music Festival—Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-25th—to the experts... or at least, the wildly speculative bloggers.

This (I assume fan-run) blog site has been digging up scoops on which bands are playing the weekend festival at the Gorge. So far the "confirmed" list has: Kings of Leon, The Avett Brothers, Peter, Bjorn and John, and Sun Kil Moon. While the "rumored" section contains: Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, John Vanderslice, Monotonix, Passion Pit, The Decemberists, and Tobacco.

How does this site find out the lineup before anyone else? Tough, street-wise reporting? Or just looking on Twitter?
Check out this back-and-forth twitting (?) between head Decemberist Colin Meloy and a fan:

@colinmeloy Best coffee shop in Portland? Any chance you'll be at Sasquatch? Why is my computer running so slow? grrr

10:02 AM Feb 7th from web in reply to colinmeloy
@shazkitten Ace stumptown. yes. need more RAM?

Yes, Colin is right, that kid does need more RAM!

We'll have more info when the official Sasquatch announcement comes this way, but feel free to add your wild speculative guesses below. My prediction: JJ Fad.

A peek at the new Spring campaign for Prada menswear this spring, as shot by Hedi Slimane (a reportedly close buddy of our own hometown auteur Gus Van Sant), features the spawn of... the Clash. Paul Simonon was always the indisputable cute one and he and Tricia are responsible for the creation of Louis and Claude. Handsome, sure (particularly whoever's there on the right), but perhaps a bit resistant to dad's old band's famous protestations against aristocracy.

Via the Hint blog.

This just in from the End Hits gossip desk:

Which high-energy Portland band will supposedly be cooking up some rock and roll goodness alongside Rachel Ray at SXSW. They'll be playing her afternoon BBQ party/showcase, but hopefully they'll get paid in something other than her tacky merchandise. Yum-O!

Comment below with your wild guesses.

My Morning Jacket fans were horrified when a "feelin' it" Jim James took one step too many at their concert in Iowa City last night and plummeted to the ground, injuring his torso. Those who've seen MMJ live before are probably wondering how this hadn't happened at concert's past, as James is known to conjure the spirit of both R&B minstrel and rock diva mountain man. Stage presence, it seems, comes at a cruel price.

"As some of you may have heard we had to cancel our show last evening in Iowa City. We were finishing up the last few bars of 'Off The Record,' and just like any other night we were all having a great time. Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage. Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso, and was immediately taken to the hospital. Per the doctor's orders, Jim will be off the road and recovering from his injuries for the next two to three weeks. Sadly, we must postpone the two shows in Chicago on Thursday and Friday until further notice.

For those who attended the Iowa City show, we would like to extend our gratitude for your understanding and cooperation. We take our fans and performances very seriously, and would never cancel a show unless it was absolutely necessary. Please know that we will be making every effort to return to your fine city.

Thank you so much to our fans for the kind sentiments and well-wishes on Jim's behalf. We hope for Jim's quick recovery and to be back out on the road soon.

With Love,
My Morning Jacket"

From the End Hits gossip desk:

ITEM!!! WHICH Portland-based indie frontman has been jetting to LA to record tracks with a famed, much-in-demand producer? Said frontman is taking a break from his well-known band to spend time on a new side project, and he's chosen as his partner an auteur who is no stranger to collaboration! The Mercury hasn't heard any of the new music yet, but it's safe to assume it won't be cheesy--and could potentially be life-changing!

MIA's bright, busy style has become as iconic as her music, and now you can get a piece: Her clothing line is now for sale. Predictably, it's... very bright and busy. It will keep the summer alive well into the fall season. And! It will keep you visible on your bike!

Idolator kind of ripped her a new one for it:

Are you ready for a brave new world where cultures collide in unexpected ways? And where you can pay $180 for the privilege of wearing a fruit-adorned hoodie?

McCain and Palin used Heart's '70s hit "Barracuda" at the Republican National Convention (apparently missing the irony of lyrics like "If the real thing don't do the trick, you better make up something quick"), and Heart is pissed. Nancy Wilson's initial reaction was succinct: "I feel completely fucked over." The official statement elaborates:

Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there.

Barracuda: Not to be messed with

Word around the indie rock water cooler is that hotshit label DFA has signed a certain Portland band who shall remain nameless (for now). Damn that is cool. We've reached out to the band in question and are waiting to hear back, we'll let you know...