Sufjan Stevens Announces Fall Releases on his label

[Jake]

SUFJAN STEVENS ANNOUNCES FALL RELEASES ON HIS ASTHMATIC KITTY LABEL,
ADDS JOANNA NEWSOM TO WEST COAST TOUR

Asthmatic Kitty Records, operated by SUFJAN STEVENS, Lowell Brams,
and Michael Kaufmann of Soul Junk, announced its fall release schedule today
which includes new albums by LIZ JANES and CASTANETS as well as a vinyl
edition of Stevens' "Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State," that will be
released in late July.

Liz Janes and Castanets both hail from San Diego and many of the same
musicians worked on both albums. "Poison & Snakes" will be Janes'
second full-length release, following up "Done Gone Fire" which was
recorded, produced and arranged along with Stevens. "Poison & Snakes"
documents Janes' progression as a seasoned singer, songwriter and
performer. Her mellifluous blues-tinged voice and unexpected phrasing
are set against eclectic and unpredictable arrangements by herself and
producer Rafter Roberts (The Rapture, GoGoGo Airheart, Tristeza).
"Poison & Snakes" features contributions by drummer Tom Zinser (Pinback,
Three Mile Pilot), trumpeter Jason Crane (Rocket from the Crypt) and
backup vocals and saw by Pall Jenkins of Black Heart Procession whom
Janes worked with on their latest album, "Amore del Tropico". "Poison &
Snakes" will be released on October 5, 2004.

"Cathedral" is the debut release from Castanets. The core of the band is
the lyrical and musical talent of Raymond Raposa. Echoes of The Velvet
Underground, No-Neck Blues Band, and the delta blues harness a strain of
ancient Americana that even today pulses through a subdivided and paved
landscape. The result is what Raposa calls "derailed country
psychedelia." Backed by the enchanting angelic voice of newcomer Bridgit
DeCook and recorded mostly in a secluded cabin in the northern
California woodlands, "Cathedral" illuminates architecture where faith
and doubt clash in an often ambiguous search for the divine. "Cathedral"
is also out on October 5, 2004.

In addition to the upcoming releases on Stevens' label, the singer has
invited Drag City Records folk sensation Joanna Newsom to be
the opening act on all of the dates on his upcoming full-band West Coast
tour. Stevens and Newsom have grown mutually fond of each others' work over
the past few months. Stevens will also play a two-night headlining stint at New
York's Mercury Lounge in August.

Sufjan Stevens and the Michigan Militia Tour Dates:

07/23 San Diego, CA Casbah #*
07/24 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour #%
07/25 Sacramento, CA Old Ironsides #%
07/28 Seattle, WA Neumo's #%
07/29 Portland, OR Dante's #%
07/31 San Francisco, CA Great American #% @
08/19 New York, NY Mercury Lounge $
08/20 New York, NY Mercury Lounge ^

# = w/ Joanna Newsom
% = w/ Denison Witmer
* = w/ Liz Janes
@ = w/ Half-Handed Cloud
$ = w/ Br. Danielson
^ = w/ Jim Guthrie