Switchblade Comb

When Eddie Lebron’s fan-made Mega Man trailer was released a few months ago, I didn’t realize that he’d actually made a full-length film. Destructoid has transcribed a Q&A session with the director at MAGFest 2009, and among other things, Lebron had this to say -

Q: When will this movie be released?

Lebron: Originally it was supposed to be released a month ago. Before summer — that’s my main goal right now. I’ve lightened my other film loads just so I can focus on this and get this done before the summer. It’s going to be out by the end of the year.

Q: How will this be released?

Lebron: The film will first be premiered in New York, screening for all those involved. And then, a week or two later, it will come online. Fan film festivals, conventions, doing Q&As like this, talking more in-depth about it… I assume people will have more questions after watching the whole film.

And being a total Mega Man geek, I’m thrilled someone asked this question that was on my mind -

Q: Is there a hovercraft for Dr. Wily?

Lebron: He does have his craft. That’s how he commutes. It’s pretty much the same design, a little more realistic, but it’s in there. He uses it for about 60% of the film before he hides off in his castle.

Awesome! It all looks cheap, but its mere existence is kind of nice.

Trailer

Off of Fever Ray’s debut album, out March 24.

DOWN 2009 Tour Dates:

02.15 - Vancouver, BC. Commordore
02.17 - Calgary, AB. MacEwan Hall
02.18 - Edmonton, AB. Edmonton Event Centre
02.20 - Winnipeg, MB. Burton Cummings
02.21 - Fargo, ND - The Venue
02.22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
02.24 - Traverse City, MI - Streeter’s
02.25 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
02.26 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
02.28 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
03.01 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
03.02 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
03.04 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
03.05 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
03.06 - Nashville, TN - The Cannery
03.08 - New Orleans, LA - Southport Music Hall
03.09 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
03.11 - San Antonio, TX - Scout Bar
03.12 - Dallas, TX - Palladium
03.13 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
03.15 - Denver, CO - Gothic
03.17 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee
03.18 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
03.19 - Las Angeles, CA - Wiltern
03.20 - San Francisco, CA - Grand Ballroom

Some pretty sweet footage of Mike Vallely, Jesse Martinez and future My Name is Earl star Jason Lee at a Lynchburg, VA demo in 1989.

The NME is reporting that Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been found dead of an apparent heart attack in his Ann Arbor home. He was 60 years old.

In his honor I’ll be playing Fun House all day today. I suggest you do the same.

UPDATE: The Stooges, their crew, and management have released the following statement:

We are shocked and shaken by the news of Ron’s death. He was a great friend, brother, musician, trooper. Irreplaceable. He will be missed.

As a musician Ron was ‘The Guitar God’, idol to follow and inspire others. That is how he will be remembered by people who had a great pleasure to work with him, learn from him and share good and bad times with him.

Iggy Pop also added “I am in shock. He was my best friend.”

The Stooges - “TV Eye” (live in Cincinatti 1970)

Recorded for the Pink Couch Sessions at the Fest in October 2008.

“Gasoline” is the first in a series of monthly digital singles that will be released on the The Bouncing Souls own Chunksaah records. The singles will be collected onto 7′” EP’s available every three months that will also feature a bonus track.

The Souls play The Triple Rock on January 24 with The Arrivals, The Framed and In Defence.

January is late night Coen Brothers month at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis. This week’s Coen Brothers selection is Fargo. It plays Friday, January 9 through Thursday, January 15. Nightly at 9:05 PM. $5.

Fargo Special: Bottle of Grain Belt Premium, goulash, and a movie ticket for $8!

The return of one of Adult Swim’s greatest creations.

OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES

- Season 4.0 of Battlestar Galactica
- Seasons 3 & 4 of Duckman
- Part 2 of Gurren Lagann
- Tony Jaa in Hard Gun
- Shaw Bros. awesome-looking kung-fu Life Gamble, plus Opium & the Kung-Fu Master and Sword Masters: The Battle Wizard
- Midnight Movie, which I think involved someone from Minneapolis
- David Gordon Green comedy Pineapple Express
- Season 2 of The Tudors
- Rather great coming-of-age tale The Wackness

Frisky Dingo - Season 2 Promo

Swingin’ Utters 2009 Tourdates:

(with Shot Baker)

03.05 - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Triple Rock
03.06 - Chicago, Illinois - Reggies Rock Club
03.07 - Detroit, Michigan - Magic Stick
03.08 - Cleveland, Ohio - Agora Ballroom

(with Street Dogs and Shot Baker)

03.10 - Portland, Maine - The Station
03.11 - Providence, Rhode Island - Club Hell
03.12 - Farmingdale, New York - Crazy Donkey
03.13 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - North Star Bar
03.14 - Asbury Park, New Jersey - Asbury Lanes
03.15 - Baltimore, Maryland - The Ottobar
03.17 - Buffalo, New York - Town Ballroom
03.18 - Toledo, Ohio - Frankie’s Inner City
03.19 - Sauget, Illinois - Pop’s

Swingin’ Utters - “I Got Your Number” (Cocksparrer Cover)

“Bombs Away” is the first single off of Whole Wheat Bread’s long in the making sophomore full length which is due out January 20. The Hearts of Hoodlums is the follow up to 2006’s The Punk Life EP and features contributions from Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Lil’ John, and Street Dogs frontman Mike McColgan.

MP3: Whole Wheat Bread - “Bombs Away”

Thanks, NPR. Upon first listen, it doesn’t appear to hit the heights of his last two albums, but it’s currently streaming for free, so there’s no reason not to check it out.

Listen to the full album HERE.

Also, Bird’s instrumental Useless Creatures can be heard over HERE.

Noble Beast is out January 20.

Seeing as it’s the new year, I’d like to start occasionally reporting on entertainment media outside the realms of music and film if it reaches a high enough level of ‘awesome.’ To begin with, for Godzilla fans everywhere, there’s Shambling Towards Hiroshima, the new novel from James Morrow (author of the awesome Towing Jehovah).

In the summer of 1945 war is reigning in the Pacific Rim, while in the U.S., Syms Thorley continues his life as a B-movie actor. But the U.S. Navy would like to use Thorley in their top-secret Knickerbocker Project, putting the finishing touches on the ultimate biological weapon: a breed of gigantic, fire-breathing, mutant iguanas. Thorley is to don a rubber suit that will transform him into the merciless Gorgantis and star in a film that simulates the destruction of a miniature Japan—if the demonstration succeeds, the Japanese will surrender, sparing thousands of lives; if it fails, the mutant lizards will be unleashed.

Shambling Towards Hiroshima will be released in February.

Shambling Towards Hiroshima - Trailer