Eight stories of being in love and being on tour:

A makeup artist I met in Minneapolis said the following rules helped her keep a long-term relationship afloat during the three solid years (!) she spent on a Tina Turner world tour: Make some contact every day without fail, whether by phone, e-mail, or fax, and never go more than three weeks without physical contact. Even if it's just a brief encounter in an airport lounge, find a way to see your bf/gf every 21 days. That way, you're a couple separated by circumstances. Any more than that and you're exes who haven't admitted it yet. This is admittedly both arbitrary and extreme. Plus, not everyone who tours can afford to fly his or her mate out to Winooski, Vermont, for a dirty weekend once a month. However, it does address the fundamental difficulty: remaining engaged.

Kelly O talks with the Spits:

How did the Spits come to be?
Well, it all started at Chili-Fest in Antarctica in 1962. Naw, it started in the '80s when my brother Erin and I were in the Allegan Juvenile Detention Center near Kalamazoo, Michigan. Part of the therapy there was that kids had to write songs. That's when we started the band Spit Out. We felt like weirdos, like we'd been spit out by everybody, our parents, teachers.

What were you and Erin listening to back then?
Twisted Sister, Black Flag. Twisted Sister is punk, so much more so than NOFX or any of those dumbfucks, all those Hot Topic "punks." NOFX is not punk rock.

Ezra Ace Caraeff on Ramona Falls:

Leaning on friends is commonplace in the "it takes a village" process of recording an album with limited capital, but few villages could come together and create something as texturally precise and tonally ambitious as Intuit. The recording, which swells with a bevy of rich sounds that won't sound all that unfamiliar to Menomena fans, showcases both Knopf's effortless gift for complex art-pop arrangements and a Rolodex overflowing with friends/musicians on call. It's as much a statement of the artist as it is the city he resides in.

Read about this week's notable shows and parties in Up & Coming, such as tomorrow night's concert with the Purrs:

(Sunset) Tomorrow, local psychedelic pop quartet the Purrs celebrate the release of their new full-length, Amused, Confused & More Bad News. If you're a fan of the Dandy Warhols, consider the Purrs your new best friends. Wah-wah'd guitar solos are in full effect on songs like the spacey "Sister" and the more jangly "Fear of Flying." Opening the show are Blood Red Dancers, who are on the other side of the spectrum. The Purrs are floating around in a drug-induced daydream, while Blood Red Dancers get down and dirty with a heavy blues sound. MEGAN SELING

Fucking in the Streets on Japanther:

The show was the second at the park—the first was a performance by "Awesome"—but the first featuring amplification. In between bands, Wu-Tang blasted from a stereo—this was an Implied Violence benefit, after all. Planes flew low overhead at regular intervals. Apparently, during Strong Killings' set, which was out front on the street side of the building, a city bus stopped nearby and several passengers wandered over to see what was going on. Neighbors dropped by throughout the night, curious and affable. Japanther set up—their drum head looked like it said "Japantier," like it was French—and tore through one of the best sets I've seen from them in years, playing favorites like "1-10," "Challenge," "River Phoenix," "Fuk Tha Prince a Pull Iz Dum," and "Mornings."

Catch up with the latest singles and releases with It's a Hit:

"Craigslist"
by "Weird Al" Yankovic
(RCA/Jive)

Life is also too short to miss this perfect Doors rip/parody/homage, featuring Ray Manzarek himself on organ. I love every verse, from the "Missed Connections" one ("You were a blond half-Asian with a bad case of gas/I was wearing red Speedos and a hockey mask") to the impossible finale, involving a trash can full of Styrofoam peanuts ("But the trash can ain't part of the deal/Only giving you the peanuts—get real"). But the bridge clinches it: "An open letter to the snotty barista at the Coffee Bean on San Vicente Boulevard... Didn't you see me hold up my index finger? That means, 'I'll order my soy decaf hazelnut latte in just a couple minutes.'" Not to mention the video: Al's little Jim Morrison jump/leg-kick on the first chorus is as good as the record itself. Between this and 2006's insane R. Kelly homage "Trapped in the Drive-Thru," dude has gotten better than ever, right under everyone's noses.

Larry Mizell Jr on Life Cycle:

The deluge of free downloadable local-rap EPs doesn't look to be letting up any time soon, folkers. Recently, three new ones have hit the digital shelves for your perusal. Tacoma-Seattle crew Life Cycle (Joshua J, Burn One, DJ Hanibal) just put out Grounded (which you can find at www.lifecyclehiphop.wordpress.com), the follow-up to 2008's City of Rust. As on Rust, their signature blunted, hypnotic synth production style (their best aspect I think, and courtesy of Burn One) is in full effect. LC definitely have a sound that doesn't sound like shit else 'round here; I'm reminded of some of the spacier tracks from Styles of Beyond's debut, 2000 Fold. The two MCs are solid, their voices aren't annoying, and the fundamentals are in place, but their material mostly borders on a certain outdated (think the late-'90s 12-inch boom) underground mundanity: "I love this music with all my soul," "Hiphop's not dead," "Cats doin' anything to get a deal," etc.

Christopher DeLaurenti on Mood Organ:

Peering over Timm Mason's shoulder, I espied his moniker, Mood Organ, affixed to packages bound for labels famous and unknown. Every artist gets rejected; by the time we find them, the ones we know and love have been ignored, rebuffed, and rejected countless times. Yet Mason seemed calm, as if mailing Christmas cards. The pensive, gloaming tones of the disc, Visiting a Burning Museum (Debacle), reflect this confidence. Mason inscribes his music with poetic details that reward headphone listening: lonesome guitar, rustles of wind, swelling tones, and keyboards that sound like they're underwater, blurred by shivering eddies and ripples.

Megan Seling on Carousel Festival:

For the fourth year, Carousel Festival celebrates the diversity of Seattle's DIY music community with a weekend of all-ages shows (Fri—Sun Aug 28—30), featuring over 30 bands playing at venues including Healthy Times Fun Club, Gallery 1412, Cairo gallery, and others.

There's some great talent on the roster this year, with a little bit of something to please everyone. On Saturday night, heavy and hard trio Helms Alee play at the Greenhouse, along with Patrol, Partman Parthorse, and Weekend (aka Ryann Donnelly of Schoolyard Heroes and Mark Gajadhar of Past Lives and Champagne Champagne). Sunday afternoon, starting at 1:00 p.m., the uniquely voiced Whitney Ballen plays the Cairo gallery with 1985, Dennis Driscoll, and more. If you're unfamiliar with Ballen, imagine a slightly less Muppety Joanna Newsom minus the harp. She's incredible.

This week Party Crasher investigates the source of the cabbage-water smell! Check out Poster of the Week! For more concerts and live music, you can do a quick search with our online calendar.