While looking for something else I stumbled upon this tidbit which will make Bags jump for joy....
New Tommy Keene Studio Album Due Apr. 4 on Eleven Thirty Records
January 12, 2006, 10:27 am
First New Studio Album by Tommy Keene in Four Years
Street Date 4.04.06 on 1130 Records
"While we all know there's a fine line between 'rock legend' and 'cult figure,' there is no doubt that Keene is one of America's greatest, unheralded songwriters."
--Rolling Stone
From his start in the DC alternative scene in the early '80s through acclaimed releases for Geffen and then Matador in the '90s, Tommy Keene returns to the public eye with Crashing the Ether, his first studio album since 2002. Keene's fans, many of them fellow musicians and critics, have long recognized that Tommy has written some of the best pop/rock tunes of his generation. This sense of craftsmanship and distinctive guitar sound brought him sideman slots with the likes of Velvet Crush and Paul Westerberg. In January 2006, he'll be playing guitar and keyboards with Guided by Voiced mainman Robert Pollard as he tours for his first post-GBV release, From A Compound Eye. (Look for a Keene/Pollard collaboration as "The Keene Brothers" out later this year.)
For Crashing the Ether, Keene's tenth solo release in over two decades, Tommy tried a different studio approach, recording much of the album himself at his L.A. home, with drums by John Richardson and scattered contributions from regular Keene band members and friends. The resulting tracks are arguably Tommy's best to date. "It was really liberating. I'd always thought that the more people I brought into a solo record the more 'personality' it would have. This time, I tried the Prince routine, and it was such a freeing experience. Every night, I could go and practice in my home studio and overdub any instrument until I got it right."
The result is 10 original tracks, with guest appearances by Jesse Valenzuela (Gin Blossoms) and R. Walt Vincent (Pete Yorn). Sonically, the album is dazzling, with big drums �" they were recorded live in the huge open foyer of Tommy's house - and open, ringing guitars, while lyrically, the album could be Tommy's great leap forward, with subject matter ranging from a nostalgic, black & white snapshot of New York, Warren Beatty and mixed signals via "Texas Tower #4."
With Crashing the Ether and the new Pollard projects, 2006 heralds the return of one of the finest singer-songwriters/guitarists going. Here's hoping it brings Tommy Keene the larger audience he has long deserved.
Catch Tommy and his band on tour in spring 2006.