Today we are implementing two new weekly features here on the old Synthesis blog, to complement our already fucking radical badass Synthesis Band You’ve Never Heard Of…Of the Day!!!111: The Next, which will highlight shit that we think is coming up real BIG, and New This Week, which will preview each Monday one new release set to drop in a given week. While Ryan Prado is busy formulating the latter, I will be bringing you the former…in…about….RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!

What It Is: What It Is is  a collaboration by former Militia Group publicist / Canadian tuxedo aficionado Paul Maziar and Cold War Kids bassist / Visual Artist Maust. I’d try to explain it, but as it’s getting to be almost 5 PM and I’m getting thirsty for booze, I’ll let the press release do the talking:

Experimental, sincere and “mercurial” prose and poetry—married with equally sincere, gorgeous, deconstructed yet meticulous, typography and photo-driven design. Each facet drawing inspiration from the absurd as much as the divine, with a radical and keenly self-conscious sense of itself—aiming to surpass and uphold the mid-twentieth century and modern luminaries which inspired it, with concerted disregard for the conventions that structure perceptions about design and writing. Unable to recognize the differences between poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, the refined and the coarse, in both creation and living. Continually seeking to shift the pathways between unaffectedness and vivacious existence.

Images and Metrical nods to unassailable romantic life. The beauty and oddities, which we cannot ignore—what we must somehow capture, or go mad completely.

Themes including, leisure and the revolt against mechanized living (or non-living), love, derangement of the senses, homelessness, metaphysical mysteries: life, death and transcendence. Inspired by Coffee, The Letterists, Thelonious Monk, Bill Cosby, Jackson Pollock, Bob Dylan, Abraham Lincoln, Tom Waits, Rancid, Dennis Hopper, The Old Testament, The Beats, Warhol and (equally) The Velvets, Doc Brown, Sylvia Plath, Derrick Brown, The Clash, Fozzie Bear, Billy Bragg, Dracula, Bugs Bunny, Kurt Vonnegut, Leadbelly, and all our friends and lovers.

If you don’t think this sounds fucking rad, you’re seriously not doing nearly enough drugs. The book sees the light of day next month, at which time you can expect some more elaborate coverage courtesy of yours truly. But for now, satiate yourself by checking out the book’s Myspace page here.

Well, at least I’m excited for them…so hopefully you will be too!

Amidst not having anything to do the other night, I went searching around to see who was on tour–because seeing music live is just that amazing that I’m willing to shell out my cash to see the magic in action.

Here are the results of my late-night live-music search:

Saves the Day - Acoustic Tour

Last time I saw these guys was Warped ‘06…it was good times, I took a picture of Chris with my phone, it was my phone’s background for a bit. I know, I live an exciting life. The final show of the tour at the Troub WILL be fun. I promise! So LA peeps, get tickets soon–THEY WILL SELL OUT.

October 1 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
October 2 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
October 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
October 5 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
October 6 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
October 7 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
October 9 – Detroit, MI @ Shelter
October 10 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
October 11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
October 12 – Richmond, VA @ Alley Katz
October 13 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
October 14 – Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
October 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ North Star
October 17 – Albany, NY @ Valentine’s
October 18 – Allston, MA @ The ICC
October 19 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
October 22 – Atlanta, GA @ Loft
October 23 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
October 25 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Jr
October 26 – Houston, TX @ Java Jazz
October 28 – Tempe, AZ @ The Sets
October 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

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Circa Survive

FUCK YES. That’s what I have to say about this tour. Circa Survive is by and far my favorite band and if, like me, you missed them on Warped this year, then here’s your chance to make up for it. Bay area peeps–I’ll see you at Slim’s on Nov. 11. Look for me, I’ll be the long-haired girl drinking a gin and tonic and signing every word to every song.

Oct 10: Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Oct 11: Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Oct 12: New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre
Oct 13: Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Cafe
Oct 14: Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
Oct 16: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Oct 17: Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity
Oct 18: Clifton Park, NJ @ Northern Lights
Oct 19: Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
Oct 20: Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
Oct 21: Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
Oct 23: Jacksonville, FL @ Fuel
Oct 24: St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
Oct 25: Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Oct 26: Orlando, FL @ The Club at Firestone
Oct 27: Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Oct 28: New Orleans @ Voodoo Music Festival
Oct 30: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Oct 31: San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Nov 1: Dallas, TX @ The Palladium Ballroom
Nov 3: Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Nov 4: San Diego, CA @ The Soma
Nov 6: Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
Nov 8: Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theatre
Nov 9: Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
Nov 10: Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
Nov 11: San Francisco, CA @ Slims
Nov 13: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
Nov 14: Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Nov 16: Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theatre
Nov 17: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Cafe
Nov 18: Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
Nov 20: Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
Nov 21: St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
Nov 23: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov 24: Chicago, IL @ Metro
Nov 25: Cleveland, OH @ Agora Ballroom

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Cold War Kids

So it’s official, the CWK tour with the White Stripes has in fact been canceled. HAHA! I wanted to get tickets to that, but they were sold out…so lucky I didn’t! They were going for like $200 - $300 on eBay and Craigs List…sucks for those people who bought them off there. Nevertheless, the ‘Kids did schedule a small tour. I’m stoked. I bought tickets the minute they went on sale…I didn’t want to take any chances–these tickets sell out as if they were giving them away. So go to Ticketmaster.com and order yours quick! Once again, LA peeps, I’ll see you at the Wiltern on Nov. 23–woohoo!!

Nov 17: San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
Nov 23: Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
Nov 27 & 28: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Nov 29: Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
Nov 30 & Dec 1: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Dec 4: Boston, MA @ The Roxy
Dec 11: Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater