In honor of the 25th anniversary of the release of her landmark debut album, Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair in conjunction with her original label Matador Records will be re-releasing the 1993 album in four different versions on May 4th; each of which you can pre-order now from Amoeba Music. There’ll be the (long out of print) vinyl/2LP set Exile in Guyville reissue version and the CD Exile in Guyville reissue of the 18 track album that was recently re-mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge. Then there’ll be the expanded box set versions: the 3 CD Girly-Sound to Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Box Set version and the 7 LP Girly-Sound to Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Box Set vinyl version.  As well as the regular album version remastered, each of these limited edition box sets (only one per customer) contain a ton of bonus pre-Guyville material when Phair recorded as “Girly Sound.” In addition to all the bonus music material there’ll also be a new booklet included with contributors Jason Cohen, music journalist Ann Powers, and Liz Phair herself. According to Matador the box set also promises lots of "never-before-seen photos and artwork." 

In August 2016 EDM star Swedish DJ Avicii, who died Friday April 20th at age 28, would do his very last performance (at Ushuaïa Ibiza) following his surprising announcement of retiring from touring. Only 26 years of age and at the peak of his successful career, the global star DJ / producer/remixer / musician born Tim Bergling  (known for such megahits as “Wake Me Up (feat. Aloe Blacc),” “Levels,” “Hey Brother” and “Lonely Together (feat Rita Ora)") would earn up to $250K a night. Citing physical and mental health reasons as his main reason to retire, he stopped performing altogether and took a much needed break.

From beginning his phenomenally successful career while still in his late teens, Avicii had been working really hard, going non-stop, gigging 300 nights out of the year and driving himself into physical and mental exhaustion. The heavy drinking habit he developed from using it as a way to calm his nerves before shows resulted in him suffering from acute pancreatitis, he first shared in a 2013 interview. In 2014 he was forced to take a break from scheduled tour dates after undergoing surgery to have his gallbladder and appendix removed.

As you most likely already are well aware, today is April 20th, aka 420, the unofficial national annual holiday of weed and, with the recent passing of Prop 64, 2018 will be the first year that cannabis is fully legalized for adult-use in California. Consequently expect an even larger (crazier) number of participants to part-take in today's many happenings all over the State.  This Amoeblog is a guide to the 420 happenings in the Bay Area.

The big main event (as per flyer above) is in San Francisco; the annual now iconic Golden Gate Park 420 celebration at Hippie Hill by Sharon Meadow. Located near Stanyan and Kezar Drive, Hippie Hill is situated roughly between Haight Street and the Conservatory of Flowers in the eastern end of Golden Gate Park.
Follow the smoke and the crowds.

Since Hippie Hill is near Amoeba Music San Francisco down the end of Haight, you should stop in today to pick up the limited edition pressing (released today) of  Cheech & Chong's Up In Smoke 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition LP. Scroll over image above for full details of contents of this reissue package that includes something that could come in handy today: Up In Smoke giant rolling papers.

Sometime into the first half of the next decade highly revered SoCal hip-hop artist Evidence envisions himself holed up in his Venice Beach home studio with a long ass beard, a la Rick Rubin, producing young up-and-coming artists. That vision/goal is all part of a new five year plan that the longtime prolific artist recently hatched as the result of some life changing incidents over the past couple of years; as shared in his Amoeblog interview (scroll down to hear). These changes resulted in Evidence not going out on tour for the past couple of years, as he traditionally would have done, but instead stay close to his Venice Beach home/studio. There in addition to working on his own new solo album, Weather Or Not (also on blue vinyl/2LP set) via Rhymesayers, he's been channeling his creative energy into working with other artists. These have included producing albums/EPs for Madchild (The Darkest Hour), Defari (Rare Poise - also on vinyl/LP), and Domo Genesis. (Aren't U Glad You're U?).

You may have noticed how, in the recent weeks approaching Record Store Day 2018 (this upcoming Saturday, April 21st), there appears to be a distinct increase in the number of new hip-hop releases arriving into Amoeba each Friday (new release day) with this most recent new releases day been no exception. Scroll down to see the full most recent Top Ten Hip-Hop Albums chart that includes in the number slot the recommended new collaboration of emcee Blu and producer Nottz; Gods In The Spirit, Titans In The Flesh that, in addition to CD format, has been released on CD, LP and cassette formats.