PARSON'S SCHOOL OF DESIGN

The senior students of SY album designer Frank Olinsky and his colleagues in the Illustration Department of the Parsons School of Design created cover art for a theoretical best of Sonic Youth album. The members of Sonic Youth selected their favorites. The works can be viewed as part of the Parsons Senior Illustration Show at The New York Art Directors Club, 106 West 29th Street, May 10-19. Further information here.

SILENT PODCAST

'Silence' from the Ciccone Youth Whitey Album is available as part of the Silent Podcast.

TWO DOLLAR GUITAR

Steve Shelley and Tim Foljahn will make a rare appearance DJ'ing at Maxwell's (in Hoboken,NJ) on May 23rd from 9pm -?. The new Two Dollar Guitar CD 'The Wear and Tear of Fear' will be released in early September by Smells Like Records.

SONIC YOUTH AT THURSTON-CURATED ATP

The Nightmare Before Christmas version of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival this December will be curated by Thurston. The Festival runs December 8-10 and takes place at a new location in Somerset, England. So far, Iggy and the Stooges and Sonic Youth are confirmed to play. More info as it becomes available at the ATP site.

KIM AND THURSTON ON GILMORE GIRLS

Thurston and Kim, plus daughter Coco on shakers, will appear on the May 9 epsisode of "Gilmore Girls" to perform an acoustic version of the new SY song "What a Waste."

PERFECT PARTNER BOX SET

The box set containing a record, artwork by Kim, and a ton of other goodies related to the Perfect Partner Film/Performance is now available in finer music shoppes. Limited edition of 500. Further scoop at Electra.

MORE ART, MORE NOISE

Lee has a piece in a show called 'Infinity, Etc.' at the Mercer Union Centre for Contemporary Art in Toronto. More info at the festival site.

Thurston has a new split 12" with Cotton Museum on the Tasty Soil label. According to tastysoil.com: Try sticking your damn patch cable right into an open sore and it would probably sound something like this record. Limited to 500 Copies w/ 3 color Pro-Screen printed covers with art by Chris Pottinger. Tasty Soil's first official LP release!! Each copy is numbered out of 500.

LOVEDOLLS SUPERSTAR

Sonic Youth, along with Redd Kross, Painted Wille, and the Meat Puppets (amongst others) have music in the new Dave Markey film 'Lovedolls Superstar: Fully Realized.' The film is available on DVD March 14. More info at: wegotpowerfilms.com.

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS

Sonic Youth, and also the Subhumans, have music in Asia Argento's film version of the book 'The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things' by Laura Albert (J.T. Leroy). More info on the film's site.

DAYDREAM NATION 33 1/3 BOOK

Continuum Books, as part of their 33 1/3 series, will publish a book later in 2006 by Matthew Stearns about Daydream Nation. The 33 1/3 series books each cover one classic album. Previous books have been about the Neil Young's 'Harvest', the MC5's 'Kick Out the Jams' and the Beastie Boys' 'Paul's Boutique' amongst others. A short excerpt from the introduction is available here.

SONIC IN FRANCE

Sonic Youth will perform live on 'Le Mouv' on Radio France to debut songs from their new album 'Rather Ripped' April 19. The performance is at 9pm Paris time. For more information and a chance for tickets, visit the Radio France site. SY will also be playing one show in Paris April 20 . The show is at the Nouveau Casino and tickeV

THURSTON SOLO ON 6 MUSIC ON THE BBC

Tuesday, April 18 Thurston will appear live on 6 Music on the BBC performing two songs solo acoustic. The scheduled time is 11:00am in the UK.

DRIFT AND THURSTON IN BRUSSELS

Thurston will perform with Paul Labrecque Sunday April 23 in Brussels at Recyclart. More information at ultraeczema.com. The next night Lee will be performing along with Leah Singer also in Brussels as they present their collaborative project 'Drift'. The performance will be at the Palais des Beaux-Arts at 8:30 in the evening. More information here.

STEVE IN SPAIN WITH CHRISTINA ROSENVINGE

Steve is currently in Spain with Christina Rosenvinge for a few special events to celebrate the release of her new CD 'Continental 62' which has musical contributions from Steve, Lee, Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar and Jeremy Wilms. Christina and her group also filmed 2 TV appearances - one for I Pop and another for Carta Blanca.

SY STUDIO MOVED

The band have moved out of their home base studio after the building that housed Murray St. Studio for over 10 years was sold.

LEE UPCOMING RELEASES

Lee has one new release available now, and one coming January 24: A Glen Hall/William Hooker/Lee Ranaldo trio concert from Buffalo, 2001 entitled 'Oasis of Whispers' is out now on Alien8. In January, Table of the Elements will release 'The Celestial Answer': 1999 studio recordings at Echo Canyon of William Hooker and Lee Ranaldo in duo form. More info here.

BRING 'EM HOME NOW

Steve leant his support to the anti-war movement by performing with Bright Eyes at the Bring 'Em Home Now Concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York Monday, March 20. According to the event's website: R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, Bright Eyes, Public Enemy frontman Chuck D and Rufus Wainwright will join peace activist Cindy Sheehan for the Bring 'Em Home concert. The event, which will benefit the Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, will take place at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on March 20th, the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The evening's guest hosts will include such outspoken celebrities as Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin, Margaret Cho and Janeane Garofalo; while Steve Earle, Fischerspooner, Peaches and Devendra Banhart will be among the other performers.

THURSTON ON AIR AMERICA

Thurston will be interviewed about the forthcoming 'Rather Ripped' album on the Marc Maron Show on Air America tonight, Thursday April 6. The show is on at 10pm Pacific time. Tune in on the AM dial, or listen via this stream.

NO FUN, MORE ART, MORE NOISE

Lee and Thurston will both be performing at the 2006 No Fun Festival in Brooklyn, NY. Lee will play Friday with Chris Corsano and Bill Nace, Thurston will play Sunday with Leslie Keffer. More info at mercerunion.org.

Thurston will be performing along with Jello Biafra and Anne Waldman Thursday March 9 at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado. The event is 'A Night of Music and Poetry for Progressive Action' and will benefit the nonprofit organizations Burma Lifeline and La Casa de la Estrantas. More info here.

In more art news, Lee and Kim both feature in a new gallery show by longtime SY friend/collaborator Tony Oursler. The show is entitled 'Sound Digressions in Sevens Colors' and runs February 25th to March 25th at the Nyehaus gallery: 15 Gramercy Park South, #8D New York, NY. The Nyehaus show comprises sculptures of seven musicians, with video monitors embedded in each one. Scattered throughout the gallery space, the sculptures will create a cacophonous "surround-sound" atmosphere. The musicians featured are: Tony Conrad, Kim Gordon, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Lee Ranaldo, Jim Thirlwell, and Stephen Vitiello. More info at: www.nyehaus.com.