Press, Release, Play: Blurt Launches Latest Issue

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SOMEHOW, BETWEEN THE time in June when I wrote about the launch of Blurt — the Silver Spring-based online-only digi-magazine and Web site from the former editors and creators of Harp — and now, I missed the second issue entirely.

I guess my Boones Farm-induced blackout lasted longer than I thought.

Oh, wait; I see now: The "Blurt Alurt #3" promo e-mail is announcing the release of issue No. 2.

My reading comprehension is in the toilet. Oh, well. Let the drinking begin ... again!

Anyway, the Blurt boys are back with issue "No. 3," featuring Calexico on the digi-mag's cover, along with pieces on Neil Young, Aimee Mann, Gary Panter, Howe Gelb, The Hold Steady and Dr. Dog (the last of which Express interviewed, too, when Rudi Greenberg spoke to the Beach Boys/Beatles/Band-esque band's bassist. Killah beez!).

Also during my lost weekend / lost month at the Farm, Blurt added former Washington City Paper copyhorse Mark Jenkins to its ever-growing stable of bloggers, which also includes frequent Express contributor and regular Pitchfork Media scribe Stephen M. Deusner.

Plenty more info in the press release below about what's up with Blurt, including the promise of better navigation for the PDF digi-'zine edition.

BLURT ALURT #3: NEW ISSUE OF BLURT LAUNCHED!

NEW ISSUE OF BLURT DIGITAL MAGAZINE FEATURES CALEXICO, GEORGE CARLIN, NEIL YOUNG, GARY PANTER, DR. DOG

Blurt it out loud: Going live today (July 22) is the July-August issue of BLURT's digital magazine. Hop over to Blurt-online.com and click on the magazine cover — it's the one with Arizona's mighty Calexico staring back out at you.

Along with Calexico we've got features on Dr. Dog, Gary Panter, Neil Young and the late, great comedian George Carlin, along with in-depth coverage of Giant Sand, Aimee Mann, Teddy Thompson, Sharon Little, Wolf Parade, the Weather Underground, Sub Pop's Green River & the Fluid and tons more — if you ever wondered what pint-sized metalhead Ronnie James Dio has in common with pint-sized actress Rhea Perlman, or what exactly might turn up in that book of prose that Ryan Adams is planning for next year, BLURT's got the scoop for ya. Ten pages of up-to-the-minute CD, Book and DVD reviews round things out.

This new digital issue will offer vastly improved navigation and videos as well as the ability to download individual pages as printer-friendly PDFs.

Meanwhile, back at Blurt-online.com we've been adding content on a daily basis: a least five fresh CD reviews (Black Kids, Benji Hughes, Joshua James, The Baseball Project and The Anniversary all just went live); breaking news items about rockers, mockers, bawlers and brawlers (what's up with that Johnny Rotton-Bloc Party fracas this past weekend?), exclusive website-only features and interviews, an estimable roster of blogs from various music industry professionals and some of your favorite musicians -- including songwriter Todd Snider, whose tongue-in-cheek blog entry will appear this week.

We've also got free music you can listen to on our BLURT Radio player — just added are new tracks from Jennifer O'Connor, Shannon McArdle and Cassettes Won't Listen — alongside free video content (much of it filmed exclusively for BLURT) in our BLURT TV section, including the recently-uploaded Benji Hughes' 'The Mummy,' Teddy Thompson's 'In My Arms' and Fleet Foxes' 'White Winter Hymnal.'

All that and more is yours for free, from BLURT magazine and Blurt Online. Why? Because we care, gentle readers, we care.

Check it all out at Blurt-Online.com!

IN THIS ISSUE: CALEXICO
'We like those mysterious notes that are in the background, or just beyond the main instrument or voice. The mystery is important,' said Joey Burns, of what frequently motivates Calexico musically, in describing the band's forthcoming album Carried To Dust. On hand to probe that mystery: JOHN SCHACHT.
Read more in the digi-mag...

GEORGE CARLIN
In which writer and funnyman ED CONDRAN probes the absurdist, acerbic late comedian's genius. 'The whole world is a freak show,' said Carlin. 'When you're born you get a ticket to the freak show. It's a circus, a cavalcade of entertainment. You should have fun with it.' Carlin had fun with it to the very end. R.I.P
Read more in the digi-mag...

GARY PANTER
BLURT's resident aficionado of both low art and high, A.D. AMOROSI, had a sit-down with the legendary underground artist. Panter proved hugely revealing, describing himself as 'a sponge for modern art and primitive art … pop art too' while darkly predicting 'I have a mountain of ideas to test out.'
Read more in the digi-mag...

DR. DOG
Amorosi also put Dr. Dog on the couch, discussing hippies, hackey-sacks, strawberry-flavored rolling papers and their new CD Fate. Of where that 'fate' may lead the Dog-men advised, 'The tracks are endless but the cars can't waver, can't leave the rails. The lines have been laid in advance.'
Read more in the digi-mag...