Pitchfork

Perhaps the Fugazi hiatus doesn't loom quite as large as other beloved band hiatuses out there, and perhaps that's because the gentlemen of Fugazi are still doing all the things Fugazi did-- playing shows, making records, spreading positive vibes-- but just not doing them together at the moment.

Anyhow, as we wait in joyful hope for the second coming of Fugazi, there are peripheral joys a-plenty to satisfy our jones for that distinct DC sound and ethos.

First up, respected Dogtown sk8tr boi turned dissident photographer Glen E. Friedman will release Keep Your Eyes Open, a book of his Fugazi photos, on September 3, 2007. Note the date: it marks the 20th anniversary of the very first Fugazi gig. Burning Flags Press will deliver the 112-page tome (pictured above), which also features an essay penned by the always entertaining Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, the Make Up, Weird War).

Next up, the Evens, Kent State shootings auxiliary investigator Ian MacKaye's duo with the Warmers' Amy Farina, will tour the Northeast this month (including a considerable chunk of Canada). As always, these gigs are all ages and all the relevant info is laid out for your convenience on the Dischord tour page (with dates, cities, and venues also listed below per Pitchfork's custom). The Evens dropped second LP Get Evens last fall.

Fugazi bassist Joe Lally hits the road in June as well-- half a world away in Japan. Lally will be joined by Italian trio Zu for all dates. He released There to Here last year on Dischord, while Ataxia-- a short-lived 2004 collaboration with John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Josh Klinghoffer-- released their second album just last month on Record Collection. It was born from the same free-form February 2004 recording session as the first (Automatic Writing), and Ataxia christened this one Automatic Writing II.

Lally also recently made the remaining stock of Fugazi Live Series CDs-- which document a whole bunch of the band's famed gigs-- available for sale on the Dischord website. These were previously only available through the series' website, and once the CDs run out, Dischord plans to sell the live recordings in digital format.

MacKaye and Lally collide on July 2 at a Fort Reno concert, part of the famed annual DC series which recently announced its 2007 schedule here.

Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, meanwhile, continues his production work, having helmed the boards for Ted Leo's latest, Living With the Living, among other recent releases. Canty and Christoph Green's Burn to Shine DVD series, featuring live performances from a particular city's bands in a space slated for demolition, has a couple new volumes in the works.

Not much to report on Guy Picciotto, but whatever he's doing, we're sure it's awesome.

The Evens:

06-10 Scranton, PA - Northeast Theater
06-11 Buffalo, NY - Soundlab
06-12 Hamilton, Ontario - Sonic Unyon
06-13 Toronto, Ontario - Whippersnapper
06-14 Ottawa, Ontario - Club Saw
06-15 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *
06-17 Quebec City, Quebec - Imperial Theatre
06-18 Fredericton, New Brunswick - Charlotte Street Arts Centre
06-19 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - Haviland Hall
06-20 Halifax, Nova Scotia - North Street Church
06-22 Portland, ME - The Space Gallery
06-23 Peterborough, NH - Reynolds Hall
06-24 Burlington, VT - Kriya Studio
06-25 Canton, NY - Unitarian Universalist Church
06-26 Syracuse, NY - TBA
06-27 Albany, NY - Howe Library
07-02 Washington, DC - Fort Reno Park #

* with the Witches
# with Joe Lally

Joe Lally:

06-18 Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya O-Nest ^
06-19 Sendai, Japan - Birdland ^
06-20 Yamagata, Japan - Sandinista ^
06-21 Kumagaya, Japan - Blueforest ^
06-22 Nagano, Japan - Matsumoto Alecx ^
06-23 Nagoya, Japan - Tsurumai KD Japon ^
06-24 Kyoto, Japan - Urbanguild ^
06-25 Kochi, Japan - Chaotic Noise ^
06-26 Fukuoka, Japan - Decadent Deluxe ^
06-28 Kobe, Japan - Helluva Lounge ^
06-29 Shizuoka, Japan - Spiral Mart ^
06-30 Tokyo, Japan - Shimokitazawa Shelter ^
07-02 Washington, DC - Fort Reno Park %

^ with Zu
% with the Evens