Come celebrate the release of Phantom Family Halo’s new double LP, “Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die” on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at Lisa’s Oak St. Lounge (1004 E. Oak St. in Germantown). Softcheque and DJ Chaddles also perform. Doors at 9 p.m. Cover is $5. Each copy of “Monoliths” comes with a free digital download of the entire album. The band heads to the east coast and Canada beginning Friday, Nov. 27, with Young Widows and Russian Circles, so let’s send the band off in style.

Friday, Dec. 4: Joe Manning opens for Dave Rawlings Machine at Headliners Music Hall. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets for the 18-and-over show are $20 an can be purchased at Ticketweb.com. Manning’s new track, “Lately at a Lesser Table” appears on The White Belt split 7-inch alongside “Anita” by Pokey LaFarge. The single is the first in The Belt Series, is pressed on white vinyl and designed by Dexterity Press in Chicago. the title is available at ear X-tacy, Underground Sounds, Skull Alley, karatebodyrecords.com and all Joe Manning and Pokey LaFarge shows. Additionally, Manning also appears on several tracks of the upcoming compilation, “Face A Frowning World: An E.C. Ball Tribute Album” with Bonnie Prince Billy, The Health & Happiness Family Gospel Band, Jolie Holland, Catherine Irwin and others, out Dec. 8 via Tompkins Square, as well as with King’s Daughters & Sons on ear X-tacy’s free digital Holiday compilation, available at thinkindie.com.

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 11-12: The Fervor plays its first West Coast dates at The Makeout Room and The Kaleidoscope in San Francisco. The band will spend two weeks there in December recording the follow-up to its 2007 debut, “Bleeder.” Meanwhile, “No Apology” appears alongside Wussy’s “Fly Fly Fly” on The Green Belt. The limited edition split 7 comes on translucent green vinyl, and fewer than 250 copies remain. The Green Belt is available at ear X-tacy, Underground Sounds, Skull Alley, Shake It Records (Cincy), karatebodyrecords.com and all Fervor and Wussy shows. On Dec. 31, The Fervor closes out 2009 with Arnett Hollow and DJ Kim Sorise at Headliners Music Hall. Ticket information forthcoming. Additionally, The Fervor’s singer and keyboardist Natalie Felker will appear on “Slight Spell,” the forthcoming album from The Ravenna Colt, featuring Johnny Quaid (My Morning Jacket). “Slight Spell” arrives in February. Wussy also lends a cover on the upcoming “Dangerous Highway: A Tribute to Eddie Hinton” being released by Shake It Records. Digital versions of “Among The Gold” featuring Arnett Hollow violinist/vocalist Cheyenne Mize and Bonnie “Prince” Billy are available as either a full EP or individual tracks from thinkindie.com.

Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 12-13: Pokey LaFarge returns to The Monkeywrench (Barret Ave. in the Highlands) following a massive, never-ending U.S. tour to support his latest CD, “Riverboat Soul.” LaFarge ends his two-night stint at Captains Quarters Dec. 13, before heading back over to the U.K., where his initial tour of the place met with rave reviews. The White Belt wax with Pokey’s “Anita” will be for sale at these and all Pokey LaFarge shows, but the singles are moving fast. Fewer than 150 are left.

Stay warm,
KBR