Category: Alt rock

Darwin’s Finches unleash “HWY 787” on unsuspecting world, and we’re all better for it.

Darwin’s Finches share first track from forthcoming album Good Morning Creatures II

 Houston psych-punk trio RIYL: Camper Van Beethoven, The Frogs, Pixies

Hear & share “HWY 787” track (Bandcamp) (PopMatters)
“A kind of collision between Hawkwind at its most hyped, the Butthole Surfers at their most acidic with little doses of Krautrock thrown in for good measure.” — PopMatters
Houston trio Darwin’s Finches share the first track from their forthcoming album today via PopMatters. Hear and share “HWY 787” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp HERE.)
With a name making reference to obscure minutia of Charles Darwin’s research regarding the adaptive evolution of birds’ beaks, one might expect a certain esoteric character to a band. And Darwin’s Finches is certainly an anomaly of its own. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not a brilliantly catchy band. In fact, Good Morning Creatures II, the trio’s third album is a tart and twangy, hook-filled 10-song batch of great rock songs that sound as if they’d evolved completely out of contact with the rest of the rock world.
The Galveston, TX based band of pranksters, formed around a biology class, who got their start crashing biker bars and playing shows that provoked fisticuffs, Darwin’s Finches aren’t a normal band.
The album’s music hearkens to late-80s weirdo indie-rock tinged with psychedelic Western vibes like Camper Van Beethoven, Butthole Surfers, Alice Donut, and the Pixies combined with the demented melodies of The Frogs. Guitarist/vocalist and bandleader Justin Clay sports a master crooner’s wail; sounding something akin to a young Paul Westerberg.
Darwin’s Finches was formed in 2006 by Justin as part band, part prank. Joined originally by friends in his Biology class, Clay and a rotating cast of players have played everything from pop-up shows at biker bars (to mixed reviews), art museums, random national parks, shows at clubs that ended with fruit fights and a culminating three-hour show at the legendary Balinese Room that ended with a guitar sacrificed to the Gulf of Mexico.
Justin took a break from music in 2012 for two years to enjoy his family and the birth of his son, Odin.  When he returned to music in 2014, he reformed Darwin’s Finches with long-time music partners, Cody Honey on drums and Morgan Moody on bass.
Good Morning Creatures II will be available on LP and download on December 14th, 2018 via Artificial Head Record & Tapes (AHRT).
DARWIN’S FINCHES LIVE:
11/17 Houston, TX @ Bohemeo’s
12/21 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s (Cowpunk X-mas Party & Farewell to Fitzgerald’s)

Artist: Darwin’s Finches
Album: Good Morning Creatures II
Record Label: Artificial Head Records & Tapes

Release date; December 14, 2018

01. Good Morning Creatures (Big Stinky)
02. Yaupon Tea
03. Hosea!
04. Hwy 787
05. Tapir
06. BEK
07. Cowdog
08. Family Circus (ae)
09. Jonnobonnacca

10. Quixotic

On the Web:
Keep your mind open.
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Review: Ron Gallo – Stardust Birthday Party

Made not long after he attended a week-long silent meditation retreat, Ron Gallo‘s excellent new album of Zen punk, Stardust Birthday Party, arrives at a crucial time in history when the rich are getting richer, the middle class is disappearing, the poor are being left behind, and people are still clinging to material and mental things that ultimately mean nothing.

“Who Are You?  Point to It!” is the short, existential question that opens the record.  Can any of us answer this question without words?  It jumps into the Alan Watts and Eckhart Tolle-inspired “Always Elsewhere.”  It’s one of the best singles of the year and has been my mantra since hearing it.  Everyone nowadays seems to be somewhere other than where they really are in space and time.  The song is a wild, blaring diatribe against this practice that will make you want to throw away your cell phone, take a breath, and experience the miracle happening right in front of you at this moment.

“Prison Decor” reveals Gallo’s love of Devo with the snappy sound and his playful  and slightly weird vocals.  “Party Tumor” brings forth Joe Bisirri‘s fat bass as Gallo sings about someone (himself, perhaps?) who constantly needs to be heard and craves attention (“I just need to be heard anytime, anywhere.”) even though this attention will bring no true satisfaction.

“Do You Love Your Company?” starts with a Tibetan meditation bowl clang and then asks if you truly enjoy being in the moment alone or if you seek verification from the illusionary world around you.  Gallo’s guitars squawk and chug as much as his intense vocals.  “‘You’ Are the Problem” is a wake-up call to everyone who thinks the world is against them but doesn’t realize the issue is within them.

“OM” has the universal chant layered over police sirens, wine bar chatter, and a warning from Gallo’s mind that the mind can’t be stopped, but his relationship with it can be changed.  After all, “It’s All Gonna Be OK.”  That track is full of fuzzed guitar riffs and some of Dylan Sevey‘s biggest rock drumming on the record.

“I Wanna Die (Before I Die)” is a Zen riddle.  “It’s the point of my life,” Gallo sings. It’s the point of all our lives, really.  Dying to illusion and freeing the true self is the only goal of all of our lives.  Caroline Rose guest stars on “Love Supreme (Work Together),” which has her and Gallo singing about the nature of love, what it means to each of us, and how “God loves it when we work together.”

“Everybody’s trying to be some kind of something,” Gallo sings on “The Password” – a quirky track that reminds me of one of Frank Zappa‘s work.  “I don’t even know the password to my own heart,” Gallo says.  We all know the passwords to multiple social media accounts, bank accounts, and shopping clubs, but we don’t know how to unlock our inner treasure house.

“Bridge Crossers” discusses how the fear of death is irrational and seems to be a salute to one of Gallo’s teachers of spirituality.  The album ends with “Happy Deathday,” a celebration of the end of illusions.  “How hard we have to work for a false sense of worth…” Gallo sings.  We all tend to lose sight of the joy inside us and right in front of us because it’s easy to succumb to fear.  It’s relentless and will overwhelm your life if you let it.

If, like the alien mentioned in “Happy Deathday,” you’re wondering “what the fuck happened” to you, your family, your friends, and the world in general, then this album will be a welcome pleasure.  It will remind you that you have what you need within you.  You always have.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Simple Minds – Fillmore Theater, Detroit, MI – October 14, 2018

When one of my best pals from high school said he had a free extra ticket to see Simple Minds in Detroit, I jumped at the chance to (1) hang out with him and (2) finally see a band that was a big part of our high school years.  I mean, come on.  1985’s Once Upon a Time is one of the best albums of that decade.  Plus, the tracks they played from their new record, Walk Between Worlds, aren’t too shabby either.

They started with “The Signal and the Noise” off that new record and then unloaded two sets’ worth of classic hits and new material including “Up on the Catwalk” (which I hadn’t heard in years), the lively “Promised You a Miracle,” “Midnight Walking,” before ending the first set with a cover of “Dirty Old Town.”

“Theme for Great Cities” opened the second set, and they were cruising by then.  The title track off the new record was well-received, as were “Someone Somewhere in the Summertime,” “All the Things She Said,” and “Don’t You (Forget about Me)”.

The encore included “Stand by Love,” “Alive and Kicking,” and “Sanctify Yourself.”  It was a fun show, with a happy crowd of Gen X’ers and even younger folks.  One woman was in happy tears as we were walking out.  “So many feels!” she yelled.

Keep your mind open.

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Protomartyr and Preoccupations to release split 7″ single covering each other’s tunes.

PROTOMARTYR AND PREOCCUPATIONS ANNOUNCE SPLIT 7″,
OUT 11/16 ON DOMINOLISTEN TO PROTOMARTYR COVER PREOCCUPATIONS’ SONG “FORBIDDEN”

CO-HEADLINING TOUR BEGINS NEXT MONTH

(photo by Daniel Topete)
Today, Protomartyr announce the upcoming release of a split 7″ with their friends and future tourmates Preoccupations. Conceptually similar to Protomartyr’s recent split 7″ with Spray Paint, the release features each band covering the other, with Protomartyr performing their rendition of Preoccupations’ “Forbidden,” while Preoccupations give Protomartyr’s “Pontiac ’87” a reworking. You can listen to Protomartyr’s cover of “Forbidden” now, with the 7″ being released by Domino on Nov. 16th. Protomartyr’s singer Joe Casey had this to say of the band’s cover: “There’s an old adage that goes something like, ‘if you’re going to cover a song by a beloved Canadian band, it’s best to pick the second shortest one.’ So, ‘Forbidden’ it is. We all really liked the outro part and had the brilliant idea to extend it. And that, my friends, is how you make musical history.”For those who find this sonic pairing palatable to the ear, the two bands will join up for a co-headlining tour in late November, almost exactly one month from now and shortly after the release of the 7”. Additionally, Protomartyr have just been announced as the “special guest” for the anticipated grand reopening of Detroit’s UFO Factory, a much beloved venue that was damaged by developers one year ago.

LISTEN TO “FORBIDDEN (PREOCCUPATIONS COVER)”
http://smarturl.it/ForbiddenYT

PRE-ORDER PROTOMARTYR/PREOCCUPATIONS SPLIT 7″
http://smarturl.it/Telemetry7inch

PROTOMARTYR TOUR DATES
Fri. Oct. 26 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory w/ Deadbeat Beat, Double Winter
Fri. Nov. 23 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace * ^
Sat. Nov. 24 – Ottawa, ON @ 27 Club * ^
Mon. Nov. 26 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall * ^
Wed. Nov. 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw * ^
Thu. Nov. 29 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage * ^
Fri. Nov. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry * ^
Sat. Dec. 01 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement * ^
Mon. Dec. 03 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place * ^
Tue. Dec. 04 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig * ^
Thu. Dec. 06 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * ^
Fri. Dec. 07 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room * ^
Sat. Dec. 08 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar * ^
Mon. Dec. 10 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird *
Wed. Dec. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall *&
Thu. Dec. 13 – Boise, ID @ Olympic *&
Fri. Dec. 14 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *&
Sat. Dec. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue *&
Sun. Dec. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile *&
Tue. Dec. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent *&
Wed. Dec. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent *&* = w/ Preoccupations
^ = w/ Rattle
& = w/ Hurry Up

Download album art & hi-res images of Protomartyr – http://pitchperfectpr.com/protomartyr/

Purchase “Consolation E.P.”:
Domino Mart – https://protomartyr.dominomart.com/
iTunes – http://smarturl.it/ConsolationEPDL

Purchase Relatives In Descent:
Domino Mart – https://protomartyr.dominomart.com/
iTunes – http://smarturl.it/RIDDownload

Keep your mind open.
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Caroline Rose releases “Jeannie Becomes a Mom” from her sharp album, “Loner”

CAROLINE ROSE PRESENTS “JEANNIE BECOMES A MOM” VIDEO

WATCH HERE

ON TOUR NOW IN SUPPORT OF LONER,
RELEASED THIS YEAR ON NEW WEST

“Caroline Rose took her songwriting to a new level of wit and heart with LONER . . . It’s full of deftly drawn characters, like the numbingly normal partygoers in ‘More of the Same’ or the comically exaggerated versions of Rose herself in ‘Money’ and ‘Soul No. 5.’ One of her best creations is the lost suburbanite in ‘Jeannie Becomes a Mom,’ drifting through the cul-de-sacs outside Topeka, Kansas in search of her dream life.” — Rolling Stone

“LONER finds [Caroline Rose] abandoning preconceived notions, resulting in a great deal of sonic expansion . . . By embracing her humorous nature and getting more aggressive and adventurous with her music, she was able to create something that felt more natural. While the album title suggests that Rose may feel like she’s on an island of sorts, she’s far from alone.”
— NPR Music’s Favorite Albums of 2018 (So Far)

Caroline Rose has spent a majority of the past year touring in support of LONER, released this past February via New West. Today via Rolling Stone, Rose premieres the “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” video which comically illustrates the daunting notion of being unable to outrun time. Directed by Amanda Speva and produced by Sarah Slevin, and shot outside of Chicago, Rose’s satirical and witty nature shines through with her creative direction, showcasing her ability to process serious subjects with dark humor.

“Jeannie was my first foray into making really fun, sort of weird pop music. I wrote the whole song, including the programmed drums, on a little digital synthesizer called the OP-1. It felt like a relief making something that still told a serious story but tasted like candy to my ears. It’s a direction I’m definitely going to keep exploring. The story, like life, is meant to be a kind of grotesque, whimsical tragi-comedy. This was especially fun for me because I get to play more of a voyeuristic role, which is how I feel in the narrative of the song itself.”

Rose continues on her headlining tour in support of LONER and as support for Rainbow Kitten Surprise with several dates sold out. All dates are listed below.

Watch Caroline Rose’s “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” Video –
Stream Caroline Rose’s LONER –
http://geni.us/crloner?track=pr

Watch/Listen/Share:
“Bikini” video – https://youtu.be/MZYtOBkICDg
“Soul No. 5” video – https://youtu.be/zzIfmtKSLTE
“Money” video – https://youtu.be/NcOPz7Kby1A
“Getting To Me” – https://youtu.be/9JV4wU9Axsk

Caroline Rose Tour Dates:

Thu. Nov. 1 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Nov. 2 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 3 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Wed. Nov. 7 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Nov. 9 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Sat. Nov. 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Tue. Nov. 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Wed. Nov. 14 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Thu. Nov. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. Nov. 17 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Smalltown Supersound to release massive mix of their catalogue to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Smalltown Supersound Celebrates 25 Years With 
The Movement Of The Free Spirit Mix by Prins Thomas, Out November 30th

3 Hours & 40 Minute Mix of 80 Tracks Exclusively from the
Smalltown Supersound Catalogue
Smalltown Supersound, the Norwegian label run by Oslo-based Joakim Haugland, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the label is releasing The Movement Of The Free Spirit, an epic new mix album of the Smalltown Supersound catalogue by Prins Thomas, out November 30th. As Thomas’s follow up to Paradise Goulash, The Movement Of The Free Spirit is a 3-disc mix comprised of 80 tracks and 3 hours and 40 minutes of music featuring artists including Sonic Youth, DJ Harvey, Studio, Yoshimi (Boredoms), Kim Gordon, Oneohtrix Point Never, Todd Rundgren, Stereolab, High Llamas, Neneh Cherry, Ricardo Villalobos, Four Tet, Bjørn Torske, Dungen, The Orb, Kelly Lee Owens, Lindstrøm, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Biosphere, Peter Brötzmann, and many more (full track list is below). The mix will be released as a CD box set, digitally (mixed and unmixed) and disc 1 will be available as a double LP.

The title, The Movement Of The Free Spirit, was borrowed from a Bruce Russell (of The Dead C) 10” Smalltown Supersound released in 2000. Russell had borrowed it from the book by legendary Situationist activist and author Raoul Vaneigem.
Pre-order The Movement Of The Free Spirit – http://smarturl.it/sts300-preorder
 Download artwork and press images – http://pitchperfectpr.com/prins-thomas/

The Movement Of The Free Spirit liner notes

Trying To Be Like SST. Since 1993.

 

I started Smalltown Supersound in 1993 while in high school in Flekkefjord, a small town of 4,000 inhabitants in the south of Norway. There was obviously no supersound in our small town. It was just an ironic name I came up with to release some tapes with lo-fi/noise/bedroom recordings by my brother and his friends. The name was inspired by my hometown and the catalogue number STS was a homage to SST, a label I deeply admired at the time (and still do). Little did I know that I would have to live with that name for the rest of my life.

 

I started the label before I knew what a record label was. So I gradually learned it by doing. And it was part of me growing up. It might sound like a cliché, but in many ways the label is the soundtrack of my life. Thomas has now made it into a mixtape.

 

We all hate to see photos of ourselves when we were younger, the bad haircuts and the strange clothes. It is the same thing when you run a label. You constantly look back on things you regret. This mix makes me see the label from the outside in a way I don’t think I have before. And to my surprise the haircuts and the clothes weren’t as bad and strange as I remembered.

I have to admit that I when I listened to it the first time, I was moved. First of all, because of the deep and true love Thomas has put into this mix. Second, because some of these tracks I haven’t heard in 20-25 years. It really felt like revisiting the past. And in a very good way.

 

Thomas has followed the label since the early beginnings. Back in the days I was always thinking: “He’s a house/disco DJ – why does he want my noise records?”. I realize now I wasn’t smart enough to understand his scope. I didn’t understand it until his mix album Cosmic Galactic Prism, which is one of my favorite mix albums of all time. So for me it was very obvious that Thomas should make the Smalltown Supersound mix. I just couldn’t imagine that he would go this beautifully far with it.

 

Since day one I have tried to have a red thread run through the releases and the label’s DNA. Most of the time I am probably the only one who sees it. And many times I don’t even see it myself. Now Thomas has found the spiritual unity.

While I have always struggled to describe what the label is, only now – with this mix – I can finally say: this is what it is.

Joakim Haugland Oslo, August 2018

The Movement Of The Free Spirit Tracklist:

Part 1
1. Echo Troopers – Fred Astaire Session (intro)
Deathprod – Orgone Donor
Yoshimi & Mats Gustafsson – Soundless Cries With Their Arms in the Air Yuichiro Fujimoto – Little Sun
2. Bendik Giske – Hole
Supersilent – 13.1
Biosphere – Aura in the Kitchen
Supersilent – 13.1
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – T03
Bruce Russell – The Movement of the Free Spirit (The 1st Movement)
3. Carmen Villain – Safe
Alexander Rishaug – Time and Place
4. Monopot – Scena Napoletana
5. Continental Fruit – Dear Heart
6. Biosphere – Wyll and Purpose
Lindstrøm – Call Me Anytime (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix)
Deathprod – Orgone Donor
Arp – V2 Slight Return
Monopot – Dronningen
7. Monopot – Dronningen
Jaga Jazzist – Plym
Todd Rundgren – Anything (vocal outtake)
8. Todd Rundgren – Anything (vocal outtake)
9. Todd Rundgren, Emil Nikolaisen & Hans-Peter Lindstrøm – Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Stereolab vs High Llamas Remix)
10. 120 Days – Sleepless Nights
11. Carmen Villain – The Moon Will Always Be There
Continental Fruit – The Moon Was My Only Witness
Mats Gustafsson & Sonic Youth – Part 3 (Contrabass Sax)
12. Erik Wøllo – Ody At Sea
Alexander Rishaug – Satellites
Prins Thomas – B (Sun Araw Saddle Soap Remix)
13. Prins Thomas – B (Sun Araw Saddle Soap Remix)
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – Arthur’s Return (long unreleased)
Serena Maneesh – Introspection
Serena Maneesh – Leipziger Love Life (ancient mix)
Mats Gustafsson & Sonic Youth – Part 4 (Voice)
14. Wildest Dreams – Off The Lip

Part 2
1. Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Lovesick (Four Tet Remix) 2. Dungen – Franks Kaktus
3. Idjut Boys – One for Kenny (Bjørn Torske remix)
Idjut Boys – One for Kenny (Idjut Version)
4. Dungen – Alberto Balsam
5. Prins Thomas – H (The Orb Remix)
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – Arthur
Kjetil D. Brandsdal – Komboloi
Lindstrøm – No Release (Owen Pallett Remix)
6. Lindstrøm – No release (Owen Pallett Remix) Diskjokke – Cold Out
Yoshinori Hayashi – Bit of Garden
7. Yoshinori Hayashi – Bit of Garden
Diskjokke – Cold Out
Meanderthals – Andromeda (Basic Idjut Version)
Arp – The Past (Version by Studio)
Meanderthals – Andromeda
8. Prins Thomas – C (I:Cube Remix)
9. Lindstrøm – Another Station
10. Bjørn Torske – Se Torsken (Mungolian Jetset Remix) Dan Lissvik – Airwalk
Dan Lissvik – G
11. Neneh Cherry – Slow Release
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas – K16
12. Bjørn Torske – Totem Expose
13. Kim Hiorthøy – Door Opens Both Ways
14. Toy – Don’t Be
15. Lindstrøm – Raakost (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Version)

Part 3
1. Lindstrøm – The Contemporary Fix (Bjørn Torske Remix)
2. Matt Karmil – Morals
Biosphere – With Their Paddles in a Puddle
Andre Bratten – Minor Misconception
Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix)
3. Andre Bratten – Minor Misconception
Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix) Brian Reitzell – Ozu Choral
4. Carmen Villain – Planetarium (Gigi Masin Remix) Mungolian Jetset – Mush in the Bush
Bjørn Torske – Langt fra Afrika
5. Kelly Lee Owens – CBM
Carmen Villain – Obedience (Bjørn Torske Remix) Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – Phase One
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – Phase Two Part 3 Brian Reitzell – Honeycomb
6. Prins Thomas – C (Ricardo Villalobos King Crab Remix) Bendik Giske – Adjust
Elektro Nova/Electro Nova – T03
Prins Thomas – C (Ricardo Villalobos Knödel Prince Dub) Mungolian Jetset – Shelton’s on a Bender
7. Neneh Cherry – Everything Is Everything (Villalobos & Loderbauer: Vilod High Blood Pressure Mix)
8. Bjørn Torske – Furu
9. Andre Bratten – Pax Americana
10. Lars Horntveth – Kaleidoscopic
11. Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet – II (Performed by Joe McPhee & Ken Vandermark)

Keep your mind open.

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Sharon Van Etten announces tour dates for 2019.

Sharon Van Etten Announces 2019 Remind Me Tomorrow World Tour

New Album, Remind Me Tomorrow, Out January 18 On Jagjaguwar

(photo credit – Ryan Pfluger)
“A blustery, marchlike (but shifty) beat and pealing organ chords orchestrate an encounter between a ‘runaway’ and a ‘comeback kid’ — or maybe it’s an internal debate
for someone re-entering the pop fray.“
— New York Times

“[Sharon Van Etten’s] voice sounds almost like Siouxsie Sioux here—deep, bellowing, and fuzzed out at the edge of the distorted signal—and her tone is muscular and triumphant, with a controlled vibrato that suggests someone shouldering into a brisk wind.” — Pitchfork

“‘Comeback Kid,’ an energetic, scrappy-kid rock song, is a horns-blaring entrance.” — FADER

“[Sharon Van Etten’s] stunning show anticipated a welcome return to music with next year’s Remind Me Tomorrow.” — Austin Chronicle

“Based on her set alone, Remind Me Tomorrow is now easily one of the most anticipated records of 2019.”
— Consequence of Sound (ACL recap)

Sharon Van Etten returned earlier this month with the announcement of her fifth full-length album and first in over 4 years, Remind Me Tomorrow, out January 18th on Jagjaguwar, and new single, “Comeback Kid.” Following the album announcement, Van Etten also made her return to the stage, giving “one of the weekend’s most stunning sets . . . a first live taste of her expansive new sound on Remind Me Tomorrow” (Rolling Stone) at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, followed by Red Rocks, and Treasure Island Music Festival.  Today, she announces her 2019 world tour featuring performances at the Beacon Theater in New York, Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, The Fillmore in San Francisco, Thalia Hall in Chicago, 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., London Roundhouse and beyond. Nilüfer Yanya will support on all North American dates and Fred Armisen will be a special guest for the New York show. All dates are below and tickets are on sale this Friday at sharonvanetten.com.

In addition to garnering a great deal of media and fan attention from around the world for “Comeback Kid,” the “rousing, serrated anthem” (NPR Music) was the #1 most added at AAA radio in its first week, the lead in the New York Times’ “Playlist” and a top 10 New Music Friday pick (it was featured in 23 New Music Fridays, globally).

Written while pregnant, going to school for psychology, and after taking The OA audition, Remind Me Tomorrow was written in stolen time: in scraps of hours wedged between myriad endeavors — Van Etten guest-starred in The OA, and brought her music onstage in David Lynch’s revival of Twin Peaks. Off-screen, she wrote her first score for Katherine Dieckmann’s movie Strange Weather and the closing title song for Tig Notaro’s show, Tig. The breadth of her passions (musical, emotional, otherwise), of new careers and projects and lifelong roles, have inflected this album with a wise sense of a warped-time perspective. It reckons with the life that gets lived when you put off the small and inevitable maintenance in favor of something more present.

Remind Me Tomorrow follows Are We There, a top 10 critically praised album of 2014. Working alongside producer John Congleton, the resulting songs are as resonating as ever, the themes are still an honest and subtle approach to love and longing, but Congleton has plucked out new idiosyncrasies from Van Etten’s sound. He helped flip the signature Van Etten ratio, making the album more energetic-upbeat than minimal-meditative.

Listen To Sharon Van Etten’s “Comeback Kid” –
https://youtu.be/US4xCFUuHuQ

Pre-order Remind Me Tomorrow –
https://sharonvanetten.ffm.to/remindmetomorrow

Sharon Van Etten Tour Dates:
Wed. Feb. 6 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
Thu. Feb. 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
Fri. Feb. 8 – Boston, MA @ Royale #
Sat. Feb. 9 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre $ #
Mon. Feb. 11 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall #
Wed. Feb. 13 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre #
Thu. Feb. 14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
Sat. Feb. 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue #
Mon. Feb. 18 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre #
Tue. Feb 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall #
Thu. Feb 21 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom #
Fri. Feb 22 – Vancouver, BC – Imperial #
Sat. Feb 23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre #
Tue. Feb. 26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore #
Thu. Feb 28 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park #
Fri. March 1 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at Ace Hotel #
Thu. March 21 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill
Fri. March 22 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Sat. March 23 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Sun. March 24 – Glasgow, UK @ St. Luke’s
Tue. March 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Wed. March 27 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Fri. March 29 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
Sat. March 30 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie (at Botanique)
Mon. April 1 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Tue. April 2 – Koln, DE @ Luxor
Wed. April 3 – Munich, DE @ Strom
Fri. April 5 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Sat. April 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Grünspan
Sun. April 7 – Copenhagen, DK @ Studio 2 (DR Concert House)
Tue. April 9 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Wed. April 10 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Thu. April 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanen

# = with Nilüfer Yanya
$ = with Fred Armisen

Download hi-res jpegs of Sharon Van Etten and cover art –
http://pitchperfectpr.com/sharonvanetten/

(Remind Me Tomorrow cover art, photo by Katherine Dieckmann)

Official Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Keep your mind open.
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Enjoy Mk.gee’s quirky new single, “Come On (You Know that I’m a Fool).”

Mk.gee Shares New Single “Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool)”
Watch The Video Here

Announces Fool EP Out November 16th

Catch SF & LA Shows Next Month

[Photo by Erica Hernandez]
Originally from New Jersey, Michael Gordon, who creates under the name Mk.gee, has spent the last few years living in Los Angeles. The multi-instrumentalist took some time this summer between tours with Omar Apollo and select dates with Dr. Dog, to complete his new Fool EP. In line with his debut release from May, Pronounced McGee, the project sees Gordon handling all of the writing, recording and mixing duties himself.

Today, Mk.gee shares his new single, “Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool),” taken from his new Fool EP to be self-released on November 16th. The track is accompanied by a video premiering via Paste. Mk.gee says, “I wanted the video to be a bit of an ironic juxtaposition to the song. The music is pretty somber and deals with change and loneliness, but ironically the video is pretty light hearted and it’s just me and my friends doing dumb shit.” Furthermore, director Erica Hernandez comments, “The song itself is very introspective so when Mike and I talked about the visual approach, we decided it would be interesting to try something more counter-intuitive and make the visuals fun and ironic. Also, Mike has the coolest friends of all time so it was a win-win situation for all of us.”

Mk.gee will play shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles next month in support of his new Fool EP.

Watch “Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool)” Video – https://youtu.be/awFrlrfWZYw

Fool EP Tracklist:
1. Brick

2. Suburban Luv
3. Come On (You Know That I’m A Fool)
4. New Years
5. Num
6. Drown
7. Wheel

Mk.gee Live:
Fri. Nov. 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Sat. Nov. 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge

Keep your mind open.
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Live: Garbage and Dream Wife – September 20, 2018 – Paris, France

My wife and I were delighted to learn that Garbage would be playing in Paris while we were on vacation there.  I was surprised we managed to score tickets at face value, and even more surprised by the intimacy of the venue – the Bataclan. I expected a much bigger place, but the small size made the show louder, closer, and better.

Openers Dream Wife put down a raucous set of garage punk about subjects like female empowerment and ending gender bias.  The people tending their merch table were having a great time all night.

Garbage came out to a lively crowd and were soon tearing through hits from their second album, Garbage 2.0.  It was the 20th anniversary tour of the record, so you had to expect it.  They played other hits, of course, and lead singer Shirley Manson had the crowd in her hands within moments of the first notes she sang.

They tore through tracks like “Deadwood,” “Wicked Ways” (which included parts of Depeche Mode‘s “Personal Jesus”), and “The World Is Not Enough” – the Bond theme they did from the movie of the same name back in 1999.  Other highlights included “Medication,” with Manson telling the story of how she had to deal with health care in the U.S. after nearing dying of flu while on tour, “I Think I’m Paranoid,” “Sleep Together,” “Dumb,” and “Push It.”

They closed with “The Trick Is to Keep Breathing,” a new song called “No Horses” (which Manson said is about an environmental apocalypse), and “Cherry Lips” (which Manson said has become the Garbage concert anthem).

It was a fun show with an appreciative crowd.  You can’t ask for much more than that.

Keep your mind open.

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra surprises everyone with an instrumental album – “IC-01 Hanoi” – out later this month.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
ANNOUNCES SURPRISE INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

IC-01 HANOI, OUT 10/26 ON JAGJAGUWAR; LISTEN TO “HANOI 6”

While recording Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s latest release, Sex & Food, Ruban Nielson, his longtime collaborator Jacob Portrait and his brother Kody Nielson, found themselves in the Vietnamese city of Hanoi at Phu Sa Studios.  During the recording process for Sex & Food the band recorded live sessions with local musician Minh Nguyen on Sáo Trúc, Đàn Môi, and Vietnamese Percussion and Nielson’s father, Chris, on Flugelhorn, Saxophone and keyboards.  These sessions became IC-01 Hanoi: a sonic distillation of the band’s influences in Jazz, Krautrock, and the avant-garde.  At its core Hanoi is a record of exploration, finding its closest antecedent in Miles Davis’ experimental On The Corner – itself a record full of nods toward avant-garde composers and jazz outsiders alike.  Hanoi finds Ruban amplifying and stretching out on lead guitar, with a blown-out and wandering fuzz tone that slinks throughout the sessions.  The rest of the group match Ruban’s melodic diversions with aplomb, mining their talents and finding as easy a role in the fusion of funk as they do in the more ambient and abstract tangents on Hanoi. IC-01 Hanoi will see release on October 26th via Jagjaguwar.

LISTEN TO “HANOI 6”
https://youtu.be/JDsmgYRh6nA

PRE-ORDER IC-01 HANOI
https://umo.ffm.to/ic-01hanoi

IC-01 HANOI TRACKLISTING
1. Hanoi 1
2. Hanoi 2
3. Hanoi 3
4. Hanoi 4
5. Hanoi 5
6. Hanoi 6
7. Hanoi 7

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA TOUR DATES
September 25 – Kuala Lumpur, MY @ The Bee
September 26 – Jakarta, ID @ Empirica
October 4 – Guadalajara, Mexico @ C3 Stage
October 6 – Lomas Atlas, Mexico @ Festival Hipnosis @ Deportivo Lomas Atlas
October 26 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Mon
October 27 – Bilbao, ES @ BIME Live
October 29 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club
October 30 – Lisbon, PT @ Aula Magna
November 1 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Cooperative de Mai
November 2 – Antwerp, BE @ Filter Festival
November 3 – Paris, FR @ Pitchfork Music Festival Paris
November 4 – Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom Frankfurt
November 6 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
November 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanan
November 8 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret – SOLD OUT
November 9 – Bergen, NO @ Landmark – SOLD OUT
November 11 – Groningen, NL @ Oosterpoort
November 13 – Vienna, AT @ Flex
November 14 – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
November 15 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
November 16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
November 17 – Leipzig, DE @ Trascentury Update No. 3 Festival
November 19 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
November 21 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
November 22 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 – SOLD OUT
November 23 – Sheffield, UK @ The Leadmill
November 25 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Academy
November 26 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
January 12 – Christchurch, NZ @ Hagley Park
January 14 – Queenstown, NZ @ John Davies Oval
January 19 – Auckland, NZ @ Western Springs – SOLD OUT

Listen to Sex & Food – https://unknownmortalorchestra.lnk.to/sexandfood
Watch “Hunnybee” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJrKlSkxRHA
Watch “Not In Love We’re Just High” – https://youtu.be/uY82vChor2A
Watch “Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays” – https://youtu.be/ad2Iy0DMCWU
Watch “American Guilt” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-JlcmCxIXU
Download hi-res images here: http://pitchperfectpr.com/unknown-mortal-orchestra/
UMO Online:
https://twitter.com/umo
http://unknownmortalorchestra.com/
http://instagram.com/unknownmortalorchestra
http://www.jagjaguwar.com/artist.php?name=umo
https://www.facebook.com/unknownmortalorchestra

Keep your mind open.

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