Today In Awesome: Sonic Youth Drummer Joins Disappears

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 29, 2010 3:40PM

Given their penchant for minimalism, it shouldn't be surprising that local quartet Disappears can unpack lots of new information in a small amount of space. But even strident fans of the band's simple, devastatingly effective blend of garage-rock swagger and Teutonic rhythmic precision were likely surprised by the rapid-fire delivery of big intel on a recent blog post.

The bad news first: Disappears’ drummer, local super-musician/producer Graeme Gibson, is leaving the group. The good news, according to said post? The split is “totally amicable,” as Gibson is moving to a new town where he’ll have “some awesome opportunities ahead.” The even better news? The guy filling in for Gibson on the kit “for as long as he is able or wants to” is Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, a dude who has played the drums on one of the best records of all time.

But Disappears aren’t done unpacking the awesome just yet. The group also announced that they’ll return in January 2011 with a new album. Guider sees release on January 18, and will serve as the follow-up to this year's Lux. Like Lux before it, Guider will be released by Kranky Records, and will be celebrated with an initial smattering of live dates.

One of those is a record release show at the Empty Bottle on February 4th. More concrete details will come later, no doubt, but for now, January is looking to be a top-notch month for the local music scene.