Just bit and pieces, odds and sods, heffalumps and woozles today.

What do you get when you cross Johnny Cash, “Desperado” and monkeys on horseback? Link from my brother, originally from The Big Smoker.

Splendid talks to Calexico about Convict Pool, politics and blaming it on the bossa nova.

The artwork for Rachel Goswell’s Waves Are Universal.

The Global Pop Conspiracy has some fun with band/artist names that didn’t stick.

Popmatters finds out what it’s like to be a member of The Sleepy Jackson whose name isn’t Luke Steele. Besides zero job security, that is.

The GBV Story. From LHB.

Support for the Franz Ferdinand show at the Kool Haus (no longer the Phoenix, take note) June 14 has been announced. Glasgow folksters Sons & Daughters will be odd ducks sandwiched between Franz Ferdinand and local death-disco outfit (would someone PLEASE explain to me what the hell that means) Controller.Controller. Should be interesting.

FF tourmates (though not for Toronto) and also a current buzzband The Fiery Furnaces will do their thing at the Mod Club June 19.

Also at the Mod Club – Feist, June 12. Let It Die is out May 18.

Pedro The Lion are at the Horseshoe June 24. Before anyone unfamiliar with the band gets too excited, you should know that they’re neither named Pedro NOR are they lions. None of them. Not even one. Tickets $11.

It’s funny – I watch 24 a day late, and it’s like an entire season could have already elapsed… Tony, Tony Tony… you are in a pickle, aren’t you? I think he could have quite easily let CTU in on the going-ons and tried to turn it on Saunders without him being any the wiser, but that wouldn’t have been as interesting, would it? Nor would it have been as interesting if CTU had managed to piece together that Tony was the turncoat before it was too late. For people who are supposed to be outwitting terrorists, they’re really not very bright. Not thrilled that they’re coming back to the election and that nonsense – whichever way that goes, there’s no way that they can do anything interesting with that in the next three hours. Palmer isn’t going to drop out of the election by 1pm, no one’s even going to care. Waste of time and a lame excuse to bring Sherry back. Now if they brought Nina back – that’d be interesting. And it’s a pity Tony couldn’t have filled Tech One with cyanide gas after locking Chloe in. That too would have been interesting.

np – Guided By Voices / Alien Lanes

So that’s it. Though they managed to make a game of it, the Leafs just couldn’t force game 7 and their season is over. I’m obviously disappointed, but not surprised – Consider that of the 13 games they played in the post-season, they only played well enough to win maybe four of them. Their inconsistency did them in. Sadly, this was a team that was put together to win NOW – There is no future for most of these guys, at least not in the blue and white. Even assuming there’s a season next year, which isn’t a sure thing by a long shot, I figure we can say goodbye to Mogilny, Belfour, Nieuwendyk, Francis, Roberts, Marchment, Reichel, Renberg… and any of them who do come back will be in greatly diminished capacity. They ain’t youngsters anymore. Welcome to Rebuilding Land. Sigh. I would also turf Quinn – he’s had a hell of a run, but he’s not getting the job done and isn’t the guy to handle a roster of up-and-comers. We need some defence (what else is new), we need to get Antropov’s head examined or just ditch him… It’s time for a change. The Star’s Damian Cox agres with me.

Go Flames!!!

Iron & Wine will be at the Horseshoe June 29. Langtry support, no I don’t know who that is.

I can understand the Victoria’s Secret commercial – Lord knows I can – but Bob Dylan as a guest judge on American Idol? No no no. Or if he does do it, make it so all the contestants have to sing his songs. I would pay money to see that.

Alas, I wasn’t able to watch 24 last night as I was at Five Seventeen’s going-away-to-New-Zealand get-together, so commentary will have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry.

I will also apologize for the fact that I don’t have much newsworthy to post today. But if you’re looking for interesting reading or downloads, head over to Largehearted Boy – he’s always got good stuff on offer.

np – Mean Red Spiders / Places You Call Home

More Magnetic Fields press – this time Salon takes on Stephin Merritt. Yeah, you need a free day pass but it’s worth it. i is out today. From Neil Gaiman, who also offers some thoughts on the new album and tries to reconcile the Stephin Merritt he knows with the one who seems to show up for all these interviews. And 517 has graciously posted some live mp3s from a Magnetic Fields show in Toronto circa 1998. They’re on my server, of course, so it’s my bandwidth that he’s using up, so really, I’m the one who’s graciously providing them. Anyway. Click here. Now to segue into some news from the band’s old label…

Holy shit with the Merge Records signings. Slatch reports that Montreal art-poppers The Arcade Fire have signed to the legendary North Carolina label (and they will be playing in Toronto at either the ‘Shoe or Lee’s on June 23 – the same day we tenatively have a show scheduled, natch), they’re putting out Lou Barlow’s next couple releases – an EP this Fall and an album next year, and to top it all off, they’ll be putting out American Music Club’s You Better Watch What You Say in October. About five months later than promised, but hopefully with the promotion it deserves and the pockets to fund a proper tour.

Also from Slatch – Bubba Ho-Tep on DVD May 25! Bonus features a-plenty. Hallelujah.

Even before the playoffs started, I was telling everyone – “Look out for Calgary, they’re the real dark horse this year”. But did anyone listen? Noooooo. Bully for Detroit, the Flames are in the conference finals. Go Flames.

Of course, I also predicted an Original 6, Detroit-Toronto final, so I obviously don’t know what I’m talking about.

We once again bid farewell to The Rub – Paul has given up his own blog, but won’t be departing the blogosphere at large entirely. He’ll be doing duty as a writer for both Donewaiting and 75 Or Less.

np – American Music Club / Everclear

Whoever has the task of giving albums titles at Lost Highway just doesn’t seem to care anymore. Case in point – the two Jayhawks records coming out on September 28. First off, there’s a live album cleverly titled Live, and then there’s the re-release of their long out-of-print eponymous debut record which originally came out on Bunkhouse Records. You’ll be able to find that on store shelves with the fancy moniker of The Bunkhouse Record. Yessir, someone is earning their porridge money today.

My Morning Jacket are releasing a live acoustic EP to shill on their upcoming tour with M Ward. Acoustic Citsuoca is out May 18, and they’re at the Opera House in Toronto May 28.

Can someone please tell me what kind of a world we live in where you can go to Toys R Us and choose from a selection of hundreds and hundreds of XBox, Playstation2 and GameCube games, but you can’t get a chess set that’s not made of cardboard? I weep for humanity.

And on a related note – PacManhattan. New Yorkers simultaneously manage to be exponentially cooler and dorkier than everyone else at the same time.

I’m confused. Usually the Leafs wait until game 7 before they choke big-time and play like shit. Guess they’re just that keen this year, or they’ve got something even stinkier up their sleeve for game 6. Feh.

np – Bob Dylan / Blood On The Tracks

In hindsight, I should have seen the ‘twist ending’ of The Others coming a mile off… but I didn’t. I don’t think that I really think too heavily on films as I watch them – if you spend the whole thing trying to outsmart the filmmaker, then you’re really just ruining it for yourself. I prefer to just watch them and only consider them critically after the fact. In this case, director Alejandro Amenábar did a pretty good job of keeping me off the scent until the end, and when he did show his hand, it made perfect sense. And for that, I commend him. However, that won’t stop me from ruining the ending for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet… Nicole Kidman? She’s a dude.

Exclaim talks to The Magnetic Fields about i, and manages to extract pretty much nothing new out of Stephin Merritt.

They also have a piece on Leslie Feist about the release of Let It Die on May 18 and the cross-Canada tour which brings her to Toronto for NXNE on June 12, venue TBA. I also linked the article cause it’s got a damn fine pic of Ms Feist.

Today’s as good a time as any (read: slow news day) to draw your attention to some new blogs that have found their way onto my blogroll of late:

• Nevercamehome – interesting and eclectic mp3 blog complete with helpful commentary
• Teaching The Indie Kids To Dance Again – Another mp3 blog whose manifesto is self-explanatory
• Thrasher’s Blog – A blog about all things related to Neil Young
• Supermodel Personals – You really have to see it to understand.

And a farewell to some blogs who seem to have closed up shop, whether temporarily or permenantly – Ypersound.com, Flotationdevice.org and Thrownaskew.com. Hmm, all Canadians. Hmm.

np – Johnny Cash / The Essential Johnny Cash