Sincere condolences to Matador Records co-owner Gerard Cosloy, whose Austin, Texas, home was destroyed by a fire August 11. Cosloy and a friend made it out safely; his ex-wife, Sally Crewe, also lived in the house but wasn’t there at the time. Unfortunately, the blaze destroyed Crewe’s gear just prior to a short tour; undaunted, Crewe and her band, the Sudden Moves (featuring Tommy Keene on bass), play the jaunt’s first show August 18 in Austin … The fifth annual Campout, hosted by members of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven (both pictured), takes place in the Southern California desert September 11 and 12. Both bands will, of course, perform, as will groups (such as Monks Of Doom) featuring various members of both or either. Clem Snide and other acts are also playing … Nick Oliveri, formerly of the Dwarves, Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age, is releasing his first solo LP, the sunny Death Acoustic (Impedance/MVD), on October 6. For whatever this is worth, Oliveri will also appear on Slash’s upcoming solo record (title and release date unimportant) … Built To Spill kicks off a U.S. headlining tour August 20 with a show in Troutdale, Ore., with the Flaming Lips. The band will be playing tracks from There Is No Enemy (Warner Bros.), due October 6. It’s the group’s first record since 2006’s You In Reverse … Singer/songwriter James McMurtry’s Live In Europe (Lightning Rod) documents his recent run of dates in, uh, Europe. Noteworthy about this news is the presence of Ian MacLagan and Jon Dee Graham in McMurtry’s band. Of course, the package comes with a DVD and is available in a collector’s edition vinyl version … In other CD/DVD happenings, Shout! Factory is issuing Otis Redding‘s The Best See & Hear on October 20 … Justin Broadrick, formerly of Napalm Death and Godflesh, is releasing a four-track EP, Opiate Sun, under the name Jesu on Caldo Verde Records. The label is owned by Red House Painter Mark Kozelek. Download “Deflated” … The third LP from Heavy Trash (Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray), Midnight Soul Serenade (Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum), is out on October 27 … Har Mar Superstar, a.k.a. Sean Tillman, is releasing the club-friendly Dark Touches (Dilettante) on October 13. We haven’t heard from Har Mar since 2004’s The Handler. Download “Tall Boy” … From Har Mar to har dee har (ouch), Shout! Factory brings us the hilarity that is The 2000-Year-Old Man: The Complete History, a three-CD/one-DVD collection of the classic Mel Brooks/Carl Reiner skit, on November 24. The package also includes a new interview with Reiner and Brooks. Anyone with an interest in the history of American comedy needs to take the latest indie-hipster sensation off the turntable and sit down and crack up to this stuff.
