Alt rock – Page 29 – 7th Level Music

Stef Chura’s new album, “Midnight,” due June 7th.

LISTEN TO “METHOD MAN”
https://youtu.be/tJUUyhQAzRY

PRE-ORDER MIDNIGHT
StefChura.lnk.to/Midnight
“For most people who create art I would assume there is some kind of deep unanswerable hole in your soul as to why you’re making it…” So says Stef Chura ahead of the release of Midnight, her gritty, vehement new album, recorded and produced by Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest – and her first new collection of songs for Saddle Creek, out June 7th. Illuminating that search for answers with a fevered sense of exploration, Midnight is a bold leap forward from Messes, Stef’s contagious debut album, with every aspect of her new work finding bold ways to express itself as it rips through twelve restless and relentless new tracks. She also shares the first single, “Method Man, ” a boisterous three-minutes that melds jagged, skewed guitars with a distinctive voice that has a new-found sense of confidence while touching on a vulnerable moment in Stef’s life. She also announces a North American tour in support of the new album. She explains “Method Man” below:

A long time ago I was pondering the literal words “Method Man” while listening to Wu-Tang. There was a person in my life that I had a confusing array of emotions for, sometimes I was in love with him, I admired and looked up to him, I thought of him as superior to me. He was older than me and I was a teenager. At that age I experienced a titanic amount of anxiety that usually expressed itself as silence.

This song was born out of a total frustration regarding a man who seemed “methodical” to me. He was literate. He waxed poetic. Almost someone…how do I say this…that you wanted to be condescending to you? As long as they were talking to you. He drank a lot of energy drinks and had this overall outlook that no one understood him. That he was in on some kind of cosmic secret that I couldn’t get. He smoked so many cigs it stained his fingers yellow.

He was always talking, and I was so enamored with this person. I was always nervous to reply. He would go on and on for hours. He sometimes would look at me and be like “oh maybe you won’t get this…. maybe you don’t get this.” I was too terrified to say much.

A couple of years on from the release of Messes, Stef is still based in Detroit, that most singular city which has seen it all, from the no-mans-land of its initial collapse through to the resurgent place it is now. Stef found inspiration from the people she surrounded with herself with, more so than the place itself. It’s no surprise that Midnight is testament to those kind of characteristics; a rugged and robust burst of defiance. “I’m usually dealing with the context of what I can’t say or haven’t said,” Stef says. “A kind of spiritual bondage that I would say most people, probably a lot of female bodied ones, put themselves through.”

Which is to say that if its predecessor was a raw, somewhat unadorned document of Stef’s work, then Midnight is the muscular, swaggering evolution. “This album has a depth to it and a particular sound because of Will,” Stef states regarding Toledo’s input, whose spiky nuances can be found across the length and breadth of Midnight, the record presenting an exhilarating rush of sound and color as Stef’s spirited vocal finds and signature guitar sounds unravel alongside in a thrilling meeting of ideas and influences; dispelling demons, song by song.

Equal parts thrilling and angsty, Midnight is a testament to the collaborative process, a record that makes the very most of those who came together to make it, but more than that, it’s a firm statement of tenacity and perseverance, of not resting on your laurels but leaping forwards no matter the situation you find yourself in. From out of one day and into the next.

MIDNIGHT TRACKLISTING
1. All I Do is Lie
2. Scream
3. Degrees
4. Method Mad
5. Trumbull
6. Jumpin’ Jack
7. Sincerely Yours
8. 3D Girl
9. Sweet Sweet Midnight
10. Love Song
11. They’ll Never
12. Eyes Without a Face

STEF CHURA TOUR DATES
Tue. April 23 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
Fri. July 5 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Sat. July 6 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx
Sun. July 7 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake
Mon. July 8 – Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo
Tue. July 9 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Fri. July 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Sat. July 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
Mon. July 15 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Tue. July 16 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Wed. July 17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Fri. July 19 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Sat. July 20 – Houston, TX @ The Satellite
Sun. July 21 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
Mon. July 22 – Dallas, TX @ Regal Room
Thu. July 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Fri. July 26 – San Diego, CA @ Sodabar
Sat. July 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theatre
Sun. July 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord
Tue. July 30 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Wed. July 31 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Thu. Aug. 1 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Fri. Aug. 2 – Spokane, WA @ Lucky You Lounge
Sat. Aug. 3 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Mon. Aug. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Tue. Aug. 6 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
Wed. Aug. 7 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb
Fri. Aug. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Sat. Aug. 10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Backroom at Colectivo

PRAISE FOR MESSES

“Detroit indie rocker Stef Chura has the kind of magnetic voice that music writers fall into ditches attempting to describe” – Pitchfork

“Her music recalls the propulsive, pop-driven rock of icons like Liz Phair and Hole; her conversational, confessional lyrics add a touch of folksiness.” – NPR Music

“In Messes, you can hear the idea that DIY rock music can be as warm and friendly and melodic as any other kind of music.” – Stereogum

“there are a bunch of reasons you should pay attention to the grunge pop songstress.”
– Noisey

“A major highlight on the record is Chura’s voice, which is prone to breathy, almost yodel-y stretches, and can take the simplest lyric and twist it into what sounds like a hundred knots until, suddenly, you realize that’s the chorus.” – MTV News

Midnight will be available digitally, on CD, cassette, black LP, and as a limited-edition LP pressed on glow-in-the-dark and midnight blue splattered vinyl (200 copies exclusive to the Saddle Creek Store).

Stef Chura Online:
http://stefchura.net/
https://stefchuraband.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stefchuraband/
https://soundcloud.com/stefchura
https://twitter.com/stefchura

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Protomartyr to re-release long out-of-print debut album on May 3rd.

WATCH VIDEO FOR “JUMBO’S” http://smarturl.it/JumbosYT

LISTEN TO “JUMBO’S” http://smarturl.it/JumbosStrm

Today, Protomartyr finally answers what is probably their most frequently asked question: “When are you going to reissue your first album?” For fans of the band, No Passion All Technique has long been something of a mystery. Not available on streaming services; long out of print (and going for ridiculous prices on Discogs). Why was this album so elusive? On May 3rd, it ceases to be out of reach, as Domino will release a deluxe reissue of No Passion All Technique, along with an expanded digital version that includes four non-album tracks from the same recording session – “King Boots”, “Bubba Helms”, and “Cartier E.G.s” from the Dreads 85 84 7”, and “Whatever Happened To The Saturn Boys?”, which has never before been released. Additionally, today the band shares a video for longtime live staple and fan favorite “Jumbo’s,” directed by frequent Protomartyr-collaborator Yoonha Park – also responsible for the band’s “Don’t Go To Anacita” and “Wheel of Fortune” videos from their past two releases.

When Protomartyr—vocalist Joe Casey, guitarist Greg Ahee, bassist Scott Davidson, drummer Alex Leonard—stepped into a studio together for the first time, in November of 2011, they didn’t know they were about to record an album. With only four hours of studio time booked and one case of beer between them, their plan was to walk out with enough songs for a seven-inch single. Instead, at the suggestion of engineer Chris Koltay, the newly formed Detroit outfit recorded as much as they possibly could, in what little time they had.

They left with 21 songs—enough material for two singles *and* a full-length album that, years later, is still vital listening.

Sold out and out of print shortly after its original release on Urinal Cake Records in October 2012, No Passion All Technique is a sometimes-messy look at one of rock’s most magnetic bands—and lyricists—just as they were coming to life. Primal, cerebral, heartbreaking, funny—it’s an accidental tour de force that’s also become an unlikely collector’s item. “My memory is shot,” Casey says, “but I appreciate now, looking back, how raw and off-the-cuff it was. There’s tons of mistakes in it and that wasn’t because we planned on it. We still can’t really admit that it’s as good as it is. You never want to say that your first is the best, but I’m happy that the first ended up not being terrible. It gave us doorway to what we’d want to do later. ”

NO PASSION ALL TECHNIQUE DELUXE EDITION TRACKLISTING 1. In My Sphere 2. Machinist Man 3. Hot Wheel City 4. 3 Swallows 5. Free Supper 6. Jumbo’s 7. Ypsilanti 8. Too Many Jewels 9. (Don’t You) Call Me Out My Name 10. How He Lived After He Died 11. Feral Cats 12. Wine of Ape 13. Principalities 14. King Boots (Bonus Track) 15. Bubba Helms (Bonus Track) 16. Cartier E.G.s (Bonus Track) 17. Whatever Happened to the Saturn Boys? (Bonus Track)

No Passion All Technique is available to pre-order from Domino on limited pressing starburst vinyl w/ 20-page zine, CD, and digital download. The digital release includes four non-album bonus tracks, captured during the same recording session as No Passion All Technique.

Pre-order physical here. Pre-order digital here.

Protomartyr Online: https://www.facebook.com/protomartyr https://soundcloud.com/protomartyr http://pitchperfectpr.com/protomartyr/ https://protomartyr.bandcamp.com/ http://www.dominorecordco.us/artists/protomartyr/

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Partner get country on new single, “Tell You Off.”

Partner are sharing the second song from their forthcoming new record entitled Saturday the 14th. “Tell You Off,” originally debuted on their Tiny Desk session, “We wrote this song in Josée’s bedroom last year in Windsor Ontario and it’s the first time we’ve had to bleep a lyric in a song.” – Partner

Stereogum calls it “…twangingly catchy. It’s pretty wacko, filled with farm animal samples and bleeped-out curses and a flippant attitude that’d fit right in at your local honky-tonk.”

Listen to “Tell You Off” HERE

Earlier, Partner shared the video for “Long and McQuade,” an ode to the Canadian music store chain. Watch the video HERE.

Saturday the 14th, out April 5th, follows Partner’s 2017 debut, In Search of Lost Time which landed on NPR, Stereogum, Noisey, Exclaim, and CBC Music year end lists. Pre-order Saturday the 14th HERE.

Partner will tour Canada and the Mid-West this spring.

TOUR DATES April 13 – The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON+ April 18 – The Capitol Music Club, Saskatoon SK+ April 19 – The Starlite Room, Edmonton AB+ April 20 – The Palace Theatre, Calgary AB+ April 22 – Spiritbar, Nelson BC+ April 23 – Sapphire Nightclub, Kelowna BC+ April 25 – Cactus Jacks, Kamloops BC+ April 26 – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC+ April 27 – Capital Ballroom, Victoria BC+ April 30 – Bo’s Bar & Grill, Red Deer AB+ May 02 – The Exchange, Regina SK+ May 03 – The Garrick, Winnipeg MB+ May 05 – The Hideout, Chicago IL May 06 – The Cactus Club, Milwaukee WI May 07 – UFO, Detroit MI + supporting Wintersleep

Partner links Website: http://www.partnerband.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partner.music.band/ Bandcamp: https://partnerband.bandcamp.com/ Record Label: http://youvechangedrecords.com/portfolio/partner/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/partner_band YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/partnerband

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Rewind Review: Fountains of Wayne – Out-of-State Plates (2005)

Out-of-State Plates is a double-album of B-sides, live cuts, and unreleased material from power pop masters Fountains of Wayne is a treasure trove of catchy hooks and witty lyrics.

Opener “Maureen” is the type of song FOW do so well – a big rocker about a lovely woman and unrequited love. “California Sex Lawyer” is a great example of Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger’s song craft. It’s a funny song skewering rich douche bags, many of whom probably love the song and don’t realize it’s a kick in their crotch. “Janice’s Party” is Collingwood’s salute to his friend’s annual shindig. “Karpet King” is a bonus track from 1997 that was, according to Schlesinger’s liner notes, “a live staple during our first few tours when we only had one album’s worth of material to choose from.” “I Know You Well” is a song Collingwood wrote for his brother’s wedding. “You’re Just Never Satisfied” is full of stadium rock riffs as Schlesinger throws up his hands yet again over trying and failing to please his girl.

Other standouts on the first disc are the 1999 bonus track “I’ll Do the Driving” (a song that angered Collingwood’s wife, according to his notes), the lovely “Places” (a salute to his wife, Barbara – the inspiration for their single “Barbara H.,” which was the A-side of this track), and their 1997 live cover of ELO’s “Can’t Get It Out of My Head.”

Disc two starts with the previously unreleased “The Girl I Can’t Forget,” a great tune about missing a great girl Schlesinger met when he was blitzed drunk and now can’t remember well. A low-key cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” follows it. “Elevator Up” is a sharp rocker about drug addicts. “Comedienne” (a 1997 bonus track) is a funny story about a comic who isn’t sure if she’s failing or succeeding.

Other highlights from this disc are the 1997 live version of “She’s Got a Problem,” a cover of Jackson Browne’s “These Days” done in one take, a triple shot of winter holiday songs (“I Want an Alien for Christmas,” “The Man in the Santa Suit,” and “Chanukah Under the Stars”), and a lovely tribute to Collingwood’s grandfather called “Imperium.”

This is a great collection of not only FOW songs, but also power pop tracks that any fan of the genre would love.

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The Beths release new single, “Uptown Girl,” and lauch massive tour.

The Beths are back in North America for their largest headline tour in support of 2018’s breakout album, Future Me Hates Me (available now via Carpark Records). The band has already sold out shows in Toronto, New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Today, they share the video for “Uptown Girl” compiled on their last North American tour in the fall. After this current run which includes a stop at SXSW, The Beths will continue onto Australia and Europe where they’ve started selling out shows and upgrading to bigger venues. Then, they’ll bookend the summer festival season at Primavera Sound, Pickathon and Pukkelpop. The band will also be releasing its debut EP, Warm Blood, on vinyl for the first time via Carpark Records. The official release date is April 26th with some copies being available to purchase on tour soon. Pre-order here.

Watch “Uptown Girl” Video – https://youtu.be/BmCZ-NxESOc

The Beths Tour Dates:

Sun. Mar. 10 – Tampa, FL @ Festival Gasparilla
Mon. Mar. 11-Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (w/ Bad Bad Hats)
Sat. Mar. 16 – Dallas, TX @ Not So Fun Wknd (w/ Bad Bad Hats)
Sun. Mar. 17 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar (w/ Bad Bad Hats)
Thu. Mar. 21 – Melbourne, AUS @ Forum
Fri. Mar. 22 – Melbourne, AUS @ Forum
Sun. Mar. 24 – Hobart, AUS @ Republic Bar & Café
Thu. Mar. 28 – Fortitude Valley, AUS @ The Foundry
Fri. Mar. 29 – Fortitude Valley @ The Tivoli
Sat. Mar. 30 – Newtown, AUS @ Enmore Theatre
Sun. Mar. 31 – Leichhardt, AUS @ Crowbar
Thu. Apr. 4 – Collingwood, AUS @ The Gasometer Hotel
Fri. Apr. 5 – Adelaide, AUS @ Thebarton Theatre
Sat. Apr. 6 – Adelaide, AUS @ Jive
Thu. Apr. 11 – Perth, AUS @ Badlands Bar
Sat. Apr. 13 – Perth, AUS @ Astor Theatre
Tue. May 7 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds
Wed. May 8 – Oxford, UK @ The Wheatsheaf
Thu. May 9-Sat. May 11 @ Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
Sun. May 12 – Leeds, UK @ Gold Sounds Festival
Mon. May 13 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s (SOLD OUT)
Tue. May 14 – Glasgow, UK @ G2 (MOVED DUE TO DEMAND)
Wed. May 15 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall (MOVED DUE TO DEMAND)
Thur. May. 16 – London, UK @ The Dome, Tufnell Park (SOLD OUT)
Fri. May 17 – Bristol, UK @ Fleece (MOVED DUE TO DEMAND)
Sat. May 18 – Wrexham, UK @ Ty Pawb Arts Hub (Focus Wales)
Sun. May 19 – Ramsgate, UK @ Ramsgate Music Hall
Tue. May 21 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Wed. May 22 – Colmar, FR @ Le Grillen
Thu. May 23 – Lyon, FR @ Sonic
Sat. May 25 – Madrid, ES @ Tomavistas
Tue. May 28 – Dornbirn, AT @ Spielboden
Wed. May 29 – Munster, DE @ Gleis 22
Thu. May 30 – Groningen, NL @ VERA
Fri. May 31 – Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn
Sat. June 1 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
Sun. June 2 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Sat. Aug. 3 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
Thu. Aug. 15 – Trondheim, NO @ Pstereo
Sun. Aug. 18 – Haasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
Wed. Aug. 28 – London, UK @ Heaven

Purchase Future Me Hates Me:
Carpark Shop – http://smarturl.it/fmhm_carpark
Streaming Services – http://smarturl.it/fmhm_dsps

The Beths online:
https://thebeths.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thebethsnz
https://thebethsnz.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/thebethsnz
https://twitter.com/lizstokedstokes
https://www.instagram.com/lizstokedstokes/

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Live: Bob Mould and Airstream Futures – Metro – Chicago, IL – Feb. 22, 2019

I hadn’t seen the Bob Mould Band in concert since New Year’s Eve 2014 at the Metro in Chicago. That was a blast, and now one of my rock heroes was kicking off my year of live music in 2019. An added bonus was meeting Mr. Mould on Clark Street a few blocks south of the venue. I got to shake hi hand and tell him thanks for everything, so the day was a win.

Opening for him were Chicago’s Airstream Futures. Unfortunately, none of the photographs I took of their set turned out well, but I can tell you that they played an energetic set of punk with pop riffs. Their drummer has impressive chops, and their lead singer had a lot of energy despite, as she mentioned, being fired from her full-time job earlier that day.

Mr. Mould and his pals, Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster on drums, came out swinging with a triple threat of “The War,” “A Good Idea,” and “I Apologize.” There was barely time to catch your breath when they were tearing into “See a Little Light” and “Sunny Love Song” – a track of his new record, Sunshine Rock.

There were many moments when I thought a mosh pit would, and should, have broken out, but the crowd was mostly aging punks (like yours truly) who are afraid of twisting a knee or running out of breath in a pit (unlike yours truly). Such moments came with songs like the title track of the new album, “Hey Mr. Grey,” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind.”

One thing Mr. Mould assured everyone of during the show was that he can still shred. He tore his guitar up during multiple songs and wowed many of us with the kinds of solos you rarely hear at punk rock shows anymore.

The encore of “Never Talking to You Again,” a cover of Sonny Curtis’ “Love Is All Around,” and “Flip Your Wig” was another sonic assault that left everyone wanting more, as a good encore should. You can’t go wrong with a Bob Mould show. He’s still putting out great music and destroying stages. Don’t miss him.

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Review: Pink Mexico – Dump

The cover for Pink Mexico‘s new album, Dump, shows a man who appears to be in his 60’s wearing black socks with sandals hitting a long-haired, tattooed young’un in red socks and combat boots with a shovel while standing in front of a locked, graffiti-covered storage shed or garage. I’m not sure what this image is supposed to convey, but I can’t help thinking it’s a tongue-in-cheek poke at Millennials, hipsters, and, yes, people older than them. It’s a mix of “Turn down that racket, you damn hippies!” and “Will you old folks stop bitching about everything?”

Starting with “Thumbsucker,” Pink Mexico (Robert Collum, Ian Everall, and Grady Walker) unload great hooks out of the gate and a wild guitar solo to let you know this is going to be a wild ride. “High Dive” brings to mind early Wavves cuts with its surf touches amidst the fuzz and buzz and lyrics about being so stoned you think you might die. Speaking of such subjects, “Prescription Overdose (P.O.D.)” confronts that subject head-on as the band pleads for friends of theirs to scale back on the pills.

“Dirty & Stupid” is an ode to screwing up a great relationship due to too much partying (“If you need me, I’ll be wasted…How did I get home? Why am I all wet?”). “Sex Happiness” is about a similar theme – trying to remember the afterglow of great sex. The vocal reverb is a great touch to the fuzz and squawks of the guitars. “Girlfriend” keeps the themes of sex and confusion with lyrics like, “Do you know what it means to be happy on your own?” battling with “I think I love you, but this is too new.” The brief fade-in and fade-out of “WSLY” is a bit of a fake jab to the near-doom metal right cross of “Shit River.” The squeaks and squeals of the guitars on “Rattlebrain” might leave you feeling that way.

“I’ve heard it all before.” the band yells on “Fuckhead” – which could be a verbal smackdown to political leaders, bosses, contemporary rock radio, or all of the above. The beats and riffs of “Liberty Kid” will get you jumping and remind of early Nirvana cuts. While we’re on the subject of Nirvana, one can’t help but think the brief “Psycho Juice” is a tribute to Kurt Cobain due to its lyrics about suicide by gunshot.

“Heartfist” begins with throbbing synth-bass and fuzzy vocals and then turns into a heavy psychedelic jam about heartbreak and anger (“She turned my heart into a fist.”). It’s a cool way to end the album – fuzzy psychedelia after so much heavy hitting.

The album’s title is as intriguing as the cover. Does the dump refer to how the lyricist feels inside after so much relationship trouble, the status of a relationship, an actual place, the state of the nation, or the need to dump / vent all of his anger? It’s probably all of them, and all of them get bludgeoned by the raucous energy of this record.

Keep your mind open.

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Drugdealer announces new album, “Raw Honey,” and U.S. tour.

Drugdealer, the project led by Los Angeles-based Michael Collins, is pleased
to announce their new album, Raw Honey, due for release April 19th on
Mexican Summer. Raw Honey continues where Drugdealer’s debut album,
The End of Comedy, left off, with Collins once again leading an ace crew of
collaborators to coalesce the spirit of Drugdealer’s classically modern pop.
Watch Video For Lead Single, “Fools” —
https://drugdealer.lnk.to/Fools

Built on the foundation of a creative partnership between Collins, Sasha Winn (vocals) and Shags Chamberlain (bass, production), Drugdealer is more a
collective than band. Raw Honeywas engineered by Mac DeMarco and
features contributions of Josh Da Costa (drums), Jackson MacIntosh (guitar), Danny Garcia (guitar), Michael Long (lead guitar), and Benjamin Schwab
(backing vocals, guitar, organ, piano, wurlitzer), as well as guest vocalists like
country balladeer Dougie Poole (“Wild Motion”), Harley Hill-Richmond
(“Lonely”), and frequent collaborator Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood) whose
dulcet tones sing low before soaring on “Honey,” a track as silky as the nectar
itself.

Throughout Raw Honey, Collins and crew display their influences as a new
tapestry, one woven with the recycled fibers from thousands of tapestries that have colored our collective listening histories. As evidenced throughout Raw
Honey, Collins has an ear for penning numbers that would sound as at home
on Classic Rock radio as they would at Zebulon in Los Angeles, where any of
the contributors to Raw Honey could, perhaps, be found on any night of the
week, on stage, or in the audience supporting another Angelino’s modern pop aspirations.

Rather than hiding behind a curtain or casually sidestepping AOR tropes, Raw Honey adheres to a modern kind of creation — one that cultivates influences
and espouses reverence. An honest totem, Raw Honey isn’t tangled up in social norms, with Collins preferring to air his self-doubt as a northern star to guide
like-minded people wherever they need to go.

After playing release shows in both LA and NYC in April, Drugdealer will
tour Europe this spring and North America this summer. All tour dates are on-sale this Friday, with tickets available here.
Raw Honey Tracklist:
01. You’ve Got To Be Kidding
02. Honey
03. Lonely
04. Lost In My Dream
05. Fools
06. If You Don’t Know Now, You Never Will
07. Wild Motion
08. London Nightmare
09. Ending On A Hi Note

Drugdealer Tour Dates:
Fri. April 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom (Raw Honey Release
Show)
Fri. April 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel (Raw Honey Release Show)
Sun. May 12 – Manchester, UK @ YES
Mon. May 13 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint
Tue. May 14 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana
Wed. May 15 – London, UK @ The Dome Tufnell Park
Thu. May 16 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
Fri. May 17 – Cologne, DE @ Gewölbe GmbH
Sun. May 19 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega (Small Hall)
Mon. May 20 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
Thu. May 23 – Brussels, BE @ Witloof Bar
Sat. May 25 – Amsterdam, NL @ De Nieuwe Anita
Wed. July 10 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
Fri. July 12 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Inside
Sat. July 13 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar
Sun. July 14 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Mon. July 15 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Tue. July 16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Wed. July 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. July 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
Mon. July 22 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
Tue. July 23 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Wed. July 24 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Sat. July 27 – Calgary, AB @ Palomino Social Club
Mon. July 29 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
Tue. July 30 – Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret
Wed. July 31 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Fri. Aug. 2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Sun. Aug. 4 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriets

Pre-order Raw Honey —
https://drugdealer.lnk.to/HoneyGoldLP

Download album art & hi-res images of Drugdealer —
http://pitchperfectpr.com/drugdealer/

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Cass McComb’s “Tip of the Sphere” is out tomorrow, but you can stream it on NPR right now.

“Here McCombs reaches fully toward the idea of songwriting as myth-making. Pulling from a deeper heredity of mavericks (Guy Clark) and marginals (Bill Callahan); jesters (Warren Zevon), sweet-natured acerbics (Randy Newman) and loners (Elliott Smith), McCombs is an analogous anomaly — a statesman with a penchant for the long, spooling yarn. He revels in the album as cinema, as cosmos, as something that should be written and left for rumination.” — NPR Music’s “First Listen”

“McCombs is no cheap nostalgia merchant, and is rooted far more in earthy post-punk than jam-bandwagoning. But dude’s quite a guitarist, and here’s hoping he stretches things on tour behind his forthcoming LP – it’s a doozy.” — Rolling Stone

“Tip of the Sphere represents McCombs’ practised skills as a shaper of his own world, with pride in his craft, a deep respect for tradition and the drive to refresh it via his own idiosyncratic iteration. It’s a combination likely to seal those ‘finest songwriter of his generation’ nominations.”
— Uncut, 9/10 Album of the Month
Cass McCombs will release Tip of the Sphere, his ninth full-length album, on February 8th via ANTI-. Ahead of its release, the album is now available to stream via NPR Music’s “First Listen.” Additionally, McCombs shares “Absentee,” a track infused with waltzing organ and subtle saxophone. In “Absentee,” McCombs ruminates on ancestral memories of British, colonialist absentee landlords during the Irish Potato Famine, on longing, hunger and untended places in the heart. Cass plays multiple characters in a play created with cast shadows, masks, puppets and analog visual effects created by Lydia Greer and Caryl Kientz of Facing West Shadow Theatre.
Stream Tip of the Sphere via NPR Music –
https://n.pr/2RWfYPD

Watch “Absentee” Video –
https://youtu.be/4ujcP9S1Gmc
Tip of the Sphere presents an artist trying to make sense of it all through a relentless, ever searching creative process. Throughout, he floats through a suite of songs driven by a journeying mysticism and dark grace. While most of his albums have been pieced together in different studios over an extended period of time, Tip of the Sphere was recorded quickly and with a strong sense of purpose at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn. This new approach for McCombs brought his songs a raw immediacy and a special balance of compassion and experimentation with the intent of making a more consistent statement. On “Absentee,” he’s joined by Otto Hauser (drums), Dan Horne (bass), Dan Lead (pedal steel), Frank LoCrasto (hammond organ), and Sam Griffin Owens (saxophone).

As previously announced, the ‘Castillo de la Esfera,’ created by fellow Northern California artist and contemporary Tahiti Pehrson as an homage to Brion Gysin’s dream machine, is featured inside the vinyl edition of Tip of the Sphere. Watch the Tip of the Sphere Instructional Video & Castillo de la Esfera Assembly, narrated by Robyn Hitchock,here.
Watch/Listen/Share:
“Sleeping Volcanoes” Stream – https://youtu.be/aJd_bd9vBFc
“Estrella” Stream – https://youtu.be/sJTR-d8X2jk
“The Great Pixley Train Robbery” Video – https://youtu.be/tJweioHk6t0

Pre-order Tip of the Sphere –
https://ffm.to/cm_tipofthesphere

Cass McCombs Tour Dates:
Thu. Feb. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Amoeba Records
Mon. March 4 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage *
Tue. March 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live *
Thu. March 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Murmrr
Fri. March 8 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
Sat. March 9 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
Mon. March 11 – Toronto, ON @ Horsehoe Tavern *
Tue. March 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom*
Thu. March 14 – Nashville, TN @ EXIT/IN *
Fri. March 15 – Indianapolis, IN @ HiFi *
Sat. March 16 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
Sun. March 17 – Milwaukee, WI @ The BackRoom at Collectivo *
Mon. March 18 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
Wed. March 20 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre *
Sat. March 23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room *
Mon. March 25 – Vancouver, BC @ St. James *
Tue. March 26 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey *
Wed. March 27 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater *
Fri. March 29 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s *
Sat. March 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre *
Sun. March 31 – Las Vegas, NV@ The Beauty Bar*
Tue. April 2 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOHo *
Thu. April 4 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley *
Fri. April 5 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
Thu. April 25 – Marfa, TX@ Marfa Myths
Sat. May 25 – Madrid, SP @ Tomavistas Festival
Tue. May 28 – Prague, CZ @ MeetFactory
Wed. May 29 – Berlin, DE @ Frannz-Club
Thur. May 30 – Copenhagen, DK @ Alice
Fri. May 31 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
Sat. June 1 – Gent, BE @ DOK Box
Mon. June 3 – Amsterdam, NE @ Paradiso Nord
Tue. June 4 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Thur. June 6 – London, UK @ EartH
Fri. June 7 – Helsinki, FI @ Sideways Festival
Fri. Aug. 30 – Mon. Sep. 2 – Larmer Tree Gardens, UK @ End of the Road Festival

* = with Sam Evian

Keep your mind open.

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Partner release first single, “Long and McQuade” from new album, “Saturday the 14th,” due this April.

Partner, the Canadian duo of Josée Caron and Lucy Niles, have announced their new release out April 5, 2019. Entitled Saturday the 14th, it follows their 2017 debut, In Search of Lost Time which landed on NPR, Stereogum, Noisey, Exclaim, and CBC Music year end lists. Pre-order Saturday the 14th HERE.

Today, Partner is sharing the video for “Long and McQuade,” an ode to the Canadian music store chain. Watch the video HERE. The “Long and McQuade” single is also available on streaming services.

“We wanted to make a song for the musicians, and what experience is more relatable to a Canadian musician than going to Long and McQuade? The song just came out one day while we were talking about Long and McQuade and we liked singing it like Pearl Jam, so it stuck.” – Partner

Partner kicks off a US West Coast tour next month including a show at Noise Pop Fest in San Francisco.

USA & Canadian Tour Dates
February 20 – Fox Cabaret, Vancouver BC*
February 21 – The Queens, Nanaimo BC
February 23 – Lucky Bar, Victoria BC
February 24 – The Vera Project, Seattle WA*
February 25 – Holocene, Portland OR*
February 28 – The Hi Hat, Los Angeles CA*
March 02 – The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz CA*
March 03 – Noise Pop Fest, San Francisco CA*
*co-headlining with Dude York

For any interview requests or phoners contact – mar@maronmusic.com

————————

RIYL – AC/DC, The Breeders, Ween, Melissa Etheridge, Aerosmith

Partner is funny, but not a joke. Gay, but not for each other.

Partner is the “mature” effort of two best friends named Josée Caron and Lucy Niles. Borne of their fortuitous friendship, Partner confidently harnesses the infinite power of Rock to explore a variety of niche yet strangely universal themes.

The two met while attending Mount Allison University in small town Sackville, New Brunswick, on Canada’s East Coast.

The duo played in numerous Sackville bands together over their University years. Around mid 2014 the idea of Partner came to fruition.

Influenced by acts as varied as Tegan and Sara, Melissa Etheridge, Ween, kd lang, and Aerosmith, Partner delivers a refreshing and vital twist on a classic, prompting you to re-think what you thought was possible in Rock.

They released their debut album In Search of Lost Time in September 2017. The album made NPR’s All Songs Considered, Stereogum, Noisey, Exclaim, CBC Music, Indie 88 and many more Best of 2017 lists. The album was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize, and Partner were the recipients of the SOCANsongwriting prize for their song “Play the Field.”

Despite the success of In Search of Lost Time, Partner is committed to exploring and breaking down the limits of their minds in the name of Rock. Saturday the 14th represents the first steps towards a bold new future: the listener will find the band questioning the rules and questioning themselves, and, if they listen closely, a few tantalizing hints for what lies in store next.

Saturday the 14th will be released April 5, 2019 via You’ve Changed Records (CAN) and Father/Daughter Records (US).

Track Listing
Partner – Saturday the 14th (April 5, 2019)
Father/Daughter Records (US), You’ve Changed Records (CA)
PRE-ORDER

1. Fun For Everyone (Minions)
2. Stoned Thought
3. Tell You Off
4. Long and McQuade
5. Les ailes d’un ange

Partner in the press:

“Listening to Partner is like hanging out with your best friends, assuming your best friends are queer Canadian stoners with hooks for days.”
– Stereogum

“The best Canadian rock record of the year wasn’t made by Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene or Mac Demarco, but by two self-deprecating, 1990s-loving stoner best friends known as Partner. ”
– Playboy

“…two young women from Canada, Joseé Caron and Lucy Niles, who write and record as Partner, put out the year’s best guitar rock album.”
– NPR’s All Songs Considered

TOUR DATESFebruary 20 – Fox Cabaret, Vancouver BC*
February 21 – The Queens, Nanaimo BC
February 23 – Lucky Bar, Victoria BC
February 24 – The Vera Project, Seattle WA*^
February 25 – Holocene, Portland OR*^
February 28 – The Hi Hat, Los Angeles CA*^
March 02 – The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz CA*
March 03 – Noise Pop Fest, San Francisco CA*^
*w/ Dude York
^w/ Blushh

April 13 – The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON+
April 18 – The Capitol Music Club, Saskatoon SK+
April 19 – The Starlite Room, Edmonton AB+
April 20 – The Palace Theatre, Calgary AB+
April 22 – Spiritbar, Nelson BC+
April 23 – Sapphire Nightclub, Kelowna BC+
April 25 – Cactus Jacks, Kamloops BC+
April 30 – Bo’s Bar & Grill, Red Deer AB+
May 02 – The Exchange, Regina SK+
May 03 – The Garrick, Winnipeg MB+
+ supporting Wintersleep
Partner Links
Website: http://www.partnerband.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partner.music.band/
Bandcamp: https://partnerband.bandcamp.com/
Record Label: http://youvechangedrecords.com/portfolio/partner/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/partner_band
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/partnerband

Keep your mind open.

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