Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2014

THE AVALANCHES' 'SUBWAYS REMIXES' OUT TODAY

THE AVALANCHES' SUBWAYS REMIXES OUT TODAY
Collection Features Contributions By Arthur Baker, In Flagranti And Leo James
Today, Astralwerks released The Avalanches' Subways Remixes. The collection includes influential producer/DJ Arthur Baker's remix of "Subways," which premiered earlier this week on  Pitchfork . While Baker (Afrika Bambaataa, New Order) is often considered a founding father of hip-hop and electronica and credited with bringing remixing into the mainstream, it has become extremely rare for him to release a remix. Stream the Arthur Baker mix on YouTube HERE.
  Subways Remixes  also includes In Flagranti's extended edit, which can be streamed on YouTube HERE, and Leo James' Deep Dub version of the track. See below for track listing.  Subways Remixes  can be purchased HERE and streamed HERE. Pulled from  Wildflower , The Avalanches' first album in 16 years, the new single"Subways" was praised by Rolling Stone for its "grooving bassline and richly textured sonic layer." The Avalanches teamed up with subversive French illustrators Mrzyk & Moriceauon the official video for "Subways," which can be seen HERE. "French animators Mrzyk & Moriceau have graced an already colorful song with a cast of bright cartoon personalities," said Stereogum of the clip, which offers a 2D trip through New York City's subway system.SPIN called it "trippy" and Rolling Stone noted, "The vibrant animations complement the song's lively use of sampling."   Wildflower , available HERE, entered the Australian Albums chart at No. 1. In the U.S., the vinyl edition debuted atop Billboard's Vinyl Albums chart. Pitchfork hailed Wildflower  as "an album that could have been made by nobody but the Avalanches" and theLos Angeles Times praised its "dreamy, beautifully melodic songs."Collaborators on Wildflower  includeDanny Brown and MF DOOM, Camp Lo, Jonathan Donahue(Mercury Rev), Toro y Moi, Jonti Danimals, Biz Markie, Jennifer Herrema (Royal Trux), Warren Ellis (Dirty Three, the Bad Seeds), Father John Misty, psych-poetDavid Berman, orchestrator Jean Michel-Bernard (The Science of Sleep) and long-time live accomplice James Dela Cruz.  Subways Remixes  - Track Listing1.      Arthur Baker Remix 2.      In Flagranti Extended Edit3.      Leo James Deep Dub### http://www.theavalanches.com/https://twitter.com/theavalancheshttps://www.instagram.com/theavalanches/https://www.youtube.com/user/avalanchesofficial

Green Day Premiere New Song "Still Breathing"

GREEN DAY PREMIERE NEW SONG "STILL BREATHING"
TRACK FROM UPCOMING NEW ALBUM REVOLUTION RADIOAVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 7TH ON REPRISE RECORDS



September 23, 2016 - (Los Angeles, CA) - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and Grammy Award-winning rock band Green Day have released more new music from their forthcoming album, Revolution Radio . New song "Still Breathing" is available for purchase and streaming today. Watch a lyric video for the song  HERE . The song is available as a complimentary, instant download (along with the previously released "Bang Bang" and "Revolution Radio") to those who  pre-order  the album, which is due from Reprise Records on October 7th.
Produced by Green Day and recorded in Oakland, Revolution Radio is a potent 12-track blitz of angst-ridden anthems that unites Green Day's fully formed stylistic approach with lyrical themes that address the complexities and uncertainties of modern day existence. Musically, the album is raw, visceral, and fearless - solidifying the band's reign as one of the leading voices in rock music.
Green Day will hit the road for a series of intimate club shows in the U.S. and Canada in support of the album. The North American dates kick off on September 26th in Columbus, OH, and conclude with a show on October 20th in Berkeley, CA. Visit www.greenday.com for ticket info.
Green Day's upcoming tour dates are as follows:
09/26Columbus, OHNewport Music Hall09/28Sayreville, NJStarland Theater09/29Philadelphia, PATower Theatre10/01Boston, MAHouse of Blues10/03Washington, DC9:30 Club10/08New York, NYWebster Hall10/17Los Angeles, CAPalladium10/20Berkeley, CAUC Theatre01/10Turin, ItalyPala Alpitour01/11Florence, ItalyMandela Forum01/13Bologna, ItalyUnipol Arena01/14Milan, ItalyMediolanum Forum01/16Zurich, SwitzerlandHallenstadion01/18Manheim, GermanySAP Arena01/19Berlin, GermanyMercedes Benz Arena01/21Kraków, PolandTauron Arena Kraków01/22Prague, Czech RepublicTipsport Arena01/25Oslo, NorwaySpektrum01/27Stockholm, SwedenStockholm Globe01/28Malmo, SwedenMalmo Arena01/30Cologne, GermanyLanxesse Arena01/31Amsterdam, HollandZiggo Dome02/02Brussels, BelgiumForest National02/03Paris, FranceAccorhotels Arena02/05Leeds, UKLeeds First Direct Arena02/06Manchester, UKManchester Arena02/08London, UKLondon The O206/23Scheeßel, GermanyHurricane Festival06/24Tuttlingen, GermanySouthside Festival

My Chemical Romance 'The Black Parade/Living With Ghosts' 10 Year Anniversary Edition Out Now

WARNER BROS. RECORDS RELEASES MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE'STHE BLACK PARADE / LIVING WITH GHOSTS TODAY
REISSUE MARKS 10-YEAR-ANNIVERSARY OF BAND'S ICONIC ALBUM AND INCLUDES 11 DEMOS AND OUTTAKES FROM THE ORIGINAL RECORDING SESSIONS
DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL VERSIONS NOW AVAILABLE AT ALL DSPs AND BAND'S WEBSTORE
 September 23rd, 2016 - (Burbank, CA) - Warner Bros. Records releases digital and physical versions of My Chemical Romance's  The Black Parade / Living With Ghosts (The 10thAnniversary Edition)  today via all DSPs including Spotify, where you can STREAM the album now, and the band's webstore HERE.    The set contains a reissue of My Chemical Romance's double-platinum, genre-defining album  The Black Parade , which was originally released by Reprise in October 2006, and features the band's multiplatinum hit "Welcome To The Black Parade." The new edition also includes 11 previously unreleased demos and outtakes from the original recording session with producer Rob Cavallo. Among them are "The Five of Us Are Dying," an early version of "Welcome To The Black Parade," and demos of the album tracks "Mama," "Disenchanted," and two versions of "House of Wolves." Five tracks, "Party At The End Of The World," "My Way Home Is Through You," "Not That Kind of Girl," "Emily," and "All The Angels," have never been released in any form. Upon its release on October 24th, 2006, The Black Parade shot to No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, selling over 240,000 copies its first week of release. It has since been certified double-platinum by the RIAA, with more than 4 million album sales worldwide, and more than 260 million Spotify streams. Similarly, the single "Welcome To The Black Parade" is also certified double-platinum and has sold more than 2.6 million digital downloads in the U.S., and earned 80,700,000 Spotify streams. The track-listing for The Black Parade / Living With Ghosts is as follows: The EndDead!This Is How I DisappearThe Sharpest LivesWelcome to the Black ParadeI Don't Love YouHouse of WolvesCancerMamaSleepTeenagersDisenchantedFamous Last Words The Five of Us Are Dying (rough mix)*Kill All Your Friends (live demo)Party At The End Of The World (live demo)Mama (live demo)My Way Home Is Through You (live demo)Not That Kind Of Girl (live demo)House of Wolves, Version 1 (live demo)House of Wolves, Version 2 (live demo)Emily (rough mix)*Disenchanted (live demo)All The Angels (live demo)

Merchandise - A Corpse Wired For Sound

Merchandise: 'A Corpse Wired For Sound'  
LP / CD / Digital Out Now BUY NOW FROM 4AD STORE
“Even more desolate, more morbid, more akin to a deep sigh than anything that’s come before it” - New York Times
“Both scorched and ecstatic” - Pitchfork 
"Gorgeous, majestic songs" - Consequence of Sound
“There is truth and beauty here” - Loud And Quiet
"Another experiment in Merchandise’s constant metamorphosis" - The Line of Best Fit
"A bold pushing against frontiers" - NME A Corpse Wired For Sound, the new album by Merchandise, is released worldwide today.Formed nearly a decade ago, galvanized by Tampa hardcore and inspired by its miscreant noise, A Corpse Wired For Sound signals a new chapter for Merchandise. Following 2014’s After The End — a full-band effort recorded in a closet — the band stripped back to its core of Carson Cox, Dave Vassalotti and Pat Brady. The trio travelled to Rosà, Italy for their first ever sessions in a recording studio with a local, Maurizio Baggio. The nine-song nocturnal A Corpse Wired For Sound was recorded half in the studio and half at home, in Tampa as well as Cox’s newly adopted bases of New York and Berlin – the culmination of a long-distance collaboration between Cox and Vassalotti.

Buy on LP/CD via 4AD Store here.
Buy from all other platforms here. Stream on Apple Music/Spotify/Tidal here. Merchandise will be touring North America and Europe over the next three months, you can find all tour dates  here . 4AD.com/artists/Merchandise
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Chicago trio Pamphleteers (ex-The Dials, The Returnables) debut album streaming in full, inspired post-punk borne of friendship and loss

Pamphleteers full length debut streaming in full,  powerful post-punk borne of tragedy
Husband, bandmates, friends killed by suicidal driver inspired new band to cope with loss Hear & share The Ghost That Follows album (Soundcloud) (Bandcamp)"One word to sum up The Ghost That Follows? Raw."  -- Speak Into My Good Eye
"An undeniable piece of rock perfection."  -- Music & Riots

Chicago trio Pamphleteers stream their full length debut The Ghost That Follows in its entirety starting today. Hear and share the full album via New Noise Magazine, Soundcloud andBandcamp.
Pamphleteers also celebrate the album release with a hometown show on Monday, September 26th at The Empty Bottle. See current dates below. 
The band spoke candidly about the tragic events that brought them together and gave a rousing in-studio appearance earlier this week on Chicago's NPR radio affiliate WBEZ. Hear & share the entire interview/performance HERE. 
Speak Into My Good Eye recently premiered album track "L.A. L.A." alongside a shining reviewHERE. Music & Riots Magazine launched the album title track HERE. And, Impose Magazine previously shared the anthemic single, "Shivering" HERE.
Pamphleteers have been unleashing their shimmering post-punk assault since 2012. After debuting with a split EP, the band released its first full length today. The Ghost That Follows overflows with fantastic hooks and urgency reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, Bikini Kill, Young Marble Giants and The Gun Club. 
As a group, Pamphleteers are steeped in history and friendship. Having played in such bands as The Dials (No Fun Records/Latest Flame), Telenovela, and The Returnables (Jettison Music/Dirtnap), bassist/vocalist Rebecca Crawford, drummer Geoff Atkinson, and guitarist Jonathan Ben-Isvy have played side by side, if not together, for more than a decade, and their friendship goes back years earlier. When event conspired to find Crawford and Ben-Isvy simultaneously bandless for the first time in their years of friendship, they naturally looked to each other to fulfill their musical compulsion. 
As Pamphleteers, Crawford, Atkinson, and Ben-Isvy darkly smash anything and everything that excite them into the rock 'n' roll caldron. The result is a sort of psychedelic new wave delivered with the punk urgency that rests at the trio's core. Angular, melodic guitar, repetitively grooving bass lines, massive, yet danceable drumbeats, and dark yet soaring vocals imbue Pamphleteers with an inescapably hook laden urgency. 
The Ghost That Follows is available on LP and download as of September 23rd, 2016. 

PAMPHLETEERS LIVE:09/26 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle10/29 Madison, WI @ Mickey's Tavern 

The Wedding Present announce 'Marc Riley Sessions Volume 1' album released 2nd December on Hatch Records

The Wedding Present
‘Marc Riley Sessions Volume 1’
Album released 2nd December on Hatch Records
Listen to ‘Heather’ HERE
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“The release of The Wedding Present sessions done for our 6 Music programme over the years is something of an honour. In the great tradition of the Peel/Selwood releases on the Strange Fruit label this record proves that even without John the BBC can still be a place where great bands can continue to grow and be creative… amongst friends.” Marc Riley
This December, Hatch Records, in conjunction with BBC Radio 6 Music, are pleased to announce the first in a series of stunning Marc Riley radio sessions from UK indie legends, The Wedding Present. Released 2nd December, ‘Marc Riley Sessions Volume 1’ consists of three memorable studio sessions from 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Highlighting the incredible consistency of David Gedge´s prolific songwriting over the period of three decades, the release includes a rollicking ‘Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft’ (‘George Best’ 1987), a stirling rendition of stone-cold proto-indie classic ‘Brassneck’ (‘Bizarro’ 1989), an anger-filled ‘Heather’ (‘Seamonsters’ 1991), and a ripping version of ‘Don’t Take Me Home Until I’m Drunk’ (‘El Rey’ 2008). Also included is live favourite ‘Where Everybody Knows Your Name’, a cover of the theme music to classic US sitcom ‘Cheers’.
One of the most listened to music shows on BBC 6 Music, Marc Riley is synonymous with popular radio; his long-running, Sony Radio Academy Award-nominated weekday evening show mixes the classics with the cutting-edge and has helped break numerous acts in recent years including Metronomy, Ezra Furman, Field Music, King Creosote, Everything Everything and Wild Beasts.
A band with a history that’s inextricably intertwined with the BBC and in particular the late BBC DJ John Peel, an early champion of the band, the ‘Marc Riley Sessions Volume 1’ echoes the famous Peel/Selwood releases on the Strange Fruit label that included BBC sessions from the likes of New Order, Buzzcocks, The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen.
“There were many other bands who benefitted from the ‘Peel Effect’. Too numerous to mention. But one of those was — as if you can’t see this coming — The Wedding Present. The constant support. Plays. Sessions. Encouragement. Friendship. John’s love of the George Best LP (which was a heroic support considering John’s affiliation to Liverpool — Manchester United’s most hated rival) was well known… and until John passed away he remained a firm fan of all things ‘Gedge’”, says Riley.
An avid Wedding Present fan himself, Riley shares in common with Peel that same enthusiasm for new music. His show is a continuation of the legacy Peel left behind, a man he grew up listening to and eventually formed a solid relationship with. Riley and his merry team of producers have formed a close bond with David Gedge and his band in recent years and the band have performed numerous sessions for the show, showcasing new material and returning to a few old classics along the way.
Forming in 1985, The Wedding Present are one of the UK’s most longstanding and much-loved indie bands with eighteen UK Top 40 hit singles to their name. Not bad for a band that has, from its inception, stubbornly refused to play the record industry’s game. Their breathtakingly honest love songs immersed in whirlwind guitars had Peel declare,“The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the rock ’n’ roll era. You may dispute this, but I’m right and you’re wrong!”.
The Wedding Present recently released their critically acclaimed ninth studio album ‘Going, Going…’ and are to embark on an extensive UK tour this winter.
Pledge here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/marc-riley-sessions-volume-1
Tracklisting:
Tracks 1-3             Recorded 26/10/07                                            Don’t Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk (El Rey 2008)                                Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft (George Best 1987)                                Something and Nothing (George Best 1987)               Tracks 4-6             Recorded 28/05/08                                Palisades (El Rey 2008)                                The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend (El Rey 2008)                                Gone (Bizarro 1989)                          Tracks 7-11           Recorded 07/12/10                                            You Jane (Valentina 2012)                                Mystery Date (Valentina 2012                                Brassneck (Bizarro 1989)                                Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme Tune)                                Heather (Seamonsters 1991)
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The Wedding Present Pledge MusicThe Wedding Present FacebookThe Wedding Present websiteThe Wedding Present Twitter

Rachael Yamagata Releases Fourth Album 'Tightrope Walker' via Frankenfish Records/Thirty Tigers

RACHAEL YAMAGATA RELEASES FOURTH ALBUMTIGHTROPE WALKER VIA FRANKENFISH RECORDS/THIRTY TIGERS
Photo Credit  Laura Crosta  September 23, 2016 - (Los Angeles, CA) - Acclaimed singer, songwriter, and musician Rachael Yamagata today released her highly anticipated fourth studio album  Tightrope Walker  via Frankenfish Records/Thirty Tigers. The album is available now digitally HERE and physically HERE. With its themes of perseverance, relentlessness, and owning your own power,  Tightrope Walker (Yamagata's first album since 2011's  Chesapeake ), represents an artistic rebirth both lyrically and sonically for the Woodstock, NY-based artist. "When [French high-wire artist] Philippe Petit was asked why he walked the tightrope he responded, 'Why - there is no why.' This really f--d me up," Yamagata says.  I was devoting an entire theme of the tightrope walker to my new record: defending the weary spirit and empowering the underdog while using the high wire artist as a symbol of how to get through, but it hadn't yet occurred to me to contemplate the why of getting through or the why of even my own art.  Beyond that, why continue in an industry that I'd not yet conquered or pursue this when you have to give up so much to do so?  Something propels our survival and search for happiness and it's this desire to overcome what threatens to break us that continues to fascinate me. If you're thinking of quitting - anything - this is your record," she says.
For her second independent release, Yamagata launched a PledgeMusic campaign (ongoing since 2014) and became producer, den mother, and manager, turning her "hermit house in the woods" into a studio. In the process, she rounded up an illustrious array of guest performers, including such Grammy Award winners as Owen Biddle (The Roots), Matt Chamberlain, and Victor Indrizzo, as well as celebrated musicians Ben Perowsky (Rufus Wainwright), Zach Djanikian (Amos Lee), Kevin Salem (Dumptruck, Yo La Tengo), Russell Simins (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) and others. Yamagata self-produced  Tightrope Walker  and brought her long-time producer, three-time Grammy nominee John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band) onboard halfway through the process as co-producer.
Prior to the release of Tightrope Walker, Yamagata treated fans to an early listen of tracks "Nobody", "Over", and "Let Me Be Your Girl". Yamagata co-directed and co-edited the video for the album's first single "Nobody." The video uses dance to symbolize the transformative power of breaking through as we harness the energy of our guides/ muse/ inner potential and go after our dreams. Watch it HERE.Rolling Stone premiered the video for "Over" last month, praising the "upbeat and orchestrally ornamented" track. "Over" is an anthem about letting go and finally moving on, that showcases a newfound optimism, previously unexplored in her past work. Watch the video for the track HERE. Next week, Yamagata will release a highly anticipated music video for "Let Me Be Your Girl" starring Allison Janney and directed by Josh Radnor.   Despite having the impressive resume of a major-label artist who turns independent, becomes a PledgeMusic legend, gets profiled in two Berklee College of Music marketing classes, performs for President Obama, earns praise from artists like Gregory Colbert and gurus like Deepak Chopra, and who has played Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden and shared stages with Patti Smith, Michael Stipe and Pete Townshend, what defines Yamagata most is this: "I have fully stepped into my role as healer, optimist, entrepreneur, writer, producer, and spirited badass. And that is my 'why,'" she says.Earlier this month, Yamagata embarked on her Tightrope Walker North American Tour. Tickets for the tour are available now HERE. See below for a list of upcoming tour dates. TIGHTROPE WALKER NORTH AMERICAN TOUR9/23Philadelphia, PAUnion Transfer9/24Washington, DCThe Howard Theatre9/26Brooklyn, NYMusic Hall of Williamsburg9/27New York, NYBowery Ballroom9/28Pawtucket, RIThe Met9/29Portland, MEPort City Music Hall10/1Toronto, ONVelvet Underground10/3Pontiac, MIThe Pike Room10/4Chicago, ILThalia Hall10/5Madison, WIHigh Noon Saloon10/7Minneapolis, MNTriple Rock Social Club10/10Dallas, TXClub Dada10/11Houston, TXWhite Oak Music Hall10/12Austin, TXAntone's10/14Denver, COLarimer Lounge10/15Salt Lake City, UTUrban Lounge10/17Seattle, WATractor Tavern10/18Vancouver, BCFox Cabaret10/19Portland, ORStar Theater10/21San Francisco, CAThe Independent10/22Santa Ana, CAConstellation Room10/26Los Angeles, CATeragram Ballroom

Watch an exclusive new clip from Danny Says feat. Alice Cooper via Billboard

Watch an exclusive new clip from Danny Says feat. Alice Cooper via BillboardWatch it HEREMagnolia Pictures presents:
Danny Says Featuring Danny Fields, Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, Lou Reed, Nico, Jim Morrison, The Doors, MC5, Edie Sedgwick, Alice Cooper, Judy Collins and The RamonesMagnolia Pictures will release DANNY SAYS in Theaters, On Demand, on iTunes and Amazon Video September 30th  Sept. 24 screenings for Art House Theater Day:ACME    Lambertville, NJ
Aperture Cinema    Winston-Salem, NC
Avon Twin Theatre    Stamford, CT
Balboa Theatre    San Francisco, CA
Bijou Film Center    Richmond, VA
Cable Car Cinema    Providence, RI
Cameo Art House    Fayetteville, NC
Cary Theatre    Cary, NC
Cedar Lee Theatres    Cleveland Heights, OH
Chattanooga Film Fest Cine-Rama    Ooltewah, TN
Cinema Arts Theatre Fairfax    Fairfax, VA
Cinemapolis 5    Ithaca, NY
Cyclops Cinema    Gainesville, FL
Esquire Theatre    Cincinnati, OH
Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater    Omaha, NE
FilmBar    Phoenix, AZ
FilmScene    Iowa City, IA
Fountain Theatre    Mesilla, NM
Frontier Cafe    Brunswick, ME
Gateway Film Center 8    Columbus, OH
Grail Moviehouse 3    Asheville, NC
Harris Theatre    Pittsburgh, PA
IFC Center 5    New York, NY
Indiana University Cinema    Bloomington, IN
Jacob Burns Film Center    Pleasantville, NY
Jane Pickens Theatre    Newport, RI
Little Theatre    Rochester, NY
Mariemont 4    Cincinnati, OH
Mary D. Fisher Theatre    Sedona, AZ
Miami Beach Cinematheque    Miami Beach, FL
Michigan Theater    Ann Arbor, MI
Pageant Theatre    Chico, CA
Palm Cinema    San Luis Obispo, CA
Railroad Square Cinema 3    Waterville, ME
Red River 3    Concord, NH
Roxie    San Francisco, CA
Salina Art Center    Salina, KS
Savoy    Montpelier, VT
Screening Room Cinema Cafe    Amherst, NY
Smith Rafael Film Center    San Rafael, CA
Texas Theatre    Dallas, TX
The Museum of Fine Arts    Houston, TX
The ShowRoom    Asbury Park, NJ
Tower Theatre    Salt Lake City, UT
Valley Art 1 Theatre    Tempe, AZ
Waters Edge Cinema    Provincetown, MA
Zoetropolis    Lancaster, PASept. 30 Theatrical Openings:Broad Theatre 4    New Orleans, LA
Criterion Cinemas 7    New Haven, CT
IFC Center 5    New York, NY
Living Room 6    Portland, OR
Palm Cinema    San Luis Obispo, CA
Roxie    San Francisco, CA
Sie Film Center    Denver, CO
Sundance Sunset Cinemas    West Hollywood, CA
Charles Theatre    Baltimore, MD
Kimball Theatre 2    Williamsburg, VA
PFC's Limelight Cinema 3    Bellingham, WA
Olympia Film SocietyCapitol Theatre    Olympia, WA
Acadiana Center for the Arts    Lafayette, LA
Speed Art Museum    Louisville, KY

Music Tastes Good is here!

Presented by 89.9 KCRW, Music Tastes Good will take place the weekend of September 23-25 on the streets of historic Downtown Long Beach, conveniently located within walking distance of the Metro Blue Line.The musical lineup for Music Tastes Good was announced during a live event in Downtown Long Beach this past spring and includes: The Specials, Iron & Wine, Sylvan Esso, Squeeze, Rival Sons, De La Soul, Dr Dog, Warpaint, Gallant, Deltron 3030 w/ The 3030 Orchestra, Melvins, Twin Peaks, Girlpool, Clipping., P.O.S., Living Colour, Cody Chestnutt and many others. See entire lineup below.Things kick off on Friday night 9/23, with a high energy music/food block party highlighting craft beer and local vendors, followed by the main event on Saturday 9/24, offering 4 jam-packed stages of music which will take over Pine Ave, plus the optional VIP "Farm-To-Taste Experience." The weekend concludes on Sunday, 9/25, spotlighting more great music and a Bloody Mary brunch.VIP, 3-day and a Single Day tickets are still available!

Julia Jacklin - Don't Let The Kids Win

Julia Jacklin
Don’t Let The Kids Win
Polyvinyl Records
7 October 2016Julia Jacklin thought she’d be a social worker.

Growing up in Australia's Blue Mountains to a family of teachers, Jacklin discovered an avenue to art at the age of 10, thanks to an unlikely source: Britney Spears.

Jacklin chanced upon a documentary about the pop star while on family holiday. “By the time Britney was 12 she’d achieved a lot,” says Jacklin.”I remember thinking, ‘Shit, what have I done with my life? I haven’t achieved anything.’ So I was like, ‘Mum, as soon as we get home from this holiday I need to go to singing lessons.’

Classical singing lessons were the only kind in the area, but Jacklin took to it. Voice control was crucial, and Jacklin flourished. But the lack of expression had the teen seeking substance, and she wound up in a high school band, “wearing surf clothing and doing a lot of high jumps” singing Avril Lavigne and Evanescence covers. It wasn’t much but she was hooked.

Jacklin’s second epiphany came after high school. Travelling in South America she reconnected with high school friend and future foil Liz Hughes. The two returned home to the Blue Mountains and started a band, bonding over a love of indie-Appalachian folk trio Mountain Man and the songs Hughes was writing.

“I would just sing,” says Jacklin. “But as I got my confidence I started playing guitar and writing songs. I wouldn’t be doing music now if it wasn’t for Liz or that band. I never knew it was something I could do. “

Inspired, Jacklin began educating herself. From Fiona Apple she learned to be bold with words; from Anna Calvi, the cut and presence of electric guitar; and from Angel Olsen, that interpretation triumphs over technique. Now living in a garage in Glebe and working a day job on a factory production line making essential oils, the 25-year old found time to hone her craft – to examine her turns of phrase, to observe the stretching of her friendship circles, to wonder who she was and who she might become. That document is Jacklin’s masterful debut album, Don’t Let The Kids Win - an intimate examination of a life still being lived.

Recorded at New Zealand’s Sitting Room studios with Ben Edwards (Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, Nadia Reid), Don’t Let The Kids Win courses with the aching current of alt-country and indie-folk, augmented by Jacklin’s undeniable calling cards: her rich, distinctive voice, and her playful, observational wit.

You can hear it in opener ‘Pool Party’, a gorgeous lilt bristling with Jacklin’s tale of substance abuse by the pool; in the sparse, ‘Elizabeth’, wrestling with both devotion and admonishment of a friend; in detailing the slow-motion banality of a relationship breakdown in the woozy ‘L.A Dreams’; and in her resolve to accept the passing of time on the snappy fuzz of ‘Coming Of Age’. The album hums with peripheral insights, minute in their moments but together proving an urge to stay curious.

“I thought it was going to be a heartbreak record,” says Jacklin of Don’t Let The Kids Win. “But in hindsight I see it’s about hitting 24 and thinking, ‘What the fuck am I doing?’ I was feeling very nostalgic for my youth. When I was growing up I was so ambitious: I’m going to be this amazing social worker, save the world, a great musician, fit, an amazing writer. Then you get to mid-20s and you realise you have to focus on one thing. Even if it doesn’t pay-off, or you feel embarrassed at family occasions because you’re the poor musician still, that’s the decision I made.”

In person Jacklin is funny, wry, quick to crack a joke. It makes the blunt honesty and prickly insight laced through her songwriting disarming, a dissonance she delights in. “Especially coming from my family,” says Jacklin. “They don’t talk about feelings at all. I love writing songs about them and watching them listen and squirm. To me that’s great. I enjoy it.”

The title track was the last song Jacklin wrote for the album. “My sister’s getting married soon,” she says of the closer. “And it hit me – we used to be two young girls and now that part of our lives is over. Seeing her talking about wanting to have a baby and…it’s like, man I can’t believe we’re already here.”

Don’t mistake this awareness for nostalgia. “It’s not that I want to go back to that time at all,” says Jacklin. “It’s trying to figure out how to be responsible when you don’t identify with who you were anymore.”

“All my friends at this age are freaking out. Everyone’s constantly talking about being old. Don’t Let The Kids Win is saying yeah we’re getting older but it’s not so special. It’s not unique. Everyone has dealt with this and it’s going to keep feeling weird. So I’m freaking out about it too but that song is trying to convince myself: let’s live now and just be old when we’re old.”
 Julia Jacklin Tour Dates:
 09/17 - Ottawa, ON, Canada @ Cityfolk09/18 - Toronto, ON, Canada @ Toronto Urban Roots 09/20 - Chicago, IL @ Martyrs' $09/21 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency09/22 - Champaign-Urbana, IL @ Pygmalion Music Festival09/23 - Cincinnati, OH @ MidPoint Music Festival09/24 - Washington, DC @ DC9 Nightclub $09/25 - New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom $09/27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle $09/29 - Montreal, QC, Canada @ Divan Orange $09/30 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott $10/01 - Pine Plains, NY @ Huichica East Festival 10/04 - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour $10/06 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge $10/07 - Vancouver, BC, Canada @ Biltmore Cabaret $ 10/08 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre10/24 - Berlin, Germany @ Maze10/25 - Cologne, Germany @ Blue Shell #10/26 - Munich, Germany @ Unter Deck  #10/27 - St Gallen, Switzerland @ Palace  #10/29 - Zwolle, Netherlands @ Let's Get Lost Festival10/30 - Brussels, Belgium @ AB Club  #10/31 - Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotown11/03 - Brighton, England @ The Haunt  #11/04 - Nottingham, England @  Bodega   #11/05 - Glasgow, Scotland @ CCA   #11/06 - Newcastle, England @ The Cluny  #11/08 - Manchester, England @ Manchester Gorilla  #11/09 - Bristol, England @ Thekla #11/10 - London, England @ Koko #11/11 - Dublin, Ireland @ Grand Social11/18 - 11/19 - Mullumbimby Music Festival11/25 - Paradise Music Festival11/26 - 11/27 - Queenscliff Music Festival11/02 - 11/03 - Fairgrounds Festival$ w/ Marlon Williams # w/ Whitney