Rolling Stone's Christopher R. Weingarten Partners with The Mountain Goats Frontman John Darnielle for #tcot Jazz/Noise Group (Northern Spy Records)
"B-E- darNielle- weinGarten-A-H-Z-I #tcot... #tcot (top conservatives on Twitter) is the first band I've been in since 2007. Ecstatic to be back in the game for Cassette Store Day," @1000TimesYes, better known as Rolling Stone music critic, Christopher R. Weingarten enthusiastically Tweeted late Thursday morning. He's teamed with The Mountain Goats frontman and life-long wrestling super-fan John Darnielle for what can best be described as a spastic, cassette-only self-destructive drum and piano-assisted Jazz/Noise improv tape in conjunction with Saturday's third annual Cassette Store Day festivities; "the #tcot tape is now SOLD OUT [at] @northernspyrecs! If you want one, these stores will have 'em on Cassette Store Day." Charlottesville-based Senior Editor at Stereogum, and apparent mutual acquaintance, Tom Breihan wrote, "full disclosure, I guess: I'm friendly with both of them, though I had no idea this thing was happening," commenting on John Darnielle & Christopher R. Weingarten's seemingly surprise-announced self-titled #tcot cassette. Former The Men guitarist and genre-blending Springsteenian producer Ben Greenberg recorded the entirety of #tcot at fabled Brooklyn studio The Magic Shop; upon its initial release announcement, Norther Spy unveiled a frantic 2-minute "#tcot excerpt," which quite readily defines Weingarten and Darnielle's fun-loving, improvisational Jazz/Noise-leaning nature. John Darnielle's debut National Book Award-nominated novel Wolf In White Van, along with his critically-acclaimed wrestling-themed album Beat The Champ, are both currently available for your tandem listening and reading pleasures.