Pitchfork

Mike Kinsella of American Football, Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc and Owls fame, is set to release his debut record under the name Owen on September 18th. After an American Football hiatus, Kinsella began writing solo material, and has been debuting the songs at Rainer Maria shows since last fall. In late spring, Kinsella redirected his recording budget towards revamping his own personal studio, where he went on to self-produce his Owen material. For live performances up to this point, he's spun pre-recorded drum tracks through a discman, playing electric guitar and singing along to his beats. Owen's self-titled debut will be released by Polyvinyl.

Labelmate Kyle Fischer, of Rainer Maria estimation, also has some solo material up his sleeve. Fischer and friends laid down tracks over a spattering of 14 days between December and May at Madison's Smart Studios with Rainer Maria producer Mark Haines, for a full-length tentatively titled Open Ground. The LP will feature nine songs, one of which is a cover of Otis Redding's "Just One More Day." Mr. Owen himself, Mike Kinsella, drums on a majority of the album, which is due out early next year on a label yet to be determined. Caithlin DeMarrais, Rainer Maria vocalist and bassist, guests on both Kinsella's and Fischer's respective records. According to Fischer, he and Kinsella will be playing shows in and around the East Coast during late October and early November.