Rock and a Hard Place

— A sad day for fans of girls who rock, and rock fans in general: Sleater-Kinney announced June 27 that after 11 years of band-dom, they'll be going on ''indefinite hiatus.'' Long after the group garnered massive critical acclaim for mid-'90s releases like Call the Doctor and Dig Me Out, they stuck firmly with the tiny Olympia, Wash.-based label Kill Rock Stars, only moving on to relative big shots Sub Pop in 2005. The members released an official statement, reading in part:

''We feel lucky to have had the support of many wonderful people over the years. We want to thank everyone who has worked with us, written kind words about us, performed with us, and inspired us. But mostly we want to extend our gratitude to our amazing fans. You have been a part of our story from the beginning. We could not have made our music without your enthusiasm, passion, and loyalty. It is you who have made the entire journey worthwhile.''

It's not too late, however, for a few lucky (mostly East Coast) fans to catch the band on their remaining summer dates:
July 29: Mellwood Arts Center, Louisville, Ky.
July 31: Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia
Aug. 1: 930 Club, Washington, D.C.
Aug. 2: Webster Hall, New York City
Aug. 4: Lollapalooza (Grant Park), Chicago

— I'm Waiting for the Man — to rerelease Coney Island Baby, baby. Lou Reed will celebrate his three decades in music with a reissue of one of his greatest albums in a deluxe (aren't they always?) edition on Aug. 15. Extras include the classic B-side ''Nowhere at All,'' as well as ''Downtown Dirt'' and ''Leave Me Alone,'' both previously only available on the Between Thought and Expression boxed set. Also, never-before-released alternate versions of ''Crazy Feeling,'' ''She's My Best Friend,'' and ''Coney Island Baby'' that Reed recorded with former Velvet Underground bandmate Doug Yule in 1975. As for those of you who weren't even twinkles when the original came out, don't even lie — this is totally how you first heard of Lou and VU.

— New Orleans is undoubtedly still devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but as proven by this year's 27th annual Jazz Fest, the city and its citizens are hardly down for the count music-wise. A less hallowed, more rock-oriented tradition, the Voodoo Music Experience, will celebrate its eighth year there Oct. 28 and 29 with a just-announced lineup that includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran(!), the Wu-Tang Clan, Flaming Lips, My Chemical Romance, Broken Social Scene, and many others. See voodoomusicfest.com for more details — and go ahead, the good deed you'll be doing in supporting the city will more than make up for the mad lies you'll tell your boss to get the time off.

— Weddings and birthdays and graduations, oh my... It was major grown-up time for perpetually angsty Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, who this June not only celebrated the passing of another year (he turned 36) and the earning of his long-awaited (11 years!) bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University, but also tied the knot with fiancée Kyoko in Malibu, with band members both past and present in attendance. Life's so good, Rivers almost cracked a smile; seriously, check out the wedding photo at weezer.com.

— Fun: Flying off to Dubai for Naomi Campbell's epic, three-day 36th-birthday celebration. Not fun: Getting busted by the notoriously narcotics-unfriendly local law enforcement for drug possession at the Dubai airport. Uber-producer Dallas Austin (he's behind hits for Madonna, TLC, Janet Jackson, and countless others) allegedly found himself in that unenviable position last week. Austin's reps aren't talking, but being that Dubai is a city where drinking alcohol without a permit is a punishable offense, one can only wish Austin good luck — and even better lawyers.