Month: March 2017

Moonlandingz debut album out March 24th.

(featuring members of Fat White Family and Eccentronic Research Council)
Share video for ‘The Strangle of Anna’ on NME
Debut album INTERPLANETARY CLASS CLASSICS released March 24th via Chimera Music
Album includes guest appearances from Yoko Ono, Randy Jones (Village People) and Philip Oakey (The Human League). Co-produced by Sean Lennon
Tickets available for exclusive New York show May 11th at Rough Trade NYC
Credit; Chris Saunders
“A rip-roaring busman’s holiday…there’s a camp swagger to these motorik grooves.” Q
“Forging bombast with bravura, silliness with sentiment and homage with fist-clenched individuality, this is a trip worth taking, especially for those already acquainted. Like a defiant and brilliantly bonkers case of cosmic ordering coming off with flying colours, this is a release that – perhaps more than any of its main players associated projects – doubles up celebration of the possible. And how.“ The Quietus (lead review and read the interview)
“A deviant blend of filthy pop and pre-digital electronics….top drawer psycho-disco” MOJO
“Feral antics and louche anarchy!”  The Guardian
“For a ‘fictional’ band, The Moonlandingz have made a pretty great album.” (8/10) The Line Of Best Fit
The band name on everyone’s lips in the UK, The Moonlandingz, have teamed up with award winning video director and cinematographer, Dawn Shadforth and Robbie Ryan; the people that brought you the iconic video for Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, the gritty heartbreaking British film, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ and ‘American Honey’ (amongst many more), to bring you the brand new video for their latest single ‘The Strangle of Anna’, featuring the voice of Slow Club‘s Rebecca Lucy Taylor.
The Moonlandingz are the semi-fictional psych-pop group put together by Sheffield’s practical electronics wizards and analogue taxidermists, The Eccentronic Research Council (Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer) and Fat White Family‘s Lias Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski.
 ‘The band previously shared Black Hanz, released as an EP late last year and included on the album. Both tracks have been on A list rotation on 6 Music in the UK on Lauren Laverne and Marc Riley‘s shows.
INTERPLANETARY CLASS CLASSICS  is released March 24th through Chimera Music and features guest appearances from Yoko Ono, Randy Jones (the Cowboy from The Village People), and Philip Oakey, along with drummer Ross Orton and bassist Mairead O’Connor. Written, recorded and produced by the band at studios in Sheffield and New York, it also features co-producer Sean Lennon on guitar and additional drums and bass and was mixed by legendary Flaming Lips/Tame Impala/MGMT producer, Dave Fridmann. The album is a feast of swirling juddering synths, wailing guitars, motorik stomp and extraordinary songwriting – weird, catchy, glorious and filthy pop.
The Moonlandingz have proven themselves to be one of the best live bands in the UK and kick off an 11 date headlining tour this week, before heading to Europe and ending with their biggest show to date at Village Underground in London on April 4th.
The band play an exclusive New York show on May 11th at Rough Trade NYC. Stay tuned for more news, including additional US appearances.
INTERPLANETARY CLASS CLASSICS TRACK LISTING:
1. Vessels
2. Sweet Saturn Mine
3. Black Hanz
4. I.D.S.
5. The Strangle Of Anna (feat. Rebecca Taylor of Slow Club)
6. Theme From Valhalladale
7. The Rabies Are Back
8. Neuf De Pape
9.  Glory Hole (feat. Randy Jones from Village People)
10. Lufthanza Man
11. This Cities Undone (feat. Yoko Ono & friendz)
Watch videos for Black Hanz and Sweet Saturn Mine (Sean Lennon De-Mix) – both directed by musician Charlotte Kemp Muhl (of The GOASTT)
The Black Hanz EP is available digitally, featuring a special mix (non-LP) and 3 other non-LP tracks:
Drop It Fauntleroy, The Cement Garden (interlude) & Psych Ersatz (ERC Rasper Four Eyes De-Mix).
LIVE SHOWS:
MARCH (UK):
22nd – Newcastle – Cluny
23rd – Glasgow – Stereo SOLD OUT
24th – Dublin – Whelans
25th –  Liverpool –  Invisible Wind Factory
28th –  Birmingham – Hare & Hounds SOLD OUT
29th – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
30th – Manchester – Gorilla SOLD OUT
APRIL (UK/EUROPE):
1st  – Sheffield – Leadmill
2nd – Bristol –  Thekla SOLD OUT
3rd – Portsmouth – Wedgewood Rooms
4th –  London – Village Underground SOLD OUT
19th – Oxford – The Bullingdon
20th – Rouen – Le 106 Club
21st  – Bourges  – Le Printemps de Bourges Festival
22nd – Cologne  – Artheater
24th  – Berlin – Katine am Berghain
25th – Hamburg – Molotow
26th – Amsterdam – Paradiso
27th  – Paris – Point FMR
MAY (US):
11th – Brooklyn  – Rough Trade NYC
The Moonlandingz online:

Rewind Review: Cream – Goodbye (1969)

Wrapping up my journey through the Cream (Ginger Baker – drums, Jack Bruce – bass and vocals, Eric Clapton – guitar and vocals) catalogue, I arrive at their fourth and final record – Goodbye. The band was dealing with the pressures of success and frequent touring, the clashing egos of Baker and Bruce, the eagerness of Clapton to try something new, and a lot of drug use among all three.

Goodbye, which features interior album art of the song titles on gravestones, is only six tracks. Three are live cuts and three are studio recordings. The opener is a version of “I’m So Glad” over nine minutes long. Bruce’s bass is fat on it and they’re soon into a massive jam during which all three members try to outdo one another. This jam is so heavy that it’s a shock when they come back to the lyrics.

The bass and drums on the live cut of “Politican” are almost sludge metal, but Clapton keeps the blues flavor close. He keeps it even closer on “Sitting on Top of the World” with funky riffs, and Baker’s drumming on this cut is outstanding.

The studio cuts begin with “Badge,” which is written and sung by Clapton. It’s almost a Traffic track (and Clapton was trying to get Steve Winwood to join the band around the time, but Winwood was happy with Traffic). Clapton’s guitar work stretches out for a great mix of blues, psych, and even a touch of surf. “Doing That Scrapyard Thing” has Bruce playing bass and piano as he sings a quirky jaunt about his youth.

I’m sure the irony wasn’t lost on Cream, their label, and their fans that the last song on Goodbye is titled “What a Bringdown.” It’s a song that returns to their psychedelic rock (listen to that freaky guitar work by Clapton) and talks of changing times and looking for better opportunities (i.e., “Do you or don’t you wanna make more bread?”).

Goodbye is a good record. It’s no Disraeli Gears, but any Cream is better than none. They were too good to last, not unlike the Police. Theatres weren’t big enough for their rock, and unfortunately the band wasn’t big enough for them.

Keep your mind open.

[No politics here, just music when you subscribe.]

 

Live – Desert Daze Caravan tour – Phoenix, AZ – March 11, 2017

It was with sunburned legs and neck that a friend of mine, Scott, and I headed into downtown Phoenix, Arizona for the annual Viva PHX festival.  It’s an impressive undertaking by the city.  100 bands play in 18 venues around downtown in one night.  The style of acts ranges from jazz funk to thrash punk, so you can see just about anything (even lucha libra wrestling).

After dining on a turkey burger and a chicken quesadilla, Scott and I walked to the Valley Bar.  A friend of his had described it as a “dive bar” you had to access through an alley.  She was right.  We walked down an alley, past a dumpster, and down into a basement bar mostly lit by candlelight.  It was a neat place, and the pear cider there was outstanding.

The doors to their mid-size music hall opened a bit late, but I was happy to see some Orange amplifiers on stage and everything else already set up and ready to rock.  Jjuujjuu opened with a good set of mostly instrumental psychedelia.  Shame on you if you missed it because they were a great way to start the night.  Scott, who had never heard of any of the bands playing, enjoyed their set.

Jjuujjuu

Froth were up next and laid down their “California vibe” psych-rock. This was the first time I heard some of their new stuff, and there were some good rockers in there.  Scott thought Froth’s lead singer was too much of a perfectionist (due to his frequent requests to get the levels right in his monitor), but didn’t think their set was bad.

Froth

I got up close for Deap Vally.  I told Scott that they were “going to be loud as fuck” in the small venue, and I was right.  They played a set of tracks from their excellent sophomore album Feminism and one (“Walk of Shame”) off Sistrionix.   This was the first time I’d seen them in a small venue and with Julie Edwards on drums.  I also spoke with Ms. Edwards before and both she and Lindsey Troy after their set and they were delightful.  They were the only band that hung out in the merch area the whole night and they were swarmed after their killer set.  I always feel bad for any band that has to follow them because they take no prisoners.  Scott was impressed.

Deap Vally
Lindsey Troy
Julie Edwards

He was also impressed by Night Beats, even though they played a short, four-song set.  I don’t know if they got in late and thus lost some of their set time or if they had to cut out early to make it to another engagement, but four songs live by Night Beats are better than twenty by many other bands.  It was nice to see them grinning after having reported a lot of their gear had been stolen in Tijuana a couple nights earlier.  They threw down hard and then were gone in the blink of an eye, almost like a firework exploding.

Night Beats

Temples closed the Desert Daze Caravan show.  I’d seen them on the main stage at Levitation Austin in 2014 and was surprised by how heavy their set was.  I wondered if they’d be just as much in a small venue.  They were, but they were also crisp.  It was one of the better engineered sets I’d heard from anyone in a while.  Scott wasn’t much a fan of their British psych sound, but I thought they had one of the best sets of the night, and the crowd was crazy for them.

Temples
James Bagshaw

Yacht weren’t part of the Desert Daze Caravan tour, but they were the “afterparty” band at the Valley Bar that night.  We almost left before their set, mainly because it first appeared they weren’t going to set up for another hour, but they zipped onstage as soon as all of Temples’ gear was gone and dropped a fun electro set that had the crowd bouncing.  Scott said, “I wasn’t into it at first, but they grew on me.”

Yacht

I spoke with the man who made all the psychedelic light effects for the Desert Daze Caravan bands.  I thanked him for the nice work.  He shook my hand and said, “You saw a good one.  The spirit of rock and roll was here tonight.”

We emerged from underneath the city around 1:30am.  Were it not for the bits of trash, traffic barriers, and the gear vans still here and there, you wouldn’t know a music festival had just taken place.  It was eerily quiet.  All you could hear was the spirit of rock and roll.

Keep your mind open.

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Tool announces short U.S. and Canada tour.

Prog-metal virtuosos Tool have announced a small batch of tour dates across the U.S. east coast and Midwest, and a couple in Canada.  Some of these towns haven’t seen a Tool show in over a decade.  They’re also headlining a couple music festivals this year.

No word yet on if this tour will be to promote their long-awaited fifth album or any songs from it will be played on the tour.  Tool always does their own thing, so don’t be surprised if they only play older tracks or nothing but stuff you haven’t heard before.

May 24 — Fairfax, Virginia @ Eaglebank Arena
May 27 — Bangor, Maine @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
May 28 — Boston, Massachusetts @ Boston Calling
May 30 — Rochester, New York @ Blue Cross Arena
May 31 — Hamilton, Ontario @ First Ontario Centre
June 2 — Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Centre
June 5 — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania @ Petersen Events Center
June 7 — Detroit, Michigan @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 8 — Chicago, Illinois @ Allstate Arena

Keep your mind open.

Pitchfork Music Festival announces full 2017 lineup.

Chicago’s annual Pitchfork Music Festival has announced its full lineup for 2017.  As usual, it’s an interesting mix of artists and genres.

At first glance, the most exciting picks for me are LCD Soundsystem, the Thurston Moore Group, A Tribe Called Quest, P.J. Harvey, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, SURVIVE, Nicolas Jaar, The Avalanches, Derrick Carter, and NE-HI.

Ticket prices have gone up at least $25.00 since the announcement and will go up more as the festival dates get closer, so don’t wait.

Keep your mind open.

Death Cab for Cutie’s Dave Depper announces solo album.

DAVE DEPPER (OF DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE) ANNOUNCES DEBUT SOLO ALBUM,
EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE, OUT JUNE 9TH ON TENDER LOVING EMPIRE

LISTEN TO “DO YOU WANT LOVE?”
https://soundcloud.com/tenderlovingempire/dave-depper-do-you-want-love
(photo credit: Jaclyn Campanaro)
“…a cloud of weightless synths anchored by a danceably funky bass groove.”
— Stereogum on “Do You Want Love?”
Everyone knows Dave Depper.

The perennial side man, Depper began his music career with a white lie. On a whim he decided to buy a Farfisa organ off of Craigslist, an organ that just happened to belong to the founder of Hush Recordsand member of Blanket Music, Chad Crouch. Crouch asked if Depper wanted to play bass, and despite not playing bass or owning one, he said yes. From there he went on to become the connection point between a staggering number of Northwest bands, playing with Menomena, Fruit Bats, Mirah, CorinTucker, and Laura Gibson. Tapped to join Ray LaMontagne’s touring band in 2014 and then snatched up to become a full-time member of Death Cab for Cutie, Depper solidified his role as the go-to guy, the man next to everyone on late night.

One night he and his friends decided to play a game where they each had to write 20 songs in 12 hours, and come back together at the end of it to listen to everyone’s efforts together. From that session came a slew of songs. When Depper presented them, though, almost everyone picked up on the synth-pop beat of “Never Worked So Hard,” a nascent but catchy tune half-finished and unlike any of the music Depper had played before. Emotional Freedom Technique began there.

Straddling the line between pop and despair, Emotional Freedom Technique is a letter to the broken heart that won’t mend but still beats. It is a portrait of what happens when someone is flung across the world on tour – grateful to be there, grateful for the success and the adventures, but ultimately lonely. The most straightforward pop song, “Your Voice on the Radio”, features friend and former bandmate LauraGibson adding vocals about unrealized and unsatisfied love over bubbling bass and sparkling, multiplying shakers and synths that build to a deceptively joyous chorus. Songs like “Do You Want Love”, which premiered this morning on Stereogum, and “Communication” lean forward on cutting deep, propulsive grooves. Grappling with loneliness, the longing for human connection and the fear thereof, Depper strings ornate synth melodies together into simple hooks that speak to the most relatable reasons we listen to pop music – to remember we aren’t alone, and to still have a good time with it.

Emotional Freedom Technique is out June 9th on Tender Loving Empire. Dave will play two special album release shows: Wed. June 22 at Barboza in Seattle and Thu. June 22nd at Mississippi Studios in Portland.

 

Listen to “Do You Want Love?” — 
https://soundcloud.com/tenderlovingempire/dave-depper-do-you-want-love

Emotional Freedom Technique tracklisting:
01. Do You Want Love?
02. Communication
03. Lonely With You
04. Your Voice On The Radio (feat. Laura Gibson)
05. Never Worked So Hard
06. Anytime, Anywhere
07. EZ-101
08. Summer Days
09. Hindsight / Emotional Freedom Technique

Dave Depper Tour Dates:
Wed. June 21 — Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Thu. June 22 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Pre-order Emotional Freedom Technique — http://bit.ly/2mD1S4H

Download hi-res images & album art — http://pitchperfectpr.com/dave-depper/
(Emotional Freedom Technique album art)
Dave Depper online:
davedepper.com
twitter.com/davedepper
instagram.com/davedepper
tenderlovingempire.com
pitchperfectpr.com/dave-depper 

Moon Duo’s new album, “Occult Architecture Vol. 2,” due May 5th.

MOON DUO ANNOUNCE OCCULT ARCHITECTURE VOL. 2,
OUT MAY 5TH ON SACRED BONES

STREAM/WATCH VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE, “LOST IN LIGHT”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rP-9axxbO4
https://soundcloud.com/sacredbones/moon-duo-lost-in-light/s-WEKtG
(above image of Moon Duo by John Jeffrey, post art by Jasmine Pasquill)
Following the recent release of Occult Architecture Vol. 1, Moon Duo – guitarist Ripley Johnson and keyboardist Sanae Yamada — announce the details of Vol. 2, the second part of their psychedelic opus, set for a May 5th release via Sacred Bones. The announcement comes with a new single, “Lost in Light,” and its accompanying video, which gives a glimpse into the shimmering world that represents the lighter half of this Yin and Yang themed creation – the Yang.

Directed by Micah Buzan, the “Lost In Light” video was created as a counter-reaction to his previous animation for Vol. 1’s “Cold Fear.” He explains: “’Lost In Light’ is the Yang to ‘Cold Fear’s Yin. In ‘Cold Fear’ the aliens ruled the planet in their giant skyscrapers and tortured humanoids. ‘Lost In Light’ continues the story of ‘Cold Fear’ a million years into the future, when the aliens have died off after exhausting the planet’s resources, and nature reclaims the land. Huge flowers grow out of the dead humanoids, aliens, and their buildings. Moon Duo emerge from an alien’s head as a flower and rainbow, becoming one with the planet as the sun absorbs everything into oblivion.”

The Occult Architecture of Moon Duo’s fourth album is an intricately woven hymn to the invisible structures found in the cycle of seasons and the journey of day into night, dark into light. Offering a cosmic glimpse into the hidden patterning embedded in everything, Occult Architecture reflects the harmonious duality of these light and dark energies through the Chinese theory of Yin and Yang. Following the Yin (darkness, night, earth) represented on Vol. 1, Vol. 2 presents the Yang. Yang means “the bright side of the hill” and is associated with the sun, light and the spirit of heaven. As such, Vol. 2 explores the light and airy elements of Moon Duo’s complex psyche.

“In production we referred to Vol. 1 as the fuzz dungeon, and Vol. 2 as the crystal palace,” guitarist Ripley Johnson explains. “The darkness of Vol. 1 gave birth to the light of Vol. 2. We had to have both elements in order to complete the cycle. We’re releasing them separately to allow them their own space, and to ensure clarity of vision. To that end we also mixed Vol. 2 separately, in the height of Portland summer, focusing on its sonic qualities of lightness, air, and sun. Listeners can ultimately use the two volumes individually or together, depending on circumstance or the desired effect.”

Watch Moon Duo’s “Lost in Light” Video –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rP-9axxbO4

Stream “Lost in Light” –
https://soundcloud.com/sacredbones/moon-duo-lost-in-light/s-WEKtG

Watch/Listen:
Occult Architecture Vol. 1 stream — https://open.spotify.com/album/4AlRpwAsVlD0fuDnt9i3XD
“Cold Fear” video — https://youtu.be/VwZG_jY9gFs
“Creepin’” stream — https://soundcloud.com/sacredbones/moon-duo-creepin/s-4zh7u

Occult Architecture Vol. 2 Tracklisting:
1. New Dawn
2. Mirror’s Edge
3. Sevens
4. Lost in Light
5. The Crystal World

Pre-order Occult Architecture Vol. 2—
http://hyperurl.co/OAVol2

Purchase Occult Architecture Vol. 1 —
Via iTunes – http://hyperurl.co/OAVol1
Via Bandcamp – https://moonduo.bandcamp.com/album/occult-architecture-vol-1

Moon Duo Tour Dates:
Sat. March 11 – Mexico City, MX @ Festival NRMAL
Wed. Mar. 15 – Newcastle, UK @ Northumbria University
Thu. Mar. 16 – Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall
Fri. Mar. 17 – London, UK @ Heaven
Sat. Mar. 18 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Sun. Mar. 19 – Nancy, FR @ L’Autre Canal
Mon. Mar. 20 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza
Thu. Mar. 23 – Budapest, HU @ A38
Fri. Mar. 24 – Graz, AT @ Orpheum Extra
Sat. Mar. 25 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea
Mon. Mar. 27 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
Tue. Mar. 28 – Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu
Wed. Mar. 29 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumphuset
Thu. Mar. 30 – Oslo, NO @ Bla
Fri. Mar. 31 – Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanan
Sat. Apr. 1 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pusterviks
Mon. Apr. 3 – Groningen, NL @ Vera Club
Tue. Apr. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
Wed. Apr. 5 – Eindhoven, NL @ Effenaar
Thu. Apr. 6 – Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
Fri. Apr. 7 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Sat. Apr. 8 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Fri. Apr. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Sat. Apr. 22 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
Sun. Apr. 23 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Tue. Apr. 25 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
Wed. Apr. 26 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Thu. Apr. 27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Fri. Apr. 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sat. Apr. 29 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Sun. Apr. 30 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
Thu. June 8 – Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew
Sat. June 10 – Barcelona, ES @ Unload Club
Mon. June 12 – Bilboa, ES @ Kafe Antzokia
Tue. June 13 – Madrid, ES @ Caracol
Wed June 14 – Biarritz, FR @ Wheels and Waves Festival
Thu. June 15 – Montpellier, FR @ Le Rockstore
Mon. June 19 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Tue. June 20 – Brussels, BE @ Les Ateliers Claus
Sat. June 24 – Sat. July 1 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
Fri Aug. 18 – Parades De Coura, PT @ Parades de Coura
(Occult Architecture Vol. 2 cover art)
Download hi-res album art and press images – www.pitchperfectpr.com/moon-duo/

Partner release new single from upcoming album.

Partner_L-R_Josée-Caron_Lucy-Niles_photoby_Colin-Medley

PARTNER share new single and video “Comfort Zone”

Comfort Zone – YouTube // Clash

Official Statement
“A comfort zone does not have to be a place. A comfort zone is whatever makes you feel at ease. It can be a person, an object, a sensation. No two comfort zones are the same. We recognize that we have had the privilege and good fortune to experience comfort in a way that unfortunately eludes many. We feel that everyone deserves to feel the relief, however fleeting, that is offered by a comfort zone. We recognize that most people spend the majority of their time outside their comfort zones, and with this song we hope to express our belief that everyone deserves to feel comfortable and safe.

Whatever, wherever, whoever your comfort zone may be, it is our hope that you are able to access it as often as is necessary. Love and respect” – Partner

QUOTES

“Ontario-by-way-Sackville band Partner is one of the most exciting and brightest hopes for rock and roll in Canada.”
– Noisey

“Inspiring Canadian duo with a fetish for cold truth and hard riffs… ”
– Clash Magazine
RIYL – Weezer, PWR BTTM, Melissa Etheridge, Ween, Beavis & Butthead

Mixed by Grammy award winner Chris Shaw (Weezer, Public Enemy, Sum 41). Video directed by Colin Medley.

Partner is the “mature” effort of small town lesbians Josée Caron and Lucy Niles. Borne of their bizarre and fortuitous friendship, Partner boldly goes where few have even desired to go, moving effortlessly from topics like sex objects and gross secrets to more serious themes like intimacy, friendship, and existential unease.

Partner marries feminism and stadium rock riffage to produce a sound as queer as they are, and their arrival on the scene couldn’t be more timely: “Partner’s music is like what early 00s pop punk would be like if it was mixed with a reverence for classic rock era guitar solos. But unlike that generation’s insistence of straight white dude figureheads that traded a sense of humour for self-righteousness, Partner’s songs are funny as hell.”

After a freakishly productive year of writing, recording and touring, Partner are releasing a first single “Comfort Zone” to kick off 2017. Their enthusiastic and action-packed live set has led to them being named the “best new band in Canada” in the Globe and Mail, and although “Partner hasn’t even released an album yet, [watching] one of their sets, it’s clear right away that they’ve arrived fully formed.” Influenced by acts as varied as Ween, Weezer, Neil Young, and Sum 41, Partner promises to make you question everything you thought you knew about rock ‘n’ roll.

Tour Dates:
March 30 – Tender Trap, Brooklyn NY USA
April 01 – House of Targ, Ottawa ON (Juno Fest)
April 14 – Phog Lounge, Windsor ON
April 20 – The Casbah, Hamilton ON
April 22 – Long Boat Hall at the Great Hall, Toronto ON (CMW)
June 14 – Palais des Congrès, Montréal QC (Mondial de la bière)
June 15 – Saw Gallery, Ottawa ON (Ottawa Explosion)

Partner Links
Website: http://www.partnerband.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/officiallypartners
Bandcamp: https://youvechangedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/comfort-zone
Record Label: http://youvechangedrecords.com/portfolio/partner/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/partner_band

L.A. Takedown announces new album.

L.A. TAKEDOWN ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, II, OUT MAY 12TH VIA RIBBON MUSIC

WATCH “NIGHT SKIING” VIDEO AT NPR MUSIC
http://smarturl.it/NightSkiingVideo
On their new album II, L.A. Takedown align the moody grandeur of a film score with the pure melodicism of pop. Led by Los Angeles-based composer/multi-instrumentalist Aaron M. Olson, the seven-piece band delivers a guitar-driven take on synth-pop that’s inspired its own genre. “Bjorn Copeland of Black Dice once described L.A. Takedown to me as ‘Baywatch Krautrock,’” Olson recalls. “I found myself saying, ‘Well, you know…it’s not not that—works for me!” Still, despite any association with oceanic hedonism, II ultimately leaves it to the listener to dream up their own imaginary movie for each beautifully sprawling track to live in. At turns ethereal and frenzied, groove-heavy and narcotic, II is lush with harmonized guitar leads and inspiration from the likes of King Crimson’s Robert Fripp, Japanese composer Tori Kudo, and Nigerian musician King Sunny Adé, giving way to an intricately textured sound laced with jagged beats and serene washes of synth.

Though L.A. Takedown began as a home recording project and experiment in film scoring, Olson eventually assembled a live band that soon took on a life of its own. The follow-up to L.A. Takedown’s 2015 self-titled debut, II is the first release featuring the full band, which includes keyboardists Ryan Adlaf and Jonah Olson, guitarists Miles Wintner (Girlpool) and Stephen Heath (Paul Bergman), drummer Mose Wintner, and bassist Jessica Espeleta (Weird War, Love as Laughter). L.A. Takedown recorded the album at a home studio in Van Nuys with producer Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Cults, Vampire Weekend), a process that Olson describes as “seven goofballs eating snacks and watching Columbo and making music.”

“We live in a world where we’re so inundated with all these pieces of pop culture that they just become part of us,” OIson says. “I like to try to find new ways to present things that are already familiar to everyone.” Whether tapping into a Tangerine Dream score or a post-rock epic, L.A. Takedown ends up creating inventively arranged pop with a quietly transportive power. Today, L.A. Takedown premiere the video for the album track “Night Skiing” via NPR Music.

WATCH “NIGHT SKIING” VIDEO
http://smarturl.it/NightSkiingVideo
“On its latest song and video, “Night Skiing,” the instrumental rock group L.A. Takedown confirms that the guitar solo is alive and kicking.” – NPR Music
The video, directed by Matt Hewitt, portrays a driver (played by Stephen Heath, one of the band’s three lead guitarists) stranded in the desert after his car has broken down. He wanders the landscape in search of help only to find a dirty man (played by Olson) in a van who gives him a mysterious pill that transports him to an epic desert jam session.
II TRACKLISTING
1. The First Thing…
2. Heatwave
3. L.A. Blue
4. The Valley
5. Bad Night at Black’s Beach
6. City of Glass
7. Blue Skies (on Mars)
8. Dose
9. Us
10. Night Skiing
11. The Most Crucial Game
12. The Last Thing…

L.A. TAKEDOWN TOUR DATES
Wed. May 17 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
Fri. May 19 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Sat. May 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Cobalt
Sun. May 21 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Tue. May 23 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
Thu. May 25 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
Fri. May 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater

PRAISE FOR L.A. TAKEDOWN

“Its relentless drive and fascinating sonic architecture lend it depth, and the result is a work that seems to loop through the hills, valleys and grids of Los Angeles.” – Los Angeles Times

“A fully realized symphony written in the language of ’80s thriller soundtracks” – LA Record

II is available to pre-order now on limited edition translucent green vinyl, CD, and digital download:

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/LATakedownIIDL
Ribbon Mart: http://smarturl.it/LATakedownIIRM

Hi-res images and album art: http://pitchperfectpr.com/la-takedown/

L.A. Takedown Online:
http://latakedown.com/
https://twitter.com/latakedownband/
https://www.facebook.com/LATakedown/
https://www.instagram.com/la_takedown/

Chicago’s Mamby on the Beach festival announces 2017 lineup.

Chicago’s third annual Mamby on the Beach festival has released its lineup for 2017.  Just some of the powerhouses scheduled are MGMT, Miike Snow, Flying Lotus, and Cut Copy.

Tickets are still available at decent prices, so don’t wait to snag some.  I have a lot of bands to research before June 24th.

Keep your mind open.