New Artist & New Track: “Ice On The Windowsill” By Teen Daze. Decibel Festival September 26th
Autumnal days feel exceptionally short in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. The sun rises but hardly invites. The inevitability of night is impending.
As 2012 came to a close, Teen Daze entered a state of repose. He chose the company of insular, droning ambient music. He wrote new material, and for the first time he found the process not to be a means of escape or refuge. Rather than imagining an outward utopia, or seeking an inward sanctuary, he simply engaged his work with his reality, his physical world.
Like it’s namesake, Glacier is more than solidified water adrift in a sea of home-produced electronic music. It is a collection of moments, historical particles and physical experiences, gathered into a whole. A testament to self-editing and sequencing, the 40-minute album merges hours of abstract instrumental work with more structured compositions. Varied yet cohesive, Glacier finds Jamison confident both as a drifter and a romantic. Lyrics are used personally and sparingly, often drifting in and out on a single phrase. “No one sees you, the way I see you”, he repeats through opener “Alaska”. Album centerpiece “Ice On The Windowsill” celebrates the notion of remaining indoors with the one you love as the world frosts over. Connecting each epiphany are wordless ruminations—like the twisted pitch of“Tundra”, the cool warmth of “Forest At Dawn”—some of the most evocative sound design in Teen Daze’s career to date. “Walk” is the rightful closer, an affectingly repetitious four chord salute to a fallen day.
The album’s fixation on manifesting physicality translates to being a highly performative production. The role of live instruments, field recordings, and general human presence is evident in these songs, just as millennia-old organisms lay suspended in a frozen core. This was a deliberate choice; Teen Daze plans to tour in support of the release for the first time as a full band—essentially to actualize Glacier in the physical world. New Album ‘Glacier’ drops October 1st.
Despite only being in their teenage years, the UK production duo Bondax have already been touted as an overnight success due to the popularity of early singles online. Comprised of Adam Kaye and George Townsend, the duo has actually been honing their chops separately since they were much younger and producing together for the past two years before gaining substantial buzz. Combining influences from indie music as well as club music, the duo craft a sound that often takes on pop structures yet will get a dance-floor moving. Their understanding of melody and embrace of indie experimentalism have helped create a sound that differentiates Bondax from the crowd of other young producers. Although they have received accolades and anticipation is high for their debut LP, the group is still looking for new ways to expand their sound. “We’re really conscious of not wanting to repeat ourselves,” Adam says, “and we want to do new things. We’re only just writing our album now, but we’re going to have songs, but songs treated differently so the structures aren’t what you expect. It’s got to keep the interest and not just be trying to do what’s current.” Though they are accomplished in bass music, the newest production techniques, tweaks and club rhythms, there’s something deeper underlying all of their tracks which gives them both pop appeal and the possibility of longevity. It’s still early for Bondax, but there’s every chance that in years to come, they won’t be looked at alongside the hip club producers of the time, but rather in a category with Moby, Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem and other such acts which have taken dance grooves to the biggest stages and the widest audiences.
The recording of these songs serves as a farewell to Rear House, Woods’ home, recording studio, creative refuge and beloved shithole for 10 long years. “God’s Children” is a classic Kinks tune from the soundtrack to the 1971 British film “Percy.” “Be All Be Easy,” originally from 2011’s Sun and Shade, was re-recorded to capture the live form that’s taken shape since it’s original release. Both are the first Woods recordings to feature new drummer, Aaron Neveu.
“When we wrote and recorded our first song we never expected to play a live show. Ever,” laughs Eliza and the Bear guitarist and vocalist James Kellegher. “It just wasn’t on our radar.”
When the band formed in late 2010 dreams of fame and fortune had long since passed for Kellegher, keyboard player Callie Noakes, guitarist Chris Ramsbottom, bassist Chris Brand and drummer Paul Kevin Jackson. Getting together in a practice room, having some laughs and writing great songs were the only real concerns for the five young men, nothing else was ever discussed.
“We were already past the stage of wanting to be famous rock stars,” James admits. “A lot of us had souring experiences from bands that cared about the wrong things, none of us wanted to deal with the pressure of trying to make it or build a huge fanbase. With Eliza we wanted to have fun, and that was it.”
In 2011 the band recorded ‘Trees’ in Paul’s front room, it was posted online and made available to any friends who were curious to hear what they had been doing behind closed doors. There was no promotion, no hype and no supporting dates. Yet despite the band’s distinctly casual approach, the reaction to the dreamy and euphoric slice of indie-rock was anything but. “Response was overwhelmingly positive,” James recalls. “We were getting reviews, being talked about and contacted by industry people, it blew our mind and definitely kick-started our ambition again.”
The band traded a living room in Essex for a recording studio in Devon and worked with Peter Miles (Dry the River, The King Blues, Canterbury) to develop their oxygenated brand of uplifting song. The band’s unburdened approach produced outstanding and anthemic results, typified by current free shareable download ‘Friends’.
“I write a lot about community, family and loyalty,” he continues. “That song is a reminder that you need to be good to people who are good to you.”
That theme is the dynamic that does, and will always, hold Eliza and the Bear together. “It’s so important for me to remember that I’m in a band with my best friends,” says James. “Doing this is supposed to be fun, it’s not a business where things get too important and friendship goes out of the window. Besides, things only really happened for us as musicians when we stopped trying to impress people and started looking out for each other; there are some people we’ve been trying to get the attention of for years and years, as soon we stopped trying so hard they started picking up the phone. There’s a lesson in that.”
Double A-side ‘The Southern Wild’ / ‘Upon the North’ was released by Generator in February 2013.
Jodi Ecklund and team at Chop Suey have been stepping it the last few months with marketing, promo and curating some fine line-ups. June 24th will be no different. .
From top to bottom …this bill is on point. Outside of Hamburger Record darlings Warm Soda, there is a Minneapolis trio that kicks it off, so get there early! Fury Things is a band full of reverb and garage- post punk sounds …. in other words, music to my ears. We asked them what 15 things people may not know abut them, and this is what they told us. P.s. hit play on their songs while reading……
1. I’m friggin’ old as balls…
2. I took synthetic growth hormone injections as a kid, every day for like 3-4 yrs..
3. I fucking love ice cream
4. I fought a Muay Thai kickboxing fight, and study Brazilian Jui Jitsu.
5. I think I have a shitty memory.
3. I fucking love ice cream.
4. I love cheesecake and my cat smokey.
5. I played on stone henge…like on the rocks as a little kid 28 yrs ago, now it’s got a fence around it and shit…
6. I love queens of the Stone Age too much maybe…I don’t know?!
7. I’m hella indecisive about worthless stupid little shit things…
8. I do professional voice over and some acting.
9. I was a white trash backyard wrestler in a foot locker commercial with Ricky Rubio.
10. My parents are still married, and for some reason that seems weird these days.
11. I played college tennis on an athletic scholarship, it seems like another lifetime ago…
12. Most of my living family is in England.
Devon:
For this follow up to their self-titled debut, the Portland trio discarded the synths and unplugged their instruments, translating into a more upfront and assertive Blouse. Throughout the record there is a careful balance between the urgency created by kinetic guitar rifts and driving bass-lines and the fragile sincerity of Charlie Hilton’s billowy, Nico-esque vocals. The result is a vague sense of familiarity that is comforting, but all the while surprising.
Wasn’t that long ago when I really wanted to offer a spotlight on artists who in the grand scheme of things at the time, were vaguely, or completely overlooked by what the “mainstream” Seattle media deemed as “the hot new thing”, and it was a tad bit irritating …
Not knowing the direction of Seismic-Sound, besides the obvious covering of amazing local, and national talent. I always knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to incorporate some type of other medium coverage, hence my 600-700 videos on YouTube. I knew I wanted a lot more professional footage than I could provide …but I figured it would happen all in due time, and that it did.
I had only known Cb Shamah as one of the owners of The Columbia City Theater and had always enjoyed his company, but it wasn’t till Doe Bay Fest, when I really got a chance to connect with him and realize his passion and interest in film. Upon that interaction at Doe Bay, I was able to meet his partner in crime for the documentary shooting of “Welcome To Doe Bay”, Daniel Thornton.
Not long after settling back into our lives after Doe Bay, was I then approached by Cb and Dan to possibly work together in collaboration with Seismic-Sound on a series that Cb had coined via a brainstorm “Destination Unknown” …. loving the name … we started the process of who we will shoot and how. I somehow formed an amazing group of people with the help of Dan and Cb to do these shoots in random settings. Sometimes an empty space in an office building, as with this one, or an empty bar. After lots of hiccups, and learning via mistakes, we have really been able to acquire some really wonderful people to take part in these projects, and all volunteer their time. So I want to sincerely thank everyone for all of their help, then, now and in the future projects of “Destination Unknown. We have some now well-known bands coming up, and also some not so well-known bands, but certainly bands we think have that something special.
For years, Vancouver multi-instrumentalist Jay Arner has teamed up with others to translate the sounds in his head.
He’s fronted an indie rock band, played synthesizers and samplers in a pop duo, manned the drums for a piano-punk songwriter, and held down the bass in a eight-member collective. Along the way, he’s also become a sought-after producer and remix artist, working out of the legendary Hive studios and recording acts like Mount Eerie, Apollo Ghosts, Rose Melberg, No Gold and many more.
Now, finally, he is going it alone. Every sound you hear on his eponymous debut album — due out this summer through Mint Records — was self-recorded by Arner in his 72-square-foot practice space using a precariously perched desktop computer and his home recording gear. The sum of his many talents, these 10 songs sizzle with DIY energy and encompass the scope of the songwriter’s diverse resume.
Opener “Midnight on South Granville” sets a dark tone with its coldly mechanical intro before flourishing into a lush post-punk synthscape that reflects Arner’s love of analogue electronics. Elsewhere, the bass-heavy pulse of “Broken Glass (In the Hall of Shattered Mirrors)” draws on ’70s pseudo-funk, while “Wildest One” is an abrasive surge of distortion and “Don’t Remind Me” is a soaring pop anthem that recalls classic Murderrecords songcraft. The lyrics are filled with self-doubt and wry cynicism, but don’t expect confessional heartbreak — these timeless melodies and intricately wrought arrangements are filled with noisy pop sweetness, and there’s not an acoustic guitar to be found.
Given that Arner wrote, performed, recorded and mixed every note on the album, it’s only fitting that it’s self-titled. The cover artwork is a close-up photographer of the man’s face. This is him at his most unfiltered and uncompromising, with only his musical whims to answer to.
FEATURED SONGS OF THE WEEK: The Dodos “Confidence”
The first single “Confidence” is available for streaming (listen here) and will see a digital release on May 21st. The Dodos, comprised of singer and guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber, are also heading out on a full North American tour following the release of Carrier. Dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
When it came time for The Dodos to begin writing their fifth LP, Carrier, singer/guitarist Meric Long wanted to start over. The uncertainty of the band’s trajectory as well as the unexpected passing of guitarist Chris Reimer (formerly of Women) brought about a reassessment of things within the band, and in particular Long’s songwriting.
“Chris was a huge influence on the way I think about guitar, songwriting, and music in general,” reveals Long. “Seeing how he could transform and shape sound with an electric guitar inspired me to explore more tones and use those tones to begin writing a song.”
In need of a different vantage point, Long began writing words before music for the first time, enveloping himself in silence rather than sound. When it came time to set these lyrics to music, Long started writing with only his electric guitar in hand — another first. The focus on this instrument was due in large part to the time Long spent with Reimer. And so, when he began to formulate the tracks that would ultimately comprise Carrier, Long employed two principles he inherited from Reimer: patience to let a song develop and a judgment-free enthusiasm for sound.
The album was recorded in the band’s hometown of San Francisco, allowing for less time constraints and a more pressure-free experience than past out-of-state sessions had afforded. Although John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studio was initially selected for its analog-friendly set- up, the duo were happy to find themselves working within a supportive community of like-minded musicians that included engineers Jay and Ian Pellicci, both of whom assisted in the production of Carrier, as well as the Magik Magik Orchestra, which appears on several tracks. As a result, the album The Dodos crafted is refreshingly sincere: no computers, no gimmicks — just eleven songs that are beautiful and solid and true and honest.
For a band briefly in flux, it’s clear now that The Dodos’ outlook on the future has never looked more certain.
No doubt the ‘Song Dissection’ project has been one of our favorite projects, and apparently yours too. It’s always a thrill to introduce you to a well loved song here, and provide the bio of that song to you, from the artist himself, but it’s also amazing to introduce you too new Seattle artists.
Kye isn’t on the tip of everyones tongue yet, but I think that’s all going to change in the not to soon future. Check out his bandcamp and you’ll know what I mean, but listen to this track “Diving Dove”(Below), and read what Kye has to say about the inspiration behind it. This guy is an amazing talent. Read what inspired him to write this song below.
Dear Reader,
Who knows where songs come from? I certainly don’t. I do know that while writing this song I pictured a lot of oceans and beaches in my head, places I’ve never been. I know I wasn’t trying for an effect when I wrote it. Songwriting is a lot like vomiting for me, I suppose. I take things in and then I throw it up and there it is, some half-digested mixture of my life and thoughts. This song came much the same. For me, it hit a place that felt substantial.
‘Diving Dove’ was almost too delicate to be recorded where it was: in a dark & cold basement of an old house on Hilltop in Tacoma. The world seemed to be attacking us with noise. There would be people walking on the floor above, and the ceiling would creak. A car would pass with subwoofers booming. Someone would get in the shower above us, and water would come surging down the pipes. Each thing tried to impose itself on the track. Waiting for quiet, I sat on a bench that used to belong to some woman with a supposed drug problem. It was a lovely bench. Very classy. All leather and fine finished wood. The mics were incredibly hot. If I shifted so much as an inch the mics picked it up, but we finally got the take.
The song was the last piece of work that night, so I got ready to leave for the evening. I said my goodbyes. Descending the stairs that led to the street, I froze as a SUV came barreling towards some poor bastard on the sidewalk. The SUV slammed on its breaks right next to the fellow. Out of the passenger side came some gentleman who aimed a gun across the car at the man on the sidewalk. I just stood there. The guy with the gun yelled something like, “Die, mother fucker!” and then everyone started laughing. Turns out it was a toy gun.
Xo,
K.
Official Bumbershoot Announcement 2013!
SEATTLE, WA (May 2, 2013 – 10:30 PM PDT) – Zombies are everywhere at Bumbershoot this year, roving the grounds as part of the Festival’s spectacle programming and popping up in its popular Words & Ideas series. They’ll also be performing as part of the musical lineup – albeit in the form of legendary power-pop band The Zombies.
That legacy act joins hometown heroes like Death Cab for Cutie (playing their seminal album Transatlanticism in its entirety) and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Heart, Grammy-winning band fun., rising hip hop star Kendrick Lamar and breakthrough EDM act BASSNECTAR as one of 100-plus musical acts performing at the Seattle Center over Labor Day weekend.
Reflecting the diversity that the Festival cultivates under the umbrella “Art in the Great Northleft,” The Zombies and fellow ‘60s veteran Eric Burdon appear alongside buzzing artists like alt-J, Icona Pop, Deerhunter, and Delta Rae; alt-rock pioneers Bob Mould, The Breeders, Superchunk, and Redd Kross; the hard rocking Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience and Baroness; soul master Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires; vanguard synth-pop artist Gary Numan; crossover darlings Tegan and Sara; Seattle hip hop standouts Sol and The Physics; breakout rappers Watsky and Joey Bada$$; and Seattle’s own powerhouse soul singer Allen Stone – a Bumbershoot alumnus from 2011.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now in its 43rd year, Bumbershoot has continually distinguished itself by offering one of the most diverse and carefully curated musical lineups in the world, in addition to a full spectrum of arts programming that includes comedy, theatre, film, literary, visual arts, and spectacle elements.
This year, the Festival has partnered with local promoters USC Events and Trinity Nightclub to present an all-ages electronic stage at EMP’s Sky Church. The EDM at EMP stage will begin at 7pm each evening and features both local and national acts.
Confirmed musical acts are listed below by day. Single tickets (day-specific and flexible any-day versions) are now on sale. Additional programming for comedy, film and Youngershoot will be announced later this summer. (Announcement via Bumbershoot)
Saturday, August 31
Heart /Kendrick Lamar/ Crystal Castles/ Gary Numan/ Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience/ Maceo Parker/ !!!/ Icona Pop/ Joey Bada$$/ Washed Out/ Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires/ Thao + The Get Down Stay Down/ Robert Glasper Experiment/ Watsky/ ZZ Ward/ Diamond Rings/ The Physics/ Sallie Ford and The Sound Outside/ Lake Street Drive /Kris Orlowski/ Cookie Monsta/ Nacho Picasso/ Dannic/ Ernie Watts with New Stories/ Grynch/ Gus + Scout/ Hyperfunk/ Davidson Hart Kingsbery/ Total Experience Gospel Choir/ The Flavr Blue/ Sean Majors/ Dave B/ Human Spirit/ Matt Jorgensen +451/ Down North/ Tyler Brown
Sunday, September 1
Death Cab for Cutie plays Transatlanticism/ fun./ Tegan and Sara/ Matt and Kim/ The Breeders/ Ra Ra Riot/ Beats Antique/ Vintage Trouble/ The Zombies/ Vicci Martinez/ Eric Burdon/ Bob Mould/ David Bazan/ The Duke Robillard Band/ Mates of State/ Sol/ Charli XCX/ FIDLAR/ Tamaryn/ Nikki Hill/ Ramona Falls/ Matt Pond/ BRONCHO/ The Redwood Plan/ Ayron Jones & The Way/ The Grizzled Mighty/ Kithkin/ DJ White Shadow/ DJ Girl 6/ The Comettes/ River Giant/ Supreme LaRock/ GUY/ Rise Over Run/ DJ Phase
Monday, September 2
BASSNECTAR/ MGMT/ Allen Stone/ alt-J/ The Joy Formidable/ Trampled by Turtles/ Deerhunter/ Justin Townes Earle/ Kinky/ Baroness/ Delta Rae/ Superchunk/ Bajofondo/ Lissie/ Redd Kross/ The Men/ Ivan & Alyosha/ The Sheepdogs/ The Mowgli’s/ The Lone Bellow/ The Maldives/ Kopecky Family Band/ Aurelio/ BellaMaine/ St. Paul de Vence/ Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands/ Hot Bodies In Motion/ Red Jacket Mine/ Cascadia ‘10
If you were given a Billboard on a major Highway, what would it say? Probably ” Ooo Ooo Ooo OOOOO… Get up in my kitchen!! -Fly Moon Royalty (.com)”
If you categorized your music as a movie genre, What genre and why? That’s hard… Adult, Mature, Adult Comedy, Action Thriller… New Cult Classic!!
What song do you wish you would have written? Personally, Florence and the Machine Bedroom Hymns, or Any of the Beck Song Reader… also, the classic Stevie records.
If you had one “power”, what would it be? The ability to turn anything into cheese.
If you were to title the most current album based on the overall process of making it, what would the title be? STANK FACE! (See Mikes face above)
Name a cartoon character you always wanted to be or admired, when growing up? Are you kidding? A definite tie between Storm and Cheetara!!! (Adraboo)
– Astroboy. (Mike)
Most bizarre thing thats ever happened to you?
-I don’t think is’t happened yet ( Adra Boo)
– Once, I watched a women “get off” on a metro bus. Yeah. Bizarre. (Mike)
Largest source of inspiration? LIFE.
The last 5 things you would like to do before “THE END”? Now now now… I can’t tell you all that, or I’d have to kill you!
Make sure you check out FLY MOON ROYALTY when they play a Gigs4Good to benefit One Day’s Wages-Clean Water Fund at the Columbia City Theater with Theoretics and Hot Bodies In Motion on May 9th. Get your tickets here!
London duo Cloud Boat is set to release a new album, Book of Hours, on May 28 with Apollo / R&S Records. Watch the video for “Youthern” at Clash now! Featuring Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke amidst stunning choreography fromChantelle Gotobed. Directed by You Ness.
Cloud Boat are slowly but surely carving out a distinctive path for themselves as purveyors of gorgeous, shattered-heart soul bar none. Their new double A-side single, “Youthern” / “Hammerspace” continues that journey, combining majestic, choral soundscapes with alluring, fractured beats to devastating effect, and is yet another reason why their forthcoming album Book of Hours is destined to be one of the most stunningly, exquisitely heart wrenching albums you’ll hear in 2013.
Cloud Boat have also been making rare live outings this year, pulling in captivated audiences in London, Manchester and Birmingham with their compellingly unique strain of electronica. There will be another chance to see the band in all their enthralling glory come May, when they play a special show at the Lexington with their equally ascendant labelmate Nadine Shah.
NEW ARTIST & NEW VIDEO: “Graves” By Hooded Fang
Life on the road will play havoc with your head. If anyone can vouch for that it’s Canadian garage outfit Hooded Fang. Coming over like a spate of incurable sleep paralysis where fantasy and reality meet, the band’s unreal tour bus lifestyle is revealed through Gravez – their equally mind-bending brand new album.
“We’ve been to the moon and back. There were really amazing times and really rough times… like any journey to the moon,” reveals bassist April Aliermo. “We ate crocodile balls, slept on floors and couches, watched TV and movies, and looked out the window in between. All this steady instability must have influenced Gravez.
Seamlessly following on from last LP ‘Tosta Mista‘, the new record is a continuation of the spontaneous, lively, heavily splintered guitar sound that has secured Hooded Fang as high flyers on The Hype Machine and nominees for Canadian Mercury equivalent, the Polaris Prize. Yet whereas ‘Tosta Mista‘ was a danceable take on real life’s ups and downs, ‘Gravez‘ is a skewed, off-the-wall piece of moving punk pop fiction blurring the boundaries between what’s real and fake, each track powering along like an interstellar joyride through The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
“It’s not called Gravez for any real reason but may refer to the impending lurk of death,”reveals singer/producer Dan Lee enigmatically. “Some of it is about instances in life, some of it general imagery, or nonsense.”
If ever a band were to have a Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds moment, this is it. “So many faces and they’re all the same… why you lookin’ at me?” sings Dan in gleeful paranoia on opener ‘Graves’. Elsewhere ‘Ode To Subterrania’ comes over like a West Coast War of the Worlds and baselines reverb like a rubber band through the Tarantino soundtrack style of ‘Sailor Bull’. ‘Wasteland’ tips a hat to The Black Lips if they played 60s tropicalia whilst the bluesy slant of ‘Genes’ recalls a more lethargic The Bees. The sinister ‘Trasher’ sounds like each band member smearing their face in green for their own Halloween Party celebrations – albeit a good 4 months premature. Altogether wrapped up in 30 minutes dead; this is a group who know there’s nothing to be gained for labouring the point.
Overflowing with the taught energy of their live shows and the sound of a found kinship within the band, ‘Gravez‘ represents a collective who have found their stride. Through the album’s mixture of live band recordings done in their friend’s studio and a bunch of tweaked home ‘demos’ recorded by Dan in his bedroom, what you never get is the blinding sheen of over-production.
“This is our first album as this line-up, and the first time that we got together in a studio to record live off the floor… we’ve toured a lot, so we felt comfortable playing together,” they say.
Joining Dan, Hooded Fang is April Aliermo (bass), Lane Halley (guitar), and D.Alex Meeks (drums). That the group even had time to write, let alone record a brand new record is a surprise. Aside from main band duties they continue to play in numerous side-projects, run a label (Daps Records) and work at April’s artist-led playschool, giving kids music lessons as well as putting on a host of all-ages shows. “We have a lot of different projects on the go. Hut, Phedre, Lee Paradise to name a few… it’s one evolving sound that comes out in different ways.”
And yet, ‘Gravez’ is a carrot-shaped beacon dangling on the horizon. “We still have a lot of material, both live-band recorded, and home recorded. They just didn’t fit on this specific record, so we’ll release it later”. Hooded Fang’s wheels are well and truly in motion; this is a band whose relentless work ethic is due as much recognition for being as wildly imaginative as it is raw. Hop on board, and join them for the ride.
SEISMIC Q&A WITH: Finn Of The Veils At Tractor Tavern 4/21
I was able to ask Finn some questions and frankly found out some unsettling things. I think you will be able to see which ones I am referring too. But one question sparked a lite hearted conversation about the best burger in the USA. Of course they are In & Out fans, but I told them they need to give our Dick’s Drive-in a try. So because of that conversation and me involving the good people at Dicks. They will be heading to the Queen Anne location to give the burgers a try with their fans. So feel free to join them after their Kexp in-studio at Dick’s for some lunch and maybe a photograph opportunity.This should happen around 3 O’clock.
If you could describe your music – and you had to use movie genres as the basis of your reasoning – what genre and why?
Oh I really have no idea. We’re a Family/Gore Fest. Like The Princess Diaries meets Machete.
NEW ARTIST & NEW TRACK & TOUR: Jessica Pratt “Night Faces”
“To say that Jessica Pratt is an old soul would be a vast understatement,” says Jenn Pelly of Pitchfork. “The young San Francisco singer/songwriter’s deeply intimate folk sounds so sincerely cast in from the 1960s that it’s hard to believe she didn’t release a proper LP during that period of time.” Pratt’s spooky and seductive self-titled debut is the inaugural release on Tim (White Fence) Presley’s new imprint, Birth Records. “I never wanted to start a label,” Presley says, “but there is something about her voice I couldn’t let go of.”
Pratt’s debut release includes recordings from over the last five years, and steady advances in sophistication of recording and melody are evident throughout. To the artist, the record is a time-lapse document of discovery, both musical and personal. But in strangers’ hands, Pratt’s debut is another kind of discovery altogether. A fully-formed emerald artifact dug up cobwebby and cold but no less green for its time spent buried. Sun-bleached and sounding a thousand years old, Pratt’s debut is arrestingly brand dazzling new, and watch how the lights in your living room go soft and yellow when you put it on.
Pratt, who is planning to tour in March with Presley’s White Fence, has garnered praise in the Bay Area supporting acts such as Bart Davenport, Colossal Yes, Tim Cohen and Dominant Legs.
Jessica Pratt’s debut is now available digitally on iTunes and Amazon. CD/LP is available now at http://birthrcrds.com.
The first leg of her upcoming tour kicks off in May, where she will provide main support for Father John Misty. She will play two shows with Grouper before hitting the road with Julia Holter in July and White Fence in August. Full list of tour dates below:
05/04 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom*
05/06 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater*
05/07 Austin, TX – Emo’s East*
05/08 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s Upstairs*
05/09 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks*
05/10 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works*
05/11 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade*
05/13 Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre*
05/14 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel*
05/15 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle*
05/16 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club*
05/17 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s *
05/31 Austin, TX – Central Presbyterian Church (Chaos in Tejas) @
06/01 New York, NY – Union Pool
06/02 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge @
06/15 Sonoma, CA – Huichica Music Festival
07/11 Washington, DC – Sixth and I Historic Synagogue #
07/12 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge #
07/13 Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live #
07/14 Boston, MA – The Church of Boston #
07/16 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rosa (seated show) #
07/17 Toronto, ONT – The Drake Hotel #
07/18 Detroit, MI – Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit #
07/30 Las Vegas, NV – The Bunkhouse ^
07/31 Reno, NV – Holland Project ^
08/04 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s ^ (WHITE FENCE-HEADLINES)
08/05 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret ^
08/10 Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour ^
08/11 San Diego, CA – The Casbah ^
Trevor Powers, whose stage name is Youth Lagoon, began writing his debut album The Year of Hibernation in 2010. Based around the idea of psychological dysphoria, Powers tried to document the trails of his mind through songs of minimalism and hypnotic ambience. Powers later described his writing process as “my mind communicating with me, not the other way around…it can take me to scary places but I’ve realized those bizarre thoughts I have don’t define me.” After signing with Mississippi-based label Fat Possum Records in 2011, he toured much of the following year before going back into solitude to write.
Wondrous Bughouse, Powers’ sophomore album (released March 5 worldwide via Fat Possum), was spawned from what he describes as “becoming more fascinated with the human psyche and where the spiritual meets the physical world.” During the time he wrote, Powers became intrigued with the metaphysical universe and blending those ideas with pop music.
“Youth Lagoon is something so personal to me because writing music is how I sort my thoughts, as well as where I transfer my fears,” explains Powers.
“My mental state is usually pretty sporadic… a lot of this record was influenced by a fear of mortality but embracing it at the same time. Realizing that human life is only great because it is temporary. Experimenting with ideas about dimensions. I’m not a gifted speaker, so
explaining things is difficult for me. But music always makes sense.”
04/17 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey %
04/18 Santa Barbara, CA – Soho Restaurant & Music Club
04/19 Indio, CA – Coachella – 2pm – Mojave Tent
04/21 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom +
04/22 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress +
04/24 Austin, TX – Mohawk ^
04/25 Dallas, TX – The Loft ^
04/26 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s ^
04/27 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks ^
04/28 Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree ^
04/30 Orlando, FL – The Social ^
05/01 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West ^
05/02 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge ^
05/03 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle #^
05/04 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle ^05/06 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s ^
05/07 Northampton, MA – Pearl St. ^
05/08 Hamden, CT – Spaceland Ballroom ^
05/10 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ^
05/11 Columbia, MD – Sweet Life Festival
05/13 Toronto, ON – Great Hall ^
05/14 Columbus, OH – A&R Bar ^
05/15 Chicago, IL – Metro ^
05/16 Madison, WI – Majestic Theater ^
05/17 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line ^
05/18 Seattle, WA – Seattle University ^
05/21 Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
05/22 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
05/23 Vancouver, BC – Venue
05/24 George, WA Sasquatch! Fest
05/26 Boston, MA – Boston Calling Festival
06/05 Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center *
#1
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#3
Hello friend,
In my relatively short career as a songwriter, I have run the gamut from purely fictional story songs (well, maybe not purely fictional, but close!) to incredibly personal recollections of my own life. This one belongs firmly in the latter category. I began writing “Greenville, WA” at the onset of my most recent heartbreak and finished it months later, when those feelings had become an annoying but mostly faceless undertone. It struggles with trying to find, nay create, a sense of closure while trying to maintain the openness and vulnerability and love that I prize in myself.
In some ways, at least in the beginning, this song was simply a therapeutic exercise. It was an effort to force myself to look at my unraveling relationship with a certain degree of objectivity that, of course, is impossible during times like those. Later, upon admitting to myself that closure would only come in time, I turned to taking some shots at my ex-girlfriend and the ways in which her storytelling mirrored our relationship.
My ex-girlfriend is a wonderful person: sweet, creative, smart, passionate, funny… and she’s a real storyteller. She has a way with words that is unique and inspiring: honest but self-conscious, imaginative but concrete, sad but beautiful. She makes simple things complicated and complicated things simple. She is also one of those storytellers that will engage you in a flourishing story that ebbs and flows and builds, only to stop dead in her tracks just as you are expecting a punchline or a resolution or a revelation. It isn’t intentional—for her the story is over and she’s satisfied. For some, I imagine, this would be aggravating. And, upon repeated experiences, potentially insufferable. But, for me, it was endearing and only served to charm me further. For the length of our time together, this fact never changed.
Upon reflection, the ensuing lyrics became the song’s central idea, and Greenville, WA was born: “And somehow it’s starting to make sense that all your stories lacked an end. They started out so strong, all falling short of a denouement. Well, I never needed one like I need now. No, I never needed one like I need now.”
Later, the process of writing the music came easily. I tried to let the musical movement of the song enrich its themes, too. The involvement of the rest of my band was crucial in honing these ideas. Hopefully it ebbs and flows and builds and ends differently than you expect.
With openness
and vulnerability
and love,
Zach.
Go see Brite Lines play at The Comet Tavern on April 13th with The Horde and The Harem/Learning Team and No Rey.
Seismic-Sound 