Find the “rock” version of “Crossed Wires” on Majesty Shredding which is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store.

Watch the video below, see Versus on tour, and buy On the Ones and Threes on CD, deluxe-edition dbl-LP and digital download now in the Merge store!

photo by PJ Sykes

Click here to view the embedded video.

Versus on tour:
8/12 Brooklyn, NY Rock Shop CD release show w/ True Love Always
8/13 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace w/ Polvo
8/14 Montreal, QC Cabaret Juste Pour Rire w/ Polvo
9/21 Boston, MA Royale w/ Superchunk
9/22 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre w/ Superchunk & Jenny and Johnny

Photos by Brian Vetter

Join the 92Y Tribeca (200 Hudson St.) in New York City on Wednesday, March 31 for a special screening of the concert film, with a Q&A moderated by Anna Thorngate, an assistant editor at the Criterion Collection. The concert film will be preceded by Buttons, a 7 minute short film featuring Kurt Wagner playing a song at Friendly Barber Shop in Carrboro, NC.

Even if you weren’t there you come away from the viewing experience floored by the band’s prowess, exhilarated by the collective joy that resulted, and more than a little transformed.

-Blurt

Buy Lambchop – Live at XX Merge in the Merge Store.

Also, to keep your hearts feeling warm and Merge-y as our 20th anniversary year draws to a close, please give the gift of a limited-edition SCORE! compilation or The Merge Records Companion to your loved one (or yourself) to benefit a group of worthy charities.

SCORE! The Covers!, SCORE! The Remixes!, and The Merge Records Companion are available in extremely limited quantities, so visit the Merge store now and order them at special holiday sale prices! All proceeds will benefit charities chosen by the SCORE! curators.

Visit Babelgum’s XX Merge page for live performance and interview footage from the festival. Converse has stripped down performances of six Merge bands taken around Carrboro and Chapel Hill during XX Merge.

We still have XX Merge posters, t-shirts and tote bags available in the Merge store to further help commemorate the occasion. And, if you want to know the whole story of how Merge began pick up a copy of Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records in the Merge store and wherever books are sold.

Thanks to everyone whose attendance helped make XX Merge so much fun and to all who have supported Merge bands through the years!

The Rosebuds performance completes the six week series at Converse.com showcasing Merge bands performing stripped-down sets somewhat spontaneously in various locations during the festival. Visit the XX Merge section of Converse.com for videos from Superchunk, The Clientele, Telekinesis, Lou Barlow, Wye Oak, and The Rosebuds.

Visit Converse.com to watch the complete series, and don’t forget to check out the Merge channel at Babelgum for live footage from the XX Merge 20th anniversary shows held July 22-26th at the Cat’s Cradle and Memorial Hall.

Today on Converse.com, see Wye Oak play an acoustic version of “Take It In” from their new album, The Knot.

The Wye Oak video joins an ongoing series at Converse.com showcasing six Merge bands performing stripped-down sets somewhat spontaneously in various locations during the festival. Visit the XX Merge section of Converse.com for videos from Superchunk, The Clientele, Telekinesis, Lou Barlow, and now Wye Oak.

Check back next week for the next clip in this series of unique sessions courtesy of Converse.com. And don’t forget to check out the Merge channel at Babelgum for live footage from the XX Merge shows held July 22-26th at the Cat’s Cradle and Memorial Hall.

Don’t forget about the special stripped-down performances available at Converse.com, too!

The Clientele video is the second in a series showcasing six Merge bands performing stripped-down sets somewhat spontaneously in various locations during the festival. Superchunk kicked off the series with one of their new songs, “Crossed Wires.”

Check back next week for the next clip in this series of unique sessions courtesy of Converse.com.

Visit the XX Merge page for a selection of photos that capture some of our favorite moments from our 20th anniversary festival!

Paul & Adam from Merge

Paul, Adam & Spoon's Hot Pocket

All photos by Brian Vetter

all photos by Brian Vetter

photo by Adam R.

photos by Bradley Searles unless otherwise noted

Brian & Shannon Vetter

Merge intern Dianna here, checking in while everyone in the office is getting caught up after XX Merge (you may have seen me hanging round the front merch booth selling shirts and posters). If I had to sum up Merge’s 20th anniversary festival in one sentence, it would be: Well, that was a hell of a ride.

But one sentence doesn’t quite cover it! All manner of insane and awesome things went on this past weekend, both during the shows and behind the scenes. In the past five days, I saw (nearly) thirty-three amazing bands, had both a film crew and an impromptu Built to Spill sing-along in my living room (although not simultaneously), watched a band play in an alley five feet wide, and met scores of kind, wonderful people. It’s very humbling to be the 21 year-old intern at the record label’s 20th birthday party, and I feel so lucky to have been a part of it all.

Enough gushing, though! My place at the front merch table afforded me a great view of everything going on onstage, and so I bring you, in no particular order, a few of the many highlights of XX Merge:

- Lambchop! No joke, I had heard a few records, but I was not expecting to be totally and completely blown out of the water. I especially loved the “Once in a Lifetime” cover.
- Phil Morrison’s extra-large Conor hat, which really brought the laughs. Also: Phil Morrison’s beard.
- Michael Lerner of Telekinesis playing with Ivan Howard (the Rosebuds) and Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) after just one rehearsal, and TOTALLY nailing it.
- Superchunk’s fantastic set on Thursday night. The atmosphere in that room was amazing – it was obvious what everyone had come for.
- The Broken West covering Teenage Fanclub’s “It’s All in My Mind”
- The Magnetic Fields cockroach incident
- And last but not least, seeing super-lovely Wye Oak play to the 1500 capacity Memorial Hall. This duo can hold their own.

My tenure at Merge is coming to an end as I prepare to embark on new adventures, and I can’t thank Merge enough for letting me be a part of it. See ya next time, dudes!

photo of Guv'ner featuring Bridget Cornog & Spott Merge by Bradley Searles

We’ll have more “official” photos soon, but in the meantime, check out the great coverage on the web of our festival. Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us! We wouldn’t be here without you! If we missed any good links, please post them in the comments!

Paste Magazine
Spin.com
Pitchfork
Bradley’s Almanac
Washington Post
Triangle Music
In the Black & White
Aquarium Drunkard
And definitely watch Philly Boy Roy on YouTube!

All photos by Brian Vetter

All photos by Brian Vetter

photo by Phil Morrison

photo by Phil Morrison

Orange County Social Club in Carrboro, NC, will host a free outdoor show beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Enjoy live music from Tenement Halls, Portastatic, The Music Tapes, Matt Suggs, and Radar Bros. Also, frosty beverages and delicious food from Neal’s Deli will be available for purchase.

Orange County Social Club is a private member club. Membership is not required to attend this show but will be required if you intend to drink. Applications must be received three days before the event. For more information and to fill out an application, visit the OCSC website.

Also, for a respite from the heat, we will be hosting “Merge at the Movies” in conjunction with the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill. Screenings will be held in UNC’s Hanes Art Center auditorium on Thursday and Friday from 2–5 p.m. The movies will be free and the theater is air conditioned! We will be showing: Superchunk – Quest for Sleep, Arcade Fire – Miroir Noir, Who Loves the Sun (scored by Portastatic), and Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band – One of My Kind. For showtimes and directions, visit the XX Merge schedule page.

For more chances to get to know your fellow XX Merge adventurers, visit the XX Merge section of the Merge message board. Find out the details on “Crazy Tony” kickball on Friday afternoon, recommendations of happening Triangle watering holes, carpooling opportunities, and more.

Click here to download a PDF of the XX Merge schedule and map!

Visit the schedule page of the North Carolina Now website for broadcast information.

Laura blowing out the candles on the XX Merge birthday cake at Piedmont

Finally after months of planning, XX Merge week is here! Merge with Motion was a huge success on Saturday night, and a great way to kick off the celebration. Lovely features ran in the News & Observer and Pitchfork with a big one planned in the Independent for Wednesday.

Oh, and Superchunk played at South Street Seaport on Friday! BrooklynVegan has great photos!

Visitors to Carrboro during XX Merge should stop in for a delicious Acme bloody mary and check out the show!

Jefferson Jackson Steele for The Baltimore City Paper

Wye Oak‘s new record, The Knot, will be released on CD and digital download on Tuesday, July 21st. The Baltimore City Paper celebrated with a big feature on hometown heroes Jenn & Andy in advance of their CD release show on July 21st at the Ottobar (w/ Oakley Hall). Wye Oak will also join She & Him and American Music Club at Memorial Hall on Sunday, July 26th for the grand finale of XX Merge. Tickets still available!

Listen to a full album stream and pre-order your copy of The Knot now in the Merge store!

On Saturday, July 18, at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC, a group of world-renowned dancers will join the Triangle Youth Ballet to present Merge with Motion, a dance performance in a unique rock music setting celebrating Merge Records’ 20th anniversary. To purchase tickets, visit the Carolina Theatre box office online.

The Rosebuds will play one of their old favorites in addition to debuting a new musical work composed especially for Merge with Motion as dancers perform simultaneously onstage. In addition to The Rosebuds, performers will dance to music from Arcade Fire, Caribou, Destroyer, The Magnetic Fields, Polvo, Richard Buckner, Spaceheads, Spoon, and more.

Merge with Motion
Saturday, July 18, 2009, 7:30pm
The Carolina Theatre, Fletcher Hall
309 W. Morgan Street
Durham, NC 27710

$15/$17 Advance
$21 Day of show

Dancers and choreographers include:
*Amanda Miller will open the evening with a dance accompanying The Rosebuds’ premiere of a newly composed song. Amanda is a Chapel Hill native and internationally known dancer and choreographer, who recently moved home from living in Germany where she ran her dance company, “Pretty Ugly.”

*Erick “E-Rock” Uphoff, a hip hop dancer living in L.A., will return to Durham to perform. Erick was recently a finalist on a Lifetime show called “Your Mama Don’t Dance.”

*Sidelong Dance Company from Winston-Salem will present a modern dance piece.

*Gene Medler’s North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble will present two rhythm tap pieces.

*Pamela Pietro and Jennifer Nugent, both internationally respected modern dancers and current ADF faculty, will perform a modern dance duet choreographed by Nugent and recently performed for the ADF Faculty Concert.  Pietro has rearranged the piece for Merge With Motion.

*Susan Honer, a 2008 graduate of the American Dance Festival/Hollins University MFA program, will present a multimedia modern dance including a video collage.

*The faculty of the Triangle Youth Ballet including Lauren Lorentz de Haas, Christine Grider, Audrey Fenske, Sarah Honer, and Kate Vollrath, will premiere contemporary ballet, theatrical ballet, and modern dance works.

NPR’s All Songs Considered
WUNC’s The State of Things *includes a rare acoustic Superchunk performance!
APM’s Sound Opinions
NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered

And, on Thursday, July 16th, message board regular Alex (aka flipyourwig), will host a Thursday Night Special entitled “MERGE RECORDS TURNS TWENTY- The Little Label That Could” on Chapel Hill’s WXYC from 9-Midnight (EST). Listen live in the triangle at 89.3 FM and online at wxyc.org.

Pure were a band from Asheville, NC, featuring Steve Dunnington (bass & vocals), Danni Iosello (drums), and Martin Beeler (guitars & vocals). We released a Pure 7” in the spring of 1991 and they haven’t played together since the early ’90s, but they’ve agreed to reunite for XX Merge and we’re excited! A bit Dinosaur Jr.-y but more spacey, everyone who saw them was pretty blown away and people loved the single. Then they just kinda disappeared back into the mountains.

Stream a Pure song from our 5 year anniversary compilation, Rows of Teeth.

In the same vein, New Zealand’s legendary, guitar-mangling 3Ds haven’t played a stateside show since their 1994 tour with Superchunk, but Davids Mitchell and Saunders, Denise Roughan, and original drummer Dominic Stones are making the trip for XX Merge!

Stream songs from our 3Ds releases as well as the Quasi cover of the 3Ds song “Beautiful Things” from the SCORE! The Covers! CD now on sale at a new low price in the Merge store.

5-day passes for XX Merge are sold out. There may be a limited number of tickets for sale at the door for the Cat’s Cradle shows, and tickets are still available via eTix for the July 26 show at Memorial Hall featuring She & Him, American Music Club & Wye Oak.

Wye Oak’s album release show is July 21 at Ottobar in Baltimore, and then they play Memorial Hall as part of XX Merge on July 26! Tickets still available!

Wye Oak is Paste Magazine’s Band of the Week! Check out the article at PasteMagazine.com! Wye Oak release The Knot on July 21, with an album release show at The Ottobar on the same night! Tickets are still available for their performance at Memorial Hall on July 26 as part of XX Merge!

(500) Days of Summer, the new Zooey Deschanel movie, will be released on July 17th along with the soundtrack featuring She & Him’s cover of “Please, Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths.

And, there are still tickets available for the big XX Merge finale featuring She & Him, American Music Club & Wye Oak at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill on July 26th. Get your tickets now!

Original contemporary ballet, rhythm tap, and modern dance will be performed by world class choreographers including: Amanda Miller (Chapel Hill/Pretty Ugly, Germany), North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (Chapel Hill), Pamela Pietro (American Dance Festival Faculty/Tisch-NYU), Sidelong Dance Co. (Winston-Salem), and others.

In addition to The Rosebuds, performers will dance to music from Arcade Fire, Caribou, Destroyer, the Magnetic Fields, Polvo, Richard Buckner, Spaceheads, Spoon and more.

Merge with Motion
Saturday, July 18, 2009, 7:30pm
The Carolina Theatre, Fletcher Hall
309 W. Morgan Street
Durham, NC 27710

$15/$17 Advance
$21 Day of show

Tickets are available online and at the Carolina Theatre box office. Box office hours are 11am–6pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour before showtime.

Also, Orange County Social Club in Carrboro, NC will host a free outdoor show beginning at 1pm on Saturday, July 25. Enjoy live music from Tenement Halls, Portastatic, The Music Tapes, Matt Suggs, and Radar Bros. Also, frosty beverages and delicious food from Neal’s deli will be for sale.

Orange County Social Club is a private member club. Membership is not required to attend this show, but will be required if you intend to drink. Applications must be received three days before the event. For more information and to fill out an application, visit the OCSC website.

The countdown to XX Merge has begun! We have more XX Merge activities to announce soon, so stay tuned!

Tickets for the Memorial Hall show are available via eTix, Cat’s Cradle, CD Alley (Chapel Hill), Schoolkids (Raleigh), Bull City Records (Durham), and the Memorial Hall box office.

Five-day passes and individual tickets for all Cat’s Cradle shows are now sold out.

We will not be announcing line-ups for the Cat’s Cradle nights, but a (mostly) complete list of bands who will be performing is available at mergerecords.com/xxmerge.

The line-up for Sunday, July 26th at Memorial Hall will be:

She & Him
American Music Club
Wye Oak

We look forward to seeing you in July!

photo by Jessie Gladin-Kramer

Visit Design*Sponge for a cool Durham City Guide. Get your tickets for individual nights of XX Merge beginning at 10 AM EST tomorrow, and see all the sights of Durham for yourself in July!

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, Merge bands of the past and present will converge for 5 days of live music, July 22-26th in the heat of the sunny North Carolina summer. We are calling these 5 days of live music and mayhem, XX Merge.

XX Merge
Wednesday, July 22nd – Sunday, July 26th
4 nights at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC
1 night at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill, NC on UNC Campus
Details of additional music & bedlam yet to come!

Featuring over 25 of your favorite Merge artists including…Superchunk, Spoon, Conor Oberst, Spent, M. Ward, The Rosebuds, Destroyer, Guv’ner, Polvo, Pipe & The Broken West. Many more bands both expected and unexpected still to-be-announced!

A limited number of tickets for individual Cradle shows and the Memorial Hall show will be made available at a later date.

For more information, visit mergerecords.com.