As you know, I’ve been kind of busy with a lot of things lately. Mainly trying to cope with losing my best friend from the 90s (see links at the bottom of this article). I will be flying to Los Angeles, California, on May 14^th to attend the memorial. Surprisingly, as I’m looking over my “to-do” list, I see that What Laura Says (blogspot/myspace) will be playing the same day that I’ll be in Los Angeles. I’m not going to that show, on account that I’ve already stretched out in all directions meeting up with old friends and new friends, but maybe I can point people to Spaceland if they are looking for something to do that Saturday night.

Below are their national tour dates, which kicks off tomorrow:

05.23.10 Old Rock House St. Louis, MO

They are on tour to promote their sophomore album, Bloom Cheek, out on June 8^th on Terpsikhore Records. We have previously mentioned What Laura Says mostly because I liked their name and it reminded me of Lara… and ta-da Lara will be covering their show at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis.

Speaking of show coverage, if you’re into pot-culture, I’m sure you all celebrated on 4/20. The Kottonmouth Kings (official/myspace) celebrated by releasing Long Live The Kings, among other things.

Hopefully, you’ll see a live review and album review for Long Live The Kings from Jared in the coming weeks.

Guess what? Of course, they have gone on tour with Insane Clown Posse (which recently was on ABC news, so they are a bit massive right now), Coolio, Kittie (remember those cute girls???) and Necro. Below are the rest of their tour dates:

May 7th San Diego, CA – House of Blues
May 8th San Bernardino, CA – National Orange Show
May 10th Dallas, TX – The Palladium Ballroom
May 11th Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater
May 13th Louisville, KY – InnPlace Hotel
May 14th Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
May 15th Rochester Hills, MI – Meadowbrook Amph
May 16th Columbus, OH – Lifestyle Communities
May 17th Charlotte, NC – Uptown Amp
May 19th Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
May 20th Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Concert Pavilion
May 21st Worcester, MA – The Palladium
May 23rd Pittsburgh, PA – Amph

May 24th Cleveland, OH – Nautica Pavilion
May 26th Minneapolis, MN – The Cabooze
May 27th Council Bluffs, IA – Westfair Amphitheater
May 28th Sauget, IL – Pops Outdoors
May 29th Bonner Springs, KS – Cap Fed Park
May 31st Morrison, CO – Red Rocks
June 1st Magna, UT – Saltair
June 3rd Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
June 4th Portland, OR – Expo Center (Hall C)
June 5th San Francisco, CA – The Warfield Theatre
June 7th Anaheim, CA – Grove of Anaheim

* w/ Insane Clown Posse, Coolio, Kittie, & Necro

The only show on my calendar for coverage is Evelyn Evelyn (official/myspace) with Amanda Palmer (official/twitter) at the Cedar Cultural Center on June 1^st. I’m mostly excited to see Amanda Palmer, of the famed Dresden Dolls.

* = Soho Rep. presents, By Special Arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation: Evelyn Evelyn

Also, The Shondes (official/myspace), who are currently in the middle of their US tour for My Dear One, released May 4^th, 2010, on Fanatic Records. They are playing at the Normad on May 22^nd, which is on Morrissey’s birthday.

If you recall, I did quite enjoy their album, The Red Sea, so I’m going to try and keep my calendar clear for this date.

THE SHONDES Heartbreak Tour

May 30 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The B-Side

Speaking of Morrissey, my friend’s death was recently mentioned in the world-famous Guardian newspaper, as well as Paste Magazine and AOL’s Spinner. I know that Mel would’ve been surprise and also embarrassed to see Morrissey writing a full tribute to her. I am including links to some articles.

If you are in the Los Angeles area and want to say hi on May 15^th, contact me. We can grab a taco or something.

Also, please welcome Nick (nick.weheartmusic.com) and Jared (jared.weheartmusic.com) to the W♥M team.