Moving on to Athens....
REM gearing up for February rehearsals in Athens

Ethan

REM are conveaning in Athens, GA this month for rehearsals. They will of course be rehearsing songs for their next album.

Recording time and place is up in the air, but is expected to begin in May. According to sources, they have a lot of good material they are working on and band members have been actively writing since the tour ended.

2/4/00

New Record
Due Spring 2001, lots of anticipation time

Addict.com

R.E.M. are writing new songs with an eye toward returning to the studio in the summer, manager Bertis Downs said. The band anticipates releasing a new disc in spring 2001, he said. The album follows up the experimental Up (1998) and the soundtrack work the guitar-rock band did last year for the Andy Kaufman film bio, "Man on the Moon."

3/7/00

REM Set to Record
In May, no locations confirmed yet, but Canada rumored

MTV News

Word from the Front (by Ethan): Indeed, REM are recording in May, but it will be in various locations. Anything you hear otherwise is speculation and rumor. Vancouver might be a location, but nothing is set in stone yet.

In other news, look for a new fanclub newsletter soon, and check the site tommorow for special REM Day coverage.

It looks like R.E.M. will be recording its next album in Vancouver, Canada. Band confidante Courtney Love first spilled the beans in an online chat last month, and now the report has been confirmed by insiders close to band and the studio.

The group is expected to start rolling tape around the first of May, and stay in the studio for up to six weeks. Patrick McCarthy, who also produced 1998's "Up" for the band, will again be at the controls at the state of the art Warehouse studio, which is owned by Bryan Adams.

R.E.M. apparently chose Vancouver as a bit of an adventure - "we've never been there," says a band source. The group traditionally moves around a lot when it comes to recording. Fans may recall that a large chunk of "Up" was done in San Francisco, while they've also hung their hats in Bearsville NY, North Carolina and Seattle.

Guitarist Peter Buck resides in nearby Seattle, singer Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills still live in Athens, Georgia, while replacement drummer Joey Waronker makes his home in Los Angeles. All four have been writing in Georgia with help from touring sidemen Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows), who also call Seattle home.

4/4/00

 

 In the Studio
REM get underway in Vancouver

The band began recording their twelfth album on Monday, May 1st, in Vancouver, Canada. Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe have been joined in the studio by multi-instrumentalists Scott McCaughey and Ken Stringfellow as well as drummer Joey Waronker. The record is being produced by Pat McCarthy who also produced UP and is being engineered by Jamie Candiloro who engineered THE GREAT BEYOND, the band's single from the MAN ON THE MOON soundtrack.

According to Bertis Downs, things are going very well at the moment, two days into the effort, and by all accounts, Bertis adds, we can expect another swell record from the band.

5/2/2000

Update from Vancouver
Recording going well, in Vancouver for another month

Ethan

Recording is going really well in Vancouver. The band is expected to be in Vancouver for another month before taking a break and recording in various locations throughout the summer. Those fortunate enough to get into sound check during the summer might have heard songs that could be on the new album.

Album completion is expected by the end of the year with a release in next spring. No word on a tour yet, hasn't even been discussed.

Also, regarding DVD's, they're looking at doing a DVD release. Possibly of another tour or video compilation, but nothing is definite nor planned yet. There will be no tour video from the Up tour last year.

5/5/2000

More from Vancouver
Pictures from REMHQ!

REMHq

Here's some pictures from the studio, taken by Bob Weber:

5/9/2000

REM in Pearl
REM show up at a PJ show and more pictures from Vancouver

EThan and REMHQ

REM showed up at Pearl Jam's 5/11 show in Vancouver, CA. For the occasion (or possibly not), PJ performed "Wrong Child" as an extension to "Daughter."

In related news, REM are indeed busy in the studio, as evidenced by the bottom two photos, taken by Bob Weber:

5/12/2000

Earlier this week Flagpole Magazine in Athens printed that REM would be playing at an event in August. Sources close to the band report otherwise.

In other news, some more picture from Vancouver from REMHQ:

Photos by Bob Weber

5/19/2000