Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2007

GROUPLOVE TO APPEAR ON HOWARD STERN'S TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES' REVOLVER

GROUPLOVE TO APPEAR ON HOWARD STERN'S TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES' REVOLVER
NORTH AMERICAN LEG OF BIG MESS WORLD TOURKICKS OFF TONIGHT
 Photo credit: James Marcus Haney
October 5th, 2016 - (Los Angeles, CA) - Grouplove have contribute a cover of "For No One" to  Howard Stern's Tribute to The Beatles' Revolver  to help the legendary radio personality celebrate iconic album's 50th anniversary. The special, which will be broadcast like an album, will premiere on Sirius/XM Radio's Howard 101 channel at 5:00pm EST this Friday October 7, and feature contributions from a unique collection of artists including, Grouplove, Cheap Trick, J Mascis, Jewel, Joe Banamassa, James Taylor, Rachael Yamagata, and more. Stern briefly teased Grouplove's track earlier this week praising, "It's very eerie and beautifully done, and they mixed it up. It's just so good." Listen to the clip HERE. The North American leg of Grouplove's Big Mess World Tour kicks off tonight in Las Vegas, NV and wraps on November 18 in Austin, TX. One dollar for every ticket sold will be donated to the organization charity: water to help fund water projects like drilled wells, spring protections, and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world. More info can be foundHERE. Muna and Dilly Dally will support on select U.S. shows. A complete list of upcoming live dates and ticket information can be found HERE. Grouplove released their highly anticipated third album Big Mess last month via Canvasback Music/Atlantic Records. The album is available digitally HERE and physically HERE now. Watch the music video for the album's lead single "Welcome To Your Life" HERE.  Recorded in Los Angeles and Seattle with producers Captain Cuts (Grouplove's own Ryan Rabin) and Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, The Shins), Big Mess features the signature choruses and infectious hooks that first brought the Los Angeles quintet to prominence. No stranger to the worldwide festival circuit, Grouplove has made an album that showcases their richly narrated songs. The band is currently hosting a fan-generated music video contest through Genero.tv. The band will select its favorite submission for each track on the album and reward $3,000 to each of the 11 winners. Fans can submit their music videos for HERE. Grouplove was honored by the Recording Industry Association of America this summer when tracks "Colours" and "Ways To Go" were both certified as Gold Digital Singles for exceeding 500,000 units sold. Grouplove was previously honored by the RIAA when their breakout single "Tongue Tied" was certified platinum for exceeding 1,000,000 units sold.  BIG MESS WORLD TOUR10/5 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl*+10/6 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater*+10/7 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium*+10/10 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom*+10/13 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre*+10/14 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Café*10/17 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex - Grand Room*+10/18 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre*+10/21 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre+10/22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue*+10/23 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theater*+10/25 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre*+10/27 - Columbus, OH - Express Live!*10/29 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre*+10/30 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall*10/31 - Montréal, QC - Corona Theatre*11/1 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore*+11/3 - Boston, MA - House of Blues*+11/4 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw*+11/5 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom+11/9 - Washington, DC - Echostage*+11/10 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva*+11/12 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom*+11/13 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues*+11/15 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues*+11/16 - Houston, TX - House of Blues*+11/18 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater*+*with MUNA+with Dilly Dally

Hazel English shares new video for "Control" + Announces tour dates

HAZEL ENGLISH SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR "CONTROL"

NEVER GOING HOME EP OUT OCTOBER 7TH VIA HOUSE ANXIETY / MARATHON ARTISTS

"CONTROL" AND "MAKE IT BETTER" SINGLES OUT OCTOBER 5TH AND OCTOBER 26TH VIA CANVASCLUB
Photo credit: Julie Juarez"Achingly gorgeous" - Gorilla Vs. Bear
Oakland-based songstress Hazel English is back to share more of her brand of irresistible jangle pop with the video for "Control", which is being released as a single today via Canvasclub. Shot in the California desert, Hazel leaves her job at a diner to set out on a solo adventure that takes her to a lonely motel room and the jukebox of a neon lit bar - places that unmistakably evoke the type of nostalgia and wanderlust embedded within her music. Watch "Control" via the link below.
WATCH: "Control" - https://youtu.be/-KjgUh-Xes8
STREAM: "Control" -https://soundcloud.com/hazelenglish/hazel-english-control
About Hazel English:
Hazel English is a 25-year-old Oakland-based artist who makes beautifully blurry indie pop powered by transcendent melodies, and caked in layers of Californian sunshine and redolent reverb. Meticulously clad head-to-toe in a seemingly endless supply of dress-up thrift-store costumes, a glance at any of Hazel's social networks reveals a vivid portal into her timeless world, where sun-bleached snaps bely a million possible stories. She's an artist for whom the visuals and music go hand-in-hand.
Early demos released on her Soundcloud racked up over a million plays combined, making her somewhat of an online sensation before she was ever signed. Now armed with her debut 12-inch vinyl EP, Never Going Home, Hazel collates a brilliant snapshot of her DIY creations to date. The EP will be released through House Anxiety / Marathon Artists on October 7th and U.S. single releases "Control" and "Make It Better" are due out October 5th and October 26th respectively via Canvasclub.
Having extensively toured the West Coast, plans are afoot to take her acclaimed live show further afield, with both a national US tour and full European run on the cards to support her official debut release. See the dates below.
Tour Dates:
Nov 01 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All RightNov 02 - New York, NY @ BerlinNov 03 - Seattle, WA @ BarbozaNov 04 - Portland, OR @ Bunk BarNov 06 - San Francisco, CA @ The ChapelNov 07 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
Nov 19 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3Nov 20 - Leeds, UK @ Headrow HouseNov 21 - London, UK @ The Waiting RoomNov 24 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique

Hannah Peel presents ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’; A very special meeting of minds on memory, film, music, literature and art

Hannah Peel presents ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’A very special meeting of minds on memory, film, music, literature and art
Hannah Peel live, plus film screenings by Lavinia Greenlaw (The Sea Is An Edge And An Ending) and Shelly Love (Scratch)More guests to be announced soon
24th November 2016, Shoreditch Church, London: tickets: £13.15 available here.
In association with Alzheimer’s Research. Curated by Kirsteen McNish of Vine Collective.
[image error] Acclaimed singer-songwriter and member of celebrated band The Magnetic North, Hannah Peel announces a one off event inspired by the themes, images and surreal atmospheres of her remarkable new solo album Awake But Always Dreaming, which you can stream here and watch a video for her single All That Matters here.Peel has created an exquisite, distinct album, full of vibrant, direct colour in the early stages of the record, contrasted with esoteric, dreamscape, legato movements towards the end. The bright, raw magic and joy of personal relationships are set alongside the gradual loss of her grandmother to dementia. It’s a record about memory: the luminous and beautiful formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage to the mind. Awake But Always Dreaming has been described as a “sublime electronic opus” (Q), “an incredible record’” (The Quietus), “rich, detailed and beguiling” (The Irish Times), while The Observer recently described Peel as “A great singer and a latter day Delia Derbyshire.’”This event joins together like minded independent artists who have created work as a result of being touched by the issues around dementia & memory loss. The audience are invited to become part of an immersive experience - delving into the “rabbit warren” of the mind exploring memory and consciousness through film, literature, music and light illuminations. In this event there will be a kaleidoscope of work shared from artists and scientists around this subject matter. All this takes place in the stunning environs of St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch, a venue well known for exciting arts events, whose ancient walls are the perfect setting for this collaboration.
We will be joined by award winning writer, poet and filmmaker Lavinia Greenlaw who has published five collections of poetry, most recently A Double Sorrow: Troilus and Criseyde and two novels, plus the memoir, The Importance of Music to Girls and Questions of Travel: William Morris in Iceland. Audio Obscura, her immersive soundwork for Artangel/Manchester International Festival won the 2011 Ted Hughes Award.
Lavinia’s short film  The Sea is an Edge and an Ending  will screen as part of the event. It is a study of the impact of dementia on our sense of time and place, drawing on Shakespeare’s Tempest. (Commissioned by FVU and Metal with the support of Wellcome Trust. Supported by Arts Council England). The film premiered at Estuary Festival in September 2016. 
Shelly Love is an artist, director, storyteller and choreographer, who moved from contemporary dance theatre into filmmaking. Through her films, Shelly creates “other worlds” where narratives unravel against reason or convention. With her understanding of the body, movement and time she makes poetry of curious situations, most of them surreal, yet utterly human. Her short film Scratch will be shown at this event, ‘A lone character inhabits a subterranean world. Stuck between worlds, she fails to move on….’
This film explores the nature of the puppet as both an inanimate object and animated character brought to life through human movement. Scratch was the winner of the prestigious IMZ Best Screen Choreography Award in 2005.
Tim Parry, Director of Communications and Brand at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Alzheimer’s Research UK prides itself on being an innovative, forward-thinking charity. Working with young, talented artists like Hannah, who incorporate real-world issues in their art, is a fantastic way to raise awareness among an audience who otherwise might not engage in the issue. Hannah is helping to shine a spotlight on dementia and the importance of memories, and we’re delighted to be associated with her and this collaborative event at Shoreditch Church. It promises to be a special evening.”
Kirsteen McNish at Vine Collective creates special arts events in London. Her collaborations most recently include a partnership with the RIBA with the Magnetic North, and artist Bill Drummond and writers Amy Liptrot, Laura Barton & John Grindrod. Kirsteen has also recently co-curated a year of well received “Late’s” at the award winning William Morris gallery.
www.hannahpeel.comwww.shellylove.co.ukhttp://www.laviniagreenlaw.org/@vine_collective

The Dandy Warhols reveal video for "Catcher In The Rye" Premieres Via NPR!

The Dandy Warhols Reveal Video For "Catcher In The Rye"  
Video Premieres Via NPR's "First Watch"
Band On Tour Now, Newest Album Distortland Out Via Dine AloneThe Dandy Warhols are happy to share a video for their single " Catcher In The Rye ."  The video was directed by Mike Bruce whose upcoming film Treasure Of The Black Jaguar is being released in January.  The Dandy Warhol's Courtney Taylor Taylor told  NPR   "I simply told Mike that the song is about love that doesn't need anything in return. I'm not even sure that exists but I didn't tell him that. He did an astounding job. I still get a little choked up by the end."  The video stars Duke Nicholson (Jack Nicholson's grandson) as Holden Caulfield and Caitlin Carmichael as the young woman.  Stereogum  have said of the track "it has all the understated, tuneful swagger that you would hope to hear from a new Dandy Warhols song in 2016."   
"Catcher In The Rye" is now available to share/post and you can watch it here: 


The Dandy Warhols' newest album Distortland was released earlier this year on Dine Alone Records.   Fresh off a sold-out tour of Europe and the UK the band are once again touring the US and Canada with dates both this month and in December. The October run concludes with a 2-night stand at The Scoot Inn in Austin TX on October 14 and 15 and December sees the band playing at Los Angeles' The Fonda Theatre on December 16.   Further, The Dandy Warhols will be touring Australia October 26 through November 5.  All dates are listed below. 
"pop hooks abound on (the album)" Consequence of Sound 
"Distortland (is) such a damned welcome sound for sore ears" Magnet
a hypnotic strut of a song, that never quite peaks so much as lures you with singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor's vocals low and lulling in the mix. They're urging you to lean in that little bit closer."  Noisey on "STYGGO" 
"Everything about the new tune, from the instrumentation to the lyrics, comes off as effortless, but the simplistic hook is memorable enough that heads will surely nod." AV Club on "You Are Killing Me" 
"the song sports a chugging guitar riff and an earwormy hook"  Diffuser on "You Are Killing Me"  
"the choral hook will surely have you turning back again and again." Austin Town Hallon "You Are Killing Me"

Formed in Portland, Oregon, The Dandy Warhols consist of members Courtney Taylor-Taylor (vocals, guitar), Zia McCabe (keyboards), Peter Holmström (guitar), and Brent DeBoer (drums).   Distortland was first recorded in Taylor's basement on an 80s cassette recorder with the band putting on the finishing touches in a studio. Jim Lowe - best known for his work with Taylor Swift and Beyonce - mixed the album.  Courtney notes that the end result is an album that is "organized like a pop record but still has the sonic garbage still in there."  
The Dandy Warhols Live Dates:October 6: Atlanta, GA - Terminal West *October 7: Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge *October 8: St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall *October 10: Birmingham, AL - Saturn *October 11: New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's Uptown *October 12: Dallas, TX - Granada Theater *October 13: Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall *October 14: Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn *October 15: Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn *December 6 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom             December 7 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market           December 10 - Portland, OR - Crystal BallroomDecember 13 - Petaluma, CA - Mystic Theater December 14 - San Luis Obispo, CA - The Fremont Theater      December 15 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern   December 16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda TheatreDevember 17 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore  

'L7: Pretend We're Dead' Documentary Official Trailer Revealed Today, Film Out This Fall

L7: Pretend We’re Dead
Official Trailer  Revealed By  Rolling Stone  Today
Documentary Film Out This Fall
 

Photo Credit: Rob Sheridan
 
Fierce, feminist pioneers of American grunge punk, the  L7: Pretend We're Dead documentary, directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Sarah Price (American Movie, The Yes Men, Summercamp), is coming this fall with select screening opportunities to be announced very soon. Offering particularly revelatory insight into the band's 16-year career and eventual dissolution in 2001, the film features exclusive interviews with Exene Cervenka (X), Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), Shirley Manson (Garbage), Louise Post (Veruca Salt), Joan Jett and more. Watch the brand new  L7: Pretend We're Dead  Official Trailer  which premiered with  Rolling Stone  today.

L7: Pretend We're Dead is a culmination of the band’s re-ignited enthusiasm fueled by their fans’ outpouring of encouragement and support on social media when the band hinted at the idea of a documentary in early 2015. Culled from over 100 hours of unearthed vintage home movies taken by the band, never before seen performance footage, and candid interviews,  L7: Pretend We're Dead  chronicles the band’s triumphs and failures. It takes viewers on an all access journey into the 1990’s grunge movement that took the world by storm. Charged with lyrics that had political bite and humor which proved irresistible to the disenfranchised, the marginalized, and the punk, they helped define grunge as the genre of a generation.

The excitement around the  L7: Pretend We're Dead  announcement has catalyzed a widely anticipated reunion bringing their high-octane energy and anthemic chops to the stages across the US and hit Australia this week. Full list of dates  HERE .

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A Certain Ratio Announces Partnership With Mute

A CERTAIN RATIO

NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH MUTE “A Certain Ratio & Mute = Good Together. We are looking forward to our new found partnership with Mute, a label whose DNA, like ours, is ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC.” – A Certain Ratio

"ACR always do what I don’t expect, who wouldn’t want to work with artists like that?" – Daniel Miller


Mute are delighted to announce a new partnership with A Certain Ratio to look after their extensive catalog for recordings and publishing. 

Manchester’s A Certain Ratio embraced the ethic and culture of the late seventies post-punk explosion, but sounded like nothing else around them and refused to fit in. Formed in 1978, the band had various members throughout their career, with a core line-up of Jeremy Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson.

Mute is set to embark on a program of releases that will run over a period of at least two years, beginning in February 2017 with a selection of the influential Manchester band’s studio albums. The releases will continue with box sets, vinyl and cassette releases that will include B-sides, unreleased and rare tracks, remixes and live recordings, all will be encapsulated in A Certain Ratio's trademark artwork. Shortly after the band’s formation, having seen A Certain Ratio during one of their many live shows, Joy Division's manager Rob Gretton, put them in touch with Tony Wilson, a well known local TV personality who was then in the process of setting up a record label. A Certain Ratio were one of the first to record for the fledgling Factory Records, and they debuted with their 7" single, All Night Party/The Thin Boys.
 Hailed universally as pioneers of what became known as “punk funk” thanks to the success of “Shack Up” on both sides of the Atlantic, their sound is not easily pigeonholed and their influence can never be understated. The band introduced the avant-garde elements of funk, jazz, electronics, tape loops and technology to the pop song, wrapping it in a post punk aesthetic, adding great clothes and the coolest haircuts.

They have gone on to influence generations of musicians - from Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem, Happy Mondays, Franz Ferdinand, ESG, Factory Floor and Andrew Weatherall. The Guardian’s Dave Simpson paid tribute to the band’s Cult Hero status recently: “Once you start listening to A Certain Ratio, it’s difficult to stop.”

A Certain Ratio’s myriad influences (Brian Eno, James Brown, Miles Davis, Tower of Power, Airto Moreira, The Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk and Wire, to name a few) created their uniquely eclectic sound, one that the band once described as “James Brown on acid.”

A Certain Ratio have been performing select festivals, most recently at Festival No. 6, continuing with French shows in October, and performances in Blackburn and Lancashire in November. Full details below, further worldwide tour dates will be announced in the coming months. LIVE DATES
21 Oct: FR, L'Aeronef, Lille
22 Oct: FR, La Maroquinerie, Paris
5 Nov: UK, King Georges Hall, Blackburn

Listen to 4 tracks  HERE .

Watch the inspiring short film Tribeca, directed by Michael Shamberg  HERE .

"… all the energy of Joy Division, but with better clothes" – 24 Hour Party People

“…a gorgeous mess, slumped against the back wall of the best dance club in town” – Pitchfork on Sextet

“In tandem with the city that surrounded them, they had evolved, expanded, grasped a new diversity and, not least, surged to new levels of musicality.” – The Quietus on Force

A Certain Ratio - Studio album discography

The Graveyard And The Ballroom (1980)
To Each (1981)
Sextet (1982)
I’d Like To See You Again (1982)
Force (1986)
Good Together (1989)
ACR:MCR (1990)
Up In Downsville (1992)
Change The Station (1997)
Mind Made Up (2008) 

Sacred Bones & Dais to produce documentary about Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth

 SACRED BONES & DAIS RECORDS TO PRODUCE FIRST AUTHORIZED
DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THEE TEMPLE OF PSYCHICK YOUTH
"A MESSAGE FROM THE TEMPLE"
DIRECTED BY JACQUELINE CASTEL
LAUNCHES  KICKSTARTER  CAMPAIGN
WATCH A TEASER TRAILER  HERE                                                                                                                                                       We are not seeking followers. We are seeking collaborators.
A MESSAGE FROM THE TEMPLE is the first authorized documentary about Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth, told through the eyes of its members, collaborators, and persecutors via contemporary interviews, personal archives, and historical accounts from the mainstream media.

Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth (TOPY) was an “anti-cult” formed in the 1980s by a group of UK artists. Conceived in the aftermath of the punk and industrial countercultures, TOPY drew on the tenets of provocation, transgression, and the DIY ethos to form an internationally reaching network bound together by an esoteric sensibility.

By hurdling past the outer limits of propriety, the group aroused the moral wrath of “Satanic Panic”-era British authorities and caused the subsequent Scotland Yard raid and political exile of the group’s central figurehead, artist and provocateur Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.

A MESSAGE FROM THE TEMPLE traces TOPY’s influences and inception to its dramatic downfall and enduring legacy. Did TOPY ultimately relent to the systems of control it sought to transcend? Or was its existence an illuminating flash of the potential for the autonomy of the individual, poised to spark again? In a climate of political crisis and economic uncertainty, the ethos and urgency of TOPY’s message remains as relevant and influential today as it did during its initial inception thirty-five years ago.

In the words of Genesis Breyer P-Orridge: “We need this now, more than ever.”

On October 15 in NYC, there will be an evening of Psychic Television Transmissions and a moderated discussion among Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Tom Headbanger, Paul “Bee” Hampshire,Pieter Schoolwerth, and others, with a reception to follow, to benefit the Kickstarter campaign. Ticket presales are only available via Kickstarter.

About the crew: Director and cinematographer Jacqueline Castel’s films have screened at Sundance, SXSW, BAMcinemaFest, and festivals worldwide, and have featured collaborations with filmmakersJim Jarmusch and John Carpenter. Her archival and curatorial experience has extended to the estate of H.R. Giger, the Genesis Breyer P-Orridge archives at the Tate Britain, and screenings of the work ofDavid Lynch. Producers include Ryan Martin (Co-owner of Dais Records), Caleb Braaten (owner ofSacred Bones Records), and filmmaker Aldona Watts.
 More information, including cast and crew bios, is available at the Kickstarter page:kickstarter.com/messagefromthetemple facebook.com/amessagefromthetemple 
@amessagefromthetemple

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twitter.com/uncleanpictures
@uncleanpictures
 www.messagefromthetemple.com
www.sacredbonesrecords.com
www.daisrecords.com

Crystal Fairy: Members of the Melvins, At The Drive-In and Le Butcherettes; Song "Drugs on the Bus" Streaming Now

CRYSTAL FAIRY: MEMBERS OF THE MELVINS, AT THE DRIVE-IN AND LE BUTCHERETTES FORM NEW BAND
SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM SET FOR FEB. 24 RELEASE VIA IPECAC RECORDINGS; SONG “DRUGS ON THE BUS” STREAMING NOW https://youtu.be/N31SHZ93zu4    Photo credit: Crystal Fairy  Oct. 4, 2016, Sun Valley, Calif. – Members of the Melvins (Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover), At The Drive-In (Omar Rodriguez-Lopez) and Le Butcherettes (Teri Gender Bender) have formed the roaring new rock band, Crystal Fairy. 
Crystal Fairy’s self-titled debut arrives Feb. 24 via Ipecac Recordings with the song “Drugs On The Bus” streaming now: https://youtu.be/N31SHZ93zu4. A limited edition 7” featuring “Drugs on the Bus” and “Necklace of Divorce” is available Oct. 10 via Amphetamine Reptile.
“When the Melvins toured with Le Butcherettes, Teri would come out at the end of the set and do ‘Rebel Girl’ with us,” explained drummer Dale Crover. “It was almost always the highlight of the show!  From doing that, we knew there was some chemistry between us that was worth exploring. We became close friends with both Teri and Omar on the tour and came up with the idea of starting a new band with them.”
“Omar caught up with us on the Melvins’ tour because he is an admirer. Through the travels, the Melvins and Omar connected as well,” offered singer Teri Gender Bender.  “Sometimes, Omar and I would fantasize loudly of hopefully being able to form a power together. Before we knew it, we were writing music in the studio (both in El Paso and L.A.) and birthed a magical little gem that I am extremely proud to be a part of.”
“The Melvins have had many different line-ups, and we’ll continue to mix things up but with Crystal Fairy, working with Teri and Omar, I knew this was something different and deserved to have its own identity,” said singer/guitar player Buzz Osborne.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez added, “While our main bands will still remain our focus and priority, we intend to have as much fun as possible recording and touring with this special and unique project."
Crystal Fairy track list:ChiselerDrugs on the BusNecklace of DivorceMoth TongueCrystal FairySecret Agent RatUnder TroubleBent TeethPosesiónSweet SelfVampire X-Mass

Third Eye Blind To Donate Proceeds From Fashion Line To Dave Eggers' "826 Valencia," New Album Out Friday

 THIRD EYE BLIND TO DONATE PROCEEDS FROM “MISSION DISTRICT"
FASHION LINE TO DAVE EGGERS’ 826 VALENCIA

FRONTMAN STEPHAN JENKINS CONDUCTS SURFING LESSONS
FOR WOUNDED VETERANS FOR THE JIMMY MILLER FOUNDATION

NEW THIRD EYE BLIND ALBUM, WE ARE DRUGS, AVAILABLE DIGITALLY THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7

STREAM: "COMPANY OF STRANGERS" (FROM WE ARE DRUGS) Third Eye Blind, summer’s biggest music festival standout setting attendance records at five major festivals, is set to release its “Mission District” edition of clothing. Newly created and inspired by the culturally rich neighborhood within the band’s hometown of San Francisco, the “Mission District” fully embodies the essence of Third Eye Blind in both lifestyle and artistic purpose. In addition to the launch of the line, Third Eye Blind are also supporting with 826 Valencia, a Bay Area-based nonprofit organization started by authorDave Eggers that is dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Their services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. 

From the sale of each hoodie Third Eye Blind will donate $10 from the sale of each “Mission District” sold with a match from the Mark and Alison Pincus Foundation to the organization to assist in its continued efforts to close the academic achievement gap for under-served youth in the Bay Area. More information on 826 Valencia can be found on its official website, http://826valencia.org. “826 is literally around the corner from my house,” frontman Stephan Jenkins said. "They are the premiere purveyor for all pirate supplies and Dave knows this kind of whimsy encourages kids to want to read more. We have always been a band that seeks to keep it local so 826 is an easy fit.”In other news, Stephan Jenkins donated time this week to the Jimmy Miller Foundation at Camp Pendleton in CA where a number of wounded, ill or injured Marines attached to the Wounded Warrior Battalion were hosted. For each “Ocean Therapy” session, there is a discussion about a theme related to trauma and recovery and how it relates to the ocean. After the discussion there is a 90-minute surf session followed by a closing circle. Jenkins spent the morning teaching Marines how to surf, and in essence sharing his love for a sport that has provided him with so much personal joy over the years. “Surfing is foundational to my life. Still it doesn’t feel complete until I share it with others,” Jenkins said. “Sharing it with service members who have carried their trauma home and seeing what it does for them completes it for me. There is no place I would have rather spent my birthday.” For more information on “Ocean Therapy” and The Jimmy Miller Foundation, check out its official homepage here, http://jimmymillerfoundation.org. 

Third Eye Blind will release its brand new seven-song album,  We Are Drugs , on Friday, October 7. Serving as a compliment to last year’s critically acclaimed studio album  Dopamine , We Are Drugs was recorded in late-Spring during a week-long intensive at renowned Sonic Ranch, a vintage recording studio secluded in the midst of a pecan ranch in the Texas borderland. “The setting allowed us the focus to take songs sometimes all the way from inception to completion in continuous sessions,” frontman and songwriter Stephan Jenkinssaid of the process. “We also allowed ourselves freedom on We Are Drugs from any definitions or guidelines of what we were supposed to be. We just took joy in getting in a big room together and letting music happen and then chasing it around wherever it led us. It is one of the most freeing recording experiences I have had.” Check out a stream of “Company Of Strangers,” the propulsive opener, via SoundCloud  HERE . 

We Are Drugs also features the advance previewed track “Cop Vs. Phone Girl,” a nightmarish yet uplifting sing-along that taps on police brutality and race. Written by Jenkins, the song's impact is all the more intense because the absurdity that it depicts is an accounting of an actual assault that took place last year at Spring Valley High in South Carolina on a student by an over aggressive campus safety officer. In a testament to Jenkins’ songwriting mastery, he still finds a way to chide hope into a dark narrative, and creates something anthemic out of viscously specific details. 

To say it’s been a busy year for Third Eye Blind would be a major understatement. From its massive draws across summer music festivals the world over to the countless headlines they’ve made in the political arena and charity work for organizations such as “Make Room,” the band has been tirelessly working on its craft and, in the process, being vocal about the issues that matter to them. The release of We Are Drugs is the next chapter in its legacy – a fully-realized body of work that continues to incorporate the band’s perfect pop sensibility with an ever-present progressive intent. Jenkins utilizes his characteristic rhythmic vocal style and lyrical prowess on issues of identity, connection, isolation and authenticity while keeping a sharp eye on a culture in rapid change, which has suited him well over the years. After five albums and millions of records sold worldwide, Third Eye Blind continue to write, record and tour, entertaining while growing a larger, younger and more dedicated fanbase than ever, which is something they continue to be thankful for. We Are Drugs takes its title and cover inspiration from Dali’s and his file Un Chien Andalou. “It is a reference that we make to the drug Dopamine.”

“It’s simple, really,” says Jenkins. “Everything that has been happening to us and around us these days has been pretty goddamn surreal.”

Colin Newman (of WIRE) Announces Reissues Of Three Classic Solo Albums

Colin Newman (of WIRE) Announces Reissues Of Three Classic Solo Albums

‘A-Z’/ ‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’/ ‘Not To’ Due October 28th Via Sentient SonicsColin Newman is best known as singer and chief songwriter with the ground breaking post-punk band WIRE. From their internationally influential 1977 debut ‘Pink Flag’ right up to 2016’s critical acclaimed ‘Nocturnal Koreans’, Newman and Wire have always been at music’s cutting edge. Throughout 1980-82, Newman released a series of solo work. From sound-tracking The Silence of the Lambs to being covered by This Mortal Coil, this solo work sought a place in history in it’s own right and has been unavailable for many years. Today we announce the reissue of three of Colin Newman’s classic solo records, to be made available in on October 28th via his own new imprint  Sentient Sonics  (originally released via Beggars Banquet/ 4AD):‘A-Z’ (1980)‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’  (1981)‘Not To’ (1982)The ‘A-Z/ Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish/Not To’ vinyl release will consist of the 3 re-mastered original albums, released as three single albums. The ‘A-Z/ Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish/Not To’ CD release will consist of the 3 re-mastered original albums, each accompanied by a companion CD of extra tracks, B-sides & demos - many of which have never been released before, which will be released as 3 double-CDs. Pre-order here: https://swim.greedbag.com/colinnewman/