We'll spare you the long history of the effort, by the awesome folks who own the Middle East, to turn the old Somerville Armory into an even awesomer community arts center called the Center for the Arts at the Armory: if you want to follow along at home, read some of these articles. Suffice it to say that the process is ramping up, with a full-blown benefit for the center being staged just down Highland Avenue from the Armory at the Somerville Theater.

July 19: We stayed at the Hotel Weston (i.e., Bob's house), pleasant as always. Slow getting out of town, picking up some gear. Picking up some sandwiches. Watching the endless rain coming down and feeling sorry for everyone who is at Pitchfork today. What can we do -- we're playing in Detroit tonight.

*****

Well, there's one thing you can say about Michigan -- it's one helluva lot flatter than Massachusetts.

[We asked Roger Miller to give us an insider's view of Mission of Burma's trip to this weekend's big Pitchfork blowout in Chicago, and thence to Detroit. The words and photos that follow are all his.]

JULY 18: Airports: fuck 'em. Before 911 (Bush's illegitimate ticket to bring that glorious "1984" idea to fruition: endless vague fear), airports were bad enough.

Roger Miller and the rest of Mission of Burma take the stage to kick off Pitchfork Fest in a couple of hours -- but after they're done performing Vs. in its entirety, Miller will enter a phone booth, quick-change into his superhero blogger suit, and post exclusively for On the Download. We have no idea what to expect, other than that he's very much looking forward to seeing Public Enemy.