The prolific Sufjan Stevens (pictured) is touring North America this fall with a number of new songs, which were debuted last year as works in progress … If you’ve ever dreamed of sailing the high seas with a member of Ween, look no further. Mickey Melchiondo (a.k.a. Dean Ween) got his formal certification as a captain and is now the owner of Mickey’s Guide Service, a company that hosts fishing trips near Belmar, N.J., and New Hope, Pa. … On September 14, Weezer is returning with its eighth studio album, Hurley (Epitaph). The artwork features a picture of Lost actor Jorge Garcia, which will make the album’s title make more (or less) sense … Neil Young is playing several shows in the Gulf Coast this September, teaming up with Tyson Foods to aid residents affected by the oil spill … Franz Nicolay’s new solo album, Luck & Courage, is out on October 12 via Team Science. Download “This Is Not A Pipe” … Kill Rock Stars is planning a 14-track album compiling music from the late Elliott Smith’s musical catalogue. An Introduction To… is out on November 2. Download “Between The Bars” … Black Francis just kicked off a series of acoustic shows, in which he will perform a selection of songs spanning his 20-year solo career joined by Eric Drew Feldman … In celebration of its first headlining tour in four years, Primus is offering downloads of several tracks from its tour rehearsals earlier this summer. Download them … Collaborations is a limited-edition deluxe boxed set of compositions by Ravi Shankar, produced by George Harrison. It’s available October 19, honoring the sitar master’s 90th birthday, via Dark Horse Records … Another boxed set due out October 19 is from Pelican in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. The limited-to-500 vinyl set will include material from the band’s four full-lengths and three EPs, and Three Floyds Brewery will honor the release with a special, Pelican-inspired doppelbock beer.
—Emily Costantino
