J. Mascis to Produce Des_Ark Debut

Rob Mackey reports:
In 2003, Des_Ark landed a spot on the incredibly high-profile list of "Ryan Goldman’s 19 Albums Pitchfork Forgot to Review in 2003" with their self-released demo EP. You say you don’t remember? Oh, don’t be so coy…Anyway, this year, the Durham, N.C., band is back to do it up proper in the form of a debut full-length, Loose Lips Sink Ships, produced by Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis. Slated for a March 8 release via Bifocal Media, the record comes on the heels of a string of compilation appearances, a split 7", and a whole hell of a lot of buzz. How ’bout a tracklist:

01 Some Are Love
02 No More Fighting Cats, OK?
03 Queen of the Sketch Patrol
04 Yes Sir, Yes Way
05 It’s a Hard World Sometimes for Little Things
06 Jesus Loves You (But Yr Still Comin Home With Me Tonight)
07 Send Jolly to Raleigh
08 For Bob Riecke

Coinciding with the release of Loose Lips, Des_Ark’ll be packin’ their bags for a lengthy tour with Eyeball Records’ Del Cielo, starting March 4. Shows (all dates with Del Cielo):

03-04 Washington, DC – Warehouse Next Door
03-05 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Roboto Project
03-06 Bloomington, IN – Church of the Sun Ra House
03-07 Chicago, IL – TBA
03-08 Milwaukee, WI – 2427 N. Pierce
03-09 Omaha, NE – Fort House
03-10 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot
03-11 Wichita, KS – TBA
03-12 Dallas, TX – Bar of Soap
03-13 Austin, TX – Monkeywrench Books
03-14 Houston, TX – The Southmore House
03-15 New Orleans, LA – Nowe Miasto
03-16 Pensacola, FL – Sluggo’s
03-17 Gainesville, FL – The Ark
03-18 Miami, FL – The Alley
03-19 St. Augustine, FL – Loose Screws
03-20 Savannah, GA – 314 Lamara Drive
03-21 Atlanta, GA – The Drunken Unicorn
03-22 Asheville, NC – Green Eggs and Jam
03-23 Somerset, KY – TBA
03-24 Louisville, KY – The Old Louisville Coffee Shop
03-25 Greensboro, NC – Guilford University Bryan Jr. Auditorium
03-26 Richmond, VA – Nanci Raygun