Summer: when a young person's fancy turns to carefree days down at the ol' fishin' hole; swarming losers for their flash sneakers; and red hot smokin' rock tours! The reddest, hottest, and most smokin'est tour this summer may very well prove to be Aesop Rock, who is back with a block of dates starting August 15 in Boston. By his own fast-paced standards, Aesop Rock has been relatively quiet of late, or at least out of the gaze of us nosy peepers. Away from the velvet ropes and TMZ coverage, the man born as Ian Matthias Bavitz has presumably been his usual workaholic self, hinting at a bunch of recordings, collaborations, and guest spots (he shows up with Yak Ballz on one of Amp Live’s Tokyo Police Club remixes). Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz will play on all dates, and shows will have differing opening acts depending on which U.S. coast you live. The one exception is the show at McCarren Pool in NYC, which features guests Panther and Chin Chin. That is, unless any more dead bodies are found there.
If seeing Aesop Rock live or corpse rockin’ in New York isn’t your thing, Bavitz saw his own sneaker design rolled out through Urban Playground's Original Adidas series on July 31. It looks like this and -- attention eBay gougers! -- is a limited run of 500 pairs. A new pair of shoes has been introduced to the discriminating podalic marketplace every Thursday since July 17, with sets designed by Herbert Baglione, David Choe, and Sam Flores (forthcoming). The Aesop Rock model is a Stan Smith and the MC explains his design thusly:
The faded green and gold colors have a strange eerie-meets-regal vibe that I liked when designing the art for last year's None Shall Pass album. I wanted to continue that color scheme, and keep it pretty simple. I didn't want anything too intrusive. Basically I just wanted something that I'd rock, and my mother might even wear them.
08.15.08 - Boston, MA - The Roxy #
08.16.08 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place #
08.17.08 - Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Pool $
08.19.08 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theater #
08.20.08 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club #
08.22.08 - Columbus, OH - Skully's #
08.23.08 - Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub #
08.25.08 - Sioux Falls, SD - Nutty's #
08.26.08 - Duluth, MN - Pizza Luce #
09.12.08 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse %
09.13.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour %
09.14.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour %
09.15.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour %
09.17.08 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up %
09.18.08 - Fresno, CA - The Exit %
09.20.08 - San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Festival
09.22.08 - Bend, OR - Domino %
# Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz, Yak Ballz, LuckIam
$ Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz, Panther and Chin Chin
% Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz, The Mighty Underdogs, Grayskul
