The Model Rockets and the Minus 5 played a great show here (Seattle) at the
Crocodile Cafe on Friday night.

The Model Rockets show was particularly cool because they played their new
mini-pop-opera live for the first time.  It's called Pilot County Suite and,
clocking in at over 10 minutes, consists of a suite of 6 or 7 parts that
combine to describe a night at a county fair.  I really can't do justice to
the coolness and imaginativeness of this in words. It's their A Quick One.
Better still, the Model Rockets have gotten together with Scott McCaughey to
record it and release it (in a limited way) on Scott's DIY label called Book
Records.  They took the new Pilot County Suite, added in 5 or 6 leftovers
from Tell the Kids the Cops Are Here, and also threw in 4 or 5 unreleased
songs from back in 1996.  So I guess it's also their Odds and Sods.  Of the
Tell the Kids outtakes, 3 or 4 of the songs are just fantastic and one (Ugly
Jacket) is about as beautiful as a pop song can be.

I'm not sure how the Model Rockets are going to distribute this new
collection CD.  John Ramberg will be at SXSW as part of the Minus 5, so you
can get it from him (probably) if you see him there.  Next time I see John,
I'll ask how/if they are going to sell the CD.  If there's no decent
distribution and some people here want to buy the thing, then I'll figure
out a way to buy them and send them out. That'll have to wait until after
SXSW, but it will be worth the wait if you have any interest in the Model
Rockets (and you should).

But why take my word for it when you can hear it for yourself.  Scot
McCaughey and Peter Buck were on KEXP radio on Friday afternoon to talk
about the Minus 5 and play a few songs, and Scott asked the DJ to play Pilot
County Suite before the interview started.  So you can go online and hear
the song plus the Minus 5 interview/performance on their archive.  To do
that, just do this: Go to www.kexp.org, click on the "Stream Archive" tab on
the black bar near the top of the screen, click on date, enter Friday March
7th at 5:33PM, and then select the stream speed you prefer.  You'll hear the
Model Rockets popera (yeah, I just came up with that, so what), then the
Minus 5 stuff.

And speaking of the Minus 5, I'm here to testify about the new record (Down
With Wilco) and the very cool live show.  See them if you ever get the
chance.  I can't say enough about the record.  It took a few listens for it
to begin to take effect, but now I'm in that place where I just listen to it
over and over, discovering a new song with each successive listen.  I can't
recommend it enough, but go to that link and see (hear) for yourself.  Also,
check out the review of the record in the new No Depression.  It's written
by Scott himself, and it's a freaking hoot.

Jim Cox