In a very spicy turn of events, Against Me! drummer Warren Oakes has decided to leave the band in favor of selling burritos, according to MTV. His parting with the band was mutual and amicable, resulting from the simple fact that touring is exhausting and Oakes felt that the time had come to do other things. Until further notice, he will be spending his days working at Mexican restaurant Boca in Gainesville, FL. In other indie rawk/Mexican cuisine news, former Shins drummer Jesse Sandoval seems to be thriving in his newly-opened Mexican food cart business, Pitchfork reports. Video of Sandoval’s New Mexican treats is above for your viewing pleasure.

—Nikki Turner

A little over a month ago, indie rock veterans The Shins announced the contract between their label, Sub Pop, and themselves had expired and the band was taking a “writing hiatus.” Now, Shins’ frontman James Mercer has revealed that the band has had some major line-up changes, as well as some news of a new Shins album coming out on Mercer’s own label.
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Notes From Middle America is contributor Danny R. Phillips’ monthly column. You can read past installments here.
 
I have to ask.  What happened to rock? Has it become passé or uncool for a band to struggle, tour, play shows night after night to build a fan base without the help of excessive internet buzz or douche bags in the “hip” magazines who supposedly have their fingers on the pulse of the American youth culture? If a band has to work hard to get what they have, is that far less important than the mandatory polo shirts they wear on stage?
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