Many bands are hitting the road and we can't be happier.  Also the return of Rodrigo y Gabriela and Orbital make this a great week for music news.  Enjoy!

Here's the next round of updates that I've written over the last couple of months but never got around to posting.  Enjoy!

Apparently I'm still not back on track but managed to go through my leads and pick out some interesting stories.  So if you've been AWOL like me for the last couple of weeks then this should help you get caught up, read on!

The Decemberists have announced a tour of North America, kicking off at the Newport Folk Festival this Saturday (August 1) - Source

Flaming Lips, MGMT, The Decemberists, Yo La Tengo and Grizzly Bear are among the bands set to headline the Treasure Island Music Festival this autumn. - Source

It seems like Coachella was only yesterday. Since this year's Lolla headliners (and then some) leaked long ago, we already knew about Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode, Jane's Addiction, Tool, Kings Of Leon, the Killers, Lou Reed, Decemberists, Neko Case, and Andrew Bird. Not too shabby. But almost too shabby. If that assortment of talent didn't convince you to attend, maybe this will: Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Deerhunter, Bat For Lashes, TV On The Radio, and Vampire Weekend. And an Animal Collective DJ set. Here's the whole lineup, in poster and video form because festival reveals come with videos these days.Continue reading Lollapalooza 2009 Lineup: Now With 100% More Animal Collective... - Source

The Decemberists have announced the first leg of a North American tour, scheduled to kick off May 19 in Los Angeles, CA. - Source

The Decemberists have announced a tour of the US, scheduled to kick off at Terminal 5 in New York on November 5. - Source

It's not exactly like Colin & The Gang have been out of sight since dropping The Crane Wife, but sure and yes, a new batch of Decemberists songs sounds great thank you. As far as we know the promise for an album in 2009 still stands, although this is not it; the project's dubbed Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series, and will unfold in three volumes, beginning this October. As you already read a few inches above, it includes a song about outed C.I.A. operative Valerie Plame, entitled "Valerie Plame," press-release described as being from "the point-of-view of one of Plame's inside contacts. Source

By land and by sea, they came to see the great man speak. An estimated 75,000 in all turned out to see presidential hopeful Barack Obama at Portland's Waterfront Park yesterday afternoon-- a record crowd for Obama's own campaign, according to The New York Times, and a record crowd for Oregon political events, according to The Oregonian. Just look at them all! - Source