Robert Pollard’s Milko Waif & the Bug-Eyed Mums, with Teenage FBI and The Buffalo Spiders
Where: Canal Street Tavern, 308 E. First St., Dayton
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 9
Cost: The show is sold out
More info: (937) 461-9343 or www.canalstreettavern.com
Artist info: www.robertpollard.net
With a release schedule of four albums or more a year, the announcement of a new Robert Pollard disc in itself isn’t earth-shattering news. However, it’s extremely big news the former leader of underground legends Guided by Voices is celebrating the release of his new solo album, “Moses on a Snail,” with his first live date in two years with a sold-out local show at Canal Street Tavern on Friday, July 9.
The release show is part of the fourth annual booze-fueled Heedfest event, which finds Pollard enthusiasts from around the world converging on Dayton for a weekend celebrating his art and music. For this appearance, the recent inductee of the Northridge High School Hall of Fame will be backed by Milko Waif & the Bug-Eyed Mums, a one-off band featuring local musicians Steve MacDougall, Darryl Robbins, Jason Short and Daniel Nolan. Pollard-centric cover bands Teenage FBI and The Buffalo Spiders also will perform.
“Heedfest is one big party for the people who pay,” Pollard said. “It’s gotten crazier every year, and I thought it would be fun to play some of these new songs. I’ve practiced with the guys once to check them out to make sure it sounded good, and it did. They’ve been practicing together every Wednesday and then I’m getting with them for the last few practices.”
Perhaps even bigger news leaked last week when GBV’s former label Matador Records announced it had landed a big fish for the label’s 21st anniversary celebration in Las Vegas in October. Pollard confirmed he was coerced into reconvening the classic lineup from 1993 to 1996, which included Tobin Sprout (guitar, vocals), Mitch Mitchell (guitar), Greg Demos (bass) and Kevin Fennell (drums).
“I initially told them, ‘No, we don’t play Vegas,’ ” he said with a chuckle. “They came back and offered us more money, so I told them I’d see what the other guys said. It took some time to track Kevin down, but they all wanted to do it.”
Although no dates are confirmed, GBV will follow that reunion show with some United States dates. This will be Pollard’s first tour since the Boston Spaceships outing in 2008 and the first GBV shows since disbanding in 2004.
“I’m not sure this will end after this particular tour,” he said. “But after this has run its course, that’s the end for Guided by Voices. My justification for even doing it was, we’re old, but we’re not completely feeble yet. We can still do it a little bit, so we better do this before that happens.”
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
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