Credit: Matador

Matador Records is coming of age and, man, is it throwing a party. The seminal indie label’s 21st birthday bash, slated for Oct. 1-3 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, will feature the cream of the crop of acts who have passed through Chris Lombardi and Gerard Cosloy’s door since Lombardi founded the New York record company in 1989 (Cosloy joined shortly thereafter).

Guided by Voices, in its most-beloved mid-‘90s configuration, will play its first show in five years. Other headliners includes Belle & Sebastian, Pavement (on a little reunion tour of its own) and Sonic Youth.
Also joining in the fun will be Matador acts past and present including  Spoon, Yo La Tango, Cat Power, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the New Pornographers, Superchunk, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Cold Cave, Girls and more acts to be announced next week. Where’s Liz Phair?

On his blog on Matador’s site, Cosloy said, “We’ll be dropping further hints about the lineup in the days ahead but a final announcement and information about how to purchase tikets will be made here at the trusty Matablog on July 5. Are you as psyched as we are?”

While it seems a little odd to us that a label so associated with smart rock, lo-fi and slightly left-of-center music would go to the oh-so-stereotypical Vegas to celebrate, we get the whole “turning 21” theme and we guess even the cool kids are attracted to its bright lights.

UPDATE: former GBV member Jim Greer just posted on his Facebook page: "Just to clarify: a) I am not playing, nor do I belong, in any "classic line-up" reunion outside my family; and b) yes, there will be more GBV dates than just the Vegas shindig. That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know."  As a further comment, he added that, sadly, will be out of the country and will miss the shows, but called them "awesome."