When you last read this website, we were saying goodbye to our drummer, Colin, with nary a mention of who would fill his shoes. Well, the shoes were filled, the torch was passed, and not long after Colin's last hurrah, we started rehearsals with the final addition to the new lineup, Josh Lava. You may recognize Josh and his surname from such bands as The Lava Brothers. Josh has divulged all of his secrets on his bio page -- go familiarize yourself with his likes and dislikes so there's no awkward small talk at the next show.

Speaking of next shows, we'll be at the new Bottom Lounge on Monday, October 6th, playing with The Autumn Defense (helmed by Wilco members John Stirratt and Patrick Sansone). Despite its name, the Bottom Lounge has one of the best rooftop patios in the city, has great sound, and is more the size of a North Shore mansion than a lounge. It will be just enough space for you and all of your friends and all of your friends' friends.

We'll also be playing at Matt's and Elizabeth's alma mater, Kalamazoo College, on Tuesday, September 23rd -- if you're a student, faculty, or alumni, check out the details here. But our day trip to Michigan is only a small sample of the major highway miles we'll be racking up in October. Canasta will be part of an all-Chicago showcase at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, and since we'll have all of the gear packed up anyways, we'll be making some stops along the way. Check back here soon for more details about the tour.

In non-show-related news, we were thrilled to be asked by the Obama campaign to provide a few instrumental mixes from We Were Set Up for their YouTube operation. You can see two of the resultant videos, making use of an instrumental mix of “Firenze,” here and here. We were holding out for Obama to make a cameo appearance in an “Impostors” video, but we're hoping he'll be too busy for music videos come next January.

It's an age-old dilemma: during the summer, how do you find time to go to shows when you have to go to weddings every weekend? If you went to a wedding at Old St. Pat's church last weekend, you could've strolled over to their World's Largest Block Party, where we played a gigantic, outdoor-sized set with Pat Monahan of Train... yes, that Train. But if it's your own wedding, why not rent out Schubas and bring in your favorite bands? Tomorrow, July 26th, Canasta is playing a free show at said venue with our friends Brighton, MA to celebrate two of our favorite fans exchanging vows. The show also marks the end of the long and venerable tenure of Mr. Colin Sheaff as Canasta's drummer. Colin has been with Canasta since Day 1 and will be remembered fondly by blowing your rock-loving ears off tomorrow.

If you've been looking for summer reading, there's a lot of newly available Canasta-related literature. Music critic Ned Raggett just wrote a review of We Were Set Up for All Music, the legendary guide to all things pop and rock, and in today's papers, you'll find a story on Canasta by the Chicago Tribune's Andy Downing and an interview with the band by the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim Derogatis. And, if it's just too hot to read anything, you might catch Matt and Elizabeth on an upcoming episode of Chicago's Expose TV, hosted by Susan Russell (when she's not busy riding this motorcycle). Bring your laptop or TV to the beach and bone up on your Canasta trivia.

Ever dreamt of seeing Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda walk in slow-motion to a Canasta song? Well, your dreams have become reality! IFC Films is just about to release their new movie, Diminished Capacity, and about halfway though the trailer, “Slow Down Chicago” comes crashing in! Most of the story takes place here in Chicago, so the song sounds more or less right at home. The picture also stars Virginia Madsen, Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale and Louis C.K. and opens in both Chicago and NYC on July 4th. Check it:

First we mixed up our record, now we’re mixing up our members.

You’re going to see some changes on stage over the next couple of shows. In fact, if you saw our show at Beat Kitchen last month, you already saw a complete and total stranger standing next to Elizabeth behind the synthesizer. That would be Ian Wilson, who is taking over for John Cunningham. And behind the piano, where you usually see Josh Schnable under a baseball cap, you will start seeing a slightly taller fellow named Kyle Mann. Josh and Canasta alumni Megan O’Connor will be filling in at one or two more shows before the new lineup is full-time. After that, you’ll have to keep up with our extended family on our links page. You can also see what Kyle and Ian do outside of Canasta when they’re not busy learning all of our band nicknames and favorite movies.

Since nothing says “new member bonding“ like a road trip, we’re driving up to Minneapolis on June 11th. While we’re there, we’ll be playing at the famous 7^th Street Entry with our Milwaukee neighbors, The Trapper Schoepp Band, and Minneapolis ass-shakers The Battle Royale. Sounds like fun, right? You’re going to be sad if you miss it, aren’t you? That’s why we’re bringing The Battle Royale back to Chicago with us -- a few weeks later -- on June 24^th at the Empty Bottle (also joined by Darling).

Finally, if you haven’t been out to a neighborhood festival yet this summer, you are wasting some precious outdoor-music-listening-weekends, if we may be so bold. Pizza Fest happens June 21^st at the intersection of Fullerton and Racine, and we’ll be there!

When did getting “mixed up” up become a good thing? The second you downloaded the first track from the new Canasta remix album We Were Mixed Up, that’s when! (catchy title, right? right?) Your favorite tracks have been thrown into the blenders of some of Chicago’s most talented artists. We’ve got members of OFFICE, The Hood Internet, Allá, Brighton MA, The Fake Fictions and others throwing new faces on classic Canasta gems. And best of all, the entire thing can be downloaded or streamed absolutely free of charge on our Audio Page! Just one small way to show our appreciation for all the support you have given us over the years.

To celebrate, we will be having a release show at the Beat Kitchen on March 1^st. We will be joined by the uber fantastic groups The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and Otter Petter. The show will also give us the Chicago debut of our new pianist, Josh Schnable. Josh has been working feverishly at perfecting his Canasta swagger and definitely adds a new element to the band’s sound. As an added bonus, we will be giving away a limited edition Canasta flashdrive filled with our entire catalogue, a few live tracks, and a special flashdrive only song! Grab your friends and slightly soaked dance shoes and join us for a night of boogie down terrificness!

2008 is a off to a huge start for us. Coming fresh off the Obama fundraiser and a sold out Schubas show, Canasta was featured as “artist of the week” on Breakthru Radio. The show featured an exclusive concert and interview, live from Memphis. And this Friday, we’ll be hitting the road again, in support of the remix album! We’ll also be bringing along the limited edition Canasta flashdrives to give away. So if we’re in your neck of the woods, please come on out! More to come in ‘08, so stay tuned! (what a tease…)