Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 483
July 12, 2023
Eli Smart On Tour, Joined By Legendary Grandmother on Bass
Rising singer-songwriter Eli Smart is making rock ‘n’ roll history on his current North American tour. In what San Francisco music critic Joel Selvin calls “a rock ‘n’ roll first,” Smart will be backed by a combo that includes his legendary grandmother, Denise Kaufman, co-founder of the groundbreaking all-female rock band, The Ace of Cups, on bass guitar. The dates – which see Smart traveling as special guest alongside friend and collaborator Declan McKenna – got underway July 11, in Toronto, ON’s Danforth Music Hall and continue through early August. Smart and his band will celebrate the tour’s conclusion with a very special headline show set for Los Angeles, CA’s Genghis Cohen on August 5. “Going on this musical adventure with my grandma brings me so much joy. I can’t wait to rock out with her and support my friend Declan McKenna. I love Declan’s music – he does his own thing and it’s epic. Magic ahead!” says Eli Smart. “It’s a dream-come-true for me to play with Eli and his awesome bandmates” says Denise Kaufman. “Family vibes and sharing love – that’s what we’re up to!” An iconic figure on the San Francisco Scene, Denise Kaufman was at the epicenter of the counterculture revolution, from getting on the bus at 18 with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters (where she was dubbed “Mary Microgram”) to co-founding the first-ever all-female psych rock outfit, The Ace of Cups. The Ace of Cups became known for dazzling performances spanning free concerts in Golden Gate Park to the ballrooms of San Francisco, sharing stages with everyone from The Band and The Grateful Dead to Jimi Hendrix, who they opened for at a free concert in Golden Gate Park, the week after his groundbreaking performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Despite eliciting music industry interest for their exceptional songs, sublime harmonies and exuberant live shows, The Ace of Cups never got the chance to make a record until a 2011 reunion caught the attention of George Baer Wallace, founder of High Moon Records. Though Wallace’s initial goal was to release archival concert recordings, he was so moved by the band’s spirit that he offered the Ace Of Cups the opportunity to record their first-ever studio album. 2018’s The Ace of Cups finally delivered on the band’s promise, showcasing fifty years of timeless songcraft with the help of special guests including such legendary players (and longtime friends) as Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Charlie Musselwhite, Bob Weir, Taj Mahal, Peter Coyote, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. A number of additional releases followed, all available now at www.highmoonrecords.com/shop/ace-of-cups. Kaufman’s journey following the original iteration of The Ace of Cups eventually led her to being one of the seven founding mothers of Island School on Kauai, Hawaii; to studying aikido and yoga with Robert Nadeau Shihan, Yogi Bhajan, Bikram Choudhury, Pattabhi Jois, and Paul Grilley; and to teaching yoga to Madonna, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Quincy Jones, and Jane Fonda. Kaufman currently lives between Kauai and Venice Beach, CA, playing music, teaching yoga, surfing, and continuing to learn, channel inspiration and connect all those around her. Raised on Kauai, but currently based in London, England, Eli Smart has continued his family’s musical legacy with his own distinctive brand of “Aloha Soul,” blending rock, jazz, and Tropicana with the laconic vibes of his Hawaiian home. His incandescent vocals and lush tones quickly earned a growing fan following and critical applause from the likes of NME (which named him to its prestigious
NME 100: Essential Emerging Artists For 2023
listing) and BBC Radio 1, for whom he recently recorded a “Radio 1’s Future Artists” session, streaming now HERE. Smart – who also saw his 2022 track “See Through” covered in Simlish for the latest expansions of The Sims 4 – will share his latest single, “Fiesta 99.9FM,” via DITTO Music on Thursday, July 20. ELI SMART - SUMMER TOUR 2023 JULY15 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground – The Ballroom17 – Portland, ME – State Theatre18 – Providence, RI – Fete – Ballroom20 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel21 – New York, NY – Webster Hall22 – Harrisburg, PA – Club XL Live25 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre26 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic28 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart's29 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe at Old National Centre30 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl AUGUST1 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall3 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge5 – Los Angeles, CA – Genghis Cohen * ALL DATES W/ DECLAN MCKENNA EXCEPT * CONNECT WITH ELI SMART:WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE CONNECT WITH DENISE KAUFMAN:WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
YARD ACT RELEASE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO FOR “THE TRENCH COAT MUSEUM” & ANNOUNCE U.S. HEADLINE TOUR
ANNOUNCE U.S. HEADLINE TOUR
LISTEN HERE
WATCH HERE
Photo Credit: Jamie MacMillanNEW YORK, NY – JULY 12TH, 2023 – Today, Yard Act present their new single and video, “The Trench Coat Museum,” and announce a November headline tour in the US, including their return to New York, Philadelphia, and Austin, and debut performances in cities including Baltimore, Nashville, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Tickets are on sale here this Friday, July 14th at 10am local time. Co-produced by the band and Remi Kabaka Jr. of Gorillaz, “The Trenchcoat Museum” is an epic return, marking Yard Act’s first original music since the release of their Mercury Prize-shortlisted debut album, The Overload , “an endlessly clever, devilishly sharp post-punk screed on British politics and class warfare” (SPIN), released in January 2022.
LISTEN TO “THE TRENCH COAT MUSEUM” HERE & WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
A lyrical study on ego, vanity, perception, and legacy, “The Trench Coat Museum” recalls Yard Act’s James Smith’s reaction to reaching a level of visibility, which — in Smith’s words — “left us open to security and disdain just as much as love and appreciation.” He says, “Criticism is fair game and the internet is lawless so you gotta take it as it comes, but I definitely stopped searching for myself on Twitter the day I read that someone wanted to punch my lights out.”
He continues: “‘The Trench Coat Museum’ is about how our perception of everything shifts both collectively and individually over time at speeds we simply can’t measure in the moment. Within whatever space in society we occupy, we often see our own beliefs as being at the absolute pinnacle of what should be the ‘cultural norm’ and whilst the completely human trait of being self-assured can’t be helped, it's an absolute hindrance on our collective process. We are one etc. (Are we fuck).”
“The Trench Coat Museum” video was directed by James Slater who adds, “The video serves as a continuation and expansion of the Yard Act universe we explored on the first album. It’s set some 30 years in the future in this strange, dystopian trench coat museum in which an enigmatic character — the visitor — takes an audio guided tour. The song’s an eight-minute banger so I wanted the exhibits to come to life so that we could transition from an exhibition tour to a warehouse rave. It feels like a mini-film which is no accident, we see this as the first part of a Yard Act movie that coincides with their next album.”
“The Trench Coat Museum” Video Still
The Overload, “a debut album bursting with character” (Uncut) and the UK’s best selling album on vinyl for the first quarter of 2022, garnered a wealth of praise from The Guardian, The Sunday Times, MOJO, NME, The Line of Best Fit, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, Newsweek, Under The Radar, Consequence, and more. Following a UK television debut on Later … with Jools Holland, Yard Act filmed a Tiny Desk Meets SXSW Concert, won the SXSW 2022 Grulke prize for Developing Non-U.S. Act, and made their US television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Last summer, Yard Act released a special version of euphoric album closer “100% Endurance” featuring Elton John , with an accompanying video starring multi-award winning actor (and Yard Act fan) David Thewlis.
Yard Act Tour Dates:
(New Dates In Bold)
Fri. July 21 - Suffolk, UK @ Latitude Festival
Fri. July 28 - Sun. July 30 - Naeba, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
Sat. Aug. 12 - Cornwall, UK @ Boardmasters
Fri. Aug. 25 - Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
Sat. Aug. 26 - Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
Wed. Sep. 13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. Sep. 14 - Madison, WI @ The Terrace at University of Wisconsin
Fri. Sep. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Riot Festival
Thu. Nov. 2 - Reykjavik, IS @ Iceland Airwaves
Sat. Nov. 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Mon. Nov. 6 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Tue. Nov. 7 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Thu. Nov. 9 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Fri. Nov. 10 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Sat. Nov. 11 - New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre
Tue. Nov. 14 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Wed. Nov. 15 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company
Fri. Nov. 17 - Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Festival
Sat. Dec. 2 - Bangkok, TH @ Maho Rasop Festival
GRANDADDY Announces 'Sumday: Excess Baggage' via Dangerbird | Shares “The Town where I’m Livin Now” Single + Video
GRANDADDY
Announces Sumday: Excess Baggage Rarities Collection
set for Digital Release August 25 on Dangerbird Records
Sumday: Excess Baggage digital album pre-save
Reveals “ The Town where I’m Livin Now ” Single + Video
Available on all streaming platforms
“While the melodies have grown catchier and the arrangements more focused, [Jason] Lytle has leapt into the lyrical big leagues with unassuming songs about entropy and epiphany.” – Rolling Stone
”Sumday is all glorious, throbbing heart.” – Pitchfork
“A warm and deeply engaging snapshot of fractured relationships and existential dread.” – SPIN
“As the concerns that drive Lytle's lyrics lift out, the well-known tremulous quiver and fragile vocals become increasingly irreplaceable, the perfect medium for songs about articulating the intangible.” – Mojo
Credit: Chugrad McAndrews
Today, Modesto, CA’s influential indie-rock group Grandaddy have announced a special digital release of the Sumday: Excess Baggage, a thirteen-track collection of rarities and b-sides from the Sumday-era that unfolds like a lost Grandaddy album and is set for release on August 25 on Dangerbird Records. The band has also unveiled lead single “The Town where I’m Livin Now” alongside an official video, a spacy, wistful ode to the dissonant American landscape of California’s hardscrabble Central Valley.
Grandaddy leader Jason Lytle said, “I like making songs like this. Lots of bleak but sweet visuals. Everyday stuff available for everyone to see...but some of us just end up with the twisted work of documenting it.”
Watch / Share “The Town where I’m Livin Now” video
In May, Grandaddy announced Sumday Twunny, a limited edition 4-LP boxed set to be released on September 1 via Dangerbird Records. The collection includes the remastered original album as well as a complete 4-track demo version titled Sumday: The Cassette Demos, and Sumday: Excess Baggage.
Sumday Twunny 4-LP boxed set pre-order
Sumday: The Cassette Demos on all streaming platforms
“After many years of hammering away at writing and recording as Grandaddy, Sumday seems to be the center of it and where it all peaked. To the journalists we were, ‘On the verge of greatness, underrated, overlooked, unsung.’ It was a tumultuous and exciting time for us for sure. Also very exhausting,” Lytle said.
“Revisiting this material and reflecting on those times has been a double edged sword. Bittersweet is an apt word, I suppose. Twenty years after the fact, I'm just grateful to be alive and kicking… celebrating that moment in time by re-releasing the original album, B sides and extras of that era, and even some raw cassette demos of the album itself a sort of sketchbook/rough draft of the LP in cassette form. So be it then. ‘On the verge of greatness, underrated, overlooked, unsung.’ This is what all of that sounds like. I'll take it.”
Grandaddy formed in 1992 and have released five official LPs, most recently 2017’s Last Place. Grandaddy members include Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Tim Dryden, and the late Kevin Garcia, who passed away in 2017.
##
Sumday: Excess Baggage tracklisting:
1. My Little Skateboarding Problem
2. Derek Spears
3. Gettin' Jipped
4. The Town where I'm Livin Now
5. Dearest Descrambler
6. Build a Box
7. Trouble with a Capital T (muzak version)
8. Sure it Worked
9. Running Cable at Shiva's
10. Emit Anymore
11. I no how you feel
12. The Rugged and Splintered Entertainment Center (a gospel hymn)
yeule announces new album + shares new single
YEULE ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM SOFTSCARS OUT SEPTEMBER 22ND VIA NINJA TUNE
ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL NORTH AMERICAN & EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
SHARES NEW SINGLES
"DAZIES" & "FISH IN THE POOL"
press photo credit: Vasso Vu
PRE-ORDER:
softscars
https://yeule.lnk.to/softscarsPR
"dazies" & "fish in the pool"
LISTEN:
WATCH:
(July 12, 2023) - Multi-dimensional artist and producer yeule announces their new album softscars arriving September 22nd via Ninja Tune. Alongside the album announcement, yeule shares a second offering, “dazies”, with accompanying visuals directed by Zhang & Knight. The single drop also comes with a b-side track "fish in the pool," a beautiful instrumental track featuring yeule on the piano alongside hushed murmured vocals. "fish in the pool" is a cover of a piece from the Japanese film Hana and Alice by Shunji Iwai, a big inspiration for Ćmiel. softscars represents a new direction for yeule as they explore softer textures and disembodied arrangements that feature their ethereal vocals front and center. The project closely examines the anatomy of their long held emotional wounds for their most vulnerable work yet.
By setting their inner musings to cathartic punk riffs and ethereal electronics, yeule crafted softscars. “I took the metaphor of the scar to represent each song, and each scar remains soft,” yeule says. “Whether you’re healing from emotional trauma or a physical wound, time never heals a scar completely. There’s no more pain, but you can still see the mark afterward. I have a deep feeling that the things my ancestors went through got passed down; there’s some trauma that just sticks. There was always decay and distortion in my life, there’s always been something wrong or ugly. So the scar reminds me that I’m being protected, and I should protect myself.”
Though its subject matter is heavy and arcane, there is a sense of joyful catharsis that emanates throughout the project, which was written and produced by yeule and collaborator Kin Leonn, with additional production from Mura Masa and Chris Greatti (Yves Tumor, Willow Smith). Driving it along is yeule’s shape shifting vocals, sounding more assured than ever in all of its jagged edges and haunting whispers, relaying the imperfect process of healing.
Alongside the album news and new singles yeule is also announcing additional tour dates across North America and Europe this Fall and Winter. The tour routing includes stops at Webster Hall in NY, The Fonda in Los Angeles, and the Black Cat in Washington, DC alongside festival appearances at Boiler Room Festival, End of The Road, Portola Festival and Levitation Festival. The tour dates follow their sold out Glitch Princess run and you can find tickets here.
softscars marks a new era of yeule embracing their musical project as who they truly are as a person. “I was forcing myself to separate myself from my artist persona and trying to tone myself down, because I felt like people wouldn’t like me if I was really that,” yeule explains. By becoming the otherworldly figure that once was of their imagination, they have now bridged the fractured identities that could only exist through different contexts and forms.
The announcement follows their previous single “sulky baby" and their critically-acclaimed 2022 album Glitch Princess, which received a 'Best New Music' stamp from Pitchfork. yeule is a multifaceted artist across music and visual art. The yeule project was fabricated by Ćmiel to act as a portal or rift which allows them to communicate their art to the outside world, while still being protected within their inner shell. yeule was constructed as a manifesto of Ćmiel’s own identity, where they have always had access to multiple avatars and the freedom to change or contort at will — solace through embodying mutable, chameleon-like multiplicities.
Listen to "dazies" and "fish in the pool" above and stay tuned for more from yeule coming soon.
yeule album art credit Neil Krug
tour poster
key - * = support from SASAMII
Tour Dates:
7/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Boiler Room at The Brooklyn Mirage
8/30 - Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew *
9/1 - Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
9/30 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
10/1 - San Francisco, CA @ Portola Festival
10/3 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10/4 - Vancouver, BC @ Celebrities
10/5 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/6 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
10/7 - Denver, CO @ Marquis
10/9 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
10/10 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
10/12 - Toronto, ON @ Axis
10/13 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
10/14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/15 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/18 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/19 - Washington, D.C @ Black Cat
10/20 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
10/21 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
10/24 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/25 - Dallas, TX @ Studio at The Factory
10/26 - Austin, TX @ Levitation Festival
10/28 - Mesa, AZ @ The Nile
10/29 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
12/7 - Paris, France @ Café de la Danse
12/8 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Melkweg OZ
12/9 - Berlin, Germany @ Zenner
12/11 - London, UK @ HERE at Outernet
Connect with yeule:
BIRDY RELEASES NEW SINGLE "PARADISE CALLING"
RELEASES NEW SINGLE
“PARADISE CALLING”
TAKEN FROM HER UPCOMING NEW ALBUM
PORTRAITS
OUT AUGUST 18, 2023
BUY/STREAM “PARADISE CALLING” HERE
PRE-ORDER PORTRAITS HERE
photo credit: Thibault Theodore
Today – July 12, 2023 – Birdy releases her sensational new single, “Paradise Calling,” out now via Atlantic (buy/stream here). Following the release of “Heartbreaker,” “Raincatchers,” and “Your Arms” earlier this year, “Paradise Calling” is the latest offering from Birdy’s upcoming album, Portraits, which is set for release on Friday, August 18, 2023.
On “Paradise Calling,” Birdy continues her musical renaissance as she creates yet another alt-pop anthem, shifting away from her customary stripped-back motifs and stepping into a world laden with polished and gleaming aesthetics.
In her most confident album yet, Portraits sees Birdy take a liberated leap into the unknown – her timeless songwriting style now infused with a fresh, exuberant rush of energy and inventive, off-kilter production flourishes. It’s the sound of a creative stepping into a new world and, thrillingly, finding her true voice.
In 2023, Birdy is back with her fifth studio album, Portraits, ushering in a new chapter and marking a confident change in direction for an artist who has achieved an unbelievable amount since releasing her debut album, Birdy. At just 26 years old, Birdy has solidified herself as one of the UK’s leading homegrown talents; her incredible achievements to date include 3 top 5 albums and countless Platinum and Gold certifications, exceeding sales of 8 million records globally. Whether featuring on blockbuster soundtracks for the likes of Pixar, Netflix, and Amazon, collaborating with leading artists across genres, or motivating a generation with a viral TikTok sound, Birdy is forever finding new ways to engage new audiences. On DSPs, Birdy’s committed fanbase has helped her to surpass an incredible 5 billion streams and counting; she counts 18 million followers across all streaming services.
Birdy continues to be an unmissable draw in the live arena, too. Her rich, multi-layered stage productions have seen her sell out three consecutive nights at The Sydney Opera House, play to over 10,000 people across two nights at London’s Eventim Apollo, and reach many more milestones on global world tours. She has also headlined festivals across Europe and Asia, performed at the UK’s famed Glastonbury Festival, and has earned both BRIT and GRAMMY® Award nominations.
***
CONNECT WITH BIRDY:
WEBSITE
|
INSTAGRAM
|
TWITTER
|
FACEBOOK
|
TIKTOK
Sprain Reveal Fever Dream-like Single “Privilege of Being”
Sprain Reveal Fever Dream-like Single “Privilege of Being”
Watch a music video for the song now. // Their new album The Lamb As Effigy or Three Hundred And Fifty XOXOXOS For A Spark Union With My Darling Divine is out September 1st on The Flenser.
Photo Credit: Tanner Lemoine.
"never before has the band sounded so unhinged" - Consequence
The most extraordinary of art isn't created without its fair share of trials, of which Sprain faced numerous during the recording process of The Lamb As Effigy or Three Hundred And Fifty XOXOXOS For A Spark Union With My Darling Divine, with the sum and circumstances of them nearly sealing the album’s fate in limbo. With obstacles including session reschedulings as a result of a line-up change and a major studio electrical failure at the last possible moment, a mixing process that demanded the organization of several years of material across four separate studios, and the recording of the actual songs pushing the members of Sprain to their own physical limits, there were several times where the band considered scrapping the whole thing altogether. But Sprain persevered, applying the knowledge and willpower derived from those struggles to get the forthcoming The Lamb As Effigy, out this September from The Flenser.
Clocking in at nearly two hours, The Lamb As Effigy resembles an aural parallel to the human experience itself, with all the glorious beauty, crushing brutality, and unexplainable chaos that comes with it intact. Explosions of earth-sundering guitars, angelic keys, swirling strings, and bursts of improvised electronic noise coalesce to weave a visceral yet unique sonic tapestry bearing hints of no-wave, sound collage, 20th-century avant-garde, and free jazz. Tying everything together is an evocative approach to lyricism that, while rooted in the boundaries of the lived experiences of Sprain’s members, deconstructs these concepts through poignant absurdity.
Their latest single, "Privilege of Being," arrives today with a cinematic music video written and directed by Sprain's own Alex Kent.
Watch / share the "Privilege of Being" music video here.
Revisit first single "Man Proposes, God Disposes" on YouTube.
Since their formation in 2018 by like-minded Calarts students Alex Kent (guitar, vocals), April Gerloff (bass), and Sylvie Simmons (guitar)— plus the recent addition of Clint Dodson (percussionist)— Los Angeles quartet Sprain has honed its signature flavor of experimentalism to a razor-fine point. Gradually moving from twisting conventions in its early works of minimalist slowcore to transcending the confines of genre altogether, Sprain’s evolution over the past several years has encouraged the band to embrace a sound true to its muse. With their latest record, Sprain have translated this intent into an ambitious work that pairs its resplendent scale with uncompromising honesty towards the band’s artistic and conceptual essences.
The Lamb As Effigy will be available September 1st from The Flenser and is available for pre-order here.
A Certain Ratio Announce New EP '2023' & Share Werkha Remix Of "SAMO"
A CERTAIN RATIO SHARE WERKHA REMIX OF “SAMO”
ANNOUNCE NEW EP 2023 DUE OUT 9/22 ON MUTE
credit: Paul Husband
“The album sounds fabulous: It gleams like a freshly cleaned dancefloor. Every hi-hat hiss and rhythm lick asserts itself. Re-imagining themselves as a benign interstitial force between their influences and imitators like !!! and LCD Soundsystem, ACR enter their fifth decade with the vigor of a young opening act confident about kicking the headliner’s ass”
- Pitchfork
“1982’s charming and incredibly danceable blend of post-punk and funk continues the group’s efforts to ever-so-slightly update their sound by incorporating new elements and eschewing genre boundaries.”
- Slant Magazine
“A Certain Ratio’s blend of knife-edge tension and funkateer abandon is a style that’s theirs and theirs only” - Uncut
Today A Certain Ratio have announced news of a brand new 4-track EP, titled 2023, that is set for release on limited edition 12” vinyl and digitally on September 22nd, 2023 via Mute. The new release follows their latest album 1982 that was released in spring this year. It includes three newly commissioned remixes of tracks from the album as well as brand-new track “Day by Day”, which was written and recorded with Ellen Beth Abdi, a seamless extension of 1982.
Today the band have also shared the first cut from the EP, a remix by fellow Mancunian and recent tour mate, Werkha, (Tom Leah) who has taken on one of the standout singles from 1982. “SAMO”, named after Jean-Michael Basquiat and Al Diaz’s first art project, spent 4-weeks on the BBC 6Music playlist.
Listen to the “SAMO (Werkha Remix)” HERE. Elsewhere on the EP, close friend Andy Meecham (aka Emperor Machine) reworks “Constant Curve”, the album track he originally co-wrote and contributed keyboards and electronic percussion to. Additionally, Manchester producer Jade Parker remixes “Waiting on a Train” (feat. Ellen Beth Abdi & Chunky).
A Certain Ratio recently announced a unique tour that celebrates 45 years of the band’s incredible career. The dates will see them perform two separate sets each night: the first will represent the early years of their career from their Factory releases, including All Night Party, Sextet and Force, through to the next stage of their journey when they joined A&M in the late ‘80s with songs such as “Won’t Stop Loving You”. The band will then reconvene for a set representing ACR from the early to mid-‘90s, with songs like “27 Forever” leading into their most recent releases with tracks from ACR Loco and 1982 and beyond to unreleased forthcoming material.
These very special dates, across intimate venues in the UK and beyond, kick off with a sold-out show at London’s Moth Club on November 10th and finish at Band on the Wall in Manchester, the venue that hosted their 33 1/3 anniversary celebrations, also the site of The Musicians Collective where the band honed their craft at their earliest performances alongside artists such as Warsaw, The Fall, The Passage, Joy Division and many more. Full dates and festival appearances are listed below.
Since they emerged from the hallowed grounds of the late ‘70s punk scene, A Certain Ratio have moved with gleeful disregard for boundaries of style and genre, their eye fixed firmly on constant progression. It’s an ethos that’s open-minded over all else, and that’s seen them take everything from experimental electronica to vintage funk, all filtered through their own Mancunian lens. From their first release, “All Night Party” (1979, Factory Records) to the present day with their recent album, 1982 (2023, Mute), home to recent singles “Holy Smoke”, “SAMO”, “Afro Dizzy” and “Waiting on a Train”, they defy expectation.
Pre-order: https://mute.ffm.to/acr_23
A CERTAIN RATIO ‘45’ TOUR DATES:11/10/2023 – London, UK - Moth Club - SOLD OUT
11/11/2023 – Preston, UK - The Ferret
11/12/2023 – Glasgow, UK - Stereo
11/15/2023 – Gateshead, UK - The Sage
11/16/2023 – Reading, UK - Face Bar
11/18/2023 – York, UK - The Crescent
11/25/2023 – Bruges, BE, Cactus
12/2/2023 – Liverpool, UK - 24 Kitchen Street
12/10/2023 – Manchester, UK - Band on the Wall
Ticket details here.
A CERTAIN RATIO FESTIVAL DATES:
7/15/2023 - London, UK - Kew the Music
8/20/2023 - Coimbra, PT - Luna Festival
8/26/2023 - Northamptonshire, UK - Shambala Festival,
11/19/2023 - Minehead, UK - Shiiine On Weekender
11/24/2023 - Paris, FR - BBMix
Punk Upstarts Adolescents Announce New Album on Frontier Records and Tour - This Friday July 14
LEGENDARY PUNK BAND THE ADOLESCENTS CELEBRATE 43rd ANNIVERSARY WITH RELEASE OF NEW ALBUM CAESAR SALAD DAYS ON FRONTIER RECORDS ON JULY 14
Eleventh Studio Album Features Re-Recordings of Adolescents’ Rare & Import-Only Tracks Reflected In Its Current Live Set-- Shows Orange County Hardcore Band Hasn’t Mellowed With Age
West Coast Tour Begins this Friday July 14 – Release Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LOS ANGELES, CA (WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2023) – The Adolescents, who helped establish the blueprint for Orange County punk rock according to All Music Guide, announced today they are celebrating the 43rd anniversary as a band with the release of their new album Caesar Salad Days on vinyl/digital formats this Friday, July 14 2023 via the legendary independent label, Frontier Records.
This is the first studio LP The Adolescents have released on Frontier Records since their La Vendetta... è un piatto che va servito freddo in 2014, continuing a relationship that began with The Blue Album and the Welcome to Reality EP in the early 1980s.
Formed in January 1980 in Fullerton, CA, The Adolescents (still featuring original member Tony Reflex) are as fiery today as ever before. Caesar Salad Days features 15 tracks of aggressive hardcore punk that the band has always been known for. Loud, fast rules! When the pandemic hit, the Adolescents were scheduled for a European tour that they had to cancel—twice. Singer Tony Reflex realized that many of the songs in their repertoire were either out of print or only available on European presses at import prices. He concluded the solution would be a new vinyl record aimed at the fans who couldn’t find the songs at a record store or an Adolescents’ gig. He wanted to collect many of the songs the band loves to play, many of them written by founder member Steve Soto, who tragically died in his sleep in 2018.
Tony realized that he didn’t have the money to pull off the recording as the Adolescents couldn’t play live shows due to the pandemic, therefore no income. What he did have was lots of possessions to sell, so he used online auction sites until he had saved up enough money to record this new album. In May 2022, it was finally time to record so Tony contacted Scott Reeder (Kyuss, Fireball Ministry) and asked if he would be interested in producing the LP. Returning from Reeder’s Sanctuary Studios in the touring van, the Adolescents were goofing on silly phrases for possible album titles -- drummer Mike Cambra was eating a salad and came up with “Caesar Salad Days." By unanimous laughter it was agreed upon-- these are the Adolescents’ Caesar Salad days, for sure. Cover artwork by Paul Kostabi- Paul was in Youth Gone Mad who had a local hit “Oki Dogs” and is a founding member of White Zombie.
Track listing for Caesar Salad Days:Operation FTWOC Confidential Riot on the Beach 5150 or Fight Brats in Battalions Do the Eddie Just Because Lost on Hwy 39Queen of DenialLockdown AmericaEscape from Planet FuckForever Summer Big Rock Shock Serf City USA Pointless Teenage Anthem
2023 SUMMER TOUR DATESJuly 14 - Garden Amphitheater - Garden Grove CAJuly 15 - OC Tavern - San Clemente CAJuly 16 - The Casbah - San Diego CAJuly 18 - The Kilowatt - San Francisco CAJuly 19 - John Henry’s - Eugene ORJuly 21 - Dante’s - Portland ORJuly 22 - The Shakedown - Bellingham WAJuly 23 - Punk in Drublic festival - Tacoma WAJuly 25 - The Olympic Venue - Boise IDJuly 26 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City UTJuly 28 - Rebel Lounge - Phoenix AZ
The Adolescents are one of the most popular punk bands of all-time, playing a huge role in the hardcore explosion in Southern California in the early ‘80s. Their 1981 self-titled debut (a/k/a The Blue Album) has become one of the most influential So Cal punk albums of all time. Along with Bad Brains, Black Flag and Minor Threat, the Adolescents remain one of the most respected bands of the 1980s hardcore/skate punk scene. They were voted the N° 1 best Orange County band of all time by OC Weekly. This is the band’s eleventh studio album.
ABOUT FRONTIER RECORDSFrontier Records was founded in Los Angeles, CA. 1980 by Lisa Fancher and is also celebrating its 43rd anniversary in 2023. Frontier was one of the first independent labels to document the nascent L.A. and O.C. hard-core punk rock scene before branching out into other scenes and sounds such as the so-called "Paisley Underground" and (always!) guitar-based bands along with genres such as goth, alt country, pop and more. Bands releasing records on Frontier include: Circle Jerks, Adolescents, The Weirdos, TSOL, China White, Christian Death, Redd Kross, Thin White Rope, Heatmiser, Young Fresh Fellows, Dharma Bums, American Music Club, The Long Ryders, The Three O’Clock, The Pontiac Brothers, Naked Prey, Flop and many more. They are quickly closing in on their 100th release! Exclusively distributed by ILD (ildistro.com) in Milwaukee, WI.
Photograph by Chris Shary, the artist for the Descendents
Frankie and the Witch Fingers share new single "Futurephobic"
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
SHARE NEW TRACK “FUTUREPHOBIC”
WITH OFFICIAL VIDEO - WATCH
NEW ALBUM DATA DOOM DUE SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
VIA THE REVERBERATION APPRECIATION SOCIETY
& GREENWAY RECORDS
HEADLINING LARGEST U.S. VENUES YET THIS FALL
LOS ANGELES PSYCH-PUNK JUGGERNAUTS
UNVEIL WILDEST, WIDEST-RANGING COLLECTION YET
Photo Credit: James Duran
Los Angeles psych-punk quartet Frankie and the Witch Fingers have shared new track “Futurephobic” alongside an official video. The song is taken from their seventh studio album Data Doom, due September 1 via The Reverberation Appreciation Society / Greenway Records. FLOOD Magazine gave the video an early debut, describing it as “in line with the album title’s vintage dystopian sci-fi connotations, swapping weed-smoke riffs for frigid new wave pulses and staccato vocal deliveries.”
“The main riff was an idea we came up with during the writing process for our album Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters… but we kept it in our back pockets, as it wasn’t quite fitting in with the theme of that album,” the band explains. “When we started writing Data Doom, it reemerged very organically and everyone latched onto the idea surprisingly fast and ran with it. We expanded on the main riff and came up with the other parts and overall arrangement while writing with our new lineup in our studio in LA. The whole process went surprisingly smoothly. We added backing vocals and overdubs while on tour last year in Europe, doing all the passes to complete the song from various apart-hotels, attics in France and Amsterdam.”
WATCH THE “FUTUREPHOBIC” VIDEO
HEAR THE TRACK
Though they’re currently in the midst of a massive trek across Europe, the band recently announced an extensive run of headline U.S. tour dates for this fall, which include performances at such esteemed venues as Warsaw in Brooklyn and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. See below for the full list of currently-announced dates.
WATCH THE “MILD DAVIS” VIDEO
HEAR THE TRACK
PRE-ORDER DATA DOOM
Through six progressively expansive albums, innumerable live dates on an ever-expanding list of continents, and performances with the likes of Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top and more (to say nothing of their impressive headline dates), Frankie and the Witch Fingers have earned their throngs of global fans with their ecstatically wild live shows and layered, visionary recordings. With Data Doom, the band is poised to welcome even more uninitiated into the fold – it’s their most eclectic work yet, while remaining undeniably cohesive, and they’re supporting it with the biggest headline shows they’ve ever played.
Over the past decade Frankie and the Witch Fingers have operated as an outright force of nature, offering up a revelatory form of psych-rock that hits on both a primal and ecstatically mind-bending level. In the making of their new album Data Doom, the Los Angeles-based four-piece forged a sublimely galvanizing sound informed by their love of Afrobeat and proto-punk—a potent vessel for their frenetic meditations on technological change run rampant, encroaching fascism, and corrosive systems of power. Animated by the explosive energy they’ve brought to the stage in sharing bills with such eclectic acts as Ty Segall and ZZ Top, the result is a major leap forward for one of the most adventurous and forward-thinking bands working today.
Rooted in the cerebral yet viscerally commanding songwriting of co-founders Dylan Sizemore (vocals, guitar) and Josh Menashe (lead guitar, synth), Data Doom marks the first Frankie and the Witch Fingers album created with bassist Nikki “Pickle” Smith (formerly of Death Valley Girls) and drummer Nick Aguilar (previously a touring drummer for punk legend Mike Watt). In crafting their most rhythmically complex work to date, the band drew heavily from each new member’s distinct sensibilities: Smith tapped into her extensive background in West African drumming (an art form she first discovered thanks to her music-instructor parents), while Aguilar leaned into formative influences like longtime Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen. Self-produced by the DIY-minded band and recorded direct to tape by Menashe, Data Doom ultimately took shape through countless sessions in their Southeast L.A. rehearsal space, with Frankie and the Witch Fingers allowing themselves unlimited time to explore their most magnificently strange impulses.
Once again showcasing the expansive and fantastically eccentric musicality of past efforts like 2020’s Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters..., Data Doom encompasses nine high-wattage songs constructed with both dizzying intricacy and unfettered imagination. On “Mild Davis,” for instance, the band shares a gloriously spaced-out track inspired by a piece from Miles Davis’s early-’70s electric period, cycling through a vast whirlwind of rhythms and textures and wildly spellbinding guitar parts. “We worked on that for two weeks straight, puzzle-piecing together different parts into one very weird and stream-of-consciousness song that’s mostly in a 7/4 time signature,” Menashe recalls. Meanwhile, Sizemore’s lyrics shift between savagely despairing the state of the world and resolutely dreaming of a brighter future. “I wrote the lyrics to ‘Mild Davis' in a moment of feeling pessimistic about what technology is doing to our society, especially as AI is creeping to the forefront more and more,” says Sizemore. “But then the bridge comes from a more optimistic perspective, where it’s questioning whether we could reboot the whole system and start all over.”
After opening on the epic majesty of “Empire,” Data Doom launches into the first song the band’s new lineup wrote together: “Burn Me Down,” an irresistibly jittery track that perfectly encapsulates the album’s transcendent collision of blistering riffs and polyrhythmic grooves. On “Electricide,” Frankie and the Witch Fingers unleash the LP’s most unabashedly punk offering, a bombastic rallying cry built on Aguilar’s breakneck drumming. One of several songs featuring Menashe on sax, “Syster System” slips into a hypnotically fluid tempo as Frankie and the Witch Fingers muse on the possibilities of partnership culture (a concept introduced by futurist Riane Eisler in her seminal book The Chalice and the Blade). “Riane Eisler talks about how our society has a very masculine energy that manifests as the need to exert power, which she refers to as dominator culture,” Sizemore explains. “The alternative to that is partnership culture, which has a feminine energy that’s more symbiotic with nature. The idea behind ‘Syster System’ is that if we could bring that energy into technology, it could help make everything more harmonious.” And on “Political Cannibalism,” Data Doom closes out with a dance-ready anti-anthem stacked with so many loopy details, such as a warped and otherworldly guitar part Menashe spontaneously composed in an attic in France.
To create the cover art for Data Doom (a co-release from Greenway Records and the Reverberation Appreciation Society), Frankie and the Witch Fingers reached out to Italian illustrator Carlo Schievano and UK-based graphic designer Jordan Warren, who then joined forces in assembling an elaborate mixed-media piece complete with its own language system and accompanying decoder. “It was really fascinating to see two different artistic voices working together to make something so unique, with all these hidden elements for people to figure out,” says Smith. Not only an echo of the album’s endlessly immersive quality, Data Doom’s visual component reflects the band’s devotion to unbridled collaboration in all aspects of the creative process. “There was no pressure and no real time constraint for this record, and because of that the creativity flowed in a very free way that probably wouldn’t have happened if we’d been on the clock in a studio,” says Sizemore. “It showed us that the more we take the time to communicate and share our ideas with each other, the more it feeds our creative energy and helps us to make something we’re all really excited about.”
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
DATA DOOM
(Greenway Records)
Release date: September 1, 2023
TRACKLIST
Empire
Burn Me Down
Electricide
Syster System
Weird Dog
Doom Boom
Futurephobic
Mild Davis
Political Cannibalism
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
LIVE 2023
JULY
12 - Relâche Fest (free show) - Bordeaux, FR
14 - Rock Im Daal Fest - Idar Oberstein, DE
15 - Valkhof Fest (free show) - Nijmegen, NL
29 - Binic Folks Blues Fest - Binic, FR
30 - Rockabylette Fest - Luzy, FR
AUGUST
1 - L’ile du Malt - Hossegor, FR
4 - Haldern Pop Fest (early set) - Rees, DE
4 - Krach Am Bach Fest - Munster, DE
5 - Palp Fest - Brusson, CH
8 - Palp Festival - Martigny, CH
11 - Sonic Blast Fest - Vila Praia De Âncora, PT
25 - Purple City Music Fest - Edmonton, CAN
SEPTEMBER
9 - The Usual Place - Las Vegas, NV **
10 - Valley Bar - Phoenix, AZ **
11 - Love Buzz - El Paso, TX **
14 - Parish - Austin, TX **
15 - Andy's Bar - Denton, TX **
16 - Continental Club - Houston, TX **
17 - Gasa Gasa - New Orleans, LA **
19 - JJs Bohemia - Chattanooga, TN
20 - The Blue Room - Nashville, TN #
21 - Terminal West - Atlanta, GA #
22 - Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC #
23 - Pour House - Charleston, SC #
25 - Black Cat - Washington, DC #
26 - Crystal Ballroom - Somerville, MA ~
27 - Sala Rossa - Montreal, QC ~
28 - Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT ~
29 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA ~
30 - Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY ~
OCTOBER
2 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH #
3 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL #
4 - Miramar Theatre - Milwaukee, WI #
6 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO #
7 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO #
8 - Sister Bar - Albuquerque, NM #
27 - Quartyard - San Diego, CA @
28 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA@ **
29 - Rickshaw Stop (Psyched! Fest) - San Francisco, CA @
31 - Rev Hall - Portland, OR @
NOVEMBER
1 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA @
3 - Catalyst Atrium - Santa Cruz, CA @
4 - SLO Brew - San Luis Obispo, CA @
** w/ Spoon Benders
# w/ Wine Lips
~ w/ Iguana Death Cult
@ w/ MONSTERWATCH
# # #
CONNECT WITH FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP
July 11, 2023
Le Tigre @ Greek Theatre Sunday, July 9, 2023
All photos by BRADLEY DUPRAY
