Raucous Brit rockers the Cribs have -- at least for the time being -- sated fans' fanatical demands in their homeland, and returned to the map to finally complete the routing for the band's previously postponed U.S. headlining tour. In continual support of Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, the trio's 17-date outing will kick off in Houston March 11, stroll into Austin's SXSW, and then head northeast through New Orleans, Athens, and Washington, D.C. before hitting Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Boston. Next, the Cribs will turn inland and stop through Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver, then descend the West Coast from Seattle to Los Angeles.

And in exchange for the wait, the Cribs will arrive with a few surprises -- new tunes! The band have been spending a little time in the studio recording fresh material for a forthcoming EP with producer and ex-Suede guitarist, Bernard Butler.

Cribs tour dates:

3/11, Houston, TX (The Proletariat)
3/12, Dallas, TX (The Loft)
3/13-14, Austin, TX (SXSW Conference and Festival)
3/15, New Orleans, LA (One Eyed Jacks)
3/17, Athens, GA (40 Watt Club)
3/19, Washington, DC (Black Cat)
3/20, Brooklyn, NY (Williamsburg Hall)
3/21, Boston, MA (Paradise)
3/22, Philadelphia, PA (North Star)
3/24, Cleveland, OH (Grog Shop)
3/25, Chicago, IL (Double Door)
3/26, Minneapolis, MN (Varsity Theatre)
3/28, Denver, CO (Bluebird Theatre)
3/30, Seattle, WA (Chop Suey)
4/2, Portland, OR (Doug Fir Lounge)
4/3, San Francisco, CA (Pop Scene)
4/4, Los Angeles, CA (El Rey Theatre)

Foos, Killers, Lips Auction Memorabilia for Charity

The city of Chicago and all its musical residents are certainly a giving bunch -- just ask fellow Windy City lifers the Breeders and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. And now, adding to the holiday spirit, Rock for Kids -- a Chicago-based organization that provides free music lessons for underprivileged children -- will unveil its 19th annual auction tomorrow (Nov. 30) with memorabilia from an array artists, from James Brown and Pink Floyd to the Foo Fighters and Flaming Lips, up for bidding on the block.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg: Autographed posters, LPs, and numerous other items from the likes of Paul McCartney, the Killers, Elvis Costello, Stephen Malkmus, Sonic Youth, Bruce Springsteen and his pals, Arcade Fire, the Police, the Pretenders, Pink Floyd, Iggy and the Stooges, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Björk, Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, TV on the Radio, Cat Power, Spoon, Neko Case, the New Pornographers, LCD Soundsystem, the Decemberists, Bright Eyes, Ben Gibbard, Rilo Kiley, the National, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Queens of the Stone Age, Andrew Bird, Modest Mouse, Beck, Peter Bjorn & John, Beastie Boys, Cursive, Bloc Party, Scissor Sisters, Ryan Adams, Arctic Monkeys, Of Montreal, Feist, and Iron & Wine, will all be available. Whew!

The auction, both a live and silent event, will take place at Chicago's Park West venue, but for those not in the area, take to the web to place your bids.

Pinback Play Holiday Radio Station Concerts

Rob Crow and Zach Smith's Pinback will ride the radio station holiday event circuit this December, hitting the stages in the name of terrestrial radio waves and tasty tunes in the cities of Los Angeles, Kansas City, San Diego, and Sacramento. Pinback, fresh on the heels of releasing a new LP, Autumn of the Seraphs, will be joined onstage by a bevy of artists, including Spoon, Datarock, Sea Wolf, Jimmy Eat World, and Queens of the Stone Age, over the course of the yuletide season. [Via Pitchfork]

12/5, Los Angeles, CA (The Avalon/Indie 103.1) *
12/13, Kansas City, KS, MO (Uptown Theater/96.5 The Buzz) ^
12/15, San Diego, CA (Rimac Arena at UCSD/FM 94.9) #!
12/16, Sacramento, CA (The Empire/KWOD 106.5) !

(* w/ Spoon, Datarock, Sea Wolf)
(^ w/ Jimmy Eat World, Coheed and Cambria)
(# w/ Queens of the Stone Age, the Kooks, Mute Math)
(! w/ Rogue Wave, Louis XIV)

Switches 'Lay Down the Law' on U.S. Debut

Budding London-based quartet Switches -- which stopped backstage at this year's Lollapalooza -- have announced the March 18 release of their debut record, Lay Down the Law, slated to land on stateside store shelves courtesy of Interscope, reports Filter magazine's website. The band, which -- as told in the video interview -- are quite the American fare connoisseurs, recorded the new set and discovered a few hidden food gems in Los Angeles alongside seasoned producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith) this past spring and summer. A band spokesperson was unavailable for comment at press time.