Raleigh expatriate Ryan Adams has turned into one of the most collectible artists around, and here's yet another Ryan-related artifact that can be yours for a price: the original artwork from the limited edition vinyl version of his 2008 album "Cardinology." There are 12 pages total, drawn in ballpoint pen by artist Leah Hayes, and each page illustrates the lyrics to one song on the album. For pricing details, check here.

Meanwhile, Adams himself looks to be having fun nowadays.

(Thanks, Dean.)

Well, it looks like it's official: Actress/singer Mandy Moore has  made an honest man out of Raleigh expatriate Ryan Adams, wedding him in a "quiet ceremony" in Georgia on Tuesday. Wonder if he's taken her home to Jacksonville yet to meet the family?

It's only taken about a decade, but one of my favorite long lost Ryan Adams songs is finally about to become "officially released." The song is "Hey There, Mrs. Lovely," and it slayed just about everyone who heard it when the Raleigh expatriate started playing it onstage in 1999. But "Mrs. Lovely" never made it onto an album, although Adams rewrote it as an apparent late-night groupie lament called "These Girls" on 2007's "Easy Tiger"-- which just about broke my heart when I heard it.

Figuring that "Mrs. Lovely" was gone for good, I wrote a rather grumpy essay about it after the "Easy Tiger" version came out. But now the song as originally written is coming out on a digital-only mini-album called "Extra Cheese," as unreleased-bonus-track bait on a Valentine's Day compilation of "Ryan's best love songs." The official release date is next Tuesday, and the seven-song set will go for $3.99 at iTunes.

ADDENDUM (2/11/09): Looks like Adams' new Mrs. Lovely is Mandy Moore.

SECOND (3/10/09): Wedding bells. 

me- 34-a non smoker and happy, for the first time in my life.. i am excited to finish this wonderful time i have had with the cardinals and whatever new adventures may come after march...

So begins the latest post from Raleigh expatriate Ryan Adams on his blog, heralding the end of...well, something. Maybe a whole lot of things. Click through to see it.

Economic crisis, climate change, and world drama notwithstanding, this
holiday, if nothing else, I will say some silent prayer of consolation that we’re still here. And those who aren’t, those we lost somewhere along the way, if we wanted to or not, we still stand in their light. And it shines outright for anyone with eyes to see, or a heart to know it can expand past the dates and the times that mark the changing of our little worlds. My how they collide, and how precisely.

Happy Holidays and see you at the counter, or under the skyline, swooning feverishly.

Read the rest here.

(Thanks, Rebecca.)

When it comes to charts, 11 seems to be the target number for expatriate pop stars who once called the Triangle home. First up, Ben Folds' "Way to Normal" (Epic Records) debuted at No. 11 last month on the Billboard 200 album-sales chart. And this week, Ryan Adams' "Cardinology" (Lost Highway Records) also debuts at No. 11.

This is Folds' highest-ever chart placement. It's the second-highest peak for Adams, behind his No. 7 debut for last year's "Easy Tiger."

Raleigh expatriate Ryan Adams has a new album due out soon -- and also his first book, "Infinity Blues." The official publication date isn't until April 1, but you can get a signed copy of "Infinity Blues" in December if you pre-order now. It costs $50 (plus shipping), and pre-orders include an autographed poetry chapbook called "Sad American Mythology." Given the market for Adams collectibles, it's probably a safer investment than anything on Wall Street nowadays.

Meanwhile, the latest piece of Adams-related music to surface is a song by onetime Mammoth recording artiste Juliana Hatfield, "I Picked You Up," in which Adams assumes the name R2-D-Tune. Rough as this is, it's still the best she's sounded in years.

(Thanks to Dean and Rebecca.)

UPDATE: The pre-order is already almost sold-out, says Adams on his blog.

ADDENDA (10/28/08): "How to save the world from doom." Also, the Ryan Review Generator.

SECOND (12/8/08): He's now a staff writer at BlackBook.

THIRD (1/9/09): Black Cab Session.

FOURTH (3/10/09): Already, another book.

Former homeboy Ryan Adams seems to regard blogging the same way Mark Twain did smoking. It's something he quits with great regularity, but never for very long. So despite a recent announcement that he was through wth the online world, Adams' Foggy -- the Cardinal Cave blog is back in business. The latest batch includes links to various works in progress, so check it out while it's still there.

Meanwhile, still no word about a possible Charlotte date on Adams' latest tour. But according to his tour schedule, there's a 22-day gap between Atlanta on Oct. 17 and Dublin on Nov. 8; so maybe one will pop up in there somewhere.

Former Raleighite Ryan Adams doesn't come around his former hometown too often anymore -- he hasn't played here since June 2005, and the Triangle is conspicuously absent from his current tour itinerary. So is the rest of North Carolina. But if you check his current tour T-shirts (which went on sale at the opening date in San Francisco this week), the lineup of cities appears to show Charlotte at the very end:

That's small and hard to read, so here's a bigger version. No word yet on a date or venue in Charlotte; but you'll be the first to know.

(Thanks, Dean.)

Dial up the menu at Sticks and Stones Clay Oven Pizza in Greensboro, and one thing that leaps out is the title of every item on it. There's the "Rescue Blues" small plate of Rosemary garlic fries; the "Peaceful Valley" organic salad; the "Magnolia Mountain" pizza; and a kids menu titled "To Be Young..."

As to what these things have in common: They're all named after song titles by North Carolina native Ryan Adams.

"That came from a combination of the owner and one of the original chefs we had here," says Sandy Blocker, a cook at the restaurant. "They're big fans of Adams, it's just one of those things. People who know Adams' music get the titles, and the people who don't are oblivious."

Sticks and Stones has been open since April near the UNC-Greensboro campus. Blocker describes the restaurant as a coop-type place that uses as many organic and local ingredients as possible. And Adams songs aren't the only ones you'll hear there.

"We play a lot of world music in here, too," he says. "That's my doing. I teach African drumming at UNCG."

(Thanks, Rebecca.)

ADDENDUM (8/18/08): Ryan gets his blog on;  and sends a message to Superchunk.