Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2423
August 7, 2014
Nonesuch Records releases new album by Sam Amidon on Sept 30
NONESUCH RECORDS TO RELEASE SAM AMIDON’S LILY-O ON SEPT 30
NEW COLLECTION OF AMIDON’S SIGNATURE SONG REINTERPRETATIONS FEATURES COLLABORATION WITH GUITARIST BILL FRISELL, BASSIST SHAHZAD ISMAILY, DRUMMER CHRIS VATALARO “What distinguishes Amidon from the pack of folk revivalists currently enamored with pre-rock Americana: He not only has an impressively deep knowledge of traditional song forms, but takes liberties with the country's past in order to document his own personal present.” - Pitchfork
New York, NY – August 7, 2014 – Lily-O, a new album of reimagined folk songs by Vermont-born singer/fiddler/banjoist/guitarist Sam Amidon will be released Sept. 30 by Nonesuch Records. The album was produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Feist) and features the innovative jazz guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, along with Amidon’s other frequent collaborators, bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Chris Vatalaro. Amidon tours in Europe this summer and performs as part of Nonesuch’s 50th anniversary celebration, Nonesuch Records at BAM in Brooklyn, NY (schedule below); additional US shows will be announced soon. Pre-orders of Lily-Oare available now at nonesuch.com with an instant download of the album track “Walkin’ Boss," which premiered today at Stereogum.
“Walkin’ Boss” is one of the first songs I learned on the banjo, by playing along with a recording by Jeff Davis as a teenager,” Amidon said. “As it happens this is also the first tune that we recorded during the sessions, on a crisp October morning in Reykjavik."
Frisell has been a hero of Amidon’s since the young Vermont native first heard the guitarist play at the Village Vanguard during a teenage visit to New York City. The two musicians stayed in touch and had their first live collaboration in 2011; not long after, Amidon began contemplating a return to Iceland to make a third album at Sigurðsson’s Greenhouse Studios. He eventually invited Frisell to join him and Sigurðsson, along with Ismaily and Vatalaro, to record what became Lily-O.
“I decided to put us all in a room together in Reykjavik for a few days,” Amidon said. “I knew if I got Bill together with those guys they would get into a deep situation. I imagined that we would do something weird and fiddle-based, but when we got in there it just felt great to sing the songs I had gathered. Recording took about four days. I'd teach them the basic structure of the song; we'd do a few takes, and move on to a new one. There's maybe one or two overdubs but otherwise you're hearing what we played.”
Lily-O’s 10 songs are mostly traditional folk songs gathered from disparate sources and refashioned in Amidon’s signature way (complete track list follows). The interplay between the four musicians is informed by their backgrounds in improvised music and the spontaneous nature of the sessions. As always, the central element is Amidon’s voice, which, in his deceptively understated manner, tells tales of adventure, love, violence and redemption.
Lily-O follows four albums by Amidon including his 2013 Nonesuch debut, Bright Sunny South. 2010’s I See The Sign and 2008’s All Is Well were made for the Icelandic label Bedroom Community and featured orchestral arrangements by composer Nico Muhly. Along the way Amidon has performed worldwide in myriad contexts, collaborating with musicians such as Muhly, Thomas Bartlett/Doveman, Beth Orton and Glen Hansard. He has appeared as a guest artist on recent albums by Tune-Yards, Aoife O’Donovan and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:
nonesuch.com, samamidon.com, facebook.com/samamidonmusic or follow @samamidon on Twitter Sam Amidon 2014 Tour Dates
Aug 13Kilkenny Arts FestivalKilkenny, IESept 20Brooklyn Academy of MusicBrooklyn, NYSept 21Mass MoCANorth Adams, MAOct 16The Barns at Wolf TrapVienna, VAOct 20The Parlor RoomNorthampton, MANov 16EFG London Jazz FestivalLondon, UKLily-O Track List
1. Walkin' Boss
2. Down the Line
3. Blue Mountains 4. Pat Do This, Pat Do That
5. Lily-O
6. Groundhog Variations
7. Won’t Turn Back
8. Maid Lamenting
9. Your Lone Journey
10. Devotion
FOXYGEN three shows in Southern California next week
All photos taken in San Diego by GERARD KENT.
Celebration Share New Track "Chariot"
LISTEN: CELEBRATION'S "CHARIOT"
AT UNDER THE RADAR
ALBUMIN OUT AUGUST 19TH ON BELLA UNION
Living legends on Baltimore's thriving music scene, Celebration return with Albumin, a seismic slice of psychedelic rock'n'soul, out August 19th on Bella Union. It's the band's first album since 2010's acclaimed Electric Tarot: Hello Paradise, and their first for Bella Union, initiating a new chapter in a story marked by triumph and disaster, struggle and redemption.
Listen to new single "Chariot" here: https://soundcloud.com/bella-union/celebration-chariot
The band has two dates coming up:September 26 -- NYC @ Mercury LoungeSeptermber 27 -- Baltimore @ Ottobar
Watch the video for the first single "Tomorrow's Here Today." The extraordinary video of which features a troop of interpretive dancers doused in black powder and paint resembling arty alien ninjas. Directed by Matt Riggieri at Digital Cave Media.
CELEBRATION TOMORROW'S HERE TODAY
ALBUMIN OUT AUGUST 19TH ON BELLA UNION
Living legends on Baltimore's thriving music scene, Celebration return with Albumin, a seismic slice of psychedelic rock'n'soul, out August 19th on Bella Union. It's the band's first album since 2010's acclaimed Electric Tarot: Hello Paradise, and their first for Bella Union, initiating a new chapter in a story marked by triumph and disaster, struggle and redemption.
Listen to new single "Chariot" here: https://soundcloud.com/bella-union/celebration-chariot
The band has two dates coming up:September 26 -- NYC @ Mercury LoungeSeptermber 27 -- Baltimore @ Ottobar
Watch the video for the first single "Tomorrow's Here Today." The extraordinary video of which features a troop of interpretive dancers doused in black powder and paint resembling arty alien ninjas. Directed by Matt Riggieri at Digital Cave Media.
CELEBRATION TOMORROW'S HERE TODAY
Foxygen @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery
Foxygen @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery
Orenda Fink shares "Ace Of Cups" video with Elle Magazine
Orenda Fink Shares "Ace Of Cups" Video With Elle MagazineNew Album Blue Dream Out August 19 via Saddle CreekSeptember Tour Dates Announced 
"Blue Dream floats in a state of meditative weightlessness suspended by plentiful pop hooks. Fans of Kate Bush should be pleased by the results." - Entertainment Weekly
"Orenda Fink embraces spirituality and mysticism along with more challenging songwriting." - Pitchfork "Fink's voice is lush, full, seductive, vulnerable, mature, and innocent at various times, and on rare occasions, all of those qualities at once." - Pop Matters
"Lovely and visceral all at once." - Paste
Watch: "Ace Of Cups" video via Elle Magazine or YouTubeListen: "Ace Of Cups" via Paste Magazine or SoundCloudListen: "Holy Holy" via American Songwriter or SoundCloud Orenda Fink will release her new album, Blue Dream on August 19 via Saddle Creek. Elle Magazine premiered the video for the single "Ace Of Cups." The video was created by created by Nik Fackler (Icky Blossoms, Sick Birds Die Easy) and Aaron Gum and is also available to share viaYouTube. The "Ace Of Cups" single is available now at iTunes and includes a demo version of "Ace Of Cups" along with a cover of John Lennon's "Look At Me." Blue Dream can be pre-ordered now on CD and LP in the Saddle Creek online store. Fans that order the deluxe LP (Blue and Coke Bottle vinyl) will also receive a bonus Blue Dream Dream Journal handmade and inscribed by Orenda Fink. The blank journals, limited to 100, are hand screen printed originals made from vintage re-purposed books. Orenda Fink just announced a fall tour that will make stops in major West Coast cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more. All upcoming shows are listed below.
Throughout her time with Azure Ray and over the course of her solo career, Orenda Fink has never shied from exploring the darker edges of spirituality and the human condition. On her debut solo album Invisible Ones, Orenda explored traditional Haitian ritual and mysticism. She then followed that up with an examination of the Southern Gothic subconscious on Ask the Night. Needless to say, death has been visible in much of her music. On her latest album, Blue Dream, she looks deeply at the subject, reflecting upon a year-long meditation on death that started with a dog named Wilson and the words of Laurie Anderson.
"Just look at yesterday, and what you were doing, and how important it was, and how nonexistent it is now! How dreamlike it is! Same thing with tomorrow. So where are we living? Tibetans have unbelievably fascinating answers to that. This is what I'm studying because my dog died." - Laurie Anderson Orenda was sent this quote by her friend Nina Barnes after Wilson, Orenda's dog of 16 years, died. That year she found herself on a deeply personal search for the meaning of death. Pieces of answers, coded in riddle, came to her in dreams. Her dreams began to tell a story - about life and death and the afterlife, reality, and the fine line between the conscious and subconscious world.
She then spent the next year understanding the experience and filtering it through the musical inspirations of Smog, Violetta Parra, and Kate Bush to craft Blue Dream. The album truly came together at ARC in Omaha, NE with the help of producers Ben Brodin and Todd Fink (The Faint), along with drummer Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Swans, R.E.M., King Crimson).
Lead single "Ace of Cups" starts the album off by using the Tarot symbol of attunement and spirituality to explore the interconnectedness with the world and humanity that even death cannot undo. The haunting "Holy Holy" examines them directly with lines "We come into this world all alone/and we leave with not much more" and "I lay in bed/collect all my dreams/then I pay/someone to read them to me/the simple ones are just as they seem/but open your eyes/and they say so much more." Whereas "All Hearts Will Beat Again" displays ideas Orenda came to understand upon reflection in lines "It's a sign in the eyes/something in your smile/it's a nod and a wave from the darkness/but our hearts will beat again/and the love we gave will come back/but I don't know where or when."
Writing the album allowed Orenda to contemplate the experiences that precipitated it and explore new perspectives gained over the past year. This process left her with the belief that we can only be truly healed if we find our "interior God." How do you find your interior God? There are many ways, but she believes one of them is through dreams. Dreams being the closest way to have a direct experience with the all-knowing past, present, and future.
Orenda Fink Tour Dates
09.18 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
09.19 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
09.21 - Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper
09.22 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
09.23 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
09.25 - San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
09.26 - San Jose, CA @ Cafe Stritch
09.27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos
09.29 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
09.30 - Tucson, AZ @ The Flycatcher
"Blue Dream floats in a state of meditative weightlessness suspended by plentiful pop hooks. Fans of Kate Bush should be pleased by the results." - Entertainment Weekly "Orenda Fink embraces spirituality and mysticism along with more challenging songwriting." - Pitchfork "Fink's voice is lush, full, seductive, vulnerable, mature, and innocent at various times, and on rare occasions, all of those qualities at once." - Pop Matters
"Lovely and visceral all at once." - Paste
Watch: "Ace Of Cups" video via Elle Magazine or YouTubeListen: "Ace Of Cups" via Paste Magazine or SoundCloudListen: "Holy Holy" via American Songwriter or SoundCloud Orenda Fink will release her new album, Blue Dream on August 19 via Saddle Creek. Elle Magazine premiered the video for the single "Ace Of Cups." The video was created by created by Nik Fackler (Icky Blossoms, Sick Birds Die Easy) and Aaron Gum and is also available to share viaYouTube. The "Ace Of Cups" single is available now at iTunes and includes a demo version of "Ace Of Cups" along with a cover of John Lennon's "Look At Me." Blue Dream can be pre-ordered now on CD and LP in the Saddle Creek online store. Fans that order the deluxe LP (Blue and Coke Bottle vinyl) will also receive a bonus Blue Dream Dream Journal handmade and inscribed by Orenda Fink. The blank journals, limited to 100, are hand screen printed originals made from vintage re-purposed books. Orenda Fink just announced a fall tour that will make stops in major West Coast cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more. All upcoming shows are listed below.
Throughout her time with Azure Ray and over the course of her solo career, Orenda Fink has never shied from exploring the darker edges of spirituality and the human condition. On her debut solo album Invisible Ones, Orenda explored traditional Haitian ritual and mysticism. She then followed that up with an examination of the Southern Gothic subconscious on Ask the Night. Needless to say, death has been visible in much of her music. On her latest album, Blue Dream, she looks deeply at the subject, reflecting upon a year-long meditation on death that started with a dog named Wilson and the words of Laurie Anderson.
"Just look at yesterday, and what you were doing, and how important it was, and how nonexistent it is now! How dreamlike it is! Same thing with tomorrow. So where are we living? Tibetans have unbelievably fascinating answers to that. This is what I'm studying because my dog died." - Laurie Anderson Orenda was sent this quote by her friend Nina Barnes after Wilson, Orenda's dog of 16 years, died. That year she found herself on a deeply personal search for the meaning of death. Pieces of answers, coded in riddle, came to her in dreams. Her dreams began to tell a story - about life and death and the afterlife, reality, and the fine line between the conscious and subconscious world.
She then spent the next year understanding the experience and filtering it through the musical inspirations of Smog, Violetta Parra, and Kate Bush to craft Blue Dream. The album truly came together at ARC in Omaha, NE with the help of producers Ben Brodin and Todd Fink (The Faint), along with drummer Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Swans, R.E.M., King Crimson).
Lead single "Ace of Cups" starts the album off by using the Tarot symbol of attunement and spirituality to explore the interconnectedness with the world and humanity that even death cannot undo. The haunting "Holy Holy" examines them directly with lines "We come into this world all alone/and we leave with not much more" and "I lay in bed/collect all my dreams/then I pay/someone to read them to me/the simple ones are just as they seem/but open your eyes/and they say so much more." Whereas "All Hearts Will Beat Again" displays ideas Orenda came to understand upon reflection in lines "It's a sign in the eyes/something in your smile/it's a nod and a wave from the darkness/but our hearts will beat again/and the love we gave will come back/but I don't know where or when."
Writing the album allowed Orenda to contemplate the experiences that precipitated it and explore new perspectives gained over the past year. This process left her with the belief that we can only be truly healed if we find our "interior God." How do you find your interior God? There are many ways, but she believes one of them is through dreams. Dreams being the closest way to have a direct experience with the all-knowing past, present, and future.
Orenda Fink Tour Dates
09.18 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
09.19 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
09.21 - Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper
09.22 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
09.23 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
09.25 - San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
09.26 - San Jose, CA @ Cafe Stritch
09.27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos
09.29 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
09.30 - Tucson, AZ @ The Flycatcher
Fiancé announce debut EP out September 23 on SQE
Fiancé Announce Debut EP 1 Out September 23 On SQE
Stream lead track "Era" at Noisey
photo credit: Nichole Fusca Listen: "Era" via Noisey or SoundCloud
Fiancé will release their debut EP, titled EP1, on September 23 via SQE. The EP will be available digitally and on vinyl and can be pre-ordered in the SQE online store. Noisey premiered the EP's first single Era" and described it as "a song that sounds like a hazy day at the beach that will never escape your memory." "Era" is also streaming on SoundCloud and available as download atiTunes.
Newark is a small city in Delaware, home to a little more than 30,000 people, a university and a burgeoning music scene. Most notably, though, it's the birthplace of Fiancé, a four-piece experimental pop group who are bringing their local vibe to a grander level. The band's members have been friends since grade school, always playing in and out of bands together over the years as they grew up. In January of 2013, Andrew Fusca, Jeff Marvel and Tyler Yoder got together and started a new project they dubbed Fiancé. The idea behind the group was vague, with the only goal to make music together that they all enjoyed. The band's first song, a surging, static-laced indie rock number called"Division" was released last March and quickly got picked up by several music blogs.
By June, the band had added local Delaware musician Brian Bruce on the drums. Based in a big farmhouse in Newark where the musicians have lived over the past few years, Fiancé have established themselves as a local staple. They helped to cultivate the music scene by hosting parties and shows at their house, highlighting DJ's and bands from the tri-sate area.
The house also doubles as Fiancé's recording studio. The musicians wrote the five tracks on their debut EP, titled EP 1, over the course of last summer and fall. Produced by Andrew and engineered by friend Ryan Williams, the entire EP was recorded to quarter inch tape on a Tascam 388 tape machine. The tape adds to the gauzy, fuzzed out aesthetic that threads throughout the songs. Their friend Rachel K. Haines added her vocals to the end of the track "Climb the Stairs."
The EP opens with the group's first single, "Era," a layered, shimmering pop song Andrew and Jeff had initially written for a possible solo project before Fiancé started. "It wasn't quite finished," Jeff says. "And the other band members just made it so much better. We're really proud of it." "Climb The Stairs," is a moody rocker that showcases the glimmer of darkness and melancholy in the group's sensibility.
The group is currently translating the aesthetic on their EP into a full-length album. For them, the EP is a hint at where Fiancé will go next, but not necessarily a complete indication. "Our goal is to write songs that are meaningful to us," Jeff says. "If our songs can impact other people in a positive way, then that's great. But our true goals are more selfish than that. We want to write songs that are more honest then anything we've done before, ones that resonate with ourselves."
Fiancé EP1 Track List
1. Era (stream)2. July3. Climb The Stairs4. Ivy 5. Another Year
For more info, please visit:
www.fiancemusic.com
www.facebook.com/fianceDEtwitter.com/fiancemusic
Stream lead track "Era" at Noisey
photo credit: Nichole Fusca Listen: "Era" via Noisey or SoundCloudFiancé will release their debut EP, titled EP1, on September 23 via SQE. The EP will be available digitally and on vinyl and can be pre-ordered in the SQE online store. Noisey premiered the EP's first single Era" and described it as "a song that sounds like a hazy day at the beach that will never escape your memory." "Era" is also streaming on SoundCloud and available as download atiTunes.
Newark is a small city in Delaware, home to a little more than 30,000 people, a university and a burgeoning music scene. Most notably, though, it's the birthplace of Fiancé, a four-piece experimental pop group who are bringing their local vibe to a grander level. The band's members have been friends since grade school, always playing in and out of bands together over the years as they grew up. In January of 2013, Andrew Fusca, Jeff Marvel and Tyler Yoder got together and started a new project they dubbed Fiancé. The idea behind the group was vague, with the only goal to make music together that they all enjoyed. The band's first song, a surging, static-laced indie rock number called"Division" was released last March and quickly got picked up by several music blogs.
By June, the band had added local Delaware musician Brian Bruce on the drums. Based in a big farmhouse in Newark where the musicians have lived over the past few years, Fiancé have established themselves as a local staple. They helped to cultivate the music scene by hosting parties and shows at their house, highlighting DJ's and bands from the tri-sate area.
The house also doubles as Fiancé's recording studio. The musicians wrote the five tracks on their debut EP, titled EP 1, over the course of last summer and fall. Produced by Andrew and engineered by friend Ryan Williams, the entire EP was recorded to quarter inch tape on a Tascam 388 tape machine. The tape adds to the gauzy, fuzzed out aesthetic that threads throughout the songs. Their friend Rachel K. Haines added her vocals to the end of the track "Climb the Stairs."
The EP opens with the group's first single, "Era," a layered, shimmering pop song Andrew and Jeff had initially written for a possible solo project before Fiancé started. "It wasn't quite finished," Jeff says. "And the other band members just made it so much better. We're really proud of it." "Climb The Stairs," is a moody rocker that showcases the glimmer of darkness and melancholy in the group's sensibility.
The group is currently translating the aesthetic on their EP into a full-length album. For them, the EP is a hint at where Fiancé will go next, but not necessarily a complete indication. "Our goal is to write songs that are meaningful to us," Jeff says. "If our songs can impact other people in a positive way, then that's great. But our true goals are more selfish than that. We want to write songs that are more honest then anything we've done before, ones that resonate with ourselves."
Fiancé EP1 Track List
1. Era (stream)2. July3. Climb The Stairs4. Ivy 5. Another Year For more info, please visit:
www.fiancemusic.com
www.facebook.com/fianceDEtwitter.com/fiancemusic
August 6, 2014
ELIOT SUMNER Premieres Music Video
ELIOT SUMNER’S Information
EP Out Today via CherrytreeReveals NEW Music Video for “Information”[image error]“Information is an unexpected mashup of electronic beats, synth-driven melodies, and her trademark smoky vocals.”–
NYLON
“[“Information”] a bold new statement of intent that’s in equal parts monstrous, broody and utterly infectious.”
– The Line of Best Fit
“Nodding towards early 80s new pop in a melodramatic grandeur”
– Clash Music
"The video is a representation of the self, alone and vulnerable in a dark void," she said. "'Information' is a breakup song; it's about not understanding the situation. With social networks these days, everyone needs to know everything, all the time. But the problem is, people are so used to short snippets of information that no one has any attention span any more. I don't, anyway. It's about a quest to know everything."Eliot’s new EP Information is coming from a renewed sense of focus and clarity. While its three tracks still bear the hallmarks of I Blame Coco’s output, there are some more surprising influences on there too, from her favorite band as a teenager, the Bad Seeds, to even more obscure sounds.The lead track, “Information,” is a six-minute synth-and-strings song that plays out with a long, confident instrumental passage. “It’s a break-up song,” Eliot explains. “It’s about not understanding the situation. With social networks these days, everyone needs to know everything, all the time. It’s about a quest to know everything. We recorded it in one take, so it’s nice to have that on the album.”“Come Friday,” on the other hand, is a more guitar-driven track with an anthemic chorus, but again, its shiny, soaring melodies disguise a darker subject matter. “That’s one of my favorites, but it’s not a very happy song. It’s about still being in love with someone but not allowing them to have another life.”Then there’s “Wobbler,” a menacing, dirgey waltz, which Eliot wrote while travelling. It tells the story of a person who “kills people, ex-lovers, out of joy,” she explains with a smile, “Murder Ballads is one of my favorite albums.”After releasing The Constant in 2010 under the moniker I Blame Coco, Eliot toured for two years, playing headlining shows and festivals all over the world. Since then, she’s experimented with different writing methods – and even spent time working with Clint Mansell on a film score! - and took time to simply grow. She says, “It’s now or never. I’m proud of the music I’m making and it’s time to take ownership by putting my real name on it.”Watch these spaces for more:
https://www.facebook.com/eliotsumnermusichttp://instagram.com/eliotsumner2https://twitter.com/eliotsumnerhttps://soundcloud.com/eliotsumnerhttps://www.youtube.com/user/eliotsumnerwww.cherrytreerecords.com
"The video is a representation of the self, alone and vulnerable in a dark void," she said. "'Information' is a breakup song; it's about not understanding the situation. With social networks these days, everyone needs to know everything, all the time. But the problem is, people are so used to short snippets of information that no one has any attention span any more. I don't, anyway. It's about a quest to know everything."Eliot’s new EP Information is coming from a renewed sense of focus and clarity. While its three tracks still bear the hallmarks of I Blame Coco’s output, there are some more surprising influences on there too, from her favorite band as a teenager, the Bad Seeds, to even more obscure sounds.The lead track, “Information,” is a six-minute synth-and-strings song that plays out with a long, confident instrumental passage. “It’s a break-up song,” Eliot explains. “It’s about not understanding the situation. With social networks these days, everyone needs to know everything, all the time. It’s about a quest to know everything. We recorded it in one take, so it’s nice to have that on the album.”“Come Friday,” on the other hand, is a more guitar-driven track with an anthemic chorus, but again, its shiny, soaring melodies disguise a darker subject matter. “That’s one of my favorites, but it’s not a very happy song. It’s about still being in love with someone but not allowing them to have another life.”Then there’s “Wobbler,” a menacing, dirgey waltz, which Eliot wrote while travelling. It tells the story of a person who “kills people, ex-lovers, out of joy,” she explains with a smile, “Murder Ballads is one of my favorite albums.”After releasing The Constant in 2010 under the moniker I Blame Coco, Eliot toured for two years, playing headlining shows and festivals all over the world. Since then, she’s experimented with different writing methods – and even spent time working with Clint Mansell on a film score! - and took time to simply grow. She says, “It’s now or never. I’m proud of the music I’m making and it’s time to take ownership by putting my real name on it.”Watch these spaces for more:
https://www.facebook.com/eliotsumnermusichttp://instagram.com/eliotsumner2https://twitter.com/eliotsumnerhttps://soundcloud.com/eliotsumnerhttps://www.youtube.com/user/eliotsumnerwww.cherrytreerecords.com
SISU Premiere 'Harpoons' On Brooklyn Vegan
Debut LP "Blood Tears" Out Now On Mono Prism RecordsOn Tour Now With Tweens Crocodiles[image error]
"Blood Tears" Track Listing:1. Counting Stars
2. Cut Me Off
3. Harpoons
4. Electronic
5. Sinking Feeling
6. Let Go
7. Return The Favor
8. Shotgun Running
9. Sharp Teeth
10. Blood Tears
Tour Dates:8/01 - San Diego, CA - The Hideout
8/02 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory %
8/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Los Globos #
8/20 - Hollywood, CA - The Sayer's Club @
8/25 - Atlanta, GA - 529 #
8/26 - Raleigh, NC - King's Barcade #
8/27 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter #
8/28 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong #
8/29 - Baltimore, MD - The Metro Gallery #
8/30 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle Bar #
8/31 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right #
% - Burger a-go-go w/ BEST COAST, BLEACHED
@ - w/ TANLINES# - w/ CROCODILES
Listen To 'Harpoons' On Brooklyn Vegan!
SISU is Sandra Vu. The LA-based singer/multi-instrumentalist layers airy, harmony-laden vocals over dreamy synthwave, which has been described as “Smithsian shoegaze” (Village Voice) and “Nightmarish Beach House” (Santa Barbara Independent). Though she’s a seasoned drummer (Dum Dum Girls, The Raveonettes, Boredoms, Dirty Beaches), she’s stepped out from behind the kit to center stage for SISU, opening on tour dates for Cat Power, Marnie Stern, DIIV, and Metronomy.
"Blood Tears", SISU’s first full-length album builds on the recently released "Light Eyes" EP (April 2013), offering a bigger sound and a heightened sense of drama. As Vu explains, “These are pop songs with un-pop sounds.” SISU is defined by contrast and juxtaposition, and Vu finds a particular challenge and joy in combining opposites—soft and hard, loud and quiet, abrasive and smooth—to arrive at this aesthetic.
Writing songs for the album was catharsis for Vu, who used the process to overcome a period of disillusionment in between bands. “Blood Tears" is about relationships and the creative process—the necessity of pain for growth or creation,” she says. “Sometimes you have to kill a part of yourself to become stronger.” The new single “Harpoons” is a declaration of this power and independence found in divorcing yourself from the past. Both aggressive and sublime, it’s quintessential SISU. From this experience, Vu found her voice, naming it SISU, the Finnish word for “extreme perseverance.”
"Blood Tears" is the second release under the MONO PRISM umbrella—a collective of artists and springboard for music, film, and print projects. David South, SISU’s touring bassist, heads MONO PRISM, directed SISU’s first music video, “Two Thousand Hands,” and creates the band’s live visuals. It was these immersive audiovisual experiences that caught Cat Power’s attention, which lead to SISU supporting her on numerous dates earlier this year.
Vu wrote, played, and produced "Blood Tears" with bandmates Ryan Wood (co-producer), Nathanael Keefer (drums), and Lars Stalfors (Chelsea Wolfe, The Soft Pack, The Mars Volta) mixed the album. Julianna Medeiros (Dum Dum Girls) joins SISU live on synth and backup vocals.
[image error]
"Blood Tears" Track Listing:1. Counting Stars
2. Cut Me Off
3. Harpoons
4. Electronic
5. Sinking Feeling
6. Let Go
7. Return The Favor
8. Shotgun Running
9. Sharp Teeth
10. Blood Tears
Tour Dates:8/01 - San Diego, CA - The Hideout
8/02 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory %
8/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Los Globos #
8/20 - Hollywood, CA - The Sayer's Club @
8/25 - Atlanta, GA - 529 #
8/26 - Raleigh, NC - King's Barcade #
8/27 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter #
8/28 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong #
8/29 - Baltimore, MD - The Metro Gallery #
8/30 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle Bar #
8/31 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right #
% - Burger a-go-go w/ BEST COAST, BLEACHED
@ - w/ TANLINES# - w/ CROCODILES
Listen To 'Harpoons' On Brooklyn Vegan!
SISU is Sandra Vu. The LA-based singer/multi-instrumentalist layers airy, harmony-laden vocals over dreamy synthwave, which has been described as “Smithsian shoegaze” (Village Voice) and “Nightmarish Beach House” (Santa Barbara Independent). Though she’s a seasoned drummer (Dum Dum Girls, The Raveonettes, Boredoms, Dirty Beaches), she’s stepped out from behind the kit to center stage for SISU, opening on tour dates for Cat Power, Marnie Stern, DIIV, and Metronomy.
"Blood Tears", SISU’s first full-length album builds on the recently released "Light Eyes" EP (April 2013), offering a bigger sound and a heightened sense of drama. As Vu explains, “These are pop songs with un-pop sounds.” SISU is defined by contrast and juxtaposition, and Vu finds a particular challenge and joy in combining opposites—soft and hard, loud and quiet, abrasive and smooth—to arrive at this aesthetic.
Writing songs for the album was catharsis for Vu, who used the process to overcome a period of disillusionment in between bands. “Blood Tears" is about relationships and the creative process—the necessity of pain for growth or creation,” she says. “Sometimes you have to kill a part of yourself to become stronger.” The new single “Harpoons” is a declaration of this power and independence found in divorcing yourself from the past. Both aggressive and sublime, it’s quintessential SISU. From this experience, Vu found her voice, naming it SISU, the Finnish word for “extreme perseverance.”
"Blood Tears" is the second release under the MONO PRISM umbrella—a collective of artists and springboard for music, film, and print projects. David South, SISU’s touring bassist, heads MONO PRISM, directed SISU’s first music video, “Two Thousand Hands,” and creates the band’s live visuals. It was these immersive audiovisual experiences that caught Cat Power’s attention, which lead to SISU supporting her on numerous dates earlier this year.
Vu wrote, played, and produced "Blood Tears" with bandmates Ryan Wood (co-producer), Nathanael Keefer (drums), and Lars Stalfors (Chelsea Wolfe, The Soft Pack, The Mars Volta) mixed the album. Julianna Medeiros (Dum Dum Girls) joins SISU live on synth and backup vocals.
[image error]
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS TOP BILLBOARD CHART
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS TOP BILLBOARD CHART WITH
HYPNOTIC EYE
THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM IS HIS FIRST EVER NUMBER 1August 06, 2014 - (Burbank, CA.) - Reprise Records is proud to announce TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS have topped the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart with the release of their new album on Reprise Records, Hypnotic Eye . The album has been a hit with fans and critics alike, many of whom have declared the album to be amongst Petty's finest.
"Congratulations to Tom and the Heartbreakers! This is a landmark event for a brilliant band that has been an indelible part of American culture for the past four decades," said Cameron Strang,Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. Records. "Tom has written some of the most powerful, insightful, and evocative songs of his career, delivered with phenomenal energy and passion by the Heartbreakers, an extraordinary rock and roll machine that just keeps getting better and better. It's a privilege for all of us at Warner Bros. to join them in celebrating their No. 1 album."
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers have hit the road for an extensive North American tour which continues into October. This weekend, the band will headline the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Hypnotic Eye has been critically embraced around the globe:
"On Hypnotic Eye, the 63-year-old and his eternal Heartbreakers return to the scrappy heat of those early days with their toughest, most straight-up rocking record in many years, deepened by veteran perspective." - Rolling Stone
"Passionate yet wise, accessible but not slick, Hypnotic Eye casts a lasting spell." - USA Today
"Equal of anything Petty has released in a long and righteously distinguished career" - Daily Telegraph (U.K.)
"A Rock 'N' Roll Triumph - Were this the summer of 1984, "Faultlines," ''Red River," ''Forgotten Man" and "Sins of My Youth" would be constants on the radio." - Associated Press
"As romance, ethics, community and the economy collapse, Mr. Petty and the Heartbreakers offer two old-fashioned bulwarks: the solidarity of the band and the sinewy construction of the songs." - The New York Times
"All of Hypnotic Eye carries a sense of knowing urgency, as though jamming on itchy blues is the only logical defense against the inevitable."- Entertainment Weekly
"One of the best albums in the band's catalog" - Newsday
"It's his catchiest, most sharply focused album in years." - New York Daily News
"Impossible not to like." - The Guardian (U.K.)
"Petty sounds as inspired as ever." - NME (U.K.)
For more information on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and their new album Hypnotic Eye , visit: www.tompetty.com .
THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM IS HIS FIRST EVER NUMBER 1August 06, 2014 - (Burbank, CA.) - Reprise Records is proud to announce TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS have topped the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart with the release of their new album on Reprise Records, Hypnotic Eye . The album has been a hit with fans and critics alike, many of whom have declared the album to be amongst Petty's finest.
"Congratulations to Tom and the Heartbreakers! This is a landmark event for a brilliant band that has been an indelible part of American culture for the past four decades," said Cameron Strang,Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. Records. "Tom has written some of the most powerful, insightful, and evocative songs of his career, delivered with phenomenal energy and passion by the Heartbreakers, an extraordinary rock and roll machine that just keeps getting better and better. It's a privilege for all of us at Warner Bros. to join them in celebrating their No. 1 album."
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers have hit the road for an extensive North American tour which continues into October. This weekend, the band will headline the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Hypnotic Eye has been critically embraced around the globe:
"On Hypnotic Eye, the 63-year-old and his eternal Heartbreakers return to the scrappy heat of those early days with their toughest, most straight-up rocking record in many years, deepened by veteran perspective." - Rolling Stone
"Passionate yet wise, accessible but not slick, Hypnotic Eye casts a lasting spell." - USA Today
"Equal of anything Petty has released in a long and righteously distinguished career" - Daily Telegraph (U.K.)
"A Rock 'N' Roll Triumph - Were this the summer of 1984, "Faultlines," ''Red River," ''Forgotten Man" and "Sins of My Youth" would be constants on the radio." - Associated Press
"As romance, ethics, community and the economy collapse, Mr. Petty and the Heartbreakers offer two old-fashioned bulwarks: the solidarity of the band and the sinewy construction of the songs." - The New York Times
"All of Hypnotic Eye carries a sense of knowing urgency, as though jamming on itchy blues is the only logical defense against the inevitable."- Entertainment Weekly
"One of the best albums in the band's catalog" - Newsday
"It's his catchiest, most sharply focused album in years." - New York Daily News
"Impossible not to like." - The Guardian (U.K.)
"Petty sounds as inspired as ever." - NME (U.K.)
For more information on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and their new album Hypnotic Eye , visit: www.tompetty.com .
San Diego Music Thing Adds Featured Speakers
SAN DIEGO MUSIC THING ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL BAND LINE UPAND SPEAKERS : SWAMP DOGG AND JACK GRISHAM 
The San Diego Music Thing music and media conference, taking place on Thursday September 11th through Saturday September 13th has added additional bands to the festival line up including Cults, Colony House, The Griswolds, The Hood Internet, Mini Mansions, Cherry Glazzr and more. The full lineup can be viewed HERE. Festival passes and single day wristbands can be purchased HERE. Joining Moby as featured speakers during the conference portion of San Diego Music Thing are Swamp Dogg and Jack Grisham. Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams is a songwriter, producer, and cult hero. Swamp Dogg is best known for his boundary pushing brand of R&B that has been cited as a major influence on contemporary artists such as Jack White and The Black Keys. A native of Southern California, Jack Grisham is an activist, musician and published author best known as the front man for the politically charged hardcore punk band T.S.O.L (True Sounds of Liberty). T.S.O.L rose to underground fame during the Regan era with their politically charged and aggressive music and riot inducing shows. Grisham has gone on to launch additional music endeavours, Joykiller, Jack Grisham and the Manic Low, in 2011 published his first novel An American Demon : A Memoir and ran for Governor of California in 2003. A full list of speakers and panelists can be found HERE. This year also marks the introduction of SDMTU, a music business boot camp developed for college students looking to pursue careers in the music industry. SDMTU will be lead by Storm Gloor, a professor of Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at the University of Colorado in Denver (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences member, Music Business Associate member) and will take place on Thursday September 11 from 12pm-5pm. Registration and information can be found HERE ABOUT SAN DIEGO MUSIC THINGSponsored by Blue Moon Brewing Company and the City of San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture, all proceeds from the San Diego Music Thing benefit the San Music Foundation, a non-profit that develops music programs throughout San Diego County. The original program was "Guitars for Schools,” a partnership with Taylor Guitars to introduce guitar to music curricula in San Diego schools, as both a way to augment existing programs and to offset the loss of arts instruction due to budget cuts. Since it's inception the program has helped over 45,000 students from grades K -12.
The San Diego Music Thing music and media conference, taking place on Thursday September 11th through Saturday September 13th has added additional bands to the festival line up including Cults, Colony House, The Griswolds, The Hood Internet, Mini Mansions, Cherry Glazzr and more. The full lineup can be viewed HERE. Festival passes and single day wristbands can be purchased HERE. Joining Moby as featured speakers during the conference portion of San Diego Music Thing are Swamp Dogg and Jack Grisham. Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams is a songwriter, producer, and cult hero. Swamp Dogg is best known for his boundary pushing brand of R&B that has been cited as a major influence on contemporary artists such as Jack White and The Black Keys. A native of Southern California, Jack Grisham is an activist, musician and published author best known as the front man for the politically charged hardcore punk band T.S.O.L (True Sounds of Liberty). T.S.O.L rose to underground fame during the Regan era with their politically charged and aggressive music and riot inducing shows. Grisham has gone on to launch additional music endeavours, Joykiller, Jack Grisham and the Manic Low, in 2011 published his first novel An American Demon : A Memoir and ran for Governor of California in 2003. A full list of speakers and panelists can be found HERE. This year also marks the introduction of SDMTU, a music business boot camp developed for college students looking to pursue careers in the music industry. SDMTU will be lead by Storm Gloor, a professor of Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at the University of Colorado in Denver (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences member, Music Business Associate member) and will take place on Thursday September 11 from 12pm-5pm. Registration and information can be found HERE ABOUT SAN DIEGO MUSIC THINGSponsored by Blue Moon Brewing Company and the City of San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture, all proceeds from the San Diego Music Thing benefit the San Music Foundation, a non-profit that develops music programs throughout San Diego County. The original program was "Guitars for Schools,” a partnership with Taylor Guitars to introduce guitar to music curricula in San Diego schools, as both a way to augment existing programs and to offset the loss of arts instruction due to budget cuts. Since it's inception the program has helped over 45,000 students from grades K -12.
