I had an odd bit of Leatherwoods-related synchronicity today. TIRBD reader Josh wrote to let me know that Todd Newman is now a guitarist for the Minneapolis pop band the Hang-ups. Then, an e-mail from Lost Highway Records reports that the solo debut from Newman's Leatherwoods bandmate (and Jayhawks drummer) Tim O'Reagan will be released June 27.

I did some checking and found that Newman now has a Myspace page, and was mentioned as being a member of the Hang-ups as early as 2003 (he's featured in this profile of the band in the Twin Cities paper Pulse that came out around the time of that band's last, self-titled disc.) According to the Myspace page, Newman reports that he's "currently working on a solo cd, and working on a cd with long-time pal Lori Wray. I'm also available if any popsters out there need a guitar player!"

I wrote last year about a then-futile search for info about Newman. It's nice to see he's still making music. While Newman was the dominant figure in the Leatherwoods, O'Reagan's songs on that band's lone disc, Topeka Oratorio proved he was no slouch. His contribution to his first Jayhawks disc (Sound of Lies), "Bottomless Cup," was the best thing on the record, and while his contributions to the Jayhawks' Rainy Day Music disc were less compelling, they showed he still had plenty of chops. If the song clips on his own Myspace page are any indication, his solo disc is going to be quite something.