Know how I was complaining last week that blog fodder was lean? And I promised this week would be better? Well damn, was I prescient or what. It’s been a whirlwind of newsworthy material in the last day, so much so that I don’t really know where to begin. I guess today will be the show announcements – either of these first couple of these are “stop the presses”-worthy, but I’ll go with the one that gave the post its title.

I was told about the co-headline “Rock And Roll Means Well” tour of The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers last week but had to keep it hushed up, but thanks to the Truckers’ website, the dates are out of the bag and the double-barreled rock’n’roll assault will hit the Phoenix on November 11. Expect beer, beer and more beer, equal quantities of sweat and guitar solos that don’t want to end. The bands have chosen to alternate headlining slots from night to night, and for our show it’s the Truckers who’ll close things out. Tickets are $27.50 and go on sale Friday.

That was the one I knew about. This one – which came courtesy of the comments yesterday – took me completely off guard. December 4 at the Air Canada Centre – Neil Young and Wilco. And a band called Everest who deserve a salute just because it’s on their web site that the tour dates were revealed. It’s not accurate to call this a co-headline tour – no one “co-” headlines with Neil – but it’s a pretty amazing one-two punch though after being spoiled by seeing Wilco at Massey Hall so many times, I do worry about how the acoustics of the ACC will treat them. Thrasher’s Wheat has some general ticket info about the tour, including the fact that the floors will be general admission and coming in around the $75 mark while the stands are reserved seating, ranging in price from $45 to $250. Tickets for Toronto go on sale Friday. And finally, Thrasher’s Wheat is also floating November 3 as a release date for the first volume of Neil’s Archives – believe it when you see it but it’s a reasonable target – and Billboard reports that Wilco are hoping to have a new record out in the Spring of next year. I’m sure we’ll be hearing the new songs that have begun cropping up in recent shows.

On a much smaller but still scale, The Acorn and Ohbijou are teaming up for a tour this Fall – dates are coming today, but it kicks off October 4 in Kingston, weaves its way right across Canada, down the US west coast and back through the midwest, wrapping up in Chicago on November 1. Then after a breather, southern Ontario gets a string of dates in late November including a stop at Lee’s Palace on the 27th, tickets $10. I’m not sure who will close that one out, but Ohbijou technically has home field advantage. The pairing will also be releasing a 12″ split-single this Fall which will contain a new song from each band as well as a cover of each other’s songs. The Acorn are also releasing an album of live/session material and rarities called Heron Act – look for it September 30. Update: Full tour dates now available.

And also doing the co-headline thing are Attack In Black and Ladyhawk, who will be alternating closing out the Horseshoe on November 14 and 15. Tickets $12.50.

Plants & Animals have a date at the Horseshoe on September 18, tickets $10 in advance.

Nashville’s Lambchop will release their new record OH (ohio) on October 7 and frontman Kurt Wagner will be setting out on a solo tour to support. Seek him out at the Drake Underground on October 6 – tickets $15.

MP3: Lambchop – “Slipped Dissolved and Loosed”

Angela Desveaux is now listed as support for The New Year at Lee’s Palace on October 15. Both acts have new albums out September 9 – Desveaux with The Mighty Ship and The New Year with a self-titled affair. Desveaux is also at The Boat on September 4.

MP3: The New Year – “The Company I Can Get”
MP3: Angela Desveaux – “Sure Enough”

We Are Wolves are at the El Mocambo on October 17.

New York City shoegazers Asobi Seksu will be at the Horseshoe on October 20 previewing material from their third album, due out in early 2009 courtesy of their new home at Polyvinyl. Tickets are $10.

Great Lake Swimmers return home for their first headlining show in a while on October 25 at Lee’s Palace. There’s a video of them playing “Moving Pictures, Silent Films” in a studio over at Toro.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings have a date at the Kool Haus on October 29, tickets $21.50.

And via For The Records – Toronto’s Fucked Up, newly signed to Matador, will cap off a two-week tour in support of their new record , out October 7, with a three-night stand at Sneaky Dee’s from October 30 to November 1. While trying to pick out which night of a multi-night engagement will be the best can be a crapshoot, in this case I’m wagering that the middle night will be the one to aim for. Hallowe’en. Yes.

MP3: Fucked Up – “No Epiphany”