Pitchfork

A West Coast celebration similar to our own Intonation-- that is to say, an independent festival curated by an independent publication-- Arthur Magazine's aptly entitled ArthurFest looks to be a helluva way to spend Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles. Organized by the nationally-distributed, locally-run Arthur Magazine, and Spaceland Productions, the two day line-up initially boasted Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, the Olivia Tremor Control, the Black Keys, Cat Power, the Juan MacLean, Merzbow, Comets on Fire, Dead Meadow, and Six Organs of Admittance at the top of the bill. The festival organizers have just announced a new round of acts, foremost of which is Yoko Ono, who will headline the second day on Monday, September 5. ArthurFest also soaked up Spoon for day two as a part of that band's intense post-Gimme Fiction frenzy.

There's more: Medicine frontman Brad Laner, Kranky's own Growing, Brightblack Morning Light, Fatso Jetson, the Modey Lemon, Nora Keyes of the Centimeters, Viking Moses, Residual Echoes, and Geronimo were sprinkled across the two-day/two-stage lineup. As previously reported, legendary bluesman T-Model Ford will be dispensing his hard-won wisdom at an information booth while rare films will be screened if people feel like melting their minds with avant-garde images rather than out-there sounds, and the recent announcement has added an appearance by Vortex creator and sound artist Henry Jacobs, a timely Karl Rove Appreciation Tent, and a workshop conducted by the New Energy Collective. Details on the film screenings will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Two-day passes went on sale last night, one-day tickets for $40 are still up for grabs in a Clear Channel/Ticketmaster-free atmosphere. Don't wait too long though, because the tantalizing prospect of more "surprise guests" graces ArthurFest's promotion material, and those fine folks, whoever they are, might just sell this mutha out.