If you haven’t been to the revamped Tree Bar yet, tonight’s a pretty good night to check it out.

I also never expected my favorite album to come from someone who held the spot previously, but the iTunes “most played” playlist doesn’t lie. It’s a divisive one, but people who like it really like it.

I picked 15 favorites and several honorable mentions, plus a Favorite Columbus Albums list below — separate but equal in enjoyment and quality. As usual, I limit my lists to albums, so some EPs and 7”s I liked (e.g. Envelope, Sundown, Malefactors of Great Wealth, Dolfish) aren’t listed.

That is all.

15. Wussy – Strawberry

MP3: Grand Champion Steer

As Chip said about Wussy’s Chuck Cleaver, “One wouldn’t expect the heavily tattooed Cincinnati songwriter to produce his best collection of songs this late in his already highly-prolific career, but that’s exactly what he’s done.”

14. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light

TV On The Radio – “Will Do” by Interscope Records

13. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient

MP3: Come to the City

12. Tom Waits – Bad As Me

Tom Waits – Bad As Me by antirecords

I’ve never been a Tom Waits fanboy, but this record grabbed me and didn’t let go.

11. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

MP3: Helplessness Blues

10. Crooked Fingers – Breaks in the Armor

MP3: Typhoon

Best songs since Red Devil Dawn.

9. Southeast Engine – Canary

MP3: New Growth

8. Centro-matic – Candidate Waltz

MP3: Only in My Double Mind

7. David Bazan – Strange Negotiations

MP3: Wolves at the Door

6. A.A. Bondy – Believers

MP3: Surfer King

5. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation

MP3: Cannons

4. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo

MP3: Jesus Fever

3. Bill Callahan – Apocalypse

MP3: Baby’s Breath

2. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest

MP3: The Way It Goes

1. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

MP3: Holocene

By now, I know every moment on this album, but I’m still continually surprised by its beauty. Seeing Bon Iver in Philly would also make my Favorite Life Occurrences of 2011 list.

Honorable mention:
The Roots – Undun
The Black Keys – El Camino
Dawes – Nothing is Wrong
Joe Henry – Reverie
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck
Richard Buckner – Our Blood
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts
J Mascis – Several Shades of Why
Tim Easton – Beat the Band/Since 1966 Vol. 1
Thao & Mirah – Thao & Mirah
Joseph Arthur – The Graduation Ceremony

Favorite 2011 Columbus albums:
1. The Black Swans – Don’t Blame the Stars
2. Lydia Loveless – Indestructible Machine
3. Times New Viking – Dancer Equired
4. Psandwich – Northren Psych
5. Saintseneca – Last
6. Blueprint – Adventures in Counter-Culture
7. Bicentennial Bear – Lost Summers
8. The Regionals – The Regionals
9. Psychedelic Horseshit – Laced
10. The Lindsay – Deep in the Queue

Honorable mention:
P. Blackk – Blackk Friday
Moon High – Six Suns
Shane Sweeney – The Finding Time
Tin Armor – Life of Abundance
Alyosha Het – The Purgatourist

MP3: Gang Gang Dance – Mindkilla (Lee Scratch Perry Remix)

Gang Gang Dance is coming to Outland Live on Tuesday, July 12, and we’re giving away a pair of tickets. To win, send an email to contestdonewaiting@gmail.com with the subject DANCES WITH GANGS by the morning of July 11.

Also, Southeast Engine’s Adam Remnant and The Black Swans’ Jerry DeCicca are embarking on a Living Room Tour this month, kicking off next Thursday, July 14, in Sunbury. To win two tickets to this show, send an email to contestdonewaiting@gmail.com with the subject REMNANTS OF JERRY by July 12. Full tour details after the jump.

Sometimes you win things by reading Donewaiting.

Misra Records is very excited to announce the first in a series of living room tours. Jerry DeCicca (The Black Swans) & Adam Remnant (Southeast Engine) will be playing a string of intimate and all-acoustic house shows throughout July. It will be a unique tour of two critically acclaimed modern songwriters in an unparalleled environment.

These performances will bring back the intimacy large venues lack, holding only 40-50 guests, no sound systems or amps – simply two artists and their instruments. It is an ideal environment to showcase DeCicca & Remnant’s talent and power in a truly special way.

The living room tour follows the spring Misra release of The Black Swans’ Don’t Blame the Stars and Southeast Engine’s Canary. Both albums have seen wide critical acclaim from outlets such as Pitchfork, Paste, NPR, Magnet, KEXP, No Depression, and many more.

Misra Living Room Tour I:

Thursday, July 14 – Sunbury, OH
Friday, July 15 – Kalamazoo, MI*
Saturday, July 16 – Indianapolis, IN^
Sunday, July 17 – Dayton, OH
Wednesday, July 20 – Athens, OH
Thursday, July 21 – Pittsburgh, PA#
Friday, July 22 – Washington D.C.%
Saturday, July 23 – Chapel Hill, NC^^

* with Matthew Milia (Frontier Ruckus)
^ with Caleb McCoach
# with Emily Rodgers + Pairdown
% with Collection Agency
^^ with Phil Cook (Megafaun) + Brett Harris

Tickets are limited – on sale at misrarecords.com/tours
Living room location announced upon ticket purchase
Shows start at 8 pm

Wednesday, 4/27:
MP3: Foals – Spanish Sahara
Foals, Freelance Whales, The Naked and the Famous @ Outland (sold out; when did Foals get so popular?)
Steel Train (CD101 Low Dough show) @ The Basement
Cleveland Invasion w/ Delurium, Evasion, Fuzz, Carma/Attak, Cornelius Jackson @ Circus
The N.E.C. @ Cafe Bourbon St.

Thursday, 4/28:
MP3: Southeast Engine – New Growth
Southeast Engine, Black Swans @ The Treehouse
sun drop, vug and the stallions, ghost shirt @ carabar
Dead Set Ready, Beggars, JFK Didn’t Even See It Coming, Ignorant Mo Fo’s @ Circus

Friday, 4/29:
MP3: Fly Union (feat. GLC) – “Top of the World”
KVLT of the rejected adult, Mike Carney, txtbk @ Skully’s
Lil B the Based God & “Swag Like Ohio” tour: Lil B, Fly Union, Freaky Franz, Cornelius Jackson, Kreg & Dez, Kingpin, Johnny Cashola @ The Newport
Ax Cx with Bastards, Scavenger, Drug Money @ The Summit
steam boat, nathan snell and the country sounds @ carabar
The Energy Clinic, Lionel the Jailbird, Your Average Criminals, Onironaut @ Circus
Independents day kickoff @ Kobo
Title Tracks (ex-members of Q and Not U) @ The Treehouse
The Wet Darlings, Molehill, Yellow Light Maybe @ Rumba
Discount Tents, The Energy Clinic, Dream Sequence, Jimmy’s Pizza, SunGlass, Leafridge Armory, Jim Cassell @ Scarlet & Grey
Karate Coyote, Chelsea Automatic @ A&R Music Bar

Saturday, 4/30:
Stream: Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Belong”
Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Twin Shadow, Weakness @ The Basement
Wex Off the Grid: Shuttle (Nate from Passion Pit – DJ set), Shin Tower Music, DJ Patrick (OGee) @ Wexner Center
andrew graham, dane terry @ carabar

Sunday, 5/1:
The Appleseed Cast, Old Worlds @ The Summit

Monday, 5/2:
Cowtown Round: Megan Palmer, Jenny Lute, Jason Quicksall @ Rumba

More shows welcome in the comments. The “Columbus” tab up top is an easy way to return to this post, and don’t forget about Touring Bands Visiting Ohio. Death Cab and Devo shows just announced.

After an annoying commercial, Athens, Ohio’s Southeast Engine plays a song at the 4th Ave/9th St. FGR. “Red Lake Shore” is off Canary, out March 29 on Misra Records.

MP3: Misra Legacy Comp feat. Southeast Engine’s “New Growth”

there’s water in the window frame it hasn’t been closing right
ever since the spring rain came and we gained more daylight
well just leave the window open, you know it’s just as well
and as the winter freeze is ending the whole town starts to swell
old growth framed these houses
and so what was is no more
oh but just as nature’s intended
new growth is what I’m looking for

On March 29, Athens, Ohio’s Southeast Engine will release Canary on the recently relaunched Misra Records. The first freebie from the album is a song called “New Growth,” and I can’t think of a more fitting soundtrack to this warmer-than-usual February week. I even saw a sprig yesterday.

Canary tells the story of a family living in a small Appalachian town in southeast Ohio (might as well call it Athens, right?) during the Great Depression, and it just may be the band’s tightest, best album yet. The brothers Remnant have never sounded so in sync on these rugged songs filled with ragged hope.

Preorders (including a limited-edition, canary-yellow cassette) here. Tour dates below, kicking off Friday at Casa Cantina:

2/18 – Athens, OH @ Casa Cantina
2/19 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas w/ Royal Pines
2/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rock Shop w/ Bird of Youth, The Collection Agency
2/26 – Boston, MA @ TT The Bears
2/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
3/23 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s w/ James Toth of Wooden Wand
3/24 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
3/25 – DeKalb, IL @ House Café w/ Chaperone
3/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
3/29 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern w/ Shannon Stephens
3/30 – Portland, OR @ The Woods
3/31 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
4/1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Satellite
4/2 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar w/ The Donkeys
4/3 – Tucson, AZ @ Solar
4/4 – Alburquerque, NM @ tbd
4/5 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
4/7 – Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s
4/8 – St Louis, MO @ Billiken Club (SLU) w/ Theodore
4/9 – Dayton, OH @ Canal St. Tavern w/ Motel Beds

Download: Misra Legacy Compilation Volume I (zip)

This new Misra re-launch and compilation is a fitting bookend to some recent Columbus news. So, Lydia Loveless is now on Bloodshot. Bloodshot is now the distributor for Misra Records. Misra Records’ first signing is the Black Swans, whose new record Don’t Blame the Stars will be out in the spring. And the newly relaunched label is now artist-run, managed by Leo Deluca, drummer for Athens folk-rockers Southeast Engine.

Ohiooooo.

Here’s the full press release and track listing for that free, artist-curated compilation, which includes previously unreleased tunes from Southeast Engine (“New Growth”) and the Black Swans (“I Forgot to Change the Windshield Wipers in My Mind”) from both bands’ upcoming releases:

Misra Legacy Compilation Volume I – Artist-Curated
1.) Phosphorescent – “Joe Tex, These Taming Blues”
Chosen by John J. McCauley III of Deer Tick
MSR030 – Aw Come Aw Wry

2.) The Mendoza Line – “Catch a Collapsing Star”
Chosen by John P. Strohm of The Lemonheads & Blake Babies
MSR037 – Full of Light & Full of Fire

3.) Destroyer – “The Bad Arts”
Chosen by Zachary Gresham of Summer Hymns
MSR007 – Streethawk: A Seduction

4.) Sleeping States – “London Fields”
Chosen by Kevin Hendrick of Male Bonding
MSR062 – In the Gardens of The North + Old vs. New + Bonus Material*

5.) Southeast Engine – “New Growth”
Chosen by Gregory Saunier of Deerhoof
MSR060 – Canary*

6.) Great Lake Swimmers – “I Will Never See the Sun”
Chosen by Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork, Village Voice, Paste, etc.
MSR032 – Great Lake Swimmers
Performed & Written By: Great Lake Swimmers
Copyright: Harbour Songs Publishing Inc. / SOCAN

7.) Summer Hymns – “New Underdressment”
Chosen by Matthew LeMay of Get Him, Eat Him, Pitchfork, 33 1/3, etc.
MSR002 – Voice Brother & Sister**

8.) Palomar – “Surprise Us”
Chosen by Charles Bissell of The Wrens
MSR042 – All Things, Forests 9.) Hallelujah the Hills – “Blank Passports”
Chosen by Matt Besser – Founding Member of The Upright Citizens Brigade
MSR052 – Colonial Drones

10.) Bears – “How to Live”
Chosen by Elizabeth Nelson Bracy of Bird of Youth & Collection Agency
Bears**

11.) The Bruces – “Fine Solutions”
Chosen by Simon Joyner
MSR026 – The Shining Path

12.) Theodore – “I Won’t Be a Stranger”
Chosen by Adam Remnant of Southeast Engine
JAW001 – Hold You Like a Lover**

13.) The Black Swans – “I Forgot to Change the Windshield Wipers in My Mind”
Chosen by James Jackson Toth of Wooden Wand
MSR061 – Don’t Blame the Stars*

14.) Emily Rodgers – “Hurricane”
Chosen by Kramer of Bongwater, Ween, Butthole Surfers, etc.
MSR054 – Bright Day

15.) Centro-matic – “Flashes & Cables”
Chosen by Patterson Hood of Drive By Truckers
MSR020 + MSR022 – Love You Just the Same + Flashes & Cables EP

*Never-Before-Heard – From Forthcoming Misra Release
**This Band Will Have a Misra Release TBA

With great joy, we would like to announce the relaunch of Misra Records. In conjunction with this development, the label will be offering the Misra Legacy Compilation Volume I at misrarecords.com. The artist-curated comp features favorite tracks from the Misra canon hand-chosen by artists from The Lemonheads, Deer Tick, Deerhoof, The Wrens, Wooden Wand, Drive By Truckers, Male Bonding, and more.

After a quiet 2010, the label is now under the management of Misra artist and partner Leo DeLuca. DeLuca plays drums in Misra band Southeast Engine, managed Misra imprint Moon Jaw Records, and runs the label out of Durham, NC. As of 2011, Chicago-based Bloodshot Records – home of albums by Ryan Adams, Neko Case, Justin Townes Earle, Jon Langford, Dex Romweber, and more will distribute Misra.

To highlight Misra’s new position as an artist-run entity, 2011’s first release will be Southeast Engine’s Canary – due out March 29. The Black Swans – the label’s newest signing – will follow shortly with their album Don’t Blame the Stars. In the early part of this year, U.K.’s Sleeping States will release In the Gardens of the North + Old vs. New + bonus material. The songs by both Southeast Engine and The Black Swans featured on the legacy comp appear there for the first time, and each will be on their new albums.

2011 will also see albums by Misra greats Summer Hymns, Timothy Bracy of The Mendoza Line’s new project Collection Agency, former Moon Jaw artists Theodore, Bears, Human Cannonball, and Joseph Remnant. Remnant, the illustrator of Harvey Pekar’s forthcoming posthumous book Cleveland, will release his comics alongside an album. Set for release later this year, The Misra Legacy Compilation Volume II will include artist-curated tracks from Shearwater, Bablicon, Evangelicals, Will Johnson, Jenny Toomey, South San Gabriel, and more.

All at Misra are extremely excited to be back in action. With Misra’s place already secured in the annals of independent music, we look forward to preserving and furthering its legacy. This is the label that introduced bands like Destroyer, Great Lake Swimmers, Shearwater, and Phosphorescent to the world; an institution that forged a troubled industry to bring you Centro-matic, Palomar, Sleeping States, Hallelujah the Hills, Southeast Engine, and more; an entity rooted in the strong belief that music has the curative power to inspire and change people for the better. The Misra legacy will continue.

Adam Remnant and company never disappoint. New album, Canary, out late Feb/early March on Misra Records (now run by SEE’s drummer, Leo DeLuca). Before that, be on the lookout for a Misra comp titled Misra Records Presents: An Artist-Curated Misra Legacy Compilation.

We told you back in December that Loretta Lynn will be headlining the 6th annual Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, Ohio, May 14-16. Now the fest has added some more noteworthy acts, including The Swell Season, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (pictured above), Billy Joe Shaver and Man Man, adding to the already impressive lineup with Lynn, Todd Snider, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Southeast Engine, Michael Hurley, Detroit Cobras and Those Darlins.

Some Columbus acts added to the bill, too: Lydia Loveless, The Spikedrivers and The Alwood Sisters.

Weekend passes are $40 through Feb. 28, after which they’ll go up to $45. Single-day passes go on sale in April. You can order tickets here. Full lineup after the jump, with more acts to be announced later.

Loretta Lynn
The Swell Season
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Man Man
Todd Snider
Billy Joe Shaver
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Michael Hurley
Detroit Cobras
Drakkar Sauna
Those Darlins
Southeast Engine
Alwood Sisters
Lydia Loveless
Duke Jr + the Smokey Boots
Adam Torres
Seascapes
Chris Biester