Singer/songwriter Laurel Brauns, mostly of the Seacoast, checked in a little while back to say Hotel Alexis’s Sidney Alexis and Nathan Groth have plans to establish a new label, Broken Sparrow. The first slate of releases came out this past summer and include a Hotel Alexis disc, plus efforts from Nat Baldwin, Angels of Light, and Testface. It’s kind of an indie-rock, art-rock thing, not too different from what Paul Agnew is doing over at Northeast Indie now.

Speaking of Agnew, Northeast Indie’s next release is going to come from Fence Kitchen. Beading the Rook is scheduled for February of 2006. After hearing Climax Golden Twins and Death Vessel, two of Agnew’s more recent label additions, we’ve got to say that the man has great taste. If you haven’t heard Death Vessel’s Stay Close yet, and you like creepy Americana with a sweet-voiced gal, you’re totally missing out.

Looks like longtime Portland heavy rockers Ransom, fairly popular with the all-ages set, are all done. Aaron Bagley emailed last week to say that he’s begun a new band, with Ransom-mate Travis, called A New Vision (makes sense, we guess). "We’ve headed in a different direction from the music of Ransom," he writes. "We’re currently in the process of writing and recording a conceptual album about the cycles of life and death." The first gig for the new band is November 10, at Asylum, opening for RA.

Local goth rockers By Blood Alone will be included on Building a Better Scene, Vol. 2, a compilations from Immolation Records. The song "Every Night" will spin side-by-side with tracks from bands like Mongrel, Disorder by Design, and Marazine. Pick the disc up for free from the band at shows (like, say, their October 29 gig at Geno’s) or check out www.immolationrecords.com

We know you’re wondering, "What’s up with Jeremiah Freed?" Well, we’ve got the straight dope. They’ve played a bunch of Hollywood-area shows lately, including the famous Viper Room, Roxy Theatre, and Cat Club, which are all on Sunset Strip. Matt Cosby reports that they’re demoing new tunes and beginning to think about a new album. Ask them all about it when they come home for a show or two in December — no word on dates or locations yet.

Look for the old Sisters space on Danforth to reopen as the Tree — or something like it — early in 2006. Jill and Joe Cooper have bought the space and are renovating it with the help of woodworker Duane Patricio.

Word is now fully in on Volume 6 of the Greetings from Area Code 207 series. It’ll be released, says Charlie Gaylord, with a party at the Big Easy, November 11, featuring Phantom Buffalo, Jon Nolan, the Hot Tarts, and displaced Mainer Rod Picott. The cover’s $10, with all proceeds going to the St. Lawrence Arts Center. As for the disc itself, look for tracks by Seekonk, the Coming Grass, Phantom Buffalo, Rod Picott, Cindy Bullens, Jon Nolan, As Fast As, Slaid Cleaves, Miss Fairchild, Sara Cox, Bullyclub, Lynn Julian aka Cookie Cutter Girl, Graham Isaacson, Joyce Andersen, Steve Jones, Mark Erelli, Tree By Leaf, the Hot Tarts, Pete Kilpatrick, Micah Blue Smaldone, José Ayerve and the Nuclear Waste Management, and Gaylord’s own Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Truckers. Whew! Didn’t know if we’d be able to fit all that.