Cursive’s Tim Kasher has been a very busy man lately: recording songs for “self-inflicted comedy” film My Suicide, performing at the Concert for Equality, and now releasing his first solo album under his given name, titled The Game of Monogamy. As previously reported, Kasher’s “unapologetic” new 11-track LP is set to be released on October 5 via Saddle Creek. Thanks to SC, however, you can get your first taste of his much poppier solo direction today.

Download the “Cold Love” MP3 for free (via CoS) here, and stream the excellent track below:

Late Sunday night/Monday morning, I posted 3 notable highlights from last weekend’s Concert for Equality rally led by Conor Oberst and featuring a slew of Saddle Creek signed or related bands in Omaha. Included in that post were two performances by the recently reunited Desaparecidos and the new Bright Eyes SB 1070 protest tune, “Coyote Song.” Desaparecidos weren’t the only band reforming for the event, however, as Ted Stevens and the Mogis brothers also played their first Lullaby for the Working Class in about a decade.

Thanks to a few studious attendees, more footage from the event has surfaced, including songs from Lullaby, Bright Eyes performing with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and the final song of the night: “Building The New Berlin Wall,” written by David Dondero just one week prior and played by a full stage of the day’s various performers.

Check out our follow-up video collection below:

We waited a month (not to mention 8 previous years) for a Desaparecidos reunion and it finally happened this weekend, complete with two excellent videos to prove it. As previously reported, Bright Eyes, Cursive, Lullaby for the Working Class, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, and others joined Conor Oberst’s Desaparecidos in Omaha in support of the ACLU’s fight against a controversial city ordinance recently passed in Fremont, Nebraska, which intends to fight illegal immigration. As Oberst and friends believe the law to be racist and unconstitutional, they gathered for the Concert for Equality on Saturday night, speaking out against injustice between performances of old songs and — as you’ll hear — one brand new Bright Eyes composition.

Thanks to one lucky attendee, we have footage of both the Desaparecidos’ opening song (also the last track off their to-be-reissued sole LP), “Hole In One,” and the first performance of “Greater Omaha” in nearly a decade. What’s more, a quality audio recording (the video for this one includes little coverage of the band) of Bright Eyes playing their new anti-SB 1070 tune, “Coyote Song,” composed specifically for the Sound Strike campaign, has hit the web. Note Oberst’s impassioned rallying call before “Hole In One,” and check out all three pieces of footage below:

In addition to reunion sets from Desaparecidos and Lullaby for the Working Class, as well as previously reported performances by Cursive and Bright Eyes, next week’s Concert for Equality — a benefit concert in support of the ACLU’s fight against a controversial immigration law recently passed in Fremont, Nebraska — will host sets by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, David Dondero, Simon Joyner, and more.

Per an updated event listing for the sold-out Omaha show, one relatively new band that caught my eye has been added to the roster, as well: So-So Sailors. As their brand new Facebook page indicates, the So-So Sailors are made up of McCarthy Trenching’s Dan McCarthy, Ladyfinger’s Chris Machmuller, Dan Kemp, Brendan Greene, and the Bruces’ Alex McManus. Seeing as how most members have roots within the excellent Saddle Creek/Team Love family, I’m curious to hear what this lineup has in store. (Other than a few shows, they’ve only divulged that “demos are in the works.”) Meanwhile, let’s keep our fingers crossed for more Desa/Lullaby tour dates, not to mention footage from this epic July 31 event. (Photo by Mark Seliger)

In addition to penning the score of director David Lee Miller’s “self-inflicted comedy,” My Suicide, Cursive frontman Tim Kasher has set his The Good Life moniker aside for an eponymous debut, which he hopes to release and tour behind this fall. “It’s a pop record for the most part,” Kasher told Las Vegas Weekly in the spring, “but the response I’ve been getting is that it’s also maybe some of the nastier lyrics I’ve written. It’s a little bit unkind. It’s called The Game of Monogamy and it’s a little unapologetic.”

Though further details on the release have not yet been revealed (see below), Kasher has been performing the songs at random solo outings over the past year—many of which are available on YouTube with varying degrees of quality. Meanwhile, Kasher is scheduled to play a solo show at Chicago’s Tonic Room later this month, as well as a benefit concert/rally with Cursive, Desaparecidos, and Lullaby for the Working Class in Omaha. If you’re eager for a preview, though, here’s some nice footage of Kasher playing a new tune at a house show in Chicago back in February:

**Update: The album cover, tracklist, and release date (October 5 via Saddle Creek) have been unveiled: