It’s a slowwww news day, folks…

As if Darren Keen (The Show Is The Rainbow, Bad Speler, High Art) didn’t have enough to do, he announced today that he’s opening the It Are Recording studio in his basement. Photos and gear specs are posted on the Star City Scene website. Keen self-engineered and produced a number of TSITR albums, including Radboyz ONLY!!!, Gymnasia, and Wet Fist —  the last two of which were mixed with Joel Petersen of The Faint at Enamel studio in Omaha. “My rates are $100/day, which is very fair,” Keen said. “Sure, it’s a shitty basement, but I have great equipment and a ton of experience.” Discuss it with him tonight at The Waiting Room, where his band, High Art, is opening for Yard Dogs Road Show, which looks like a rip off of the Jim Rose Circus. $15, 9 p.m.

The Show Is the Rainbow mastermind Darren Keen e-mailed me a link to a soundcloud page where he’s hosting demos recorded of his new band, High Art. The page is here. High Art is Keen on guitar/vocals, Jim Schroeder (UUVVWWZ) on drums/vocals, Saber Blazek on bass (Machete Archive — yes, that guy) and Josh Miller, keyboards, vocals (Columbia Vs. Challenger).

Keen calls the music Post Elfman Experimental Japenese Punk. It’s spazzy and outrageous; sonically challenging and kind of weird, just like Keen.  I asked him what inspired the music other than drugs. “High Art isn’t just a drug refrence,” he said. “My MAIN influence here is THE GUITAR. I really miss playing guitar and I hadn’t written much music on guitar lately (except Darren Keen stuff, which is all so nice and pretty). I just wanted to play in a guitar rock band that didn’t sound like butt rock or garage rock and was still super complex and musical. And weed! but not all of us even smoke weed so seriously, that’s not like our MAIN jam.”

Muscial influences include XTC, Danny Elfman / Oingo Boingo, Sparks, Nina Hagen, Deerhoof and NOFX. So what’s Keen & Co. going to do with these songs? “We are going to record a full length in September and release it early next year. This recording will be distributed online and via CDRs.” Check out High Art when they play at The Waiting Room June 3.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room, Minneapolis multi-instrumental artist Dosh performs with White Hinterland and This Is My Condition. Dosh is a one-man outfit who uses an array of technology to create arty soundscapes. His albums are released on SF label Anticon (Anathallo, Tobacco). $10, 9 p.m.