Where are they now? Part 1

I got to thinking recently about wtf was going on with some of my favorite artists who should be about due (or are overdue) for some kind of release. And then I thought it'd be fun and informative if we found out together...

1. Crystal Skulls - Oddly enough, the answer was right in front of me, quite literally. The main peeps in this hip Seattle outfit are now integral to the lineup of Fleet Foxes along with another linesthroughlines favorite J. Tillman. Golly gee, I hope both release their own material again! Jeepers!

Beat Me To It
[from Blocked Numbers|buy]

2. Wesafari - The lack of attention this band got for 2005's Alaska is absolutely criminal. And it's been over a year since the Moss Green EP was thrown to the wind [still downloadable]. Time for an update...and it's fairly sketchy. An e-mail blast from the band back in June indicates the record is moving on to post-production and "sounding so great." No word on release. I can always hope.

Shooting Stars
[from Alaska|buy]

3. The Long Winters - Hey, let's make this a Seattle trifecta, shall we? John Roderick's masterful indie-pop outfit went back in the studio in July to record the follow-up to 2006's Putting the Days to Bed. No word on release date, but in the meantime, you can read his fascinating blog at Seattle Weekly.

4. Some By Sea/Ghosts & Liars - Yet another Washington band/s. Sadly, both of these promising bands have fallen by the wayside. I learned last week that G&L had called it quits (happened back in March), after about a year of not really doing anything other than some stellar demos. Methinks the talented Chris DuBray will not be idle for long. I'll keep you posted.

5. The Slip - This Boston threesome is famous for a fabulous live show and probably also for being featured in a Guitar Hero game ("Even Rats") and Grey's Anatomy. But it's been over two years since the tightness of Eisenhower made ripples across the blogosphere. Now, the band is performing a few dates as Surprise Me Mr. Davis with the addition of merch-guy-turned-singer/songwriter Nathan Moore. But they, too, haven't released an album since 2005. Hmmm....

Airplane/Primitive
[from Eisenhower|buy]

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow...Ben Folds, +/-, Lovedrug, Copeland, So Many Dynamos, The Format, and Lymbyc Systym.