Just placed on the site, an interview with ex-Helium frontwoman Mary Timony (read it here). Timony talks about Matador's round-about way of ending its relationship with her, and how she picked herself up and moved on. She can count herself among those who were at that label during its mid-'90s golden years, back when you bought whatever the label put out regardless of whether you even heard of the band (a status that Saddle Creek is approaching). These days Matador is a shadow of its former self. Sure, they still have Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus and Interpol, but after that it gets rather spotty. I haven't sought out a Matador CD since Interpol's debut back in 2002.

There weren't too many out-takes from the interview that didn't make the story. Timony did talk about growing up in D.C. and following the local hardcore/punk scene and how it influenced her music. "I went to a lot of punk shows, I hung out at The Wilson Center," she said. "I was aware of the bands and was a fan of the bands. They were so powerful; it was definitely a big influence in playing music and getting started. Then I was in a band called Autoclave that put out a record on Dischord in '91." In fact, Timony said she first met Fugazi's Brendan Canty (who produced her new CD, Ex Hex) when he recorded Autoclave.

I threw this story online early this week because Timony is playing Sokol Underground this Thursday, and because I'm putting the Kasabian piece up tomorrow. It's turning out to be a busy week. Yesterday the Omaha World-Herald reported (in this story) that the label's Slowdown project is now slated for a downtown location -- from Webster to Cuming between 13th and 14th streets, just as rumored last fall. Unlike the original, doomed Metcalf Park Slowdown project, this one is more than just a music hall, offices and bar. The latest proposal includes a two-screen art-house movie theater, a pizza joint and condos, with a targeted completion date of June 2006. An hour after the story broke Saddle Creek's Jason Kulbel e-mailed to say that despite the World-Herald report nothing about the project was definite. "Still many details to be worked out and the city has not accepted our proposal as of yet, but the cat is fully out of the bag," he said.

And speaking of Saddle Creek, tonight is the victorious return of The Good Life to Sokol Underground in what has been said to be one of their last local gigs for a long, long time. Opening the show are tourmates Make Believe and Zykos. I foresee a sell-out.

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