Returning from their annual busking of Green Bay in January, Midland-Mayak Cohort assembled in Waynesville, cut a record in three days, and annouced plans for a summer tour stateside, their first in over two years.

Catching up with the sometime-bass-player, sometime-producer Mike Nikoloff, I asked him some questions about the making of the record and the band's plans for the upcoming junket:

What will the lineup be for the tour?
It'll probably change show to show, I mean Oz [Edgar Osney] should be there every gig, but for the rest of us, it pretty much depends how much time we can get off from the old balls-and-chains. I think Was [Wasi Hunta] is gonna handle the skins throughout, Anti [Jeff Antisubmarine] is only playin' the East Coast. I'm gonna try and make all of 'em.

What material do y'all plan on playin'?
I think we're talkin' 1st set is 'The Only Game' straight through, which has sounded good in practice with the extended jams and such, especially '[Cloudburst On The] Saluda Grade'. Of course everything changes live. 2nd set will be improv and greatest hits, pretty much as usual, maybe some covers, V3, Strapping Fieldhands, and such.

Any plans for jail time this tour?
[Laughs.] We've got bail this time, we've got bail.