This week in reunions...

* Hum are playing a one-off show New Year's Eve in Chicago. Given that they're now rolling in Cadillac money, they probably don't need to do a full-fledged reunion at this point.

* Robbie Williams is getting back together with his record company and putting out a new album. I'm mildly interested. Want to see how huge Williams is in Europe? Watch this:


That is roughly 70,000 people singing along at the top of their lungs.

*File this under "probably not happening," but there's a rumor out there (started by the lead singer of Twisted Sister) that Myles Kennedy (formerly of '90s also-rans Mayfield Four and currently of ex-Creed supergroup Alter Bridge) will front Led Zeppelin on a tour. The guy's got a good voice; check out Mayfield Four's only charting single, "Eden":

Weirdness in the House of Love

Which Kurt Cobain-related story is weirder: the German performance artist who allegedly plans to smoke Cobain's ashes, or his daughter's suicide-themed Sweet 16?

Courtney Love, meanwhile, who may or may not have had gastric band weight-loss surgery, has been listening to Elastica, Drugstore, and the new REM recently. Will any of these influences show up on the long-in-production second solo album? No idea. Will anybody actually care about the album given the complete tabloid craziness that appears to have taken over the Love/Cobain household? That's a better question.

This week in reunions

* Finally, some exciting reunion news. Letters to Cleo are reuniting for shows in LA and Boston. Drummer Stacy Jones, who left the band in 1997 to drum for Veruca Salt and later became frontman for American Hi-Fi, will be back behind the kit. Since they broke up, lead singer Kay Hanley has provided the voice of Josie for the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack, performed in Jesus Christ Superstar opposite Gary Cherone of Van Halen, and released a couple of indie solo albums.

Here's my favorite Letters to Cleo song, 1995's "Awake":


* As previously hinted at a couple of times, Phish are getting back together for a 2009 tour. Shows start in March.

* Completely and totally unconfirmed, but James Dewees of Reggie and the Full Effect apparently announced at a show in Chicago last month that the Get Up Kids would be touring in the spring of 2009, possibly in conjunction with a DVD to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Something to Write Home About.
Interestingly, the Reggie dates were billed as the band's final tour. Meanwhile, TGUK lead singer Matt Pryor has done an acoustic record and toured in August billed as the singer/songwriter from The Get Up Kids. Hm... stay tuned.

Links roundup

* The Smashing Pumpkins are putting out a DVD (OK, interesting...) But it's a compilation of footage from an 11-night residency on their 2007 tour. (and... no longer interested).

* Simon Jones of the reunited Verve gives us a guide to Manchester. I lived in Manchester in 1998-99, right after the Verve broke up and Oasis moved to London, when the biggest musical act in town was the still-relatively-unknown Badly Drawn Boy (and maybe the Space Monkeys). It's a cool city with a truly amazing musical history, from New Order to the Smiths to the Stone Roses to James to Oasis and beyond, including great newer bands like Doves.

* Early reviews of the Chris Cornell / Timbaland collaboration are... not positive. The phrase "career suicide" is bantered around a bit.

* The L.A. Times gets into the early-'90s controversy over Juliana Hatfield's virginity (I previously discussed this here). Her memoir is finally out; you can get it here (or her new CD, How to Walk Away, here).

* And finally, check this blog out. Forgotten Treasures specializes in out-of-print '90s albums. They've got stuff I never even heard of; some of it's surprisingly great for being so obscure.

Butthole Surfers continue return with short tour

The Butthole Surfers appear to be slowly ramping back up. After a summer tour of the Northeast and Europe, then a one-off in their hometown of Austin last month, the complete original line-up will do four shows in October:
October 22 - Granada Theater, Dallas
October 23 - Meridian, Houston
October 24 - One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans
October 26 - Voodoo Festival, New Orleans*

Back in the fold are bassist Jeff Pinkus, who played with the band from 1986 to 1994, and second drummer Teresa Taylor, who was in the band from 1983 to 1989.
The Surfers then head to Minehead, England for the annual All Tomorrow's Parties festival in December.

(*So yes, if you're counting at home, this means REM and the Butthole Surfers will share the same stage on the Sunday of the festival. The Surfers used to famously do an extremely-obscene cover of "Driver 8" live.)

(**Sidenote: do you realize Gibby Haynes is FIFTY now?)

UPDATE: Check out photos from the September reunion show in Austin here.

McLachlan greatest hits coming

Quick: name the last solo female artist to have a Top 5 on the Billboard modern rock charts.
That's right: Sarah McLachlan, "Building a Mystery," 1997.

And McLachlan is bringing the Lilith Fair days back with a greatest hits album, out next Tuesday, and a few tour dates (find them here).

Here's a remix of "Sweet Surrender," a Top 15 modern rock hit in 1997:

Glen Campbell does the '90s.

I'm kinda digging this new Glen Campbell album, where the "Rhinestone Cowboy" star does covers of songs by Green Day, Travis, and the Foo Fighters. It doesn't hurt that a couple of the guys from Jellyfish are in the backing band. Listen to samples here. Buy the thing here.