Alanis fat?

Occasionally I take a look at my Google analytics scores, and one of the most popular searches that people use to get here is "fat Alanis." Another popular one is "is Alanis fat?" By the way, Google doesn't answer questions, just so you know.

So I got to wondering: has Alanis Morrissette gained some weight? She hasn't been on the cover of the Enquirer Kirstie Alley-style or anything. Here's her most recent single, "Underneath."


Nope, doesn't look to be heavy. Apparently, the queries come from this article from May, where Alanis blames a record executive for eating disorders in her past. But just because somebody used to have an eating disorder, that doesn't make them fat now.

So let's settle this one now: Alanis Morrisette is not fat. But Arnel Pineda might be.

Dandy Warhols on tour

The Dandy Warhols are back and embarking on a fall tour, says Filter (the magazine, not the band). Their new album, Earth To The Dandy Warhols, comes out August 19.

I always sorta liked this band, even after that documentary Dig showed them to be giant poseurs. They were always much bigger in Europe than over here, kinda like Fun Lovin' Criminals and, since 1998 or so, REM.

Dandy Warhols tourdates:
September 9 - First Avenue, Minneapolis
September 10 - Barrymore, Madison, WI
September 12 - Vic Theater, Chicago
September 13 - Kool Haus, Toronto
September 14 - Club Soda, Montreal
September 16 - Wilbur Theatre, Boston
September 17 - Terminal 5, New York City
September 20 - TLA, Philadelphia
September 22 - 9:30 Club, Washington DC
September 23 - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta
September 26 - Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS
September 27 - Gothic Theater, Denver
September 28 - Belly Up, Aspen, CO
October 3 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles
October 4 - Warfield, San Francisco
October 5 - The Roseland Theater, Portland, OR

Here's 1997's "Not if you were the Last Junkie on Earth:"

From the Cutout Bin: Pee Shy - Who Let All the Monkeys Out?

Welcome to From the Cutout Bin, where we dig up old CDs that have been forgotten for whatever reason and can now be found in the dollar (or quarter) bin at your local used CD store (if your community still has a used CD store). This installment features 1996's Who Let all the Monkeys Out?, by the unfortunately named Pee Shy.

When I was in college (the tail end of the '90s), the people I knew who worked at our college radio station were really, really into this band. In fact, I was going through some boxes in my closet this weekend, and found that they were #1 on the WTUL Top 10 one week. Yet I don't remember ever hearing a single song of theirs until I popped this dollar purchase into my computer.

And... it's cute, if a little bit twee. Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500 and Luna fame produced it (his only producing credit until 2006, according to allmusic). The band featured a lot of odd instrumentation: clarinets, accordions, trumpets, and saxophones can be found wherever you look, but there's hardly any guitar, bass, or drums. And there are three extremely odd spoken-word interludes which sound like they could have been broadcast as essays on NPR.

It turns out Pee Shy came from Tampa, home to other alt-rock also-rans Sugarspoon and the Hazies (all of whom got signed and put out debut albums in '96). According to this article, co-leader Cindy Wheeler used to run a bookstore in one of the hipper parts of Tampa; her partner in crime Jenny Juristo had an off-kilter radio show on the lower end of the FM dial.

This album did have a chance: it came out in 1996, a year after Jill Sobule's left-field hit "I Kissed a Girl," which was also quirky and twee. And it was the second release from Mercury affiliate Blue Gorilla: the first release was Joan Osborne's Relish, which made enough money to ensure adequate promotion for Pee Shy.

But maybe it was just too weird. As of November 1996 (seven months after its release), Who Let All the Monkeys Out had only sold about 1,000 copies, and it's hard to imagine it sold that many more after that date. Pee Shy moved to New York City, recorded a second album, Don't Get Too Comfortable, which made #2 on the college radio charts, got played on Melrose Place, and even got a little airplay on KROQ. But that was it, and the band broke up towards the end of 1998.

Pee Shy made at least one video to promote this album, for the song "Little Dudes." I can't embed it (thanks, Universal!), but you can view it here. Wait... is this song about 30-something women doing teenage men? Pee Shy correctly anticipated the cougar craze!

So, if you see this album selling for one crisp dollar, is it worth your time? Yes, if only because it's currently going for $3.25 on Amazon.

This week in reunions...

* According to the New York Times, Stone Temple Pilots' current tour isn't going so well. Idolator (via shock-radio hosts Opie and Anthony) says that one of the DeLeo brothers engaged in a screaming match with Weiland's closed bus door, then attempted to have Weiland's assistant fired. The tour (maybe) goes through the end of August.

* The reunited Verve are offering a free single, "Mover," on their website until July 7. Their reunion album, entitled Forth, comes out August 19. The first single, "Love Is Noise," can be heard on their Myspace page. And it's tons better than Richard Ashcroft's execrable solo slop.

* Marky Mark says he's not getting back together with the Funky Bunch. This is not stopping members of the Funky Bunch from sitting by their phones, just in case.

* Limp Bizkit may be ripe for a comeback, given that Chris Martin of Coldplay recently declared himself a fan. But that's probably not going to happen, given that Fred Durst is acting (did you see him on the House season finale?) and directing Ice Cube movies and Wes Borland is putting out covers albums with his new band Black Light Burns (hear them do "Hungry Like the Wolf"!)

Happy 4th of July!

Why not celebrate with some baseball and some Goo Goo Dolls?


The Goos have a new single, "Real," on iTunes beginning June 7. An odds-and-sods CD/DVD compliation comes out in August.

New Travis single

Scottish soft-rockers Travis have a new 3-track single, the J. Smith EP, available online now. I got my copy at their website (it comes in digital or 10-inch vinyl), though it is also available on iTunes. Based on an initial listen, "J. Smith" is a bold attempt in a new direction, "Get Up" wasn't that great, and "Sarah" was a typical beautiful Travis ballad.

As their 1997 classic is the namesake for this here blog, I figured I should give 'em a little love.

The three tracks are a taster for a full album to follow this fall. Travis are playing European and Asian festivals this summer.

Foo Fighters to tour with Supergrass

The Foo Fighters have announced that Supergrass will be joining them for their summer US tour. Foo Fighters are currently riding their third Top 10 modern rock single off of last year's Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace. Supergrass, meanwhile, haven't had a modern-rock charting single since 1997's "Cheapskate," which skated into the lower reaches of the Top 40.

They remain quite popular in Europe, however, and just released a new album, Diamond Hoo Ha.

Foo Fighters / Supergrass tour dates:
July 9 - Key Arena, Seattle
July 10 - Rose Garden Arena, Portland OR
July 14 and 15 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
July 17 - Ford Center, Oklahoma City
July 19 - Kemper Arena, Kansas City
July 20 - Scottrade Center, St. Louis
July 22 - Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
July 23 - Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
July 25 - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
July 26 - Peterson Events Center, Pittsburgh
July 28 - Blue Cross Arena, Rochester
July 29 - Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ